Joker Mentioned in Dark Knight Rises Novel

Beware of TDKR spoilers below.

While he wasn’t even mentioned in The Dark Knight Rises movie, it seems The Joker has been name-checked in the film’s spin-off novelisation.

According to the book, Gotham’s criminal fraternity were moved from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison following the creation of the Dent Act. All but one that is, as the novelisation explains…

“The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumour had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really even sure. Not even Selina”

The page itself can be viewed at MTV, while Nuke the Fridge originally spotted the mention.

So would you like to have seen The Joker name-checked in TDKR? Let us know below.

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Skylanders Giants to Release in October

Skylanders Giants will be available from October 19 in the UK, and October 21 in the US.

The game will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and 3DS on this date, but when we'll get our hands on the PC and Mac versions is still up in the air.

Skylanders Giants is set to introduce over 40 new collectible figures, so if you're planning on assembling a full roster it's probably best to start saving now. Though Spyro is noticeably absent from the game's title this time around, it's been confirmed he's still present as a playable character.

Activision recently revealed that the Skylanders franchise generated more revenue than any game property between January and April this year.

To celebrate the announcement, the company has revealed a new playable character called Swarm, who you can check out below.

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Five Of The Best Console Redesigns

Every console in this generation has undergone some sort of redesign.

The Xbox 360 underwent drastic changes to fit into a shiny black number, the PS3 managed a miraculous weight loss that would have been worthy of reality TV if it were human, and a stripped-down, horizontally-inclined Wii launched to rather less fanfare at the end of last year.

The handhelds are at it too, and they're arguably the worst offenders. Nintendo's DS went under the knife four times over its lifecycle, topped only by the PlayStation Portable, which has been available in five different versions.

Often a redesign is best for both the gamers and the manufacturers. Not everyone is going to love the initial design that ships day one and with parts and manufacturing costs getting smaller and smaller, it just makes sense to start cramming more into the same space or trimming the fat altogether.

With the larger than life Nintendo 3DS XL out in the open and rumours of a significantly slimmer PlayStation 3 on the production line, we've picked out five of the console redesigns that did everything right.

Nintendo DS Lite (launched June 2006)

Back in 2005, things looked uncertain in Nintendo and Sony's war for handheld dominance. The original Nintendo DS, despite a wealth of software, was an ugly silver sandwich that was still battling for supremacy over Sony's new PSP.

Drastic measures were taken. The dual-screened portable was taken back to the drawing board in June 2006, and the DS Lite was rolled out.

A sleeker revision, the DS Lite had it all: bigger screens, longer battery life, comfy thicker stylus, and a design that was nice to look at.

The sacrifice? The GameBoy Advance cartridges stuck out a few centimetres (Nintendo would later tear backwards compatibility out of the system with the DSi). But despite that, the DS Lite didn't just win the fight - it won the war.

PSone (launched July 2000)

Released alongside Sony's PlayStation 2 in the year 2000, many were surprised to find this dinky little fella topping console charts well into its successor's launch.

Though that may have been down to the PS2's short supplies, plenty of people were snapping up its slimmer older brother.

Sony tucked all of the original Playstation’s now-outdated tech all into a considerably smaller, lighter, paler slab of plastic that featured an attachable LCD display for on-the-go PlayStation gaming.

Sony also used it as an opportunity to up the system's protection from mod chips and other piracy issues that had plagued the console since its launch.

Game Boy Color (launched 1998)

These days the original Game Boy is idolised as an iconic piece of gaming history, but to those who actually owned one it was a bulky hunk of plastic that dragged its power from a whopping four AA batteries.

Some would argue that Game Boy Color was a fully-fledged successor to the original rather than a redesign, but it was also the Game Boy we'd always wanted.  It was a trimmed down handheld that borrowed much of its visual profile from the earlier Game Boy Pocket, had a colourful screen, and boasted twice the battery life of the Game Boy from just two AA batteries.

Xbox 360 Slim (launched June 2010)

Thinner, sleeker, and lacking the iconic circle of LEDs where its infamous 'red ring of death' used to glow, the Xbox 360 Slim isn’t adored for its sleek design and neat touch controls but because it addresses almost everything people hated about the Xbox before it.

Powering up the system doesn’t sound like a Hoover being turned on in the next room. You can get online wirelessly without having to fork out on a pricey dongle or fiddle with wires. It's got an even bigger hard drive and is less prone to system failures. It even has a Kinect port to save on plug space next to its slightly smaller power brick.

It took a good five years for Microsoft to patch up the failings of the original Xbox 360, but the result was worth the wait.

Game Boy Advance SP (launched March 2003)

Despite an impressive number of handheld classics, aesthetically the Game Boy Advance was everything you didn’t want in a portable.  Even overlooking its battery life and landscape design, that lovely big screen lacked a backlight to illuminate its impressive colours and visuals. Playing it without a light source became a nightmarish experience (remember squinting at that tiny dark screen on all those sunny holidays?).

The Game Boy Advance SP solved all its predecessor's failings in one fell swoop. A new clamshell design made the system perfect for almost any pocket big or small, an optional backlight made the screen explode in all its 32-bit glory and finally, Nintendo admitted defeat and slapped a built-in rechargeable battery into the handheld.

If it wasn't for the absence of a headphone jack, The Game Boy Advance SP would be portable bliss.

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Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Delayed Until 2013

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 has been delayed until January 15 2013.

According to VideoGamer, City Interactive's sniper sequel has been pushed back in order to give the team more time to polish the title.

The engine is fantastic and the level of polish is also key to the title's success.

Namco Bandai PR director Lee Kirton told the site, "I can confirm that this is true, we will provide a full announcement with City Interactive soon.

"It's key we all want this title to be fantastic in the genre and the leading Sniper game for sure. The engine is fantastic and the level of polish is also key to the title's success. As soon as the official announcement through distributors is available I will provide it."

We reported a couple of weeks ago that the game had slipped from August to October, but now it seems the game won't be out this year at all. While an October release would have meant the game going head to head with titles like Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter, the first few months of 2013 are getting increasingly crowded after a number of high profile delays. The Last of Us, Anarchy Reigns, Beyond: Two Souls, Metro: Last Light and Crysis 3 are all targeting that window for launch.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 will release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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Comic Book Reviews for 7/25/12

Man, what a stellar (and pricey) week for comics. This week saw the return of everyone's favorite prequel-era Sith Lord, Darth Maul, in a fun "in between seasons" story that follows up on his appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. DC Comics also continued its rejuvenation of Aquaman, while Marvel delivered the latest twist in its plans to redefine the Lizard's status quo.

Please note, there is a review coming soon for American Vampire #29.

DC COMICS

All-Star Western #11

Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Moritat

"While the rest of the Bat books have wrapped up their dalliances with the Night of the Owls crossover, All-Star Western continues to explore Jonah Hex's chaotic encounter with the 19th Century incarnation of the Court.  The series is practically reveling in its ties to the Batman mythos at this point. Besides returning the setting to Gotham, writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray have brought in the Religion of Crime as a rival cult. They also seem determined to ensure that as many major Gotham figures as possible have historical analogues in this series. At some point it would be nice to be reminded that this book is about Jonah Hex too." -Jesse

Final Score:7.0

Aquaman #11

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Ivan Reis

"Apparently it's not enough for Geoff Johns to swoop in and make writing a compelling Aquaman yarn look like child's play. He also has to prove that it's perfectly possible to toss an entire team full of essentially new characters at readers and make these readers fall in love with them after a handful of issues. This is a book that makes good on all the promise the New 52 offered." -Jesse

Final Score: 9.0

Batman: The Dark Knight #11

Written by Gregg Hurwitz | Art by David Finch

"Gregg Hurwitz's first issue of Batman: The Dark Knight was a mammoth leap forward in storytelling and quality. This feels like a Batman book now, instead of a turd smeared across paper and then stapled into the shape of a comic. Still, as we said in the review of issue #10, this series is not doing much to make itself a 'must buy' each month. Being an okay Batman book in a sea of good Batman books just isn't enough." -Benjamin

Final Score: 6.5

Before Watchmen: Comedian #2

Written by Brian Azzarello | Art by J.G. Jones

"Before Watchmen: Comedian deserves some credit for being the only one of the Before Watchmen books so far to not attempt a standard origin story. The series skips over Eddie Blake's formative years and instead follows his misadventures in the '60s as a government agent. Unfortunately, despite the less formulaic approach, Comedian still falters quite a bit in its execution." -Jesse

Final Score: 5.5

The Flash #11

  

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato | Art by Marcus To

"You can always count on The Flash to have an amazing title page and a new villain, and the creators do not disappoint here. While fiery baddie Heat Wave is nothing to write home about, his debut adds yet another member to Flash’s rapidly expanding rogues. Even better, Barry Allen changes the status quo on how he fights crime by moving into the seediest part of town and getting a job at the worst bar imaginable. It’s almost like hewants to get into a fight. Good news for us, he does." -Joshua

Final Score: 7.5

Green Lantern #11

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Doug Mahnke

"Last issue, Black Hand decided to go cliff diving rather than become an Indigo Lantern once more. It was gruesome stuff, but now he’s back at it with a Black Lantern ring and a plan to bring back his dead family and eat Chinese food with them, among other more nefarious things. It feels good to have a clearly defined villain with an evil agenda in a Green Lantern book again. I enjoyed learning the mysteries of the Indigo Tribe, but now I’m ready to see how Hal Jordan and Sinestro are possibly going to get along long enough to overcome this deadly threat." -Joshua

Final Score: 8.5

I, Vampire #11

Written by Josh Fialkov | Art by Andrea Sorrentino

"Since the start of the New 52, four books have continually impressed me issue after issue without fail: Batman, Wonder Woman, Animal Man, and I, Vampire. What they all have in common is their consistently high quality artwork, refreshing stories within their genre, and a cast full of memorable characters. With this installment, Andrea Sorrentino creates an epic battle scene between vampires and zombies while Joshua Hale Fialkov continues to develop the twisted romance between vampires Andrew and Mary. In short, it still kicks ass." -Joshua

Final Score: 9.0

Justice League Dark #11

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Mikel Janin

"Let’s start this off right: in my opinion, Justice League Dark is – right alongside I, Vampire – one of the most consistently beautiful books at DC. To my memory, neither series has had a lapse in artist and yet has remained pristine issue after issue. Mikel Janin delivers yet again in JLD #11, perhaps even topping himself with stunning layouts and pristine lines that formulate one of the trippiest – yet cleanest – looking issues yet. There is seriously so much detail packed into his characters that it’s astonishing to see this book arrive on time month in and month out. The editorial team at DC should take a bow for assigning Janin to this book, and issue #11 is precisely the reason." -Joey

Final Score: 9.0

National Comics: Eternity #1

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Cully Hamner & Derec Donovan

"In a move that I’m still quite excited about, DC Comics has debuted its new done-and-one series called National Comics, aiming to reintroduce some of the DCU’s more obscure characters month in and month out in a series of one-shots. The debut features a revamped Kid Eternity, written by Jeff Lemire with are by Cully Hamner and Derec Donovan. As a re-introduction (or perhaps just an introduction for some) to the character, Eternity #1 suffices just fine. In fact, the only storytelling detriment I can pinpoint is the fact that the story doesn’t exactly wrap-up in a way that will leave you satisfied. Instead, it ends on a rather heart wrenching cliffhanger that will just leave you waiting for the next issue. That’s not a knock against the book itself, it’s just that, at least at this point, that next issue doesn’t exist." -Joey

Final Score: 8.0

Spaceman #8

Written by Brian Azzarello | Art by Eduardo Risso

"Spaceman is finally getting around to making a point. There are moments in this issue when we finally start to see the story come through. Some of these scenes could have been pretty poignant and meaningful -- if they had happened three or four issues ago. This series has just become to long and to unwieldy. It's saying something, but does anybody even care anymore? I doubt it." -Benjamin

Final Score: 5.5

Superman #11

Written by Dan Jurgens | Art by Dan Jurgens

"This Superman title has been less than stellar since its debut, but despite some cringe-worthy elements, this issue isn’t all that bad. The teaser text on the cover is an outright lie, the villain is a photocopy of a Predator, and Superman’s abnormally long neck is back, but a well-paced story manages to keep things interesting. It’s not a super story, but it’s getting there." -Joshua

Final Score: 5.5

Teen Titans #11

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Brett Booth

"Teen Titans seemed to be taking steps in the right direction for the past few issues. It felt more interesting, like it was finally starting to tell these kids' story. That comes to a halt in this issue. The Teen Titans just punch some random dude that they invited over their apartment and then they punch each other. Thrilling." -Benjamin

Final Score: 4.5

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