A thread on the City of Heroes message board transcribes an item in the latest PC Gamer giving the first details about the next update to the game.
The fourth City of Heroes update will be called "The Arena" bringing Player vs. Player gameplay to the game. Staying in line with what’s been promised in the past, PVP gameplay will remain separate from the rest of the game and voluntary:

Combatants will be able to face
off against mano-a-mano or in super-teams of up to eight heroes. Battle
zones will be instanced for the participants, and will be set up to
replicate familiar environments such as city ruins and Atlas Park… The arena will also house themed conflicts that
incorporate mission objectives and even bestow temporary powers onto
those bold enough to enter.

New costume options "inspired by anime and manga" will also come with this update, as well as "body scaling" which will allow players to customize the body types of their characters.
Unfortunately, the skills system, which was promised for this update at the earliest, is still not ready, so creating a hero who is also a detective, inventor or scholar will not be available for a little while.
I’m intrigued by the new costumes… I’m curious to what the manga influence will bring but I’m also disappointed since it sounds like the more western costume elements (me, I’ve been hoping for a trenchcoat and a tuxedo). I’m hoping my Japanese schoolgirl will finally get a true school uniform… and a cool kimono. I’d love to create a hero in a kimono.
I’m mixed about the body scaling. It could be cool, but I’m fearing that the lonely fanboys playing the game will start making their barely-dressed heroines with the typical Rob Leifeld body type.

Found via David, The Great Curve
is a blog with contributions from Denise Sudell who I’ve had some
really smart conversations with in the past. She does some great
investigating on the Postcards from Buster wackiness. Denise finds out more on the content of the episode:

In the episode that knotted Spellings’s knickers, Buster goes to
Vermont and meets children from two families, who show him how maple
syrup and cheese are made.
At one of the homes, Buster is
introduced to all of the children and to the two moms. One girl
explains that one of the women is her "stepmom," whom she says she
loves a lot.
One of the women asks the kids to get some maple
syrup and some cheese for dinner, and to stop by the other home to
borrow a big lasagna pan. In the other home, Buster is introduced to
the whole family, including two more moms. Then the kids head off to
get the ingredients, and Buster learns where syrup and cheese come from.

If I had more faith in government officials, I’d be wondering if this were some publicity conspiracy here, prefacing the announcement of line of Buster merchandise… ’cause now that I know there’s a blogging bunny who teaches kids how to make kulfi and hummus, I want him on a t-shirt.

My local PBS station has announced that they will air the episode:

KQED Public Television believes that the program is appropriate
for Bay Area communities and has chosen to air "Sugartime"
on KQED Channel 9 on Wednesday, February 2 at
4:30pm.
We agree with Postcards From Buster’s
producers and advisors that "Sugartime" fits
the series’ mission of introducing children to the rich
and varied cultures that make up the United States, including
kids living in a wide range of family structures.
KQED’s mission is to provide programs and services that
reflect a respect for and understanding of our world and
its inhabitants without exception.

Hmm, 4:30… I wonder if I can figure out how to program the VCR (or rather how to prepare all the other equipment so that the VCR records the right show).
Update: Michael Berube does a great parody:

“Buster Bunny is not the problem,” said Spellings.  “Though I note with
some dismay that Buster travels the country accompanied only by his
father because his parents are divorced, and I do not see why our
children should be subjected to yet another glamorization of the
divorce lifestyle.  No, the problem is Vermont itself.  It is Vermont
to which I object.  Christians everywhere should be outraged that it
was represented in this children’s program.”

Spellings proceeded to unveil the Department of Education’s proposed
map of the “forty-nine God-fearing United States,” with the “territory
of Vermont” represented by a lightly shaded area.  “Until such time as
Vermont sees fit to rejoin the rest of the nation in condemning gay
‘civil unions,’” Spellings said, reading from a prepared statement, “we
propose that Vermont be visually expelled from the heterosexual Union.
We further propose that the nation’s students be instructed that
Vermont is no longer a real state, and that they will not be
responsible for remembering its capital, which is not only obscure but
French-sounding as well.”

Today’s the last day to try to win a copy of Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty!

I really liked reading Johanna’s recent Araña review where she finds the title to symbolize one of the bigger dilemmas facing the big publishers.

I got a few laughs out of Sparky’s snarking over the Xavier Institute.

You get the impression that Xavier handles all the administrative
duties at the school, but couldn’t he use a secretary or an assistant
or something? I don’t mean to bring up old scandals, but he does tend
to disappear or go all evil now and then.

Thanks to Tom Spurgeon, I now know that where I will find what probably is the best comic shop in the Bay Area (and the Bay Area is full of great comic shops). Good news for those of us who make good use of the Bay Area’s great mass transit systems, the new store is even closer to the Downtown Berkeley BART station.

Lazy link-blogging continues as I try to take advantage of City of Heroes’ winter event to power-level my low-level alts (I have many).
Found via Kotaku, Konami announced recently that home versions pf Dance Dance Revolution have sold a total of 2.5 million copies over all platforms.
Me, I still dream of DDR Clubs where you can change into workout clothes and have a machine to yourself for an hour…

Tom Peyer snarks on the Spongebob silliness.

Before I lose yet another post of links, remember to check out the Inagural Polite Dissent  Contest. Three copies of Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty are being given out; there are three ways to enter. Entries are due midnight January 31, 2005.

Tim Goodman is amazing at snark and sometimes his bad reviews make a show sound like a camp classic that must not be missed. Today he reviews A&E’s Schwartzeneger biopic See Arnold Run:

Unless
the producers and writers of "See Arnold Run" were attempting to create a sort
of cheese fondue of lameness on purpose, then what we have here is a
spectacular, across-the-board lack of accountability. "See Arnold Run" is so
asinine it races past farce and approaches spoof before veering off carelessly
on that dark and lonely road marked "Earnest True Life Story."

Goodman gets right to the heart of the film’s problem:

It’s like a "Saturday Night Live" skit that never ends.

Which, in all honestly, makes it sound like a treasure chest of unintentional hilarity to me, much like some seasons of SNL.
Goodman concludes his review:

In some twisted way, "See Arnold Run" is an early valentine to
Schwarzenegger. It portrays him as a hard-working guy with big dreams who
overcame his own personality flaws, scandal and failed movies to be governor.
Unfortunately, it also portrays him as a German Phil Hartman with really bad
hair. Sometimes, in the movie of your life, there’s no hero who can save you
from your own caricature.

That’s rather poignant, actually. What other TV critic drops of bits of life wisdom while savaging bad TV?

My favorite comic strip, The Bad Reporter, finally makes a return to the San Francisco Chronicle. I can’t say enough good things about Don Asmussesn’s comic strip, which manages to come off as The Daily Show in comic strip form. Asmussen deftly creates satire out of the headlines that avoids the obvious cheap shot in favor of a wittier bon mot. In a typical strip, every panel offers multiple laughs and those moments of memorable brilliance are surprisingly common. Sometimes Asmussen’s strips won’t make sense if you aren’t versed in Bay Area or California news and personalities, but he hits national headlines often enough that he can offer plenty laughs out-of-state.
Today’s strip hits the Rice/Gonzales confirmations (as depicted in the sample panel), The Passion of the Christ and the Armstrong Williams Payolagate Scandal.

I’m getting excited from this Newsarama piece about Spell Game. First off, the title is by Amethyst co-creator Dan Mishkin. I’m excited to get Mishkin back in comics. The concept has potential, too:

Spell Game is about John Dodge, con artist and occasional stage magician who’s quite surprised to learn that his tricks aren’t…well…tricks.
“Dodge discovers that he can use real magic — magic that is steadily
seeping into the world all around him, though it’s unseen by most
people,” Mishkin said.

The only problem? It’s not solicited until April, which means I’ll have to remind myself to buy my shop to order it for me.

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Today’s remembrances have me thinking about one of the most powerful comic stories I’ve read, Osamu Tezuka’s Adolf.
Over a mere five volumes, Tezuka creates an epic tragedy following the lives of three different men named Adolf. One is the obvious one, the man who became a legendary personification of evil for the 20th century. Another is Adolf Kauffman, the half-Japanese son of the German consulate. The last is Adolf Kamil, a Jewish boy living in a community of Jews who have fled Europe and ended in Kobe.

(After the jump, I will discuss plot points, but still attempt not to reveal key events, if you’re definitely picking this one up and want to avoid spoilers, you may want to come back later.)

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