FeaturesTECHNICIAN TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011 • PAGE 5

The University Network offers deals and discounts to studentsThe University Network works to provide local deals to college students.

Young LeeStaff Writer

If a student were to access TUN.com on Sunday night and go to the page for N.C. State, that person would be greeted with a comprehensive, inter-active map of the campus and the surrounding area. The map shows the locations of more than 25 restaurants, bars, cafes and recreational locales in the immediate area, as well as the special deals associated with each location.

A little more than a year old, TUN.com, or “The University Network,” is already making

a big impact in the discount markets. With their interactive map and a stream of the latest deals, The University Network seeks to be the No. 1 stop for the tech-savvy college genera-tion to be informed of the latest discounts at local stores.

Already servicing about 200 colleges across the nation, the site provides information on approximately 22,000 daily deals. The University Network hopes to expand to half of the college market in the U.S. by the end of the year. Though certainly an ambitious goal, the need to save money is a regular issue for many college students, especially with the current eco-nomic situation.

“All sorts of things point to the need for college students to save money,” Scott Goryeb,

marketing manager of The University Network, said. “That has just been a non-thing since college started… but also with the way the economy has been going lately with a lot of students hav-ing trouble finding jobs... [The Univer-sity Network] is just looking to help save them money in any way [we] can.”

Goryeb said the website’s goal is to pro-vide a needed source of savings for students at the college level.

“We saw the niche for the college students,” Goryeb said,

“and wanted to go the route of giving them a lot of deals around campus, on things that they’re spending money on regularly.”

It’s unclear if continuously checking the website will become a popu lar pastime at N.C. State, though. For students, the majority of business-e s w it h i n traveling distance are l imited to

Hillsborough Street and Avent Ferry Road.

“We don’t have a lot of op-tions, being at N.C. State,” Jeff

Shu, a senior in textile tech-nology management, said. “If Hillsborough were to open up or expand more [it may be more interesting], because our Hillsborough Street is kind of lacking compared to [a place like] Franklin Street.”

Candice Ye, a senior in mar-keting and psychology, also has some reservations about The University Network.

“Sometimes, when I want to go out for a meal,” Ye said, “I wouldn’t go online to go search for all the [deals] before eating the meal. I would just turn up and take an offer on the spot.”

However, others may dis-agree. Despite the lack of vari-ety within walking distance of main campus, Shu ultimately said he would be interested in a site like The University Net-

work for shopping discounts, especially for food.

“[When deciding on places to go eat], the big concern is money,” Shu said. “Of course, because I can’t go to Fleming’s every day for steak, it has to fit within a money range. I know that I’d look at it every day to see where I am, because I’m constantly looking for a quick way to find access to food.”

In the meantime, The Uni-versity Network will continue to support local businesses and try to save college students some money.

“We have students working for us to help make the product as good as it can be,” Goryeb said. “We’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing, and that’s reaching out to more businesses and more markets.”

“We have students

working for us

to help make the

product as good

as it can be.”Scott Goryeb, marketing manager

of The University Network

DC COMICS REBOOT, REBOUND WITH KA-POW!Last month, DC Comics hit the reset button on thier entire line of titles. In effect, the shared continuity of their numerous characters over the past few decades was wiped clean, and a line of 52 new first issues was released in hopes of attracting a wave of new fans.Still, with so many choices, it may be hard to determine which books provide the best starting point for new readers. Some titles are simply more accessible than others. The following best represent the titles that are easy to pick up and read, whether you’ve read a comic book before or not.

AND SO IT BEGAN...

BATMAN

ANIMALMAN

SUPERGIRL

Hailed by critics and fans alike for its creativity and vision,

Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man has quickly become one of the

most talked about books of the reboot. Following the

adventures of Buddy Baker, a man with the power to take

on the abilities of any animal he can think of, the title

effortlessly shifts between numerous genres.

Horror, comedy, family drama and classic superheroics are

all featured, and Lemire effortlessly meshes all the different

elements into a cohesive narrative. The first issue also does

a good job of setting up not only the main and supporting

characters, but an ongoing mystery and journey for Baker

to face.With a fresh take on a long-dormant character and the

promise of original and creative concepts, Animal Man is

easily one of the best books for new and old readers alike.

If there’s one character that should have no problem

attracting an audience, it’s Batman, and of the four

titles to feature the character, Scott Snyder’s Batman

is the most successful at providing a starting point

for new readers.The title simply does everything right, giving

readers new and old an introduction to Bruce

Wayne’s mission as the caped crusader, the people

that surround him and the importance of Gotham

City as a character in its own right.In short, Snyder knows Batman, and knows exactly

what to tell readers to get them invested in this

interpretation of the character. The first issue also

manages to end on a great cliffhanger, promising a

solid story arc to start the series off on the right foot.

I,VAMPIRE

Of the several Superman-related titles to spring

up with the reboot, Supergirl is by far the most

friendly to new readers. The character of Supergirl

is herself introduced arriving on Earth, making her

as new to her surroundings as the readers. The first

issue emphasizes this, following the heroine as she

discovers the planet and just what superpowers she

is capable of now that she is on Earth.

As far as introductions to the new DC universe go,

the fish-out-of-water tale of Supergirl will no doubt

provide one of the best reader surrogates. Her

history is unknown, and will provide an interesting

foundation to build the series on. Readers unfamiliar

with comics will likely find no better starting place

than the journey of Supergirl.Among the 52 new series DC has published, I,

Vampire, on the surface, may appear as nothing

more than an attempt to cash in on the recent

popularity of vampires as romantic figures. While

this aspect of the pop culture phenomenon is no

doubt present, beneath the surface beats the

undead heart of a truly intriguing horror comic.

The series features the relationship between two

vampires who have different ideas about where

vampires should exist in society. From this contrast,

a great deal of conflict is set up, and plenty of

violent moments punctuate the series, elevating

it beyond the romantic flashback scenes. In short,

even Twilight haters will be able to find something

to love in this unique new series.

STORY BY JORDAN ALSAQA | ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLOR CASHDAN

With so many new series hitting the market, DC has made the effort to break the 52 down into easy -to-comprehend classifications.

NEW JUSTICE YOUNG JUSTICE THE EDGE THE DARKThe books classified as belonging to “The Edge” focus on genre work, including science fiction, crime, war and western comics. The line also includes titles formerly featured in their own universe under DC’s Wildstorm imprint.

The supernatural side of the new DC universe is featured predominantly in “The Dark” line. Titles that would normally be published under the Vertigo imprint are represented, with a focus on the mystical, as well as horror themes.

Featuring the teenage and young adult heroes of the DC universe, these titles focus on the next generation of heroes. From single character titles like Static Shock to team books like Teen Titans, these titles focus on developing relatable characters to younger readers.

These titles feature the more famous heroes of the DC universe, as well as the biggest teams. These titles, led by Justice League, represent the classic formula of superheroes fighting against evil, while bringing new spins to the classic characters presented.

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

IMAGES COURTESY OF DC COMICS