Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 #4
Official Description: Getting help from Dracula seemed like a good idea, until he stole the Vampyr book—and Xander! Now Buffy, Spike, Dawn, Willow, and Giles must save Xander and retrieve the book before it’s too late. Dracula has already begun to study how the lack of magical rules can work in his favor… The team from Angel & Faith takes over Buffy! Executive produced by Joss Whedon! Nicholas Brendon (Xander) joins Season 10!

I love it when Buffy-verse cast members join the writing team for issues. Who better to get into Xander’s head then the actor that brought him to life for so many years. The team of Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs continue to impress. After a stellar “season” of Angel & Faith, it is great to see them steering the main ship. Was surprised to see the team reintroduce Dracula, but I’m intrigued by the direction they are taking with the “big bad” caliber villain who has never reached that status in either the Buffy TV series or comics. It would be great to see him as a real threat.

The issue will be published by Dark Horse Comics on June 18th, 2014 from writers Christos Gage & Nicholas Brendon, along with artist Rebekah Isaacs, and of course executive producer Joss Whedon.

Following Buffy the Vampire Season 10? Enjoying the reintroduction of the classic vampire?

Check out these Buffy the Vampire Slayer related trade paperbacks for sale…

Spinning out of the pages of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 is a five issue Spike limited series from writer Victor Gischler, with art by Paul Lee and covers by Jenny Frison (left) and Steve Morris (variant, right). This title joins the ongoing Buffy and Angel and Faith titles under the Season 9 banner. There is a rumored Willow limited series that will be coming after this one, but no official solicitations have been announced for it, nor has an issue amount. I’m excited to have more Buffy universe comics and even more excited that we’ll have a Spike story away from Buffy herself (now if we could just remove him from the spaceship with the cockroach crew).

Official Description: Having fought to regain his soul after falling in love with the Slayer Buffy, the once-terrifying vampire villain Spike has been a bit less fearsome (to humans, at least). On his own adventure, Spike is forced to examine the man he once was, the man he is now, and the man he still hopes to become.  As master of a steampunk ship filled with loyal, oversized alien cockroaches, Spike embarks on a journey to the dark side of the moon, setting into motion an adventure filled with demons, witches, and others who brew new evil in the world without magic! Spike visits the dark side!

The issue hits stands on August 22nd, 2012, two weeks after Buffy Season 9 #12, and the week before Angel and Faith #13. Excited for the Spike spinoff? Who else would you like to see get their own title? Willow? Andrew? Xander/Dawn? Connor?

Release Date: January 20, 2012
Studio: Sony, Screen Gems
Director: Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein (Shelter, Storm)
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, India Eisley, Michael Ealy, Kris Holden-Ried, and Stephen Rea.
Plot: [Underworld Awakening] brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D. 

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

Thoughts: The Underworld series ranks right up there with the Resident Evil movie series in terms of guilty pleasures. It is awful, yet at the same time strangely addictive and entertaining. Plus, it’ll be great to see Kate Beckinsale return as the vampire who loves squeezing herself into skin tight leather and shooting guns with an endless supply of bullets. It hits theaters at the end of January. It is a little surprising that Scott Speedman’s Michael Corvin isn’t returning along with Beckinsale, but maybe that is just a little surprise that the action flick has in store. We’ll have to wait and see.

You must have heard by now that after Ridley Scott is done with his Alien “prequel”, that he will be returning to the world of replicants and the dystopian future society in Blade Runner. Now, as much as I would love to see Ridley Scott direct a follow up to Blade Runner, I can’t help but worry that it will take something away from the original. The mystery that we were left with at the end of the movie. Sure, he could be crafting a new story set in the world, heck it might even take place before or around the time of the original movie (again like his new Alien universe movie Prometheus). But will he be able to capture the magic of the original? Harrison Ford’s Deckard? Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty? Will modern CGI make the world seem a little too clean?

Recently we were treated to new images and a plot synopsis for the new entry into the Underworld series, and now we have a full trailer! After a one film break Kate Beckinsale returns as Selene, and much has changed over the years. Vampires have been revealed to the world, hunted down and imprisoned. Only few remain in hiding. Will Selene be able to rally them and save her people? As an audience member are we supposed to be rooting for the vampires to defeat the humans? Because that seems kinda off. The lovely Beckinsale is joined in this installment by Michael Ealy, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, and Theo James. It comes out January 20th, 2012. Click here to check out the film’s trailer.

It looks like Warner Brothers and Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows remake is coming together very nicely.  First Burton cast his good luck charm Johnny Deep in the leading role of Barnabas Collins, followed this week by news of Eva Green possibly signing on to portray Angelique, the witch that curses Barnabas with the vampiric curse. Now we can add three more names into the mix…

Watchmen‘s Jackie Earle Haley is in talks to portray Willie Loomis, Australian actress Bella Heathcoate is up for Victoria Winters, and Burton’s gal pal and one of my favorite working actresses, Helena Bonham Carter is “in talks” for the role of Dr. Julia Hoffman (by in talks we can assume that she has been cast in the role from the beginning, no way should Burton do any films without Carter).

For those unfamiliar with the classic series, Willie Loomis is a violent drifter that releases Barnabas Collins from his coffin and sorta becomes his manservant.  Haley has the right creepiness to make this role even more memorable than it could be. Victoria Winters is the innocent “good next door” type that serves to bring the audience into the world of Dark Shadows. She is a governess with a mysterious past. In various incarnations of the series she has been portrayed by Alexandra Moltke, Betsy Durkin, Carolyn Groves, Joanna Going, and most recently in 2004 by Marley Shelton in a failed television pilot by the WB. Dr. Julia Hoffman is a human character that attempts to cure Barnabas of his vampirism among other things over the very long history of the series. It’ll nice for a change to see Carter in a role that is more normal. Right off that bat you’d think that Burton would cast him as an evil vampire or crazy witch.

The movie begins shooting in April, so we can expect to see a lot more casting news in the near future.

Let me start this off by being perfectly honest, I don’t care about the Underworld series, but any reason to post pictures of Kate Beckinsale in tight leather is good in my book.  Moving on, for those of you who enjoy the series and missed her in “Rise of the Lycans”, you can cheer up because Beckinsale will be returning in the forth Underworld flick.

As of yet untitled, we can all assume that the new sequel will resume the war between vampires and werewolves. The script was penned by John Hlavin, who previously wrote episodes of The Shield and Trust Me, and was revised by one of the best comic book writers out there, J. Michael Straczynski, who has written comics for Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, and Thor.

No word yet on if other players in the Underworld will be returning, such as Scott Speedman who portrayed the werewolf/vampire hybrid Michael Corvin, or Michael Sheen’s werewolf leader Lucian, or Rhona Mitra’s vampire (that looks a lot like Beckinsale) Sonja. Rumor has it that we will be introduced to a daughter for Beckinsale’s Selene.

I’ll stay on top of breaking news for the series (mostly so I can post more pictures of Beckinsale).

Tonight marks the return of the CW Network’s smash vampire hit The Vampire Dairies. The romantic (and sometimes cheesy) series is from Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two Scream films and created Dawson’s Creek along a long list of other films and television shows. The series stars Ian Somerhalder (Lost, Young Americans) and Paul Wesley (Everwood, Guiding Light) as two vampire brothers with a long history that are fighting over the affections of Nina Dobrev’s good-hearted (and human) Elena. You might remember Nina from Degrassi: The Next Generation.

This season of The Vampire Diaries promises a lot more action, romance, drama, and blood (not nearly as much sex or blood than True Blood, but what can you do). (possible spoilers) Continuing from the end of last season, we have been introduced to Katherine, the original woman who Somerhalder’s Damon and Wesley’s Stefan fought over.  Unlike Elena, Katherine has a mean streak and is not someone you want to cross.  Oh, and she is non too happy about the guy’s feelings for Elena. Just because they look alike, doesn’t mean that they are alike.

The new season premieres tonight on the CW at 8pm. It is followed by the premiere of the CW’s new action spy-drama Nikita, based (and semi continuing) off the movie and television series from the 90s.

What else is on today? I love how the end of the summer season now blends into the new fall season. They don’t give us any break.

8PM

• CBS: Big Brother 12 (Reality)

9PM

• ABC: Rookie Blue (Crime Drama)
• CW: Nikita (Action Drama)
• LIFE: Project Runway (Reality)
• SYFY: Destination Truth (Reality Docu)

10PM

• A&E: The Squad: Prison Police (Reality)
• MTV: Jersey Shore (Crap)
• SYFY: Beast Legends (Reality Docu)