Matt Damon (Bourne Franchise, The Martian) is back and this time it’s personal in JASON BOURNE, the action-packed fifth installment of the blockbuster franchise is now available on all formats from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  Nearly a decade since fans last saw the former operative, the explosive return brings Jason Bourne into a whole new era, revealing key secrets about Bourne’s origins to a new generation. The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD include commentary from the cast, filmmakers, stunt performers and fight coordinators, plus behind-the-scenes features that take viewers inside the making of the film’s intense stunt choreography and one of the wildest car chases in Bourne history.

Paul Greengrass, the director of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum returns for the next chapter of Universal Pictures’ Bourne franchise, which finds the CIA’s most lethal operative drawn out of the shadows.  Damon is joined by Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl), Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible) and Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger, No Country for Old Men), while Julia Stiles (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) reprises her role in the series.

And thanks to our friends at Universal Pictures, we’re giving away 10 copies of the Blu-ray Combo and assorted swag including hats and water bottles!

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

Who is the only other actor besides Matt Damon to appear in every installment in the Bourne series?

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 December 18th, 2016.

 For more details visit Facebook.com/TheBourneSeries

I have always been intrigued by massive failures in entertainment; aborted high-concepts, mega-bombs, so-bad-it’s-great, etc. With all of Hollywood’s best analysts, marketers, and number-crunchers behind them, a major studio can—usually with a sure-fire license and/or star—estimate almost to the dollar how much a film can potentially succeed for them.

Failures, on the other hand, take fate. You can’t really “plan” a failure.

Well…perhaps in the mid-Nineties, a cabal of producers and media companies did do just that. Plan a failure. Called The Fantastic Four.

I first ran into the original, unreleased Fantastic Four movie in the VHS/DVD bins of comic conventions in the late 1990s. No, scratch that—I first encountered the original Fantastic Four movie as the cover story for the October 1993 issue of Film Threat.

Wow!, I thought: somebody finally managed to do the impossible!

The smiling actors on the cover looked like the honest-the-God Fantastic Four!

OK, maybe the fact that Roger Corman’s people—straight from their 1993 Jurassic Park homage Carnosaur—were involved meant that it would be slightly on the cheesy side. But Corman knew how to do a lot with a smaller budget, and anyway all the Marvel movies up to that point were B-level or under anyway.

And so I waited for the film to come out. And I waited. And I waited. And then I found out that the movie was—inexplicably—shelved.

Fast-forward to 2013, with Season 4 of Arrested Development. An entire sub-plot revolved around an ill-fated Fantastic Four movie and its subsequent musical “revival.” This was obviously a reference to the unreleased 1990s film, with Ron Howard no doubt winking at his own days at the Corman studio.

With the controversial box office failure of the 3rd stab at the Fantastic Four franchise in 2015 (the 2nd being the “OK” two movies in 2005 and 2007), the stage seemed to be set for a revisiting of the Nineties cinematic FF.

And so we have the recent documentary Doomed! The Untold Story Of Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four.

There is a whole genre of documentaries about “failed” motion pictures, from Lost In La Mancha (2002) to Best Worst Movie (2009), and Lost Soul (2014). The thread that runs through most of these documentaries is of a leader (director or directors) shepherding a team bravely through what seems like unbeatable odds…and then getting beat. The documentary itself becomes like the “second act” of the film, a bit of closure…actors and crew members, still seemingly shellshocked after so many years, trying to piece things together.

In the case of the Corman Fantastic Four, Doomed! paints a picture of a cast and crew who were very aware of the budgetary restraints of the movie but gave it 150% anyway. Even towards the end of filming, when suspicion started to mount that not everything about the production was kosher, they pressed on—but to no avail. Like the heroes from the comic book, they walked into a trap so diabolical that there was no way to escape.

In the end, the production was caught in an unfortunate web of media companies bargaining over movie rights. Marvel was ready to produce their own movies, and had pretty much zero interest in this Corman production ever coming out.

Indeed, it is quite possible that the Fantastic Four was never meant to be released at all—that it was purposely created as a failure and a no-go, almost Producers-like in the level of shenanigans involved. Stan Lee publicly disavowed the picture while it was still filming, and Avi Arad was quoted as saying that Marvel purchased the film “for a couple of million dollars in cash and burned it.”

It’s not the purpose of this article to debate what actually happened to the movie—watch Doomed! for yourself and come to your own conclusion.

Of course, due to the gift of Fan Culture, the 1994 Fantastic Four was promptly bootlegged, probably seen by more people than had it been originally released in the theaters.

While the hopes of the original FF actors and director that Marvel will eventually give the movie a proper release seem painfully naive—I mean, this is a media conglomerate who held back the actual Fantastic Four comic book in protest against the 2015 version—I would offer that the fan response to the movie has superseded any possible “official” revival.

I could offer that, but it certainly won’t pay out any movie royalties to those involved.

I close with the observation that regardless of the level of failure these unfortunate films had initially experienced, the documentaries that chronicle their histories seem almost to be…the “real” movie.

The “real” story.

The “real” narrative.

It could be that the bringing together of the Fantastic Four actors and crew after 20 years, presented against the grainy backdrop of bootlegged movie footage, is actually more interesting and profound than the actual movie could have ever been.

As their idealistic younger selves are juxtaposed with the older talking heads providing wise, and at times painful, insights…these creative people have a lesson to teach us. Is the lesson one of hubris? Of dreams deferred?

Or is it one of sheer endurance?

Taking place between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, these new adventures follow a family of scavengers who build and sell starships from battle debris strewn throughout the galaxy. When their youngest discovers a natural connection with the Force through an ancient artifact – the Kyber Saber -he and his family are thrown into an epic struggle against the Empire to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy.

The Freemakers explore new worlds, meet new and familiar characters and discover the strength of family. Relive all 13 action-packed episodes in LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Season One.

And we’re giving away 5 copies!

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

The Kyber Crystal was first introduced in this first Expanded Universe novel released in 1978 and written by Alan Dean Foster?

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 December 18th, 2016.

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

A hell of a week to start December! Let’s waste no time and jump into it!

Aquaman #12

Written by Dan Abnett
Illustrated by Phillips Briones
Published by DC Comics

Part one of the storyline “The Deluge” begins here! Finally something is really happening on this title!

And it actually ties in to something that happened earlier in the series! (Issue 6, my favorite of the current series)

I enjoyed this very much!

It’s war! With the undersea army of N.E.M.O. at his command, Black Manta draws the U.S. and Atlantis into the war Aquaman has been fighting to prevent. Now the sea king races to uncover proof of N.E.M.O.’s deception before the two nations destroy each other.

It’s very cool watching the U.S. at war with Atlantis. Abnett writes a good story here and I enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing where this goes. Briones isn’t my first choice as artist (Brad Walker is), but he’s been consistent and this book needs that.

Add one hell of a last page (the best this year) and you should pick this book up!

Good job!

RATING: B+

Superman #12

Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Illustrated by Doug Mahnke
Published by DC Comics

Doug Mahnke is back on this title and all is good in the world.

I’m glad DC is utilizing him for Superman.

Mahnke is a consummate professional and never fails to bring energy and style to any book he is drawing. Thus, it is with glee I starting reading this book. And it’s pretty damn good.

Frankenstein has come to Hamilton County, home of Superman, and Hell has come with him.

It’s Man of Steel vs. the Monster to save the life of someone in the town with a horrifying secret.

Now, the plot is pretty wacky to be sure. Yet, Mahnke does it all withs straight face and kills it on art. I love when he draws any type of monster and this is no exception.

The writing is fairly good as well. All in all, a decent book. Now let’s keep Mahnke on for more Superman issues, shall we?

RATING: B

Batman #12

Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Mikel Janin
Published by DC Comics

Man, Mikel Janin is good. Like really, really good. I prefer him for sure over regular artist David Finch. He just has a cool style reminiscent of Tim Bradstreet. Every picture is wonderful to look at and he has a hell of a story sense.

As Bane decimates Batman’s team, the Dark Knight must decide how far he’s willing to go—and who he’s willing to sacrifice—for those he left in Gotham City.

As good as Janin is, the story is still lacking on this title. King doesn’t do much to move the story along and it feels very padded.

There are very few story beats in this “I Am Suicide” storyline…and this issue is really just an extended fight scene.

There is no real meat here, and I wish there was. Still, The team works well together enough and it’s a fairly decent book.

RATING: B-

Shade the Changing Girl #3

Written by Cecil Castellucci
Illustrated by Marley Zarcone
Published by DC Comics

The Young Animal imprint rages on with this newest issue of Shade.

And it’s typically nuts, as the last two issues were. It’s more than wacky, but hey. We need that sometimes.

Even if you have no idea what is going on, it’s endearing and compelling enough for you to want to keep reading.

Trying to settle into her new life as an Earth girl, Shade finds the body she has taken over doesn’t have the same skills as it did when its previous inhabitant was in charge.

It’s bad enough that her swim team hates her, but now she can’t perform in the water at all. Can Shade find anyone she can trust to give her guidance before the madness takes over and exposes her as an alien to the entire school?

The writing is very sharp. The art is nice as well. This is a very nice comic book overall. If you are looking for something off the normal beaten path, why not give this a shot?

It’s a unique book, and you’ll never read another quite like it.

RATING: A-

Nightwing #10

Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Marcus To
Published by DC Comics

This is the beginning of another storyline for Nightwing.

And it’s okay. I have to admit I was hoping for more. Still, the art isn’t bad at all.

Marcus To would be a great permanent artist on this title so let’s hope they can retain him past this storyline.

This issue follows Nightwing going back to Bludhaven for a fresh start. He would like to forget the events of the last few issues, and settles down in that fair city. Trouble of course won’t let him be, and it won’t be long until he is off on a new adventure.

I wish Seeley’s story had a little more pep to it. It didn’t grab me and I REALLY wanted it to.

Maybe this storyline will pick up. I really hope so. I feel like we have a great character and a good artist. Let’s move him forward instead of sending him in circles.

RATING: C+

Justice League #10

Written by Bryan Hitch
Illustrated by Neil Edwards
Published by DC Comics

I think Bryan Hitch is one of the most gifted storytellers this medium has ever had.

I do believe that. I just think he’s gifted on the artistic side. His writing is a little lackluster and lacks spark.

I think, at best, he should co-plot. His visuals are missed, and I think he would realize his stories much more if he had a strong writer…bring Mark Millar aboard or Warren Ellis!

That would be a Justice League for the ages, rather than this uninspired series.
It’s “Outbreak” part three! The identity of the Justice League’s mysterious new villain is revealed as the League uncovers a shocking connection to the Kindred invasion. This mysterious new foe ups the ante by releasing dozens of the team’s enemies from prisons around the world!

The writing is just plain and the art by Edwards tries to be a little too much like Hitch….but doesn’t quite succeed. It’s not bad, I just wish Edwards was more of his own artist.

This is just okay overall. I wish it were better.

RATING: C

Harley Quinn #9

Written by Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti
Illustrated by Brandon Peterson and Michael Wm. Kaluta
Published by DC Comics

Another totally crazy issue of Harley Quinn.

It’s written pretty much like the others. If you like it, you’ll love it.

Me however? I love the guest artists. From Billy Tucci to Simon Bisley to Jill Thompson, these guest artists have been great.

And now we have Michael Wm. Kaluta, one of my favorite artists of all time drawing four pages.

It’s awesome.

In this issue, they ask the question can anyone truly understand the mind of the world’s craziest psychiatrist? Harley’s about to get a shrink of her very own…what are the odds he won’t go insane himself?

The art is a huge selling point here. Peterson is no slouch in the art department either and more than rises to the occasion here. And Kaluta does great work. It’s almost like he only gets better with age.

Put this all together and you have a solid book, and it’s a good time like always.

RATING: B+

And the rest

Unfollow # 14
Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated Javier Pulido
Published by DC Comics
A pretty decent story in this issue is amped up by the underused art of Javier Pulido. I loved to look at it. Because of both, I very much enjoyed this comic book.
RATING : B+

Death of Hawkman #3
Written by Marc Andreyko
Illustrated by Aaron Lopresti
Published by DC Comics
This series is admittedly pretty dull. I wish there was some spark on worth the writing or drawings…but sadly there is not much. It’s sadly…plain.
RATING: C-

Green Lanterns #12
Written by Sam Humphries
Illustrated by Eduardo Pansica
Published by DC Comics
This is just another dull Green Lantern title. The art isn’t half bad but I have no idea where we are. Let’s redo this whole line. It’s less than exciting now.
RATING: C-

Ever After #4
Written by Dave Justus and Matthew Sturges
Illustrated by Travis Moore
Published by DC Comics
This spinoff from Fables is actually proving itself to be better than “just a spinoff.” This comic is smart and consistently well written. The art isn’t half bad either. Worth a look.
RATING: B

Looney Tunes #234
Written by Sholly Fisch
Illustrated by Robert Pope
Published by DC Comics
This is Looney Tunes. It’s meant to be fun! And it is! If you’re looking for fun, pick it up. Fisch is a good writer for these books. Worth the price of admission.
RATING: B

The Flintstones #6
Written by Mark Russell
Illustrated by Steve Pugh
Published by DC Comics
This is just a mess. I hope this Hanna-Barbera line ends soon. If Dr. Manhattan is responsible for the DC Universe, then this line may the most horrific of his creations.
RATING: F

Just in time for the holidays, Hot Topic and BoxLunch have partnered with Netflix to announce the first-ever line of officially licensed merchandise from the sensational hit series, Stranger Things. Incorporating elements of the show’s best-loved characters and iconic costuming, Hot Topic and BoxLunch will carry Stranger Things apparel for girls and guys – including tees, raglans, and tanks – with styles unique to each brand. The iconic pink “Eleven” dress, emblematic of everyone’s favorite telekinetic waffle-lover, will be available at Hot Topic only. Additionally, both Hot Topic and BoxLunch will carry their own assortment of novelty-inspired pins, patches, accessories and other collectibles, including a “Friends Don’t Lie” lapel pin and an embroidered “Hawkins High School” patch. Fans of the hit show can purchase official Stranger Things merchandise starting December 1^st at all Hot Topic and BoxLunch stores and online.

About Stranger Things
Set in Hawkins Indiana in the 1980’s, this series chronicles the search for a young boy who vanishes into thin air under highly suspicious circumstances. His mother (Winona Ryder) opens an investigation into the boy’s disappearance with local authorities that unravels a series of mysteries involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. Created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as writers, directors and executive producers, along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps, Stranger Things is a love letter to the ubiquitous cult classics of the 80’s and a coming of age story for three boys where mysteries lurk beneath the surface.

For more details, click HERE!

A sinister tale of haunting and murder starring Neal McDonough (Captain America: The First Avenger, “Suits”) and Jodell Ferland (The Cabin in the Woods, “Dark Matter”), The Unspoken shocks on DVD December 6 from Anchor Bay Entertainment. From the producers of top horror franchises, Insidious and Paranormal Activity, as well as Blair Witch and The Devil Inside, the frighteningly twisted story also stars Chanelle Peloso (Zapped), Lochlyn Munro (Scary Movie, “Charmed”), Matt Bellefleur (In Their Skin, “Falling Skies”) and Pascale Hutton (“Flashpoint,” “Sanctuary”).

In 1997 the close-knit Anderson family vanished from their country home without a trace, without an explanation. No bodies were found and the house has remained undisturbed for 17 years…until now. When a mother and her mute son move into the mysterious place, a local teen reluctantly accepts a job as the son’s caretaker to help her financially struggling father. She immediately finds herself trying to make sense of the supernatural activities taking place in the house, all of which seem eerily similar to the past.

And we’re giving away two copies!

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

Co-star Neal McDonough made his first on-screen appearance in this 1990 Sam Raimi cult film?

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 December 18th, 2016.

In Tim Burton’s “best film in years” (Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair), the cinematic genius brings his magic to Ransom Riggs’ worldwide best-selling novel to create a fantastical world of mystery, power and peculiarity. Just in time for the holidays, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates the in-home release of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, arriving on Digital HD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD on December 13, 2016.

When 16-year-old Jake unravels a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he discovers a secret world for children with unusual powers, including levitating Emma, pyrokinetic Olive, and invisible Millard. But danger soon arises and the children must band together to protect a world as extraordinary as they are. Immerse yourself in this “big, bold, and perfectly peculiar” (Silas Lesnick, ComingSoon.net) experience.

With captivating stars including Eva Green (Miss Peregrine), Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Barron), Emmy Award winner Allison Janney (Dr. Golan), and up-and-comers Asa Butterfield (Jake) and Ella Purnell (Emma), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is sure to delight fans and families alike this holiday season. A must-own for any Tim Burton fan collection!

Limited edition DVD with collectible Stay Peculiar bracelet available while supplies last.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD Special Features Include:

• The Peculiar Story – Join author Ransom Riggs and the cast & crew as they discuss how this best-selling series was brought to life
• The Peculiars – Meet the cast in this behind-the-scenes piece, including 15 character pods
• Hollows And Ex-Hollows – Explore the role of the Hollows, led by Barron (Samuel L. Jackson,) and the process of creating these ferocious creatures
• Map Of Days – Miss Peregrine’s Home & Blackpool Tower
• “Wish That You Were Here” – Florence + The Machine Music Video
• Gallery – Never-Before-Seen Sketches by Tim Burton and Photographs

In their fifth fully animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead when we leave for work or school. Max, voiced by Louis C.K., is a loyal terrier living a perfectly happy existence until his owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper) brings home Duke (Eric Stonestreet) a big, boisterous mutt she finds at the shelter. When Max and his unruly new “roommate” slip away from their dog-walker, they find themselves lost in the urban jungle of New York City. In an attempt to stay ahead of animal control and a rebel band of abandoned pets led by an unhinged bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart), they put aside their differences to survive the epic journey back home.

With an all-star voice cast including Louis C.K. (TV’s Louie), Eric Stonestreet (TV’s Modern Family), Kevin Hart (Ride Along Series), Jenny Slate (Zootopia), Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Lake Bell (TV’s Children’s Hospital), Dana Carvey (Wayne’s World), Hannibal Buress (Neighbors series), Bobby Moynihan (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Steve Coogan (Minions) and Albert Brooks (Finding Dory). The film is directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me franchise, Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax) and co-directed by Yarrow Cheney (Despicable Me franchise).

And we’re giving away five copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “THE SECRET LIVES OF PETS” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

How many one-time Saturday Night Live cast members lent their voices to The Secret Lives of Pets?

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 December 18th, 2016.

Welcome to our annual Holiday Gift Guide!

This time we’re changing the formatting a little, but as always hope that you enjoy our selections/recommendations!

Enjoy our picks and wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season and 2017!

Here are our Top 10 Must Have Items (and if you don’t like any of them, then we clearly have very different taste!

And so in no particular order…

1.  Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie

Written by Brandon Alinger, Wade Lageose, David Mandel
Foreword by George Lucas Published by Abrams Books

Official copy: Ralph McQuarrie is the most iconic artist in the history of Star Wars. He worked hand-in-hand with George Lucas to help establish the saga’s visual aesthetic, its inimitable look and feel. Beyond designing Darth Vader, C-3PO, and R2-D2, McQuarrie produced hundreds of pieces of Star Wars artwork, including conceptual paintings, costume designs, storyboards, and matte paintings, as well as posters, book covers, and album covers—even Lucasfilm’s annual holiday cards—all rescanned and rephotographed for this book. In Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie, readers will find the most definitive collection of the artist’s Star Wars work ever assembled, including hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations. Rare unpublished interviews, as well as recollections from McQuarrie’s colleagues and friends, complement and contextualize the art. Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie is a comprehensive tribute to cinema’s most beloved and influential concept artist.

Why we love it: I was six years old when Star Wars came out and for children of my generation, it, like the Force, “surrounded us and penetrated us; and bound our galaxy together.”  And the most important name in Star Wars history after George Lucas, was Ralph McQuarrie.

As the man who visualized Lucas’ imagination, McQuarrie defined many of the concepts, characters and worlds that have become part of the pop culture vernacular.  With the sequels, animated series and standalone films likely being produced for decades to come, it’s enlightening to see so many previously non-utilized concepts being brought to life, as if the late McQuarrie’s touch is still ever present.  With over 2,000 pieces of art, this belongs on the shelf of anyone who has ever loved the original trilogy.

2. VIZIO M50-D1 SmartCast Display

Official copy: Introducing the all-new VIZIO D-series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV. With over 8.3 million pixels in every image, four times the resolution of 1080p Full HD, D-series Ultra HD displays produce breathtaking detail and clarity. Full-Array LED backlighting and 12 Active LED Zones deliver superior light uniformity with an extremely high contrast, and deep, pure black levels.

Active Pixel Tuning enables pixel-level brightness adjustments for increased picture accuracy and contrast. And with Clear Action 240, sports and action fans will appreciate the powerful image processing of the D-series with a blazing 120Hz effective refresh rate achieved with backlight scanning for sharper detail in fast action scenes.

In addition, the beautifully designed D-series is optimized to deliver all of your favorite entertainment in stunning 4k Ultra HD right out of the box. Thanks to HEVC decoding and ultra-fast 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi (up to 3x faster), you’ll get Ultra HD streaming from popular apps like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and UltraFlix. Its powerful Spatial Scaling Engine beautifully transforms your favorite 720p and 1080p HD sports, movies, and TV shows into near Ultra HD.

And support for the latest HDMI standards enables Ultra HD playback from next generation cable and satellite receivers, Blu-ray players and game consoles. It all adds up to a beautifully simple experience where the picture is everything and nothing is more captivating!

Why we love it: I had the opportunity to review this television earlier this fall, and in the time since, I’ve fallen even more in love with it.  Not only is the picture quality fantastic, but the control options are amazing.  It’s done something that I wasn’t expecting; it made me fall more in love with watching television.  This is truly an amazing set that is perfect for someone wanting a large 4K unit without spending an obscene amount of money.

3. Frankenstein Monochrome Edition VFX Head

Official Copy: Factory Entertainment is proud to present its Monochrome Edition Frankenstein VFX Maquette, a 1:1 scale character replica of Boris Karloff as the Monster, produced under license from Universal Studios. Available only from Factory Direct this exclusive variant features a Monochrome paint finish designed to evoke the golden age of the silver screen, and presents the pitiful creature as he appears on screen in black and white

More than a typical bust, this polyresin piece includes electronic light and sound features to create an enhanced experience. Hauntingly accurate in every detail, the piece ‘comes alive’ when its VFX (Visual Effects) features are activated.

Universal Pictures’ Frankenstein, released in 1931, is one of the greatest horror films of all time. Boris Karloff’s portrayal of the tormented monster gave us one of the cinema’s most iconic and enduring creatures. The Frankenstein make up team was led by the legendary Jack Pierce, and the Monster’s ‘look’ was meticulously and laboriously hand-crafted prior to filming, in a time before prefabricated prosthetics existed. The flat head, neck electrodes and sunken expression have since become the ubiquitous look of the Frankenstein Monster, whether in serious horror films or parodies of the genre, perhaps because the design is as visually stunning, if not as frightening, today as it was eight decades ago.

Inspired by the work of Kenneth Strickfaden, the set designer who created the equally iconic laboratory set for the film, we have added a period style control panel to the front of the maquette. Throw the knife-switch to initiate the sequence and watch the voltage meter dial sway. Throw the switch the other way and hear the iconic line of Henry Frankenstein himself, digitally re-mastered directly from the film. The Monster’s neck electrodes can be connected up using the wires and clips, or removed depending on your preference. Turn down the lights and you will see the Monster’s eyes glow eerily, our homage to the early promotional posters for the film where the Monster appears to shoot lightning from his eyes!

A numbered limited edition of 100 pieces each Frankenstein VFX Maquette Monochrome Edition is only available from Factory Direct and is presented in a full color collector box and includes a prop story booklet, COA and numbered limited edition plaque.

Why we love it: It’s Frankenstein.  Seriously.  The real Frankenstein.  Boris Karloff as made up by Jack Pierce decades ago.  It’s hard to articulate how much I love this.  Presented in a monochrome finish (there’s also one in green), this is the character as I fell in love with him watching The Creature Double Feature every Saturday morning.  The bust has all sorts of bells and whistles (his eyes light up and there are special effect sounds with Colin Clive screaming, “It’s alive!”, but those are just icing on the cake.

This is an icon of pop culture.  Of my childhood.  Of my life.  And it’s as alive as I’d ever expect him to be.

4.  Comic Book Fever – A Celebration of Comics: 1976-1986

By George Khoury
Published by TwoMorrows

Official Copy: George Khoury (author of The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore and Kimota: The Miracleman Companion) presents a love letter to his personal golden age of comics, 1976-1986, covering all the things that made those comics great—the top artists, the coolest stories, and even the best ads! Remember the days when every comic book captured your imagination, and took you to new and exciting places? When you didn’t apologize for loving the comic books and creators that gave you bliss?

Comic Book Fever captures that era, when comics offered all different genres to any kid with a pocketful of coins, at local establishments from 7-Elevens to your local drug store. Inside this full-color hardcover are new articles, interviews, and images about the people, places, characters, titles, moments, and good times that inspired and thrilled us in the Bronze Age: Neal Adams, John Romita, George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, Jim Starlin, José Luis García-López, The Hernandez Brothers, The Buscema Brothers, Stan Lee, Jack Davis, Jack Kirby, Kevin Eastman, Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, Frank Miller—and that’s just for starters. It covers the phenoms that delighted Baby Boomers, Generation X, and beyond: Uncanny X-Men, New Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Love and Rockets, Crisis On Infinite Earths, Superman vs. Spider-Man, Archie Comics, Harvey Comics, Kiss, Star Wars, Rom, Hostess Cake ads, Grit(!), and other milestones! So take a trip back in time to re-experience those epic stories, and feel the heat of Comic Book Fever once again! With cover art and introduction by Alex Ross!

Why we love it:  George Khoury understands the magic of comics.  Keep in mind, I’m not referring to just the content.  What George understands (and loves) is the passion that was unique to a generation of fans that grew up in the Seventies and Eighties.

Comics and superheroes were slowly becoming a respectable medium, rising out of the ghettoization of the medium in it’s earliest days.  You had creators who grew up absorbing pop culture, including comics, who had their first chance at bat tackling not only their childhood icons, but also developing creator owned material of their own.  You had an evolution of storytelling as writers, artists and publishers were able to take a risk, something that the larger companies today can’t for risk of tarnishing their Intellectual Properties.

In Comic Book Fever, George has created a time capsule of that time period.  A love letter to growing up and going to the store twice a week (remember when there used to be different delivery days?).  Days when today’s iconic creators were just getting started and establishing themselves.  It’s already a book that I treasure and one that I wholeheartedly recommend.

5.  Neca Batman Begins – 1/4 Scale Action Figure

Official copy: Batman Begins marks its 10th anniversary this year, and we’re commemorating the occasion with an impressive new 1/4 scale action figure based on Christian Bale’s portrayal of the Dark Knight.

Batman stands over 18″ tall and features an authorized likeness, a soft fabric cape and movie-accurate detail (like the hidden compartment in his boot heel that stores a sonar signaling device). The figure is loaded with accessories, including grapnel gun, large hinged Batarang, small Batarang, open and closed mines, sonar communicator and two pairs of hands.

A must-have for fans of director Christopher Nolan’s gritty Dark Knight trilogy! Window box packaging.

Why we love it: Batman is my favorite character of all time.  In any medium; in any incarnation, the story of Bruce Wayne is one I hold near and dear to my heart.  And, my favorite cinematic incarnation of the character is Christian Bale in Batman Begins (I dig all three of Nolan’s films immensely, but Begins is the best).  And as cool as Hot Toys are, I can’t help but think that the fact that this one is 50% larger (18″ to Hot Toys’ 12″) it’s the version that we deserve.  That point would be moot, of course, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a truly amazing sculpt that looks like someone captured Bale on set and shrunk him down 75% for retail purposes.  Complete with gadgets and a cape with a wingspan of almost three feet, this figure is a reminder, that it’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.

6. Monster Mystery Stocking

Official copy: From the fine folks at Monsters Are Good comes their Monster Mystery Stocking which includes one of  the 2 currently available enamel pins, both patches, all the stickers , a random poster, a 1992 monster triva book, a couple little toys and a holiday button.

Why we love it: We love monsters.  You love monsters.  They really love monsters.  A clothing/design company, Monsters Are Good puts out some of the coolest merch month after month.  This Mystery Stocking is awesome and the perfect gift (or stocking) for the monster lover on your holiday list.

7.  Absolute Batman: Year One

By Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis
Published by DC Comics

Official copy: Absolute Batman: Year One presents one of DC Comics’ most lauded tales in two hardcover volumes contained by a slipcase.

The first volume will reprint the recolored version of the story from previous collected editions, remastered with new, high-resolution scans of the original coloring by David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis.

The second volume will reprint the original 1987 version of the story as it ran in Batman #404-407, reproduced from scans made by Mazzucchelli and Lewis from the printed comic book pages, presented on stock that simulates the look and feel of the original comics. This volume will include Miller’s complete scripts and Mazzucchelli’s complete pencil layouts for all four chapters!

Together, the two volumes will include more than 60 pages of bonus material, including everything seen in the existing hardcover and trade paperback collections

Why we love it: Absolute Batman: Year One might very well be my favorite comic book story of all time.  This edition is a bit of a curiosity, but the good outweighs the bad especially since the story means so much to me.  The two volumes include the same book, one reprinting the story on higher quality paper as series colorist Richmond Lewis revisited it in 1988.  The second reprints the book on newsprint-type paper as originally released in comic form in 1987.  This book features a sub-par scan which unfortunately results in a blurry reproduction.  The first book is visually stunning and the supplementary material which includes layouts, designs and scripts is truly amazing.

8.  The Good, the Tough & the Deadly

Written by David J. Moore
Published by Schiffer Publishing

Official copy: This massive study on action movies and stars from around the world, from the 1960s to the present, is filled with more than a thousand in-depth movie reviews that cover every action star who’s crossed over from the world of martial arts, sports, professional wrestling, and stunt work. Exploding with beautiful images, exclusive interviews, and a thorough action star index, this one-of-a-kind movie reference book and comprehensive fan guide features reviews by the author, Zack Carlson (Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film), Vern (Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal and Yippie Ki-Yay Moviegoer!), Mike McBeardo McPadden (Heavy Metal Movies and Going All the Way: The Ultimate Guide to Teen Sex Comedies of the VHS Era), and several others. It is a quintessential tribute to the men and women who have left their mark in the action and martial arts film genres.

Why we love it: Every cinegeek that I know not only has an expansive home video library, but also a print one as well.

It makes perfect sense.  Although we live in the digital age, true cinegeeks understand the value and importance of physical media.

And every once in a while a book comes out that serves as a reminder why print should never die.  David J. Moore’s book, The Good, The Tough & The Deadly is not the kind of book that you pick up and read straight through (although you can), but it belongs on your coffee table or next to your bed to pick up and peruse frequently.  It’s packed with not only reviews, but also interviews and additional information about some of the most important actors and filmmakers of the genre.  It’s something that deserves to be read again and again.  That’s still something that in my opinion, digital has yet to conquer.

Like his previous book also from Schiffer Books, World Gone Wild: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies, Moore has crafted an essential volume for every movie lover.

9.  The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series Blu-ray

Released by Paramount Home Video

Official copy: All 156 episodes of Rod Serling’s classic, groundbreaking series are presented in pristine high-definition in this spectacular Blu-ray box set. Also includes many hours of special bonus features, including: Rare unofficial pilot episode “The Time Element,” Original unaired pilot version of “Where is Everybody?” with Rod Serling’s network pitch, Numerous audio commentaries and interviews, Rod Serling’s audio lectures, Promos for “next week’s” show, Radio dramas, Sponsor billboards, Isolated music scores, and so much more.

Why we love it: “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.”

The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest television series in the history of the medium. An anthology from the brilliant imagination of Rod Serling that attracted some of television’s greatest writers including Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Reginald Rose, Jerry Sohl and Serling himself.

Among the amazing actors who appeared in the series were Jack Klugman, Burgess Meredith, James Best, Bill Mumy, Stafford Repp, Paul Mazursky , Marjorie Bennett, William Shatner, Lee Marvin, Cliff Robertson, Russell Johnson, Fritz Weaver, Martin Landau, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Claude Akins, Ross Martin, Jack Weston, Jonathan Harris, Warren Oates, Dean Stockwell, Olan Soule, Art Carney,John Carradine, Rod Taylor, Kevin McCarthy, Roddy McDowall, Keenan Wynn, Shelley Berman, Peter Falk, Buster Keaton, Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, Dennis Weaver, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Robert Duvall, Pat Hingle, Dennis Hopper, Mickey Rooney, Telly Savalas, Jackie Cooper, Wally Cox, Diana Hyland, Dan Duryea, Sebastian Cabot, Vera Miles, Buddy Ebsen, Cloris Leachman, Jonathan Winters, Carol Burnett, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Shelley Fabares, Mariette Hartley, George Takei, Murray Hamilton, Sydney Pollack, Strother Martin, R.G. Armstrong, Richard Kiel,Nancy Kulp,Barbara Barrie, Sterling Holloway, Leonard Nimoy, Lee Van Cleef, Dub Taylor, Ron Howard, William Schallert, James Doohan, Alan Napier, Michael Conrad, Henry Corden, Julie Newmar, John Astin, Burt Reynolds and Don Rickles.

Collecting all 156 episodes, The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series features science-fiction, fantasy, psychological-supernatural horror stories that resonate as strongly today as they did when the show ran over fifty years ago.

10. Forces of Geek T-Shirt

Manufactured by Tee Public

Why we love it: It’s an awesome shirt!  We made it, paying homage to one of this year’s biggest pop culture phenomenons, Stranger Things, and not only will this shirt make you cooler, but infinitely more attractive!

Iron Fist Epic Collection: The Fury of Iron Fist
By Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Larry Hama
Published by Marvel Comics

A Himalayan expedition to find the mystical city of K’un-Lun left nine-year-old Daniel Rand’s parents dead, but he found the path to the K’un-Lun and there spent a decade training under its immortal inhabitants.

He became an unmatched master of martial arts and spiritual control; armed with the shattering power of the iron fist, Daniel left immortality behind to set out into the Western world and avenge his parents’ deaths.

Packed with wall-to-wall kung fu action, Iron Fist runs a gauntlet through the Kara-Kai death cult, ninja adversaries, and mystic dimensions.

COLLECTING: Vol. 1; Marvel Premiere (1972) 15-25, Iron Fist (1975) 1-15, Marvel Team-Up (1972) 63-64

Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert
By Alan Brennert, Jim Aparo, Dick Giordano,
Joe Staton, Norm Breyfogle, José Luis García-López
Published by DC Comics

Penning just a handful of comic tales over two decades, writer Alan Brennert was never a prolific contributor to the DC Universe. But to fans familiar with those iconic tales, Brennert ranks among the all-time greatest Batman authors. Primarily a writer of television and literary fiction, he wrote only nine stories for DC Comics, but all were instant classics.

Largely taking place outside of the main DC continuity, in the realms of Elseworlds and Earth-Two, Brennert’s comics are some of the most-thought provoking and insightful in the Dark Knight’s history.

Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert brings together for the first time the complete works of a writer who has been a staple DC “Greatest Stories” collections for decades.

The Fade Out
by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Published by Image Comics

The most ambitious project yet from the award-winning team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, with acclaimed color artist Elizabeth Breitweiser — Finally available in the gorgeous Deluxe edition their fans have come to expect!

An epic graphic novel of Hollywood in the early days of the Blacklist, The Fade Out tracks the murder of an up-and-coming starlet from studio backlots to the gutters of downtown Los Angeles, as shell-shocked front man Charlie Parish is caught between his own dying sense of morality and his best friend’s righteous sense of justice.

A picture-perfect recreation of a lost era, The Fade Out is an instant classic from one of comics most acclaimed teams.

This beautiful oversized hardback edition collects the entirety of Brubaker and Phillips serialized graphic novel, as well as many behind-the-scenes art and stories, sketches and layouts, illustrations, and several historical essays.

Collects issues 1 – 12 of The Fade Out.

Mickey’s Craziest Adventures
by Lewis Trondheim and Nicolas Keramidas
Published by IDW Publishing

It’s a “lost” 1965 Disney epic, deemed too wild for publication and saved only in tantalizing fragments… or is it?

When Pegleg Pete and the Beagle Boys shrink and steal Scrooge’s Money Bin, Mickey and Donald must track them down―in what is really a brand-new album-length thriller by comics masters Lewis Trondheim and Nicolas Keramidas: told in an amazing indy style and presented like a treasure suspended in time!

Machine Man: The Complete Collection
by Jack Kirby, Marv Wolfman, Tom Defalco,
Roger Stern, Sal Buscema, Steve Ditko
Published by Marvel Comics

A military machine with a soul, a thinking computer in the form of a man, X-51 is the Machine Man!

Abel Stack gave a government-created robot a human face, nurturing the man inside the machine and calling him son. But Stack’s death left that son, Aaron, alone and running for his life. The military wants to strip him apart, mankind doesn’t understand him – but in exploits crafted by two of the medium’s greatest talents, he’ll still redefine humanity.

Few comic books were lucky enough to be graced by the work of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

COLLECTING: Machine Man (1978) 1-19; Incredible Hulk (1968) 235-237; Marvel Comics Presents 10

The Art of DC Comics Bombshells
by Ant Lucia
Published by DC Comics

The timeless beauty of the DC Universe’s greatest heroines is on full display in The Art of DC Comics Bombshells! Reimagined in the incredibly popular collectibles line as World War II-era pinups, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Supergirl, Poison Ivy and so many more of the most extraordinary characters in comics are showcased as never before. These gorgeous statues have become modern-day classics, capturing imaginations and inspiring covers in their honor, a monthly comic book series and more.

The retro reinventions of these iconic heroes and villains are presented here along with never-before-seen artwork, preliminary designs and commentary from the creative forces behind the ever-expanding world of the Bombshells!

Airboy
by James Robinson and Greg Hinkle
Published by Image Comics

When acclaimed comics author James Robinson (Starman, Fantastic Four) is hired to write a reboot of the 1940s action hero Airboy, he’s reluctant to do yet another Golden Age reboot.

Just what the hell has happened to his career-?! His marriage?! His life?! Hey, it’s nothing that a drink can’t fix.

It’s after one such night of debauchery with artist Greg Hinkle that the project really comes into its own. Quite literally.

Because Airboy himself appears to set the two depraved comic book creators on the straight and narrow. But no one in this story has their life go according to plan.

Read the entire series in one hardcover collected volume, which features a brand new story dealing with the reaction to the comic’s initial publication that doesn’t turn out the way anyone expects…least of all Robinson and Hinkle.

A satirical look into the comic book industry paired with the debauchery of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Super Weird Heroes: Outrageous But Real!
Edited by Craig Yoe
Published by IDW Publishing

SUPER!–SUPER Weird Heroes is the first superhero book from Yoe Books/IDW! Over 500 pages, this ginormous tome is as thick as a brick! This bargained-priced book is filled with tons of rare, full-color, never-before-reprinted comics which could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars on the collector’s market!

WEIRD!–Super WEIRD Heroes is the most bizarro, wacky, wild, astonishing eye-popping, jaw-dropping, book… EVAH! It’s loaded with beyond-belief “WHAT TH’?!?!” moments! Wait till you tell your friends what you discover in its pages!

HEROES!–Super Weird HEROES will make you laugh, cry, and be immensely entertained! You’re going to witness Public Domain superheroes like The Hand (yes, he’s a giant hand), The Eye (you got it―he’s a yuuuge eye), The Bouncer (this super-hero-in-a-skirt’s power is bouncing)!

There’s Rainbow Boy (he sports a towering rainbow mohawk on his head), Boomerang (he defeats Nazi hordes and weaponry by throwing a little boomerang), Kangaroo Man (don’t jump to conclusions―he’s even weirder than you think―his fighting partner is a talking kangaroo!).

You’ll spit-take your milk reading the adventures of The Yellowjacket (he fights villains with bees), Madame Fatal (a cross dressing hero), and Phantasmo (who fights criminals barely wearing any clothes at all)! And this is just a small fraction of the Super Weird Heroes you’ll experience in this must-have book―there are over 65 super weird heroes in all!

Becoming Andy Warhol
by Nick Bertozzi and Pierce Hargan
Published by Abrams Books

Celebrated during his lifetime as much for his personality as for his paintings, Andy Warhol (1928–87) is the most famous and influential of the Pop artists, who developed the notion of 15 minutes of fame, and the idea that an artist could be as illustrious as the work he creates.

This graphic novel biography offers insight into the turning point of Warhol’s career and the creation of the Thirteen Most Wanted Men mural for the 1964 World’s Fair, when Warhol clashed with urban planner Robert Moses, architect Philip Johnson, and Governor Nelson Rockefeller. In Becoming Andy Warhol, New York Times bestselling writer Nick Bertozzi and artist Pierce Hargan showcase the moment when, by stubborn force of personality and sheer burgeoning talent, Warhol went up against the creative establishment and emerged to become one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.

Klaus
by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora
Published by BOOM! Studios

Comics legend Grant Morrison introduces us to an old friend, Santa Claus, as we’ve never seen him before.

He’s a myth. He’s a legend. He’s loved worldwide by children and adults alike . . . but does anyone truly know the origins of Santa Claus? Set in a dark fantastic past of myth and magic, Klaus tells the origin story of Santa Claus. It’s the tale of one man and his wolf against a totalitarian state and the ancient evil that sustains it.  Award-winning author Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, The Multiversity) and artist Dan Mora (Hexed) revamp, reinvent, and re-imagine a classic superhero for the 21st century, drawing on Santa’s roots in Viking lore and Siberian shamanism, and taking in the creepier side of Christmas with characters like the sinister Krampus.

Klaus finally answers the burning question: what does Santa Claus do on the other 364 days a year?

Dark Night: A True Batman Story
by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso
Published by DC Comics

This is a Batman story like no other—the harrowing and eloquent autobiographical tale of writer Paul Dini’s courageous struggle to overcome a desperate situation.

The Caped Crusader has been the all-abiding icon of justice and authority for generations. But in this surprising original graphic novel, we see Batman in a new light—as the savior who helps a discouraged man recover from a brutal attack that left him unable to face the world.

In the 1990s, legendary writer Paul Dini had a flourishing career writing the hugely popular Batman: The Animated Series and Tiny Toon Adventures. Walking home one evening, he was jumped and viciously beaten within an inch of his life. His recovery process was arduous, hampered by the imagined antics of the villains he was writing for television including the Joker, Harley Quinn and the Penguin. But despite how bleak his circumstances were, or perhaps because of it, Dini also always imagined the Batman at his side, chivvying him along during his darkest moments.

A gripping graphic memoir of one writer’s traumatic experience and his deep connection with his creative material, Dark Night: A True Batman Story is an original graphic novel that will resonate profoundly with fans. Art by the incredible and talented Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets, Transmetropolitan).

Jingle Belle: The Whole Package!
by Paul Dini, Jose Garibaldi, J. Bone, Stephen DeStefano, Stephanie Gladden, Kyle Baker, Bill Morrison, Sergio Aragones, Jeff Smith
Published by IDW Publishing

Christmas comes early with IDW’s release of Paul Dini’s Jingle Belle: The Whole Package! From the writer that brought you Harley Quinn comes another madcap creation, a saucy sprite bearing a sleigh load of mirthful mischief!

The number one spot on Santa’s naughty list each year belongs to Jingle Belle Kringle, the jolly old elf’s own rebellious teen-age daughter. Constantly flying in the face of her famous father’s ho-ho-thority, Jingle is determined to unleash her own brand of holiday hi-jinx onto the yuletide season. Whether battling for glory with her all-elf hockey team, or going head to head with the villainous Blizzard Wizard and the vengeful Krampus, sassy, snappy Jingle Belle always keeps things hot at the North Pole.

This super-sized 340 page omnibus features a new cover by Stephane Buscema and reprints all of Jingle’s funniest adventures written by animation legend Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Duck Dodgers, JLA) and also includes stories and artwork by a galaxy of comics superstars including Stephen DeStefano, Stephanie Gladden, Jose Garibaldi, Kyle Baker, J. Bone, Bill Morrison, Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragones, Jeff Smith and many others!

DC Comics: Bombshells Vol. 1: Enlisted
by Marguerite Bennett, Marguerite Sauvage,
Laura Braga, Bilquis Evely, Mirka Andolfo, Ming Doyle
Published by DC Comics

The incredibly popular DC Collectibles line is brought to life in these stories that reimagine the course of history!

As Word War II rages across Europe, the Allied forces issue a call to arms for the greatest heroines the world has ever known: The Bombshells!

Kate Kane, the all-American Batwoman; Diana of Themyscira, warrior Princess of the Amazons; Kara Starikov and Kortni Duginovna, defenders of Mother Russia; and Mera, royal daughter of the legendary Atlantis! With aid from their allies at home and abroad, these mighty women will turn the tide of war and defend those inviolable rights of Truth, Justice and Freedom.

Collects DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS #1-6.

Nameless
by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
Published by Image Comics

Nameless tells the story of a down-at-heel occult hustler known only as “Nameless” who is recruited by a consortium of billionaire futurists as part of a desperate mission to save the world.

A massive asteroid named Xibalba – the “Place of Fear” in Mayan mythology – is on collision course with the planet Earth and if that wasn’t trouble enough, the asteroid has an enormous magical symbol carved into its side and is revealed to be a fragment of our solar system’s lost fifth planet, Marduk, destroyed 65 million years ago at the end of an epic cosmic war between the inhabitants of Marduk and immensely-powerful, life-hating, extra-dimensional “gods”.

One of those beings is still alive, imprisoned on Xibalba, dreaming of its ultimate revenge on all that exists. When Nameless and his team-mates inadvertently unleash this malignant soul-destroying intelligence, the stage is set for a nightmarish, nihilistic journey to the outer reaches of human terror.

Fight Club 2
by Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart, David Mack
Published by Dark Horse Comics

Some imaginary friends never go away . . .

Ten years after starting Project Mayhem, he lives a mundane life. A kid, a wife. Pills to keep his destiny at bay. But it won’t last long, the wife has seen to that. He’s back where he started, but this go-round he’s got more at stake than his own life.The time has arrived . . .Rize or Die.

New York Times bestselling novelist Chuck Palahniuk and acclaimed artist Cameron Stewart have collaborated for one of the most highly anticipated comic book and literary events of 2015–the return of Tyler Durden.

The first rule of Fight Club 2 might be not to talk about it, but Fight Club 2 is generating international headlines and will introduce a new generation of readers to Project Mayhem.

The Wicked + The Divine: Year One
by Kieron Gillen, Jamie Mckelvie,
Matthew Wilson, Clayton Cowles
Produced by Image Comics

Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Wilson return with an Eisner Award-nominated modern fantasy where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods.

Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved.

They are hated. In two years, they are dead.

But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever.

Collects issues 1 through 11.

That’s a Horrible Thing to Say, Josh Latta!
By Josh Latta
Published by Underworld Amusements

The titular phrase of this cartoon collection is the selfsame ejaculation of many denizens of social media who happen to scroll past one of the named artists digitized drawings. Possibly you yourself have seen these graphical hijinx and either recoiled in horror or exclaimed in hilarity.

And now… for the first time ever, six dozen of these precious little monsters/gems have been collected in one place!

That’s right, now you can get your grubby little mitts on a good old-fashioned book and allow grandma the same experience you had without signing her up for FaceSnap or whatever stupid website everyone is on now in the future when you’re reading this.

Actionverse Volume 1
By Vito Delsante, Anthony Ruttgaizer,
Jamal Igle, Shawn Gabborin,
Ray-Anthony Height, Sean Izaakse,
Marco Renna, Chad Cicconi, Steve Walker

Only one force in the universe can bring Jake Roth (The F1rst Hero), Molly Danger, Virtue (from Fracture), Midnight Tiger and Stray together. Who is the mysterious Cascade and what terrible power does he hold?

Molly’s arch-enemy, Medula, holds the answers but will be be friend or foe? Also included: The first meeting of Stray, Midnight Tiger and Molly Danger as they go up against the Hyena!

Collects Actionverse #0-6.

Don’t forget to check out the Forces of Geek Shirts shop by clicking HERE.

And be sure to check out the following items!

Fuck 2016 Enamel Pin

ZIKA, FLINT, TRUMP, BREXIT, BOWIE, PRINCE, LEONARD COHEN, MUHAMMAD ALI, & STANDING ROCK. FUCK 2016!

We all have a reason to hate 2016, show it with this pin.

It comes in white, pink, or dark purple with gold finish and is 1.25″ wide.

It’s a perfect Xmas or New Years gift.

Use this pin to let people know you are saddened and angered by the atrocities and loss we suffered this year. Let’s all say Fuck you 2016, we are glad you are almost over.

Conrad Bane T-Shirt

Badass T-Shirt

Stay Goldblum T-Shirt

Fight Club T-Shirt

Neck Electrode Patch Set

A set of embroidered patches designed specifically for the collar or lapel of that rocking vest you’ve been meaning to make.

“Comics Will Break Your Heart” T-Shirt 

Yay! 9 Logo T-Shirt

Creature Double Feature 56 T-Shirt

Seinfeld “Festivus For The Rest Of Us” Pole Sweater

Celebrate the nondenominational holiday created by Frank Costanza.  This sweater outlines all of the rules of the holiday including the unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, the “Airing of Grievances” and “Feats of Strength”.  Truly a “Festivus miracle!”

Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

Nostalgiaz T-Shirt

Painkiller Jane by Amanda Palmer T-Shirt

From PaperFilms, comes their Threadless store featuring shirts, bags and more.  This shirt features the character of Painkiller Jane who will be portrayed in an upcoming film by Oscar nominated actress Jessica Chastain.

Mars Attacks Alien Head Patch

Mars Attacks! freaks unite. Let everyone know you are ready for the Martian invasion. Show your love for the original alien invasion; Mars Attacks! Let your friends and family know that you’re here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and you’re all out of bubble gum!

The Pork-Chop Express T-Shirt

Stephanie Buscema Designs

One of my favorite artists has expanded her online shop to include t-shirts, hoodies, blankets, duvets, pillows, tapestries, bags and more!

Timp Messenger Bag

The Timp bags flaunt a lightweight, minimalist design that strikes an ideal balance of style and function for urban living or off-grid adventures. These bags were designed for convenience with well-placed stowaway pockets, padded shoulder straps, front webbing for accessory attachments, and adjustable sternum straps.

The best computer bag I’ve ever used, the Timp Messenger Bag is strong, impeccably constructed with plenty of room for my laptop, cords, and other essential ephemera.

Gatchaman T-Shirt

High Fidelity: Championship Vinyl Vintage Canvas Despatch Bag

Inspired by High Fidelity (2000), this bag is perfect for an afternoon of record shopping.  Ships from the UK.

Team Banzai T-Shirt

Downton Abbey: Complete Limited Edition Collector’s Set

Led by Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, and Maggie Smith, the acclaimed ensemble cast brings to life all the drama and intrigue of the inhabitants of Downton Abbey, the lavish English country manor, home to the Earl of Grantham. This complete collection set includes all 52 episodes of the series of this Golden Globe SAG and multi-Emmy Award-winning series, following the Crawley family and their servants through all of the splendor and romance, desire and heartbreak, scandal and rumor that Downton Abbey viewers across the globe have grown to love. Extras include Working Downton Abbey pull-bell (the famous bells from the Downton Abbey open!) ready to hang on the wall or stand on a shelf, Collectible set of six elegant cork-based coasters featuring the official Downton Abbey crest, The Costumes of Downton Abbey, an exclusive photo-filled booklet featuring a forward from executive producer Gareth Neame and Collectible hardcover book with 22 discs featuring all 52 episodes including each season finale Christmas special, video extras from each season, full color photography and favorite quotes from iconic characters.

For The Love of Spock

A one-of-a-kind documentary sure to unite Trek fans worldwide, For the Love of Spock tells the life of Star Trek‘s Mr. Spock and the actor who played him, Leonard Nimoy, for nearly fifty years. The film’s focus began as a celebration of the fifty-year anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series, but after Leonard passed away in February 2015, his son, director Adam Nimoy, was ready to tell another story: his personal experience growing up with Leonard and Spock.

Adam not only shares details on the creation, evolution, and universal impact of Mr. Spock, but also about the ups and downs of being the son of a TV icon. The film is filled with never-before-seen footage and interviews of friends, family and colleagues that include William Shatner and the original Star Trek cast, Zachary Quinto and the new crew of the Starship Enterprise, filmmaker JJ Abrams and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

This Special Director’s Edition Blu-ray features surround sound, the official For the Love of Spock theatrical trailer, extras: Leonard Nimoy’s Boston, Kickstarter Gallery, Tribeca Panel, Trivia Time with Jason Alexander, On Set with the Big Bang Theory, Director Audio Commentary, Tribeca Teaser, with English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired.

Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro (The Criterion Collection)

Throughout a career that encompasses both visually arresting art-house hits and big-budget Hollywood spectacles, director Guillermo del Toro has continually redefined and elevated the horror genre with his deeply personal explorations of myths and monsters.

These three Spanish-language films, each a tale of childhood in troubled times, showcase his singular fusion of the fantastic and the real.

Drawing inspiration from a rich variety of sources, from Alfred Hitchcock to Francisco de Goya, the gothic-infused stories collected here—populated by vampires, ghosts, and a fairy-tale princess—make evident why del Toro is considered the master cinematic fabulist of our time.  Includes Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, with extras including commentaries, interviews, documentaries, featurettes, a 100-page companion book and more.

Supergirl: The Complete First Season

Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped at the same time as her cousin, Superman, but didn’t arrive on Earth until years later after being lost. Raised by her adopted family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learned to hide the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin.

Years later, at age 24, living in National City and working as an assistant for Catco Worldwide Media mogul Cat Grant, Kara has spent so many years trying to fit in that she forgot to ever stand out.

All that changes when she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and become the hero she was always destined to be.

With the help of Daily Planet photographer James Olsen, her bioengineer sister Alex, and the research of the super-secret, off-the-grid Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO), who are tasked with keeping the Earth safe from aliens, Kara takes to the skies to protect her world. Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, Comic-Con panel and gag reel.

Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood

The American movie business started as peepshows and grew into a near-mythical art form that used an exciting new technology to create drama, laughter and adventure literally bigger than life.

Here is the whole story – the glamour and the sweat, the collaborations and the conflicts, the careers that skyrocketed and the dreams that crashed – in the biggest production ever from TCM, the world’s prestige source for films and film history.

Seven enthralling hours of movie clips, rare footage, interviews and keen insight from Hollywood insiders and historians trace moviemaking from its humble beginnings through the Golden Age to the New Hollywood of the ’60s. It’s a saga as exciting as any that ever appeared on the silver screen.

Sliders – The Complete Series

Journey to parallel Earths with the iconic sci-fi adventure series that have thrilled fans for five gripping seasons.

Jerry O’Connell, John Rhys-Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks are Sliders – an unlikely group of travelers who encounter alternate versions of everything and everyone they once knew and loved as they attempt to make the one slide that will take them home.

Packed with every incredible episode, this complete series is sure to take viewers on the ultimate trip beyond the boundaries of imagination.

Includes all 87 episodes and features numerous guest stars including Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Issac Hayes , Julie Benz,Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Don Most, Robert Englund, Danny Masterson, Tommy Chong, Melinda Clarke, Adrienne Barbeau, J. August Richards, Mark Sheppard, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Julie Adams, Kristanna Loken, Neil Flynn and Chi McBride.

Hell on Wheels: The Complete Series

With the stunning landscapes surrounding Calgary standing in for the epic sweep of the West,  bringing the hardscrabble American frontier into living rooms across the country for five compelling seasons, Hell on Wheels is now available in one attractive set, giving fans the opportunity to relive this landmark Western again and again.

American Horror Story: Hotel

Check in to the fifth season of the deliciously diabolical series from creators Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk, starring a killer cast that includes Lady Gaga – in her Golden Globe-winning role as The Countess – along with Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Matt Bomer, Denis O’Hare and Sarah Paulson.

A string of grisly murders is traced back to the sinister, sensuous Countess (Gaga), an infamous resident of the stylish Hotel Cortez, an enigmatic, six-story, art-deco hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. American Horror Story: Hotel is a visually stunning, visceral feast.

The plot follows Elizabeth, the owner of the hotel, as she tries to protect herself and her children from the fury of her past lover that seeks revenge on her, as well as John Lowe, a Los Angeles homicide detective on the task-force for a series of grisly murders that lead him in the direction of the hotel. Other guest stars include Evan Peters, Wes Bentley, Chloë Sevigny, Cheyenne Jackson, Mare Winningham, Naomi Campbell, Gabourey Sidibe, Richard T. Jones, Max Greenfield, Mädchen Amick, Darren Criss, Alexandra Daddario, David Naughton and Robert Knepper.  Extras include featurettes.

Knight Rider – The Complete Series

“Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.

Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law.”

Self-made billionaire Wilton Knight rescues police Detective Lieutenant Michael Arthur Long after a near fatal shot to the face, giving him a new identity (by plastic surgery) and a new name: Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff).

Wilton selects Michael to be the primary field agent in the pilot program of his public justice organization, the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). The other half of this pilot program is the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT), a heavily modified, technologically advanced Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with numerous features including an extremely durable shell and frame, controlled by a computer with artificial intelligence (voiced by William Daniels). Michael and KITT are brought in during situations where “direct action might provide the only feasible solution”.

Heading FLAG is Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare), who provides Michael with directives and guidance. Dr. Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson) is the chief engineer in charge of KITT’s care, as well as technical assistant to Devon.  For 84 episodes Michael and KITT fought the various forces of evil including KITT’s nemesis KARR.  Notable guest stars include Judy Landers, Alan Oppenheimer, Guy Stockwell, John Vernon,  M.C. Gainey, Richard Anderson,  Dick Durock,  Robin Curtis, Geena Davis, Jason Bateman,  Arye Gross, Clu Gulager,  Tony Dow,  Catherine Mary Stewart, Jim Brown, Robert Pine, Keith Coogan, Janine Turner, P.J. Soles, Christopher McDonald and many more.

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Roddenberry Vault

In honor of the show’s 50th Anniversary, and just in time for holiday gift giving, the three-disc collector’s edition Blu-ray set from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution gives fans unprecedented access to never-before-seen footage from the production of Star Trek: The Original Series.

During the shooting of Star Trek, bits and pieces of episodic footage were left on the cutting room floor and later preserved in film canisters by The Roddenberry Estate. Recognizing the value of the footage, CBS painstakingly catalogued, transferred, analyzed, and pieced together these Vault materials, which include alternate takes, deleted scenes, omitted dialogue, outtakes, and original visual FX elements.

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Roddenberry Vault includes twelve classic episodes chosen for their relevance to the Vault materials, and presented in 1080p High Definition with both DTS 7.1 Master Audio as well as newly restored original Mono. Eleven of these episodes contain isolated music tracks. Newly recorded audio commentaries appear on three fan-favorite episodes.

Each of the set’s three discs features documentaries that weave together the previously unseen Vault materials with all-new interviews by key creative and production personnel and famous fans. The documentaries include:

• Inside The Roddenberry Vault Rod Roddenberry introduces viewers to the discovery of his father’s long-lost Star Trek film reels. With footage from each of the 12 episodes, this three-part special feature offers a guided exploration into the historical significance of the newly discovered material through new interviews with dozens of Star Trek alumni and historians
• Star Trek: Revisiting A Classic offers a look back at the origins of the iconic series, including glimpses of life on the set with new interviews featuring guest stars, directors and production personnel.
• Strange New Worlds: Visualizing the Fantastic dives into the creation of spaceships, transporters, and the classic Star Trek visuals. The in-depth feature combines newly found original visual effects elements photography along with interviews with effects masters and Star Trek veterans such as Industrial Light & Magic founding member Richard Edlund, Doug Drexler, Dan Curry and Gary Hutzel.

Star Trek figures interviewed for these exclusive documentaries include William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk); writers Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, David Gerrold and John D.F. Black; director Ralph Senensky; casting director Joseph D’Agosta; visual effects artist Richard Edlund; and actors from the 12 featured episodes such as Clint Howard (“The Corbomite Maneuver”), BarBara Luna (“Mirror, Mirror”), Leslie Parrish (“Who Mourns for Adonais?”), Charlie Brill (“The Trouble with Tribbles”), Michael Forest (“Who Mourns for Adonais”), Bobby Clark (“Arena”) and Elinor Donahue (“Metamorphosis”). Plus, the collection features new interviews with an impressive array of some of Star Trek’s biggest fans including The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady, The Simpsons writer/producer David Mirkin, Family Guy writer/producer David A. Goodman, NASA’s Bobak Ferdowsi, Bill Nye (The Science Guy), and more.

Giving fans access to even more fragments of unseen footage and omitted dialogue from the groundbreaking series is a collection of Vault materials entitled Swept Up: Snippets from the Cutting Room Floor.

Includes the episodes The Corbomite Maneuver, Arena, Space Seed, This Side of Paradise, The Devil in the Dark, The City on the Edge of Forever,  Operation – Annihilates, Metamorphosis, Who Mourns for Adonais?, Mirror, Mirror, The Trouble With Tribbles, Return to Tomorrow.  Extras include featurettes, commentaries and isolated scores.

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year

DC Super Hero Girls, the younger, female-focused take on DC Comics’ characters goes bigger than ever in their first feature-length animated movie.

It’s time for the annual Hero of the Year ceremony and the students of Super Hero High compete for the top prize. But the festivities take a turn when Dark Opal targets the heroes and steals some of their most valued possessions to form the ultimate weapon! It’s up to the students at Super Hero High to spring into action! But can Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl and Bumblebee stop Dark Opal and his mysterious partner-in-crime, Eclipso to save the day?

The voice cast includes: Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman), Anais Fairweather (Supergirl), Mae Whitman (Batgirl/Barbara Gordon), Tara Strong (Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy) Teala Dunn (Bumblebee), and Stephanie Sheh (Katana). Special Features include six of the animated shorts featuring the DC Super Hero Girls.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Black & Chrome Edition

Howards End

Named Best Picture of the Year and nominated for nine 1992 Academy Awards (including Best Picture,Best Director and Best Actress), Howards End is a dazzling adaptation of E.M. Forster’s classic novel of Edwardian England.

The film tells the story of the Schlegel sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter); of a rich businessman, Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), and his frail wife, Ruth (Vanessa Redgrave), and their children; and of an unhappily married young bank clerk, Leonard Bast (Sam West), whom the Schlegel sisters befriend. These three families are in complete contrast to each other. Margaret and Helen are idealistic, independent and highly educated. The Wilcoxes are uncultured and utterly conventional. Leonard Bast is poor and underprivileged, but with intellectual aspirations. Unexpectedly, when Mrs. Wilcox dies, Mr. Wilcox proposes to and is accepted by Margaret Schlegel. Her sister Helen is shattered by this marriage, and in reaction to it, turns to Leonard Bast. The story has become a tangle of opposites, and through the agency of Mr. Wilcox’s son Charles (James Wilby), it turns to tragedy. But in the end, thanks to the moral strength of Margaret, who believes that opposites can meet, that different kinds of people can connect, there is a resolution that is almost a triumph.

This anniversary edition includes a slipcase with a booklet containing essays as well as commentary, featurettes, trailers and three conversations/interviews between James Ivory and others at screenings and festivals.

Ip Man Trilogy

Starring Donnie Yen, the Ip Man Trilogy, takes place from the Twenties through the Forties.

Ip Man:  Set in Foshan, China during the Sino-Japanese War, an infamous Japanese occupation has brutally dismantled the once-great city. Proud men have been laid low, reduced to fighting their neighbors to the death for a precious bag of rice. Defined by courage and devoted to peace, one man stands for his people: Grandmaster Ip Man (Donnie Yen), whose matchless fighting skills are revered all over China. He refuses to teach Wing Chun, his cherished martial arts style, to the invading Japanese soldiers, and is forced to fight for the honor of his country in a series of battles that culminate in a kill-or-be-killed showdown with General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), Japan’s greatest fighter.

Ip Man 2:  International superstar Donnie Yen reprises his role as real-life kung fu Grandmaster Ip Man, now a newly-arrived citizen in British-occupied Hong Kong. Master Ip wishes to open a Wing Chun academy to teach his unique style to a generation of new students, but is blocked by a corrupt group of martial arts masters led by Master Hung (Sammo Hung). They refuse to allow him to teach in peace until he proves himself as a kung fu master. His trouble continues when he s forced to enter a savage King of the Ring boxing match against Twister (Darren Shahlavi), a Western-style boxer who insults the Chinese locals, in a East-versus-West fight to the finish.

Ip Man 3: Igniting the screen in the role that made him an icon, Donnie returns to the blockbuster martial arts series as Ip Man, the real-life Wing Chun grandmaster who mentored countless students, including several martial arts masters and action star Bruce Lee. When a ruthless real estate developer (Mike Tyson) and his team of brutal gangsters make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand against the crooks, thugs, gunmen, and another rival Wing Chun master (Jin Zhang) to protect his students, his city, and his own family. Fists will fly as some of the most incredible fight scenes ever filmed, choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo Ping, come to life in this genre classic.

Extras include cast interviews.

John Carpenter’s The Thing Collector’s Edition

One of the greatest films in the history of pop culture!

In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years.

Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror… and becomes one of them. Ensemble includes Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney and Richard Masur.

Extras include commentaries, trailers, tv spots, radio spots, galleries, interviews, documentary, tv broadcast version, outtakes, vintage featurettes & product reel and annotated production archive.

Miami Vice – The Complete Series

From executive producer Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) comes the explosive Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series that defined a decade and lives on in this must-own Complete Series set.

Go undercover with James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Phillip Michael Thomas), two of the Vice Department’s coolest cops, as they take on the scum in Miami’s steamy underworld. Filled with action, guest stars, and featuring the hottest soundtrack with music from legends including Phil Collins, U2, Peter Gabriel, The Who, Aerosmith, Gun N’ Roses, The Cure, Public Enemy and more! Each gritty, unforgettable moment of the revolutionary series pops with sizzling 5.1 Surround Sound.

Described as “MTV Cops”, Miami Vice served as a showcase for a number of talented actors often in some of their earliest roles including Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Giancarlo Esposito, John Leguizamo, Helena Bonham Carter, Dan Hedaya, Ving Rhames, Luis Guzmán, Joe Morton, Liam Neeson, Bill Paxton,Vincent D’Onofrio, Viggo Mortensen, Ron Perlman, Wesley Snipes, Annette Bening, Dylan Baker, John Michael Higgins, Oliver Platt, Michael Richards, Chris Elliott, Alfred Molina, Chris Rock, Kim Coates, Lou Diamond Phillips, Nathan Lane, Lori Petty, CCH Pounder, Michael Madsen and Kevin Corrigan.

Produced by Ariel Zeitoun, Ben Browning
Kris Thykier
Written by Jonathan Perera
Directed by John Madden
Starring Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong,
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg,
Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, John Lithgow,
Sam Waterston, Grace Lynn Kung

It is Oscar season and the first film that I have the pleasure of reviewing this year as the push for the Hollywood statuette begins its mighty drive is, Miss Sloane.

Academy Award nominated director, John Madden teams with screenwriter, Jonathan Perera to tell the riveting story about a career lobbyist who will sacrifice anything to to win against her most powerful opponent that also happens to be for former employer.

Her goal? To push through important legislature that will effect millions of people and more personally, her friends and colleges.

Jessica Chastain delivers an Oscar worthy performance as the driven, take no prisoners lobbyist, Elizabeth Sloane. Out to play the “long game” in what becomes more of a “con film” take on the political system, Miss Sloane had me guessing, and ultimately ,cheering in the end.

I am sure Miss Sloane will garnish all the accolades it deserves. In this tumultuous political climate many will see this as just another liberal propaganda film about Second Amendment gun rights, but this film is so much more. It is not only a wonderful character piece about going to far in one’s pursuit of a goal, but also an amazing look at the type of person one has to be to truly be willing to sacrifice their humanity to do what is right.

Surrounded by a phenomenal supporting cast led by the ever wonderful Mark Strong, Chastain shines as the painfully flawed, tough as nails Sloane who’s fast talking, cold blooded exterior is painstakingly held together to keep her fragile, broken humanity safe barely intact.

I loved it.

Well written, acted, and directed, Miss Sloane combines a whodunnit, a caper and a heist story all wrapped up in a brilliant film.

I highly recommend it and if this is the caliber of films Hollywood is going to parade out this year for Oscar Season, then I welcome it and look forward to seeing more.

Kingkiller Coming to the Screen
Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series is coming to the big screen and Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved!

5 Hamilton Moments in Name of the Wind
With the big picture coming, here are some Hamilton moments from Name of the Wind.

Nasty Women
Here are some important nasty women authors dominating weird fiction.

Love Letter to Bookshops
Why bookshops are so goddamn great.

Penguin Hotline
Penguin Random House are once again offering their holiday helpline for book recommendations.

Bookshop Themed Hotel
If you’re a book lover, the next time you’re in Tokyo be sure to check out this this awesome hotel.

Harper offering Backlist to Indies
HarperCollins has decided to give indie bookstores a wide backlist range to offer customers more titles.

Adrenaline Pumping Audio
If you want to get your heart rate and brain rate going, check out this thrilling audio titles.

Big Prize Winner
One lucky person has won a free book a month for the rest of their lifetime!

The Handmaid’s Tale
A first look at the movie adaptation of this bestseller.

10 Contemporary Novels About Muslims
Time to broaden your reading horizons!

Kickboxing Champion and legendary action star Don “The Dragon” Wilson is back like you’ve never seen him before in Traditionz Entertainment’s action-packed comedy Paying Mr. McGetty from director Michael Baumgarten (The Martial Arts Kid)! After a night of drinking and gambling, Tyrell (R. Marcos Taylor, Netflix’s Luke Cage) is awakened by an angry call from his girlfriend, Meena (Anita Clay) and finds himself in bed with a strange woman, Cecelia (Alissa Schneider) — a local mob boss’ daughter. Once the local mob boss finds out, he hires Shota (Wilson) — a relentless hitman. To make matters worse, the reward on Tyrell’s head has dozens of others looking for him, too. Adding to Tyrell’s troubles, the worst thing of all… Meena, the love of his life, is put in harm’s way. Tyrell must make a stand by taking on the mob, taking on Shota, and finding the money to pay their landlord — Mr. McGetty — before the day ends. It will be the wildest and most incredible day of his life!

On playing Shota Kabu, Don remarks, “It was an interesting character for me because I usually get offered the ‘good guy’ roles in action Films, and this was something different. The challenge for me was, to be and do everything necessary as a deadly killer for hire, while maintaining a certain code of ethics that enabled the viewers to still be sympathetic to my character.” He adds, “I hope my performance did not come off as if Shota was completely evil or completely good. To me, he’s a little of both.”

Of his leading role character Tyrrell, R. Marcos Taylor says,  “I always seem to play the ‘heavy,’ the ‘thug, or the ‘tough guy,’ so Tyrell was really interesting. Going from confusion, stress, frustration, depression and fear to courage, determination, and happiness was a challenge, but one I loved doing.”

Director Michael Baumgarten comments on making the film: “It was a pleasure to work with Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson and James Wilson on yet another motion picture. We had a great time making The Martial Arts Kid, and we had more to say with Paying Mr. McGetty. We keep coming up with interesting stories to tell and people seem to really enjoy them.”

James Wilson, the producer of Paying Mr. McGetty reflects, “We knew this project would be risky. It’s not your typical movie, and yet there’s nothing out there quite like it, but we believed that an audience would appreciate something really unique that has everything: humor, action, romance, martial arts, diversity, and more.”

Paying Mr. McGetty won BEST ACTOR (R. Marcos Taylor) at the Burbank International Film Festival.

It also won BEST ACTION ADVENTURE FILM at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival.

CO-star Alissa Schneider received the RISING STAR Award at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival.

CO-star Anita Cay received the PHOENIX Award at the Urban Action Showcase.

Don Wilson received the FISTS OF LEGENDS Award at the Urban Action Showcase for Paying Mr. McGetty.

About Traditionz Entertainment
Founded in 2014, Traditionz Entertainment is run by martial artists including James Wilson, Cheryl Sanders, Dr. Robert Goldman, Cynthia Rothrock, and Don Wilson. It intends to produce feature films, television programs, and web series that will contain martial arts elements in an honest and realistic way that aren’t usually found in Hollywood. Their films will feature recognizable action stars of the past, along with exciting and fresh young talent. Their first feature film The Martial Arts Kid starred Don Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, T.J. Storm, and Jansen Panettiere in the title role.

For more information, visit traditionzentertainment.com

Modern North American comic book stories (excluding humor, children’s, and anthologies) are, on average, about 22 pages long (though this can vary anywhere from 20-24). The monthly comic you buy at the shop is likely to be about 32 pages total, including ads, other materials, and 4 cover sides (that’s both sides of the front cover + both of the back cover).

Thus, independent creators have often aimed to create a 20+ page story. And that’s fine.

But you don’t need to necessarily do that in order to express your creative vision and sell your comic.

Certainly, if you are looking to have a mainstream publisher print your comic, you’ll probably want to make it as traditionally-formatted as possible. Ditto if the Direct Market is where you are primarily aiming to offer your comic book.

Today’s market, however, offers several alternative ways to distribute your comic:

Digital

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t see you getting rich off of your digital independent comic (unless you are an established creator with a big following). But there is no better way to market your work and gain publicity than getting it on as many digital platforms as possible.

And in the digital space, the “22 page” rule starts to become meaningless.

Your first issue could be 15 pages. Or serialized on a service like Taptastic for several pages at a time.

The point is: if digital is going to be your main avenue for distribution, there is no reason to tie yourself to a 22-page “block” of story. And this can be a relief to the creator who is bankrolling his or her own publication. (similarly, you don’t need to stick with the standard 6.63” x 10.25” size).

Self-Publishing

There is a certain profit-margin with print that digital can’t beat. You might make far more profit at a convention selling your comic than you may ever do in a year on a popular digital service.

Again, you don’t need to have a 22-page story to do this. Some self-pub services will give you the option to make comics as short as 8 pages long (4 pages + 4 cover-sides).

So do you really need to make your comic around 20+ pages long?

Interestingly, most people or clients (who are also people) I talk to, who have grown up on traditional comics, want the traditional comic page length (and format) regardless. And that’s completely OK.

But if you are on a limited budget, and a traditional style/distribution is not a huge issue for you, consider making your comic shorter, or serialized in smaller bits over a longer period of time.

Conversely…make it bigger. Make it an epic 300-page graphic novel. Knock yourself out.

This week, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arrives in theaters.  Voted as 2016’s “most anticipated movie” in a recent Fandango fan survey Rogue One broke records as Fandango’s biggest first day of presales this year as soon arn sale on Monday November 28, the film

In celebration of all things Rogue One, Fandango has released Limited Edition Rogue One gift cards, which can be purchased here in both physical and digital formats.  Watch the story trailer below and enter to win one of five $50 Fandango Gift Cards that we’re giving away!

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

What actor portrays Bail Organa in both the prequel trilogy and Rogue One?

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 December 18th, 2016.

As we come to the close of 2016, I remain shell-shocked by the divisive presidential election and its aftermath.

In the world of cinema, I’m somewhat stunned to see that two of the year’s best movies—The Nice Guys and Kubo and the Two Strings outright bombed in theaters, and that two other equally entertaining and expertly crafted bits of escapism—Star Trek Beyond and The BFG were painted out to be flops because they performed below expectations.

Mostly I remain awestruck by the enormity of the year’s celebrity death toll. Among the departed are a legion of legendary artists and titans of film, television, music, prose, sports, and politics. Be them longtime matinee and jukebox idols and TV icons, or supporting character actors, or stalwart news broadcasters, or superb sportsmen and patriots, they all loomed larger than life, yet seemed congenial and familiar enough that they felt like extended family.

The rapid-fire succession of painful obituaries in 2016 caused a year-long heartache that urged the brain trust of this website to declare early on, simply, “Fuck 2016.”

In concurrence, simply ponder the void in the music industry: David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Sir George Martin, Keith Emerson, Vanity, Maurice White, Glenn Frey, Merle Haggard, John Berry, Phife Dawg.

Try to recount the collective characters of Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Florence Henderson, Van Williams, Margaret Whitton, Ron Glass, Robert Vaughn, Alexis Arquette, Kenny Baker, Richard Libertini, Patty Duke, Nancy Reagan, Garry Shandling, George Kennedy, Abe Vigoda, George Gaynes, Ken Howard, Doris Roberts, Burt Kwouk, David Huddleston, and Anton Yelchin.

Remember the Greatest, Muhammad Ali. Golfing king Arnold Palmer; astronaut and Senator John Glenn; respected directors Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger), Arthur Hiller (The In-Laws), Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, Beaches, TVs Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley), and Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate); celebrated cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Close Encounters of the Third Kind); and authors Harper Lee, Elie Wiesel, Pat Conroy, and Edward Albee.

If the editors of the upcoming Oscar broadcast do their homework, the “In Memoriam” rollcall will be excruciating. So, yeah, “Fuck 2016.”

Beyond the staggering list of the departed, 2016 showed the first hint of what Steven Spielberg talked about in 2013, when he predicted an “implosion” of several expensive tent-pole movies would eventually force the studios to rethink their budgets and oversaturated production/release strategies. Spielberg could not have predicted then that one of his own pictures would be among the imploded duds, and perhaps 2016 was only a hint of what will come in the next year or so, but Spielberg’s costly Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG was a surprise disappointment for the director and for Disney (this is their first collaboration). For the record, BFG is whimsical and visually wondrous in grand Spielbergian fashion, with none of the painfully saccharine traits of Hook or the cutesiness of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; time will tell, but this one deserves to find a loyal legion of fans on home video.

Yet Spielberg and his big friendly giant aren’t the only ones smarting from 2016, as there were plenty of other notable bombs to shake up the status quo.

Fox’s way-too-late Independence Day: Resurgence without Will Smith was a bad idea from the beginning, so it’s no surprise this budget-busting CGI-infested follow-up didn’t get many folks excited (plans for a third Independence Day movie are in limbo).

Disney’s belated Alice in Wonderland sequel Alice through the Looking Glass was made without the vision of director Tim Burton and suffered from a weak story (much of the plot of this second Alice novel was already used in the previous movie); it didn’t get anywhere close to matching the original’s billion-dollar global gross. Uncharacteristic for a Disney movie this year, the reviews were harsh.

Universal/Legendary’s very expensive video game adaptation Warcraft was a staggering bomb stateside—and I’m sure this title marks the shortest trip ever from opening weekend cinemas to the five dollar DVD bin—but don’t discount the movie’s huge box office haul in China, and therefore don’t be surprised if we see a Warcraft 2 simply because it will do gangbusters business overseas. Same reason why there’s going to be a Pacific Rim 2.

A big and lavish Tarzan update was asked for by nobody, and though it maybe wasn’t as catastrophic a failure as Warcraft or “ID4-2,” it didn’t make Warner Bros the sort of money they scored with the one-two DC-Comics punch of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.

More on these two DC pictures in a bit, but first we must mention another embarrassing casualty of 2016—Sony’s female-centric reboot of Ghostbusters, which didn’t exactly suck but certainly stifled enough fan goodwill from the get-go by being a reboot instead of a sequel that it never really stood a chance (not helping matters are the cold hard facts that: a) the script just isn’t clever or funny in any of the ways that made us fall in love with the 1984 original; b) the 1984 original is more beloved than critics and even its own mother studio give it credit for; and c) the studio and filmmakers basically called anyone who objected to the reboot a misogynist, and that’s definitely not the way to win back smited fans).

Another thing I cannot quite comprehend about 2016 is the glaring disparity of critical praise heaped upon Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange compared to the excessively harsh critical drubbing of both Warner/DC offerings Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. I enjoyed both Civil War and Doctor Strange, and feel both movies are solid B-plus entertainments (especially Civil War for course-correcting the Marvel Cinematic Universe and offering up a proper Avengers sequel), but I can’t quite swallow the films’ respective 90% and 91% aggregate Rotten Tomatoes scores alongside the 27% dealt to Batman v Superman and the 26% rating for Suicide Squad. Bad critical reviews for big expensive movies can be brutal, but never before 2016 has film criticism seemed more like a blood sport.

And, for this, “Fuck 2016.”

Reading the vitriol unleashed upon BvS:DoJ and SS, I had a nagging suspicion that these movies couldn’t possibly be as bad as the say (they’re not). While both Warner/DC movies have their tonal issues (and aren’t very much, you know, fun), you can’t tell me these movies don’t even rate a measly 30%. These pictures, problematic as they admittedly are, have a gargantuan scale and a magnificent production design which alone ought to earn any other similar picture an extra twenty percentage points (and, to boot, the soundtrack for Suicide Squad is the most eclectic assortment of classic and contemporary songs so far assembled for any superhero movie).

My most nagging question as we close out 2016 is this: In these days of proven false news, of “journalists” admittedly accepting remunerations for favorable political press, is it too far of a stretch to imagine a billion-dollar movie-studio empire can buy some extra critical sugar for their movies while also making it worth a critic’s while to disproportionately shit-talk a competitor’s movies?

I won’t name names, of course, and this is only sheer speculation anyway, but if such a marketing and publicity cheat were possible to rig, you’d only have to figure which of the rival mega-corporations would be more willing—and have the budget—to orchestrate such a fraud, in order to make sure their movies were given extra-rave reviews but also that the other mega-corporation’s movies were buried in bad press. Or maybe budget enough to buy out half-empty theaters to score a bigger #1 opening weekend; to ensure that one (or four) of its movies make it past the magical billion-dollar global box office mark because that always looks good in an annual report and helps jack up the cable TV, streaming and Blu-ray dollars…all while simultaneously painting out the competitor’s movies as failures, of course, for not quite crossing that magic billion dollar line or for being more terrible than they truly are. In the paraphrased words appropriated by Superman III’s Ross Webster, “It’s not enough that I win; everybody else must lose.”

If that’s the new thinking in Hollywood, well then, “Fuck 2016.”

Bring on 2017, and may some of my most anticipated movies please, please, please live up to expectations.
By God, we’re getting a sequel to Blade Runner—titled Blade Runner 2049—from the director of Arrival and Sicario, produced by original director Ridley Scott, co-written by one of the original film’s screenwriters, and, yes, featuring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard. This just better be all kinds of awesome.

Speaking of Sir Ridley Scott, he’s directing the follow-up to Prometheus titled Alien: Covenant, and this one is reported to be dark, scary and very gory.

We’re also getting a third Wolverine flick, elegantly titled Logan, and this one will be a violent, hard-R-rated affair. (Thanks, Deadpool!)

Director Luc Besson returns to high-style space opera with Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and here’s hoping it’s more like his film The Fifth Element and less like a movie the trailer reminds me of—the Wachowski’s sci-fi clunker Jupiter Ascending.

Director Matthew Vaughn returns for his first sequel to one of his own flicks in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. I really enjoyed the first one, and especially loved how it was unafraid to be so hardcore.
From Marvel, we’ll see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, and the re-re-booted Spider-Man: Homecoming. All three event movies scream “can’t miss.”

We’re finally going to get a bright and cheerful DC superhero origin story in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, but then odds are Zack Snyder’s Justice League will revert to the dour and schizophrenic tone of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad. Or, maybe not (the trailers for both look extremely promising).

Also on the 2017 slate: Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting 2(!); John Wick: Chapter Two; and trilogy capper War for the Planet of the Apes.

On the horizon, though far less exciting, are a fifth Transformers flick from Michael Bay that is sure to deaden many brain cells while fattening Paramount’s pocketbook. Same for Disney with a third Cars flick from Pixar, as well as a live-action musical remake of Beauty and the Beast, and a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie (an iffy proposition considering Johnny Depp’s star isn’t as shiny now as it was when Captain Jack Sparrow last set sail). And, if you’re still counting, we’ll be up to the eighth Fast and Furious installment with the release of The Fate of the Furious. (What, no “F8” in the title?)

Finally, come this time next year, we’ll be lining up for Rian Johnson’s as-yet-untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII. Hot rumor has it the film will be subtitled Forces of Destiny, as Disney has apparently registered this title with all relevant agencies, though fan scuttle suggests this name is more suited for a videogame. With the theatrical release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story just days away, I have a feeling we’ll be finding out any moment now…

Stay tuned. And Happy Holidays!

Welcome to a Special Monday Edition of Graphic Breakdown!

Today we will be covering books that are off the beaten path! Let’s get started!

Martian Comics #5 and #6   

Written by Julian Darius
llustrated by Various
Published by Martian Lit Comics

Hannukah has come early for me! The wonderful Martian Comics has delivered issue five and six and I got the chance to read them both. I never thought I would like a comic book like this. These are fun, smart, and well done comic books that I enjoy tremendously.
The story for issue number five goes as follows: Voyage… to the Earth! From prehistoric Mars to its exploration of space, witness how Mars mythologized its sister planet, Earth. Ever wonder what an alien planet’s science fiction would look like? Here is your chance!

The story for issue six is as follows: Our tour through the secret history of the 20th century continues with the truth behind the JFK assassination! Plus, a Kennedy-related side story!

These stories are incredibly intelligent. They border on being literature. Darius is a smart guy and I commend him for writing like he does. The art complements the story wonderfully and this is one unique book. Give it a read and I commend the group for keeping it going, through Kickstarter and other ways.

Great job here.

RATING: A-

Weapons of the Metabaron   

Written by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Illustrated by Travis Charest and Zoran Janjetov
Published by Humanoids Books

So I read this book about two years back. It’s being reissued so I read it again. And it was as cool the second time as it was the first, if not better.

Jodorowsky is always a wacky time and this is some of Travis Charest’s best work. He wasn’t able to finish the book and that’s a shame, but by god what we have here is totally gorgeous. And Charest got all the press here but Janjetov did an amazing job filling in the gaps. It’s truly wonderful.

This has been a widely criticized book. Some say it’s not as good as Jodorowsky’s Incal books or even the Metabaron hardcover (WHICH I LOVE).

It’s not.

My feeling is that when Charest left the project, Jodorowsky did what he could to save the art, so it got published. Some will complain but I found it to be a beautiful tale of the Metabaron. If you are a fan of Jodorowsky then this book is a must. If you are not, but interested, pick up the Incal first and then come here.

And as far as Charest goes,  I think again that he is brilliant. However, between this and the occasional Spacegirl Comics on his blog (I own one of the few collections of it) he really doesn’t produce much in the way of comic art. That’s a shame. He could be one of the legends. Instead, he may end up a footnote.

Still? He’s brilliant. And this is brilliant art.

RATING: A

Kimot Ren #1 

Written by Julian Darius
Illustrated by Andre Siregar
Published by Martian Lit Comics

I couldn’t pass this up seeing how Julian Darius wrote it and I really dig his writing. I wasn’t disappointed one bit. This is another nicely written comic book that has intelligence. I was happy reading it.

An alien android lost in the Old West! Mutiny on a flying saucer! An escape from an upside-down crashed UFO, in which the panels are also upside-down! Drunk locals contemplating the universe!

This extra-long first issue has it all!

First off, this is a comic book for ages 17 and up. It works quite well. It’s bonkers and tries to subvert the form. And why not?

Darius is one of the more original writers out there and again he writes a compelling story with good characters. The art is nice as well, and fits the story like a glove.

I’m not sure what the market will be on this on how well it will sell. I have weird tastes and this feels like a comic aimed directly at me….which doesn’t make it commercial at all. Still, I hope it finds an audience. It’s very good indeed.

RATING: A-

EIR #1

Written by Ryan K. Lindsay
Illustrated by Alfie Gallagher
Published by Four Colour Ray Gun

A nice surprise! An all ages science fiction comic!

You have to be happy for this creative team as they raised the money (much like the Martian Lit team) through Kickstarter…and they have come up with a thought out, well done comicbook.

I always say we need more comics for kids and this team proves why.

Sasha wakes to find a sentient sci fi helmet in her room and begins an adventure across the cosmos. That’s the simple premise but the team does a lot with it.

This is great entertainment.

I have a lot of respect for Lindsay. You can see the passion, the love, and the heart he puts into everything he does. It’s impressive. The art is well done too. It’s clear, concise and fits the project well.

It’s amazing how many independent comic books are out there. It’s great to see passionate individuals ply their craft. This is certainly the case here.

RATING: B+

The Rift #1 and #2   

Written by By Don Handfield and Richard Rayner
Illustrated by Leno Carvalho
Published by Red 5 Comics

Actor Jeremy Renner has formed a new publishing imprint. I reviewed the first issue of The Rift a little while back and now I get to review the second issue (I’m including the first issue in this review as I forgot what the hell happened in the first issue)

The Rift tells the story of a single mother and her son whose lives change forever after witnessing a WWII fighter pilot from 1941 crash land in present-day Kansas. They find themselves drawn into the work of Section 47, a secret government organization responsible for responding to Rifts that open in space and time.

I liked these two issues. They are again well put together and very enjoyable. I actually can’t wait to see where this book is going. The writing makes it very interesting. And the art is nice as well. Good storytelling all around.

It’ll be interesting to see if they can make a mark in the industry with this comic. But I’m happy to report it’s a good read, and well worth your attention.

RATING: B+