We (and by “we” I mean “my kids”) enjoy the shows, the toys… you name it, they’re into it. And now Newsarama has announced that there will be more of it to love:

Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, in collaboration with Cartoon Network Enterprises, today announced a new manga publishing partnership that will launch with original manga based on two of Cartoon Network’s most successful series: Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Ben 10 Alien Force. This announcement marks the first partnership between Cartoon Network and the Random House Publishing Group’s manga imprint.

The books will start rolling out in December, with more to follow in 2009. My son is going to be delirious with glee. And, um, if he’s reading a book, then I can call it educational, right? Right.

What, you think I’m kidding? Check this out and tell me what kid you know that doesn’t want a piece of this:

It’s not just that it’s the much-loved Ben 10, it’s that this is a massive multi-player game where kids can:

• Test Your Skills Against Other Players!
  Choose an alien species and join your friends in real-time multiplayer battles. Play as teams or fight it out in a galactic free-for-all. Your actions can help decide the outcome of the war!
• Battle on Distant Planets!
  Fire up your jetpack and fly around huge alien worlds. Use the terrain to your advantage and capture your opponents!
• Unleash Alien Technology!
  Pick your favorite weapon and style of combat: power, speed, stealth, range. Discover awesome powerups that can turn the tide of battle!

Personally, I was eager to test it out before unleashing my son (and possibly not seeing him again until his teens), but it turns out that this highly-hyped game doesn’t run in either Safari or Firefox. Hmph. Well, it’s probably just as well. I enjoy seeing my kid occasionally, after all.

Word has it that eventually credits earned in the Bounty Hunters game will be redeemable on Cartoon Network’s Mini Match site, too. Not that I really understand the lure of Mini Match, given that I am far too old and crotchety to really “get” it. Oh well.

Now, you darn Bounty Hunters get out of my yard!

… and the other part of me realizes that I am remembering through rose-colored glasses that have quickly forgotten the cry of “Mom! We’re bored! What should we do?”

Ahem.

Anyway! Soon we’ll be back in the classroom; my little darlings will be learning important lessons, and I’ll be being hit up for Kleenex and hand sanitizer. It’s the circle of life! Or at least, the circle of public school!

Ty’s Toy Box understands that getting them there in the right mood is half the battle, so feel free to check out the new Back To School Store for all of your back-to-school needs. There’s enough backpacks in there to delight even the most hard-to-please kid, from Thomas the Tank Engine to Avatar to Dora to Hannah Montana.

(Funny, for some reason my daughter is still balking at my suggestion of the Little Miss Trouble bag. I cannot imagine why.)

Hey, I know summer flew by, but at least getting ready for back to school can be fun!

It’s a joy, to have a Ben 10 fan on your hands. Truly. I mean, after a while you’ll wish you had some earplugs, but still. It’s all good.

And so the news that a new Ben 10 movie event is in the works is great news for fans and moms alike (hey, they can’t talk about it while they’re watching it):

Cartoon Network is moving forward with a live-action/CGI telefilm based on its animated series “Ben 10: Alien Force.”

The movie — written by John Turman and directed by Alex Winter, best known for his role as Bill in the “Bill & Ted” movies — follows the November live-action movie “Ben 10: Race Against Time,” which Winter also directed. [...]

“Alien Force” will be based on the network’s second animated “Ben 10″ series, in which Ben is a teenager and has discovered the ability to transform into a new set of aliens. The show debuted in April as the network’s most-watched original series premiere among kids age 6 to 11.

I had foolishly believed that my son wouldn’t like Alien Force nearly as much as the original; after all, the original Ben is much closer to his age, setting him apart from other heroes because he’s really just a little kid. And while it’s true that Alien Force Ben is a teenager, he also gets new aliens, which apparently trumps the fact that he’s no longer a grade-schooler. I predict our household will be counting down to the new film with great anticipation.

Ben 10: Alien Force The Game begins five years after Ben put away the DNA-scrambling Omnitrix. With Grandpa Max missing and a diabolical Highbreed alien plot threatening planet Earth, gamers must help Ben take the Omnitrix out of retirement and lead eight different playable characters—including cousin Gwen, enemy-turned-ally Kevin Levin and five of Ben’s brand new alien forms—in super-powered battle with the intergalactic invaders. New aliens Swampfire, Jet Ray, Humungousaur, Spidermonkey and Big Chill allow Ben to manipulate fire, swim underwater, grow more than 60 feet tall, stick to walls and fly at mach speed. Players will also be able to harness Gwen’s new talent to create an energy shield and use it to protect and attack, and Kevin Levin’s ability to absorb materials like concrete, wood and metal to create an impenetrable shell on his body.

The fast-paced, 3D, side-scrolling action-adventure offers an unlimited combo system, along with puzzles and challenges that will engage players of all skill levels. The Nintendo DS version will offer alternate playable alien forms including Goop and Echo Echo, giving players additional unique powers to command and explore.

The article reports that D3Publishing will be developing the game for all major platforms, and release is scheduled for this Fall. Just in time for holiday shopping, sounds like.

I suppose it’s too much to hope for a special wii controller that’s basically an Omnitrix, right? Hey, I can hope….

“I don’t know, honey,” I would respond with infinite patience (ha!), “Why don’t we wait and see?” And then—right before I was going to have to duct tape his mouth shut or start wearing earplugs—the show debuted.

The verdict in our house? Well, now instead of asking what I think it’ll be, my son trails me wanting to fill me in on every last new alien and asking me which one is my favorite. (I’m supposed to have a favorite alien? This was not in the manual.) In other words, this newest incarnation of Ben 10 is an unmitigated success, so far as we’re concerned. But just to make sure, I went so far as to ask my son if he liked this better than the original.

“Oh yes!” he assured me. So I asked him why that was, and he said, “Because now Ben’s got more betterer aliens!” So, you know, there you go.

Unfortunately, not all Ben 10 fans have been quite as enthusiastic as my son. Newsarama’s Steve Fritz did a great interview with Ben 10 creator Glen Murakami because, as he put it:

In less than a half hour the first internet troll came out from under his bridge to start screaming how he hated, hated, hated Ben 10: Alien Force. Within the hour said bottom feeder was joined by a horde of others. They felt it their right to vent and mewl pitifully about the changes to the show. They called it a grand conspiracy by Cartoon Network to sell new lines of action figures. They accused all of even more heinous crimes.

Murakami does an admirable job of defending the series… not that you’d expect any less from the man behind an alien hero named Brainstorm. Go read it; you won’t be sorry.

Regardless, I suppose the Ben 10 aliens would yield a different sort of alien hangout, and from now until April 10th, Ben 10 fans can enter Bandai’s new sweepstakes:

Boys across the nation are on the lookout for an alien invasion as Bandai America Inc. launches its “Ultimate Alien Hangout” sweepstakes. Inspired by Cartoon Network’s hit television series for boys 6-11, Ben 10™, boys will now have a chance to make anytime hero time by entering the Ultimate Alien Hangout sweepstakes. One lucky winner will score an awesome Ben 10 room transformation to live out alien adventures just like everyone’s favorite kid hero, Ben Tennyson, while additional prizes will be given to one hundred runners-up.

(What, no prize where the winner takes home one of everything in the Ben 10 Store? My son will be outraged!)

Your little Ben 10 fan can enter the sweepstakes on Bandai’s site, and according to the official rules, there’s no limit to the number of times you can enter.

And there’s more, too:

Ben 10 fans can get a glimpse of the Ultimate Alien Hangout room transformation by tuning into Designing Spaces. The home makeover show will broadcast a fan’s room transformation, while also offering viewers some easy do-it-yourself tips to create the ultimate alien hangout with their existing Ben 10 collection. Episodes will begin to air March 22 on TLC, with additional runs expected throughout the spring on Women’s Entertainment and local network affiliates across the country (check your local listings for days and times).

We’ll be setting the DVR for that one. Because who doesn’t want to some do-it-yourself tips on creating the ultimate alien hangout? No one who leaves their laundry on the floor ’round here, that’s for sure.

Oh, it was at first. Sure. If you love Ben 10, what’s not to love about more of it? Nothing, says I! Or, at least I did, right up until the live-action movie. Ben 10: Race Against Time was… well, it was okay. It wasn’t as good as we’d hoped. To be fair, it’s hard to top such a kick-butt cartoon with a small-screen live-action version, I’d think. But even my son was unimpressed.

And so I’ve not exactly been chomping at the bit since then, when it comes to other spin-offs.

Until now.

Toon Zone recently announced that Ben 10: Alien Force is coming this spring to Cartoon Network, and in addition to a sneak-peak at the artwork (the image above, included), they had this to say:

Ben 10: Alien Force begins the next chapter in the continuing Ben 10 saga five years later when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses to once again put on the OMNITRIX and discovers that it has reconfigured his DNA and can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens. Joined by his super-powered cousin Gwen Tennyson and his equally powerful former enemy Kevin Levin, Ben is on a mission to find his missing Grandpa Max. In order to save his Grandpa, Ben must defeat the evil DNALIENS, a powerful alien race intent on destroying the galaxy, starting with planet Earth. Ben will join forces with other young heroes to save the galaxy and his Grandpa Max, while passing along his knowledge to a whole new generation. The animated series will premiere with a special one-hour episode on Cartoon Network in Spring 2008.

The description sounds good, of course, but it’s actually the artwork that has me intrigued. I keep looking at the pictures and thinking they seem… familiar… somehow. Oh, wait a minute:

[...] with supervising producer Glen Murakami (Teen Titans) and story editor Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League).

Is it just me, or does teenage Ben look a little bit like he’d be right at home eating pizza with Beast Boy and Robin? The stylization reminds me of some of my favorite cartoons, and brings me right back to a place where I’m happy to make any excuse to plunk myself down next to the kids for half an hour to “supervise” their TV time.

Okay, Man of Action (or should I call them Men of Action?)—you did it. You roped me back in. We’ll be watching!

Is there some reason you’d rather head out on the busiest shopping day of the year at o’dark thirty just so that you can fight the crowds and the traffic, vs. staying in and ordering cool stuff online from the comfort of your own home (and possibly while still in your jammies)?

That’s right.

For the first time, Ty’s Toy Box is making their Black Friday specials known a few days in advance so that you can plan your day accordingly. (I recommend a cup of coffee while you finish your shopping online, followed by something like a cinnamon roll as a reward for having gotten it all done early and under budget.) Read through; bookmark what you need; and then get ready to rock on Friday, November 23rd, 2007.

Read on for the full list of Ty’s Toy Box Black Friday specials:

• Disney Princess Cool Bake Oven — $19.99
• All Test Tube Aliens $5 off
• Ben 10 athletic shoes — $11.99
• Pirates of the Caribbean Ultimate Black Pearl Playset — $19.99
• Limited Edition plush 25th anniversary Care Bear with DVD — $19.99
• All Shining Stars plush — $9.99
• Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds video game — $39.99
• The Cheetah Girls Rockin’ Tour Bus playset — $89.99
• Get a free Gund gift bag with any Gund purchase
• Ship 6 of the most popular Doodlebops toys for just a penny
• Ship all items in the Ty’s Holiday Shoppe for just a penny

So there you have it; great deals to be had here at Ty’s this Friday only. Don’t forget that there’s currently free domestic shipping for orders over $65, too (it’s a $10 shipping credit if you’re ordering internationally), so between the product specials and the shipping deal, you could finish your shopping before you even get dressed.

(But… just in case you don’t, we’ll also be sharing the Cyber Monday specials in advance, too. Stay tuned!)

We’ve been talking about it for months. My son has been talking about it for years, or at least it’s really starting to feel that way. But yesterday Cartoon Network finally gave the big victory sign out to the masses: Production on the Ben 10 live action movie has been completed. This, of course, yields a whole new summary of Race Against Time complete with actor profiles:

Graham Phillips (EVAN ALMIGHTY) stars as Ben Tennyson, a normal 10-year-old boy who is able to transform himself into a variety of super aliens like the powerful Heatblast or the beastly Wildmutt. Lee Majors (THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN) also stars as Grandpa Max, who uses his past experiences with the paranormal to guide and protect his grandchildren, Ben and Gwen, through their many adventures in fighting evil.

Haley Ramm (X-MEN 3) is Gwen, Ben’s level-headed 10-year-old cousin and Ben’s much needed voice of reason because despite his ability to change physically, Ben is still a kid at heart and has a little trouble figuring out how to act like a superhero when the pressure is really on. Christien Anholt (RELIC HUNTER) plays Eon of Chronia, Ben’s nemesis in the movie. Eon was the first alien ever captured by Max’s secret organization, “The Plumbers.” The now-escaped Eon is trying to locate the doomsday device that was taken and hidden when he was captured. The device is capable of opening a gateway to Earth, signaling the start of an alien invasion that would mark the end of humankind.

That sounds… well, bad. I mean, an alien invasion that marks the end of humankind seems like it could really put a crimp in your day.

The trailer is floating around YouTube, and I have to admit, it looks pretty slick. Check it out:

The movie won’t be going live until November, though. You could probably find something for your little Ben 10 fan to tide him over until then, but be prepared.