SEVEN24 Films and IDW Entertainment, a subsidiary of IDW Media Holdings (OTC PINK: IDWM), has announced that Syfy has renewed Wynonna Earp for a second season. The announcement came during the Wynonna Earp panel at Comic Con International in San Diego where the full cast appeared as guests. The freshman series scored big with both critics and fans, becoming a hit on social media, spawning hashtags, and trending weekly with each new episode. It recently nabbed the E! News TV Scoop Award for Best New Series of 2016.

Developed by Showrunner and Executive Producer Emily Andras, the series stars Melanie Scrofano, Shamier Anderson, Tim Rozon, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, and is based on the IDW Publishing comic book series created by Beau Smith.

“In just one season, Wynonna Earp has struck a chord with the fans,” said IDW Entertainment President David Ozer. “We look forward to continuing this epic journey.”

“I’m absolutely thrilled we have the opportunity to deliver more of our witty, female-led, kickass, diverse supernatural series to our passionate fan base around the world,” said Emily Andras.

“The strong female characters in this series have turned viewers into passionate fans,” said SEVEN24 Films’ Jordy Randall. “We can’t wait to see our amazing cast back in the roles that Emily has crafted for them.”

SEVEN24’s Jordy Randall and Tom Cox, IDW’s Ted Adams and David Ozer, Banditos Yanquis’ Todd Berger, and Circle of Confusion’s Rick Jacobs will all serve as Executive Producers.

Season two is set to air on Syfy in 2017.
 

Available now from author Sarah Fine is Reliquary, the first volume in a new fantasy series.

Mattie Carver’s engagement party should have marked the start of her own personal fairy tale. But when her fiancé, Ben, is violently abducted the next morning, her desperate quest to find him rips her away from small-town life and reveals a shattering truth: magic is real—and Ben is hooked. It’s not the stuff of storybooks. It’s wildly addictive, capable of producing everything from hellish anguish to sensual ecstasy almost beyond human endurance.

Determined to find out who took Ben and why, Mattie immerses herself in a shadowy underworld and comes face-to-face with the darkly alluring Asa Ward, a rogue magic dealer, infamous hustler…and her missing fiancé’s estranged brother. Asa has the power to sense magic, and he realizes Mattie is a reliquary, someone with the rare ability to carry magic within her own body, undetected. Asa agrees to help find Ben on one condition: Mattie must use her uncommon talent to assist his smuggling operations. Now, from magic-laced Vegas casinos to the netherworld clubs of Bangkok, Mattie is on a rescue mission. With Asa by her side, she’ll face not only the supernatural forces arrayed against her but the all-too-human temptation that she fears she can’t resist.

Thanks to the publishers at 47North, we’ve got an excerpt of this exciting new book.

###

The night before everything fell apart was the best of my life—the last purely happy, uncomplicated hours I would ever have. Looking back, I’m amazed by how lies can soothe the soul, quell every fear, blind you to reality in the most pleasant of ways. Not forever, of course. And only if you really want to buy into the illusion. But back then, I did. Even as the truth sharpened its knives and hunted me down, I refused to see it.

I was too worried about whether I’d made enough deviled eggs.

“We really could have had this catered,” Mom said, stopping to rub my back as I balanced each egg half on the platter and then sprinkled them all with paprika.

I blew a lock of curly hair off my forehead. Outside I could hear laughter and the faint caress of Lake Michigan against the shore. “How many people are out there?” I asked, ignoring her comment. “Should I do another dozen?” It’s my engagement party and I want to feed people, I had said. Just appetizers and beer. I’ll be done with plenty of time to spare.

Ugh. My mother was right. Again.

Her soft hands closed over my wrists. “We’ll have plenty. But Mattie, you need to be on the deck with Ben, not stuck in the kitchen. Your guests want to congratulate you—that’s the whole point of the party! Let me finish this up.” She held up my hands and glanced at my fingernails, short but coated with a bright-orange polish that set off my mustard-yellow dress and strawberry blond hair. “You’ll ruin these if you keep this up.” Smiling, she grabbed a dishrag and wiped a smear of mayonnaise off my ring finger, and the diamond that now lived there sparkled in the light. “Look—you’ve already done all the prep on the perperoncini wraps and the bruschetta. I’ve got this covered. Go.”

I glanced out to where my fiancé (fiancé!) was standing, a bottle of beer in one hand, flashing that smile that could melt glaciers. His hair ruffled in the breeze off the lake, the sun glinting off golden strands. I bit my lip and stared. Seriously—how had I gotten so lucky? “You sure, Mom? I feel terrible leaving you with all this work.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Honey, that’s my job.”

My mind skipped through memories of all the times she’d rescued me from my own ambitious schemes. Like when I’d taken on decorations for the senior prom (DIY string chandeliers are harder than they look, damn you, Internet!), or the time I’d decided that I totally had time to make three hundred cupcakes for my sorority’s homecoming party despite the fact that I had to cheer in the actual homecoming game. “I guess I’m the queen of biting off more than I can chew.” I sighed. “Sorry.”

She pulled me into a hug, brushing my unruly hair off my face. “It’s just one of your many charming qualities.” She inclined her head toward Ben, and when I turned, he was watching the two of us, his honey-brown eyes full of affection and invitation. “And clearly Ben thinks so, too.”

“Remind him of that after he takes a look at the supply closet at the clinic, okay?” I nodded as he beckoned me to come outside. “I might have tried to install a new shelving system while he was fishing with Dad yesterday.” Ben had told me that it was my practice, too, even though he was the vet and I was just the lab tech and assistant. I’d wanted to show him I could pull my weight. And I could…but unfortunately, the new shelving system could not.

I explained the catastrophe that had once been Ben’s tidy closet. Mom just said, “We can get Dad over there to take a look at it tomorrow morning. He gets a kick out of fixing other people’s messes.” One of the reasons my dad was the most popular real estate agent in Sheboygan was that he actually seemed to enjoy patching holes and installing crown molding, and it certainly helped with sales.

“You guys are the best parents. I don’t deserve you.”

Mom handed me the egg platter. “Pay me back by making sure Grandpa’s having a decent time, okay?”
“You got it.” I grinned. “I’m a ray of sunshine. I even dressed the part.” I kissed her cheek and scooted through the open sliding door to the deck, where I set the platter on a table already crowded with food.

A warm hand closed over my arm. “Finally,” Ben said, his voice full of gentle teasing.

I leaned my head back and let him kiss me, savoring the taste of taste of beer on his lips. “Mm. I think I read somewhere that anticipation is a fine aphrodisiac.”

He laughed, and it accentuated the adorable dimple in his right cheek. “Is that what this is? I thought maybe you were avoiding me because of the supply closet.”

“You weren’t scheduled to go in until tomorrow!”

His arm slid around my waist, and he pulled me against his muscular body. “I had to go pick up some eyedrops for Barley.” His aging golden retriever was falling apart at the seams, but Ben was determined to give him a good life for as long as possible. “And it’s okay, really. It’ll be easy to fix.”

I buried my face against his shoulder. “You are amazing.”
 He tipped my chin up. “And I’m marrying an amazing woman. Come on. Your friend Chelsea’s just gotten here, and I know you haven’t see her in a while. Also, a couple of your aunts and uncles have already asked me when you’ll appear. We need to greet your guests.”

Your guests.

I laced my fingers with Ben’s and looked out over my parents’ sprawling backyard, crowded with my extended family and everyone from my mother’s book club to my preschool gymnastics coach. Chelsea, my best friend from college, lifted her glass and grinned from her spot at the makeshift bar next to the pool.

“They’re not all mine,” I said quietly. Feeling lame, I waved toward Franz, one of a handful of Ben’s patients (or, rather, the family members of Ben’s patients) I had invited to beef up his part of the guest list.

Ben laughed as Franz waved back enthusiastically, looking a little lost and desperate as he stood among a group of my parents’ church friends. “I’m really flattered he decided to come,” Ben said. “He’s much more comfortable surrounded by books and wine.” A professor of anthropology at University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, Franz had invited us over to his home a time or two, where I spent the evening playing with his dachshund, Lemmie, and Ben and Franz huddled in his library discussing lofty topics they claimed were too boring for me to sit through.

“I’m glad he came, too.” I bit my lip. “But he’s not your family. We could have invited Asa, you know.”

Ben’s grip turned to iron. “You can’t be serious.”

“Come on, Ben. He’s your brother.”

“Listen, even if we could find him, and even if he were sober enough to show up, trust me—you don’t want my brother here.” His jaw clenched over the tremble in his voice. “And I don’t, either. He’s a criminal. A lowlife. He’s—”

“Ben, he’s the only family you’ve got left.” My heart ached for him. His mother had taken off when Ben was only a toddler, and he and Asa had been raised by their father, who had died a few years back. “Weddings bring people together!”

“But with some people, that’s more of a curse than a blessing.”

“You don’t think he’d be happy for you?”

“Mattie, the last time we saw each other, he threatened to kill me.”

“What?” My eyes went wide. “You never mentioned that before!”

He bowed his head and shrugged. “It was a long time ago, and I don’t like to talk about it. But Asa’s just…he’s messed up. He’s got rage inside of him. And he’s always been jealous of me. Do you think it would help if he got a good long look at all of this?”

I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I just wish you two could find your way back to each other. Family is important.”

“I’m building a new family, Mattie. And there’s no one I’d rather do it with.” He shoved his left hand in his pocket, and I knew his fingers were running over his lucky agate. Just one of the odd, endearing habits that had made me fall deeper in love with him. I watched his face as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

And when he opened them, he smiled down at me. His hand rose from his pocket to stroke my cheek. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured.

I shivered with sudden pleasure. His touch was like a drug to me, and I was the happiest of addicts. As his fingertips trailed down my throat, my entire body tingled, and my hands balled in the fabric of his shirt, barely keeping me from sliding my palms up under it to feel his bare skin. “Do you think anyone would notice if we disappeared for a few minutes?”

My old bedroom was a few steps away, and I was already envisioning myself on the bed. His grip on my hips would be bruising and delicious. My body was already slick and soft and hot. It felt like I was one deft touch away from having an orgasm, right there on the deck. Ben’s hand spread across my back, steadying me, and he glanced down at my flushed cheeks with an appreciative grin. “What were you saying about anticipation?”

“Screw it. Or, wait, screw me. That would be even better.”

“If someone doesn’t bring me a damn plate of food, I’m going to starve!” said a gravelly voice to my left.

Ben released me instantly and clasped his hands behind his back, like a little boy caught stealing. My reaction wasn’t much better—I slapped my hands over my warm cheeks and turned toward the source of the complaint. “Grandpa! I-I was just coming to find you.”

Grandpa looked up at me from his wheelchair. Dad had parked him in the corner of the deck so that he could look out over the lawn. His wide-brimmed straw hat shaded his watery, red-rimmed eyes, and his gnarled hands were clawed over the armrests. “Yes, that much was obvious.”

Great. Grandpa had probably heard every word of my scheme to sneak in a quickie with my boyfriend (fiancé!). I blushed from my forehead to my toes. Could I just control myself for once in my life? “What would you like, Grandpa? Summer roll? Deviled eggs?”

“Surprise me.”

Grabbing a plate and a napkin, I listened to Ben doing his best to make nice—and to Grandpa having none of it. I scooped up a few appetizers from each platter and turned just in time to see Ben reaching out to shake Grandpa’s hand. When my grandfather didn’t let go of the armrests, Ben saved face by giving Grandpa’s hand a friendly pat.

Grandpa jerked away like he’d been burned, first glaring at the back of his liver-spotted hand and then up at Ben. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snapped.

Ben blinked down at his fingers, the shock on his face similar to my own. “I’m…sorry?”

“You should be,” Grandpa growled. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, boy.”

“Try the eggs!” I said, rushing forward with the plate and nearly tripping in my strappy sandals. Stepping between my gaping fiancé and the tight-lipped old man who for some inexplicable reason had chosen the occasion of my engagement party to lose his mind, I put the plate in Grandpa’s lap because hey, snacks can fix nearly anything. (Despite everything that’s happened, I still believe that.)

“Mattie, I think I’m going to…um…I’m going to go make sure Franz is having a good time,” Ben said.

I threw him and apologetic look over my shoulder. “I’ll be there in a few.”

Grandpa didn’t touch the food. His hands were shaking as I knelt next to him, my sunny skirt fanning around me. “Grandpa,” I said gently. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t take that tone with me,” he said, though his voice had lost its edge. “My hospice nurse uses the same damn voice when I dare to express an opinion about anything other than whether I would or would not care for raisins in my oatmeal.” His tremulous fingers clutched at mine, and he sighed. “Never get old, Mattie.”

“I won’t.” My chest squeezed with regret. Just a few weeks ago, the doctors had announced he only had months to live. He looked okay—apart from the rattling cough that kept him up nights and fatigue and pain meds that made him groggy during too many of his waking hours—but lung cancer was taking him down.

After the doctors’ verdict, my parents had shipped him all the way to Wisconsin from his home in Arizona so they could take care of him until the end. They’d said it was the best thing for him, and to my surprise he hadn’t objected. But he didn’t seem happy about it—especially because everyone was tiptoeing around him like he was going to keel over any second. I tried to take a different approach. “Hey. In exchange for not using the you’re-a-crazy-old-man voice, I want to know what just happened with Ben.”

He grunted. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing? You refused to shake my fiancé’s hand! I mean, if you overheard us just now, that was as much my fault as—”

“Mattie, how much do you know about him, really?”

“We’ve been together for three years!”

“That doesn’t mean you know his secrets.”

I frowned. “How about you tell me what you’re getting at?”

Grandpa rubbed at his chest as he looked over at the lawn, where Ben was mingling like a pro. “Ask him.”

Frustration began to creep in. Seriously, he had to pick this night to get all protective of my virtue? They’d spoken for two minutes. What could have gone that wrong that fast? “Grandpa, what did he say to you that has you this upset?”

“Find out everything you can about him. You owe it to yourself.” He turned back to me, his chin trembling.

“You and I haven’t spoken much since your grandma died.”

I looked away, ashamed. “I’m sorry. I should have written more.” Or called. Or visited.

“Come have lunch with me tomorrow?”


“I have to work.”

“Tuesday, then.

Okay.” I’d have to arrange with Jan, our practice manager, to cover the waiting room during what was usually her lunch break, but that wasn’t anything a box of Girl Scout cookies couldn’t fix.

“Mattie?” Ben called from the lawn. “The girl cousins are here.” His tone said, Help.

My aunt Rena’s four teenage daughters were a handful. I stood up and smoothed my skirt. “I’d better get down there before they stick one of their iPhones in Dad’s speaker dock and turn this into a rave.”

Grandpa squinted at me. “Are you speaking English?”

“Never mind.” I rubbed his shoulder. “Enjoy those eggs.”

I floated over to Ben, the incident already behind me. This was my engagement party, and I was marrying the love of my life. Nothing—and especially not my cranky old grandpa—was going to ruin it.

Reliquary is available via Amazon

Re-printed with permission from 47North, copyright © 2016 by Sarah Fine

Famed comic book writer Chuck Dixon and film production company Framelight Productions announce the upcoming publication of Dixon’s latest epic graphic novel, Sword of Wood, which will be illustrated by Michael Bergkvist and Neal Adams. Publishing of the graphic novel will be handled by Scout Comics and distribution will be handled through Diamond Comic Distributors.

“I’m so pleased to see this project coming to life in this way. From the format and publisher to working with a legendary talent like Neal Adams, it’s all very exciting” said Chuck Dixon

The book is already set up to be produced as a motion picture by Framelight Productions and producers Jeffrey D. Erb and Robert L. Robinson, Jr., along with Scott Mednick, Executive Producer of such motion pictures as both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle films, 300, Superman Returns, We Are Marshall, Where the Wild Things Are and 10,000 BC, is also attached to Produce.

“I am very excited to be an integral part of bringing Chuck’s vision to life as both a comic book and a motion picture,” said Jeffrey D. Erb, “It combines elements from every interest I ever had growing up.”

The book follows a landed baron and Knight of Christ who battles in the Holy Lands at the time of the First Crusade. He longs to return home to his holdings in Saxony. With his squire, he journeys to his manor and village only to find the fields and hovels empty and his wife and children gone. The Knight learns that a rampaging horde of monsters has swept down on villages to kill and abduct all they find. They are an army of vampires and their ranks swell with each attack.

He cannot know if his wife and children have been taken as feed stock or have joined the blood-sucking host, and can only follow the path of destruction left behind by the undead army. To do battle with these creatures, the Knight carves a sword from the wood of a sacred tree. Along with his squire and a rogue friar, the Knight will go to the ends of the earth to save or redeem his loved ones.

Chuck Dixon is a writer best known for his work on the Marvel Character, The Punisher, and on the DC characters Batman, Robin and Nightwing. He is credited for creating the fearsome character Bane in the Batman franchise.

Michael Bergkvist and Neal Adams have teamed up on several projects together. Adams is known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow, and is an inductee in both the Eisner Award’s Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

“We are very excited to work with Chuck Dixon, who is a fantastic writer since long back” said Adams and Bergkvist

The screenplay adaptation has been written by Robert L. Robinson, Jr, Andrew Ord and Steve Ovington.

“Sword of Wood is a story that immediately grabbed me” said Robert L. Robinson, Jr. “No one weaves a tale as Chuck Dixon and from the first moments of reading his original treatment, I could visualize what this would look and feel like. Having another storytelling legend in Neal Adams join the team can only make this greater. I am looking forward to the pages from Neal and Michael to start rolling in.”

Framelight Productions is a film production company founded by Jeffrey D. Erb and Robert L. Robinson, Jr. in 2008 that partners with comic book, novel and other Intellectual Property creators and owners in the process of bringing their creations to the screen. With the great magnitude of creative talent and mythologies they have created, Framelight has developed a model that revolves around the most important asset in the equation, the creators.

Melissa McCarthy stars as Michelle Darnell, a titan of industry who is sent to prison for insider trading. After doing her time, Michelle emerges, ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, but not everyone she steamrolled is so quick to forgive and forget. With nowhere to go and no one to scam, Michelle is forced to move in with former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell – Frozen, “House of Lies”) and her young daughter, Rachel. Now at her lowest point, Michelle wastes no time in devising a winner-take-all plan to rebuild her empire. Can she reclaim her status as the No. 1 screwer, or will the love of one family screw her for good?

McCarthy and Bell are joined by an all-star cast including Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”), Kathy Bates (“American Horror Story,” Tammy) and Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”).  The Boss also features cameos from some of Groundlings’ favorite graduates including Michael McDonald, Steve Mallory, Ben Falcone, Damon Jones and more!

And we’re giving away five copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “THE BOSS” 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 August 14th, 2016.

If you let your kids watch Rick and Morty, you are probably a bad parent.

Okay, that’s a bit harsh. Maybe you are working two jobs and you just don’t have time to monitor your kids and their viewing habits.

Better?

Regardless, Rick and Morty is not your average cartoon.

After 20 years of shows like Family Guy and South Park, you think we might get used to toons in adult situations. The genius of Rick and Morty is that it’s not occasionally edgy and dark; Like Bane, it lives in the dark.

The second season of time-traveling animated series features mercy killings, murder, alcoholism and attempted suicides. And the occasional fist fight with Einstein.

At Comic-Con, Rick and Morty creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland and writer Ryan Ridley chatted about the dark nature of the show.

Dan: The darkness is funny. It’s the first part of a great joke. I’m always harping about this, but the first time we laugh as kids is the game of Peek-A-Boo, that’s because kids are programmed to experience terror when the mother goes away. In all cultures and all continents, the mother covers her face, which simulates for the kid this terror, it’s death for a baby. But your in on the joke, that’s what makes it comedy.

Comedy isn’t the opposite of tragedy. It’s taking tragedy and saying, yeah, but life goes on.

The ‘Unity’ episode when Rick comes home, and you watch him go into his garage stark raving drunk and he almost kills himself, but fails because he’s so drunk he passes out.

In the series, Rick focuses the sadness and confusion on a little creature he creates, which he uses as an outlet for his feelings by murdering it.

Justin: I tried my best to make that creature feel like a euthanasia kill. I really went back and gave notes on the animation, ‘Make that creature seem like it is in pain. Like, make it feel pain every time you pet it. Make is a mercy kill.’

Ryan: I want to add, that the show didn’t grow into being dark. It was always dark. It’s like, now that we have the baseline of the first season down, we can go deeper and explore and peel back the layers of darkness underneath it. I think season three…more and more just ripped away.

Justin: Yeah. Not a lot of levity.

Ryan: It’s not like we are like, “Oh, we went to dark. We should really go back.”

Dan: That’s what you do when you are not as funny as 30 Rock. That’s what I learned at the studios. Just take that 20% of less-funny-than Tina Fey and fill it with tears.

It wasn’t all dark. The crew also talked about the sort-of improved “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate” episode, which received a TV-MA rating.

Justin: It’s the weirdest in the production pipeline. Half of it is typical production timeline of great script, launch that and go to board, but the other half is going into the booth with these guys…

Ryan: We brought in some random people because we bring in extra writers and all these different writers and they pitch nonsense. And Justin just hits his brain and starts vomiting nonsense.

Justin: Yeah. And the drunker I get, the more…like Octopus Man. We’ll start with he’s half man, half octopus, and I’ll be like, ‘I got it! No more! Are we rolling? I’m Octopus Man, I’m half man, half octopus…Just repeating what was said because I’m drunk. And then I just ramble about the Troublemites, which I don’t know where the fuck that work came from.

The fun of those is that we get to launch them at the storyboard artist, who put their own visual spin on it for the most part.

It’s different.

For future projects (like, let’s say a Community movie…for example), Harmon talked about his dislike of turning to the internet for funds from fans to keep the project alive.

Dan: I kind of feel like there is a crime to crowdsourcing. If Sony wants to participate in any profits, they should be the ones risking it financially. That’s the aspect of crowdsourcing I don’t like. It’s always been an aspect of the internet I don’t like. The movement where Pepsi says, hey guys, name our next soda. I don’t like the free labor aspect.

I like the idea of a passive audience becoming active, but I don’t like it as a corporation gain. If Sony wants to put their rights to Community up for sale, then every who does crowdsource should get a point on the backend.

Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim

Tetris: The Games People Play
Written and Illustrated by Box Brown
Published by First Second
Release Date: October 11, 2016
EAN 9781626723153
Price: $19.99

The New York Times Bestselling author Box Brown (Andre The Giant: Life and Legend) returns for his second major release through First Second to be released in October of this year. With herds of roaming purple-eyed glow kids tripping on curbs to collect the latest Pokemon lately, we thought this a fitting time to review the origin of Tetris in Tetris: The Games People Play.

Brown illustrates the graphic novel using two color printing (yellow and black) and a simplistic but humorous style that is uniquely his.

The story of Tetris doesn’t include Man from U.N.C.L.E. espionage, but it does have a dramatic element and compelling story that is difficult to put down.

Back in my day, my family, like Brown’s, all fought over the grey screened Game Boys and this addictive Russian video game, shrunken down from the full color version on our ‘big’ TVs.

Late in the ’90s, I even found myself at a stand-up arcade version of the game that seemed like it was built behind the Iron Curtain. It wasn’t, but it seemed to be held together like a Sochi Olympic dorm room bathroom (that is too say, it felt like it could break at any second).

There is barely a synapse more satisfying than whatever your brain squirts out to the rest of your body after clearing four lines of a Tetris. Hopefully ‘these kids today’ (I’m one of ’em) are getting that digital high collecting Pokemon water monsters.

We were lucky enough to talk to Box Brown regarding Andre The Giant and one takeaway was that he spends a lot of time researching his books, on top of all of the drawing and actual writing he does to get the final product on the page.

Tetris: The Games People Play is no exception to that diligence. In the Nintendo circles of the ’80s, there was mostly a ‘legend’ about the game Tetris. Most ’80s kids probably thought it was stolen by Clint Eastwood in 1982s Firefox and tried to make sense of the seemingly long credits with names we could not pronounce.

The truth is, the game was programmed and developed by Mr. Alexey Pajitnov at the Russian Academy of Sciences. And while we were gladly paying $45 for cartridges of the game, the actual money never made it to the creator until the ’90s.

The game ‘went viral,’ when Tetris was ported to PC and everyone was playing it until it found it’s way to Budapest. There it was ‘picked up’ for PC licensing, rather than being swapped around on floppies from friend to friend.

Here is where it gets interesting, and Alexey’s story takes a very Socialist turn. Alexey was mostly satisfied with having created a great game that stimulated people’s brains and that they enjoyed. He teamed with other engineers and psychologists to study the effects of Tetris on the players, and he was not surprised it had a great effect.

Alas, this review is not meant to be the story of Tetris. Box Brown has done all the heavy lifting for us. What he does is offer a compelling look at Pajitnov’s journey with Tetris from 1984 to the present day, from devices as small as a calculator and as big as buildings. The money, as it tends to do, goes in and out of some dark places, but in the end, the ‘Brand’ of Tetris survives to this day.

The unique cartooning with exaggerated body parts and features expresses mood with stark simplicity. Brown uses pixelization and stylized home-grown lettering to bring you into a Commodore 64 mood at points. A news story at a particularly surprising and serious beat in the book has a Broderbund Print Shop (an 80s dot-matrix lo-res graphics program) feel that is sublime with the subtext it defines. Truly brilliant stuff.

Comic lovers and video game fans, fans of Brown’s Andre The Giant, and pop cultural historians will be surely entertained with Tetris: The Games People Play.

Be sure to stock up on AA batteries, though. You may have a newfound interest in that Game Boy you still have under the bed.

Tetris: The Games People Play arrives in stores October 11th

You can never truly prepare for the inevitable.  At 91 years old, the death of Jack Davis comes as a shock.

Breaking into comics at the age of twelve, Davis continued to draw through school and his years in the Navy until he started doing commercial work for Coca-Cola before finding his way back into comics.  Davis worked for William Gaines’ now legendary EC Comics where he contributed to the titles Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales, The Vault of Horror, Piracy, Incredible Science Fiction, Crime Suspenstories, Shock Suspenstories and Terror Illustrated. When EC folded as the result of the newly instituted Comics Code Authority, Davis continued to work for Gaines, solidifying his adaptability as an artist for Harvey Kurtzman’s Mad Magazine.

In addition to comics, Davis illustrated movie posters, commercial art, TV Guide and Time Magazine covers, animation and a U.S. postage stamp.

IDW’s Scott Dunbier, summed up both the appeal and skills of the artist, “Jack Davis is probably the most versatile artist ever to work the worlds of comic books, illustration, or movie poster art. He can work in a humorous style or deadly serious style, historical or modern, anything. His work transcends that of almost any other cartoonist.”

Beloved by generation after generation, Jack Davis’ passing is a monumental lost.

Let’s look at some of his art.

A story about the collision of the Old and New West, two brothers — Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger — come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.

For your chance to download passes to the advance screening of HELL OR HIGH WATER on Tuesday, August 9^th  at 7pm at AMC Loews Boston Common click here:

http://www.gofobo.com/jcboo80357

Remember seating is first come, first served and not guaranteed so please arrive early!

Whether by accident or intention, Netflix has solidly blown open a portal to another dimension with Stranger Things.  Deep within the darkness, there is light.  Hidden in the shadows, a monster.  It lives somewhere on the line of emotional connection and visceral reaction.  It preys on your memories and it feeds on your affinities.  You’re more susceptible if you’re an American child of the early 1980s, or just lived vicariously through its pop culture record.

It is a beast known simply as Nostalgia, and by now, if you’ve succumbed to the 8 episode series, Netflix has you equally enamoured.

At first glance, I found the series to be an amusing love letter to the films I grew up with (mostly by Steven Spielberg) and the books I read (mostly by Stephen King).

But that would be the 10 words or less pitch of the program, as additional episodes throw you into an upside-down world not unlike the one I grew up in.

While there have been countless articles in the past week highlighting the key pop culture references within Stranger Things, I thought I’d share some personal reactions that dug deeper.

PRE-PUBESCENT BLISS

We so rarely see pre-teen protagonists, let alone geeky ones.  Sure the age of these Dungeon and Dragon-playing, mountain bike-riding kids conjures up E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, among others.  Us misfits of the 80s suburban nuclear family recognize the very-real archetype that gave way to brooding emo youth a generation later.  In Stranger Things there’s a beautiful comradery of four friends who valor that friendship above all else, completely unaware of the hormonal and social influences that will most likely break it apart.  While visually and thematically the film owes a lot to Stand By Me or The Goonies, the heavy reality that hovers over the series is that these are the days they will remember.

NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE MIDWEST

The Indiana setting of the series is as part and partial to its success as the age of the boys.  As a pre-teen growing up in small town Michigan in the 1980s, I can vouch for the boredom, but also the mystery of the adult world and how it works.  Still relying on parents for rides to the roller rink, arcade, mall or movies, when not able to walk or bike, it was a time with far less access to the rest of the world.

Of course it was also a time when the darkness reality of missing children reports was only surpassed by the rumored rise of satanic cults.  When your day to day is relatively small, only your imagination can surpass it.

WINONA FOREVER

Powerhouse performance aside, Winona Ryder is as natural as the frantic mom of a missing son as she was over two decades ago in the films we fell for her in.  Every heartbroken head drop, every shaky cigarette inhale, every wide eyed glance.  This is the Winona we’ve been waiting for.  Beetlejuice 2 please, asap.

DARKER THINGS

While we had the grade level bliss of Choose Your Own Adventure, chances are we were reading Stephen King’s novels and short stories either by permission or above it.  We’re the generation that birthed PG-13, only to live to see R rated films more accessible than any video store would allow us.  Our goosebumps came courtesy of firestarting little girls and child molesting demon clowns.  All of it probably, definitely not appropriate for younger audiences.

Stranger Things rekindles the feeling you got from Mom buying you Fangoria on a trip to the supermarket, then Dad bringing you to the movie that made its cover.

OUR IMAGINARY LIVES

You know that scene in Scrooged where Bill Murray’s Frank is recalling a watershed moment as a kid and the Ghost of Christmas Past points out he’s talking about the Homecoming episode of Little House on the Prairie?  If you were born in a house with the television on, to borrow a phrase from the Talking Heads, your memories are probably 40% observances of fiction.

In my case a lot of science fiction.

When the boys in Stranger Things stumble on to key clues in the disappearance of their friend, they turn to mythology, mainly out of D&D guides.  Of course, we’re playing along at home with this relatable recall, but probably saw this scene before, played out on the big screen.

Watching the series causes the reminder of just how much fiction influenced our day to day.  The only thing more meta is something I’m looking forward to very much – Steven Spielberg himself’s adaptation of Ready Player One.

My mind is bracing for impact.

Happy New Comic Book Day and welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

I’m still decompressing from Comic-Con and learned the best way to do it?

More Comics!

Future Quest #3

Written by Jeff Parker and Illustrated by Steve Rude
Published by DC Comics

The weirdest thing to come about DC’s new direction…hell the weirdest thing going on in comics in general is the relaunch of these Hanna Barbera properties. It’s just strangely nuts. And not in a good way.

The bright spot is Future Quest. This book stands out as being pretty damn great. Jeff Parker writes with a fun sensibility and knows these characters. He just writes a good book. This issue focuses on Birdman and it’s fun, it’s well told, and it pops. Thumbs up to the writing.

The biggest selling point is having Steve “The Dude” Rude drawing this. Rude is one of the best artists this medium has ever had, and he’s just awesome. The art sings and it’s beautiful to look at. It’s great storytelling and I love his work. This is a good book.

Pick this up. It’ll remind you both how comics can be good…and how the other titles in this line are just out of their mind.

RATING: A-

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth #1

Written by Scott Lobdell and Illustrated by Dexter Soy
Published by DC Comics

This is a step in the right direction. I was not looking forward to this book at all yet it’s a pretty well told story. I know that it’s just a recap issue but it actually works pretty well. I enjoyed it enough to be interested to see where it goes.

This book focuses on the Jason Todd Red Hood and it’s actually interesting. I attribute that to Scott Lobdell. He puts in a great opening scene and I was immediately hooked.

Lobdell, who hasn’t been this interesting in years, just gives the Red Hood a hell of a personality. He gives the book a verve I wasn’t expecting and it’s wild and a tad sick. The last line of the book was especially powerful. Good story.

Soy gives the book a great look. He’s a fairly good artist and I enjoy his storytelling. He and Lodbell make a good team and I’m in. Let’s see where this one goes.

RATING: B+

Nightwing #1

Written by Tim Seeley and Illustrated by Javier Fernandez
Published By DC Comics

Ladies and gentlemen, we are back to the B- rating. Only for a brief time, however. Here we are, issue one of the new Nightwing book.

It’s underwhelming to say the least. Not TERRIBLE. But underwhelming.

Nightwing is back in a solo series and instantly the title “Better than Batman” turned me off. If you are going to give me that title, give me a great book. I’m not sure Seeley has a handle on Nightwing. He paints broad strokes but I feel like I know him less after reading this book. And Fernandez isn’t a bad artist. I just wish he was on anything but this. The character at the end Raptor give the book a bit of a jolt. I then started paying attention more as they fought. Up til then, though it’s a snooze.

Nightwing used to have a good book. I want that book back. Not this. Books are supposed to advance the character. This one doesn’t. Maybe that will change. So far, I’m hoping so.

RATING: B-

Batgirl #1

Written by Hope Larson and Illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque
Published by DC Comics

Now THIS is what I am talking about! Batgirl #1 demonstrates what the whole Rebirth line could be like. This is a standout amongst the group. Hope Larson writes Bargirl so wonderfully right from the get go that I was hooked instantly.

This story finds Batgirl on an adventure much different than anything I have seen previously. And it works. It’s natural, smart, vibrant. I loved it. What an interesting choice Larson is to write this. Even better that it works. The cherry on top of it all is the art by Albuquerque. He’s come along so much. His work on Huck was stunning. This may even be better.

Batgirl is going to be at the top of my reading list. This is the type of book DC should be doing. Well worth the money and highly recommended.

RATING: A

The Flash #3

Written by Joshua Williamson and Illustrated by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Published by DC Comics

Man, this is the DC I know and love. The Flash has been a shining star for the DC Rebirth line. Williamson has created one amazing story for the Flash.

Dozens of people have now gained super speed. Not all of them are heroic however. So it comes down to the Flash and August to try to stop them. Fun ensues. Williamson is a great writer for the Flash. I’m not sure yet what his overall plan is…and that is a good thing. And I like that. It’s solid.

The art is pretty well done too as I have said before and it’s the same artist from issue to issue thus far. I like this. This is a good book from start to finish and it’s building to something. I’m glad this is on the stands.

RATING: B+

Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #1

Written by Robert Venditti and Illustrated by Rafa Sandoval
Published by DC Comics

This issue was better than the previous one I can tell you that much. Still, it feels rather generic and I wish it felt like their was an overall plan in place.

This issue shows Hal going up against Sinestro. That’s great and all but nothing new is done here. It’s just extremely standard. And that’s the problem. I feel like we have been down this road before. Venditti doesn’t write a terrible story. Just one that we know the beats of. I actually am starting to root for Sinestro to win…Hal has become so boring.

The arts is passable on this. Not terrible but not inspiring. What we are left with is a competent book that feels like it could be better. Because it could. These guys have some talent. Let’s see it.

RATING: C+

Teen Titans #1

Written by Dan Abnett and Illustrated by Brett Booth
Published by DC Comics

Wally West is back! And not a moment too soon. We have all missed Wally very much. And this issue of Teen Titans focuses on that. It starts off pretty good. But that is mostly because of the art.

Brett Booth has an energy with his style that is hard for me to pass up. Even in the worst book, his style would stand out (see his first Image work). There is a charm to it that not many have. So this story he’s working with isn’t bad. Abnett is not my favorite writer but it’s an okay tale. Still, Booth elevates it. I was instantly more into it because he is there.

It feels like anyone could be writing this story…not to say it doesn’t have it’s charms. But besides the art there’s not a lot to grab onto. I want something classic rather than disposable. I say trash this book and put Booth on Batman with Tom King. That might be the perfect blending we haven’t seen yet.

Rating: B-

Wonder Woman #3

Written by Greg Rucka and Illustrated by Liam Sharp
Published by DC Comics

Currently, Wonder Woman is one of the most annoying books being produced right now. Different continuing stories every two weeks. It’s a lot to ask and I wish DC would recognize this and give us a break.

We are in the Wonder Woman Year One phase of the book…and it’s okay. Rucka tells us a good story and it’s good enough to make you want to read more. Sharp isn’t bad on art either. There’s just not a lot of consistency from issue to issue and you were there was.

My advice? Finish one story and then show us the next rather than this fits and starts nonsense. It’s terribly annoying for an otherwise decent enough book.

RATING: B

Detective Comics #937

Written by James Tynion IV and Illustrated by Alvaro Martinez
Published by DC Comics

All right. I am tired of Detective Comics now. There is not a lot for me to grab and I’m rather bored with it.

I understand Batman is forming a team and they are in the midst of war. But who cares.

Tynion writes in broad strokes and I have a hard time caring about anyone here. It just seems a lot of hubbub now for a caper that Batman could most likely handle himself in normal circumstances.

The writing is bland on this and the art is bland. So guess what we all get? You guessed it. Bland. It’s a shame though. I wish Tynion would have dug deeper to make a hard storyline that you couldn’t put down. Instead we got this. Maybe they should let the title be once a month to give the guy to explore his ideas and BREATHE.

The art doesn’t help much. What we are left with is a dull storyline, bland art, and something you can’t wait to put down.

RATING: C

Action Comics #960

Written by Dan Jurgens and Illustrated by Tyler Kirkham
Published by DC Comics

So here we are. Part four of the Doomsday storyline nobody asked for. And it’s just a mess of a confusion of a mess.

Jurgens writes the best story he can on this. Sadly, We have been through all this before. And now we are just getting diminishing returns. Doomsday is back and nobody is excited. It’s truly hard to watch because Jurgens thinks he’s writing a more compelling tale than he is. Superman is a hard character to crack. But give me something I can’t live without. I always hope for that.

The art isn’t too bad…still these two don’t know how to work together yet. What we are left with is a hope. A hope that the next story arc is better. I hope so.

The Superman character is classic for a reason. He deserves good stories too. This isn’t that.

RATING: D+

Jupiter’s Legacy 2 #2

Written by Mark Millar and Illustrated by Frank Quitely
Published by Image Comics

This book proves that good things come to those who wait.

Well, we waited well over a year for this book. And it doesn’t disappoint. The first issue was great and this continues with that. This may indeed may be the best title Millar has written.

This issue shows our heroes face off against Japanese villain Raikou. It is rather a crazy story to be honest. But I love it. Millar knows how to balance action, suspense, humor, and storytelling in such a way you are never lost or forget where you are. Compound that with Quitely’s art which is off the charts. I would say that this is his best work but Pax Americana is tough to beat. Still his art wows at every turn and is very unique.

If you have read the first series pick this up. If you haven’t, read the first series and then pick this up. This book is awesome and shows how comics should be done. I can’t recommend it enough.

RATING: A

We love comic book movies. Even the bad ones tend to make a lot of money.

Besides the explosions and action sequences, there is clearly something captivating and compelling about individuals who have superhuman powers. Yet, there is something deeply pessimistic about comic books that everyone seems to ignore.

The central premise behind comic books is pretty cynical: there are problems that cannot be solved by ordinary people or the government. Often, the government is the problem (or hindrance).

Comic books tend to take two tracks:

1. The government is so corrupt that it cannot uphold the law. Only an extrajudicial agent can ensure restore law and order. Or,

2. The government — including its military and scientists — are incapable, too inept, or lack the ingenuity to defeat a super villain or alien invader, and need to be saved by a non-human (defined as a mutant, alien or billionaire one-percenter).

Further, in all situations it is only an individual or a handful of people who bring about change.

In comic books individuality is praised rather than collectivism.

It’s always one super smart genius who comes up with the solution, not a huge team of scientists a la the Manhattan Project.

Hundreds of thousands of troops are always powerless to stop a villain threatening the destruction of city or the planet — one person or several are seemingly more powerful and effective than the entire U.S. Armed Forces.

Comic books dismiss the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, especially when they come together. Only a few people are capable of bring about changing, and they are most effective when working alone.

So why are comic book movies currently so popular — the top grossing movies year after year?

Unlike other western countries, individualism is valued more than collectivism in American culture. In popular culture this isn’t only reflected in comics — look at westerns where it usually falls to a loan gunslinger to restore law and order. And for decades, western books, movies, and TV shows completely captured the public’s imagination.

Americans have also always had a deep distrust of government, and in westerns like comics, the government and local law enforcement were usually inept or corrupt.

Or, if the hero was a law enforcement officer, they were a sheriff who enjoys a quasi-independent status because they are locally elected (never would the town under siege by bandits ask for help from the federal government and receive a small cadre of U.S. army troops). And in westerns, problems are typically resolved by shooting someone.

What got me thinking about all of this is Star Trek. Despite its iconic status, it’s never quite won widespread appeal, especially in the way that comics book have become so mainstream recently through movies. I mean, thirty years ago who could have really imagined that a motion picture version of Iron Man would gross a billion dollars?

Star Trek, especially The Original Series and The Next Generation, are unique in our popular culture for the value that they place on collectivism. The crews of the Enterprise may be talented, but none of them acting alone can solve a problem. The show is all about teamwork and the benefits of diversity. And it’s worth pointing out that in it, the government — the Federation — is always positively portrayed.

I have a hard time thinking of any other pop-culture property that has such a positive view of collectivisms and ordinary people being able to solve problems. One of the few examples, which interestingly made more money overseas than domestically, was Pacific Rim.

A superhero is not needed to defeat giant monsters.

Instead through a worldwide government program of unprecedented cooperation humans are able to transform themselves into superheroes capable of fighting the monster. The film is also careful to balance the contributions of the jocks and scientists, as well as show the army of people who are required to support the monster-fighting robots.

Had the film been directed by someone not as so idiosyncratic as Guillermo del Toro, it seems likely that it would have followed the usual pattern of comic movies: one person working on their own builds a monster-fighting robot because the government is to incompetent to come up with a plan on their own.

I often hear people justify their decision to pay money to see a bad superhero movie because they are seeking escapism, not necessarily quality. But these movies just reinforce an idea that we cannot solve our problems, that if it wasn’t for someone unreal — a superhero — the people of Earth would be screwed.

That doesn’t seem like escapism to me.

On Friday, Batman: The Killing Joke finally made it’s big screen debut, a huge event for many a Batman fan who have been waiting decades for the Alan Moore-penned graphic novel to find it’s way to feature length animation. But before the highly-anticipated screening, script writer Brian Azzarello talked about the bringing the dark tale of the Joker to a feature length format.

“I loved doing it. The source material was so good,” said the scribe. “What was daunting was creating scenes that aren’t in the source material that feel like they were part of the source material.”

Azzarello (left), with Ray Wise and Tara Strong.

“I tried to stay true to the source material,” said Azzarello. “Bruce (Timm) was working in the trenches on this for the past year, and even he said ‘I don’t remember anymore what was in the book and what was in the script.’ So that’s good.”

Deciding to work on the script was an easy decision. When execs first approached Azzarello, he said yes immediately.

“The way I felt about it, if they were to say ‘What do you want to adapt?,’ I would have said Killing Joke. So when they came to me, I was like, ‘Yeah!.’”

Azzarello assured fans that nothing was cut in the film and that all parts of the original dark and twisted storyline are still in place.

“They submitted it and it got an R-rating like *that.* They said if you want it to be PG-13, you have to take out this, this and this. Bruce said it was a dealbreaker. Wait to you see it, it looks great.,” said Azzarello. “If it was been live action, it would have been NC-17.”

“I’ve done some animation, but watch this, and hearing my words, not just reading them, it’s incredible. It was like, wow, some of this actually has some depth to it.”

Giving Batman’s most popular nemesis a spotlight will no doubt change the perception of The Joker for folks unfamiliar with the original graphic novel. But for Azzarello, this thoughts on the madman were altered by other sources.

“My impression of the Joker has changed with the original Dark Knight…That’s when I realized he was really, really crazy and dangerous. And that might just be because Frank (Miller) drew him to look more human. It took the goofy edge off and made him a monster.”

What is it about The Killing Joke that speaks to fans?

“He’s right,” said Azzarello, “What separates us from insanity is one bad day. That’s all it takes.”

Given the importance of the graphic novel, which is considered by many to the be the quintessential Joker origin story, Azzarello was fairly calm when it came to talking about the outspoken fanbase and possible critics.

“I think they are going to love it and they are going to hate it.”

Batman: The Killing Joke is now available on Digital HD and arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on August 2

More than 90 of the world’s leading comic book artists and creators will appear at this year’s Boston Comic Con, taking place at the Seaport World Trade Center from August 12 through 14.  Joining legendary comic book creator Frank Miller for his only New England appearance in 2016 will be major comic writers and artists, including Brian Azzarello, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and many more.

“Boston Comic Con really stands out as a show because of the audience, who really understand what we do,” said Jimmy Palmiotti, who has written for Deadpool, Painkiller Jane, and Harley Quinn.  “We come every year to Boston Comic Con, which grows every year, because we find the audience is sweet, smart, and well-versed in what we do.”  Palmiotti and his wife Amanda Conner will be celebrating DC Universe Rebirth: Harley Quinn #1, which will be released in a special edition at Boston Comic Con.

As New England’s largest annual comic book convention, Boston Comic Con focuses on bringing major comic book artists and writers to the region.  This year’s show will also include an appearance by Frank Miller, who wrote The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and 300, among other major works.  The event will also include an appearance by Brian Azzarello, who has written for Wonder Woman and is collaborating with Miller on The Dark Knight III: The Master Race.  Azzarello also wrote the screenplay for the animated film Batman: The Killing Joke, which features Mark Hamill and will be released on July 25^th.

“The fans at Boston Comic Con are focused on the comics, that’s why they come to the show,” said Brian Azzarello.  “They want to talk to me and I want to talk to them. It’s nice to have an honest exchange with the fans there.”

The stellar line-up of over 90 world class comic book artists and writers also includes notable appearances by Sam Kieth, John Cassaday, and Frank Tieri.  Kieth is best known for his creator-owned titles The Maxx and Zero Girl and as co-creator of The Sandman.  Cassaday is a fan favorite artist with acclaimed runs on Planetary, Captain America, Astonishing X-Men and Marvel’s new Star Wars series.  Tieri has written for Iron Man, Wolverine, and Cat Woman.  They join other famed artists such as Arthur Adams, Mike and Laura Allred, Greg Capullo, Terry Dodson, Phil Jimenez, Erik Larsen, Jae Lee, David Lloyd, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Bernie Wrightson and many more.

“We are truly fortunate to have so many major comic book creators come to Boston Comic Con,” said Nick Kanieff, co-founder of Boston Comic Con. “Writers and artists are constantly telling us how much they enjoy coming to the show because our fans are knowledgeable and interested in talking with them.”

Boston Comic Con also boasts an impressive Celebrity Guest list including William Shatner, the original Captain James T. Kirk, whose appearance, along with Karl Urban and Vic Mignogna, marks the celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.  Also appearing are leading stars from top current TV shows including John Barrowman, Caity Lotz, Ciara Rene and Robbie Amell from CW’s Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash, Danielle Panabaker of Arrow and The Flash, Ben McKenzie from Gotham, Elizabeth Henstridge from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and featuring special appearances from Doctor Who companions Jenna Coleman and Karen Gillan.  Gillian Anderson, who plays the iconic role of FBI Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, completes the celebrity guest line-up.

Forces of Geek’s Stefan Blitz and Clay N. Ferno will also be on hand, moderating several panels:

Friday, August 12th

Author!  Author!
Moderated by: Clay N. Ferno
1:00 PM, Harbor View Ballroom
Participants: Marv Wolfman, Ming Doyle, Frank Tieri, Amanda Diebert
Description: What’s the story?  Well, ask these legendary comic book writers and they’ll tell you.

Saturday, August 13th

Spotlight on Scott Snyder
Moderated by: Stefan Blitz
11:00 AM, Harbor View Ballroom
Description: Q&A panel with fan-favorite comics writer Scott Snyder (All-Star Batman, Wytches, American Vampire, and many more).

Sunday, August 14th

Spotlight on Gillian Anderson
Moderated by: Stefan Blitz
1:00 PM, Harbor View Ballroom
Description: Meet Gillian Anderson – star of The X-Files, The Fall, Hannibal and the upcoming television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.

Gotham’s Jim Gordon: Spotlight on Ben McKenzie
Moderated by: Stefan Blitz
2:00 PM, Harbor View Ballroom
Description: The star of Fox TV’s hit show Gotham talks with fans at Boston Comic Con

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Elizabeth Henstridge
Moderated by: Clay N. Ferno
3:00 PM, Harbor View Ballroom
Description: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Elizabeth Henstridge mixes it up with fans at Boston Comic Con.

Boston Comic Con will also feature a Friday Night Drink’n’Draw, Boston Comic Con Night at Fenway Park, a Charity Art Auction, Film Festival, Cosplay Harbor Cruise, Saturday Night After Party, Cosplay Costume Contest and hundreds of comic book artists, writers and exhibitors selling comic book memorabilia. Friday, August 12, at Boston Comic Con is Family Friday with special admission pricing for kids, a dedicated Kids Con with special kid-friendly programming and activities, and a Kids Cosplay Contest.

For tickets and more information visit www.bostoncomiccon.com

In addition to his Muppet legacy, Jim Henson also inspired millions of fans with his two adult films, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.  In 2013, Grosset & Dunlap and The Jim Henson Company’s teamed up to create, The Dark Crystal Author Quest, a competition to find a writer to chronicle a prequel book series to the beloved film.

J.M. Lee’s winning story, chosen out of nearly five hundred submissions, takes place years before the events of the film and follows the journey of a young Gelfling woman who leaves her secluded home to uncover the truth surrounding the disappearance of her brother, who has been accused of treason by the sinister Skeksis Lords. 

The novel features cover art by the film’s original creature designer and popular fantasy artist Brian Froud, and interior illustrations by Cory Godbey. 

Joey (J.M.) was kind enough to take some time to discuss his book, the film’s influence and more.

###

FOG!: You were the winner of the Dark Crystal Author Quest. Was that specifically for the opportunity to write Shadows of The Dark Crystal?

J.M. Lee: The Dark Crystal Author Quest was a contest specifically to pen an official prequel YA novel to support the film. There were MANY entries and five finalists, from which I was thrilled to be selected. Shadows of The Dark Crystal is the story that sprang out of my original entry, “The Ring of Dreams,” which was only about 10,000 words.

What kind of creative freedom did you have in writing the book and why do you think you were the best storyteller to write the prequel novel?

I was encouraged by both the editorial team at Grosset & Dunlap, as well as the Jim Henson Company folks, to take the story wherever I wanted on the first run. We then revised as a group to make sure all parties were satisfied with how the plot, characters, world, etc, meshed with the existing canon. I would say that my experience working on collaborative projects, as well as my ability to view the story critically, are probably the most valuable personal assets I brought to the table during the writing process. And it probably doesn’t hurt that I’ve seen the film 100+ times.

Is Shadows of The Dark Crystal your first published work? What writers have had the biggest influence on your work?

Shadows of The Dark Crystal is my debut novel. I was heavily influenced in my formative writing years by Mercedes Lackey and Roger Zelazny, as well as from non-writerly creative sources such as fantasy video games and, of course, film. Words are extremely important to me, which is why I write, but I also feel most inspired when I’m taking in different stories across a variety of platforms.

Were you a big fan of The Dark Crystal growing up? What about it do you think makes it resonate to audiences almost 35 years later?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know The Dark Crystal. It’s been a staple cult classic in my life, but I didn’t discover the graphic novels, manga, etc. until later. I think it is a truly unique film that had a big impact on a lot of people, both from a production standpoint and from a story aspect. It’s a fantasy that is completely removed from Earth and human beings, and I think right now that really appeals to people. Not to mention there’s something really satisfying to watch a film that’s also completely removed from the crazy special effects of today’s fantasy flicks. To know that these were puppets and fabricated creatures, that the whole thing was done without all that, is so unheard of right now that it blows some people’s minds.

You’ve got another Dark Crystal novel in the works. What’s next after that?

We’ve actually got three more Dark Crystal novels left in the series, so that ought to keep me busy for a while! I’ll also be working on another revival/continuation for another long-running children’s book series (to be announced!). Amidst it of all, of course, I’m working on personal projects – a sci-fi western, a historical fantasy, and a swashbuckling comedy.

What are you currently geeking out over?

Oh man! Well, my wife and I just finished a replay of the ol’ Final Fantasy VII and we’re both really excited for the reboot… and I admit I have played no small amount of Pokémon Go. I’m a huge Twin Peaks fan, so I’m really looking forward to the reboot. Cannot wait!

Shadows of The Dark Crystal is now available in Hardcover and E-book
For more about J.M. Lee visit www.joeyverse.com

Today’s the day.

After almost a decade, Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass reunite for a new chapter in the Bourne series, Jason Bourne.

In case you need a refresher before heading to the theater (and to be honest, all I can tell you is he doesn’t remember his past, but he likes to run, kick and punch), check out the video below.

Keep in mind, there’s more to Matt Damon than running and kicking as this next video will attest.

Produced by Brent Miller and Suzanne Hillinger
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Starring Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, George Clooney,
Jon Stewart, Valerie Bertinelli, Dabney Coleman,
Adrienne Barbeau, Amy Poehler,  Kim Fields,
Todd Bridges, John Amos, Bea Arthur, Marla Gibbs,
Louise Lasser, Phil Rosenthal, Bill Moyers,
Esther Rolle, Charlotte Rae, Hal Williams,
Jimmie Walker, Sally Struthers, Demond Wilson

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is the name of the engrossing new documentary about one of the legends of television.

The title is taken from a bumper sticker distillation of Lear’s humanistic philosophy (no, really – it’s a bumper sticker on his car).

Lear, best known for shepherding some of the most groundbreaking sitcoms in TV history, is given his just due here.

This is not a worshipful whitewash, but a warts and all look at a committed, moral man who’s still going strong in his nineties.

We learn about his difficult childhood with his criminal father, who was a strong inspiration for Archie Bunker (according to Lear, he would even tell his wife to “Stifle!” when he felt she was getting out of line).

Norman’s rotten relationship with his dad colored much of his outlook (and output); he even admits at one point that it probably still affects him to this day. And while one could argue he was a far, far better family man than his father was, it becomes clear that he didn’t spend nearly as much time with his wife and daughters as he did with his TV shows.

There are more than a few times throughout the doc when Lear becomes emotional, oft times wiping tears from his eyes. Moments like these have power, all the more because it is essentially a nonagenarian looking back upon his entire legacy, in his art, his life and his activism.

The segment on his activism is quite interesting, as Lear took on the Moral Majority and their hypocrisy, censorship and intolerance. Bill Moyers labels Lear “a true patriot”, a comment that usually causes bile to rise in my throat.  In Lear’s case, Moyers is absolutely correct.

The talking heads and behind-the-scenes segments are intercut with “reenactments” of Lear’s childhood, with a young actor portraying Lear as a boy.  This stuff is always hit-or-miss, but directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady pull it off.

Other “arty” devices, such as a cut from a seagull to a warplane, are a bit less effective (there IS an amusing match cut involving The Flying Nun, however).

The meat of the movie, of course, deals with Lear’s years in television.  This is the best stuff: his almost daily battles with Carroll O’Connor and Esther Rolle over content, his all-out war with the networks’ “program practices” (or, as Lear labels it, censorship), his decision to develop The Jeffersons after listening to complaints from African-Americans that blacks are always represented as poor, etc.

As with some other recent docs on entertainment bigwigs (De Palma, Altman, et al), one might wish more time had been spent on specific works or topics. I would have loved to have heard some stories about one of my favorite film comedies, Cold Turkey, for which Lear wrote the script. But the focus of the doc is where it should be: on his life, his TV legacy and his activism.

A satisfying, entertaining and very enlightening film, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is well worth your time if you have any interest in entertainment history, censorship, and, ah hell, history period.

Now, would someone PLEASE do a special edition Blu-ray of Cold Turkey while Lear is still alive??

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is now playing in limited release. 
For theaters, click HERE

Produced by Paul Greengrass, Matt Damon,
Frank Marshall, Jeffrey M. Weiner,
Ben Smith, Gregory Goodman
Written by Paul Greengrass, Christopher Rouse
Based on Characters by Robert Ludlum
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones,
Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles

“I know who I am. I remember everything.”

“Remembering everything doesn’t mean you know everything”

I think these words from the trailer and the new film, Jason Bourne, are more prophetic than they are meant to be…

Unlike the previous Bourne films, with the exception of the 2012, Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner, they were all based on the three existing spy thriller novels of their respective names written by the late Robert Ludlum.

Paul Greengrass, director of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum is back at the helm of the latest installment of the kinetic and frantically shot Jason Bourne series aptly titled Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon.

However, just because he directed two of the three Bourne films based on books, does not make him a good writer of the Bourne films. Greengrass along with his longtime editor, Christopher Rouse, have penned this film and I must say, they should have left the writing to the dead guy.

Full of cliché tropes like the magic Hollywood government super computer, and having the main character get a generic key from a dying friend who doesn’t tell the main character what it goes to, then having the next shot be the main character at a random bus station and opening the locker full of stuff he needs with said key, Greengrass and Rouse prove that just because you surround yourself with something doesn’t mean you actually understand how it is done.

The basic plot is this: Bourne is “off the grid” living peacefully in Europe minding his own business and occasionally underground fighting to vent off his pent up anger, much like Rambo at the beginning of Rambo III. Someone from his past does something to make it look like he has gone active again and “rogue”. This alerts the US Government who now thinks Bourne is digging up info on the past and is trying to take down the Agency that created him. Not knowing his whereabouts, he is flushed out of hiding only to find out there is something he didn’t know about his past. He must fight the government, avenge the death of his friend, gain the aide of the one person in the agency who believes him and finally take down the old dude running things who wants him dead before Bourne exposes a huge secret.

Sound familiar? THAT IS BECAUSE THAT IS THE PLOT OF ALL THE OTHER BOURNE FILMS.

Jason Bourne’s lack of original plot makes it understandable why for an action-thriller, quasi-spy film I was really bored. Even Damon looked tired. He was as good as expected, but man, did he look tired. How could he not? He was literally doing the same shit he did in all the past films, only this time with a weak ass script.

I think the 20 second shot in Ocean’s Thirteen, that spoofs Damon as Bourne, where Damon’s character in that film, Linus, is talking to Danny Ocean about what he’s found out about the security Computer Willy Banks has installed in his casino, was shot better and was more exciting than all 123 minutes of Jason Bourne.

I hate to say it, but the previously mentioned original story, Bourne Legacy, was not only a much better film than it rightfully deserved to be but it is definitely more entertaining than Jason Bourne.

Greengrass’s signature shaky cam and frantic shooting style coupled with the rapid, almost incomprehensible editing gets even more shaky then in the previous entries of the series; To the point of being nigh unwatchable. The car chases and fight sequences are so rapidly cut and the camera moves so much that you would think that the camera operator was the one actually getting the crap beat out of him or run over.

I really wanted to like this movie. I did. I love the other Bourne movies and kinda had hoped that Greengrass and crew would catch “lightening in a bottle” one more time.

Instead they give us spoon-fed plot devices, tired story ideas, banal dialogue, and such ridiculous things as a god damn encrypted thumb drive with the word “ENCRYPTED” printed on it in Helvetica Bold. Like professionally printed and stamped. Like it was made with that written on the side. Not hand written. E-N-C-R-Y-P-T-E-D. What the hell people?

I think Jason Bourne needs Jason Bourne to come and save him from himself.

Glad they keep using that Moby song though. I never get tired of that.

I hope they reboot this next year with Ben Affleck.

Produced by Ricardo Curtis, Adele DiLiberto,
John DiLiberto, Nick DiLiberto, Wes Lui
Written and Directed by Nick DiLiberto
Starring Nick DiLiberto, Shawn Donovan,
Joe DiLiberto, Julie Kirkelos, Joel MacMillan

Sometimes knowing the production backstory of a film can cloud your judgement and such was the case for me with Richard Linklater’s 2014 film, Boyhood.

To be candid, I have always found the Texas-born director’s films to be the book definition of “hit or miss” for me, but even though I had no hard expectations for his work, it was still difficult for me to not get excited for a movie that took twelve years to produce and utilized the same actors throughout the filming.

As hard as I tried, I could not dismiss the thought while watching Boyhood that what I was seeing was such a labor-intensive process, and perhaps the knowledge of that fact did inspire my hatred for the film even more than it would’ve had I not known the backstory.

I found the performances of Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater decent enough during early portions of the film, but as the two children began to grow up during filming, their inabilities as actors against the professional talent of Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette were too glaring and awkward to dismiss, and by the second hour of Boyhood, the experience became unpleasant for me. I could also get into the issues I had with the whitewashing of the normally Hispanic areas where our pristine white family from Boyhood live in the film, but I’ll save that for another time.

It is safe to say that since the release of Linklater’s film, I have been careful to avoid reading any production notes before watching a movie, which makes my review of Nick DiLiberto’s 64 minute long 2D animated film, Nova Seed, as unbiased as possible, which I feel is important because after I viewed the film, I found out that, (here comes the backstory spoiler) this animated science-fiction movie was entirely written, directed, and hand animated by one man, Nick DiLiberto himself.

It almost seems too hard to believe that one man could animate a full-length film as impressive as Nova Seed, a film that could easily fit into the catalog of Canadian-based Nelvana Limited animated film work prior to 3-D animation coming into vogue.  Again, without knowing anything about DiLiberto’s Canadian background, you could see elements in Nova Seed hearken back to the classic Nelvana style seen in films like Heavy Metal and Rock N Rule, movies that were near and dear to my heart during the 1980s when I was, as most boys of my generation, a rock and fantasy obsessed pop-rock eating machine. Besides the look of Nova Seed, the premise, complete with Live-Aid era earth-saving do-gooders, also seems to be an homage to 1980s 2-D animated films and television shows.

NAC makes desperate escape.

We open Nova Seed with a scene of gladiatorial combat, which is always a good indicator that the society where the film is set is on the downslide in terms of evolution and humanity. A fierce human warrior is in the ring against what looks like some sort of giant green sandworm monster, but after a valiant fight, he is beheaded and de-boned by the beast. Soon, another warrior is thrust into the coliseum in the form of a lion-man or NAC (neo-animal combatant), who is victorious against his royally selected nemesis.

The NAC is then off to find the “Nova Seed,” a being similar to the Loc-Nar in the 1981 film, Heavy Metal, in that it possesses the potential of great evil or good depending on who is controlling it. In Nova Seed, the titular being can either be a restorative or degenerative force of the ecosystem of the environmentally ravaged planet.  At the beginning, the Nova Seed is held by the evil He-Man-esque Dr. Mindskull, who like our NAC, understands the importance and immense power of this supernatural creature. The “Nova Seed” is rescued by NAC, but Mindskull will stop at nothing to get the mystical creature back so that he can carry out his fiendish plot to destroy the world.

The wrath of the nostalgically evil Dr. Mindskull

The action scenes of Nova Seed are clever and nicely strung together, and with these scenes go the pace of the film, which is fast, but not so fast as to bury the plot by favoring action over characters and thus ruining the heart of the film’s message of corporate co-opting of the environment. There aren’t too many small budget, full-length animated films that have this level of ambition, and Nova Seed does a fine job with its ambitions in terms of narrative structure and visuals.

The only inconsistencies in the film come from the voice acting, which underwhelmed me as they seemed fairly out of place and lacked professionalism as compared with the other successful elements of Nova Seed. The score by Stephen Verrall fits most of the film, though I would seriously consider taking out the song that rolls during the credits as it is way too  descriptive of the plot and sentimental for this kind of narrative, but these are only small criticisms of elements that could be improved on before the film is finally ready for general distribution after Nova Seed’s festival run.

I had a few days to ruminate on Nova Seed before writing this review, and I was able to jot down as many thoughts about the film before finding out about its remarkable production. I will say had I just stumbled upon Nova Seed without any knowledge of the film, I would see it as a fitting homage to the animated fantasy/sci-fi films and television shows of my youth and would gladly recommend it, especially to those who look back on that era of animation with the same giddy joy as I do. Alternately, as I am now armed with the knowledge of the singular vision and execution of Nova Seed by Nick DiLiberto, I am in bewildered awe of what I have seen and hope that this leads our director to better funding and perhaps a few other artists who can help him make his next project come true.

Nova Seed premiered at July 23 at the Fantasia International Film Festival

Produced by Mia Chang, Tim Harms, Lovell Holder, Ryan Smith, Neil LaBute
Written and Directed by Ian MacAllister-McDonald
Starring Thomas Mann, Lily Mae Harrington, Marin Ireland, Lachlan Buchanan

I hate Neil LaBute.

I hate his misanthropy, I hate the way he shoves our faces into it, I hate the way he semi-shrouds said misanthropy in intellectual pseudo-justification.

I’m not venting here; I mention this because at about the midway point of writer/director Ian MacAllister McDonald’s debut feature Some Freaks, I felt I was watching a high school/college take on LaBute’s ethos and style. As the credits began to roll, with an underwhelmed and disappointed reaction to the film, I saw Neil LaBute’s name appear as one of the Executive Producers. What a surprise.

I do want to say up front that I did NOT hate Some Freaks I didn’t particularly like it, but I didn’t want to throw things at the screen as I’ve wanted to after watching some of LaBute’s efforts.

The film starts off fairly well, as one-eyed Matt (Thomas Mann), a senior in high school, is enduring another day of abuse at the hands of his fellow classmates. They taunt him, forcibly removing his eye patch, demanding to “see it” (meaning his empty eye socket).

His home life isn’t too terrific either; he lives with his exhausted, exasperated single mom, who’s got an infant to take care of as well. The two have a contentious relationship that seems ready to turn truly caustic at any time.

Matt finds some tiny solace in his friendship with fellow outcast Elmo (Ely Henry, whose looks suggest a young Paul Giamatti), a closeted (to everyone but Matt) homosexual who lusts after one of the studly basketball players.

One day, apparent true love arrives for Matt: his lab partner, Jill, who is overweight, but seemingly quite confident and fearless. The two begin an awkward but sincere romance.

But when Jill is set to go off to a distant college, Matt is quite upset. And when he visits her for the first time there, he’s shocked to find she’s lost quite a bit of weight.

This opens up a floodgate of Matt’s (at times quite ugly) insecurities.

The directions the film takes from here on left me quite cold. There are some contrivances and some real head scratchers when it came to character motivations, but what really sank the whole thing for me was the sheer misanthropy and distrust in humanity that permeates every frame.

There’s an interesting supporting character, Patrick, a good-looking, popular guy who had eyes for Jill as early as high school. Her weight seemed to make no difference to him. He just thought she could like him for who he was, as opposed to liking him solely for his looks. After she loses the weight, she still catches his eye.

This offers a nice contrast to Matt, who claims to love Jill, but only wants to make her fat again. His blurted-out reasoning for this is honest to the point of being utterly pathetic. I like the fact that this is pointed out in the film; however, I really, really didn’t buy that any guy who’s trying to hold on to someone he ostensibly loves would say these things outright.

As for the Patrick thread, the subplot plays out in a disappointing, “And….?” manner. The culmination of this storyline is intercut with the climactic doings of both Matt’s and Elmo’s characters. The crosscutting of ugly goings-on with pathetic characters echoes sequences in Boogie Nights and especially Requiem For a Dream.

That’s all well and good, yet at this point, I’d lost all interest in any of these people. I’m all for not sugar-coating situations and people’s true motivations, and for exposing the dark side of humanity. But give me SOMETHING; I hate Requiem, but Boogie Nights developed such love and sympathy for its loser characters that you’re okay to wade through the ugliness to find out what happens to them, all the while hoping for the best.

It should be noted that the acting here is mostly quite good, especially by Lily Mae Harrington as Jill. Mann has the tougher role, as his character goes too far to maintain sympathy or interest, but that’s really on McDonald.

In all candor, Some Freaks is, in many ways, a more than respectable feature debut. It’s not a hideous mess, it’s far from amateurish; it’s really a matter of sensibility and choices. And, of course, personal taste. If you love LaBute and couldn’t get enough of Requiem, you may find yourself loving this film.

If not, you may have a tough time making it to the final shot.

And – no spoilers – but boy is that last shot unearned.

Nova Seed premiered at July 23 at the Fantasia International Film Festival

XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the suspense thriller The Windmill and will release the film this October on its acclaimed “MACABRE” genre label. The film has its world premiere at FrightFest next month.

“The Windmill is a fun and nostalgic throwback to edge-of-your-seat horror classics like Friday the 13th and The Nightmare on Elm Street from the talented producers of Frankenstein’s Army. Halloween is going to be a lot scarier this year!” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.

A group of unsuspecting tourists awaken a mysterious evil whilst on a trip through the Dutch countryside. When their tour bus breaks down, the strangers are forced to seek shelter in an abandoned barn beside a sinister windmill where, legend has it, a Devil-worshipping miller once ground the bones of locals instead of grain. As members of the group start disappearing, secrets are revealed that seem to mark them all for doom.

The Windmill marks the directorial debut of Nick Jongerius (producer of Frankenstein’s Army and Dead End), based on his original idea with screenplay by Suzy Quid and Chris W. Mitchell. The film stars Noah Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” “Peaky Blinders”), Charlotte Beaumont, Patrick Baladi, Tanroh Ishida and Ben Batt. It was produced by Daniel Koefoed (Frankenstein’s Army), Nick Jongerius, Guirec Van Slingelandt (Kidnapping Mr. Heineken) and Eric Brenner (Amnesiac).

“It’s been a dream come true to shoot my feature film debut with an international cast like Noah Taylor and Charlotte Beaumont, and I’m thrilled to have it released in North America by XLrator Media,” said Nick Jongerius. “It was my aim from the beginning to use Dutch heritage and locations as the film’s backdrop. I’ve always been fascinated – and scared – by windmills. I can assure you that people will look at them differently after seeing the film.”

The deal was negotiated by XLrator Media’s Barry Gordon with Blue Fox Entertainment’s Todd Slater on behalf of the filmmakers.

“XLrator Media is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking distributors we know. We are thrilled to have them release the film in theaters and across all platforms this Fall,” said Todd Slater and James Huntsman of Blue Fox Entertainment.