Sony Online Entertainment is working with legendary DC Comics artist Jim Lee to produce DC Universe Online, a massively-multiplayer online game where players can fight alongside or against their favorite superheroes and supervillains including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker and more.

As with most other titles in the MMO genre, you’ll have your choice of character class and customization along with a unique combination of superpowers. Famous DC writers, including Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman, have been brought in to help pen the storyline and quest adventures, which take place in familiar locales like Gotham City, Metropolis, Arkham Asylum and more.

DCUO will be subscription and microtransaction-based and will launch in November 2010 on both the PC and PlayStation 3. We got a look at some of the gameplay at E3; check out the video below as well as a screenshot gallery and let us know what you think. If you’re a DC Comics fan, will you be excited to play within the DC Universe?

Video

Photo Gallery

Gotham Amusement Mile

Doomsday

Gotham Clinic

Combat

Superhero Combat

Amusement Mile

Bizarro

DC Universe Online

In Action

Super Fight In Action

Powergirl

Powergirl

DCUO Combat

DCUO Character Combat

DC Universe

DC Universe

Tags: comics, DC Universe Online, DCUO, e3, E3 2010, games, MMO, SOE, sony, Sony Online Entertainment, video games

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Yesterday I ran into something that was a real shocker for me: a website called “Deconstructing Roy Lichtenstein” in which are featured “source” images to virtually all of Litchenstein’s work. This is really big.

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I’ve known Lichtenstein work for some time know, but I’ve never researched his biography, and it seems that it was actually a “problem” he faced in life.

Most of his best-known artworks are relatively close, but not exact, copies of comic book panels, a subject he largely abandoned in 1965. (He would occasionally incorporate comics into his work in different ways in later decades.) These panels were originally drawn by such comics artists as Jack Kirby and DC Comics artists Russ Heath, Tony Abruzzo, Irv Novick, and Jerry Grandenetti, who rarely received any credit. Jack Cowart, executive director of the Lichtenstein Foundation, contests the notion that Lichtenstein was a copyist, saying: “Roy’s work was a wonderment of the graphic formulae and the codification of sentiment that had been worked out by others. The panels were changed in scale, color, treatment, and in their implications. There is no exact copy.” However, some have been critical of Lichtenstein’s use of comic-book imagery, especially insofar as that use has been seen as endorsement a patronising view of comic by the art mainstream; noted comics author Art Spiegelman commented that “Lichtenstein did no more or less for comics than Andy Warhol did for soup.” – Wikipedia

Some might even say that the world would not know him if copyright laws were serious back then. We’d like to know your thoughts on this… here are some of the source images from the Deconstructing Roy Lichtenstein website. There’s also a Flickr photostream with many of these. Take a good look at them, and tell us what you think. Cheers!

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Super hero-themed MMORPG Champions Online is having its second free-play weekend, after only being released two months ago and having its first free-play weekend one month ago. The upcoming free-play weekend, which will be based around Thanksgiving, will coincide with an in-game content update called ‘Nemesis Confrontation’, and will feature new player costumes and quests.

The developers of the game hope that it will lure new players in, as the new quest kidnaps the player to an intergalactic prison where you have to fight your way out to freedom. However, as good as it may sound and despite a lukewarm launch reception,the folks from Cryptic Studios had several adverting campaigns, like reduced subscription deals, price drops and free-play weekends, which leads one to wonder if the game is actually struggling for subscriptions. But since exact numbers of active subscriptions are rarely released publicly by a MMO developer, and usually only when the game is doing well,  all these are only speculation.

Champions Online faces competition from City of Heroes, Cryptic’s first super hero-themed MMO that is now being run by NCSoft, and a pending DC Universe Online, a game with the popular DC Comics license.

The ‘executive producer’ of Cryptic is Bill Roper, formerly of Blizzard Software and Flagship Studios, who worked on such critically acclaimed games like Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3, but also worked on MMO bust, Hellgate: London.

See: Cryptic Gives Away Another Free Champions Weekend [MMORPG Champions Online to Bring New Player Ccostumes and Quests]

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"When artists arrived at Mass Animation’s virtual studio on Facebook, they were given the essential tools and animation software necessary to participate, including individual storyboards and 3D models bundled for download along with guidelines on animation," a representative for Facebook tells WebProNews. "Through the social networking features of the application, animated shots could then be viewed, voted on and shared with friends."

"’Live Music’ reflects the input of  58,000+ participants from 101 countries and 51 animators who collaborated in the making of this unique film, which introduces Mass Animation to the world," she adds.

Mass Animation has illustrated to a great extent what can truly be acheived with collaboration efforts on Facebook (or social media in general). It probably helps that Mass Animation puts so much focus on Facebook as a tool. They even use their Facebook page as their website. If you go to massanimation.com, it redirects to facebook.com/massanimation. That’s some dedication to a specific channel. 

Now Mass Animation is involved in another Facebook project with Sony Online Entertainment and DC Comics. This week the DC Universe Online Animation Contest was announced. This is being called version 2.0 of the Mass Animation FB app and will give DC fans, gamers, and animators a chance to animate characters from the DC Universe online game that Sony is developing. This is another example of Mass Animation allowing fans to collaborate on a big product. The contest will launch on December 7.

Related Articles:

> Paramount Follows Up "Paranormal" Marketing With More Social Fun

> MySpace To Host Exclusive Stream Of "New Moon" Red Carpet

> Social Networking Donation Cause Leaves MySpace For Facebook

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I’ve sifted through the many apps related to comic books and found a handful that you’ll want to try out. Whether you’re a DC Comics fan or you’re partial to Marvel, I think you’ll like what you find in these apps.

Get your comic on

Clickwheel Comic Reader if you plan to read comic books on your iPhone, the Clickwheel Comic Reader will be able to satisfy that desire.

When you start using Clickwheel Comic Reader, you’ll be able to sift through comic books and find one you want to read. The app doesn’t have many of the classics like those you would find from an app like Comics or iVerse Comics (see below), but it does have some comic books you might care about. Either way, the app displays all your favorite content in full color on your iPhone. And since it’s free, it’s probably worth trying out if you don’t mind reading a relatively small collection of books.

If you want to read some comic books, Clickwheel might be your choice.

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Clickwheel)

Comic Envi If you’re more into comic strips than comic books, we have you covered too.

With the help of Comic Envi, you can check out some of your favorite comic strips. You can check out old, well-known comic strips, Web-only offerings, and more. You have the option of viewing them in a slideshow or by moving them with your fingers. You can also check out the daily updated strips or some of the titles in the archive. It’s a neat utility, but beware that you will need to pay 99 cents to get it.

Check out Comic Strips with the help of Comic Envi.

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Comic Envi)

Comics If you’re a fan of comic books, you’ll want to try out Comics. The app currently has more than 450 comics for you to read right in the app.

Comics is packed with a lot of great content from Marvel, Image, Red 5, and other prominent comic-book companies. You can sift through all the books in the app, find the comic book you want to read, and you’re all set. Now, I should note that of the 450 comics available to read in Comics, you’ll only be able to access 70 of them for free. The rest you’ll need to pay for access. Regardless, the app is free, making it a great way to read some comics without dropping a dime. Check it out.

You can read 70 free comics in the Comics app.

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Comics)

Comics Lib If you want to bring your entire comic-book library with you wherever you go, Comics Lib is the app for you.

After you download Comics Lib, you can immediately start importing your library into the app. You can also create a wish list of comics that you don’t have yet, but hope to have eventually. The app even lets you check for upcoming releases of comic books, so you can track the titles you want. The app won’t let you read comic books in it, but at least it will help you determine if you already own a book you might have forgotten about. If you want to share with others all the comic books you own, Comics Lib is the best (mobile) way to do it.

Carry your comic books with you in Comics Lib.

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Comics Lib)

ComiXology If you’re looking to do a little more than read comics on your iPhone, ComiXology might be the way to do it.

After you download the app, which costs $1.99, you’ll be able to check out all the upcoming comic-book releases. You can also see recent covers, preview different pages, check out comic-book-related articles, and more. The app even lets you listen to ComiXology’s weekly podcast. A social element lets you see what other folks are checking out. It might not let you read full comics like some of the other apps in this roundup, but if you’re looking for a great way to stay connected on the comic-book scene, this app might be one of the best ways to do it.

If you're a comic-book fan, ComiXology is the service for you.

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ComiXology)

iVerse Comics iVerse Comics is the arch-nemesis of the aforementioned Comics app. It allows users to read comics right on their iPhone.

iVerse Comics features several comic books for you to check out. The app added Marvel support on Friday. It also features books from Red 5, Image, and other companies. So far, there are a few dozen free comics to read. There are “hundreds” of other comic books available for download in the app’s store. The app features popular comics like Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, and others. Like Comics, you can sift through its listing of available books and find the title you want to read right on your iPhone. If you’re a fan of Marvel comics, iVerse Comics is worth checking out.

iVerse Comics lets you find the comic book you want to read.

(Credit:
iVerse)

My top 3

1. Comics: With so much great content, Comics is a great way to enjoy your favorite content.

2. iVerse Comics: If you’re a fan of Marvel comics, iVerse Comics is worth checking out.

3. ComiXology: ComiXology is designed specifically for the comic-book lover. And chances are, it will deliver quite an experience.

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