Dynamite Entertainment, a leading publisher of English language comic books and graphic novels, is proud to announce the first-ever graphic novel adaptations of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels, beginning with his seminal debut, Casino Royale, slated for release in November. The first book in the newly announced series will be adapted by Van Jensen (The Flash, Green Lantern Corps), with art by DC and Marvel veteran Matt Southworth (Amazing Spider-Man).

“There’s a very obvious reason why I wanted to tackle the adaptation of Casino Royale: because it’s James damned Bond! Also, when I cracked open Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel (I had read it years before), it also immediately appealed to me as a great creative challenge,” says writer Van Jensen. “Fleming’s prose is powered by his descriptive punch, an eye for detail that captures the post World War II time period in full color, from decadent meals to the intricacies of baccarat to the sinister machinations of Le Chiffre. It’s a heady book, diving deep into the character of Bond. Adapting it into comic book form meant creating some fun new approaches to storytelling, to recast a familiar tale as something that hasn’t been seen before. Also, it’s James damned Bond!”

“When we first announced Warren Ellis’ breakout original James Bond series, we teased that this would only be the beginning of our relationship with the character and the Fleming family, who have been very generous,” says Dynamite CEO and Publisher, Nick Barrucci. “To announce that we have been granted the rights to adapt the original presentation of 007? It’s incredibly rewarding as it’s the treasured story that any publisher would wish to add to their library. We have been very fortunate to be granted the rights to do so. Combining Van Jensen’s storytelling talent with Matt Southworth’s beautiful artwork, the Casino Royale graphic novel will stand out to fans for years to come.”

In addition, Dynamite Entertainment is pleased to announce the first wave publishing partners and territories for the collection of the widely celebrated James Bond comic book series, VARGR!

“Dynamite continues to grow and celebrate great success with other countries and editions around the world,” says Dynamite CEO/Publisher, Nick Barrucci. “We have been very fortunate to work with the right partners to bring our books to comics fans everywhere. With Ian Fleming Publications, we are thrilled to be working with our first three licensees — Delcourt, Panini, and Splitter, covering multiple territories the world over — to likely make James Bond one of our greatest international success stories yet. We cannot wait to have Warren and Jason’s story shared with fans around the world!”

France’s Delcourt will publish 007’s first comic book adventures in over 20 years in all French speaking territories.

“Publishing the new James Bond comics from Dynamite is a dream come true,” says Delcourt’s Thierry Monet. “Warren Ellis has brought back the elements that make this character both classic and exciting. I cannot wait for the French readers to discover this great book, too!”

Italy’s Panini Group has been granted rights to:

James Bond: Casino Royale will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ September 2016 Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in November. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of James Bond: Casino Royale with their local comic book retailers. James Bond: Casino Royale will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

THE LOST BOYS never grow old, never die, and have a new miniseries from Vertigo on behalf of Warner Bros. Consumer Products hitting shelves October 12. The stakes are high in this nostalgic and unstoppable sequel to the ’80s cult classic vampire film. Featuring the surviving characters from the film, THE LOST BOYS comic book is being crafted by horror veterans, writer Tim Seeley (GRAYSON, NIGHTWING, Hack/Slash) and artists Scott Godlewski (THE DARK & BLOODY, Copperhead) and Patricia Mulvihill (THE DARK & BLOODY, HELLBLAZER), with covers by Tony Harris. The team will deliver a gruesome and stylish return to the bloody boardwalks and big hair of 1987.

Santa Carla, California, is on edge. The eccentric coastal town and haven for the undead was finally returning to “normal” after its last supernatural scuffle left the local vampire coven’s leader dead and gave newcomers Michael and Sam Emerson a housewarming both violent and bizarre. Now the brothers must once again team up with militant vampire hunters Edgar and Allan Frog as a new gang of ruthless, stunning, life-sucking nightcrawlers known as the Blood Belles emerges from the aftermath to collect Michael’s love interest and their lost sister, Star.

“I saw The Lost Boys at a formative time in my life, when a VHS, a VCR and a summer afternoon were a perfect escape into a crazy world of biker vampires with mullets and monster-fighting hippy grandpas,” explains writer Tim Seeley. “The Lost Boys was one of my entry points into the horror genre, and I’ve been fascinated ever since. Getting the chance to write a sequel to the film, featuring the original characters, and getting to work with Scott, Patricia and Tony is truly a high point in my comic book-making career.”

“I hadn’t revisited the film until after becoming involved with this project and totally understood the fascination and the reason for the devoted cult following,” explains artist Scott Godlewski. “My artistic approach to the series is all about keeping the lighter moments light so that when the blood and guts show up they hit you like a hammer.”

The first issue of this monthly miniseries from Vertigo on behalf of Warner Bros. Consumer Products will be available on October 12. Check vertigocomics.com for updates.

And we’re giving away three copies!

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

Laura Vandervoort guest-starred in several episodes of the first season of Supergirl.  What is her connection to the character?

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 31st, 2016.

These days it’s more common to for people to realize that for every TV show they see there are an increasing number they don’t see. Amazon even allowed the people to choose what pilots would go to series recently which left many would-be series left hanging after only a single episode “aired”, a pilot episode.

Why a “pilot”? Too see if this thing can fly.

For every TV series that makes it to the air, there are 5 (or more) pilots which the network passes on. These are shot and shown to Network Executives (Monkeys really) who proceed to kill any future episodes and usually bury the pilot completely. These invariably leak out but are still frowned upon by the studios.

There are times as well that a show does go to series but with major changes made from the original pilot. Recasting, altered music, added subplots or even a completely new pilot shot with the same script. These are sometimes even more interesting than the unaired series pilots as these give a glimpse into what works and what does not. A different lead actor can completely alter the tone and feel of a show so these reshot/redited pilots are fascinating to see.

Of the unaired pilots I have viewed (and I’ve seen A LOT), over half of them are as good or better than the shows that actually make it on the air. Hell, there are some pilots that are just brilliant and would make amazing series, but whatever network forked over the dough was too scared to put it on the air. Sometimes though these things are so BAD that it boggles the mind to think they were even made without SOMEONE stopping the coming travesty.

To be fair though, you DO see some of these pilots hit the air from time to time. You would not believe how many “TV Movies” are really failed 2 hour pilots. They also aired pilots that were not being turned into series in the past a lot of times as specials (CBS once did this for an entire summer in prime time in 1987, they burned off all of their pilots that never went to series). So, some of these are merely unsold pilots as opposed to unaired pilots.

Often a cable channel like Trio or Sci-Fi (err…Syfy) would air the pilots as a treat to viewers and other times they just air the “TV Movie” without letting you know what the hell just happened.

Gene Roddenberry has no less than 5 “TV Movies” to his credit which were all pilots for proposed series and 2 of those are the same script with a different cast.

There are also “proof of concept” pilots. These are quick and dirty versions (usually under 15 minutes) to simply show the network what the show will be like. Animation utilized this quite a bit with shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Defenders of the Earth even including these on their DVD releases as a gift to fans. These test pilots often are vastly different than what the regular pilot will be like from music to style to character designs and even voices.

In at least two cases I can think of there were multiple episodes filmed of a series rather then just the pilot prior to the simians in suits deciding to stop production. Manchester Prep (A television sequel to Cruel Intentions with Amy Adams got 3 Episodes) and the NYPD Blue spin-off Public Morals (13 Episodes) are two such series (bet you didn’t even know that NYPD Blue had a spin-off, let alone a sitcom one).

Some of the pilots I am going to discuss did indeed make it to series, although in a very altered form from how they were originally filmed. I will try to give a good breadth of information about the pilots I discuss as best I have the information (as most of these were never meant to be seen there is very little info out there about them at times, I even have a few that don’t officially exist, meaning there is ZERO documentation about them ANYWHERE other than the fact I have a copy, they are not even on the actors’ IMDB page).

Alaska

Brad Johnson from Soldier of Fortune Inc. stars as a small Alaskan town sheriff right on the boarder of the US and Canada. A vile murder has been committed just over the Canadian border but by a U.S. citizen, and Johnson and the DA (Michael Ironside!) attempt to find out what happened without crossing jurisdictions. Not a bad pilot and a great cast yet I am not sure how far “small town sheriff and DA in the middle of nowhere solve crimes” would have gone as a series.

Alligator Point

A sitcom pilot staring Nathan Fillion well before Firefly and Paula Marshall from David E. Kelley’s Snoops. The plot was that Fillion was a former Nascar driver who married his high school sweetheart years ago, and works for her father at his seafood restaurant in Alligator Point. Now divorced and with her father dead she owns the restaurant. Since her father loved Fillion she keeps him on as an employee. Paula Marshall is a big town doctor that just moved to Alligator Point and Fillion and Marshall go on a date which upsets his ex-wife. Let the “hilarity” ensue. The show was not picked up because it’s not the least bit funny.

Callahan

In 1982 Jamie Lee Curtis was just coming off Halloween II and was attempting to not get typecast in the horror field. I guess she thought a comedy pilot that combined Raiders Of The Lost Ark with goofy slapstick would be the answer.

Hart Bochner is Callahan, an adventurer completely in the mold of Indiana Jones but not as serious or qualified, Curtis is his new Secretary and together they would have adventures. That’s it. This honestly was not bad if a bit thin but the thing that makes it unwatchable is an obviously tacked on laugh track that completely pulls you out of anything the story is setting up and yanks all the humor from any jokes. Could have worked if not for that intrusive and downright insulting laugh track.

Darkman

Yeah, they attempted to make a Darkman TV series. Sam Raimi produced this 26 minute pilot in the early 90’s in an attempt to sell Darkman as a TV series (I think it was between Darkman II and III judging by the use of DMII footage but none from DMIII). The pilot is mostly clips from the movies used to tell the origin of the character with new wraparounds filmed with a new actor under the bandages. More of a proof of concept than anything meant to air for audiences but an interesting curiosity nonetheless. A friend of mine made the mask for this and he never even knew this was actually shot, when the left KNB he was told they scrapped the idea of it. Guess he was wrong.

Day One

This was an amazingly great pilot. The most expensive pilot in the history of the WB (as of 2010 when it was made) and the fact that they spent so much and STILL didn’t air it was a travesty. No credits at all but I recognized quite a few actors. This pilot is by Michael Piller (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Dead Zone) and is based on the British mini series The Last Train.

Our main characters, as well as some that don’t survive the pilot, are each shown boarding a train near Pittsburgh and we get a bit of story with each character/set of characters and one guy in particular is REALLY nervous and is seen placing a call to his wife and talking about cryptic things like not getting there in time and if he will ever see her again. After a few minutes on the train, things start to shake and the nervous guy releases a canister of something that seals the train compartment and literally freezes everyone and everything inside.

As things thaw out, the 19 or so people emerge to find the tunnel emptying into what looks like the Land Of The Lost minus the dinosaurs. Turns out, Mr. Nervous was a NASA scientist that knew of an asteroid that was going to hit the earth and where he was trying to get to was the safe bunker that the government had set up. These people have been frozen for 70 years or so and since they were sealed in that compartment they survived the Armageddon that came. Turns out the asteroid impacted in Russia and sent the toxic hydrocarbons in the massive oil deposits and petrol into the atmosphere that killed most life on earth (except plants, which have overrun everything) and that even these people have to fear the air, and that nothing mechanical works, the petrol has since seeped into everything from engines to the gunpowder of bullets.

A few people explore the city and try to deal with what has happened while a few others refuse to accept the truth and “go for help” (they promptly get killed by a pack of wild dogs, turns out some animals survived). In the end, they find a car that still works (it was sealed in long term storage) and as they drive off, the silhouettes of human shaped figures are watching them in the distance, one of the figures turns to reveal mutated eyes… end pilot. I loved this pilot, the characters reactions where realistic, the story was engaging and the plot had lots of possibilities.

Doorways

Sliders a few years before Sliders. I have no idea if the production teams on this and Sliders had any connection or not, but the premise is more or less the same. Basically, what if there were other worlds out there where one small thing in the past was different and it changed everything? Oh and George R. R. Martin created this, yeah THAT George R. R. Martin. The pilot movie is… okay at best. For 1992 it was sufficient and hit the right notes but I wager it would be slow to audiences of today. Amazing cast of Kurtwood Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, Max Grodénchik and Hoyt Axton really don’t DO much though.

The Elvira Show

1993 pilot trying to put the Elvira character into a sitcom; not Cassandra Peterson the actress but Elvira the character. Odd to say the least. Elvira and Katherine Helmond are real witches that run a medium business which is mostly fraud and the local DA stings them. Everything turns out okay and nothing funny happens. Also, Elvira’s virginal niece moves in and is also a witch but hates it so she tries to be “good” with her powers. A low point for even Elvira as this thing is devoid of laughs.

Fearless

Based on the hit (I’m told) book series, this pilot was as dumb as they get. It’s about a girl born without the GENE that causes fear (they specifically use the term GENE, I never knew it was a GENE that did that, I always thought fear was a chemical reaction in the brain based on the stimuli supplied to it, but what the hell do I know right?) and this somehow makes her superhuman as she can now survive 5 story drops from buildings and move in bullet time thanks to having no fear. I am really not sure that is how that works.

Oh and it makes her nearly emotionless too.

Did I mention this was really dumb? This Fearless woman is Gia Moore, and she is an FBI agent using her Fearlessness to catch the bad guys without cluing her partners into her abilities (again, I am not sure how the hell having no fear makes you Neo but apparently it does). This pilot is very short for what was meant to be a 1 hour show (only 36 minutes WITH credits) and features horrible performances from Rachael Leigh Cook as Gia and Ian Somerhalder along with Eric Balfour and lots of other 2003 era pretty people (this was made for the WB after all). It was even produced by Jerry Bruckheimer!! The WB canned this one pretty late though as they had ads in Entertainment Weekly and other magazines and even showed commercials for it, then a few weeks from the new season, decided not to go with the series. Good call.

Global Frequency

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xst1jz_global-frequency-2005-unaired-pilot_shortfilms
Based on the comic of the same name, this stars Michelle Forbes as Miranda Zero, the head of a secret organization of operatives around the world who get activated as needed to threats… they are all part of… the Global Frequency. This would have made a great series honestly with the diversity of a rotating cast, a throughline of a plot and yet individual plots. The pilot was very well made and stuck fairly close to the comic (and Michelle Forbes was PERFECT as Miranda Zero).

The pilot flowed fast yet gave lots of character moments and never really lagged. What’s funny is that piracy ALMOST worked in the favor of this one. After the WB passed on this pilot it was leaked to torrent sites (Youtube didn’t even exist yet kids) and was downloaded almost 200,000 times in the first week alone prompting WB execs to rethink things. Ultimately they still passed on it though.

Ghost/Cop

Alexis Denisof is a phony TV psychic, too bad that after he is killed he is an actual ghost that has to convince a detective that he is a real spirit so she will solve his murder. This pilot was made in 1998 and really feels like it. The late 90’s were not a good time for genre television and Ghost/Cop would not have made it any better. The humor was dry and tepid and the supernatural material was goofy and unfocused. The tone was also all over the place as half of the scenes are played as serious and dark, then the story moves to slapstick and back to dark as if the producers were not sure if they wanted a comedy, or a drama (it becomes neither in the end).

The Grubbs

Some of you may remember this 2002 abortion being advertised on FOX. A blatant attempt to make a new Married With Children style series, The Grubbs was pulled only a week before it was meant to air. A decent cast with the likes of Randy Quaid, Carol Kane and Michael Cera and songs in the pilot by Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper could not save some of the worst writing I have yet to encounter in a “comedy”. The show was about a family of low class people who reveled in being low class (and trust me, the jokes were worse then low class).

It was not funny for a second and somehow I get the feeling the writers knew this as the cast almost winks at you while telling these obviously awful jokes. Like being unfunny was somehow the joke. The line that made all the promos was apparently so funny they thought it would sell the show “Son, when life gives you crap, make Crapenaid”. Funny? Did you laugh? No one else did either.

Hollyweird

I have no evidence of this, but I have a sneaking feeling that this was a very early attempt at what would become Freakylinks later on. Same basic idea, same character dynamics and same network although the tone was completely different here and this had nothing supernatural about it. Melissa George and her friends documented serial killers for their website (ah late 90’s internet) and ran into more then they expected. Created by Shaun Cassidy and Wes Craven and featuring some genuinely funny moments along with interesting characters handcuffed by a bland plot that refuses to take the slightest chance at all. At least when this became Freakylinks they took some chances.

Hungry For Survival

This was the unaired pilot for the series that became Prey on ABC. Sherilyn Fenn is in the role that would later be played by Debra Messing in the series proper. Same plot as the series pilot with the same script but completely different sets, supporting cast, tone and structure. Very odd to watch back to back with the aired pilot.

Ice

Really funny NON-LAUGH TRACK comedy (that was a rarity in the 90’s so it was to be savored) about an isolated research station in the arctic and it’s crew of misfits just trying to remain somewhat sane. Ryan Reynolds (!!!), Michael Jeter and Leland Orser are the only actors I could put names too (my copy has no credits) but there were a few other faces I knew from movies and whatnot.

The comedy was actually funny with odd sub-plots (a female penguin with a crush on Reynolds and Orser being so obsessed with Star Trek that he wears a uniform similar to Classic Trek and records all of his official logs with Stardates being two).

Could really have been a cool (no pun intended) series.

John Doe

Yes, that’s Prison Break / Legends of Tomorrow star Dominic Purcell as John Doe

Same plot and script as the aired version but this version runs 8 minutes longer (lots more exposition and a nice reveal of John talking to the dead body at the end are some of the major plot differences).

The main difference from this and the aired pilot though is this one did not have Jayne Brook, William Forsythe or Sprague Grayden in it.

In their roles were (respectively) Elizabeth Lackey, Meat Loaf(!) and Azura Skye.

One of the few times I preferred the recasting to the original cast (although the unaired pilot flows better as a story).

L.A. Confidential

2003 pilot that takes place BEFORE the movie.

Kiefer Sutherland as Det. Jack Vincennes, David Conrad as Det. Ed Exley, Melissa George as Lynn Bracken and Eric Roberts. According to an interview with Sutherland he mentions that he was making this pilot for HBO but the version I have seems to be cut (running only a little over 40 minutes and has nothing in it that would not be allowed on broadcast TV).

Trio aired this pilot a few years ago and the REALLY taxing thing about it is that it ends on a “To Be Continued” in the middle of a cliffhanger and since it’s a prequel to the movie we have parts 1 and 3 of story but with part 2 missing. More than a tad frustrating.

Lost in Oz

This 2002 unaired pilot was very interesting.

Melissa George is a Kansas girl that gets swept up in a tornado and her and a horse land in OZ. Afterwards she encounters some fragments of the yellow brick road and the burnt out remains of the Munchkin village. Yeah, this gets really damn dark.

The events of the movie are in continuity here, as is the fact that The Wizard Of Oz was a movie. Dorothy murdered the Wicked Witch (that is how it was perceived by the OZiens at least) and all hell broke loose after that. After Dorothy was returned to Kansas the essence of the Wicked Witch found a new host since it turns out that to keep balance, there always has to be a Wicked Witch and Good Witch. If one dies, the essence of evil or good finds a new host.

Mia Sara is the new Wicked Witch and Lynn Whitfield is the new Good Witch. Melissa George meets up with an Air Force pilot from 1939, although he has only been in OZ for a few months since time is a tad askew here and even weirder is that he saw the movie The Wizard Of Oz so refuses to believe that is where they are (confused yet?).

They team up and are given a guide by the Good Witch who guide HATES the new Wicked Witch with a massive passion. The group is attacked by wheelers and taken to the new Wicked Witch’s castle where a choice must be made to use a magic tornado to escape OZ or to save a captured princess who might just unify the kingdom against the Wicked Witch. Melissa George uses it in the manner that keeps them in OZ and therefore the promise of more adventures.

Oh, and we find out that if Melissa George kills the new Wicked Witch, the essence will take her over next and she will be the next Wicked Witch. I really liked this honestly but the plug seemed to have been pulled before the pilot was complete as there are many shots simply against a green screen and even some insert cards here and there. Too bad, the dark take on such a classic could have worked.

Lost In Space

This was a 2004 updating of Lost In Space (no relation to the 1998 movie thankfully) for the WB. This time, we (Earth) just finished a massive and devastating war with a very hostile alien race about 200 years in the future. Brad Johnson is Capt. John Robinson (notice he is not a scientist anymore but a military man, very post 9/11), the hero that won this war for us. He and his family are chosen to start a new colony in a new planet (in another large change from the old series and the movie, there is another kid here, an 18 year old son, as well as the 10 year old Will, 13 year old Penny and 20 year old Judy).

On the way to settle this new world, the ship is attacked by the aforementioned alien race, pretty pissed off that they lost the war, and the 18 year old son is captured while the rest of the family is trapped in an escape pod with a pilot (Don West) as they drift off, being LOST IN SPACE!!!

All in all, this was not bad, but the WB cancelled this one before it was even completed (there are numerous scenes with just blue screens and 2 scenes in which the wires holding actors up in “zero G” are clearly visible). If this was made, I would definitely had watched it.

Man Made

Joss Ackland heads a secret government organization who’s mandate is to police criminal abuses of science (IE: keep anything “Man Made” in check).

For the pilot, it turns out that a former agent whom they thought was dead has figured out a way to completely cloak himself from electronic devices and is committing robberies all over the U.S. including some chemical weapons he plans to sell to Islamic terrorists (this is pre-9/11 by the way). It was not a bad pilot but really comes off as just what it was, an attempt to ape the success of The X-Files.

To Be Continued…

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Telltale Games today announced a worldwide distribution agreement for the highly anticipated games BATMAN – The Telltale Series and Telltale’s third season of the Game of the Year winning series, The Walking Dead.

BATMAN – The Telltale Series will be making its worldwide debut as a digital download with its first episode in August on consoles, PC/Mac, and iOS or Android based devices. The series will be available to purchase at retailers starting Sept. 13 as a special “Season Pass Disc,” which will include the first of five episodes in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates  in North America. The series will then be available to purchase at retailers across Europe on Sept. 16.

“Telltale has a stellar reputation for delivering quality content based on world-renowned properties and these games make a great addition to our line-up,” said Kevin Kebodeaux, Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.  “We previously worked with Telltale on The Wolf Among Us and now on the recently announced Batman – The Telltale Series, so we are very pleased to expand our partnership with worldwide retail distribution for its upcoming titles.”

“As a publisher and developer of award-winning content around the world, we’re thrilled to strengthen our relationship with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to further extend our reach to retailers across the globe.” said Steve Allison, Senior Vice President, Publishing, Telltale Games. “Warner Bros. has been an incredible partner to work with, and we look forward to working with them to help ensure players can discover our unique, story driven experiences in stores everywhere for years to come.”

BATMAN – The Telltale Series is an episodic game series licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and based on DC’s iconic character. Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale’s vision of Batman will feature an award-winning cast of talent, including Troy Baker in the role of Bruce Wayne, Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, and Laura Bailey as Selina Kyle. Additional cast and characters will be revealed as the season progresses.

Revealed this June at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the highly anticipated third season of The Walking Dead – The Telltale Series will premiere later this fall across multiple platforms. The season will begin the tale of mysterious newcomer Javier, while also continuing the journey of young survivor Clementine as they both search for answers in a world ravaged by the undead. The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player’s actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series.

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

Today’s editions we are going to talk about some graphic novels that have really impressed me this past week.

We’re going to start off with one of the classics in the medium a lot of you haven’t probably heard of.

Wandering Star

Written and Illustrated by Teri S. Wood
Published by Dover Graphic Novels

This is one the best graphic novels you never heard of. But maybe some of you have.

Teri S. Wood’s epic space comic book is collected in a hardcover and it’s beautiful. I saw it online for purchase and I bought it.

As a young teenager I picked up the singles issues of this book and read it. I loved it then and I love it even more now. One of the few comic books ever to hold up years later.

This story follows Casandra, daughter of the President of the United Nations on Earth as she is the first human to be accepted into the Galactic Academy.

Casandra learns that Earth isn’t popular among the stars and is put aboard the outcasts on the ship, The Wandering Star.

But The Wandering Star may turn out to be Earth’s last hope.

The story is beautifully written. It is also beautifully drawn. They don’t get much better than this kids. It is a story filled with emotion, heart, and a love of the medium. Wood is one of the unknown geniuses of our medium.

Again, I read this years ago. I was floored when I read it again.

This could also make a nice young adult comic book. But really, any age can appreciate this book. I read it when I was 14. I am 39 now. And it’s even better. Deeper. And wonderful.

Wood spoke for years of another book she wanted to do called Darklight. I hope she completes it. It sounds wonderful. This one is tops, folks. Add it to your collection.

You deserve it. I’m happy this is back in print. It’s worth every cent.

RATING: A+

Carthago 

Written by Christophe Bec and Illustrated by Eric Henninot, Milan Jovanovic
Published by Humanoids Books

Humanoids Books have an awesome comic book line. They are expensive (mostly because they are imports) but man, do I enjoy the hell out of them.

This will be one of two books I review from them this week.  The first one up is the crazy nuts Carthago.

To everyone reading this right now, spend a few extra dollars and buy this book. It’s so nuts I can’t get enough of it.

It’s literally about oils drillers in the middle of the ocean who encounter a Megalodon, an ancient prehistoric shark. EPIC.

I was so damn entertained I couldn’t stop reading. The writing is bananas and the art is just plain awesome. This is like Jaws meets Heavy Metal comics. I hope they make more.

This should be an ongoing comic! I’d buy it. More please.

RATING:A-

Clockwerx 

Written by Jason Henderson, Tony Salvaggio, and Izu and Illustrated by Jean Baptiste Hostache
Published by Humanoids Books

And now for the second review from Humanoids, here comes Clockwerx.

This was awesome. Awesome. I couldn’t put it down.

The year is 1899 in London. A series of deaths has an ex-Scotland Yard officer looking for clues. What he uncovers is two factions fighting over a new powerful energy source.

Written with care and skill, and illustrated with passion, talent and heart, this is just brilliant.

Comics are at their best when they have creativity. This is something else. Just so well crafted. Marvel and DC and even Image can’t touch what is in these pages.

Consider this reviewer blown away.

I loved it. Top notch.

RATING: A

Southern Bastards Volumes 1-3 (collecting issues 1-12)

Written by Jason Aaron and Illustrated by Jason Latour 
Published by Image Comics

These comics I reviewed this week really cleansed the palate. Last up, is one of the most well crafted comic books from Image, Southern Bastards. This book is truly an original.

The first arc follows the story of Earl Tubb, a man who comes back to town after years of being away. And that is only the beginning of this wild tale. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read it, but man is it good. Deep. It has a flavor to it like no other.

Aaron gives us twists and turns like you wouldn’t believe. Latour’s art is spectacular. They work together as a team and together they just thrill issue in and issue out. The third trade just hit the stands. Pick up all three. Some people call this a football comic. It’s a hell of a lot more than that. Pick it up. You’ll love every second. And never forget it.

RATING: A

Here’s a first look at Batgirl and The Birds of Prey: Rebirth #1, coming to comic book stores and via digital on 7/20!

The issue is written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson, with art by Claire Roe and colored by Allen Passalaqua.

Image Comics is pleased to announce that New York Times bestselling author Brian Buccellato (SONS OF THE DEVIL, The Flash, Injustice), Jennifer Young, and artist Matias Bergara (Sons of Anarchy) are teaming up for a southern-gothic horror series set to launch this October.

In CANNIBAL #1 a small Everglades town is hit by a new virus that causes those it infects to crave human flesh. But with no cure in sight, the region has become split over what to do with the victims. For the Hansen family the answer is simple: kill them. However all of that changes when the virus infects those the family cares about most.

“It’s about a Florida town that is just trying to hold onto their everyday lives at the dawn of a cannibal epidemic,” said Young. “Told through the eyes of the Hansen family, it’s an anti-apocalypse story because mankind is too stubborn to give in. It’s a about family and community, and explores how people respond to the spread of deadly diseases.”

“These cannibals are just like us. They feel remorse and guilt and don’t want to eat people,” added Buccellato. “But the virus manifests as an insurmountable addiction that builds up until they can’t control themselves. After they feed and sate their hunger, they must face the guilt and ramifications of their actions. At it’s heart, it’s an allegory for drug addiction.”

Young continued: “In a world where your neighbor, your friend, your barber could suddenly try to eat you, this story is also about mankind’s resolve and deeply-ingrained desire to maintain the status quo—so deep that they will assimilate the idea of cannibals into their normal life.”

This is the second collaboration by Buccellato, Young, and Bergara, following the short story, “Jennifer” which appeared in SONS OF THE DEVIL, VOL. 1.

CANNIBAL #1 (Diamond Code AUG160575) will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, October 5th. The final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, September 12th.

This year, television continues to outpace, outrun and outdo movies as they bring large scale interactive experiences to the Nerd Herd at San Diego Comic Con. From scavenger hunts to full scale carnivals, cable nets and primetime bigshots look to keep the freaks and geeks of pop culture entertained over the weekend.

Here is a look at your Hall H alternatives:

HBO

After treating Game of Thrones fans to what was probably one of the best seasons to date, the cabler goes the distance at the Con as they put together a large-scale scavenger hunt, complete with prizes.

Here are the deets:

Fans have until 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, to complete all of the Twitter photo challenges. Once completed, they can go to USAopoly’s CLUE: Game of Thrones Experience Booth #1017 between 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday to enter their name, contact info and Twitter handle into a raffle for a chance to win one of 15 prize packs.

FX

The cable station will be bringing their wares to the Con in the form of interactive art installations and immersive experiences.

Art installations include:

• The Strain will erect a 25-foot “infected” Lady Liberty statue.
• Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll’s installation will include a smashed guitar with broken pieces several feet in size.
• On display in the FX Sculpture Garden, fans can take advantage of social media worthy photo opportunities with iconic characters sculpted as busts including:
  • Archer’s Pam Poovey
  • American Horror Story: Asylum’s White Nun
  • Man Seeking Woman’s Troll
  • The Strain’s Quinlan
  • Baskets’ Clown
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Frank Reynolds as the troll The Nightman Cometh.

FX will also be opening the doors to Patty’s Pub to offer cool beverages to those unable to make it into Hall H.

And there will be an FX Lounge open to the public that will offer many a photo opp as well.

For full details, visit FXSDCC.com.

MTV

MTV will be hosting the Fandom Fest and the Fandom Awards from Petco Park, where they will be honoring talent with timeless awards for Ship of the Year and Best Fan Freakout.

According to cabler, the Fandom Awards will “feature 32 nominees going head-to-head across multiple platforms in a special social tournament spanning movies, TV dramas, TV comedies and, for the first time ever, video games.”

All badge holders are welcome to join for music, food and video games on Thursday night starting at 6:30 p.m.

In additional to the kudos, the network will also be in the Convention Center with its own branded booth, giving fans an all-new interactive VR experience on the floor of the San Diego Convention Center.

For full info, visit fandomawards.mtv.com

truTV

To promote Impractical Jokers, truTV will host a large-scale Block Party on Saturday, July 23 at Petco Park. A few of attractions include:

• Pseudo Sumo: Trying their hand at sumo wrestling
• Rodeo Clown: Riding a mechanical bull
• Field of Screams: Navigating a corn maze with Benjamin the Cat
• High Wire Hijinks: Walking a 20-foot tightrope

All activities are free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. And yes, there will be food.

Cartoon Network

To promote their hit shows, Cartoon Network will be seeping into every nook and cranny of the Con that they can. From massive balloons of the Powerpuff Girls flying over the convention to an all-day Adventure Time Card Wars Tournament!

The net will also be hosting the Cartoon Network’s Screening and Costume Ball, offering an inside look at hit shows and a sneak peek at the upcoming Ben 10.

The Ball is set for Thursday, July 23 at 8 p.m. at the Hilton Bayfront, Room 7AB.

Where is my mind?

These days, often not in the best place. Not after America’s week from hell, in which black men Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn., were shot dead by police officers for apparently nothing.

But if that weren’t bad enough, a madman sniper shoots 11 police officers at an otherwise peaceful protest in Dallas, killing five of them.

Once again, we find ourselves in a wave of violence awash in racial injustice and the easy prevalence of guns. In a summer of 2016 that feels like the summer of 1968. In another dance of people pleading, “stop killing us,” while others preach side-stepping authoritarianism and fear cloaked in the language of virtue.

Here I am, returned to the Head on Fire, the ever-present box of black death in my mind flung open wide once more. The fire continues to rise.

As I’ve written before in this space, it’s the music that saves. And now, I have some new songs.

“Hands Up” by Blood Orange

Indie rock/R&B polyglot Devonté Hynes, who records under the name Blood Orange, creates in “Hands Up” a balance of light and dark. It’s hope and fear together, the stutter-step drums against the pensive synths, the plaintive guitar solo as the song is overlaid with clips of protestors chanting the Black Lives Matter rallying cry “hands up, don’t shoot.”

“Are you OK? What’s in your way?” Hynes sings. “Are you sleeping with the lights on, baby? Keep your hood off when you’re walking ‘cause they,” referencing Trayvon Martin.

I think of reading social media posts from my other black friends, and how little they or I could sleep amid all this unrest. These are the moments when you remember that no job, no amount of money or acceptance can keep you from such unjust consequences.

We had to step away from the news, from the images, from the needless debates over police brutality and death – an existential threat to our bodies, to the social contract holding society together.

“Sure enough they’re gonna take your body.”

But Hynes, in chorus, sings “Hands up, get up.” Is it a call to persist amid struggle? A wish for a parallel world where black men and women are shot down and rise again?

“Freedom” by Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar

What’s left to say about Beyoncé these days? It’s been both shocking and amazing to see one of the world’s biggest pop stars lean harder and harder into exploring black female identity, some 18 years into her music career.

She’s asserting her place in the tradition set by Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and many, many others in describing black women’s double burden of racism and sexism.

For black women, they suffer these injustices both from whites, and from the black men whose state-sanctioned destruction they all too often must witness, and whose liberation they too often are called upon to fight for at their own expense.

In Lemonade, Beyoncé weaves a story of marital infidelity as a metaphor for the double yoke of American black womanhood into a work as fierce as it is gorgeous and raw.

“Freedom! Freedom! I can’t move / Freedom, cut me loose! / Freedom! Freedom! Where are you? / Cause I need freedom too! / I break chains all by myself / Won’t let my freedom rot in hell / Hey! I’ma keep running / ’Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”

When I need that extra lift, the video for “Freedom” on the Lemonade visual album is intense enough, as Beyonce links the precarious position of American black women by featuring the mothers of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin with photos of their deceased sons.

On her current Formation World Tour, Beyoncé introduces the song alongside a list of names of black men and women improperly killed in interactions with police. She led the audience in a moment of silence for Sterling and Castile last week.

But before our week in hell, Beyoncé and Kendrick teamed up in person to open the BET Awards on June 26, bringing the fire – figuratively and literally – amid martial drums and a clip from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. But not the talk of the dream, but the talk of how black Americans have arrived to “cash this check” of freedom promised in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Calling upon Yoruba imagery of the goddess Oshun, Beyoncé and her dancers kick the waves and yell to the open air as fire erupts behind them. All of this as Kendrick Lamar emerges from the floor and says, “Meet you at the finish line / Forty acres, give me mine,” tying the goal of black liberation with reparations and revolution.

If we thought their unapologetically black one-two punch at the Super Bowl and Grammys this year was enough, Beyoncé and Kendrick swing all the haymakers at the BET Awards.

This was the “indoor” discussion, broadcast live in Viacom’s family of networks. If you were tuning in to Nickelodeon for Friends reruns, this is what you got instead: Kendrick spitting fire about mass incarceration as Beyoncé stood behind him bathed in fire and winged arms.

Kendrick was He-Man, and Beyoncé the Sorceress keeping all the secrets and powers of Greyskull from those who would steal them and name himself master of the universe.

Watching them dance side by side in the water and fire, I felt the power of the moment. At the time that Sunday night at the end of June, I felt I was watching something special happen.

I recorded the event live, to fast-forward through the award show filler (I still hate award shows) later on. But as I watched Beyoncé and Kendrick live before clicking away, I knew this also was for safe keeping on the DVR.

“You’ll need this for later,” I thought.

Little did I know how soon later would come.

Hey! Ho! Let’s go! America’s favorite teens cross paths with the original NYC punks in this extra-sized one-shot spectacular that is not to be missed!

When the Archies tank at the Riverdale High Battle of the Bands, a magical twist of fate sends them hurtling into the past—and face-to-face with none other than the Ramones! Can the legendary punks get the Archies to realize their own rock ‘n’ roll potential and find their way home? Probably not—but it’ll be a blitzkrieg bop of a journey, as the two bands bounce from 53rd and 3rd to Rockaway Beach in this must-read crossover from the writers of the best-selling ARCHIE MEETS KISS and WE CAN NEVER GO HOME with jaw-droppingly beautiful art from Gisele Lagace (“Occupy Riverdale”)!

Script: Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg
Art: Gisele Lagace, Shouri
Archie Meets The Ramones #1 CVR A Reg: Gisele Lagace
Archie Meets The Ramones #1 CVR B Reg: Veronica Fish
Archie Meets The Ramones #1 CVR C Reg: Francesco Francavilla
Archie Meets The Ramones #1 CVR D Reg: Dan Parent
On Sale Date: 10/5
48-page, full color comic
$4.99 U.S.

I gotta tell you.

This was not something I expected to see in my lifetime.

Or my proverbial kids’ lives.

At least, not without a variety of hell firey asteroids falling out of a tumultuous green sky.

But, here we are. Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson were in the same room, jokes were made, laughs (in fact, many laughs) were had, and somehow… it seemed like nothing had happened and Mystery Science Theater 3000 was as alive and well as ever. Although, MST3K ended on August 8, 1998, almost twenty years ago (internal gag sound) and Rifftrax has just celebrated their tenth anniversary.

First, I’d like to examine the fact that all of our lives are escaping us at an alarming rate.

Second, I’d next like to discuss the closure this event brought myself and, I’m sure, countless other MST3K fans.

With the dawning of a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the horizon, I know many a fan were distraught with the idea of a new era of MST3K when it seemed the previous one had never ended in our mind’s eye.

This show wasn’t a period on the end of a sentence, but rather an appropriate exclamation point.

The show, hosted at the State Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, opened on Kevin Murphy apologizing, “Sorry, St. Paul couldn’t be here tonight!” while both Bill Corbett and Mike Nelson chuckled.

The keen audience laughed uproariously. “It’s gonna be like a family reunion, right down to the heartburn,” jabbed Kevin. It was clear this was going to be a gift for the learned MSTie.

This particular show wasn’t like any Rifftrax, MST3K, or Cinematic Titanic event I had ever seen before. Instead of riffing a feature movie, they riffed a bunch of individual educational and factory shorts. The first was a nightmare laden piece, riffed by the Rifftrax boys, called…

The Talking Car

A sweet little boy runs out into the road and very nearly gets run over by a car. His dad runs over and says, very calmly, “You wouldn’t be able to go fishing tomorrow… or ever.” The riffs write themselves really in this one. Thanks to this loving interaction, the little boy has a dream where a load of talking cars spill their horrifying pedestrian knowledge upon the unknowing kid.

Notable Riffs:

“The Talking Car, based on a true story.” -Mike

“Damn my mutant car attracting powers!” – Kevin

“Yes, kid, you’re in abomination vs. god territory now.” -Bill

“After his visitation, Jimmy’s hair turned white and he never spoke again.” – Kevin

“Who needs a normal or popular son?” – Mike

A Word to the Wives

Gender stereotypes, dream houses, and trickery abound, A Word to the Wives is (an accidentally educational?) short about a woman who simply can’t stand her out of date kitchen anymore. So, like anyone who wants something, they make someone else deal with it until they fix it instead.

She leaves her husband alone for a few days in the godless kitchen and upon seeing their neighbors updated place…

They just move out into a fancier newer home.

Because it’s a lot easier to abandon a problem then just, you know, solve it? Anywho…

For this segment, the Rifftrax fellas left the stage and, to the audience’s surprise, Bridget Jones Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl came out to riff this puppy on their own.

Additionally, they killed it.

Notable Riffs:

“Oh, I think this is a metaphor for their marital relations.” – Mary Jo

“I thought we sprayed for trumpets…” – Bridget Jones

“This kitchen won a homemaker’s award!”

“Yeah, the Sylvia Plath award.” – Mary Jo

More Dates for Kay

As an avid admirer of horror… this *not* horror short, scared the ever loving shit out of me. This super dowdy, succubus, unblinking Peewee Herman lookin’ girl is used as an example of how throwing your vagina at every living male will, in some capacity, yield a date. Maybe.

Now, I lost my flippin’ lid when I saw who was riffing this short. And it was none other than Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff. AKA the Mads. THE MADS, YOU GUYS. On a personal note, this was hands down my favorite segment. I laughed so hard I got dirty looks from other moviegoers around me. A sign of a truly great set of riffs.

Notable Riffs:

“I don’t want to oversell it… but it will fill you with sadness.” -Frank

“Was she the actress on Unhappy Days?” -Trace

“I thought you had to invite a vampire in.” – Trace

“Jesus! Caligula wasn’t this creepy.” -Trace

Shake Hands with Danger

This little safety film, riffed by Kevin, Mike, and Bill, for Caterpillar Inc. was preceded by a warning to parents of small kids that there are some heinous, gory workplace accidents throughout.

And by heinous, I mean laughably gross and awful.

Complete with it’s own theme song, sung by the narrator, Shake Hands with Danger chronicles how caution is not only necessary, but failure to use it on a minute to minute basis can be deadly.

A crowd favorite for a good reason, this short is sure to please MSTies both old and new.

Notable Riffs:

“I have complete confidence in you, guy who can’t grow a mustache.” – Mike

“No one is safe, EVERYONE… RUN!” – Mike

Even without anyone making jokes over it… it’s hard not to laugh at this absurd, death laden flick.

Americans at Work: Barbers and Beauticians

The title for this one explains itself. But, the crew riffing it… had nothing ordinary about it. Joel Hodgson (omgiknowright) joined newcomer, Jonah Ray, to quip the shiz out of this particular AFL-CIO’s Americans at Work episode.

Very important to note, one of the Rifftrax guys, in passing, said that Joel may be participating in more Rifftrax shows. Which may also explain why Cinematic Titanic disbanded in the first place. I felt this was probably one of the most important pieces of information I took away from the reunion.

Moreover, Joel and Jonah have an electric charisma between the two of them making this a great introduction for Jonah to hesitant MST3K fans.

Notable Riffs:

“I want you to give me the Chris Tucker from Fifth Element.” -Jonah

“Can I have a smoke, dad?”

“You mean, may I have a smoke, dad.” -Joel

“If you have no hair, hair will be provided for you.” -Jonah

Stamp Day for Superman

In a two part “Riffapalooza”, all parties involved throughout the night came out to riff Stamp Day for Superman, an episode made to promote treasury bills. And just how FUN they are. In an unusual turn of events, seemingly unrelated, a burglary alarm company is robbed, somehow Lois Lane gets abducted, and then Superman straight up makes selling stamps real cool. Or something.

Color me stupid, but my god, that episode was quite the stretch. But, seeing Bridget, Mary Jo, Kevin, Mike, Joel, Bill, Trace, Frank, and Jonah tear this idiotic episode apart was more than a delight to watch. Before beginning, Jonah thanked the cast and crew of Mystery Science Theater for making him who he was. It was really touching that he felt the need to stop the show for a hot second and let fans and cast alike know how grateful he was.

Bill in appropriate fashion quipped, “Thanks, noob.”

Notable Riffs:

“This is the closest anyone came to coming out in the 50s.” -Frank

“Superman, could you use your powers to help me hang myself?” -Jonah

“Stamp day rules, BITE ME CHRISTMAS.” -Joel

“Yeah, yeah, you almost died. Stop nagging me.” -Mike

“Hey, ask him why he didn’t stop Hitler.” -Joel

At Your Fingertips

To wrap up a super meaningful, hilarious evening, the gang ended with At Your Fingertips, a short about the many wonders and uses of… you guessed it, grass. And, no, not the fun kind. The film explains, in great detail (too much detail, if we’re being honest), how to make braids, headdresses, fancy boxes and all sorts of other worthless items with crap you can find in your overgrown garbage yard.

Notable Riffs:

“This is one lawnmower away from being a snuff film.” -Frank

“This film is for the patients the nurses won’t give scissors to.” -Trace

“Nothing says “I forgot Father’s Day” like a corn rubbing.” -Mary Jo

“Ooh! Jim Henson’s Blair Witch Project Babies!” -Joel

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration of Rifftrax by acknowledging their roots with an MST3K reunion while metaphorically handing the torch over to Jonah Ray. Between Rifftrax and the new world order of MST3K, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for MSTies because I think we’re all in for a massive treat.

Dark Horse Comics is set to release Muhammad Ali, the story of an icon in a graphic novel from writer Sybille Titeux and artist Amazing Ameziane.

Published for the first time in English, this critically acclaimed French graphic novel celebrates the life of the glorious athlete who metamorphosed from the young boxer Cassius Clay to the legendary three-time heavyweight champion, activist, and provocateur Muhammad Ali, and focuses on key figures in the civil rights movement.

Cassius Clay is a kid who rushes into boxing by chance after his bike is stolen. His talent for the sport is proven when he wins an Olympic gold medal. The world heavyweight champion never takes a hit without fighting back. Clay becomes Muhammad Ali, a Civil rights activist, contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century.

Not only a titan in the world of sports but in the world itself, he dared to be different and to challenge and defy through his refusal to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, his rejection of his “slave” name, and ultimately his final fight with his body itself through a thirty-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Witness what made Ali different, what made him cool, what made him the Greatest.

Muhammad Ali (978-1-50670-318-3) debuts on October 26, 2016, and retails for $19.99. Preorder your copy today at your local comic shop or through Penguin Random House!

It’s another big month for DST, with plenty of new items in the July Previews catalog all set to ship this winter, and they’ll all be making their display debuts at Comic-Con International in San Diego!

The first Select action figures for Alice in Wonderland kick things off, along with a new action figures for Mallrats, Muppets, Marvel Select and Plants vs. Zombies; plus PVC figures for Batman: The Animated Series and Marvel Comics; resin busts and statues for Batman animated, Batman TV and Justice League; and Minimates for Marvel, Muppets, Doctor Strange, and Nightmare Before Christmas!

Pre-order through your local comic shop or favorite online retailer, and come by the DST booth at Comic-Con International, #2607, to see them in person!

Alice Through the Looking Glass Select Action Figures Series 1 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! For the first time ever, DST is offering fully poseable 7” scale action figures based on an Alice in Wonderland movie! These 7-inch figures of Alice Kingsleigh and the young Mad Hatter, based on their appearances in Alice Through the Looking Glass, feature the likenesses of Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp, and have up to 16 points of articulation. Each comes with a diorama background depicting a building from Wonderland – connect the bases to build a larger town! Figures are individually packaged in the display-ready Select packaging, with spine artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios!

• Alice Figure (Item #JUL162616, SRP: $24.99)
• Hatter Figure (Item #JUL162617, SRP: $24.99)

Batman Classic TV Series Premier Collection Batman Resin Statue

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Holy left cross, Batman! This 12-inch scale resin statue of Adam West as Batman is based on his appearance in the Batman Classic TV Series, and depicts him throwing a massive punch at one of his numerous foes or their underlings. The base for this statue even provides the “POW!!” sound effect that showed up on screen in every fight! Featuring detailed paint applications and limited to only 1,966 pieces, this statue comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Clayburn Moore! (Item #JUL162604, SRP: $149.99)

Batman TAS Gallery Harley Quinn Man Who Killed Batman PVC Figure

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Who knew Harley Quinn was such a mistress of disguise! In this all-new PVC figure based on Batman: The Animated Series, a suit-wearing Harley Quinn re-applies her make-up after going undercover as a lawyer in the classic episode “The Man Who Killed Batman.” At her feet lies Batman’s cape and cowl, with a “Kick Me” sign stuck to the back. This 9” scale PVC figure features collectible-quality sculpting and paint applications, and is in scale to all Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures. Packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (Item # JUL162607, SRP: $45.00)

Justice League Unlimited Animated Green Arrow Resin Bust

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The DC Animated Universe’s greatest archer is now part of the DCAU’s greatest bust line! Joining fellow Justice Leaguers Batman, Superman, Hawkgirl and more, this approximately 6” resin bust of Oliver Queen captures the archer as he appeared in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, taking aim with his bow and arrow atop a pedestal base styled after the JLU‘s Watchtower satellite. Limited to only 3,000 pieces, this bust comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Varner Studio. (Item #JUL162605, SRP: $59.99)

Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern Figural Metal Bottle Opener

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Let those whose caps are on too tight, call on the power of Green Lantern’s light! Racing home to Earth all the way from Oa, Green Lantern John Stewart is now a 4” sculpted metal bottle opener, ready to assist in the opening of any bottled beverages. Based on his appearance in the Justice League Animated Series, GL will remove a bottle cap almost as fast as you can think about it, and magnets on the back keep it locked to your refrigerator so you don’t have to wait to recharge! Packaged in a full-color slipcase. (Item #JUL162606, SRP: $18.00)

Mallrats Select Action Figures Series 2 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys release! They’re not here to shop, they’re not here to work, they’re just here! Finally, after 22 years, fully poseable action figures of the cast of Kevin Smith’s sophomore(ic) masterpiece Mallrats have arrived! Joining the previously offered Jay and Brody, Silent Bob and Renee are in Series 2, each with character-specific accessories – grappling gun, utility belt and alternate head for Bob; shopping bag, purse and video tape for Renee – as well as diorama bases depicting different stores in the mall, Popular Girl for Bob and Fashionable Male for Renee! Each figure features approximately 16 points of articulation and the actor’s likeness. Packaged in display-ready Select packaging, with spine artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Patrick Piggott!

• Silent Bob Figure (Item #JUL162627, SRP: $24.99)
• Renee Figure (Item #JUL162626, SRP: $24.99)

Marvel Gallery Doctor Strange Comic PVC Figure

A Diamond Select Toys Release! By the Vishanti! The Marvel Universe’s Sorceror Supreme, Doctor Strange, is now the latest in DST’s new line of 9-inch-scale Gallery PVC figures! Depicting the sorcerer hovering in mid-air over a giant Eye of Agamotto and casting a complex spell, this comic book-inspired figure features a detailed sculpt and collectible-quality paint applications. Figure is in scale to all Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures, and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Phil Ramirez! (Item #JUL162621, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Minimates Series 70 Doctor Strange Movie 2-Pack Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now the next entry in the long-running Marvel Minimates line! Series 70 of Marvel Minimates mini-figures travels to the world of the Doctor Strange movie, with four different two-packs: Dr. Strange with The Ancient One, Mordo with Kaecilius, the specialty-exclusive Stephen Strange with Christine Palmer and the specialty-exclusive Wong & Zealot! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features 14 points of articulation and fully interchangeable parts. Each two-pack is packaged in a full-color window box. (Item #JUL162622, SRP: $9.99)/ea.

Marvel Now! Minimates Foil Counter Display

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Marvel Minimates are all-new and all-different! This all-new assortment of Minimates mini-figures features eight different characters from across the modern Marvel Universe, each individually packaged in a foil bag. With 18 Minimates in each counter display, customers can get either Spider-Man (Miles Morales), X-23 as Wolverine, International Iron Man, Old Man Logan, Spider-Gwen, Deadpool 2099, Venom Space Knight or a rare, one-per-display Silk! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features 14 points of articulation and fully interchangeable parts. (Item #JUL162623, SRP: $5.99)/ea.

Marvel Select Odin the Destroyer Action Figure

A Diamond Select Toys Release!

Prepare to be destroyed! The next 7-inch-scale Marvel Select action figure is the Destroyer, the massive Asgardian automaton that regularly menaces the Mighty Thor!

Measuring approximately 9 inches tall with 16 points of articulation, this spiked powerhouse comes with the powerful Odinsword, as well as an interchangeable head, revealing the one-eyed face of the All-Father, Odin, from the times he has worn the armor in battle!

Whether you choose to display him as the Destroyer or as Odin, he’s more than a match for your Marvel Select Thor, or Hulk, or even Juggernaut! Packaged in the display-ready

Select packaging, with spine artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Jean St. Jean!

(Item #JUL162624, SRP: $24.99)

Muppets Select Action Figures Series 3 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It makes us very happy to introduce to you the next assortment of Muppets Select action figures from DST! Muppet Show and Up Late star Miss Piggy comes with her precious dog Foo Foo and a Penguin, while Electric Mayhem bassist Floyd Pepper comes with guitarist/love interest Janice, and pianist Rowlf comes with Mahna Mahna and the certifiable Crazy Harry! Each multi-pack of 4-6” figures comes with accessories, including guitars, a movie camera, a detonator and plenty of sheet music! Packaged in display-ready Select packaging, with spine artwork for shelf display. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! (Item #JUL162620, SRP: $24.99)/ea.

Muppets Minimates Series 3 2-Packs Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It’s time for some very special guest stars! The Muppets Minimates line continues with more of your favorite characters from across their history, in four all-new two-packs. Characters include Kermit as Constantine with Patrol Bear Fozzie, Electric Mayhem members Floyd Pepper and Janice, and exclusive two-packs of Mayhem members Zoot and Lips, and Muppet Newsman with Pepe the King Prawn! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features up to 14 points of articulation with fully interchangeable parts and accessories. Make your own Muppets! (Item #JUL162619, SRP: $9.99)

Nightmare Before Christmas Minimates Series 4 Counter Display

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It’s a new series of Nightmare Before Christmas Minimates and they’re a dream come true! The cast of creepy characters expands with Igor, Saxophone Player, Undersea Gal, and the Devil, plus Snowman Jack, Glow Finkelstein, Glow Pajama Jack and Glow Oogie Boogie! You can get one of eight different characters in this counter display of 18 individually bagged Minimates. Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features up to 14 points of articulation with fully interchangeable parts. (Item #JUL162618, SRP: $5.99)/ea.

Plants Vs. Zombie Garden Warfare 2 Select Action Figures Series 1 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It’s the revenge of the vegetables! In the sequel to the hit game PvZ: Garden Warfare, the Plants are battling back against the victorious Zombies, and once again DST lets you bring the battle to your own backyard! This new assortment of four multi-packs includes Kernel Corn (with Parrot Pal) vs. Captain Deadbeard (with Butter Assault), Rose (with Debuffed Goat) vs. Captain Brainz (with Electric Lightning Turret), Peashooter (with ToxicShroom Turret) vs. Browncoat Disco Zombie (with Laser Turret), and Weed (with various accessories) vs. Soldier Zombie (with Rocket Turret). Each figure measures approximately 4-6” tall, and features multiple points of articulation, and each Plant-Zombie pair is packaged in display-ready Select packaging, with spine artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigson! (Item #JUL162603, SRP: $24.99)/ea.

Find your nearest comic shop at comicshoplocator.com!

Art history comes face-to-face with madness in the brand-new series from IDW this October, The Electric Sublime! Journey through iconic artwork that has defined genres and generations in a story that quite literally takes you behind the scenes, and offers a reading experience wholly unique to comics. This is comic books, imitating art, imitating life.

Written by Judas: The Last Days author W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martín Morazzo (The Great Pacific, Snowfall), The Electric Sublime joins the acclaimed creator-driven titles at IDW like Locke & Key, The Infinite Loop, and most recently, Satellite Falling.

“I had the absolute pleasure of working with W. Maxwell Prince as the editor for Judas: The Last Days,” said editor Tom Waltz. “It was during that time that I witnessed his insane literary genius firsthand. And now I get to watch him—alongside artist Martín Morazzo and colorist Mat Lopes—take that same insanity to all new spectacular levels. This is high art at its high octane best, no doubt about it!”

When a mysterious change in the composition of a famous painting begins poisoning the minds of its spectators, Margot Breslin—director of the Bureau of Artistic Integrity—must pull famed “art detective” Arthur Brut out of a mental institution and back into the insanity that sent him there in the first place.

“As far as I can tell, art is one of the primary ways by which we come to understand our relationship with the world,” Mr. Prince said.  “It’s often through art that certain valves inside us are opened up, and we come to know ourselves better.  So I wanted to make a comic that speaks to that—something about what it’s like to be changed, for better and worse, by beautiful creations.”

In addition to Morazzo’s stunning artwork, the series will feature variant covers by incredible artists Frazier Irving, Stephanie Hans, Brendan McCarthy, and more to be announced. Look for the debut issue in stores this October, and if you’re attending San Diego Comic Con, grab a free ashcan of the first issue at the IDW booth, #2743.

The origins of KISS comic books date almost as far back as the inception as the band itself, having been an integral part of comics culture since their 1977 appearance in Howard the Duck #12 and 1978’s Marvel Comics Super Special: Kiss. Today, nearly 40 years later, Dynamite Entertainment is pleased to announce the next chapter in the band’s legacy, with all-new stories coming to one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics!

“KISS has had a four decade-long, proud history in comic books, starting with Marvel Comics in the 1970s, and now with Dynamite’s KISS comics,” says KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. “KISS is America’s number one gold record award-winning group of all-time, and we are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as having our own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Having our own comic book, I have to say, rekindles the thrill I first had as a young teenager, as I followed the adventures of my favorite superheroes. This is going to be fun.”

“In our rich and lengthy tradition of championing KISS in the comic/panel graphic realm, we are proud to announce this partnership and look forward to breaking new ground,” says KISS co-founder, Paul Stanley.

“Gene and Paul are rock stars in every sense and are incredible storytellers and showmen. They are living icons. Their genuine love and knowledge of comics is incredible. I couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and KISS on a new line of comics,” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “Over the years, the band has produced so many stories which stand on their own, with characters that belong right alongside even the most well known in the medium. Publishing KISS comics is a dream come true, and we couldn’t be more excited to have someone of Amy Chu’s caliber to tell the new tales.”

“I am beyond thrilled to be working so closely with the icon that is KISS,” says Executive Editor Joseph Rybrandt. “Rock solid storytelling and art are going to rock and roll you all night long. You wanted the best? You’re going to get the best!”

KISS returns to comics with KISS #1 in October, a futuristic, dark sci-fi adventure written by Amy Chu (Poison Ivy) and illustrated by Kewber Baal (Army of Darkness: Furious Road). In a world without sun and a world without heroes, four young friends embark on a dangerous mission – to uncover the truth about the mysterious Council of Elders and their underground home, the city of Blackwell. But first they need some help from the past…

“What is the power of KISS? I was having breakfast recently with the fabulous writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. When she found out I was writing this series, it was like firecrackers had been set off in the restaurant, she was so excited. So I’m doing this not just for the hardcore fans (like Kelly Sue) but also the new ones, like her children,” says Amy Chu. “It’s a huge challenge. KISS is iconic. Legendary. It’s global and cross-generational. So much has been done before with KISS in comics, a LOT of fun and crazy stuff, so for this series, I thought, why not go more serious? For research, I hunkered down and listened to the 1981 album Music from The Elder several times. Like the movie Blade Runner which came out around the same time, people didn’t know what to make of it. If that album came out now, I think it would be entirely different reception. So this storyline is more focused on mythology, heroism, and legend, and inspired by themes, lyrics, and song titles from that album.”

Artist Kewber Baal says, “When I received Dynamite’s proposal to draw the new KISS series, I immediately got to work with researching each persona: their clothing details, stage performances, their music… and it was only then that it suddenly dawned on me: My actual job is getting paid to listen and draw KISS! How incredible is that? How many hardcore fans, how many KISS Army members will read the series? Oh my, can you see this is a huge responsibility, and what an amazing opportunity? I hope that all the fans will love the story, will love each page, and feel assured that I will do my best. That’s a promise from one KISS fan to all other fans in world!”

“For KISS, it’s not just the music, but the visual imagery,” says Chu. “It’s Kabuki theater. I’ve been working hard with the artist, Kewber Baal, to craft a fantastic new world that pays homage to the band and the Elder album.”

The debut issue features a whopping ten covers! Four covers, each highlighting a different member of the band, are illustrated by acclaimed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cover artist, Goni Montes. Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife with Archie) and series artist Kewber Baal contribute additional covers, while other cover editions include a photo variant, a “Demon” Emoji variant (the first in a series of four, spread across issues #1-4), a special Coloring Book cover by Fernando Ruiz, and a Blank Authentix Edition that aspiring and professional artists can illustrate. Finally, a special cardstock variant edition, autographed by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, will be available as an incentive to qualifying retailers for their strong support of the series launch.

KISS #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2016 Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of KISS with their local comic book retailers. KISS will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.The classic line up returns to sequential storytelling for the first time in over two years with multiple series planned, and creative details forthcoming! Look for updates in the coming months, and make sure to keep up with Dynamite on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

“Ash vs Evil Dead,” the 10-episode half-hour STARZ Original series, is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film The Evil Dead.  The series is executive produced by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, The Grudge), Rob Tapert (The Evil Dead, The Grudge), and Bruce Campbell (“Burn Notice,” Oz the Great and Powerful, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness), the original filmmakers, and Craig DiGregorio who serves as executive producer and showrunner.

Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast also includes Lucy Lawless as Ruby (“Parks and Recreation,” “Spartacus” franchise, “Battlestar Galactica,” “Xena: Warrior Princess”), a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar (In Time, “Raising Hope,” “Dexter,” Meet the Fockers), an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly Maxwell (“Impress Me,” A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas), a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Girlfriends”), a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

With a suggested retail price of $49.99 for Blu-ray and $39.98 for DVD, “Ash vs Evil Dead” includes exclusive audio commentaries by Bruce Campbell and more!

To learn more about this title, please visit anchorbayentertainment.com.

Produced by Chad Archibald, Cody Calahan,
Christopher Giroux, Jeff Maher
Directed by Jeff Maher
Written by Cody Calahan, Jeff Maher
Starring Colin Price, Alysa King, Gwenlyn Cumyn,
Dennis Andress, George Krissa

Ren (Dennis Andres) has decided that, for his birthday, he wants to go to a sex club with his girlfriend to meet up with his best friend and his girlfriend (who performs at the club) to have a foursome in one of the rooms there.

Unfortunately, while he was told on the phone there were rooms available, it turns out the club’s rooms are all booked. After some pleading (and greasing the wheels), they secure a room to live out Ren’s birthday fantasies.  Unfortunately, there was a reason the clerk was so hesitant to rent out Room 18: she had been told in no uncertain terms that the room is under renovation and should not be rented out.

For the antique bed in Room 18 kills people. Yep, the title ain’t foolin’; the villain of this horror piece is a killer bed.

As singular as this may sound, the premise of Bed of the Dead is not unique.  Of course, one could argue Johnny Depp’s death scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street is the result of a killer bed, but true cult film nerds may recall a film titled Death Bed: The Bed That Eats.  Yes, the 1977 film from writer/director George Barry is, as far as I’m aware, the first – and until now only — film that is about a killer bed.

The interesting thing about Barry’s film is, initially of course, its oddball premise. But while I don’t think it’s the classic some of its fans make it out to be, it’s pretty outrageous and finds many bizarre, intriguing aspects to the situation beyond the obvious.  Also, Barry attacks the premise with a healthy sense of humor; after all, it’s about a killer bed!

Director/co-writer Jeff Maher has far more serious fish to fry in Bed of the Dead, and the film suffers for it. Once the foursome realizes that they are indeed sleeping on a bed that wants to kill them, they discover that they’ll be killed if they get OFF the bed.  While that is an interesting twist, it also limits physical activity quite a bit, and viewer fatigue does set in after a while.

Smartly, Maher cuts back and forth between the folks trapped on the bed and a cop investigating the aftermath of a fire at the club hours after the main action taking place.  There is a clever idea that the bed-trapped kids are able to speak to the cop on the phone, even though they are existing two hours prior to the cop’s timeline.

The problem is that (not to beat a dead horse) the movie is about a killer bed, so playing it straight maybe wasn’t such a great idea. Perhaps Maher was hoping to subvert expectations, with his title and premise, and actually attempt to create sympathetic characters and genuine scares.

There are certainly some good jump scares, but several stabs at creepiness and suspense fall flat.  There is an embarrassing sequence that flat-out rips off The Grudge and Ringu, and the kills are never frightening.  None of the characters are especially fascinating, though Alysa King’s Sandy has an interesting back story, and the cop, played by Colin Price, develops a modicum of sympathy as well.

The revelation of the bed’s motivations (yes, I just wrote that) is fairly ho-hum, though it does build to a pretty decent climax.

Bed of the Dead is far from a bad film; it starts off feeling like second-tier, late-80s Italian horror (this is a compliment), then veers into fairly standard VOD territory, then bounces back intermittently with some clever ideas and scenes.

It just isn’t very scary or well-paced (even at 88 minutes, it feels long, especially in the second act) and doesn’t really capitalize on the loony premise. If you call your movie Bed of the Dead, you really, really should go for broke.  Maher has indeed made a competent, watchable film, but he and co-writer Cody Calahan missed a good opportunity here.

I think.

Bed of The Dead will screen at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal on August 1st at 5:00pm, at the J.A. De Seve Theatre.

The Canadian horror comedy Wolfcop follows the exploits of a small town cop with a big time secret: he’s a werewolf! Now, Dynamite Entertainment will have everyone’s favorite alcoholic, lycanthropic lawman tearing out of the big screen and into the comic shop with an all-new series! Written by Max Marks with art by Arcana Studios, the Wolfcop comic book series will pit Lou Garou against bigger, badder, and meaner monsters than anything that has threatened Woodhaven before!

Ever since hard-drinking local Woodhaven police officer Lou Garou had a late-night bender and stumbled onto dark magic, his life has been turned upside down. Now he moonlights as WolfCop, a rage-fueled, bourbon-swilling, magnum-toting, rabid warrior for justice!

“From the moment I created WolfCop, I saw him as a larger-than-life character that could exist in many formats,” says Lowell Dean, writer and director of Wolfcop. “To date we’ve made two WolfCop movies – and I couldn’t be happier that we’re now bringing him into the world of actual comics! In comic form,WolfCop will be truly unleashed, no longer constrained by the budget of an independent film. More explosions! More monsters! More road trips! I’m so excited to bring Lou Garou and friends into this new realm with Dynamite. The WolfCop adventure is truly just beginning…”

“Dynamite’s love of horror comedy can be traced back over ten years to the first comic we ever published,” says Dynamite CEO and Publisher, Nick Barrucci. “When we saw Wolfcop, we knew it would be perfect for comics! I think this badge-wielding beast will be right at home alongside Ashley ‘Ash’ Williams and our other tongue-in-cheek horror licenses!”

“The first time I read the script for Wolfcop, I thought that this was a character that belonged in comics,” says Max Marks, writer of the upcoming Wolfcopcomic series. “He’s a wild, larger-than-life hero with the classic feel of the 80s but with enough of a modern edge. He’s a werewolf, sure, but he uses guns, and his strength comes from liquor. When you see this character, you just want to see what he’s going to do next… and what he’s going to fight next. Naturally, when I was approached to adapt Wolfcop into comics, I knew the fans didn’t just want a screen-to-page adaptation. They wanted more Wolfcop. More ass-kicking, more booze, more big guns, and bigger monsters. That’s what we’re delivering in this Wolfcop comic book series and I couldn’t be more excited to bring it to his fans.”

Wolfcop #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2016 Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Wolfcop with their local comic book retailers. Wolfcop will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

In the end there can only be one Highlander 30^th Anniversary edition, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 27 from Lionsgate. Starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, relive the sci-fi epic that launched a TV franchise and captivated millions of fans worldwide!

An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize.”

The 30^th Anniversary edition features never-before-seen interviews with director Russell Mulcahy and actor Christopher Lambert, a brand-new “making of” documentary, deleted scenes, and audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy. The Highlander 30^th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 and $14.98, respectively.