Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two delivers all 22 action-packed episodes of the hit CG animated series’ second season, plus exclusive, never-before-seen bonus material on DVD and even more exclusive footage on Blu-ray! Available August 30, this thrilling continuation of the Star Wars Rebels saga depicts the continued efforts of the crew of the starship Ghost to defeat the evil Empire.

Amid growing Imperial oppression on Lothal, the rebels are forced to seek out new allies throughout the galaxy and additional resources to sustain their fight against the Empire. With the help of Ahsoka Tano, the crew of the Ghost bands together with a secret rebel cell and ex-soldiers from the Clone Wars to join a fledgling alliance determined to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy.

As Ezra continues his journey to become a Jedi under Kanan’s guidance, the threat of the dark side looms large over the fate of the growing rebellion. Darth Vader himself will dispatch new Inquisitors to snuff any spark of resistance, setting the stage for a climactic showdown in which past lives will be revealed, terrible truths will be discovered, and the lives of our heroes will be changed forever.

Star Wars Rebels was created by Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”), and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is also executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg.

Featuring the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall (TV’s “Young Justice”) as Hera, Steve Blum (“The Boxtrolls”) as Zeb, Tiya Sircar (“The Internship”) as Sabine, Taylor Gray (TV’s “Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures”) as Ezra, Ashley Eckstein (Her Universe apparel) as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker (“American Dad,” “Phineas and Ferb”) as Captain Rex and all the clones, David Oyelowo (“Selma” and “The Butler”) as Agent Kallus and Sarah Michelle Gellar (“The Crazy Ones,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) as the Seventh Sister Inquisitor.

Bonus Features:

Blu-ray:

• From Apprentice to Adversary: Vader vs. Ahsoka (Exclusive to Blu-ray) – Executive Producer Dave Filoni reflects on the climactic ending of the season, when Ahsoka Tano finally confronts Darth Vader in a long-awaited, fierce and epic lightsaber battle.

• All DVD Bonus (see below)

DVD:

• Connecting the Galaxy: Rebels Season Two – Uncover hidden references, easter eggs and connections to the Star Wars universe found throughout the season.

• Rebel Recons – Blast off with 20 fun, fast-paced episode recons, featuring behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with cast and crew, and more!

starwars.com/tv-shows/star-wars-rebels

Gotham City is the battleground for the first crossover since the beginning of REBIRTH this past June! “Night of the Monster Men” spans the BATMAN, NIGHTWING and DETECTIVE COMICS issues on sale late September and early October, pitting the heroes of Gotham against a mystery-shrouded foe from the Dark Knight’s past!

Night of the Monster Men – September

Part One – BATMAN #7

On sale September 21
Co-Written by Steve Orlando and Tom King
Art by Riley Rossmo

As a huge storm approaches, Batman, Batwoman and Nightwing try and prepare Gotham City for the worst, but nothing can prepare the heroes for the enormous monsters rampaging through the streets! Batman will need all of his allies to unite in order to stop these mad science monsters from tearing Gotham apart!

Part Two – NIGHTWING #5

On sale September 21
Co-Written by Steve Orlando and Tim Seeley
Art by Roge Antonio

The Monster Men are stomping their way through Gotham City! How can the Bat-team take on both these monsters and the storm of the century? And when Nightwing goes behind the scenes to discover where these monsters originated, what he finds lurking in the shadows might be worse than the monsters themselves!

Part Three – DETECTIVE COMICS #941

On sale September 28
Co-Written by Steve Orlando and James Tynion IV
Art by Andy MacDonald

Batman and Batwoman take to the streets in a motorcycle death race against a monster that transforms faster than either of them can keep up! And at Blackgate Prison, something truly terrifying is growing in the prison’s darkest depths… and its eggs are hatching!

Parts Four through Six of “NIGHT OF THE MONSTER MEN” concludes the storyline in the pages of BATMAN #8, NIGHTWING #6 and DETECTIVE COMICS #942, to be solicited next month.

Building off the breakout hit success of the first film in 2014, Marvel is unveiling a super-charged licensing program in support of its red hot Guardians of the Galaxy ahead of the 2017 sequel.

The freshly expanded merchandising program will offer year-round support to the franchise for fans of all ages with an expanded focus on younger consumers — who have helped fuel the popularity of the Disney XD animated series — with a rollout including new toys, games, books, apparel, accessories, and more.

With anticipation for the new film already reaching a feverish pace, a slate of Marvel Publishing titles including Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1, Rocket Raccoon Volume 1: A Chasing Tale, and Groot Volume 1, and the success of the Disney XD show sparking a second season renewal with new episodes set to debut this fall, Guardians of the Galaxy is being primed by Marvel to become a true evergreen tentpole franchise.

To help spark ongoing demand for all things Guardians, Marvel is unleashing an expanded merchandising program.

Central to the campaign will be a continued emphasis on the franchise’s ‘roots’ –breakout character Groot -the lovable tree-like extraterrestrial that fans have not been able to get enough of since his appearance in the first film.

Funko’s Dancing Groot Pop! Vinyl Bobblehead remains Funko’s best-selling Pop! of all-time and helped to raise awareness of the franchise with pop culture fans.

“As affinity and awareness for the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and its characters continues to grow by leaps and bounds, we are building out a much larger merchandising program to meet the increasing demand from fans,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “The new consumer products lineup will be sure to excite fans with new surprises inspired by everyone’s favorite group of intergalactic misfits.”

Marvel’s Guardians of the galaxy program will be multi-tiered. A major emphasis will be placed on children ages 6-11. Leading toy partner Hasbro is on board with a range of action figures and role play products based on the new film, while LEGO adds to its lineup with new construction sets.  Marvel will also eye collectible and apparel/accessory partners to round out the program with music playing an important role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and integrated into merchandise where applicable. Disney Publishing has also signed up notable, bestselling authors who are bringing their unique perspectives to the Marvel universe through a program that includes middle-grade and young adult titles, as well as a cinematic program from LB Kids.

The first Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film exceeded all expectations, becoming a blockbuster success as the #3 movie of 2014 both domestically and internationally, and the biggest August opening of all time with a total international box office of $773 million. Outside the theater, the franchise was also a hit on the Billboard charts – the motion picture soundtrack held the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 charts for two weeks.

It’s another New Toy Day, and another batch of Diamond Select Toys products has hit comic shops! This week brings the second Marvel Gallery PVC figure, two more Nightmare Before Christmas 16” Coffin Dolls, the second series of Predator Minimates mini-figures, and two new X-Files Vinimates vinyl figures! Read on for more details, and reserve yours at your local comic shop, or ask them to order it in for you using the provided item code! Find your nearest comic shop at comicshoplocator.com, or order online!

Marvel Gallery Thor Goddess PVC Figure

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Time to put the hammer down! The second release in DST’s all-new Marvel PVC Figure series is none other than the goddess of thunder herself, the all-new, all-different Thor! Measuring approximately 9 inches tall, this PVC figure of the mysterious new Thor perches atop a rocky outcropping, as if preparing to take flight or summon a lightning bolt from the heavens. Packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Sam Greenwell! (Item # JAN162257, SRP: $45.00)

Nightmare Before Christmas Pajama Jack Coffin Doll

A Diamond Select Toys release! Get ready for the big sleep! This frighteningly tall 16” doll of Jack Skellington in real cloth pajamas reproduces the classic figure of old for a new generation of Nightmare Before Christmas fans. Packaged in a full-length coffin, with viewing window, Jack comes with pajamas, nightcap, and a large book about The Scientific Method. Perfect reading for when you’re trying to catch a few winks! Packaged in a coffin-shaped window box. Limited to only 1,993 pieces. (Item #SEP152171, SRP: $50.00)

Nightmare Before Christmas Pumpkin King Jack Coffin Doll

A Diamond Select Toys release! DST continues to re-animate the Coffin Doll line of yesteryear with a new re-issue, this time of Jack Skellington as the Pumpkin King! Wearing his Jack O’Lantern mask and tattered clothes, the Pumpkin King stands approximately 16 inches tall, and features multiple points of articulation. Figure includes a sign for Halloween Town, and comes packaged in a coffin-shaped window box. (Item #NOV152183, SRP: $49.99)

Predator Minimates Series 2 Two-Pack Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys release! Time to head back to the jungle, for another assortment of Predator Minimates! This all-new assortment of 2-inch Minimates mini-figures features characters from all three Predator films! Royce from Predators comes with that film’s Berserker Predator, Predator’s Blain comes with Predator 2’s Shaman Predator, and Predator’s First Appearance Dutch faces off with the Cloaked Jungle Predator. Plus, be on the lookout for the rare, one-per-case variant set of Final Battle Dutch and Cloaked Jungle Predator! Each Minimate features 14 points of articulation and fully interchangeable parts, and each two-pack comes on a full-color blister card. (Item #FEB162471, SRP: $9.99/ea.)

X-Files 2016 Mini-Series Vinimates Vinyl Figures

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Want to investigate the X-Files with some style? These stylized Vinimates PVC figures depict Mulder and Scully in their new looks from the 2016 mini-series, but captured in the geometric shapes of a Minimates mini-figure! Striking an action pose, with weapons at the ready, each 4” static figure has a ball-jointed neck, and comes packaged in a full-color window box.

• Mulder  (Item # JAN162248, SRP: $9.99)
• Scully (Item # JAN162249, SRP: $9.99)

Find your nearest comic shop at comicshoplocator.com!

The 2016 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF), the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, has announced a diverse roster of films that are set to screen as part of this year’s program.

This year’s JFFSF proudly presents a broad collection of current and acclaimed Japanese cinema across a variety of genres such as action, sci-fi, documentary, anime, shorts, live music, kabuki theatre, crime mystery, and family drama. All films will be presented in Japanese language with English subtitles.

The 2016 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco opens Saturday, July 23^rd and runs thru Sunday, July 31^st at NEW PEOPLE Cinema located inside the NEW PEOPLE in Japantown at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (www.newpeoplecinema.com). Tickets to individual screenings are $15.00 each, unless otherwise noted. All ticket prices include the service fee with no further extra charge.

For the true film aficionado, this year, the JFFSF also offers the special JFFSF Festival Passports. Available for $150 each, a passport grants the holder priority access and seating at all JFFSF 2016 screenings. A complete listing of film summaries, trailers, screening times and advance tickets as well as festival passports are available at: JFFSF.org.

Special 2016 JFFSF Guests of Honor include Director Shinsuke Sato (Gantz, The Princess Blade), who appears in person for the U.S. premiere of Library Wars: The Last Mission, Director Shunji Iwai (Love Letter, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice), who will appear for the California premiere of A Bride for Rip Van Winkle, and Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who will appear for the screening of HAPPY HOUR.

“We are honored to welcome three prominent directors from Japan as our Guests of Honor this year,” says Manami Iiboshi, Executive Director of the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco. “It is exciting to share with our beloved audience this rare opportunity to hear about the creative vision behind their films in person. I hope everyone enjoys exploring diversity of Japanese cinema through this year’s program.”

This year’s JFFSF also complements an extensive roster of entertainment also set to take place for J-POP SUMMIT 2016, the weekend of July 23^rd and 24^th at Fort Mason.

The following films will play at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema on the dates noted beginning on Saturday, July 23^rd with screenings continuing until Sunday, July 31^st.

Library Wars: The Last Mission

Saturday, July 23^rd, 12:00pm

Featuring a special in-person appearance by Director Shinsuke Sato (Gantz, The Princess Blade)! In this new sequel to the first Library Wars film, the story is set in a near future where the expression of thought is censored and the media is controlled. Under instructor Atsushi Dojo whom she admires, Iku Kasahara is now a full-fledged member of the Library Defense ‘Task Force’. They are ordered to guard a public exhibition featuring ‘The Handbook of Library Law’ known as the symbol of freedom, with no clue what fate awaits ahead.

J-POP SUMMIT 2016 Presents: IA 1^st Live Concert in Japan “PARTY A GOGO!”

Saturday, July 23, 3pm

Presented by J-POP SUMMIT 2016, the latest Vocaloid sensation “IA” ‘s first solo concert film, “IA First Live Concert in JAPAN: PARTY A GO-GO,” will have its San Francisco premiere at Japan Film Festival of SF! “IA” is a virtual artist brought to life as part of the VOCALOID™3 with its synthesizing technology, and IA-related videos have collectively garnered more than 100 million views online. Experience the hottest entertainment export from Japan!

Tokyo Short Shorts 2016

Saturday, July 23, 4:15pm

JFFSF’s popular collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia teams up to exclusively premiere a collection of special short films directed by a new generation of filmmakers from Japan!  Films include: Plan B (Directed by Hatsuki Yokoo), Hana (Directed by Yusaku Okamoto) and Piece of the Future (Directed by Seiki Watanabe), Drifting cloud (Directed by Yuta Sukegawa) and Kerama Blue (Directed by Tsukasa Kishimoto).

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno

Saturday, July 23 at 6:00pm; Sunday, July 24 at 6:30pm; Monday, July 25 at 8:00pm;
Tuesday, July 26 at 9:00pm

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends are both sequels to 2012’s first Rurouni Kenshin live-action theatrical film. The live-action action movies were filmed back-to-back and cover the Kyoto Arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s original historical action manga. Kenshin Himura is a legendary swordsman in the wars accompanying the turbulent fall of Japan’s Shogunate in the 19^th Century. Once feared as, ‘Battosai the Killer,” he became a wanderer living peacefully with his companions with the arrival of the ‘new age’ in Japanese history. But now he learns that Makoto Shishio, his crazed successor, is about to overthrow the new government. Can Kenshin stop him without breaking his vow to kill no more and save Japan from destruction?　(**Note: This is not a double feature. Separate tickets must be bought for each screening.)

A Bride for Rip Van Winkle

Sunday July 24, 12:00pm

Screening features a special personal appearance by Director Shunji Iwai (Love Letter, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice)! Director Iwai returns with a deceptively beautiful film about a struggling teacher obsessed with a new social-media site, where she meets people that lead her life to an unexpected place. With the wedding with a boyfriend she met online approaching, and with no relatives except for her divorced parents, she makes a questionable decision encouraged by Amuro, a jack-of-all-trades whom she had also met online.

Cinema Kabuki “NEZUMI KOZO: Noda Version”

Sunday July 24, 4:00pm

Don’t miss the rare opportunity to experience the authentic and unique beauty of contemporary kabuki performed by some of Japan’s greatest kabuki actors and presented in vivid HD on the big screen! Nezumi Kozo is based on the story of a real-life bandit from the Edo period (19^th Century). After his execution, a legend grew that he had been a kind of Robin Hood, sharing his ill-gotten gains with the poor. Written and directed by Hideki Noda and starring Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII.

Dou kyu sei – Classmates –

Monday, July 25, 6:30pm

Based on a popular yaoi (Boys’ Love) manga by Asumiko Nakamura, the film portrays the tantalizingly pure romance between two male high school students, Hikaru Kusakabe, a popular student in a band, and Lichit Sajo, an honor student. These boys would have never crossed paths until they begin to talk through preparing for an upcoming chorus festival together. A sensitive yet refined romantic masterpiece is brought to life.

The Anthem of the Heart

Tuesday, July 26, 6:30pm

Creators behind the popular Anohana Movie return with the original anime feature film, The Anthem of the Heart an all-new ode to youth set in the beautiful city of Chichibu, located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The story unfolds around Jun Naruse, a girl who is unable to speak from trauma in the past. Through happening to join a musical act with an unexpected mix of students, Jun gradually starts to regain her lost voice.

Solomon’s Perjury (Part 1: Suspicion & Part 2: Judgment)

Wednesday, July 27, 6:30pm

A special double-feature presentation.Court commenced with the death of a 14 year-old, and concluded with perjury. On a Christmas morning, the body of a student is discovered on the snow-covered schoolyard below a high rooftop. His death stirred up the latent malice that existed within the school, leading to accusations by an anonymous source claiming to be an eyewitness. A scheme for a new murder, sensational coverage by the mass media, then another victim and yet another… When the teachers have forsaken the students, concerned only with protecting themselves, one female student takes a stand to expose the hidden truth by holding a court trial within the school! Several collaborators come forward who are not intimidated by the pressure exerted by the teachers. Then, a defense counselor from another school comes forward to offer support. And finally, the 5-day trail begins.

The Boy and the Beast

Thursday, July 28, 6:30pm

The latest feature film from award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children)! When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts, he’s taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who’s been searching for the perfect apprentice. Despite their constant bickering, Kyuta and Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a bond as surrogate father and son.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends

Thursday, July 28 at 9:00pm; Friday, July 29, 9:00pm; Saturday, July 30 at 3:00pm;
Sunday, July 31 at 6:30pm

Don’t miss the exciting finale in the action-packed Rurouni Kenshin live-action saga!

Being Good

Friday, July 29, 6:30pm

Awarded NETPAC Jury Prize at the 37^th Moscow International Film Festival, this film is a heart-wrenching portrayal of isolated people caught in downward spirals that also shows how simple acts of kindness can make a difference. Tasuku is a school teacher struggling to deal with his homeroom and his students’ over-protective parents. When he discovers that one of his students is being abused by their parents, he decides to stand up to make a difference.

DASHI & SHOYU: Essence of Japan

Saturday, July 30, 12:00pm

This visually striking food documentary is focused on two crucial essence of Japanese cuisine: the delicate soup stock, ‘Dashi,’ and the golden soy sauce, ‘Shoyu.’ Dashi is the bedrock of Japanese cuisine and a distillation of the natural resources of Japan. ‘Shoyu’ is a pillar of Japanese cuisine, which is made of soy that is transformed by a type of mold that exists only in Japan. History and secrets of Umami will be revealed. Screening will feature a special Dashi stock tasting.

Happy Hour

Sunday, July 31, 12:00pm

Screening to feature a special personal appearance by Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi! Japan’s up-and-coming director Hamaguchi’s award-winning epic Happy Hour returns to SF Bay Area with the filmmaker himself. This 5-hours-and-17-minutes-long film about the unstable lives of four girl friends in their thirties, played by real women with no acting experience in the past, should be surprisingly gratifying for any movie lover.

Humanoids announces the upcoming release of three graphic novels from Italian comics legend Milo Manara (The Sandman: Endless Nights). The first two classic tales will be published in English for the first time uncensored and in their original large formats. The graphic novel publisher is also revealing pages of the third title that will be available in color for the first time ever.

Releasing in July, Milo Manara’s Gullivera is the loosely inspired adventures of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, sensually revisited by an undisputed master of erotic comics.

In August comes the uncensored and erotic graphic novel adaptation of one of classic Roman literature’s most legendary stories The Golden Ass of Apuleius, titled Milo Manara’s The Golden Ass.

Pandora’s Eyes, written by Academy Award-nominated Vincenzo Cerami (Life is Beautiful) and brought to life by the art of Harvey and Eisner Award-winner Milo Manara, will be available for the first time in color by Francesco Gaston (artist of Image’s Bloodstrike) in November.

Tim Pilcher, author of Erotic Comics: A Graphic History said, “Manara is undoubtedly the king of not just erotic comics, but is also one of the all-time great legends of international sequential art, having worked with luminaries such as Hugo Pratt and Federico Fellini, and influencing creators across the globe. These three titles reveal his incredible talent as both as a writer and artist. They are important and vital works that are guaranteed to excite new and old fans alike.”

Hamilton Wins!

At this year’s Tony Awards, the musical Hamilton that is taking the world by storm picked up 11 wins.

So You Want to Read Lesbian Literature?

You might be asking yourself where you start. Look no further!

Thrilling Females

Some great thrillers featuring kickass female leads.

California Books

It’s an awesome state. I know, it’s where I live. Here are 100 books about it.

American Gods Casting

The adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s bestseller has just cast the awesome Orlando Jones in a great role.

Human Condition

An important book that’s available to download for free about the human condition.

Mark that Page in a Cool Way

Here are 50 cool bookmarks you might want to add to your collection.

Serial App

A cool app that helps you get the classics read.

With the imminent release of the much-anticipated Warner Bros. Legend of Tarzan film, and the announcement that Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is launching a new series of Tarzan novels to continue under the Wild Adventures of Tarzan brand, Altus Press has unveiled artist Joe DeVito’s incredible cover to this summer’s first release in the Wild Adventures of King Kong novel series.

Written by the acclaimed author of the Wild Adventures of Doc Savage novels, Will Murray, who previous pitted Kong against Doc in Skull Island, King Kong vs. Tarzan takes place during the fateful and dangerous voyage when Kong was transported from Skull Island to New York City. DeVito’s cover depicts the dramatic moment when the Lord of the Jungle first encounters the Beast-god of Skull Island, who has invaded the ape-man’s African domain.

The author notes, “I was writing the book while Joe was painting the cover. One day, just before I came to the cover scene in my manuscript, he showed me an in-progress version. I was blown away. So I made sure to describe the gorgeous golden light of late afternoon suffusing that fateful first encounter, and thanked my lucky stars I hadn’t planned for it take place at night! Joe and I forgot to discuss that important detail.”

The artist says, “This fabulous new story posed an interesting visual problem: How to make two such disparately sized characters appear equally prominent in the same image? Far more difficult would be the conception of a cover that would be more fun to paint!”

Fully authorized by the estates of Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Rice Burroughs, King Kong vs. Tarzan is slated for release this summer.

adventuresinbronze.com

 The Wild Adventures of Tarzan • The Wild Adventures of King Kong

Once again, the James Bond torch is going to be passed, and people are debating who would make the best Bond.

But what is it that makes a James Bond movie a James Bond movie?

Each time a new actor assumes the role everything about the movies change to accommodate that actor’s realization of the character (and the time period the films are being made in obviously also has a huge influence).

Are the Roger Moore Bond films, for example, really part of the same film series as the Pierce Brosnan films?

In the Brosnan Bond universe Bond would never dress up as a clown.

Nor would Sean Connery’s Bond.

So the choice of actor is irrelevant in the sense of trying to cast for the part doesn’t really work because the part is always changing.

Just cast a good actor with screen presences.

The series, though, once had a unifying and unique element that differentiated it from other spy movies over the decades.

No, it’s not the gadgets or the opening credit sequences.

What made a James Bond movie James Bond movie used to be the mind-blowing sets that turned fantasy into reality.

Let’s take the best Bond film: Goldfinger.

The film culminates with a robbery of Fort Knox, the most famous bank in the world. And it’s building that to this day remains steeped in mystery because no photographs of its interior have ever been released.

All we can do is imagine what it must look like.

And legendary production designer Ken Adam dreamed up an interior that exceeds anyone’s imagination.

It just wouldn’t have been the same movie if they broke into some anonymous bank that looked exactly what we thought a bank would look like.

It’s really exceedingly clever with how the movie climaxes taking us inside a real space that the public is not allowed to see.

This was the trademark of James Bond movies.

They always had awe-inspiring spectacles.

Even though these were action movies, it was filmmaking in its purest form. The medium was used to covert dreams into something that was seemingly tangable.

This used to be the formula that the Bonds films followed. The movies would crescendo to a final incredible set piece that would match the stakes of the story.

The most notable examples: the oil tanker so massive that it can contain a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me; the volcano base in You Only Live Twice; and the use of Metéora in For Your Eyes Only.

The last example was obviously not a set, but it’s so exotic that it looks unreal, like something out of Avatar.

None of the films since the Roger Moore era have had such notable sets or used such colorful locations.

Simply put, the films have stopped dreaming big. And that should really be what action films do. If you want realism, then make thrillers. Bond films shouldn’t be so concerned with realism. As much as the movies thrill us they should also stimulate our imaginations.

Last night, HBO premiered the first teaser trailer for HBO’s upoming series, WESTWORLD, based on the Michael Chrichton film.  Based on the teaser, the upcoming series looks amazing and captures Crichton’s affinity for “science gone wrong”.

The one-hour drama series WESTWORLD (ten episodes) is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin.  Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.  The cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth and Clifton Collins, Jr. Inspired by the motion picture “Westworld,” written and directed by Michael Crichton. Production companies, Bad Robot Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions and Kilter Films in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producer/writer/director, Jonathan Nolan; executive producer/writer, Lisa Joy; executive producers, J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, Bryan Burk.

facebook.com/WestworldHBO

Fandom is a great place.

Sure, it has its ups and downs like any large, diverse community, but for the most part fandom–particularly the fandom surrounding pop culture spheres such as science fiction, gaming, and TV–is a mostly positive sort of place. It’s a way people come together to celebrate shared interests and enthusiasm.

And one nice thing about fandom is that it didn’t need the Internet to happen.

Fandom has been strong since long before the computer revolution, and the Internet has only allowed that community to grow and strengthen.

Let’s take a look at some seminal points in fan history.

1939 – The First World Science Fiction Convention

The World Science Fiction Convention–commonly referred to as Worldcon–has been a yearly event since 1939. The only years it was not held were 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Other than that, it’s been the longest-running annual family reunion for fans of science fiction and fantasy in existence. It began, and continues to be, a convention by fans for fans, with a heavy literary track. While these days Worldcon also features modern media, comics, costuming, and art fandom, it’s still one of the best places to meet your favorite science fiction or fantasy author. It’s where I met Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s where I had a drink with George R.R. Martin. I’ve made a lot of friends over the years at Worldcons.

The first Worldcon was held in New York City in 1939 around the same time as the infamous “The World of Tomorrow” New York World’s Fair. There were only around 200 attendees, but some of those attendees were such well-known names as Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Harry Harrison, John W. Campbell, L. Sprague de Camp, Jack Williamson, and guest of honor Frank R. Paul.

This may also be the first documented case of fans dressing up in costumes at a science fiction convention. Forry Ackerman and Myrtle Douglas both came dressed in futuristic garb designed and sewn by Douglas.

Cosplay is older than most people think.

The event wasn’t without its controversy.

In what was called “The Great Exclusion Act”, a number of fans–members of the groundbreaking Futurians–were denied entry to the event by convention chair Sam Moskowitz.

Many say the exclusion was the result of political differences (much of early New York fandom had connections to socialist organizations), but Fred Pohl (who was there and a member of the Futurians) stated pretty clearly that it was more likely a personality conflict.

Pohl felt that Moskowitz thought that Futurians thought they were better than everyone else.

See? Even then fans had silly feuds.

But fandom endured.

Despite all that, July 2 to 4, 1939, saw the dawn of the science fiction convention. Who knew where that would lead?

1968 & 69 – The Campaign to Save Star Trek

Remember Star Trek?

The original series, I mean. It ran for only three seasons, but had one of the largest impacts on popular culture the world has ever seen.

Did you know we almost only got one season?

Star Trek was in real danger of fading into relative obscurity like so many other science fiction shows of the 60s.

Some fans weren’t having that. When Gene Roddenberry heard of the possibility of Star Trek not being renewed for a second season, he got the word out and, with the help of popular science fiction author Harlan Ellison, they got fans and other well-known science fiction authors to write letters in support of continuing the series.

It worked. Huzzah!

When it looked, again, like the show wouldn’t make it past a second season, superfans John and Bjo Trimble orchestrated a letter writing campaign among fans that was so massive that NBC eventually had to do a voice-over announcement declaring that Star Trek was not cancelled and to please stop writing letters. There were demonstrations. When was the last time a TV show got its own public demonstrations to convince studio execs to keep a show on the air?

Now we all know (or should know) that of the three seasons, the third season was probably the weakest. That said, it was still a hugely important season.

Why?

Because, at the time, TV shows that did not go beyond two seasons were not put up for syndication. Because Star Trek got its third season, it became a mainstay in TV syndication for decades where it continued to find new audiences and new fans–so many that it eventually spawned full-on feature movies, new television shows, games of all varieties, comic books, etc.

The success of the campaigns to save Star Trek boosted that beloved franchise we’ve all come to know and love to compare to Star Wars.

Well done, fans!

2003, 2005 – Serenity Now and the Revenge of Family Guy

The success of the Save Star Trek campaign was a rare victory. Another beloved science fiction television show, Firefly, wasn’t nearly so lucky–although the campaign to save it wasn’t without success either. Despite a very concerted effort by fans, with the power of the Internet behind them, Firefly was cancelled not only after one season, but with three whole episodes unaired.

Well the fans weren’t going to take that sitting down. DVD sales of the series in 2003 were much higher than network executives expected. There was no return to television, but because of a push by fans to all purchase copies on the same day in order to send a message, and because of the DVD sales, Firefly got a full length movie.

While box office for the movie was a little disappointing, DVD sales were not. There was a time, ever so briefly, when there was some serious effort by various networks to bring Joss Whedon’s genius series back, but it was, sadly, to no avail.

(Fun fact: One fan fundraiser event raised over $14,000 in donations in order to put a DVD box set of Firefly aboard 250 US Navy ships in April 2004.)

But not all recent TV campaigns failed. Seth MacFarlane’s shockingly funny Family Guy was cancelled, yet managed a triumphant return to television. Family Guy survived three seasons before cancellation, but high DVD sales and high ratings during reruns on Adult Swim convinced networks to bring the show back–after a three-year absence to huge ratings and success.

These days, the show may be moving a bit beyond its original charm, but it’s impressive, nonetheless, to have a show brought back from the dead. What’s kind of interesting about that, too, is that networks are less entirely against reviving older shows. Cable networks and online streaming services have been exploring bringing back old favorites because fans want it so.

Mind you, it can be a bit of a mixed bag. For every renewed Futurama and Arrested Development, we’re going to get a few Fuller Houses.

And I’ve heard rumors… maybe just rumors… of a new Firefly someday.

Funny old world.

2004 – PAX – The Convention We’ve Always Needed

If you don’t know what PAX is, as in PAX Prime (now PAX West), PAX East, PAX South, and PAX Australia, then what have you been doing on the Internet all this time? Looking at pictures of kittens wearing raincoats? (That does sound kind of cute.)

PAX, short for Penny Arcade Expo, is the brainchild of Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik–creators of the webcomic Penny Arcade (penny-arcade.com). These days, PAX is known as the most popular and fastest-growing gaming convention series in the world–an event that attracts millions of attendees on two continents and showcases the very best the gaming industry (both electronic and traditional) has to offer. PAX also features entertainers of a decidedly geek nature, and industry key note speakers. It’s… it’s just huge.

Why did it happen?

Because there was a need. At the time, there were no conventions that focused primarily on gaming conventions that were by gamers and for gamers. There were media-focused gaming events such as E3, but those were mostly for industry professionals and journalists. They weren’t for the gamers themselves. Fans need not apply. Gaming conventions existed, but they were more for tabletop players. Penny Arcade decided that this just wouldn’t do and announced the first PAX, a two-day event, on April 12, 2004 to be held in August of that year in Bellevue, Washington.

While PAX grew quite large, quite quickly, the very first Penny Arcade Expo only had 3,300 attendees. Despite a fairly small attendance as conventions go, the event still attracted exhibitors including Warner Bros., Ubisoft, and Microsoft. They pretty much hit the ground running. It became very clear that this was the convention that needed to be–and now it’s a mighty force to be reckoned with, and in the dozen or so years it’s been running one PAX has spawned into four events across the globe with individual attendance numbers in excess of 70,000 people with passes selling out in mere hours.

Not bad for two guys who started out making jokes about video games and wangs.

Heh… wangs!

That’s only four big events (well, four and a half? how are we counting these?) in the timeline of fandom well worthy of note. Fans do awesome stuff when they want to.

We’ll talk more later about just how awesome some of that stuff can be.

Peace out.

He is a record collector — a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the “Vinyl Detective” and some people take this more literally than others.

Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording — on behalf of an extremely wealthy (and rather sinister) shadowy client.

Given that he’s just about to run out of cat biscuits, this gets our hero’s full attention.

So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all…

Find out for yourself, because thanks to our friends at Titan Books, we’re giving away two copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “VINYL DETECTIVE” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on July 10th, 2016.

Tomorrow, The Brothers Grimsby arrives on DVD & Blu-ray, and is unquestionably one of the more outrageous films I’ve seen this year.

Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), a sweet but dimwitted English football hooligan, has everything a man from the poor fishing town of Grimsby could want, including nine children and the most attractive girlfriend in Northern England (Rebel Wilson). There’s only one thing missing: his little brother, Sebastian (Mark Strong), who Nobby has spent 28 years searching for after they were separated as kids. Nobby sets off to reunite with Sebastian, unaware that not only is his brother MI6’s deadliest assassin, but he’s just uncovered plans for an imminent global terrorist attack. On the run and wrongfully accused, Sebastian realizes that if he is going to save the world, he will need the help of its biggest idiot.

To celebrate a film the release of this questionably tasteful cinematic odyssey, we’ve got an exclusive clip for your viewing pleasure.

Pixar’s seventeenth animated feature Finding Dory has just swum into theaters, and advance word at the time of this writing suggests the long-awaiting follow-up to 2003’s Finding Nemo is yet another instant classic.

Time will tell where the new movie ranks in the pantheon of Pixar titles, but in preparation for Nemo and Dory’s next great oceanic adventure, here’s a bottoms-up survey of every Pixar movie thus far.

Happy trails, pleasant reading, and remember to just keep swimming—and, also, no capes!

#16) Cars 2 (2011)
#15) Cars (2006)

Both Cars flicks are at the bottom of the Pixar list, not merely because it’s all too obvious they’re geared towards the youngest and least discerning audiences, but mainly because the movies are blatant grabs for merchandising dollars. As Cars products apparently outsell all other Pixar tie-ins, you cannot fault the filmmakers for catching sequelitis—nor parent company Disney for their spin-off/rip-off franchise Planes—but it’s highly dispiriting to witness the absence of heart in this series. The original ranks a tidge higher because it’s somewhat less egregious than the cash-in, er, sequel, and is also graced by the vocal stylings of the late Paul Newman.

#14) Brave (2012)

Despite a strong and feisty Scottish heroine, and a plot hinging on a spell that transforms her mom into a bear, there’s very little Pixar magic going on here.

#13) The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Not a total dud, but aimed squarely at the pre-school set, and completely lacking the ebullience and wit of the great Pixar classics that rank higher.

#12) Monsters University (2013)

It took twelve years for Pixar to finally deliver a follow-up—actually, a prequel—to their beloved Monsters, Inc. During that seemingly eternal gap, the filmmakers lost sight of what made the original movie such a snappy and emotionally gratifying delight—principally, the sweet relationship between monsters Mike & Sully and the little lost human girl Boo. There are visual and verbal gags aplenty here, though they are less rapid-fire than last time. Still, medium-grade Pixar is better than most other studios’ animated fare.

#11) A Bug’s Life (1998)

Pixar’s sophomore feature still holds up quite well today, thanks to its goofball supporting characters and fine vocal performances, and an imaginative digitally drawn production design. This picture went head-to-head with the similar DreamWorks production Antz, and a lot was written at the time about how both movies would cannibalize each other, but I’ll wager most readers had probably forgotten all about Antz until just now.

#10) Ratatouille (2007)

After a string of hits featuring anthropomorphized toys, automobiles, insects and other assorted monsters and sea creatures, it was a rather risky move to wrap a Pixar movie around a rat. This Parisian tale of a culinarily inclined rodent who assists and inspires a young kitchen worker is one of the studio’s most charming and unconventional tales. Computer animation just keeps getting better and better, but the sheer beauty of the production design has rarely been topped, even a near-decade later.

#9) Toy Story 2 (1999)
#8) Toy Story (1995)
#7) Toy Story 3 (2010)

All three Toy Story adventures represent some of the most wildly imaginative stuff the folks at Pixar have dreamt up, but I’d rank the original squarely between the two (so far) sequels. Part 2 boasts more characters and better computer animation, but there’s too much of a been-there-done-that feel to the proceedings (originally conceived as a straight-to-video affair). All three movies touch upon the importance of friendship, the fear of abandonment and the loss of childhood, but Part 3 soars far and above the others for the effortless way it bores deeper into our hearts. That final bit with the toys resigning themselves to a fiery fate is some of the toughest and emotionally wrenching stuff Pixar has challenged us with, and its surprise resolution still ranks among the most crowd-pleasing moments in movie history.

#6) Up (2009)

Representing yet another bold leap forward for Pixar, the movie focuses on their most unlikely hero yet: a curmudgeonly senior citizen who, after the loss of his beloved wife, tethers a few thousand balloons to his house and floats away on the adventure of a lifetime. It’s a poignant and jubilant tale of not going gentle into that good night.

#5) Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Filled to the brim with loveable critters, frantic antics, and wonderful visual and verbal gags, it’s nearly impossible to catch your breath and notice how formulaic it all is—but, boy, do the folks at Pixar know how to employ that formula to create an indelible classic. What makes all the comic mayhem matter is the core friendship between Mike and Sully and their tender relationship with a little human girl who accidentally gets trapped in the monster realm.

#4) Finding Nemo (2003)

From toys to insects to toys again and then monsters, it wasn’t such a stretch for Pixar to design their fifth film around sea creatures. It’s unsurprising, too, that the movie follows a tried-and-true hero’s journey formula. What makes the picture so memorable is its gallery of endearing characters and, most crucially, the central bond between Nemo’s overprotective dad Marlin and his forgetful companion Dory. As Marlin and Dory traverse the Great Barrier Reef to find Marlin’s captured son Nemo, they encounter a magnificent assortment of sea creatures, and everybody learns a whole lot about love and life and letting go of your fears. The lush and colorful production design represents yet another quantum leap forward for the digital artists at Pixar, the vocal contributions are a giddy joy, and the humor, hijinks, and heart are all in ample abundance.

#3) Wall-E (2008)

Part romance between two robots, part futuristic fable of the resilience of the human spirit, Wall-E is typically buoyant and emotionally enthralling stuff from Pixar. The nearly wordless first act recalls the great silent classics of the dawn of cinema, but once the story moves from desolated and abandoned Earth into outer space, things get a bit more conventional. Even so, the picture is elevated by its eco-mindful story, an astronomical advance in digital animation artistry, its out-of-this-world production design and, most profoundly, Ben Burtt’s unique synthesized sound design that lends voice to the mechanical characters.

#2) The Incredibles (2004)

Brad Bird’s tale of a superhero family coming out of retirement to fight a dastardly megalomaniac is a high-flying homage to both caped crusader tales and James Bond-style adventure flicks. It is, perhaps, the greatest superhero story ever put to film—all the more astonishing because it does not originate from the pages of a DC or Marvel comic book (though, to be fair, it owes a lot to Marvel’s “Fantastic Four”). With its retro-fab production design, jazzy instrumental score and sophisticated humor, the movie is constantly engaging, and its relentless momentum makes for Pixar’s most breezily entertaining flick yet. Of course, what makes it all work so well is a strong emotional undercurrent—namely, its core value of family unity.

#1) Inside Out (2015)

In depicting the inner workings of the mind, the wizards at Pixar have concocted yet another timeless classic, one so bold in its heady ideas and execution that it towers over just about any other modern-day work of animation. The digital artistry is astonishing and shows off a wondrous, dreamlike production design. Further, the wit and pathos appeal to kids and adults alike—there are ample tickles of laughter as well as tearful tugs on the heartstrings, but the beauty and genius of the screenplay is in how often these moments occur simultaneously. I’m not sure my kids are old enough to quite understand it all, but I know they loved every moment of it. I also felt by the end of the film that we’d all somehow gained a few I.Q. points together.

Beginning this September, a new chapter of the Fables legacy will begin with EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES. A new monthly Vertigo comic book —from the creative team behind the acclaimed digital-first series FABLES: THE WOLF AMONG US, writers Matthew Sturges and Dave Justus, with artwork by Travis Moore and covers by Tula Lotay — EVERAFTER takes place after Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham’s beloved Eisner Award-winning series.

“EVERAFTER is a spy thriller featuring a covert-ops team whose mission is to save this newly magical world from itself,” explains co-writer Dave Justus. “The story has a uniquely Vertigo flair, filled with twists, double-crosses, and agents willing to give their lives for (fairy) queen and (goblin) country!”

“We’ve always hated that feeling of getting to the end of a great book and wondering, ‘But then what happened?'” says co-writer Matthew Sturges. “Bill Willingham planted so many seeds in the final issue of FABLES that it was impossible for us to let it lie.”

In a post-FABLES world where magic abounds, it can be wielded for the greater good or used to sow the ideas of anarchy and terrorism. Enter The Shadow Players, a global network of agents—both Fable and mundane—tasked with policing a newly enchanted world and protecting humanity from itself. The series will feature fan-favorite characters, including Bo Peep, Peter Piper, Hansel, and Connor Wolf, as well as exciting new characters and a terrifying new villain.

“EVERAFTER is an extraordinary opportunity for us to build onto the stories of characters from FABLES that we love, offer new revelations, flesh out the lives of some lesser known characters, and bring brand-new Fables into the mix,” explains artist Travis Moore. “For me, it’s always a joy to get to design new characters; I’m bringing a more dynamic action style to the FABLES community than fans have seen from me.”

“The terrific job Matt Sturges, Dave Justus, and Travis Moore did on the comic adaptations of the Wolf Among Us video games made them the perfect team to carry this new spin-off series,” says FABLES creator Bill Willingham. “There are some terrific surprises ahead in a world that is no longer mundy. What happens in a world that now knows about Fables and the sharp rise of magic in their midst? EVERAFTER is going to show us.”

Check VertigoComics.com for updates.  

Some time in the near future, energy giant NovusPart develops technology with an unexpected side-effect: it can transport objects and people from deep in the past to the present day.

For post-grad historian Nick Houghton, the controversy surrounding the programme matters less than the opportunity the company offers him. NovusPart’s executives reveal their biggest secret: they have saved most of the people from Pompeii, minutes before the volcanic eruption. Somewhere in central Asia, far from prying eyes, the company has built a replica of the city. In it are thousands of real Romans. And Nick has been chosen to study them.

But Nick soon realises that NovusPart are underestimating their captives. The Romans may be ignorant of modern technology – for now – but city boss Manius Barbatus wasn’t appointed by the emperor because he was soft. The stage is set for the ultimate clash of cultures in which time itself is a weapon…

Find out for yourself, because thanks to our friends at Titan Books, we’re giving away two copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “NEW POMPEII” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

What year was Pompeii wiped out by Mt. Vesuvius?

Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on July 10th, 2016.

Celebrate the birth of one of TV’s greatest legends in his iconic role as Michael Knight. Knight, played by David Hasselhoff, will be crime-fighting the forces of evil with his artificially intelligent supercar KITT in a 10-hour marathon airing on Hasselhoff’s birthday, Sunday, July 17^th from 10AM ET to 8PM ET on El Rey Network. The marathon will feature all four season premiere double features, including fan favorite episode, “Goliath,” in which Hasselhoff also plays Michael Knight’s evil twin Garthe.

“Knight Rider” also airs on weekday afternoons on El Rey Network.

Dark Horse is proud to announce a new series from the talented creative team of Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Past Aways, Super Spy, Dept. H) and David Rubín (The Hero, The Rise of Aurora West). Ether is a fantastical story about what happens when science and magic intersect.

Ether follows the adventures of Boone Dias, a science-minded interdimensional explorer from Earth, as he tries to reconcile the existence of magic with his own scientific reality. Boone is a regular visitor to the Ether, a supernatural realm with magical residents. The Ether’s residents trust Boone to solve their toughest crimes by combining his background in science with the Ether’s magic.

Cocreator Matt Kindt explained the parallels between Boone’s science-mindedness and his own: “Ether came from my love-hate relationship with the supernatural. It’s not a genre I’m particularly attracted to as a creator, and I really wanted to figure out why. So in a lot of ways, the main character in Ether is a surrogate for the part of me that wants to explore the supernatural but also wants everything to be explained — which can literally ruin the magic of a supernatural story.”

The first issue of Ether goes on sale November 16, 2016, with four subsequent issues published monthly.

J-POP SUMMIT 2016, one of the world’s biggest Japanese pop culture events, has announced an expanded Travel Pavilion featuring “JAPANKURU’s VIRTUAL TRIP” an-only-at-J-Pop-experience. Guests can dive deep into Japanese culture and “visit” three Zones featuring interactive experiences showcasing what makes Japan a travelers’ delight, fusing the past, present and future. More details are available at http://www.j-pop.com/japankuru-virtual-trip.

During J-POP SUMMIT, visitors can immerse themselves into this virtual world in the Travel Pavilion, with featured experiences including: 

(1) Zone TOKYO: Visit pop-up versions of Edo-Tokyo Museum, City of Tokyo, and Tokyo Daijingu Shinto Shrine. Drop by Nippon Travel Agency (NTA America) and staff will assist you with planning the most cost effective and exciting trips to Tokyo.

• Edo-Tokyo Museum: Come and learn the history and culture of Edo-Tokyo and envision the city and life of the future.

• Tokyo Daijingu Shinto Shrine: Come experience the virtual “Tokyo Daijingu,” one of  the major Shinto shrines in Tokyo. Don’t forget to pray for good fortune in the “Shrine!”

• City of Tokyo: Take a survey, receive goodies, and join the calligraphy workshop!

• NTA America: NTA offers the most affordable and attractive trips to Tokyo.

(2) ZONE STATION: Take a Virtual Rail Trip. The Station Zone features a miniature railway as well as a Virtual Train Trip with six “stops”:

• Shinkansen Station: Meet our proud “Shinkansen,” the Japanese bullet train that runs at 190mph. Check out the miniature railway “Plarail (Play Rail),” too!

• Otaku Station: “Otaku,” is the symbol of enthusiastic Japanese anime/manga culture. Come check out figures from “Kotobukiya” in Akihabara and join Akihabara-style chopsticks game.

• Kawaii Station: Harajuku is the world-renown mecca of “kawaii (cute)” culture. Enjoy dressing up in colorful and fancy outfits!

• Chichchibu Station: The heart of Japans’ classic landscape, history and culture, and where premium sake and whiskey are produced.

• Hotel Station: Visit Pop-Up Japanese Inns (Ryokan) and the tiny “Capsule Hotel.”

• Onsen Station: Virtually visit Japan’s celebrated hot spring baths.

• Robots Station: A peek at the famous Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku which features exciting live music, dances and an extravagant neon light show.

• JAPANKURU Station: Guests can check out the stories and favorite things to see and do while they plan their “real time” travel to Japan.

(3) ZONE STAGE: Watch a wide variety of stage performances including a traditional tea ceremony, cosplay contest, chopstick challenge, and the traditional sacred dance. For the schedule of stage programs, please visit http://www.j-pop.com/japankuru-virtual-trip.

JAPANKURU’s VIRTUAL TRIP is held at the J-POP SUMMIT on Saturday and Sunday, July 23^rd and 24^th from 11am – 5pm at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion, located at 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123.

This year, J-POP SUMMIT attendees will be able to experience a vibrant 2-Day celebration of Japanese pop-influenced culture including edgy fashion events, pop art exhibits, live music, a technology summit and display, and interactive activates, accented by ramen vendors, sake-tasting, and additional attractions also highlighted by celebrity Guests of Honor. Full details on 2016 J-POP SUMMIT are available at: www.J-POP.com.

A variety of affordable ticket options and V.I.P packages will give J-POP SUMMIT attendees the maximum amount of flexibility to customize a memorable festival experience. Adult single-day passes start at only $25.00 each; 2-day passes start at only $40.00 each. Ticket details are available at www.J-POP.com/Tickets.

About JAPANKURU

JAPANKURU provides the latest and deepest travel content on Japan via their multilingual online platforms which highlight the charm of Japan through first-hand experiences shared by travelers of different nationalities and perspectives. Official website: www.japankuru.com

About J-POP SUMMIT

J-POP SUMMIT is one of the world’s biggest Japanese pop culture events, held every summer in San Francisco, CA. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, fashion, film, art, games, tech-innovations, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a landing platform for new trends from Japan.

For more information visit www.j-pop.com

For those who grew up in the seventies and eighties, pornography wasn’t easily available like it is today.  There was no internet.  For many of us, our first exposure was the occasional nipple seen through a scrambled signal on our cable box. 

So, when I read Kody Chamberlain’s brilliant pitch for his new Kickstarter project, it immediately brought me back to my early teen years, “(Smut and Jeff is) a heist story set in the 1980s about a teenager trying to steal his very first porno magazine.”

Cue the nostalgia…

Kody took some time to discuss the genesis of the project, his inspirations behind it, and his other upcoming projects.

***

FOG!: Smut and Jeff is a coming-of-age story as a porn heist.  What was the genesis of the story and how much of the story is based on truth?

Kody Chamerlain: Smut and Jeff is actually a broad spectrum of memories pulled together in a very creative way, so it’s not true in the sense that this all happened as told, but the bulk of the ideas are pulled from real memories, events, and most of all, the emotional journey. It’s not an entirely new approach to crafting a story, we’ve seen it done by Stephen King with The Body (aka Stand by Me) and from what I’ve read, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg did the same with Superbad. In a way it’s all true, even the lies.

As an example, the early catalyst for the story centers around Jeff’s anxiety about starting high school. I can recall most of those irrational feelings quite well. It was a skewed perception of being a boy about to enter a man’s world, and trying to figure out how to grow up as fast as possible. In my mind, there was a unknowable and terrifying journey ahead and I was essentially preparing myself to step off a cliff. Or so I thought.

As we live and learn, rational thought takes over and this stuff goes away, but for this particular story, I spent a lot of time trying to find that kid I know I used to be, and tapping into the fears and the challenges I faced. It was an incredible journey of rediscovery.

The art is by newcomer Gavin Guidry. How did you start working together?

I was preparing for my trip to San Diego for Comic Con, and I put out an open call for any artists that planned to be there, and maybe wanted to meet. The plan was to walk around Artists Alley and network my way to finding a great artist that could draw the book. Gavin replied to my post on Twitter and we started chatting. He sort of snuck in and nullified my big plans for Comic Con. I still had a great convention, but by the time I stepped foot on the convention floor, I had already decided I wanted Gavin to draw the book.

You’re both from Louisiana and the book is set there in the 1980s.  What makes the location in the story so special?

I grew up very poor, lots of moving around to trailer parks and housing projects. In my teenage years we started to land in rent houses, but we didn’t have much disposable income for the toy-based pop culture of the 80s. I spent most of my childhood on a bicycle exploring every inch of my home town, visiting friends, trespassing, and discovering whatever was around the next corner.

I’d mow lawns around the neighborhood to get cash for things I wanted now and then, so it wasn’t a complete pop culture void, I remember I bought a Starscream Transformer once and loved it, but I never really developed a connection with all the stuff guys my age seem to love so much.

To this day I don’t have much nostalgia for any of it. The adventures we had, that was the real magic of my youth. We were doing all sorts of things we shouldn’t have been doing, nothing particularly illegal, but often very dangerous and stupid. Digging for Jean Lafitte’s treasure (didn’t find any), homemade parachutes (almost worked), exploring spillway drain pipes (not recommended), and a million other mini adventures we’d take on just to pass the time.

You’ve been working in the industry for over a decade.  What’s attractive about publishing Smut and Jeff through Kickstarter?

I wouldn’t call Kickstarter a publisher exactly, because it doesn’t do anything an actual publisher does. We still have to do all those things on our own, so it’s more like self-publishing with a funding component.

Still, we did show Smut and Jeff to a few publishers and we got some interest from a few, but I hadn’t done a Kickstarter since Sweets:A New Orleans Crime Story and I had been thinking about it for a while.

Crowdfunding was something I wanted to try again at some point and this seemed like a good fit. Longterm, setting up with a publisher is still part of the plan, and if you’ll recall I used Kickstarter for Sweets and published with Image Comics. It’s a strange hybrid model, no doubt about it, but it can work with the right structure.

What were your influences in your approach to telling this story as a graphic narrative?

I don’t think I pulled from any influences directly, I always do my best to approach every project with my own voice and my own ideas about what works and what doesn’t. However, you can’t ignore all the great projects that might align with the genre or subject at hand. In some ways, those things are more helpful for the audience than the creator.

To tell someone the book might speak to fans of Stand By Me, Blankets, Any Empire, The Sandlot, Essex County, and The Goonies. That stuff carries weight in promo material, but I wouldn’t say any of what I’ve done was inspired by or pulled from it in any way. The opposite is probably true, I’ve shied away and finessed a few things that are actually true, but might be too familiar to other popular stories already told.

What else do you have coming up?

I’ve been writing a ton these last eighteen months or so, and I’ve got a new thirteen issue crime script all done, and I’ve been thumbnailing that project.

Still unannounced, but moving along pretty well. I’ve got several other scripts done or nearly done.

I did story and art for Halo: Tales from the Slipcase, an anthology from 343 Industries and Dark Horse that should be out in October, and I’ve been working outside comics a bit on an original startup idea that may play a part in some of my upcoming projects. More on that in the near future, but it’s a very cool idea and I’m thrilled about it.

The downside is I’ve been away from comics a bit trying to get it off the ground. Getting very close.

What are you currently geeking out over?

I know I’m going to forget some big ones, but in no particular order (or medium): Southern Bastards, Masters of  American Illustration by Fred Taraba, Hit from Carlson and Del Rey, Bosch on Amazon Prime, I like what A.F.R.O. is doing in hip hop, IDW ARTISTS & ARTIFACT EDITIONS, especially Hellboy and Daredevil: Born Again. I reread the Westlake/Cooke Parker series again last week, and I just put Hester and McCrea’s Mythic on my end table. I’ll probably give that one a read over the weekend. In fiction, I’ve been reading The Chill by Ross Macdonald.

Click HERE to Support the Kickstarter

For more details, visit smutandjeff.com