Performance Design Products (PDP) have come up with a line of Apple accessories that simply scream “Only Comic Book Fans Apply!”. Their exclusive line of Iconic Marvel Comic Covers cases for the iPhone 5 are now available exclusively via Apple Stores worldwide. Among the vintage comic book covers that represent major milestones not only in Marvel’s but also comics history in general include Amazing Fantasy #15 (published August 10th, 1962), Avengers #1 (published September 10th, 1963), The Incredible Hulk #1 (published: May 10th 1962) and Giant Sized X-Men #1 (published January 1st 1975).

These snap-on, hard plastic cases provide full access to all ports and buttons on the iPhone 5 and each comes with a satin finish which maximises carrying comfort. Each of these cases are going for USD 34.95, check them out over here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/HB674VC/A/marvel-amazing-fantasy-15-clip-case-for-iphone-5?fnode=47&p=5#mfr-info

The fallout from Robin’s death continues in this week’s batch of Bat-comics, with Batman & Robin #19, showing just how nuts Bats can be. In this issue, Batman takes to Castle Frankenstein, along with some really creepy experiments of his own (dissection and brain matter anyone?), in his bull-headed attempt at resurrecting Damian Wayne. The cover of this issue features Carrie Kelley….yup…the Robin from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, but this doesn’t mean she is a shoe-in for the role in the New 52. Let us see how things unfold, but in the meantime, this issue gets a 4 out of 5.

Barbara Gordon is down to two batarangs after the events in Death of a Family, but that doesn’t stop her from taking out her brother in Batgirl #19. This issue is pretty groundbreaking, not only with Barbara severing ties with her brother (and her father), but also in introducing a transgender character in the form of Barbara’s roommate. This issue is not short of action, with a big mallet, a pistol and plenty of punching and kicking filling in the void created by just 2 batarangs. 4.5 out of 5.

Injustice #13 explores Flash’s reaction, or should I say non-action to Superman and Wonder Woman’s method of dealing with unrest down under. The poor chap resorts to the one thing we mortals usually do whenever we are overcome by stress: going for a run. The Injustice mini-chapters are doing a pretty good job fleshing out the story for a mere videogame, and I wonder if the New 52 can adopt an edgier storyline like this for its mainstream characters. 4.5 out of 5.

Plenty of interesting revelations in this week’s batch of comics, so you can expect that this week’s review of books to be SPOILER-FILLED. Are you ready? Out from the ashes of the Court of the Owls storyline, a new hero emerges in the form of ex-Talon, Calvin Rose. Now he’s out for the remainder of the Court, but it turns out, the rich benefactor that he is working for is none other than the former leader of the Court, Sebastian Clark! The Talon books have been interesting so far and issue #3 introduces the twist. Don’t mind the Bat-signal on the cover though, it’s a red herring. 4 out of 5.

Age of Ultron #3 introduces a very big twist at the very last page. But before that if you are wondering why Doc Ock as Spidey is so…err…friendly to his fellow Avengers in the AoU books, you can check out Superior Spider-Man #6. Ok, back to AoU #3, the survivors hatch a plan to send in a trojan horse when parlaying with Ultron, but surprise, surprise they are dealing with….wait for it….Vision! The fact that the AoU books take place some time after the current timeline, make me even more curious on how things came about. 4 out of 5.

Class is still commencing in the Savage Land with Wolverine and the X-Men #27 and the teacher in-charge this time is….DOG?! Wolverine is preoccupied and Dog is on a mission to proof that he is a better man than the ol’ Canuck, bringing the students of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning into combat against a whole bunch of time-displaced foes.

The last panel is worth the total price of admission and given that we’ve already got plenty of spoilers, I leave it to you to get the book. 4.5 out of 5.

I never would have thought a direct descendant of the Brothers Grimm will be giving voice in an upcoming interactive book adaption of a classic Brothers Grimm story, but in this day and age, perhaps anything seems possible. Check out the press release for details:

Ravensburger Digital and Daedalic Entertainment are celebrating the Brothers Grimm year with a unique interactive book app: “Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor”. The Grimms’ fairy tale is being published in digital form for the iPad at the start of March.On the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm, the app expands on the fairy-tale classic by making use of 21st century innovations.

The story of the astute tailor is brought to new life on the iPad through enchanting pictures, professional voice over narration and Ravensburger puzzles. For the German release, voice over is provided by Markus Grimm – a direct descendant of the Brothers Grimm.

Grimms’ fairy tale and Living Stories – a fabulous team

Although fairy-tale fans have known Grimms’ tales, such as Snow White and Rapunzel, for generations, the “Living Stories” series is a recent project. A lot of users and reviewers have nevertheless expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, in which Daedalic Entertainment is responsible for development and Ravensburger contributes its experience with children’s books. In November 2012, “Living Stories: The Lost Heart” was released as the first interactive iPad story. It was the winner of the German Developer Prize and “GIGA-Maus” 2012, among other awards.

The combination of Grimms’ fairy tales with the interactive “Living Stories” concept brings together the past and the present day of story-telling. The tale of the little tailor benefits from the technical possibilities of an interactive book app: animated graphics and the chance to guide the action through simple movements on the iPad allow “The Brave Little Tailor” to be enjoyed in a completely new way, using modern technology – and without a heavy set of books.

A real Grimm for a real fairy-tale classic

“Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor” also provides a unique story-telling experience for fairy-tale fans both big and small. The app not only lets you read the interactive book yourself, but you can also have the story of the brave tailor read to you by professional voice over artists. For the German release, author and musician Markus Grimm lends his voice to the little tailor. The choice of speaker could not have been better, as Grimm is not only the author of three books for children, but he is also a descendant of the famous pair of brothers.

“We can look forward to a wonderful app that will enchant both young and old with its fantastic atmosphere and magical illustrations! You discover something new every time you browse through it”, says Thomas Bleyer, managing director of Ravensburger Digital.

“Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor” for iPad is available from the start of March at 3.59 €/ $3.99/ £2.49 in the iTunes App Store.

Phew, finally I’ve found the time to put my thoughts together on this week’s comic book releases. As all Bat-fans would know, Batman #17 was released earlier in the week, marking the end of Scott Snyder magnum opus Death of the Family. Everyone seems to fine, no thanks to Batman’s quick thinking and training imparted to the rest of the Bat-Family, but the Joker’s masterstroke would be to shatter the very bonds that hold the family together.

Greg Capullo’s art is totally amazing, complementing the macabre storyline of Joker and his Bat-king. Death of the Family has been an amazing ride and I expect the fallout to reverberate across all the Bat-titles moving forward. 5 out of 5.

Like Batman #17, Jonathan Hickman’s The Manhattan Projects #9 marks the end of a storyline which pitted the likes of Einstein, Yuri Gagarin and Joseph Oppenheimer against the cabal known as the Illuminati. No points guessing who wins here, but like Batman #17, Manhattan Projects has been a wild ride, with pretty cool art from Nick Pitarra. Like the rest of the series, there’s a lot of comedic blood letting and funny dialogue. 5 out of 5.

Wolverine and the X-Men #25 finds Principle Logan taking the class out on a roadtrip to the Savage Land. Who in the right mind would bring them there except the guy who has a berzerker rage. Among the cast of students out on the trip include Kid Omega, Genesis and a now savage Broo. They are in for a surprise though, at least Wolverine is, as Dog (yup, that Dog, from Origins) is on the hunt for him. This book continues to amaze me to no end, take a look at the back, there’s a school roster and a class  list! 4.5 out of 5.

Christmas is over, and so is New Year’s Day. But there’s one special day coming up, and that’s Valentine’s Day. So what do you get for a loved-one who is a geek, video game nerd or an otaku. Fret not, here’s a list that should cover the bases:

Books

The Encyclopedia of Game.Machines (1972-2012) – I’ve actually got the earlier edition of this book and it was an eye opener. Not only did it highlight the definitive consoles throughout the video games industry’s relatively short life, the book (all-colour, glossy pages) highlighted the obscure ones as well. This new edition covers consoles right up to the Nintendo 3DS and is being sold at USD 49.90 over here.

The Legend Of Zelda 25th Anniversary Hyrule Historia Official Guide Book – Scheduled to be out this January and published by Dark Horse, this is a must have for any Zelda fan worth their salt. This book is available for pre-order at a price of USD 39.90 over here.

Board and Table Top Games

There are plenty of themed-Monopoly boards, ranging from one that features Nintendo characters, World of WarCraft and even Futurama! The price? About USD 60 per board. Check them out over here.

For Mario fans out there, this over here is a Jenga-like game, called Super Mario Balance Block. This is a limited availability item going for USD 33.90 over here.

Games

You can go wrong with gifting games to a loved one during Valentine’s Day. Just make sure that the person in question is a gamer, and don’t worry if bought something that he already has, there’s always a chance for him to trade the additional copy for something else. Play-Asia has plenty of games on offer in its Sales section, check it out over here.

Figurines and Toys

Ok, the official line here is that these aren’t toys, these are collectibles. The Batman Arkham City Play Arts Kai figurines are awesome stuff and definitely not for kids (just take a look at the price tag). Take for example the Batman in The Dark Knight Returns skin picture above, it’s one fine specimen at USD 66.90. Check it out over here.

This week we review four comic books, two with the words “Uncanny” in their titles; prudes among us better close their eyes as there are plenty of kissing and blood-letting going on.

Poor ol’ Bucky can’t get a break, and while the hunt for his unwittingly wayward girlfriend, the Black Widow, ends in Winter Soldier #14 (as well as Ed Brubaker’s run on this book), it’s a bittersweet ending. The bad guy Leo did quite a number on her mind and you can’t help but sympathize with Bucky. Let’s just hope that whoever that is taking up writing for the next arc (hopefully not titled “Bucky and the ex-girlfriend who doesn’t have a clue who she is”) would give the guy a break. Winter Soldier #14 gets a 4 out of 5.

There’s a reason why Wolverine and the X-Men ranks highly in my list of best comic book series of all time, the title implies relationships, and relationships (and dialogue) is what this book does best, and the result would be a fun read. Issue 24 is no different and sees some of the teachers hooking up (Bobby and Kitty, Logan and Storm(!)). Quentin Quire describes this penchant for random hook-ups to be a common occurrence, but if Deadpool was doing the talking it would have broke the fourth wall. And for the fans of the cute little alien Broo, rejoice as he is awake..well hold that thought. 4.5 out of 5.

X-Force is dead, long live X-Force! The all-girl (well plus 1 guy) X-Force makes its debut in Uncanny X-Force #1. With the cover suggesting a lineup consisting of Storm, Psylocke, one of three Fantomex clones (the female one), Spiral and Puck, the book opens up with Psylocke trying to kill Spiral. If this is how the recruitment process works, I’m all in with this book. And what’s the term that you’ll use when you see a male clone kissing a female clone of himself? I believe it’s WTF. 4.5 out of 5

By the way, if you are wondering who is Puck, he’s ex Alpha Flight and previously escaped from Hell. That’s…pretty cool in my book.

The Red Skull continues his mind-control rampage on New York in Uncanny Avengers #3 and there’s that weird looking Saturday-morning cartoon art by John Cassaday again. This time the Red Skull’s S-Men make their entrance onto the battlefield. Quite impressive this bunch, and now the Red Skull counts Thor as one of his own.

This slow-moving book has some interesting highlights as Wolverine gets some exposition first by going all “sorry-sorry” for the death of Daken, then to mouth-foaming crazy upon hearing what the Red Skull did to Xavier and finally, getting a hammer dropped onto his head by a Thunder God while his healing factor was switched off. It’s hard being Logan these days but at least he has a mohawk-wearing girlfriend. 4 out of 5.

Hmm, the dearth of Death in the Family titles this week is a little disappointing, with just one title, Teen Titans #15, bringing in the goods. Interesting though how inexperienced the Teen Titans seem to be in the New 52, getting laid in to a trap by the Joker and getting overwhelmed at the same time. The issue does showcase some of Tim Drake’s worth, without him, the Titans do seem a little lacking (Superboy is missing in this title as well), also, Joker seems to be a decent chalkboard artist. 4 out of 5.

Here’s a special mention on The Amazing Spider-Man #700. Most folks speculate that Peter Parker will be back but unlike Batman and Captain America (both have died and came back, with Cap’s body nearly been taken over by the Red Skull), Doctor Octopus seemed to have committed the ultimate switch-a-roo and kill his archrival in the process.

There are no sacred cows in comics, but since the writer has mentioned the impact of Gwen Stacy’s death (and she’s still dead btw) as an influence, I’m thinking Dr Octopus is in as the Superior Spider-Man for the long haul. Furthermore, there’s another character related to Spider-Man who stayed dead for very long, Uncle Ben. I would like to think that in ASM 700, Peter Parker provided Doc Ock the “Uncle Ben” push to do the right thing. The Amazing Spider-Man gets a 5 out of 5.

Batman: The Dark Knight #15 closes the story arc between Batman and the Scarecrow. Even though Batman nearly sacrifices himself when saving Gotham (one wonders whether someone can take his blood and then match it with that of Bruce Wayne, so much for his secret identity huh), the issue lacks impact, more like a cookie-cutter tale of outsmarting the villain, and throwing him back into Arkham. The cover art though, is rather interesting, which just goes to show how much potential this arc had. 4 out of 5.

The New Old X-Men. Time travel can be so messy sometimes but it seems that superstar scribe Brian Michael Bendis has other things in mind as the young teenage X-Men from the past are here to stay in the present, with the aim of righting wrongs. This decision, brought about in All New X-Men #5 is certainly a twist to the usual time-travel stories, and it does present a juicy opportunity for the (young) Cyclops of the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning versus the current Cyclops of the NEW Charles Xavier School for the Gifted. 4.5 out of 5.

Death of the Family is becoming a really amazing and disturbing storyline as DC ushers in the New Year with a bunch of Bat-titles this week. For context’s sake, we’ll start with Batgirl #15. The Joker has Batgirl on a date and has even proposed to her (for reasons why this came about, read Batgirl #14), but if anything the new 52 has done with the Joker, we are shown here that he is a one-of-a-kind really crazy villain, with an example shown in the flashback portion of this issue.

On another note, Gail Simone, who has been doing a banged-up job writting Batgirl will no longer be working the title anymore. Which is sad though, as I can’t wait to see what Barbara Gordon would do, in a wedding ceremony from hell. 4.5 out of 5.

In Batman Forever, Jim Carrey’s Riddler asks the question: “Riddle me this, what sort of a man has bats on the brain?”. Well, in Batman #15, the answer definitely isn’t Batman… since his thoughts are on the Joker. One may argue that Death of the Family is a love story of sorts, and the star-crossed lovers, forever intertwined in a love-hate-borderlining-on-murder kind of relationship are both Batman and the Joker. It’s crazy, but Scott Snyder puts it all in this issue, setting up a “honey-I’m-home” confrontation in Arkham between the two. 5 out of 5 (BUY THIS BOOK).

OK, the last of the Bat-titles to be out this week is Batman and Robin #15. Here, Damian decides to go look for Alfred, and the conversations he has with his dog Titus is heartwarming, and appropriately child-like. But we all know that he is no ordinary kid. Captured by the Joker after clues led him to the Gotham Zoo, he must now face a…wait for it…(SPOILERS!!) a Jokerised-Batman!

Could this be the result of the upcoming fight between Batman and Joker in Batman #16? I don’t know yet, but I’m gonna put my vote in for Death of the Family to be the best Bat-storylines to hit the shelves in recent years. 4.5 out of 5!

Reading the Before Watchmen: Dr Manhattan #3, is like reading a foregone conclusion. Fans of the original Watchmen books are already pretty familiar with his backstory and unlike the Silk Spectre books, all this jumping back and forth in time/scenarios is starting to get really old. The art though, is brilliant and artist Adam Hughes gets to draw some pretty cool stuff (including that cover), along with his take on that hot minx, Silk Spectre. 3.5 out of 5!

This week’s best comic book title goes to…drumroll please… A+X #2. While the AvX series focused on fights between individual Avengers and individual X-Men, A+X showcases team-ups instead. In the first part of A+X #2′s two-parter, Black Widow teams up with Rogue to destroy a particularly pesky Mark X Sentinel (there’s some mild girl on girl action here).

The second part of the book features Iron Man and Kitty Pryde versus a bunch of Brood warriors in Iron Man suits. Both parts features some really good and funny dialogue and the art is actually pretty good although I suspect it might be an acquired taste for some. 4.5 out of 5!

Grant Morrison gives us a look at what the future bodes for Batman in Batman Incorporated #5. In this hellish future, Damian Wayne takes up the mantle of the Bat, only to see Gotham city fall. Bruce Wayne realises that he has been playing into Talia’s hand all this while and must make the hard decision on whether should Damian continue his role as Robin and inadvertently complete Talia’s work. 4 out of 5!

I wonder how Red Skull actually merged his brain with that of the late Professor X’s. Did he pull a Hannibal Lecter on the dead mutant leader, eating his brains with a glass of Chianti? I don’t know how but it seems that it gave good ol’ Red a stats boost (think mind control) in Uncanny Avengers #2 but still the sight of dead ol’ Charles is enough to snap folks out of the mind control. Perhaps they should walk around with Instagram photos of the latter in the next issue as a way to defeat the Red Skull. 4 out of 5!

The New 52′s Superman is a Superman with a new status quo hanging around his neck, which reads: “I’m everyone’s bitch, beat me!”. Yup, he gets beaten up a lot. I guess that’s karma for being portrayed as omnipotent with various levels of powers pre-New 52. In Superman #14, he gets beaten up all the way to Sunday by H’el, another of Krypton’s survivors. Ouch…and one more thing… Supergirl’s outfit is still…weird. 4 out of 5!