Looking for a powerful ebike with the speed and range to meet your ambitious needs? Nowadays you can find a decent ebike for well under $500 if you know where to look (hint: it's not necessarly Amazon). For a limited time, AliExpress is offering the UrLife E20 750W 48V Electric Bike for a super low price of $288.36 after you apply $35 off coupon code "35USAFFS". The exact same bike currently sells for $470 ($360 plus $90 shipping) on Amazon.
The AliExpress marketplace seller "urlifeglobal" is the official manufacturer of these scooters and has plenty of reviews and sales to back up its reputation. Since they've already been shipped from overseas, any tariffs have already been paid for and you also don't need to worry about egregiously long shipping times.
UrLife E20 750W (1,000W Peak) 48V Electric Bike for $288
The UrLife E20 is an adult electric bike featuring a 750W (1,000W peak) motor that can get up to speeds of 28mph. Unlike most bikes in this price range that use a 36V battery, the E20 includes a powerful 48V battery which offer more power, acceleration, and torque, perfect for tackling steep hills. The 13Ah battery offers up to 80 miles of range under ideal conditions. The actual distance is dependent on other factors like your speed, terrain, elevation, and so forth. It's also removable in case you want to store the battery in a separate location from the bike.
The frame is made of carbon steel so it's on the heavier side at about 60 pounds, but it also has a generous weight capacity of 265 pounds. It's equipped with 20" fat tires with front fork shock-absorbing suspension, which makes it better suited for unpaved terrain compared to other bikes at this price.
There are bikes out there that offer high-quality components, a more powerful motor, better upgradeability, and/or domestic customer support, but only if you're willing to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars more. The UrLife E20 bike will stay within anybody's budget. It offers a perfectly respectable assisted ride that will satisfy most bikers.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Lenovo is offering a great deal on an ultra-portable productivity laptop that can also do some light gaming. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 16" laptop, equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 CPU and RTX 5050 GPU, has dropped to $749.99 after you apply coupon code "LENOVOLOVE2". That's 50% off the original retail price and also includes free delivery.
3.8lb Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 16" Ultra-Portable Laptop for $750
The IdeaPad Pro is a truly portable laptop, weighing it at a mere 3.6 pounds for a 16" footprint and measuring only 0.62" thin. Both the top lid and bottom chassis are anodized aluminum and the trackpad is made of glass for a premium look and feel. Specs include a stunning 16" 2880x1800 OLED display, a current-gen AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 CPU, GeForce RTX 5050 8GB discrete GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5X-8000MT/s memory, and a 512GB SSD. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C 40Gbps ports, and HDMI 2.1.
The GeForce RTX 5050 discrete graphics won't turn this laptop into a gaming powerhouse, but it's still a lot more powerful than onboard iGPU options. You'll be able to play low demand games like Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and hundreds of other games out there... just not Cyberpunk 2077 in 2.8K.
For such a lightweight laptop built with premium materials and equipped with current generation components (including a discrete GPU!), the asking price of $750 is an absolute steal. If we were in Back to School season right now, this deal would have already sold out because it's a perfect choice for students at an affordable price.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
For the first time in years, Apple has introduced a new MacBook in its laptop lineup. It’s the MacBook Neo, a colorful, lower-power computer that runs on the A18 Pro chip. It’s the cheapest MacBook on the market, with a starting price of $599. Apple is pitching it to students and people who mostly use their computers for non-demanding tasks like email, web browsing, and media streaming. MacBook Neo is available for preorder now starting at $599 (see it at Amazon). It ships starting March 11.
The $599 option comes with 256GB of storage, but you can bump it up to 512GB and get TouchID for an extra $100. I'd recommend doing that, because I use TouchID a lot during any given day, and extra storage is always nice, particularly if you plan on playing games.
The A18 Pro chip was previously used in the iPhone 16. This is the first time Apple has made a Mac that runs on an iPhone chip. For years, every MacBook Apple has released has been powered by the company’s M-series chips (you can preorder an M5 MacBook Air if you need more power).
MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display and a 1080p FaceTime camera. It has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, plus speakers on either side for spatial audio. The A18 Pro chip is powerful enough to run AI tasks and video games, at least non-power-hungry ones. So apps like ChatGPT and Canva will work just fine. Apple says it can run up to 16 hours on a single charge.
Perhaps to give it more appeal to the youths, this is the most colorful MacBook in the lineup. It comes in silver, indigo, blush (pink), and citrus (yellow). The colors aren’t as bold as the iMacs, but they’re not far off, particularly citrus. Color options of the other MacBooks have been relatively reined-in for years, so it’s nice to see some vibrancy added back to the group.
In other Apple news, you can also preorder a new iPhone 17e, the lowest-priced iPhone in the lineup.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
In lieu of a polished livestream of a heavily produced, pre-recorded announcement of new stuff, Apple spread out a series of announcements across three days of press releases that culminated in small, invite-only events in a few different cities this week. The biggest news from all of that: The company rolled out its first new Mac laptop product line for the first time since 2015’s plain MacBook. The MacBook Neo is a $599 laptop that comes in multiple vibrant colors and is powered by the chipset of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. It’s also one of the cheapest machines the company has ever released and it’s landed with impeccable timing, given the supply chain that feeds all of our tech is being gobbled up to feed the great AI beast.
The new MacBook Neo is Apple’s cheapest brand-new laptop, ever, thanks to certain strategic omissions and the inclusion of the A18 Pro chip that Apple put in its iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max phones. With a starting price of $599, it’s still on the high end of budget laptops, but it’s also only a bit more than half the price of the company’s next-cheapest laptop, the MacBook Air. Not only that, but it comes in four colors – Silver, Indigo (blue), Citrus (a yellowish green), and Blush (pink).
Specs-wise, it’s definitely a lower-end device than the MacBook Air, but should be more than sufficient for most casual use and even some professional applications. It has a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, Apple’s name for its neural processor. It’s got 8GB of RAM, which is piddly for a laptop these days but seems enough to run the company’s AI “Apple Intelligence” features, which the company says will work on it.
iPhone 17e
The iPhone 17e is Apple’s next budget iPhone, and it’s got the right improvements versus last year’s iPhone 16e, mainly in the power department. Where last year the $599 phone lacked MagSafe and was limited to 7.5W wireless charging, this year’s model will get 15W charging with MagSafe. Apple also added a new color to the lineup: Pink joins the black and white color options that were offered before.
The 17e also gets a bump to the A19 and the inclusion of Apple’s C1X modem that Apple says will be double the speed of the C1 found in the iPhone 16e. Otherwise, it’s more of the same. That means a 48MP single rear camera with 2x “optical-quality” digital zoom, a 12MP front camera, and a 6.1-inch 60Hz display with a notch instead of the Dynamic Island pill-shaped cutout from the rest of the iPhone 17 line. Still, the improvements are notable given that the previous model didn’t quite make our list of favorite smartphones.
M4 iPad Air
The newest iPad Air gets an M4 chip, a bump from the M3 that was in the previous-generation model. In addition to the chip bump, the new iPad will also be the tablet proving ground for the company’s N1 chip, a custom wireless chip that brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a Thread radio to the device. The cellular iPad Air will use Apple’s C1X 5G modem, to boot.
Spec bump though it may be, this will be a powerful tablet, with an 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU, and 16-core NPU. Apple says it’s “up to 30 percent faster” than the M3 iPad Air, which is already one of the best tablets around. It gets 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB, comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models, and keeps its usual starting price of $599.
M5 MacBook Air
Apple also updated its MacBook Air line with a new entrant, now equipped with an M5 chip. Mostly a spec bump available in the same four colors, the laptop still got a couple significant changes. For starters, the base storage is now 512GB, and it’s got Apple’s custom N1 chip, which means Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.
Apple didn’t raise the price of the Air, which makes it a better deal than past models as components costs for RAM and storage have seen stark increases lately, owed to the voracious appetite of AI firms. That means the new MacBook Air starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch and $1,299 for the 15-inch.
M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros
The M5 chip made its first laptop debut in the base model MacBook Pro last year, but the higher-end versions of the chip, the M5 Pro and M5 Max, have only just emerged this week, in the form of new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. The laptops get similar CPU and GPU core counts as before, but now Apple is touting “super” cores that are even more powerful – so much so that the company has gotten rid of efficiency cores on these new Pro models, replacing them with performance cores, instead.
Unlike the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pros got a price bump. They’ll start at $1,699 for the base M5 MacBook Pro (a $100 jump), $2,199 for the M5 Pro MacBook Pro (up by $200), and $3,599 for the M5 Max MacBook Pro ($400 more than before). With that, though, they get a storage bump, as Apple has dropped the 512GB tier and now starts MacBook Pros with at least 1TB SSDs. The new laptops also get Apple’s N1 chip.
Studio Display and Studio Display XDR
Apple announced two new, very expensive 27-inch displays. The 5K Studio Display is the $1,599 follow-up to the company’s 2022 model, albeit with apparently only minor changes: It now has two Thunderbolt 5 ports (one upstream, one downstream for daisy-chaining displays or adding accessories like Thunderbolt docks), and it now supports the Desk View part of Apple’s Center Stage webcam feature. That means now the camera doesn’t just follow you, it’s wide enough to switch it to show what your hands are doing, too.
The Studio Display XDR is where the real action is, thanks to the addition of a high-contrast mini-LED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits SDR brightness or 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness. Features are otherwise nearly identical, except that it gets Apple’s tilt-and-height-adjustible stand by default rather than the simple tilt-only one of the normal Studio Display. Oh, and it costs $3,299 to start ($3,599 if you want the anti-reflective Nano-texture glass). That price would make it hard for this display to beat dedicated gaming monitors, the best of which can cost thousands less.
Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.
Lanterns is one of the big shows that will be part of the first phase of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU (which is officially called Gods and Monsters: Chapter One), and it’s being described as a detective drama that’s inspired by shows like True Detective and Slow Horses. That much is plainly apparent in the recently released Lanterns teaser trailer.
The series, which stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, is slated to debut on HBO Max in August 2026. We may still have a few months to wait, but we are starting to learn a lot more about the series and who else will be part of the show.
Let’s break down all the main cast and characters you need to know about so you’ll be ready for this adventure filled with Green Lanterns and more.
Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
According to HBO, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Godzilla vs. Kong) will take on the role of the “Lantern legend” known as Hal Jordan. He will work alongside John Stewart as an intergalactic cop, and the pair will be drawn into a “dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”
The teaser trailer establishes Hal as a very gruff mentor to John, one who's unafraid to throw his young charge in the line of fire if it means he'll learn on the job. Hal also seems to have no trouble playing the bad cop, as evidenced by him roughing up a suspect in interrogation and pulling out his ring.
We also catch a glimpse of Hal's rugged Green Lantern uniform in the trailer, one quite a bit different from the CG costume of the 2011 movie:
Hal Jordan was created by John Broome and Gil Kane and first appeared in Showcase #22 in October 1959.
Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
Aaron Pierre (Mufasa, Rebel Ridge) is John Stewart, a new recruit of the intergalactic cops known as the Lanterns. Stewart will team up with Chandler’s Hal Jordan in an effort to solve a murder that happened on Earth.
As the trailer reveals, John is still very much a rookie, having only been training under Hal for a couple of months. Hal tells his new partner, "Don't get hung up on the jewelry, junior. You're just a f****** substitute teacher. You aren't ready to get up in front of the class until the ring says you are." He then promptly throws himself out of their car, leaving John to literally fly or die. A dysfunctional relationship, to say the least.
We see John carrying his Lantern in one shot of the trailer, suggesting he will eventually have cause to use the new tools of his trade.
John Stewart was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams and first appeared in Green Lantern #87 in December 1971.
Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
After making his debut in James Gunn’s Superman and briefly appearing in Peacemaker Season 2, Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) will return as Guy Gardner in Lanterns.
"He's a jerk,” Fillion said of his character to TV Guide. “What's important to know is, you don't have to be good to be a Green Lantern; you just have to be fearless. So Guy Gardner is fearless, and he is not very good. He's not nice, which is very freeing as an actor because you just think to yourself, what is the most selfish, self-serving thing I can do in this moment? And that's the answer.
"I think if he has a superpower, it might be his overconfidence, in that he thinks he could take on Superman. He can't!"
Guy Gardner has been around since 1968, as he was created by John Broome and Gil Kane and first appeared in comics in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #59.
Kelly MacDonald as Sheriff Kerry
Via Variety, Kelly MacDonald (Brave, No Country for Old Men) has joined the cast of Lanterns as Sheriff Kerry, a “non-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past that’s hardened her resolve, anchors her when the community’s secrets begin to surface.”
Kerry may be a love interest of Hal, but it's clear from the trailer that she has absolutely zero patience for Hal and John sticking their noses in the town's latest murder case.
Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
Via Deadline, Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave, Raising Hope) is William Macon, who is described as a modern cowboy who is a “self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade.” Billy Macon is his son.
William Macon appears to be a new character created for Lanterns.
Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe
Poorna Jagannathan (The Night Of, Never Have I Ever) will be playing Zoe in Lanterns. She’s rumored to be the love interest of John Stewart.
Zoe appears to be a new character created for Lanterns.
Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro
DC supervillain Sinestro will cause some big trouble in Lanterns, and he will be brought to life in the series by Ulrich Thomsen (The Celebration, The International). In the comics, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern who turned rogue. Via Variety, The Lanterns take on him has been described as “ruthless yet undeniably charming.” He also used to be a mentor to Hal Jordan. It remains to be seen if Sinestro will have turned to the dark side and donned his yellow ring yet in the series.
Sinestro was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in 1963 and first appeared in the comic book Green Lantern, Vol. 2, #56.
Sherman Augustus as John Senior
John Senior is John Stewart’s father, and Sherman Augustus (Virus, The Foreigner) will play the older version of the character. Via Deadline, he is described as the “human embodiment of stubborn” and one who can’t help but try to live in the past and focus on what could have been.
John Senior appears to be a new character created for Lanterns.
J. Alphonse Nicholson as Young John Senior
A younger version of John Stewart’s father, John Senior, will also appear in the show and will be played by J. Alphonse Nicholson (P-Valley, They Cloned Tyrone). Presumably this means we’ll be getting flashbacks to the young John’s life.
Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette
Bernadette is John Stewart’s mother, and the older version of the character will be played by Nicole Ari Parker (Boogie Nights, Remember the Titans).
Instead of this, mention a bit about her from the comics - looks like she has a tragic fate.
Jasmine Cephas Jones as Young Bernadette
Jasmine Cephas Jones (Blindspotting, Monsters and Men) will play the younger version of Bernadette in Lanterns.
Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
Via THR, Jason Ritter (Matlock, A Million Little Things) has been cast as Billy Macon, the son of William Macon, who is a “good-looking charmer who does his father’s bidding. Capitalizing on his family’s reputation, he clings to his small-town ego and has everything to lose.”
Billy Macon appears to be an original character created for Lanterns.
Chris Coy as Waylon Sanders
Chris Coy (Deliver Us From Evil, Detroit) will be joining Lanterns in a guest starring role as Waylon Sanders, and his description is as mysterious as his character seems to be.
Via Deadline, He is said to be an “intelligent survivor or a nervous truck driver. Age and real name unknown, he’s unbound by the laws of nature.” Huh?
Waylon Sanders appears to be an original character created for Lanterns.
Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan
Via Deadline, Antaan, an extraterrestrial “devoted to exposing the truth and exacting vengeance against those who wronged his people,” will be played by Paul Ben-Victor (The Wire, The Irishman). His character is also “consumed by a deep and unrelenting hatred for the law” and is “determined to deliver justice on his own terms.”
Antaan appears to be an original character created for Lanterns.
Actor Christian Bale, who played the lead in the 2000 American Psycho movie, was recently asked what he thought of the new American Psycho movie coming from Luca Guadagnino. "Whoever wants to give it a shot, give it a pop," Bale told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of his latest film The Bride in New York City. "I loved making it with Mary Harron so many years back. So many fantastic memories of it all. Bold choice of anyone to… I don't know if they're doing a remake or what... I don't know anything about it, but all the best to 'em. I like brave people."
Bale didn’t have any particular picks when asked as far as actors to play the iconic Patrick Bateman this time around, but it’s great to see him so open to another portrayal that might end up quite different from his own.
That said, casting has seemingly been a big undertaking for the project. When it was first announced in 2024, Austin Butler was set to star as Bateman — but a 2025 report claimed that The White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger was up for the role. But, as of this writing, no one has officially been attached to the part just yet. It doesn’t seem to be for a lack of trying, though.
"A couple of high-profile actors, whom I can't name, have turned it down," Bret Easton Ellis, author of the 1991 novel on which the film was based, revealed last month on his podcast. "I think maybe because they don't want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale." To be fair, that makes a lot of sense. Bale’s performance is the stuff of legend, and it will probably prove a bit difficult to find an actor ready and willing to do something wholly different with their Bateman — which appears to be Guadagnino’s strategy here.
"From what I’m told, this movie is completely different from Mary Harron’s 2000 movie,” Ellis also shared on the pod. “It's a completely different take, and going to bear no resemblance to that movie."
It’s certainly the move, doing something completely different with the source material versus rehashing the same old thing. Plus, the book and the movie do have a lot of differences between them, so there’s tons of opportunity there to play around. The only other person officially attached to the project besides Guadagnino is The Bourne Ultimatum writer Scott Z. Burns, who also wrote Steven Soderbergh’s 2013 film Side Effects, and it’ll be interesting to see where he goes with this reimagining of a perverted classic.
Before it became a movie that launched Christian Bale into stardom, American Psycho was a critically acclaimed, darkly comedic novel about the poisonous power of the American Dream. And in January, IGN exclusively debuted a new preview of The Folio Society's American Psycho set, featuring new looks at the box design, endpapers, frontispiece, and replica business card.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
With the release of DC K.O. #5, DC's latest crossover event has come to a close. The winner of the high-stakes superhero martial arts tournament has been crowned, leaving only one final battle between the new King Omega and the almighty Darkseid. And when the dust settles, it quickly becomes clear that DC has an even bigger Darkseid story in the works.
What happens in the finale of DC K.O.? We're going to break down this last, epic battle and the immediate fallout, but beware of spoilers for DC K.O. #5 ahead!
King Omega vs. Darkseid
DC K.O. #4 not only featured the first encounter between the Justice League and their counterparts in the Absolute Universe, it also ended on a big twist, with Lex Luthor betraying Superman to win the fighting tournament. As the final issue opens, Luthor is crowned King Omega, and he's clearly enjoying all the power that comes with the title.
However, Luthor's triumph is short-lived. Time Trapper (the evolved, intelligent version of Doomsday) intervenes and gives Superman a second chance to be the hero his universe needs. In his more enlightened state, Time Trapper realizes that his primary purpose isn't to destroy Superman, but to save him. And so he empowers the Man of Steel with both destructive Omega Energy and its polar opposite, the creation-rich Alpha Energy. Superman immediately returns to the battlefield as the true King Omega.
In his new, powered-up state, Superman is now fundamentally linked to the lifeforce of the entire universe. But even that isn't enough to make him a true contender against Darkseid. With the future and present already under his control, Darkseid battles Superman into the past, gaining ground with every mighty blow.
Their fight takes Superman all the way back to the Big Bang. But it's here that Superman reveals this was his plan all along. Absorbing this primordial force of creation, Superman finally gains the power he needs to overcome Darkseid. The villain is beaten back as Superman simultaneously batters him and remakes the entire universe in his image.
One of the constant themes of DC K.O. has been Superman's struggle to accept that sometimes a hero needs to fight to win. And even in his moment of triumph, Superman stops short of killing Darkseid and solidifying this reborn DC Universe. Superman notes that he doesn't want one person to win. No one should wield the power he currently possesses. Superman wants everybody to win. Instead, he gives up that power and summons the other tournament combatants to knock Darkseid out of the DC Universe. The villain is defeated, but hardly destroyed.
How DC K.O. Sets Up DC's Next Big Crossover
In the aftermath of the Superman vs. Darkseid battle, reality returns to some semblance of normality again. But the epilogue in this issue lays a number of seeeds for the future that are worth highlighting:
DC All In Act 2
One of the main goals with DC K.O. is to set the stage for DC All In Act 2, a new publishing initiative designed to build on the success of the original DC All In initiative from 2024. DC will be launching several new ongoing series in the months to come, books that emphasize the same sort of creative freedom and bold storytelling that have made DC's Absolute Universe line such a big hit.
The page above teases some of the many heroes who will be important in the months ahead, including Lobo, Deathstroke, Batwoman, Zatanna, Etrigan, Firestorm, Red Hood, and Jonah Hex.
This issue also reveals that Darkseid's defeat led to an explosion of Alpha Energy. Several heroes - Batgirl, Guy Gardner, Harley Quinn, Wally West - were caught in the explosion and have gained new superhuman powers as a result.
Superman Is Missing
Much like how 2021's Dark Nights: Death Metal ended with Wonder Woman taking a bit of a break, DC K.O. looks to be setting up a prolonged absence for the Man of Steel. Superman is MIA in the aftermath of Darkseid's defeat, dealing with some unfinished business while Batman and Wonder Woman are left to console a concerned Lois Lane. In Superman's absence, his multiversal doppleganger Superboy-Prime has returned.
A New Book in the History of the DC Universe
DC recently published a limited series called The New History of the DC Universe, which is presented as a comprehensive summary of DC's sprawling continuity written by expert time traveler/universe hopper Barry Allen. Barry returns to his home office, only for his computer to be consumed by a burst of Omega Energy. When the energy fades, his manuscript suddenly contains a new entry - Book Zero. This implies something has been fundamentally altered about the history of the DCU.
The Fate of the Legion of Super Heroes
The futuristic Legion of Super Heroes was decimated by Darkseid's takeover of the future, with Darkseid deploying the Legion of the Absolute Universe to kill their counterparts. But having been freed from Darkseid's control, the Absolute Legion is now hiding in the 31st Century of the regular DCU. The last thing they want is to be discovered by their old master, or someone even worse.
This appears to be setting up writer Joshua Williamson's upcoming Legion of Super heroes relaunch, suggesting the series will be about the Absolute Legion making a new home in the ruined future timeline they created.
Beware the Absolute Crisis
Again, Superman and his allies may have banished Darkseid from their universe, but this looks to be only a temporary setback for the villain. He still reigns supreme over the Absolute Universe, a place where the very fabric of existence is permeated with Omega Energy.
Worse, the same martial arts tournament has been playing out in countless other universes, each ending with a newly crowned King Omega being subjugated by Darkseid. He's quickly amassing an army capable of conquering the entire multiverse. Darkseid closes out this seres by teasing, "There will be a Crisis of absolute proportions!"
This looks to be directly setting the stage for DC's next big crossover event. We assume that book will be called Absolute Crisis, making it the latest chapter in a long line of Crisis events dating back to 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC also recently teased the first major Absolute Universe crossover event for Q4 2026, but that may or may not be connected to this storyline.
What do you think of the finale to DC K.O.? Are you looking forward to Absolute Crisis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The first official trailer has arrived for HBO's Lanterns ahead of its debut in August 2026, and it features a flying Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and a John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) who is in training and waiting for his turn to wield the iconic ring.
Lanterns appears to be taking a much more grounded approach in a world filled with superheroes, as we don't really see any powers take center stage besides a few teases at what this pair can do. Instead, we get a look at the fraught relationship between the old veteran and the up-and-comer who is waiting for his time to shine.
The trailer reveals Jordan and Stewart have been together for about two months now, and Stewart hasn't been able to wear the ring yet.
"Don't get hung up on the jewelry, junior," Jordan says. "You're just a f****** substitute teacher. You aren't ready to get up in front of the class until the ring says you are."
What follows next is Jordan jumping out of the car before it speeds off a cliff, and Stewart needing to find a way to survive, which he does off-screen.
We then get a glimpse of the wider mystery at hand, which involves a murder in the American Heartland. It also includes Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald), who doesn't like these two getting in her way.
The rest of the trailer is filled with tension between the teacher and his student, a glimpse of Jordan's old suit, and even a tease of the other Green Lanterns, who Jordan believes are all aliens. Oh, and one is a "f*****' squirrel," who is most likely Ch'p from the comics.
"The Green Lantern's oath is to protect people," Stewart says. "We both know I do a better job of this than you."
"This is my job," Jordan responds. "As long as I'm alive, that ain't changin'. So, take a deep breath, junior."
"You're old. You're tired," Stewart says. "And your time is up."
Audible has just unveiled a new subscription plan for 2026. The Audible Standard membership is $8.99 per month and includes a monthly credit you can use on anything from Audible's entire library. You'll also get unlimited access to a curated selection of Audible Originals and podcasts previously on Wonderly.
Audible's latest press release calls the new plan an accessible entry point for listeners. According to Audible's Chief Financial & Growth Officer, "The launch of our Standard plan reflects Audible's ongoing commitment to serving the diverse preferences and listening habits of story-lovers everywhere. By expanding our membership options, we're maximizing access for lighter listeners while enabling publishers and creators to reach new audiences."
The new Standard plan is about $6 cheaper per month than the Premium Plus plan and gets you the same amount of monthly credits. The main differences between the two plans are the extra benefits you get with Premium. According to Audible's subscription page, a Premium subscription will let you keep audiobooks even after you cancel and also unlock unlimited access to the Plus catalog. If you are only looking to subscribe for the monthly credit, the Standard plan is a great way to trade in those additional benefits to save some money.
Try Your First Month Free
If you're hoping to test out the new subscription before you buy, Audible is now offering a 30-day free trial of the Standard plan. This will get you one free credit as well, which you can use on pretty much anything. Once the 30-day trial period is over, your plan will auto-renew at $8.99 per month. You can cancel your plan any time during the trial window, but you will lose access to whatever audiobook you purchased.
Audible is also still offering a 30-day free trial for its Premium Plus subscription, which includes multiple audiobook credits for your first month. Once those 30 days are up, your plan will auto-renew for $14.95. You can switch plans any time if you'd prefer to start with Premium and move to the cheaper plan later on down the line.
What Should You Spend Your Credit On?
If you're new to Audible, there's a lot to choose from. Pretty much every new or popular book has an audiobook attached to it as well. If you have a specific title you already know you want to listen to, don't overthink it. If you don't know where to start, however, I can make a few recommendations. The most popular choice for new subscribers are the Harry Potter full-cast audiobooks, which are an absolute delight. For fans of LitRPG and sci-fi fantasy books, I highly recommend listening to the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It's a wild ride with a terrific narrator doing all of the voices.
Finally, if you're looking for something a bit spicier for those rainy days in bed, I'd recommend checking out any of the most popular romantasy books out there. Whatever you choose to spend your credit on, just make sure you do so before your plan renews at the end of each month. Any unused credits will not rollover.
Soundcore Boom 3i Waterproof Portable Speaker for $50.37
Anker's official AliExpress storefront is offering the popular Soundcore Boom 3i waterproof outdoor bluetooth speaker for just $50.37 after you apply $7 off coupon code "USAFF7". Note that this is a certified refurbished model and comes with a 90-day Anker warranty. It retails for $140 new. The speaker ships from a local US warehouse with no long lead times or tariffs to worry about. The Soundcore Boom 3i features an IP68 waterproof design with saltwater resistance. It will float with the speaker facing up for unadulterated audio and lasts up to 16 hours on a single charge.
Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order Booster Bundle Preorder In Stock on Amazon
The Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order preorders are up on Amazon and selling for under market price. You can grab the Booster Bundle for $49.99 right now; the six packs of Boosters come out to about $8.33 each. Best of all, it's shipped and sold by Amazon, coming with that awesome preorder guarantee should the price drop any further before the release on March 27th.
Save $30 on the Pulse Explore Buds
The PlayStation Pulse Explore Buds are back down to their lowest price at many retailers, $169.99. One of my biggest qualms about the PlayStation Portal is the lack of Bluetooth support, so you’ll need a wired headset to listen. That’s unless you happen to own one of the two wireless headsets with PlayStation Link technology. The Pulse Explore Buds are one of those headsets, and they also happen to be one of the best gaming earbuds around. In our review, Jaron Schneider found the earbuds “sound fantastic for gaming and work with no muss or fuss right out of the box.”
Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for PS5 Hits New Low
Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for PS5 is at its lowest price ever on Amazon and Walmart, just $34.96. Alan Wake 2 was our top horror game of 2023, and in our review, Tristan Ogilvie gave it an “Amazing” 9/10 rating. Tristan even went on to say, “Alan Wake 2 is a superb survival horror sequel that makes the cult-classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.” The Deluxe Edition also comes with a few bonuses, including the Night Springs and the Lake House expansions, plus cosmetics and items for Alan and Saga.
Save 45% on Astro Bot
While the Astro Bot deal might be out of stock on Amazon, Walmart has price-matched it, so you can still grab this awesome PS5-exclusive title for only $32.99. That’s 45% off the list price. Earning IGN’s Game of the Year Award in 2024, this 3D platformer brings fun for the whole family and even a bit of PlayStation nostalgia. In our review of Astro Bot, Simon Cardy found that with the “collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive.”
MTG x TMNT Pizza Bundle Preorder Is Under $100
MTG x TMNT Pizza Bundle is back in stock and up for preorder on Amazon. What’s even better? It’s under $100. Plus, you get the Amazon preorder guarantee if the price goes down further. The Pizza Bundle has been a hot commodity, with the preorder rarely staying in stock for long. This fun, pizza-themed box features 9 Play Boosters, 1 Collector Booster, 25 non-foil Pizza lands, 5 foil Pizza lands, 2 foil promo cards, and an oversized spindown life counter. That single Collector Booster may be reason enough to grab this bundle.
55% Off Samsung Q990F Soundbar System
Kick your home theater setup up a few notches with this awesome Samsung sound system deal on Woot. It’s brand new, discounted by 55%, and Prime members get free shipping. The same model is going for almost $1,600 on Amazon, so we're talking serious savings.
The Samsung Q990F features everything for an immersive listening experience at home. A sound bar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers are ready to deliver 11-channel surround sound. On board is Dolby Atmos support, room calibration for audio optimized to your space, and even voice assistant support. It’s a pretty epic sound system.
24% Off MTG x LOTR Tales of Middle-Earth Scene Box Bundle
The Lord of the Rings set for Magic: The Gathering is finally back in stock and actually on sale at Amazon. The Tales of Middle-Earth Scene Box Bundle is discounted by 24%, costing $189.99. That’s slightly lower than market value. With this bundle, you get four different Scene Boxes with iconic imagery from LOTR. Inside each of these boxes, you’ll find three Set Boosters, six full-art trading cards, six textless versions, and a display easel. These boxes are really awesome for displaying and featuring art treatments you can’t find elsewhere.
Score $530 Off an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC
With the prices of PC components rising, it’s harder to find great deals on prebuilt rigs. However, you can score solid savings on the Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC. It’s just $2,299.99 with free delivery after a $530 instant discount. Those graphics, along with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a reliable cooling system, ensure this PC can tackle games in 4K at high settings with ray tracing enabled. It’s one of the best gaming PCs available for the price.
Save 53% on the Iniu 20,000mAh 45W USB Power Bank with Built-in Cable
For just $18.86, you can score this high-capacity Iniu power bank that’s perfect for topping up your Nintendo Switch 2 or the best gaming PC handhelds. To score this discount, all you need to do is clip the 40% off coupon, and the discount will be applied at checkout. This power bank offers a healthy 20,000mAh capacity and up to 45W power delivery from the built-in USB-C cable or USB-C port; a 18W USB-A port is also available to charge devices. That’s enough power to fully charge up the Switch 2 three times or the Steam Deck 1.5 times, making it one top-tier power bank.
Pokémon Pokopia Preorder Comes With Free Tote
Pokémon Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2 is set for release this week, and the preorders are up now at major retailers for $69.99. It even comes with an in-game gift with purchase if you get it from Amazon. But if you grab the preorder from Best Buy, you can score an awesome canvas tote.
In the game, you play as Ditto transformed to look more human-like as you rebuild a drought-stricken land with the help of Pokémon friends. In our review of Pokémon Pokopia, it earned a 9/10 rating, with Rebekah Valentine stating it’s “an enjoyable, personality-packed building simulator set in a surprisingly deep world.”
Save 30% on the LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant
The LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant is down to $41.99 on Amazon for 30% savings. This fun 9-inch-high, 540-piece model is perfect for popping on a bookshelf or desk. The head, mouth, stalk, and leaves are all poseable too. Plus, it comes with two coins, which will be much easier to grab than when you’re actually playing the game. Just note that this set is best for adults.
$15 Off MTG x TMNT Commander Deck
Ahead of its release on Friday, the Magic: The Gathering TMNT Commander Deck preorder is $15 off. The Turtle Power Commander Deck is down to $54.89 from the list price of $69.99, which is below the market price on TCGplayer. Best of all, if the price drops anymore before Friday, Amazon has an awesome preorder guarantee. With this Commander Deck, you’ll receive a 100-card deck with 43 new cards, 1 deck box, 10 double-sided token cards, a strategy insert, and a reference card.
Save $50 on the MTG x TMNT Collector Booster Box
If you’re after premium treatments, the Collector Booster Box is down to only $399.95. These awesome cards feature textured foils, alternate frames, and more unique art for an often stronger resale value and just all-around cooler deck. Thanks to this discount, 12 Collector Booster packs come out to just $33.33 each. Individual packs are selling for $37.99, making for one heck of a deal.
Be sure to check out some other MTG x TMNT preorders below, or pick up some of the MTG x Marvel Superheroes preorders, too.
Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.
Brandon Sanderson has been busy over the last few months. With the recent announcement that his Cosmere universe would be coming to Apple TV, Sanderson has been actively providing updates about his progress via Youtube. And yet somehow he's still found time to launch a massive new crowdfunding campaign that has already blown its goals out of the water.
The Hoid's Storybook Collection campaign went live on Backerkit on March 3 and its already raised over $5.7 million after a single day. The project's original funding goal was only $1,000,000 and the campaign is planned to run all the way through March 27.
Sanderson isn't new to crowdfunding success and is known for delivering a great final project to anyone who backs these campaigns. The Cosmere RPG, for example, launched on Kickstarter back in August 2024 and generated a whopping $15 million in the span of a single month. The Hoid's Storybook collection is seemingly on track to be even bigger.
For those not intimately familiar with Sanderson's Cosmere books, Hoid is one of the few characters who shows up in mutliple stories. He's an ancient, immortal storyteller who is also capable of jumping between worlds. The new storybook collection includes four illustrated editions of prominent fables Hoid has told throughout his long lifespan.
"The inception of this campaign came when I wrote the story of 'The Dog and the Dragon' for Rhythm of War," Sanderson writes in the campaign description. "We’ve chosen to make the presentation of each of these books individual to the given story. Some (like Wandersail) are luxurious, graphic depictions intended to be the perfect collection piece for a Stormlight enthusiast. Others (like The Dog and theDragon) have been designed to evoke a classic children’s book, to be read to those who are younger."
In addition to the four storybooks, the campaign also includes the option to buy a special edition of The Fires of December, an entirely new Cosmere novel set to release on December 8, 2026. The upcoming book is part of the Hoid's Travails series, which includes Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.
For an idea of what to expect from the upcoming Hoid Storybooks or The Fires of December, you can check out Brandon Sanderson's official Youtube page. He has been regularly launching new videos for each book in the leadup to the campaign.
Ubisoft has just released the first piece of concept art for Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, finally confirming its long-awaited remake that has been rumored for years.
Ubisoft's focus is now firmly on the future, though the series' next all-new entry Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe sounds like it's still some way off. In the meantime, then, Ubisoft has at last begun acknowledging its upcoming Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake, which is expected to arrive at some point later this year.
"Speculation around Assassin's Creed is not new, but it's worth repeating: 'Nothing is true. Everything is permitted,'" Ubisoft wrote. "Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon. 🦜"
Previous reports have suggested that Black Flag Resynced will be a substantial remake of the series' beloved piratical entry, with visual and gameplay upgrades that see the game closer in quality to last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows.
New story content will reportedly be added to flesh out more of hero Edward Kenway's life, though the game's modern day gameplay sections have apparently been excised — something that many fans aren't happy about. It will be interesting to see how Ubisoft handles the game's new ending — which previously tied together story elements from its historical and modern day narratives — in light of that change.
Officially, Ubisoft has only previously referred to Black Flag Resynced's upcoming arrival by acknowledging that there had been an unannounced game due to arrive before the end of its current financial year (on March 31). In January, however this game was then delayed into the coming financial year (ending March 31, 2027) due to the company's major recent reshuffle of teams, projects and studios.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Set a few years after the events depicted in Season 1, Season 2 brings in a new cast of characters for Dunk and Egg (Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, respectively) to encounter, most notably Lady Rohanne Webber, aka the Red Widow, and Ser Eustace Osgrey, two rivals locked in a bitter land dispute as a drought devastates The Reach.
Variety reports that British actress Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Pale Blue Eye, Murder on the Orient Express) has been cast as Lady Rohanne Webber. In “The Sword Sword”, Lady Rohanne is believed to be an old witch responsible for the deaths of her four husbands, but she is, in fact, an attractive young woman with political savvy and ambiguous intentions.
Scottish actor-filmmaker Peter Mullan (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Outlander: Blood of My Blood) will play Ser Eustace Osgrey, a proud old knight and veteran of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Hedge knight Dunk swears his sword to him.
Babou Ceesay (Alien: Earth, Into the Badlands) will play Ser Bennis. In the novella, Ser Bennis of the Brown Shield is a fellow hedge knight and ally of Dunk’s.
Showrunner Ira Parker recently told IGN that Mullan playing Eustace “is just my favorite thing in the whole world because I remember when I saw him on Top of the Lake and just thought, ‘One day I'm going to figure out how to work with that actor.’ And so for this to happen is very nice.”
Photo credits: Lucy Boynton (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images), Peter Mullan (Photo by Euan Cherry/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA), and Babou Ceesay (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images).
When it comes to depicting the Joker, the only constant at DC Comics is the fact that everything changes. The Clown Prince of Crime is mercurial and always evolving, a fact that we're reminded of in Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez's Batman #7. This issue introduces one of the most startling revamps in the villain's decades-long history, suggesting that Joker may have finally regained his grip on sanity.
Read on to learn more about what happens in this issue, but beware of full spoilers for Batman #7 ahead!
Issue #7 sees Batman summoned to Arkham Asylum by one of Joker's secret messengers, much to the chagrin of Joker's new caretaker, Dr. Zeller. She reluctantly allows Batman to meet with the man she refers to as "Patient 10." Batman is immediately taken aback by seeing his old foe floating in a Darth Vader-style tank and hooked up to all manner of tubes and a mental stimulation device known as the Crown of Storms.
Joker reveals that Zeller has helped him in a way no other doctor at Arkham ever has. Her devices and treatments have granted him a certain degree of "clarity" for the first time since his original transformation. His body has clearly seen better days, but his mind is as close to healthy as it's ever been.
Joker makes it clear that he hasn't suddenly forgotten his many crimes, nor does he seem particularly apologetic about his past. He also notes that he's having great difficulty distinguishing between real memories and dreams. But he now views Batman as a "friend." Batman and Joker are just two profoundly lonely men who need each other's company.
Batman, unsurprisingly, isn't having any of this, and he prepares to leave. But Joker insists that Dr. Zeller turn off her intercom long enough for him to reveal the secret reason he summoned the Dark Knight. Once she does, Joker reveals that his underworld sources have uncovered whispers about a new threat in Gotham City. This mysterious enemy is gunning for Gotham City's great defender. Not Batman, but Bruce Wayne.
For the record, Joker has already known Batman's secret identity for some time now, dating back to 2013's Batman: Death of the Family. But the fact that he's showing genuine concern for Bruce's well-being is certainly a huge change for the character. Joker now seems to be emerging as a sort of Hannibal Lecter figure in Batman's world - someone who's own horrifying crimes make him uniquely suited to guide and advise our hero.
The Legend of Khiimori is a surprisingly detailed horse courier sim that I'm actually loving more than just in solidarity with my horse girl gamer friends.
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