Cryptic Studios announced in a Champions Online newsletter that it will be hosting a Weekend Boost Event from June 17-20. Throughout the weekend, all players receive 3 free Boosts: Triumphant Recovery, Heroic Comeback and Team XP. You can also pick up the Demonflame Adventure Pack for free!

In case you missed the news, Champions Online is one of five free-to-play games now available on Steam. If you play Champions Online on Steam today, June 17, you'll receive a free Pistolwhip in-game sidekick. This certainly seems like a good weekend to dive into this superhero MMO!

It's Wednesday, which means the latest issue of Champions Online's first Comic Series is now live! Here's the description for Issue 3: A Long, Long Way From Home:

"The entire VIPER fortress, and everything in it, heroes included, has been physically transported to the Qliphothic Realm, a dimension of chaos and destruction. The heroes must protect their only link to Earth while searching for evidence of survivors of Operation Demonflame. Locating these poor souls may answer some questions, but the biggest one remains: How do they get home?"

Each Comic Series is comprised of six weekly issues. Once it debuts, the issue can be played along with any other previously released issues. You must complete earlier issues in a series before you can play the latest release. Keep an eye out for issue 4 next week!

Also, in case you missed yesterday's news, Champions Online is now available on Steam! The site just launched support for free-to-play games, so check them all out if you're looking for something new to play.

If you're a Steam user who enjoys free-to-play games, then you'll be happy to know that Valve just introduced support for five F2P titles on the digital platform. Available immediately, the launch titles are Spiral Knights, Forsaken World, Champions Online: Free for All, Global Agenda: Free Agent, and Alliance of Valliant Arms.

If you're interested in trying out any of these games, be sure to keep an eye out for special deals throughout the week. Here are the details:

"Beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) with Spiral Knights and concluding Sunday with AVA, each of the five launch titles will offer exclusive in-game content to those who try the 'F2P game of the day' on Steam. In game transactions in all of the titles will be supported by Steam's micro-transaction backend system that is available to Steamworks partners and currently used in Valve's Team Fortress 2."

For more details, check out the FAQ. Which free-to-play games will you be playing on Steam?

Cryptic Studios will soon be adding themed player Hideouts to Champions Online, and they've given players a sneak peek at the Retro Moon Base. According to April's State of the Game address, Hideouts are launching in July. Here are some details on the customization options from last month's Ask Cryptic segment:

"Hideouts will have customization options and the more hideouts you have of a particular type the more options open up. Let’s use the Hideout Type Sanctum for example: When you get the Arcane Sanctum hideout for your Sorcerer you will have a complete and functional hideout with some options to change the look of the hideout. When you pick up the Druidic Sanctum hideout you will have another complete hideout that is themed and has some options as well. Being of the same 'Type' of hideout, they have interchangeable parts and options that you can mix and match if you like."

While we're on the topic of Champions Online, all travel powers are 50% off in the C-Store through June 16 at 10 a.m. PDT.

Last week Champions Online announced the first Issue of a new weekly Comic Series. Each Comic Series is comprised of six weekly issues. Once it debuts, the issue can be played along with any other previously released issues. You must complete earlier issues in a Series before you can play the latest release.

The latest edition, Issue 2: Hang On, has just been released. Here is the description:

"The investigation of Camp Lantern revealed that dark and powerful forces are at work here. A force so evil that the VIPER commander has ordered his own men sealed inside the fort's bunker to prevent its escape. Major Okonkwo and a handful of UNTIL troopers are fighting for their lives. Beset by VIPER and UNTIL troops possessed by an otherworldly force, their chances of survival are slim. It's up to the heroes to enter the bunker and ensure Okonkwo and her men make it out alive!"

Read all the content and get caught up on the first issue over at the official Champions Online site.

The inaugural issue of the first Champions Online Comic Series, "Aftershock," is now available to all players for free! Here's the description of Issue 1: Dead Air:

"Something has gone horribly wrong in North Africa. Camp Lantern, the UNTIL base created to sift through the wreckage of the Temple of Nama, has gone dark. All attempts to contact the camp have failed. Scouts sent into the area have not reported back. It's up to the heroes to investigate the ruins of the camp and determine what became of the garrison."

Each Comic Series is comprised of six weekly issues. Once it debuts, the issue can be played along with any other previously released issues. You must complete earlier issues in a series before you can play the latest release. Keep an eye out for issue 2 next week!

Champions Online Producer Rob Overmeyer has answered 35 questions in his latest Ask Cryptic segment, and he privdes some details about the Aftershock Comic Series that is launching tomorrow, June 1. 

"Our first Comic Series is called Aftershock. I am not going to give the story away but I can give you some ideas about the size and rollout of the series. Aftershock has a total of 6 issues. The first issue is scheduled to release Wednesday June 1, 2011 and each subsequent issue in the series will be released each Wednesday of the following weeks. Each issue will be available to play following its debut along with any previous issues. You will need to complete any previous issue in the series before you can play the latest in the series. Aftershock will wrap up the first week of July and once the entire series is out it will be playable as a complete adventure. Each issue targets about 30 minutes of gameplay, however, that time can be affected by a number of factors."

He also confirmed that the Comic Series content will be available for free to all players. You can read all of his answers after the jump.

Perfect World announced today that it has entered an agreement with Atari to acquire 100% equity interest in Cryptic Studios for approximately $50 million in cash. Atari stated a couple weeks ago that it was looking to sell Cryptic after the company "determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace."

Here's what Michael Chi, chairman and chief executive officer of Perfect World, had to say about the deal:

"We are very pleased to sign the agreement to acquire Cryptic Studios. This strategic acquisition will add attractive game titles to our portfolio, which will help us further penetrate into the U.S. and global online game markets. More importantly, Cryptic Studios' highly reputable development team and its technology platform will further strengthen our well-established R&D capabilities. We deem this as another noteworthy achievement of our global expansion efforts."

Only time will tell what this move means for Champions Online, Star Trek Online and the upcoming Neverwinter.

You probably don't pay too much attention to the loading screens in Champions Online, but maybe you'll look at them a bit closer after checking out Lead Artist Brad Stokan's latest post, entitled "Concepts and Costumes: Anatomy of a Loadscreen."

Stokan shows readers step-by-step how the above loading screen for the new Resitance adventure pack went from a series of brainstorming sessions to a complete piece. And if you like the image, you can download the new wallpaper!

Champions Online's Resistance Adventure Pack is live! Players level 11-40 can participate in new missions and earn special perks, costumes and other rewards. Here's the description:

"At Harmon Labs, an experiment in dimensional travel has gone awry and it's up to the heroes to save the day! You'll travel through the Trans-dimensional Portal to Multifaria, a dark and dystopian Millennium City where evil reigns supreme and the sinister Citizen Harmon rules with an iron fist. A valiant underground resistance is growing, led by a band of outlawed superheroes fighting back against Harmon’s reign of terror."

Gold members will get the Resistance Adventure Pack for free, while Silver players will need to purchase it in the Cryptic Store for 420 Atari Tokens, which is around $6. You can watch the Resistance trailer below.