FACT x IMPORTANCE = NEWS

A little later than planned but here it is, the best in TV, film, gaming and comic book news from across sci-fi, fantasy and more.

RETURN OF THE STEWIE

Following on from our preview of the new Family Guy Star Wars spoof a few week ago, here's a new and somewhat funnier trailer.

RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT

I have been reading comic since the Eighties, but it really kicked in to high gear in the Nineties when I found an American comic shop and some friends who also read US comics. One of the first storyarcs I read was the sprawling Onslaught saga that engulfed the entire Marvel Universe. You may complain about recent crossovers, but they have been a bargain compared to the financial commitment required to read the whole Onslaught story.

Despite that, I still have a misplaced sense of affection towards Onslaught. A few years back, Marvel released Onslaught Reborn, which was a crushing disappointment. Now they're bringing the super villain back once again in the forthcoming Onslaught Unleashed. I have to hope this is better than the last one! The miniseries writer, Sean McKeever, spoke to Newsarama this week.

In other news, Marvel announced that the video game tie-in to the new Thor will be voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as Thor and Loki respectively.

SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD

Series one of AMC's The Walking Dead comes to an end this weekend but this week has been dogged by petty drama behind the scenes.

Deadline.com ran a story earlier this week saying that Frank Darabont has basically fired all of the writers from the first season and is planning to use only freelancers for season two.

Talking to TVGuide.com today, Robert Kirkman tried to clarify the situation, "It's kind of unfortunate that it's being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that's not the case. It makes Frank look bad. I don't think Frank wants it out there that he's just firing people off of a successful show seemingly for no reason."

Among the writers apparently let go is Chic Eglee, who was set to be the showrunner for series two if Darabont had left as originally planned. Eglee's previous credits include Dexter, Dark Angel and The Shield. "Chic didn't want to be second-in-command on a show when he's used to being a top dog," explained Kirkman. "And so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal."

AMC would only confirm that there will be some changes behind the scenes before pre-production begins on the second season.

THE JOKE"S ON YOU

Another production causing controversy was The Dark Knight Rises. Earlier this week it was reported that Chris Nolan would be using cutting room floor footage of Heath Ledger and CGI to put a Joker cameo into the third film. Today Hollywood Reporter carried a story quashing those rumours, after they spoke to Nolan and his wife/producer Emma Thomas at an awards season party for Inception. Which is a bit of a shame really, I think that's something I would've liked to see.

GOING FOR GOLD

Finally this week, Diamond have announced the Gold Sponsor Books for next year's Free Comic Book Day. Titles from Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, Image and others have been revealed - or in the case of DC, teased over at the Free Comic Book Day website. Free Comic Book Day 2011 will be on Saturday 7th May.

Ben Fardon loves Free Comic Book Day, but is struggling to find his Christmas spirit.

Christmas Gift Ideas - Stocking Fillers

Six weeks till Christmas? Blimey.

Our Christmas window display went in this week, there's no denying the season is nearly upon us once more.

This year Proud Lion has a bunch of fun ideas for stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts that I want to share with you.

Doctor Who fans should consider the simple TARDIS mug - blue and white with the Police Telephone sign on one side and the recently restored St John's Ambulance logo on the other. Unlike the square TARDIS mugs that I personally would struggle to drink out of, this is a straightforward round mug. Priced at £6.00.

We also have some awesome Doctor Who wallets priced a £12.50 each. These are plain black wallets with a retro Doctor Who logo on the front, but open them up and get a glorious technicolour montage of the Fourth Doctor, the TARDIS, K-9, a Dalek and a Cyberman.

If you like your entertainment a little less family, chance are you enjoyed Kick Ass. In which case, we also have some wonderfully offensive Kick Ass mugs priced at £8.00 each. Be warned some of these are probably Not Safe For Work! In addition, the In Your Pocket keychain range has added a Kick Ass one, with six phrases from the movie. The keychains are priced at £10.00 each.

Star Wars has always had some of the coolest merchandise in the world and this year is no exception. We have two new sets of Lightsaber Chopsticks in stock, each priced at £20.00. Both include some awesome red Darth Maul chopsticks that clip together! One set features purple Mace Windu chopsticks, the other features Luke's green Return Of The Jedi lightsaber.

Possibly even more exciting is the Star Wars Science Mini Lightsaber Tech Lab. This allows you to build a 20cm replica of Anakin's lightsaber - choosing either a red crystal or blue crystal plus the choice of light-up blade or one of two focusing lenses. An enclosed science leaflet is designed to teach younger fans about light and optics - making this one of the best edutainment toys I've ever seen. At £12.50, this is a great little present for a Star Wars fan - even if it is based on the CGI CLone Wars animated cartoon.

Beyond these lovely little gifts, there are also Hellboy keyrings (three different designs at £3.00 each); Watchmen badges (packs of four at £2.50 per pack); mini figure and book sets for Snoopy & Woodstock or Spy Vs Spy (£7.00 each); a Family Guy Freaking Sweet Crapola set filled with Drunken Clam beer coasters, drinks stirrers, Brian's martini guide, a Peter Vs Giant Chicken poster and a drink can snug (£13.00); Scott Pilgrim Vs The World plush toys of Scott or Ramona, based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's artwork (£15.00 each); Batman Cosbaby mini figures (£9.00 each); World Of Warcraft leather wallets for Alliance or Horde (£25.00 each); and Nightmare Before Christmas Kubrick twin packs (£18.00 each).

Don't forget we can order any graphic novel that is in print and have it with you within a week. The final cut off for graphic novel orders for Christmas is Monday 20th December, but I would recommend you don't leave it till the last minute!