The War Against the Decepticons Rages On in The First 28 Episodes of Season Two!

The adventures of Optimus Prime and his valiant Autobots continue as they protect their new home planet, Earth, and its people against power-hungry Megatron and his Decepticons. With the help of their human friends Spike, Sparkplug, Chip and Carlee, the Autobots search for the fuel necessary to send them home and reenergize their planet of Cybertron. But if the Decepticons seize their energy source first, the entire universe may suffer the consequences under the reign of the malevolent Megatron.

This 4-DVD set contains the first 28 episodes from the second season of The Transformers, including fan-favorites such as the two-part Dinobot Island, Enter The Nightbird, The Master Builders and The God Gambit.

It is hard to believe that we have another release already but here we are!

This 4-disc set from Shout Factory includes the first 28 season two episodes in the order they were intended with remastered audio.

Video

Transformers is presented in Full Frame (1.33:1), which isn’t a surprise for a 1980s cartoon series. The various menus are well designed and integrate classic characters with new animation. The episodes look better then ever and considering they are 25 years old have stood up quite well. Shout Factory has gone back to the archives on this one and dug up missing footage along with color correcting as best they could.

Audio

The audio sounds better then ever as it has been restored to the original broadcast version with a new stereo soundtrack created from the original audio. There are a few points when the sound effects cut out badly during the re-inserted footage but it does not ruin the episode.

Summary

I quite enjoyed re-watched this release. Shout Factory put a lot of effort into this release to satisfy both the hardcore fan and casual viewer. The tiny details such as the restored footage added to my appreciation for the series even if some of the plots were a bit odd. Hopefully the next season is released soon!

“Continuing the excitement of the classic X-Men animated series on DVD, volume 3 includes a lot of cool episodes which include the ‘Savage Land’ and ‘The Dark Phoenix’ sagas but also plenty of action-packed episodes featuring X-Factor, Iceman, the Juggernaut, Nightcrawler, Bishop, Ka-Zar, Shard and more!”

“Continuing the excitement of the classic X-Men animated series on DVD, Volume 4 includes a lot of cool episodes which include the ‘Proteus’, ‘Sanctuary’ and the ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ storylines. For those who grew up with the X-Men during the 1990’s, expect to see storylines that are centered around Proteus, Magneto, the Acolytes, Silver Samurai, The Shadow King, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse and more!”

With the success of the latest X-Men movie this summer I thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at where the X-Men came from and relive a bit of my childhood. Buena Vista Home Entertainment will be releasing volumes 3 and 4 of the original animated TV series that started it all on September 15th.

The two disc sets contain 15 and 14 episodes respectively and order the episodes according to how the episodes aired. I have inserted the episode script number for those who want to watch it in the order they were written

Volume 3

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 34 (38) – Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1) – Sauron kidnaps Storm in order to feed on her mutant energy. The X-Men meanwhile team up with Ka-Zar.
• EPISODE 35 (39) – Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 2) – With Storm becoming Garokk, Sauron wants to absorb her mutant energy. the X-Men along with Ka-Zar try to put a stop to both Sauron.
• EPISODE 36 (35) – Obsession – A former horseman of Apocalypse, the Archangel wants his revenge. Meanwhile, the X-Men try to help him.
• EPISODE 37 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 1) – The Phoenix takes over Jean’s body and now the Inner Circle Club want to that power.
• EPISODE 38 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 2) – The Inner Circle make their move and Professor X and Emma Frost battle against each other for psychic control of Jean. The Dark Phoenix is born.
• EPISODE 39 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 3) – The X-Men try to save Jean Grey from the Phoenix.
• EPISODE 40 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 4) – With Lilandra wanting the Phoenix (Jean Grey) dead, the X-Men must do what they can to protect her.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 41 (37) – Cold Comfort – The X-Men find out that Bobby Drake (Iceman) has been breaking into a top-secret government installation. Has Iceman become evil? This episode features the X-Men vs. X-Factor.
• EPISODE 42 (44) – Orphan’s End – Cyclop discovers something important about Corsair.
• EPISODE 43 (46) – The Juggernaut Returns – Cain Marko (Juggernaut) loses his ruby of Cyttorak and someone else discovers it and becomes as powerful as the Juggernaut in order to impress women.
• EPISODE 44 (53) – Nightcrawler – Gambit, Rogue and Logan go on a trip to Germany. But when Logan hears of stories of a demon hiding at a monastery, he goes to find out who this demon is.
• EPISODE 45 (61) – Weapon X, Lies and Video Tape – When Wolverine receives a postcard, it drives him mad and memories from the past start to consume him.
• EPISODE 46 (54) – One Man’s Worth (Part 1)- Trevor Fitzroy and Bantam team up with Master Mold and go back in time to kill Professor X.
• EPISODE 47 (55) – One Man’s Worth (Part 2) – Bishop, Shard team up with a Wolverine and Storm from another time in order to protect Professor X.
• EPISODE 48 (51) – Courage – Morph returns to the X-Men but is he ready to be part of the team?

Volume 4

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 49 (56) – Proteus (Part 1) – Moira MacTaggert asks Professor X for his help in finding her song Kevin (aka Proteus) who is missing.
• EPISODE 50 (47) – Proteus (Part 2) – When Kevin (Proteus) goes to find his father and his father finds out he is a mutant, Kevin doesn’t take it too well. Will the X-Men be able to prevent him from creating mass destruction.
• EPISODE 51 (48) – Sanctuary (Part 1) – Magento tries to invite mutants to Asteroid M but Fabian Cortez betrays his leader and accuses the X-Men for Magneto’s disappearance.
• EPISODE 52 (49) – Sanctuary (Part 2) – Fabian Cortez assumes control of Asteroid M since Magneto is gone.
• EPISODE 53 (63) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 1) – Apocalypse steals Cable’s time device.
• EPISODE 54 (64) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 2) – Mr. Sinister kidnaps Professor X, Jean Grey and Psylocke.
• EPISODE 55 (65) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 3) – Cable tries to stop Apocalypse who is trying to use the psychics in order to destroy time.
• EPISODE 56 (66) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 4) – The X-Men along with Cable, Bishop and Shard try to stop Apocalypse.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 57 (62) – Have Yourself a Morlock Little Christmas – The X-Men prepare for a merry Christmas until they meet a morlock named Leech.
• EPISODE 58 (60) – The Lotus and the Steel – Villagers in Japan beg for Wolverine’s help after the Silver Samurai and his bandits attack the village.
• EPISODE 59 (45) – Love in Vain – An alien spaceship crashes into the deserts of New Mexico and try to possess Wolverine.
• EPISODE 60 (52) – Secrets. Not Long Buried – Cyclops takes on the Children of the Shadow, a mutant group that hates humans.
• EPISODE 61 (50) – Xavier Remembers – The Shadow King tries to possess Professor X, which leads to Jean Grey going against him.
• EPISODE 62 (58)- Family Ties – The X-Men take on High Evolutionary and his New Men.

Video

X-Men is presented in Full Frame (1.33:1), which isn’t a surprise for a 1990s cartoon series. The various menus are well designed and clear to navigate. The episodes do look great and considering they are almost 20 years old have stood up quite well. There is some softness and dust but again with hand drawn animation of this age, it is to be expected.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 with French and Spanish subtitles. Setting the audio to stereo on all channels worked the best for me. Again with the age and format X-Men originally aired in, the audio is serviceable.

Extras

There are no extras with either volume.

Summary

I quite enjoyed re-watched X-Men Volumes 3 & 4. The audio and video do show their age a bit but it is not enough to distract from the overall package. The episodes are action packed and still fun to watch even almost 20 years later. I highly recommend these releases to X-Men fans!

“An awful lot of people have enjoyed our magazines over the last 15 years,” said publisher John Morrow, “and this is a chance for them to fill the holes in their collections without leaving holes in their wallets. By my rough count, there’s well over 200 different issues on sale. For about the price of the Digital Edition of one of our mags, they can get the print version—and in many cases, they’ll get a Digital Edition thrown in for free.”

The “Half-Price Magazine” sale includes issues of these titles:

Back Issue!
Jack Kirby Collector
Draw!
Alter Ego
Rough Stuff!
Write Now!
Comic Book Artist
BrickJournal

plus other miscellaneous humor and one-shot magazines, each at 50% off cover price. The only magazine-related items excluded from this sale are subscriptions and the most recent and upcoming issues of each magazine. As a bonus, a selection of books are also offered at 50% off during the sale period.

This sale is only valid for orders placed at www.twomorrows.com through the end of September, and does not include shipping costs. A special “Half-Price Mags” category is listed atop the TwoMorrows’ home page, which includes the issues on sale.

Wow is it time for another release already? Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc., unleashes THE TRANSFORMERS: Season Two Volume One 25th Anniversary Edition DVD box set on September 15th. A must-have for any Transformers fan, this 4-DVD set contains the first 28 episodes from the second season of The Transformers in the order they were intended, including fan-favorites such as Dinobot Island, Enter The Nightbird, The Master Builders and The God Gambit. THE TRANSFORMERS: Season Two Volume One 25th Anniversary Edition DVD box set is priced at $ 29.99 SRP but you can snag it for less on Amazon. Look for a review and contest soon!

Look for a great contest coming up later on this week. Heres a hint, it relates to an upcoming DVD release I posted about!

Look for a detailed review coming soon!

Marvel X-Men: Volume 3

Episode Guide
Disc 1
o Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1)
o Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 2)
o Obsession
o The Dark Phoenix (Part 1)
o The Dark Phoenix (Part 2)
o The Dark Phoenix (Part 3)
o The Dark Phoenix (Part 4)

Disc 2
o Cold Comfort
o Orphan’s End
o The Juggernaut Returns
o Nightcrawler
o Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape
o One Man’s Worth (Part 1)
o One Man’s Worth (Part 2)
o Courage

Marvel X-Men: Volume 4

Episode Guide
Disc 1
o Proteus (Part 1)
o Proteus (Part 2)
o Sanctuary (Part 1)
o Sanctuary (Part 2)
o Beyond Good And Evil (Part 1)
o Beyond Good And Evil (Part 2)
o Beyond Good And Evil (Part 3)
o Beyond Good And Evil (Part 4)

Disc 2
o Have Yourself a Morlock Little X-Mas
o The Lotus and the Steel
o Love in Vain
o Secrets, Not Long Buried
o Xavier Remembers
o Family Ties

During the Book of Eli panel at Comic-Con, Gary Oldman dropped a major piece of news. He said the next Batman movie starts filming next year, and is expected to be out in 2011. An audience member threw in a question to Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington. “When will the next Batman movie come out?” No one thought he’d get an answer he did. Gary cooly replied “We start filming next year”.

After he revealed the big news, he said, “You didn’t hear that from me.” A Warner Bros. representative sitting next to me in the packed auditorium expressed surprise. “They didn’t tell us that,” she said. This is the first time we’ve had direct confirmation that there will be another Batman, and that Oldman will be in it.

Originally created in 1954 by Mick Anglo and appearing in some of the most celebrated comic stories of all time, Marvelman is Micky Moran, a young reporter gifted with the power to save the world by simply uttering the word “kimota”!

Well a little Amazon Canada snooping reveals we can expect this April 13, 2010. Only 226 pages but $57 Canadian isn’t that bad a deal!

Great news today!

Experience Kung-Fu like never seen before with picture perfect quality and sound, now for the first time in Blu-ray™ hi-definition!

ULTIMATE FORCE OF FOUR BOX SET: THE BLACK BELT COLLECTION

Four Kung-Fu Classics in One Blu-ray Hi Def Box Set! Hero, Iron Monkey, The Legend of Drunken Master and Zatoichi

4-Disc Set Available September 15, 2009, for an SRP of $109.99
Individual Blu-ray Editions Sold Separately for an SRP of $44.99
Hero: Special Edition DVD Also Available for an SRP of $19.99

HERO
Blu-ray and DVD Bonus Features:

* ALL NEW BONUS FEATURE: Close-Up of a Fight Scene
* Hero defined
* Storyboards
* Inside the Action: A Conversation with Quentin Tarantino & Jet Li

IRON MONKEY
Blu-ray Bonus Features:

* Quentin Tarantino interview
* Donnie yen interview

THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER
Blu-ray Bonus Features:

* Behind the Master: An interview with Jackie Chan

ZATOICHI
Blu-ray Bonus Features:

* Behind-the-Scenes special
* Video interviews