Quantcast
Channel: Forces of Geek
Viewing all 17882 articles
Browse latest View live

Throwing The Fictional Baby Out with the Fictional Bath Water

0
0

Last Sunday night, the Internet exploded as the credits rolled at the end of the latest episode of Game of Thrones. If you missed it, or for some reason have been offline for the last week, Sansa Stark was raped by her new husband, Ramsey Bolton, a character who is for all intents and purposes the epitome of evil.

Lines were drawn. Sides were taken. Opinion pieces were published. The Mary Sue even announced that it would no longer be writing about the show. And that’s an absolutely fair and justifiable response.

No one has any obligation to watch a television show or movie or engage in any fiction that has not only zero appeal, but actively repulses. All of us can very likely point to some work of fiction where we threw our hands in the air and said, “That’s it. I’m out.”

And if I’m being honest, there’ve been more than a few times Game of Thrones has tested what I’m willing and unwilling to tolerate. Walking away from a work of fictions is a perfectly reasonable thing to do and many people are saying they’re doing just that with Game of Thrones.

But in some arguments the conversation turned.

“Rape here,” the aforementioned article states at one point, “like in all instances, is not a necessary story-driving device.”

Says who, exactly?

Read more »

THAT GIRL Returns!

0
0

Stadium Media announced that it is set to distribute the classic television show “That Girl” via digital platforms. “That Girl” first aired in 1966 and starred the effervescent Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie, a struggling actress in New York. Current plans are set for “That Girl” Season 1 to stream on Hulu beginning May 22, 2015. Season 2 will follow shortly thereafter. The digital deal was jointly announced by Mitch Mallon, founder of Stadium Media and Paul Brownstein, whose company owns home entertainment distribution rights to more than 4,000 hours of classic television.

“We’re delighted to be offering fans of classic television this gem on digital platforms,” commented Mallon. “We are also pleased to be able to open the eyes of a new generation to this wonderful and iconic television program.”

Read more »

Cancel Your Week, DVD/Blu-ray Review Extravaganza!

0
0

There's another batch coming soon.  I promise.

Somehow, spring has become pre-summer, which means summer is coming soon.

That means air conditioning and sitting in the coolness watching movies.  There's a ton in here with more coming soon.

Seriously.

So, fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart.


Fifty Shades of Grey 

Universal /Released 5/8/15

The worldwide phenomenon comes to life in Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the iconic roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Ana is an inexperienced college student tasked with interviewing enigmatic billionaire Christian Grey. But what starts as business quickly becomes an unconventional romance. Swept up in Christian's glamorous lifestyle, Ana soon finds another side to him as she discovers his secrets and explores her own dark desires. What results is a thrilling, all-consuming romance as Christian and Ana test the limits they will go to for their relationship.  Extras include unrated version with alternate ending, featureless and sequel teaser trailer

Last Word: E.L. James’ inexplicably world renowned, mommy porn, best seller, Fifty Shades of Grey, has finally been adapted. I’ve been anticipating how the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, would turn utter shit into something beautiful. The film was better than the book, but that bar is so low, it’s on the ground.

Fifty is a very aesthetically pleasing film and features a killer soundtrack. Space, sets, lighting, all the pretty actors and their fancy wardrobes--warm and immersing. Swarming shots of Seattle are exuberant, and extreme close-ups of lips and naked bodies, accompanied with proper slow beats, are mesmerizing. Credit where credit is due--Fifty was put together and executed really well. It's just unfortunate that the film is pure beautiful idiocy.

Anastasia Steele is a quiet, mousy about-to-be college grad. She’s awkward, she’s timid. And Dakota Johnson did a pretty good job in the role. While she had a garbage script to work with, as well as no real story to express, the actress had great timing and her awkwardity (my favorite made-up word) was genuine and humorous. Jamie Dornan. Oh Jamie. I apologize to your pretty, chiseled face, but Meh. The actor masters the famous Christian Grey scowl and does a lovely job keeping his eyes open for periods of time that are far too lengthy. He’s hot, always in a suit and controlling, but unfortunately, rather boring. I wasn't intimidated by him at all. The actor was doofy to watch at times.
At least Dakota tried. Dornan literally just stands around, pushing, shoving, demanding, always rigid. There are dramatic one-liners, that are impossible to deliver without sounding like painful cliches. And his American accent is distracting. There’s an odd twang present and I couldn’t help but notice he said Anastasia’s name three different ways. All that aside, for you female viewers, he’s hot. He’s sexy. And he is shirtless most of the film. But hold on to your toast. You’ll see what I mean.

Now overall, despite it's baseline of terrible, the film was, admittedly, awesomely steamy and hilarious at times. Of course we all knew it was going to be void of character development and depth of any measure. And I don’t know how people feel about seeing Dakota Johnson naked for a couple of hours, usually tied up, but kudos to the actress for taking on such a provocative role. I respect the actors, as I did with Blue is the Warmest Color, for exposing themselves in situations that may or may not make people uncomfortable. I admire their comfort outside the comfort-zone.

The erotic story of a billionaire young man and his prowl for a submissive young lady has been done many times. While Fifty is just a bland romance with beautiful people, I give it credit for being bolder than others I've seen, within the soft-core realm. I want to recognize and give props to the explicit nature of Fifty Shades of Grey. It wasn’t as campy as the eighties flick, 9 ½ Weeks, with Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke (when he was hot), nor was it as peculiar as Secretary, with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhal. Fifty wasn't shy during the S&M scenes, full frontals were abundant. And while they may or may not be representative of actual actions (I think that depends on taste), the delivery was genuine enough to be intriguing, yet tame enough so as not to be disturbing.

For those who have read the books, I’m so very thankful that this movie was void of Anastasia's offensively annoying inner-monologues. And I'm honestly shocked they didn't spit the word, "mercurial" a dozen times, or the famous, "Crap, Double Crap." They did squeeze in, "Laterz Baby," as well as my absolute favorite, beware of spoiler, "Fifty shades of fucked up." And that just made me smile so wide. (– Caitlyn Thompson)


Paddington 

Starz/Anchor Bay / Released 4/28/15

From the beloved novels by Michael Bond and producer David Heyman, Paddington tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says "Please look after this bear. Thank you," and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist (Nicole Kidman). Extras include featurettes and music video.

Last Word: The issue of Paddington is a tough one to consider. Paddington is a rather polarizing figure in children’s literature. His iconic look is similarly recognized like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Oompa Loompas, or Madeline’s big red hat, but Paddington isn’t nearly as well known. So writing a full-length film about a bear who wears a coat and eats marmalade is not nearly as easy to pull off as you may believe. Additionally, the film is quite British, and a children’s film, both of which give an extremely difficult tone to do well. If anything is true in children’s films, it’s that the tone and pacing need to be impeccable.

Thankfully, Paddington manages to address most of these issues and deliver a solid family film with quite a bit of wit snuggled underneath its oversized hat. The unconventional story latches on to the emotional core of the character, and a very real family dynamic which, surprisingly, is layered extremely well. Of course, the voice acting of Ben Whishaw as Paddington really elevates this character to truly being a remarkable addition to the production.

Paddington stars the aforementioned Whishaw as the titular character who grows up in a family of bears. The bear family was discovered by an explorer in deepest Peru and come to learn culture and human language, along with a fantastic and strange land called London. After the explorer leaves, the family sits around planning a trip to London, while adapting what they’ve learned from the humans to become more human themselves. Soon an earthquake hits and tragedy befalls Paddington, who is then sent away from Deepest Peru and towards London to find a real family to take care of him. Paddington’s journey to London leads him to a family whose parents are played by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins. They take in the bear as he looks for the explorer so he can stay with him instead. Slowly, the deep rift between the bear and the family is bridged, and they begin to change each others lives in rather unconventional ways. However, forces in the background are amused and surprised to find a talking bear, and decide they want said bear for their own purposes, which I won’t spoil here.

The cast is filled with unknowns, especially the family. The biggest compliment that can be paid here is that you begin to view them as a real family, and not several actors hired to play family in a film. The family displays real kinship and react in the sort of normal ways you would expect a family to act. The father is overprotective, the mother is a little too prying, and the daughter is embarrassed of family. While these seem stereotypical, the reasons behind them are grounded not only into the characters, but the world they live in. The script pays as much attention to why they want things, as they do with the things they desire. This is a sign of solid writing as they make the world behave in a fashion that is understandable.

Another piece of great work is the computer graphics that display Paddington and the exploits he goes through. While there’s only so much realism that can be added to talking bear, Paddington feels much more like a real bear and less like a creature developed in an effect shop. Paddington’s computer graphics also show several important weather changes, along with special effects that seem much more grounded in practical reality. This helps with the tone the film is aiming for and without pushing things over the top. It’s a solid selection by the production staff and show they have a coherent goal for the picture. The film’s pacing overall is quite good. An exception to this is in the first five minutes, which introduces the bears in their meeting with the humans, with Paddington living in Deepest Peru. While they effectively set up what Paddington is like, it seems much more childlike than the rest of the film, kicking the film off into a roller coaster of different emotions, instead of building a consistent tone. If not for some serious work after that, it could have derailed the whole first act.

The tone does hit several emotional peaks and valleys. The story, focusing on family and home, is a wise selection in theme that’s appropriate not only to the memory of the books, but in developing the character for the screen. You feel genuine human emotion for all of the characters. There are a few tense moments where you worry about what is going to happen in the future. One hiccup with this is the over the top issue with Nicole’s Kidman’s character. While well-acted, the character seems too one-note and the reveal late in the film is too coincidental, which is hard to buy into when compared to the rest of the film. The incident takes a little wind out of its sails. I must truly praise the direction of this film. The director made several conscious decisions in tone and camera angles to portray a very specific story. Paddington reminded me of a lot of Pixar films where they chose camera angles to portray the world, tone, or story instead of going with the flashiest shot. The acting is well done, especially with child actors who were relatively unknown. Tight spaces are still effectively conveyed, despite having a computer generated bear in most of them. Overall, Paddington is a must see if you have a family, or if you’re looking for a lighthearted film with a lot of emotion. Despite the problems that could have popped up, Paddington exceeds all expectations and could be one of the best children’s films of the year. (– David Postma)


Mad Max 

Shout! Factory /Released 5/8/15

Setting Mel Gibson on a sure path to superstardom, this highly acclaimed "crazy collide-o-scope", (Newsweek) of highway mayhem "cinematically defined the postapocalyptic landscape", (TV Guide). Featuring eye-popping stunts that are "electrifying and very convincing", (Variety) and "an authentically nihilistic spirit", (The Village Voice), this unforgettable actioner from director George Miller (The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road) is "pure cinematic poetry", (Time).

In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max's best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live for: revenge! Also starring Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Steve Bisley (The Great Gatsby, Red Hill), this rugged race car of a film runs on "comic book volatility... exhilarating rowdiness and visual intensity", (The New York Times)! Extras include commentary, interviews, featurettes, trailers, TV spots and galleries.

Last Word: With the release of the newest chapter, Fury Road, Shout! Factory presents George Miller's first chapter in his ongoing saga, Mad Max.

Produced on a skeleton budget and released in 1979, Mad Max is organized chaos in the best way possible.  The plot is simple; a cop in an otherwise lawless stretch of highway seeks retribution against the bikers who killed his family.  But if you're thinking this is a simple revenge film, you forgot that it's a non-stop car chase/crash opus that puts films like the Fast and Furious franchise to shame; no CGI, just good drivers, fast cars and thankfully, limited fatalities.

Mad Max was notable for not only introducing Mel Gibson and former emergency room doctor turned director George Miller to the world, but also propelling the low budget, over the top Ozploitation film movement.  Thirty five years later, Mad Max is still a fresh, intense and engaging movie experience that should not only be seen, but should be a part of every cinegeek's home library.  Highly recommended.


Read more »

Attention Cryptozoologists! Kickstart The SASQUATCH BRIGADE MEMBERSHIP KIT!

0
0

From the redwood-lined ridges of the Pacific Northwest comes the Sasquatch Brigade. Carrying out the Bigfoot Patrol mission to discover hairy cryptids across the globe, the Sasquatch Brigade membership kit is a paranormal passport to cryptozoological exploration and adventure in deep, dark forests! Or maybe it's just a really elaborate, limited edition artist-created merchandise-based art project — you decide!

Sasquatch Brigade, the third artist merchandise set in the paranormal hairy ape-man creature series by our friend, George Coghill, launched on Kickstarter this week and surpassed the funding goal in under 24 hours. Sasquatch Brigade joins the previous membership kit merchandise sets, Bigfoot Patrol and Yeti Squad, each of which contains an embroidered patch, membership card and a button/pin packaged with header cards.

The Sasquatch Brigade Kickstarter campaign offers rewards which include original artwork by the artist, including sketch cards and original pencil drawings. The campaign also offers stretch goals with additional Sasquatch-themed artist merchandise including stickers, window clings and additional embroidered patches.


Plus, if you don't already have Bigfoot Patrol and Yeti Squad ephemera, you can add them on to your pledge!  Plus, stretch goals keep getting added which means more swag for you!

The Kickstarter campaign runs until June 12, 2015.




Tor Locks Down Scalzi, Scary-Ass Fiction, Historical Fiction's Badass Ladies & More

0
0

Literary Mortar Boards 
It's graduation time, which means you need to get creative with your mortar board.

Nightmare Fuel 
Five recommended horror books from Book Riot that will scare the socks off of you.

Selfie Book Club
What if celebrities taking selfies had books photoshopped in place of their phones; yep, it's as dumb and funny as it sounds.

Read more »

"A Terminal Crazy": A 'Mad' Max Rockantansky FLASHBACK

0
0

Power-hungry megalomaniacs, a desolate world, anger, hate, violence, raw evil and no good in sight…

No, I’m not talking about the upcoming presidential race – I’m talking about the world of Mad Max.

In honor of the kickass release Mad Max: Fury Road, I’ve decided to watch all three preceding movies in a row – Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.


I know, I know; I’m really falling on a grenade for all two of you reading this (Hi Dad!), but these movies were such a pivotal part of my childhood that I couldn’t resist.

Read more »

The Pull List: WYTCHES #6, JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #3, STAR WARS #5 & More!

0
0

Check out what I checked out this week.

Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.

Welcome to The Pull List.

And, as always...Spoilers ahead!


Planet Hulk #1
Writers: Sam Humphries, Greg Pak
Artists: Marc Laming, Takeshi Miyazawa, Leonard Kirk
Colorist: Jordan Boyd, Rachelle Rosenberg, Tamra Bonvillain
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99


Sam Humphries and Greg Pak hit comic book fans with a pretty snazzy 1-2 punch as they implement the beloved story arc of Planet Hulk into Marvel’s current big event, Secret Wars.
The other part of the combination deals with a gladiator Steve Rogers and his trusty steed in the form of a giant red T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur kicking ass and taking names.

I couldn't help but notice the bump up in price compared to the other Secret Wars tie in books.

The book is certainly thicker, but does it add up in the realm of content?

Of course, all things in Battleworld leads back to Doctor Doom who is now referred to as God Doom.

Seeing a beaten down Steve Rogers being forced down at the feet of Doom harkens back to Secret Wars circa 1984. In that outing, Doom obtained ultimate power and Rogers got into his head by turning his own hubris against him.

Their interaction in this current state of affairs dropped some hints as to whether or not Doom remembers everything before Marvel’s version of the big bang. It would make sense considering he is the shot caller, but many of the characters remember bits and traces of their past without realizing what it really means.

Enough about Doom and Rogers though. The book is called Planet Hulk and you want to hear about how they wreck shop and cause total destruction. Greenland is the name of this Gamma infested region that has been carved out for Hulk-like beings. Sam Humphries sets things up nicely by establishing how dangerous this place is as it is conveyed to be the most feared places in Battleworld.

Greg Pak writes a nice little back story that shows life in Greenland before, well, it turned green. The cover had a retro sixties vibe, which almost seemed like a gag at first.

However, even though Battleworld is a bastardization of reality, these are still real people who live their lives until things took a turn for the worst. Pak’s gives Planet Hulk perspective through this origin story.

Most of the time, tie in books fail to add any real depth to the overarching story they are trying to enhance. While it would have been nice to see more of Planet Hulk in its current form, Humphries did a great job of establishing everyone’s role where Green Goliath's appear to play background noise to a much larger issue at hand.

Score: 4 out of 5


Read more »

Upcoming THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION Collection Box Set Announces New Extras & Theatrical Screenings

0
0

With anticipation building for the long-awaited June 30 release of Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline Of Western Civilization Collection, the first dates in a series of theatrical screenings have been announced, as well as an expanded slate of bonus features (all listed after the jump).

Available in both Blu-ray and DVD formats as well as digitally, the 4-disc set will contain Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline Of Western Civilization (1980), Part II: The Metal Years (1988), and Part III (1998), a 40-page book containing an essay written by rock historian Domenic Priore (Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Last Stand in Hollywood), rare stills, and bonus features including a new audio commentary with director Penelope Spheeris and box set producer Anna Fox, a new commentary by Decline fan Dave Grohl, extended interviews and performances, and much, much more.

This is the first ever official Blu-ray, DVD or digital release of the films, which have been in demand for decades by fans worldwide. The box set features a new 2K high-definition scan of each film, supervised by Spheeris. The Decline Of Western Civilization Collection is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and ShoutFactory.com.

Read more »

Win NIGHTLIGHT on DVD!

0
0

Five friends venture into the woods for a night of flashlight games, only to awaken a demonic presence in Nightlight, casting its shadow on DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD May 26th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The film is currently available via On Demand. Featuring performances from a stellar ensemble of up-and-coming young talent including Shelby Young (The Social Network, Wild Child), Chloe Bridges (Family Weekend, TV’s “The Carrie Diaries”) and Carter Jenkins (Valentine’s Day, TV’s “The Following”) along with newcomers Mitch Hewer and Taylor Murphy, Nightlight is told from a singular point of view and employs a groundbreaking storytelling device as a means of heightening suspense, while turning the found footage genre on its head.

For years, Covington Forest has been shrouded in mystery, with a dark past as a final destination for troubled youths. Undeterred by the news of a classmate who recently took his life in those woods, five teens journey into the forest for an evening of flashlight games and ghost stories. But their plans go awry when the friends awaken an unseen evil that will seize upon their deepest fears and plunge them into a nightmare of absolute terror.

Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (The Bride Wore Blood), the Nightlight DVD and Digital HD includes a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and an alternate ending with optional commentary. A feature-length audio commentary with the writers/directors and producer is available exclusively on the DVD. The Nightlight DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98. 


And we're giving away two copies on DVD (with a bonus Nightlight branded flashlight)!

Read more »

2015 MARVEL SECRET WARS REUNION TOUR Brings The Gang Back Together

0
0

In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the ground breaking Marvel Comics maxi-series Secret Wars, The Artist’s Choice together with Eva Ink Artist Group is proud to announce the reunion of Secret Wars creative team Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, and John Beatty to make a limited number of convention appearances together.

This will be a rare opportunity to meet, greet and get autographs from all three of the original creators of one of the most important publishing events in comic book history.

Read more »

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #3 (review)

0
0
Review by Erin Maxwell
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #3
Written by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Robert Hack
Lettering by Jack Morelli
Cover: Robert Hack
Published by Archie Comics
Released May 27th, 2015

The third issue of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina continues on its dark path, this time introducing the concept of the Unholy Baptism to the saga.

Scribe Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa uses the opportunity to play with the witch mythos that lies at the heart of the tale.

Given the chance to recreate the rules of witchcraft and its players, the comic toys with the concept to create a story arc.

For example, witches are not necessarily born, they tend to homeschool in the early years, and they lay off the carbs in favor of crickets and spiders.

We find out that Sabrina Spellman isn't quite full witch yet.

Due to a few deaths by fire and stones in the past, the witches' council opted to have magic users choose their own path at age 16.


Since our heroine is still at the tender age of 15, she has yet to choose which direction in which she can live her life.

As a mortal, she'll be forced to age and decay like most folks, but have a chance at true love, or she offer herself and her services to Satan and stay hot and powerful for all eternity.

Read more »

The Forgotten Mutant - Paging Franklin Richards

0
0

When you think of mutants, it’s natural to think of the X-Men and their vast stable of arch-enemies, or, at the very least, Chris Hemsworth, because, really, no man can possibly be that good looking and charming without some sort of help that defies nature.

But one of the most overlooked mutants in all of Marvel Comics also happens to be one of the most powerful, and that’s the young Franklin Richards, son of the Fantastic Four’s Mister Fantastic (because Mr. Humble didn’t play well to the crowd) and Invisible Woman.

Yep, that’s right. Franklin Benjamin Richards is a mutant and while it’s easy to pick on him for still pronouncing “uncle” as “unca” like some sort of moron, I’d very much advise against it because he can totally wish you into the cornfield if he chooses.

Seriously.  No way, he’s a mere human.
He’s prettier than like half the girls I’ve ever dated…

Franklin was first introduced in Fantastic Four Annual #6 way the hell back in 1968, so, naturally, he’s still only 8 or so and talks like he’s 5. How that works, I’ll never know, especially considering his younger sister, Valeria, came in—in her current form—around 2003 and has already been aged up to around 4 and is a mega genius. Poor Franklin didn’t even get a name in the comics for almost the first two years of his existence and his sister became smarter than he’ll ever be in practically no time at all, which is even odder when you realize that in Chris Claremont’s seminal Days of Future Past—set in the not so far flung past of 2013—Franklin is a fully grown leader of the mutant resistance and banging Rachel Summers.

Due to the cosmic rays that gave the Fantastic Four their powers, it was really no surprise that the offspring of two of the members would have some abilities of his own, but I don’t think anyone was expecting them to be so prolific.

Or dangerous.

Read more »

THE REMAKES ARE COMING! THE REMAKES ARE COMING!

0
0
Poltergeist wasn't a total flop this past weekend, though nothing out-of-the-park.

Interestingly, when adjusted for inflation, it was a larger opening than the 1982 classic.

Personally, I was rooting for a completely disappointing opening for it, since I'm a very big fan of the original, and it falls into the category of movies "they" dare not touch.

That said, there are plenty of reboots, remakes and reimaginings in the pipeline, as always.

Here are five of the more ridiculous remakes revving up, all in various stages of threat-level to your nostalgic sanity...


Read more »

DC COMICS GUIDE TO WRITING COMICS By Dennis O'Neil (book review)

0
0
Review by Clay N Ferno
I’ve been fascinated by the credits pages of comics for longer than I can remember, and the all important “Writer” title is the one I have aspired to.

Fortunately for you, dear readers, this eventually shifted to the comics critique and ‘reporting’ steadfastly disappointing you here each and every week!

Writing is hard. Scripting is hard. You guessed it, making comics is hard work. Drawing comics is probably much harder than it looks.

As much as I thought my dogeared copy of How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way (1978) by Stan Lee and John Buscema would have me at the drawing board for 8 hours a day like an Extreme Studios understudy, that was not my path in life either.

I’m always up for a good challenge, though.

Upon urging from my colleague Matt Dursin (an actual published comics writer!) I have auditedThe Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture MOOC with Stan Lee’s and Michael Uslan course of study.


In preparation, I dusted off 2001’s The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by industry giant, and writer of my favorite Batman tales, Dennis (Denny) O’Neil.

Read more »

THE SIXTH GUN RPG Kickstarter Smashes Expectations and Finding Goal in First Day!

0
0
ONI PRESS CONGRATULATES BUNN, HURTT, PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT
GROUP ON FIRST DAY SUCCESS OF THE SIXTH GUN RPG KICKSTARTER

Oni Press, Portland’s premier independent comic book publisher, congratulates Pinnacle Entertainment Group and The Sixth Gun creators Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, on the smash success of THE SIXTH GUN RPG Kickstarter.

Oni Press editor in chief James Lucas Jones said, "We've been thrilled to spend time with Cullen and Brian in the world of The Sixth Gun for the last 5 years. Now thanks to Pinnacle Entertainment Group, we get the opportunity to explore even more of the epic world the boys created! It's been immensely satisfying to see the Kickstarter smash past its funding goal in no time and we can't wait to see how many stretch goals of cool stuff we can hit in the next month."

Funded inside the first hour and now racing past $27,000 in its first 24 hours, the Kickstarter for the RPG tabletop game based on the Eisner and Harvey Award nominated series exceeded expectations and now looks to cross its stretch goals, including a new game adventure by The Sixth Gun creative team of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt and with RPG author Scott Woodard, which will include new original comics content.

Read more »

Zdarsky and Henderson Set the Table with New JUGHEAD Series

0
0
New ongoing comic book series to be set in same world as new ARCHIE from Waid/Staples

Hamburgers and a crown made of paper. The mysterious “S” shirt and a dog named Hot Dog. Did we mention Hamburgers? All of these things are synonymous with the greatest comic book character of all time: Jughead! This October, Archie Comics is launching a new ongoing JUGHEAD series by the unbeatable team of Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson!

Featuring the adventures of Archie’s hamburger-loving best friend, the new series will debut with an all new #1 issue from two of the comic book industry’s brightest stars. Zdarsky, known for his work on the hit Image series Sex Criminals, will bring his unique brand of comedy to comics’ biggest jokester.

“Jughead is the one character that I totally attempted to emulate when I was younger,” said Zdarsky. “Cool without being cool, voracious appetite, a slacker who doesn't always live up to his potential.”

Read more »

IDW Publishing and Top Shelf Join Humble Bundle For New Comics Bundle

0
0

Two of the comic book industry's most prestigious independent publishers, IDW Publishing and Top Shelf, combined forces at the start of the year and are now introducing Humble Bundle's audience to the top tier titles both have to offer in Humble IDW/Top Shelf Comics Bundle. Spanning multiple genres from horror, to crime fiction, to biographical narrative, the chosen titles for this curated bundle were not only frequently spotlighted on year end "best of" lists, but also scored multiple Eisner awards and nominations.

IDW and Top Shelf have each earned a reputation for quality publishing that pushes the boundaries of the comics medium. In addition, they continue to collaborate with some of the most talented writers and artists working today whose books are featured in this bundle, including Joe Hill, Darwyn Cooke, Alan Moore, Gabriel Rodriguez, Kevin O'Neill, Jess Fink, Mark Russell, Shannon Wheeler, Liz Prince, Nate Powell, and even a Congressman, John Lewis.

Customers can name their price for March: Book One, Locke & Key Vol. 1-3, Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, and Nemo: Heart of Ice + Nemo: The Roses of Berlin.


Read more »

Chaos Theory : A Look Back At THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK

0
0

Jurassic Park was big.

The highest grossing movie of 1993 by a huge margin. So naturally a sequel was pre-destined. Probably a studio mandated sequel. I imagine they called up Spielberg and said, “You in or out, because we’re making this movie regardless.”

So probably as reluctantly as Dr. Ian Malcolm, Spielberg headed back to Isla Sorna.


So hold onto your b— oh wait, that guy didn’t make it out alive last time.

But hey, let’s not kick this off on a sour note.

Read more »

BAD KARMA Vol. 1 HC (graphic novel review)

0
0
Review by Lily Fierro
Bad Karma Volume 1
Written by B. Clay Moore, Seth Peck, Alex Grecian, Jeremy Haun
Art by Jeremy Haun, Chris Mitten, Phil Hester, Tigh Walker, 
Andrew MacLean, Shaky Kane, Mike Tisserand
Cover by Jeremy Haun, Jonathan Hickman
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
DCD: FEB151262 / ISBN-10: 160690669
Price: $34.99
In stores May 20, 2015


When creators join together, the outcome can fall on a spectrum ranging from tragic to completely mediocre to phenomenal.

Sometimes harmony can exist between multiple opinions.  Sometimes individual voices clash and battle and lead to a ravaged final product.

Sometimes each creator may work alone in his or her own world and simply contribute something completely individual and disjointed to a work that craves cohesion.

Highly promising in concept, Bad Karma Volume One could have led to disastrous results.

It combines the talent of comic book heavy weights Alex Grecian, Jeremy Haun, B. Clay Moore, and Seth Beck into one inaugural volume to celebrate the unity of the creators’ collective of the same name.

Thankfully, despite all odds, this first volume of Bad Karma succeeds in the daunting task of compiling and unifying individual issues from 5 creator owned series, two short prose stories, one experimental poetry and comic hybrid, and 25 artwork pin ups from a variety of artists by committing to a tone and mood of regret, sorrow, and desperation with a recurring cross generation, cross time, and cross incarnation motif of a crestfallen character with a hunger for redemption or closure in impossible circumstances.

Read more »

Action, Feminism, Humor, Grit: Analyzing MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

0
0
Mad Max: Fury Road is the first film I’ve constantly thought about in a long time.

I saw it at a Thursday night preview, and it’s been roaring, riffing and revving in my brain ever since – like the Doof Warrior, wailing away on top the biggest Marshall stack on the scorched Earth, his double-necked guitar/flamethrower melting my cortex.

What a glorious, fevered feast of desolate madness! There are so many reasons I love this movie, so let’s discuss a few of them.



Read more »
Viewing all 17882 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images