DC’s Doomsday Clock Info Finally Revealed, Along With Interior Art

DC has been exceptionally tight-lipped about its upcoming November story Doomsday Clock, which introduces the iconic characters of Watchmen into the main DC Universe for the first time. During a panel for the comic at New York Comic-Con, writer Geoff Johns lifted the veil and explained why the publisher has been secretive about the 12-issue miniseries.

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Johns spoke with Lev Grossman–an expert on all things Watchmen and the author of The Magicians series–as to just why readers are being kept in the dark about the upcoming book. “We want you to experience it by reading it,” explained Johns.

That comment is not without its merit. Many times, comic book publishers will unveil too much information about their upcoming series, even spoiling major moments–like deaths and rebirths–and full pages on the day of or even before the book’s release. Many big events completely lose their allure and mystique through spoilers and story details released to the public, and interest in the series–as well as sales–suffer.

However, DC readers needed something to wet their whistle with Doomsday Clock, as the company has been teasing it for months now, with numerous promo images but not much else.

Johns revealed the first six-pages for the premiere issue of the comic and walked through it panel by panel, and you can see the lettered version of those pages below.

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When the final page of this preview was revealed, the hall erupted in cheers and applause as Watchmen character Rorschach appeared on the screens on the sides of the stage. Johns insisted that Doomsday Clock is something anyone will be able to read, as long as they’ve read Watchmen, which many comic book fans consider to be required reading.

The seeds for this story reach back to the DC Rebirth one-shot comic from June 2016, where Dr. Manhattan was revealed on the final page–which marked the first time that character appeared in the main DC Universe. Since then, vague promo images and an event at this past year’s San Diego Comic-Con continued to tease the book without any solid information.

While Johns discussed the creation of the comic and why he wanted to write it, he kept story details incredibly vague. However, he explained his passion for this project and that he wanted to put the heartbeat back into the DC Universe: “I wanted to get back to the essence of these characters,” said Johns.

The writer also expressed his admiration for the original Watchmen series and that he and artist Gary Frank were following a rule book for this series. Frank was following a nine-panel grid, much like the original graphic novel, and Johns said that Frank has “a slight echo” to Watchman‘s artist Dave Gibbons. “He’s the only artist to do the project,” said Johns. “If Gary doesn’t draw it, I can’t write it.”

During the final minutes of the panel, Johns explained this is a standalone story, not an event. There will be no crossovers or tie-ins into other series. Readers interested in Doomsday Clock will have to buy the 12-issue miniseries and nothing else.

Finally, according to Johns, Dr. Manhattan will be naked in this series. That, along with the swearing in the preview of the book, means that DC is keeping in tone with the original series, which is adult in nature. You can see the full comic and Mahattan’s blue penis in Doomsday Clock, which hits stores on Wednesday, November 22.

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Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Halloween Event Begins Today

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Halloween event is now underway. All month long, players will be able to take part in Willard Wyler’s Halloween Scream, a limited-time celebration that features Halloween-themed loot, new game modes, and more.

At the start of every week, players can get a free Halloween Supply Drop in Infinite Warfare simply by logging in to the game, while a free Halloween-themed cosmetic item will be available every Friday. In addition to that, you’ll be able to earn Halloween gear and loot, including new zombie-themed Rig skins.

Beyond all the Halloween-themed items you can get, the Halloween Scream event adds a couple of new modes to the game, including the return of Gesture Warfare. This mode will only be back until October 12 and allows players to use gestures to kill their opponents. The following day, developer Infinity Ward will introduce Boss Battle mode, which allows players to jump right into battles against the final bosses from the various Zombies DLC chapters. However, you’ll need to own the DLC packs to access the chapters.

Finally, Infinity Ward is making the popular Carnage map from the recent Retribution DLC pack free to play beginning on October 12. For the duration of the event, players who play on Carnage will earn double XP. Willard Wyler’s Halloween Scream runs until November 1. You can learn more about the event on the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare website.

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Assassin’s Creed Movie “Took Itself Too Seriously,” Star Michael Fassbender Says

While movie adaptations of video games don’t exactly have a great track record, hopes were high for last year’s Assassin’s Creed. The movie had a high-profile cast, acclaimed director, and big budget, as well as a big following for Ubisoft’s games series.

Unfortunately, the film was met with poor reviews and a disappointing box office take, putting hopes of a sequel into doubt. Now, star Michael Fassbender has spoken about what he thinks went wrong with the movie, and what the chances of a follow-up are.

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Speaking to Movienco, Fassbender said that he didn’t think that the film was “entertaining” enough. “For sure, it wasn’t ideal,” he said. “I think we missed an opportunity there a little bit. So we’ll wait and see what Ubisoft are coming up with. But right now I don’t know.

“I would make it more entertaining, that’s really the main note. The feeling of the film, I think it took itself too seriously and I would get to the action a lot quicker. I think there’s three beginnings of the film, which is a mistake.”

Before Assassin’s Creed was released last December, there was talk of potentially two more movies, with Fassbender onboard to produce and star. However, the film only made $54 million in the US, with a worldwide total of $240.6 million from a production budget of $125 million.

The latest game in the series, Assassins Creed Origins, comes out on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 27. In addition, the next big-screen games adaptation, Tomb Raider, arrives in March next year. The movie stars Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, and the first trailer was released last month.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Says You Should Maybe Skip The New Trailer

A new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is coming on Monday, October 9. A teaser trailer released today shows Rey wielding a lightsaber, which is interesting. Now, director Rian Johnson has spoken up to say that, while he enjoys the trailer, you may want to avoid it if you’re hoping see The Last Jedi with fresh eyes come December. [Update: Johnson has reiterated that he only said you should skip the trailer if “you want to come in totally 100% clean.”]

That already basically goes without saying, as a trailer for anything–even a video game about a big, mean goose–will spoil something for you. But movie trailers these days can sometimes give too much away. And Johnson’s specific language–“absolutely avoid it”–seems to suggest that this new trailer could have some kind of big reveal. We don’t know for sure, but we’ll find out soon, as the trailer it set to drop during Monday Night Football tomorrow evening on Disney’s sports channel ESPN.

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The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, and Andy Serkis. Fisher sadly passed away in December 2016. However, Princess Leia is expected to receive an “amazing” send-off in the film and will not be resurrected for Episode IX through the use of CG. The Last Jedi will also have an evil BB-8. The film is due out on December 15.

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New PS4 Games Out This Week Include Shadow Of War, Evil Within 2, And More

The PlayStation 4 gets a bunch of new games this week, including anticipated sequels like Middle-earth: Shadow of War and The Evil Within 2. We’ve rounded up this week’s notable new releases, pulling from a schedule posted on the PlayStation Blog.

Shadow of War, which launches on October 10, is the sequel to 2014’s Shadow of Mordor. Developed by Monolith, we found the sequel to be bigger and more ambitious than the first title, though we had our issues with it as well. You can read our full Shadow of War review here.

As for The Evil Within 2, it’s from the same studio as the first one, Tango Gameworks in Japan. The team is led by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. The Evil Within 2 puts you back into the shoes of detective Sebastian Castellanos who is looking for his lost daughter in a world filled with horrors.

Other notable new releases this week include the physical version of Friday the 13th: The Game, which of course launches on Friday the 13th. New PlayStation VR releases this week include combat racing game Radial G: Racing Revolved and the murder mystery game The Invisible Hours from Rime developer Tequila Works.

A number of these games are also coming to Xbox this week. You can check out this roundup to see all the new Xbox One games out this week.

New PlayStation Release For The Week Of October 10

October 10:

  • Alteric (PS4, PS Vita; digital October 11)
  • Always Sometimes Monsters (PS4)
  • Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online (PS4)
  • Echo (PS4)
  • Fort Defense (PS4)
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PS4)
  • Radial-G: Racing Revolved (PlayStation VR)
  • Raid: World War II (PS4)
  • Raiden V: Director’s Cut (PS4)
  • Raw Data VR (PlayStation VR)
  • Revolve (PS4)
  • Semispheres (PS Vita)
  • Squareboy vs. Bullies: Arena Edition (PS Vita)
  • Stereo Aereo (PS4)
  • Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle (PS4, PS Vita)

October 11

  • Miko Gakkou Monogatari: Kaede Episode (PS4)
  • Son of Scoregasm (PS Vita)

October 13

  • Bad Apple Wars (PS4 Vita)
  • The Evil Within 2 (PS4)
  • Friday the 13th: The Game (PS4; retail)
  • The Invisible Hours (PlayStation VR)
  • White Noise 2 (PS4)

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American Horror Story: Cult Edits Gun Violence After Las Vegas Attack

FX announced “substantial edits” are being made to a scene in the next episode of American Horror Story: Cult. Creator Ryan Murphy and the show’s producers made the call following the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1.

The scene in question opens the episode and, as FX explains, “contains a sequence that some viewers might find traumatic.” According to the network, the opening scene was filmed two months before the events of Last Vegas. Still, while the scene won’t be shown in its original form when the episode airs Tuesday, October 10, it will be available to watch. According to FX, viewers will be able to see the full scene through VOD and the network’s streaming platforms.

The full statement from FX follows: “In light of the tragedy last week in Las Vegas, Ryan Murphy and the producers of American Horror Story: Cult have chosen to make substantial edits to the opening scene of tomorrow night’s episode (Tuesday, October 10, 10 PM ET/PT). This opening, which was filmed two months ago and which portrays an occurrence of gun violence that has sadly become all too common in our country, contains a sequence that some viewers might find traumatic. Only the edited version of the episode will air on the FX linear channel, while the unedited version of the episode will be available on the VOD platform of your cable, satellite or telco provider, as well as on the FX Networks non-linear platforms, FXNOW and FX+.”

AHS isn’t the first TV show or movie changing plans after the Las Vegas attack. Previously, Marvel and Netflix announced the cancellation of The Punisher’s New York Comic Con panel. In a statement, the companies said, “After careful consideration, Netflix and Marvel have decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for Marvel’s The Punisher to participate in New York Comic-Con.” The series still has no announced premiere date, while one was expected to be revealed during the panel.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Annapurna Pictures’ Death Wish shifted its release date to 2018, after it was originally set to debut on November 22. The film, which stars Bruce Willis, is a gun violence-heavy remake of a 1974 vigilante film. While the studio has not said the movie’s changed release is related to what happened in Las Vegas, the move came mere days after the mass shooting.

The current season of American Horror Story is set after the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America. It airs Tuesdays at 10 PM on FX.

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