Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

Happy New Year to all! Let’s get started!!

Moon Knight #10
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Greg Smallwood
Published by Marvel Comics

Man, Jeff Lemire has become a spectacular writer (more on this later). His Moon Knight is becoming legendary slowly.

There’s a new storyline in this issue and it’s a great place to jump on to one of the best series in the last year.

Marc Spector was born in Chicago, but where was Steven Grant born?

This story goes deep into Spector’s past, picks up where Lemire and Smallwood left off in New Egypt…and redefines the history of Moon Knight as you know it!

Complimenting the story perfectly is the art from Smallwood. His art is on point, and it’s so well done. This is the work of his career.

Pick this up. It’s literally the best book coming out from Marvel Comics right now.

RATING: A

Saga #41
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Fiona Staples
Published by Image Comics

Saga is one of those books that, in a few years, will be regarded the same company as such books as Bone. It’s an outer space epic, and its mind blowing.

Start from issue one and catch right on up!

The storyline this time is called The War For Phang. Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages.

This arc is a self-contained “event” they’ve been building to since the very first issue.

Vaughn is a great writer. This is his best work.

Same with Staples on art: This is her best work.

Combined, they make a fantastic book, and it’s one of the best hitting stands each time it comes out.

RATING: A

Bloodshot Reborn: Bloodshot Island TPB
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Mico Suayan
Published by Valiant Comics

This was completely awesome and one of the biggest surprises of last year. Bloodshot and his team of Bloodshots fight Deathmate in a comic book story bonanza. This is it folks…the comic book equivalent of seeing the film Predator for the first time.

Live. Die. Rejuvenate. Each day, Bloodshot and his fellow castaways from Project Rising Spirit awake to find themselves hunted by the unstoppable engine of destruction called Deathmate.

And each day, they die…only to begin their escape once more after the nano-technology inside them repairs their fatal injuries.

As Bloodshot and his new teammates begin to understand the brutal logic behind their island prison, will the biggest threat to their survival be the horrors that await in the jungle around them…or each other?

The art is stunning. The story is stunning. The whole thing is stunning. What a great tale. I wish I could read this again for the first time. It’s that good.

RATING: A

BURIED TREASURE

American Flagg Volume One
Written and Illustrated by Howard Chaykin
Published by Image Comics

This is a legendary book from the inimitable Howard Chaykin!

Come join Reuben Flagg and his cohorts as they try to police a futuristic world rife with politics, humor, and talking cats.

In 2031, chaos is the new world order. Worldwide nuclear and chemical conflict, environmental disasters and nationalism have driven the United States government — and the corporations that own it — to the relative safety of the planet Mars. The government and its parent companies, now renamed the PLEX, run things in absentia from the red planet.

The only real law on Earth is enforced by the Plexus Rangers. Reuben Flagg was the star of a television series dramatizing the fictional adventures of one such Plexus Ranger. When Flagg was replaced by a hologram, he was drafted into the Plexus Rangers and assigned to protect the city of Chicago.

Along with Raul, the smartest talking cat alive, and Luther Ironheart, the stupidest robot ever, and surrounded by a bevy of the most beautiful women of the 21st century, Flagg faces an uphill battle protecting and defending the American way of life…or rather, what’s left of it.

Chaykin has never been better than with his writing here. His art? Well, it’s hard to imagine Flagg without it. If you haven’t read it and heard about it, pick it up. You can find a cheap copy somewhere. It’s downright excellent.

RATING: A

Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) is one of the most fondly remembered “mainstream” anime films of the 1990’s and celebrates it’s 20th anniversary this year.

Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 film was a worldwide success at the time when anime breaking through the barriers of nerd culture into the main of culture was critical. Still relegated mostly to geek culture it was a rare time to see a Japanese animated work released in a US theater. Sure, this would be the 1999 US cut but more on that in a bit. The 1997 release was a HUGE item on the US bootleg circuit which is ultimately what led to the later 1999 US official release.

Roger Ebert once said: “Miyazaki and his partner at Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, have created work of astonishing depth and artistry; his Princess Mononoke was one of the best films of 1999.”

Known for a rich story and multi-dimensional characters Princess Mononoke has been a fan favorite film for two decades now. To celebrate this achievement Fathom Events has given fans a real treat in honor of the wolf Princess. Last night a special one night only subtitled print was shown in select theaters around the country and on January 9th, the US dub of the film will be shown.

Miyazaki has never been a filmmaker who would allow his work to be compromised and all of his films have a theme or ideal that Miyazaki himself possesses (mainly pacifism, the endless cycle that violence breeds and environmentalism). This is never more clear than in Princess Mononoke.

The environmentalism vs industry clash is the very forefront of the conflict in this film and the ending of the movie is almost too literal in the preaching of his ideals. It works but it is a little on the nose. The film is hardly subtle about where Miyazaki stands on these issues and yet the evils of manufacturing are given rational reasoned arguments as to why they must exist. I wager lesser filmmakers would not give the opposing argument “equal time”.

The film is a splendid fantasy story about honor, love and nature mixed with racism and the debate of where nature ends and the artificial begins. Wisely the characters are (for the most part) fully realized people who very much do not fit into the “good guy” or “bad guy” stereotypes. For instance the ostensible villain of the piece, Lady Eboshi, is (clearly) doing the wrong thing in more ways than one but is never painted as a bad person, simply someone doing what they feel is the best for them and their people. Her acts are callous and crass but as the finale shows she genuinely cares for those under her leadership and all the destruction she perpetrates is really to further their lives. She has depth. Hardly the kind of cutout bad guy from a Hollywood blockbuster. The gods are similarly layered, Okkoto is pig-headed (literally) and blind to the dangers his actions bring about but is honorable and steadfast that these are the actions which must be taken to preserve his race. The Moro clan is the same way. They are biased and openly racist against humans and yet see themselves as the victims of racism… which they very well may be.

Miyazaki’s films are well known for their detailed and fluid animation and here is no exception. Gore and blood mix artfully with the beauty and majesty of nature with an existential quality. The glorious landscapes are contrasted with the nightmarish Kodama and Night Ape figures. The Deer God is both charming and grand while being somewhat goofy all at the same time. The entire film is like this. Combine the characters with the images and the message (blunt it might be) and you can understand why Princess Mononoke became a cherished piece of Japanese cinema.

The 1999 US redub though is not as good as the original language dub. Personally, I was unable to separate the star voices from who I knew them to be and never thought they melded with the characters properly. Billy Crudup, Billy Bob Thornton, Minnie Driver, Claire Danes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gillian Anderson and Keith David just take me out of the film. Instead of Moro being a dominating wolf god… I simply hear a bored Agent Scully. If you saw the US dub first then you are most likely partial to it and I bid you no ill will, I just prefer the Japanese print.

This being a Fathom event, Fathom always gives people a little extra for their money so this event includes the music video for Chage and Aska’s “On Your Mark” which happens to be directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A fun and oddly touching video about 2 cops in a dystonia helping save an angel from radiation poisoning. Cryptic and fascinating at the same time. This video has never been released outside of Japan so US audiences seeing it on the big screen is indeed a treat.

You can get your tickets to the January 9th event HERE.

People commit unthinkable acts every day. Time and again, we grapple to understand what drives a person to do such terrible things. But what if all of the questions we’re asking are wrong? What if the cause of all evil is not a matter of what…but who?

From the producer of Oculus and The Strangers comes The Bye Bye Man, a chilling horror-thriller that exposes the evil behind the most unspeakable acts committed by man. When three college friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, they discover that there is only one way to avoid his curse: don’t think it, don’t say it. But once the Bye Bye Man gets inside your head, he takes control. Is there a way to survive his possession?

Debuting on Friday, January 13th, this film redefines the horror that iconic date represents—stretching our comprehension of the terror this day holds beyond our wildest nightmares.

For the chance to receive two tickets to the advance screening of the STX Entertainment film THE BYE BYE MAN on Tuesday, January 10^th at 7:30PM at AMC Boston Common, CLICK HERE!

The World’s Greatest Super Heroes like you’ve never seen them before through the BIG-FIGS DC Originals Tribute Series. Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, and DC Comics’ other iconic heroes and villains come to life as highly-detailed and articulated action figures.

Each limited edition figure was created just for collectors and comes in a gorgeous, display friendly storybook window box that features some of the most iconic scenes, memorable storylines, and epic battles of each character.

Six unique figures will be offered as part of the Tribute Series. Complete your collection by visiting each month as your favorite DC Originals characters become available.

BIG-FIGS Tribute Series DC Originals 19” Harley Quinn

Introducing DC Originals’ Harley Quinn like you’ve never seen her before! This limited edition Harleen Quinzel is meticulously crafted and has a glossy pearl and silver deco. Harley Quinn stands at 19-inches tall and features seven points of articulation to showcase a variety of dynamic poses.

The figure comes in a gorgeous, display friendly storybook window box that features some of the most iconic scenes and memorable storylines of the Maiden of Mischief.

Harley Quinn is the first of six exclusive figures in the Jakks BIG-FIGS DC Originals Tribute Series Collection. Order this and all of the Tribute Series figures while supplies last.

Exclusive to Amazon, Harley Quinn is available HERE.

Produced by Barbara De Fina, Randall Emmett,
Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Emma Tillinger Koskoff,
Gaston Pavlovich, Martin Scorsese, Irwin Winkler
Screenplay by Jay Cocks, Martin Scorsese
Based on Silence by Shūsaku Endō
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver,
Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds, Liam Neeson

Silence is based on the award-winning 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo and is the story of two 17th Century Jesuit Priests who travel to Japan on a mission to search for their mentor, Jesuit Superior, Father Ferreira, whom is said to have lost his faith and apostatized.

Set during the era of Kakase Kirishitan or “hidden Christians” any Japanese found to be Christian by the Inquisitor of Japan would be tortured and killed.

This long awaited film adaptation by Academy Award winning director, Martin Scorsese is a triumph of filmmaking. Beautiful, and harrowing, both the story of the two priests looking for answers and questioning their own faith, as well as the story of the Japanese peasants who are trying to find solace and peace in a religion that is expressly forbidden, are equally hard to watch and riveting.

I found myself having a hard time relating to the Jesuits, deftly played by Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Their mission is to find their mentor Father Ferreira subtly played by Liam Neeson (Taken), but also to keep converting Buddhist Japanese Peasants to Christianity. This is a sore sticking point for me. Once a Baptist myself, I find myself both understanding where they are coming from but not wanting to abide it.

What Scorsese has created in Silence is almost too perfect a film about the pros and cons of religion. I could spend a year talking about all the crap it brought up for me while watching it and never touch the surface of the films making at all. So suffice it to say it will definitely make you think. No matter what side of the religion debate you stand on.

As a film, Scorsese has dipped into his deep, dark well of film knowledge and made one of the best Kurosawa film since the master himself passed in 1998. Mixed two parts Kurasowa one part Bergman, Silence is 100% Scorsese and he is right back on top of his game. It is nice to see him change gears from the kinetic and frenzied style of The Wolf Of Wall Street (which I also reviewed almost exactly 3 years ago) to the methodical and almost zen-like film making of Silence.

Bringing Endo’s novel to screen, Scorsese and frequent writing partner, Jay Cocks have written an equally spiritual and tense film that does its source material justice. Scorsese also brought in long time collaborators, Academy Award Winning Dante Ferretti as both production and costume designer and his The Wolf Of Wall Street cinematographer, the Oscar nominated Rodrigo Prieto.

Scorsese has also cast a plethora of truly amazing supporting rolls with some of Japan’s best actors, actresses and directors. Stand out performances include but are not limited to, Issey Ogata (The Sun) as the elderly yet feared, Inquisitor, Inoue. Tadanobu Asano (Thor, Ichi The Killer) as the sly yet forceful Interpreter. Up and coming actor, Yosuke Kubozuka as the weak willed, Kichijiro. Even highly respected actor/director Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: Iron Man) was cast as Mokichi, as the devout village leader.

Silence will not be for everyone. Whether it be it’s daunting length of just under 3 hours, it’s very poignant yet controversial subject matter, or its methodical and slowly paced story, one thing is sure, who it IS for is the lover of amazing cinema. It may not be a film I will want to revisit in the near or even distant future but I am glad to have seen it and Martin Scorsese continues to be my favorite living director.

Stefan Blitz

Editor-in-Chief, Forces of Geek
@forcesofgeek

Best Movies: Sing Street, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Manchester by the Sea, Hell or High Water, Green Room
Best TV Shows: Berlanti’s DC shows, Designated Survivor, Fresh Off The Boat, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Stranger Things
Best Books (fiction): Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Rowling)
Best Books (non-fiction): Atlas Obscura (Foer, Thuras & Morton), The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek V. 1 & 2 (Gross and Altman), Comic Book Fever (Khoruy), Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie (Alinger, Lageose, Mandel)
Best Video Game: Two Dots (iPhone)
Best Songs: “Lazarus” – David Bowie, “Drive It Like You Stole It”, “Girls”, “Brown Shoes” – Sing Street
Best Albums: Sing Street OST, lots of revisiting David Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen.
Best Podcast: Oh No They Didn’t!, Crimetown, TV Guidance Counselor
Best Comic Books/Graphic Novels: The Vision (King & Walsh), Empress (Millar and Immonen), Reborn (Millar and Capullo), Batman/All-Star Batman (Snyder, Capullo, Romita, Jr.), Future Quest (Parker, Shaner, & Various),  Dark Night: A True Batman Story (Dini and Risso)
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release:  My Bodyguard (Kino), Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (Shout! Factory), Time After Time (Warner Archive)
Most overrated thing about 2016? Millennial Rage/Entitlement; Safe Spaces
Most underrated thing about 2016? Diet Dr. Pepper
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Pop Culture and Optimism.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Reality (politics and the deaths of so many people who’s work I admire)
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  T2: Trainspotting, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 , Alien: Covenant, Wonder Woman, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the conclusion of Miller, Azzarrello and Kubert’s Dark Knight III: The Master Race, and hopefully if all goes well, my future wife, Melissa Benoist-Blitz.

Dean Cameron

Iconic character actor; Summer School, Men at Work, Ski School
deancameron.com

Best TV Shows: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, Stranger Things, Black Mirror, Catastrophe, High Maintenence, Million Dollar Extreme
Best Books (fiction): The Circle, Moby Dick, Bend Sinister
Best Books (non-fiction): How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, Don’t Make The Black Kids Angry, What If
Best Video Game: Tetris
Best Songs: Tear in My Heart, Stressed Out (21 Pilots), Wolves of Winter (Biffy Clyro),
Best Albums: F.E.A.R. (MARILLION), Ellipsis (BIffy Clyro), Blurryface (21 pilots), Nothing But Thieves
Best Music Video: Pussywhipped (Steel Panther)
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Bob Fingerman
Most overrated thing about 2016? Democrats
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Butt-Hurt Democrats
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson being an idiot and making Libertarians look like idiots, once again.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Butt-Hurt Democrats (No, I didn’t vote for Whatshisface)

Shade Rupe

Writer; Producer; Director

Best Movies: The Witch, The Lobster, Malgré la nuit, Hell or High Water (I had more but I can’t find my list)
Best TV Shows: Westworld
Best Books (non-fiction): Killing for Culture
Most overrated thing about 2016? Complaining about Donald Trump
Most underrated thing about 2016? Bernie Sanders
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? David Bowie’s birthday
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? David Bowie’s death day
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? America’s implosion

AJ Feuerman

FOG! Contributor
@ajfeuerman • ajfeuerman.com

Best Movies: Rogue One, Deadpool, The Lobster, The Edge of Seventeen, Lion, Moonlight
Best TV Shows: The CW’s Arrow/Flash/Supergirl/Legends Crossover; This is Us, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, The People v. OJ Simpson
Best Books (fiction): Collecting the Constellations by Emily Steers, I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi, Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Anderson,
Best Songs: “I Can’t Give Everything Away” by David Bowie, Boyce Avenue and Sarah Hyland’s cover of “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, “A-Yo” by Lady Gaga, “My Church” by Maren Morris, “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE, “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake, “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town
Best Albums: 24K Magic from Bruno Mars, Revolution Radio from Green Day, Blackstar from David Bowie, Nobody But Me from Michael Buble
Best Music Video: “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars, “Lazarus” by David Bowie, “The One Moment” by OK Go, “Angels” by Chance the Rapper, whatever Sia put out
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: The Roddenberry Vault, Finding Dory
Best Podcasts: Girlboss Radio, My Dad Wrote a Porno, Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast, How Did This Get Made
Most overrated thing about 2016? Politics, Live TV musicals
Most underrated thing about 2016? Netflix’s The Crown, HBO’s Insecure, USA’s Queen of the South
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? All the comic book hero movies and Rogue One, The election…
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? The election.

Lauren Milberger

FOG! Columnist
@laurenmilberger • laurenmilberger.com • thefordcastpodcast.com

Best Movies: Hidden Figures, La La Land, The Founder
Best TV Shows: Last Man On Earth, Catastrophe, Westworld, Fleabag, Stranger Things, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Veep, Difficult People
Best Podcast:  Fresh Air, Revisionist History, The West Wing Weekly, Invisibilia, Anna Farris is Unqualified, Pop Culture Happy Hour, This American Life, Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show, Stuff You Missed in History Class
Best Books (fiction): Star Wars Bloodline (Claudia Gray)
Best Books (non-fiction):  Princess Diariest (Carrie Fisher)
Most overrated thing about 2016? Donald Trump
Most underrated thing about 2016? Kindness
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? The Gilmore Girls
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  Is the death of truth too political?
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Star Wars: Episode VIII, Catastrophe Season 3, The Good Fight (CBS Access with Christine Baranksi – Good Wife spin off), Allison Janney, Bette Midler and Kevin Kline on Broadway, new seasons of Sherlock and Doctor Who.

B. Clay Moore

Comic Book Writer
@bclaymoore • bclaymoore.wordpress.com • bclaymoore.tumblr.com

Best Movies: The Nice Guys, Deadpool, Hell or High Water, Blue Jay
Best TV Shows: Stranger Things, Fleabag, Late Night With Seth Meyers
Best Video Game: FIFA 2017
Best Songs: “What it Means” by Drive-By Truckers
Best Albums: Drive-By Truckers: American Band, David Bowie: Blackstar, Whitney: Light Upon the Lake, Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial, Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker, The Goon Sax: Up to Anything, Big Day in a Small Town: Brandy Clark
Best Music Video:  I think I missed them all.
Best Comic Books/Graphic Novels: The Vision, Sheriff of Babylon, Southern Bastards, Lake of Fire
Most overrated thing about 2016? Bernie Bros.
Most underrated thing about 2016?  Everything is overrated these days.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?  Releasing multiple comic series for the first time in awhile.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  Seriously? America.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  The imminent destruction of the planet. Ha ha ha!  No, mainly achieving some personal career goals in comics and television.

Shannon Eric Denton

Writer; Artist; Producer
@ShannonDenton • shannondenton.com • actionopolis.com

Best Movies: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Kubo & Two Strings, The Nice Guys, Deadpool
Best TV Shows: Con Man, Avengers: Assemble, Justice League Action, Ultimate Spider-Man, Star Wars Rebels, Ben 10
Best Books: (fiction): The whole Actionopolis.com line of books (Hey, we work hard to make these things
Best Video Game: Con Man the Game
Best Songs:  George Strait & Jimmy Johnson’s “Kicked Outta Country”
Best Albums: Metallica’s Hardwired to Self Destruct
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Spectrum, Marvel’s Star Wars books, Paper Girls
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Deadpool, Star Trek Beyond
Most overrated thing about 2016? Elections
Most underrated thing about 2016? Elections
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Working with Alan Tudyk, Nathan Fillion, PJ Haarsma, Stan Lee and a ton of other pals on Con Man
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Never having enough time for all I want to do! And the loss of so many artistic inspirations.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Powerless, Con Man season 3, and more Spectrum comics!

Steven Segal-Twist

FOG! Columnist

Best Movies: The Nice Guys, Arrival, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Kubo and the Two Strings, The BFG
Best TV Shows: Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Westworld Daredevil
Best Songs: 
“Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake, “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots
Best Podcast: “The Mike&PatCast” – Insightful movie and TV banter, hosted by two of the most well-viewed and well-versed pop culture geeks who aren’t me.
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release:
 Scream Factory’s jam-packed special edition of Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Most overrated thing about 2016? 
Pokemon Go
Most underrated thing about 2016?
 Steven Spielberg’s Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG.  There’s a reason why they say they don’t make ’em like they used to: because few filmmakers can conjure even a fraction of the cinematic whimsy evident in every frame of Spielberg’s dreamy storybook confection.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?
An R-rated comic book movie was a humongous hit, guaranteeing a future spate of similarly edgy/gory/ribald fare.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?   
Ghostbusters
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?
 Star Wars Episode VIII, Alien: Covenant and Blade Runner 2049

B.S. Walker

FOG! Contributor

Best Movies: Manchester by the Sea, Sing Street, Hell or High Water
Best TV Shows: Vikings, Game of Thrones, Catastrophe
Best Video Game: Forza Horizon 3
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: The Thing (Collector’s Edition from Shout!Factory)
Most overrated thing about 2016?  La La Land
Most underrated thing about 2016? Sing Street
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Red Sox playoff performance
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  Mass Effect: Andromeda

Brian Saur

Film Critic; Blogger
@bobfreelander • rupertpupkinspeaks.com

Best Movies: The Nice Guys, Everybody Wants Some!!
Best TV Shows: Stranger Things, Trollhunters
Best Songs:  “Night Drive” – Rob Simonsen (from Nerve: Original Motion Picture Score)
Best Albums: Nerve: Original Motion Picture Score by Rob Simonsen
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release:  The Marx Brothers – Silver Screen Collection on Blu-ray
Best Podcast: Shock Waves
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Tons and tons of catalog Blu-rays from boutique labels

Todd Sokolove

FOG! Columnist; Podcaster
@tsokolove • Oh No They Didn’t! Podcast

Best Movies: I still have a ton of films to see before award season is in full swing, but of the movies I’ve seen from 2016, my favorites are as follows…

• Moonlight:  My favorite from NYFF this past year, is ultimately the best film I saw in 2016.  Also one of the most important.
• 20th Century Women: I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this one as much as I did.  I can’t lie: I laughed, I cried, I wished it were 1979 again.
• Operation Avalanche: Very surprised that this one didn’t get a wider release or a bigger embrace from Kubrick fans.  It is beyond admirable, and adorable at once.
• Zootopia: Disney Animation outdid themselves (literally) with this better-than-Moana parable of our modern urban world.
• Weiner Dog: Even fans of the films of Todd Solondz were perplexed by this not-quite-a-sequel to Welcome to the Dollhouse, but I think it’s his best film since Happiness.  That ending though is not for people without a sense of irony.

Best TV Shows:

• The People vs. OJ: American Crime Story:  I ate up every moment of this sometimes satirical, always entertaining, and perfectly cast recap of the trial of the century.  A second season will be hard to pull of.
• Stranger Things: Even post back-lash, I loved the show, as I’ve mentioned before on this site.  It helped that I grew up in the midwest during the same time as the series.  Also, I had a babysitter named Barb abducted by aliens from another dimension.   It’s like they studied my life, I’m telling you.
• Westworld: My ultimate theory is Michael Crichton would have dug what HBO did to his creation, and that’s all I needed.

Best Songs: I made you a mix tape.  No seriously, here’s the mix on Spotify.  This year I liked a lot of new artists, but I think you’ll find a multitude of feel-good/pop tracks that kept me sane in 2016…

Best Podcast: I’m proud of our podcast Forces of Geek presents Oh No They Didn’t, and look forward to 2017’s slate of episodes.  But the best of this year, is hands-down ’80s All Over, which covers, month-by-month, every movie released in the 1980s.  They’re still exploring 1980 itself, so it’s a good time to binge.  It completely brings back memories of studying the weekly Arts section of the newspaper for new releases, and begging my parents to take me to the movies.
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: I was happy to see Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye finally get a Blu-ray release, though the bare-bones release from Warner Bros. sucked.  Criterion’s Dr. Strangelove was fantastic, down to the fun inserts within the packaging.  That was unexpected.  Jaws 3-D on 3D Blu-ray from Universal looked better than any other 3D Blu-ray I’ve ever owned.  Even the movie made more sense with its crystal clear, and immersive picture.

Most overrated thing about 2016: Hype and excitement over superhero movies, sequels and reboots.  There was nothing in 2016 to be that excited about.
Most underrated thing about 2016: I’m frankly surprised how underutilized Virtual Reality, and really Augmented Reality, was in 2016.  I understand it will be a slow burn, but I really thought we would see more of an embrace of hardware this year.  Both the Samsung Gear VR and PS4 VR offered massive advances in technology while being accessible solutions to dip into the pool.

I was also very surprised that the 120 frames per second exhibitions of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk didn’t get more attention.  Though applied to the wrong film/subject, I’d love to see more of the technology in 2017.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016: The year being over.  Let’s reset please.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016: The Electoral College
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017: Episode VIII and Alien: Covenant are probably at the top of my bated-breath list.  I’m also a sucker for monthly announcements from Criterion Collection.

Liz Robbins

FOG! Contributor

Best Movies: Kubo and the Two Strings, Deadpool
Best TV Shows: Star Wars:Rebels, The Crown, The Night Manager, Stranger Things
Best Video Game: Pokémon Go
Best Songs: “Empty” Garbage
Best Albums: Blackstar-David Bowie
Best Music Video: Lazarus-David Bowie
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: The Iron Giant signature edition
Most overrated thing about 2016? Illumination Entertainment’s animated films
Most underrated thing about 2016? Laika Entertainment’s animated films
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Rogue One
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Dunkirk, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Little Sofi

Former FOG! Contributor
@little_sofi​ • tsarinasoma.com

Best Movies:​ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them​, Rogue One
Best TV Shows: ​Stranger Things​, Game of Thrones, Westworld, BoJack Horseman, Black Mirror
Best Books (fiction): Short​ ​Stories​ ​from​ ​Hogwarts​: ​of​ ​Power​ ​Politics​ ​and​ ​Pesky​ ​Poltergeists
Best Video Game: ​Firewatch​
Best Songs: ​Blackstar​ (David Bowie)
Best Albums:​​ Blackstar (David Bowie)
Best Music Video: ​Makeba, Jain​
Best Podcast:​ ​Distraction Pieces with Scroobius Pip​
Most overrated thing about 2016?​ The Walking Dead​ and Mr Robot
Most underrated thing about 2016?​ Planet Earth II, and Rogue One (stop badmouthing it! It’s a good movie! You can’t have EVERYTHING!)​
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?​ ​Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  Making a Murderer‘s Brendon Dassey almost getting out of jail, and then not, right at the last minute :(​
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?​ A new Making a Murderer​

Adam Dechanel

FOG! Contributor
@AdamDechanel

Best Movies: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Batman v Superman, Zootopia, Captain America: Civil War, Disney’s Moana, Suicide Squad, Finding Dory, Secret Life Of Pets, Deadpool, The Legend Of Tarzan
Best TV Shows: Hooten & The Lady, iZombie, Sense8 (Christmas Special), Planet Earth II, Wynonna Earp, Justice League Action, Preacher, Elementary, Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow, Star Wars: Rebels, Black Mirror, Westworld, Stranger Things, Lucifer, Grimm, Luke Cage, Billions
Best Podcasts: Radio KAL, Oh No They Didn’t!, Simply Superman Batman, World’s Best Podcast
Best Books (fiction): Lois Lane: Fallout, Lois Lane: Double Down, Star Wars: Before The Awakening, Star Wars: Smuggler’s Run
Best Books (non-fiction): The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book
Best Video Game: Batman: The Telltale Series, Super Mario Run!
Best Songs: Restless by Ezra Furman
Best Albums: Blackstar by David Bowie, The Wonder Of You by Elvis Presley
Best Music Video: How Far I’ll Go – Alessia Cara
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Superman: Rebirth, Midnighter & Apollo, Wonder Woman: Rebirth, Trinity, Superwoman
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Batman ’66: Return Of The Caped Crusaders
Most overrated thing about 2016?  The OA, Marvel: Civil War II
Most underrated thing about 2016? My column, Welcome To The Planet!,  The Class (BBC Three Doctor Who spin off),  Green Arrow: Rebirth
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Young Justice Season 3 announcement, The CW four part crossover (Supergirl/TheFlash/Arrow/Legends)
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  The OA, Donald Trump voted into the presidency, Marvel: Civil War II
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Wonder Woman The Movie, Power Rangers The Movie, Grimm: The Final Season, Iron Fist (Netflix), Super Sons: Rebirth

David E. Goldweber

FOG! Columnist
clawsandsaucers.com

Best Movies: Zootopia, Rogue One
Best TV Show: Stranger Things
Best Book (fiction): Guile by Constance Cooper
Best Book (non-fiction): Fantasy Films of the 1980s by moi
Best Video Game: Minecraft 1.11
Best Song: “Try Everything” (Zootopia theme) by Shakira
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Highlander 30th Anniversary Edition
Most overrated thing about 2016? The election
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? The Chicago Cubs
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Too many deaths!
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? A ton of new Blu-ray releases now that I have a player!

Jimmy Palmiotti

Editor/Writer of Comics, Movies, TV, Games; Co-Owner, PaperFilms
@jpalmiotti • Paperfilms.com •  PaperFilms Threadless Shop

Best Movies: Hell or High Water, Zootopia, The Nice Guys
Best TV Shows: Veep, Orange is the New Black, the Get Down, Big Bang Theory
Best Books (fiction): Moonglow by Michel Chabon
Best Books (non-fiction): March by John Lewis
Best Video Game: Battlefield 1
Best Songs: Vancouver Sleep Clinic “Collapse”
Best Albums: Cautionary Tale – Dylan LeBlanc
Best Music Video: David Bowie: Lazarus
Most overrated thing about 2016? Politics
Most underrated thing about 2016? Friendships
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Trip to Italy for a month.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  The deaths of Darwyn Cooke and Steve Dillon
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? My books making it to film and more vacations

Matt Haley

Artist; Filmmaker
matthaley.com • imdb.com/name/nm2237581

Best Movies: The Nice Guys, Keanu
Best TV Shows: Stranger Things
Best Books (fiction): The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Regional Office Is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales
Best Books (non-fiction): Time Travel by James Gleick, Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Best Albums: BLACKSTAR (Bowie), Black Sabbath (the entire THE END EP), Fates Warning (Theories of Flight), Nine Inch Nails (Not The Actual Events EP)
Best Music Video: WITCH DOCTOR (De Staat)
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Paper Girls, Showman Killer (Jodorowsky), Omega Men
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Mad Max: Fury Road (Black & Chrome Edition)
Most overrated thing about 2016? Star Wars, The Walking Dead, Suicide Squad
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  no comment
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? 2016 being over!

Joshua Gravel

FOG! Contributor
@hauntedracula • ArkhamFilmSociety.com

Best Movies: Green Room, Shin Godzilla, Valley Of Violence, Nina Forever, The Witch, The Nice Guys
Best TV Shows: Channel Zero: Candle Cove, Stranger Things, Scream Queens, The Simpsons, American Horror Story: Roanoke, Hap And Leonard
Best Blu-ray Release: The Mutilator (Arrow Video), Cherry Falls (Scream Factory), Pieces (Grindhouse Releasing), Blood Diner (Vestron Video), Symptoms (Mondo Macabro), Sex Murder Art: The Films Of Jorg Buttgereit (Cult Epics)
Best Podcast:   Trick Or Treat Radio *, Outside The Cinema *, The Projection Booth, Killer POV, Giallo Ciao Ciao, The Movie Crypt

* Note that I often contribute to these.

Joe DeVito

Painter; Author/Creator of Skull Island literary property
The Art of Joe DeVito

Best Movies: Zootopia
Best TV Shows:  Man In The High Castle, Stranger Things
Best Books (non-fiction): Scientific American magazine/ Prehistoric Times Magazine (closest I can come to books I really liked;-)
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Kong of Skull Island
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Captain America: Civil War
Most overrated thing about 2016?: Hillary Clinton
Most underrated thing about 2016? Donald Trump
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?  Working on Kong of Skull Island
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Media deception/Fake News
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Everything

Mark Wensel

Former FOG! Columnist
@profwagstaff-42 • profwagstaff.com (The Prof WILL return)

Best Movies: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sing Street, Arrival, Eddie The Eagle, Ghostbusters (Yep. I said it.), Fences
Best TV Shows: Stranger Things, Luke Cage
Best Songs: Blackstar – David Bowie
Best Albums: Blackstar – David Bowie, You Wanted It Dark – Leonard Cohen, A Moon Shaped Poole – Radiohead, A Seat At The Table – Solange, Skeleton Tree – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Chaleur Humaine – Christine & The Queens
Best Music Video: Blackstar – David Bowie
Most overrated thing about 2016?  Death
Most underrated thing about 2016?  Sing Street didn’t get enough press. That movie made me happy.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?  Ghostbusters, Rogue One, Marvel movies, Stranger Things, A future president who didn’t hate everyone.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  2016
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  Not being stuck in 2016.

Charles J. Baserap

Former FOG! Columnist

Best Movies: Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (flaws and all!), Zootopia
Best TV Shows: Westworld, Mr. Robot, Walking Dead, the CW Berlanti Bonanza, Black Sails
Best Books (fiction): My forthcoming first novel, even though it’ll be out in 2017 (it was finished in 2016!), The Haunted (shameless plug!)
Best Albums: Dream Theater – The Astonishing, Metallica – Hardwired…to Self-Destruct!
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: This is like asking me my favorite oxygen molecule to breathe, so let’s go with Vision, the newly minted Rebirth from DC, Seven to Eternity, Black Science, Divinity III: Stalinverse
Most overrated thing about 2016? If I go a million years without hearing the word “Hamilton,” it’ll be too bloody short a time.
Most underrated thing about 2016? Being a stay at home dad, at least as far as public perception goes.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Couldn’t wait for Captain America: Civil War, but after a series of misfortunes, couldn’t wait for 2017…
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? The propensity of people, especially through social media, to engage in mob think and denigrate anyone who doesn’t believe or think in lockstep with them as the Enemy, capital E, without any regard for complexities, then wonder why things turn out the way they do; you claim to be grownups, act it.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 at the theaters, my first fiction novel hopefully seeing a bookshelf near you.

Guy Benoit

Screenwriter

Best Movies:  The Call Of Charlie, Green Room, The Nice Guys, Hell Or High Water, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Don’t Breathe, Light’s Out, Weiner, The Witch, The Wailing, In A Valley Of Violence
Best TV Shows: Saturday Night Live, OJ:  Made In America,  Bob’s Burgers, Another Period, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Best Books (fiction):  Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Best Books (non-fiction): Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America by Jesse Jarnow
Best Podcast: Le Show and The Last Podcast On The Left
Most overrated thing about 2016?  The news media and pop culture ‘journalism,’ in general.
Most underrated thing about 2016?  Saturday Night Live.  The past 3 years have been among the best in the show’s history.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?  The Call Of Charlie
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  General gullibility of the public
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  More great movies and books!

David J. Moore

Author; The Good, the Tough, and the Deadly: Action Movies and Stars, and World Gone Wild: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies
@videovalhalla85

Best movie: Sing Street
Best TV show: Gotham
Best fiction: A Congregation of Jackals (reprint) by S. Craig Zahler
Best nonfiction: The Good, the Tough, and the Deadly: Action Movies and Stars.
Best videogame: Uncharted 4 PS4
Best song: “Drive it Like You Stole it” from the Sing Street Soundtrack.
Best Album: Sing Street Soundtrack
Music Video: Turbo Killer by Carpenter Brut
Best graphic novel: The Swords of Glass from Humanoids
Best podcast: Nerds of Nostalgia
Best Blu-ray: The Challenge from Kino Lorber
Most overrated: Celebrity Deaths and the Presidential Election.
Mot Underrated: Hardcopy, physical media. Appreciate it while we’re still getting it.
Most excited about in 2016: Steven Seagal had four (!?) theatrical releases, and Nicolas Cage had five theatrical releases. I saw them all in theaters. I get excited about stuff like that.
Most disappointed in 2016: Star Wars and Marvel movies in general.
Most excited for 2017: The Ghost in the Shell movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Aftermath and Why We’re Killing Gunther.

Carol Pinchefsky

Writer
@carolpinchefsky • carolpinchefsky.com

Best movies: Arrival, Rogue One, Passengers,  Doctor Strange
Best TV shows: Game of Thrones, Gotham, Agents of SHIELD
Best Video Game: It’s not new, but I continue to enjoy the hell out of the MMO Guild Wars 2, Uncharted 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider (for PC and PS4; it was released on the Xbox, which I don’t have, in 2015).
Most overrated thing about 2016?  Suicide Squad
Most underrated thing about 2016? Gotham
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? X-Men: Apocalypse AND Batman v. Superman.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017?  Game of Thrones continues to impress and amaze me. I can’t get enough.

Molly B Denham

Former FOG! Columnist

Best TV Shows: Marvel’s Agent Carter, Stranger Things
Best Book (Non-Fiction): A Burglar’s Guide To the City (Geoff Manaugh), Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Best Album: Bring Prudence “Red Horses” (Disclosure: My company works with Bring Prudence, which is how I discovered this stunning gem of a record)
Best Comic Books: Batman ’66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel series
Best Podcast: The Bowery Boys
Most Overrated Thing About 2016: The Kardashians and Kanye
Most Underrated Thing About 2016: Bring Prudence
Thing I Was Most Excited About in 2016: Agent Carter Season 2
Thing I Was Most Disappointed By in 2016: The break-up of Allo Darlin’, finding myself living in the 1981 Afterschool Special “The Wave”

Bill Machon

Former FOG! Columnist

Best Movies: Rogue One, Star Trek Beyond, Captain America: Civil War
Best TV Shows: Westworld, Mr. Robot, Stranger Things, Baskets, Game of Thrones, Orphan Black
Best Albums: Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool, Lush – Blindspot EP, Blood Orange – Freetown Sound, Portable – Alan Abrahams, Gaika – Machine, Massive Attack – Ritual Spirit EP
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: From Under Mountains, Providence, Injection, Saga, The Wicked + The Divine, Black Panther
Best Podcast: Grumpy Old Geeks
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016?  Rogue One
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016?  Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Star Wars Episode VIII, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Twin Peaks, Star Trek Discovery

Bryan Erdy

FOG! Video Producer

Best Movies: Jackie, A Monster Calls, Captain America – Civil War, Dr. Strange, Star Trek Beyond,  La La Land
Best TV Shows: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, The Good Wife, Daredevil, Stranger Things
Best Books (fiction): End of Watch, The Secret History of Twin Peaks: A Novel, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2, Special Rehearsal Edition Script, Star Wars – Catalyst
Best Books (non-fiction): The Art of Atari, Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie, Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 1, , The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic (From the Magic Kingdom), A Life in Parts – Bryan Cranston
Best Video Game: Dishonored 2, Final Fantasy XV, Titanfall 2, Deadrising 4, Pokemon Go, Nintendo Classic
Best Songs: “Is She With You” (Zimmer),  “Beautiful Dream” (Zimmer), “Dr. Strange Theme” (Giacchino), “The Yorktown” (Giaachinno), “Stranger Things – Main Theme” (Dixon), “Winter Has Come” (Djawadi), “The Winds of Winter” (Djawadi)
Best Albums: Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice (Hans Zimmer/Junkie XL), Doctor Strange OST, Star Trek Beyond OST, Stranger Things, Vol. 1 OST, Game Of Thrones (Music from the HBO Series) Season 6 OST, John Carpenter Lost Themes II, Star Trek 50th Anniversary Collection
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: The Walking Dead
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Batman v Superman – Dawn of Justice, Jaws 2, Return of the Living Dead, Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan, Elstree 1976, Manhunter, Just Desserts – The Making of Creepshow
Most overrated thing about 2016? 11/22/63, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones
Most underrated thing about 2016? Batman v Superman
Thing that you were most excited about in 2016? Rogue One
Thing that disappointed you most in 2016? Lack of originality in Hollywood, another year without a John Carpenter film.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2017? Star  Wars – Episode VIII, Thor III, Stranger Things Season 2, Game of Thrones Season 7

It’s easy to get caught up on the visual design of a Wes Anderson film, especially on its first viewing.

Each new release from the auteur feels loaded with more details waiting to be discovered, rediscovered and revered.

Last May, Bar Luce, a café designed by Anderson himself, opened in Milan, and it’s like a set from right out of his short film Castello Cavalcanti (2013), yet specifically inspired by films by Visconti and De Sica.  I’d imagine more than a handful of Anderson fans have made the trip to Milan to experience it.

But those of us here in North America have an even more immersive experience awaiting them.  Located in the County of Prince Edward in Canada is a cinephile’s Airbnb dream come true: Mr. Anderson’s House.

Each room is themed after a different film in the director’s repertoire, and according to owner Dayna Winter, a “love letter to him” that’s ever-evolving.

I spoke with Dayna about her unique rental, and its backstory…

* * * * *

FOG!: So, how did the “Mr. Anderson’s House” come about?

Dayna Winter: I’ve always wanted to retire in the country later, but the urge to leave the city just kept creeping up. I was doing some make-believe house hunting while driving through on a weekend, and found this house. Everything at that point was a blur. Since my job and life is still very much in Toronto, I decided to turn it into a part-time Airbnb rental so that it would pay for itself until I could move full time.

I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan, especially his eye for design and color. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but I had this idea: theme the house after his films—one film for each room. I figured the gimmick would be a draw, and maybe get me some attention from Airbnb or on design blogs. At the very least, it was a fun design challenge, especially since I’m on a budget. Almost everything is thrifted or a DIY hack. I didn’t go too heavy-handed with it—I wanted the effect to be more of an ode or nod to his style, rather than a straight copy.

On the listing, you call it a love-letter to the director.  There has to be an easier way to meet Wes Anderson.  All kidding aside, have you heard from the auteur?

Ha, nope! I recently read something about the Wes Anderson-inspired art show, Bad Dads that was put on by Spoke Gallery. The article said that Wes Anderson’s dad follows his son’s news, and had to inform his son about the show. I’m guessing that he doesn’t Google himself much. To be honest, I don’t actually care about celebrities, or meeting them. I simply respect his work, and it would be cool if he heard about my project (and stayed over!), but would I really have anything to say to him over coffee? I’d probably just be super awkward.

A lot of the references to Anderson’s films in your rooms are more subtle, and others are easy connections.  What’s the most obscure thing you’re proud of in the house?

As it’s still a work in progress, there are a lot of items on my wish list that I’m hoping to score at an antique or thrift store. I have plans for some super sneaky items if I can find them. So really, a lot of the rooms aren’t quite there yet from a theme perspective. There are a few little things, though: I have a Latin book in the mix in Rushmore room, and Suzy Bishops’s saddle shoes are peeking out from under the side table in the upstairs nook. If anyone has a wild javelina (faux) taxidermy head, I will totally give it a good home!

I’m assuming you have his complete filmography available for viewing while staying at the house?

Getting there! I have half of them on DVD, I think, but my guests don’t seem to watch much TV, and if they do, it’s Netflix.

What’s your favorite of his films?

The Royal Tenenbaums, hands down. It’s not just my favorite of his films—it’s my favorite film, period.

Do you get guests who are just looking for a place to stay on Airbnb or, do you always have folks in on the theme?

I’m getting more guests who are staying because of the theme, which is really cool. People actually get into it and shoot some Wes style photos of themselves interacting with the spaces. Luckily, though, people really just love the area, so I get bookings from non-fans too. I’m cautious of making the home too theme-y, and therefore not universally appealing. I want to balance a comfortable stay with the design experience.

Any families show up yet dressed as Tenenbaums?

I wish! One couple bought some vintage clothing and staged a few cute photo shoots in some of the rooms.

Did you catch Wes Anderson’s new commercial for H & M, and did you base your Christmas decor around it?

Of course! Because I maintain social accounts for the house on Twitter and Instagram  I closely follow Wes-related hashtags, so I saw the ad as soon as I woke up on the day it went live.

I think I received more than a dozen “have you seen this!?” messages from people that day. I’m getting quite the reputation. My friends and I cut up a million snowflakes that same week to recreate the experience in the house, but I’ve yet to find time between guests to get them strung up!

Any future expansions in 2017 planned, like perhaps a Lake Wandawega rope swing in an all-Moonrise Kingdom backyard?

I’m trying not to create any extra projects for myself until the main rooms are where I want them to be. But yes, the backyard is definitely on my radar! I think some signature Wes pastel pink might make its way into the plans for the exterior of the house, too.

What is it about Anderson’s production design that lends itself so well to home decor?  Any recommendations for bringing a little Wes into our homes as well?

I’m not sure it’s everyone’s jam, so I wouldn’t say it necessarily lends itself to home decor. It does if you’re into warm, quirky, precious, vintage-y spaces. It’s difficult to recreate because he is notorious for meticulous details. Mastering the look involves the relentless pursuit of just the right little items, placed just so. I’ve had to hand paint signs for the Grand Budapest bathroom, because I couldn’t find anything that worked.

Symmetry, awkward paintings hung awkwardly, and signage with the right fonts go a long way. Also, color choices are so important. Beyond the films, the style is really my own brand. His aesthetic is pretty in line with how I usually design my living spaces—lots of color, a mix of vintage and new, planned clutter, pattern mixing—so it feels natural. I think home decor has to reflect you, even if you’re going for a particular look.

Mr. Anderson’s House is available for booking through Airbnb here.

You have permission to sleep over…

Arriving on January 25th is the first part of the new story arc, “Son of Penguin”, written by Hope Larson and introducing new ongoing artist on the title Christian Wildgoose.

And, a look at the variant cover from Francis Manapul!

Warner Bros. has released a new clip from Justice League Dark which features the Justice League assessing the situation, and one notable member not quite believing there might be supernatural forces involved. The clip also includes the first appearance of John Stewart/Green Lantern as a member of the Justice League in a DC Universe Original Movie.

When innocent civilians begin committing unthinkable crimes across Metropolis, Gotham City and beyond,  Batman must call upon mystical counterparts to eradicate this demonic threat to the planet. Enter Justice League Dark, reluctantly led by the Hellblazer himself, John Constantine. Like Batman, Constantine is a cunning, often cynical loner who is the best at his chosen profession – but quickly realizes the sinister forces plaguing the planet will require help from other supernatural alliances. Forming a new “league” with sorceress Zatanna, otherworldly Deadman, and Jason Blood and his powerful alter ego Etrigan the Demon, this team of Dark Arts specialists must unravel the mystery of Earth’s supernatural plague and contend with the rising, powerful villainous forces behind the siege – before it’s too late for all of mankind.

Justice League Dark, the next installment in the popular, ongoing line of DC Universe Original Movies. The film will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Deluxe Giftset, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on February 7, 2017, and on Digital HD starting January 24, 2017.

There’s a game out there for everyone.  From sitting behind a table and playing cards to relaxing at home playing online, gaming has evolved to be a socially acceptable (and sometimes very rewarding) past time.  Whereas movies make gambling more dramatic by focusing on cards, reality has shown us that more and more games played on your computer like slots, provide the the thrill without leaving your home.

And unlike Vegas where you need to look for a lucky machine, visiting a casino online, is far easier from your couch or kitchen table.

Check out a list of five films that take a look at the highs and lows of getting dealt in, and instead play at home.

21

Based upon the book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich, 21 told the true story of a group of MIT students who, under the leadership of their unorthodox instructor, Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), used their math skills to win big in Las Vegas. The movie received some criticism as a mostly Caucasian cast were substituted for the actual players who were Asian. Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, a brilliant student in need of cash to pay his tuition, who joins the group. The cast includes Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Josh Gad and Lawrence Fishburne as casino security chief Cole Williams, who’s monitoring the blackjack team. Campbell is interrogated and kicked out of the casino, returning to Boston to discover he’s been robbed and kicked out of school. Believing that Rosa has betrayed him, Campbell looks to make one last win to set things straight.

Rain Man

Learning of his wealthy father’s death, Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that the estate is left to his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Having only vague memories of his older brother, Charlie lures him from his mental institute in order to take custody and as a result, inherit his father’s fortune. Raymond and Charlie drive across country, resulting in a genuine relationship and Cruise gaining both some wisdom and insight. That of course happens after a detour to a Las Vegas casino where Charlie coerces the mathematically gifted Raymond to count-cards, in order to help resolve his debt issues. The film won four Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

The Cincinnati Kid

One of the original poker classics, this 1965 film set during the Depression sees an up and coming poker player, branded ‘The Kid’ (Steve McQueen), earn his acclaim to the point he earns a shot against big-time-baddie Lancey ‘The Man’ Howard (Edward G. Robinson). Although the film revolves entirely around card games, it proves to be incredibly tense and is an extremely enjoyable watch, despite its near two hour run-time. The cast includes Karl Malden, Ann-Margret, Tuesday Weld, Rip Torn, Jack Weston, Cab Calloway and Dub Taylor. The film ends in a tense game which inevitably comes down to the last hand in order to determine the winner between ‘The Kid’ and ‘The Man’. It’s one to watch and was arguably an inspiration of the modern casino movies.

Owning Mahowny

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Dan Mahowny, a quiet, meek bank employee from Toronto who leads a secret life as a compulsive gambler. Owing his bookie massive debt, Mahowny starts regularly visiting Atlantic City where his losses continue to add to his considerable debt. When his promotion at work changes his responsibilities, he starts covering his debts with loans from non-existent clients until it all comes crashing down.

California Split

This cynical and nearly forgotten film by Robert Altman, California Split focuses on two compulsive gamblers, Bill (George Segal) and Charlie (Elliott Gould) as they search for that ever-elusive big score. The film doesn’t romance their addiction, instead acknowledging the hollowness and joylessness of the compulsion of gambling. The film is essentially about nothing; no one learns any great lesson. Instead it’s a fascinating character study executed perfectly by Segal and Gould that’s both hysterically funny, introspective and devastating at the same time.

HBO Home Entertainment’s latest Digital HD release, Insecure: Season 1, is now available on Digital HD retailers like iTunes, Google Play and Amazon!

Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, the comedy series, Insecure, explores the black female experience. In Season 1, Issa and Molly (Yvonne Orji) are definitely not “killing it” the way most modern-day black women are portrayed. These best friends must deal with their own real-life flaws as they attempt to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Over the course of the season, Issa attempts to figure out what she wants out of life and how to take control of it, while Molly, a corporate attorney who appears to have everything together, struggles inside as she looks for external ways to fix her life.

In an attempt to satisfy the insatiable appetites of jaded genre fans, Severin Films is opening the cages and releasing Franco Prosperi’s THE WILD BEASTS into the streets! Viewers will have their minds blown and their throats ripped out by this totally unhinged masterpiece from the co-creator of MONDO CANE and GOODBYE UNCLE TOM. Fully remastered for the first time ever in America, this is the Italian shocker that Third Eye Cinema calls “Very possibly the most entertaining eco-horror film of them all.”

For his final work, Godfather Of Mondo Franco E. Prosperi took on the ‘Nature Strikes Back’ genre and delivered perhaps the most shocking movie of his controversial career: When PCP gets into the water supply of a city zoo, the drug-crazed beasts – including tigers, lions, cheetahs, hyenas and elephants, as well as seeing eye dogs and sewer rats – go berserk and rampage through the streets of Rome. What follows is a terrifying mix of actual animal attacks (supervised by professional circus trainers) and over-the-top ‘80s Italian gore that remains the greatest eco-revenge shocker in EuroCult history. Lorraine De Selle (CANNIBAL FEROX, HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE PARK) and Ugo Bologna (NIGHTMARE CITY) star in this disturbing urban bloodbath, now digitally remastered for the first time ever and bursting with all-new Special Features including a look into the Wild world of legendary shock-u-mentarians Franco E. Prosperi and Mario Morra, as well as a peek at the Italian circus dynasty which coordinated the mind blowing animal stunts on the film & more!!

EXTRAS:

• Altered Beasts: Interview With Director Franco E. Prosperi
• Wild Tony: Interview With Actor Tony Di Leo
• Cut After Cut: Interview With Editor & Mondo Filmmaker Mario Morra
• The Circus is in Town: Interview With Animal Wrangler Roberto Tiberti’s son, Carlo Tiberti
• House Of Wild Beasts: A Visit to the Home of Franco E. Prosperi
• International Trailer

The “Ghost in the Shell” franchise has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years and this February, Lionsgate and Funimation Films are partnering together to bring the 1995, groundbreaking anime film back to theaters for a two-day limited theatrical engagement.  The original “Ghost in the Shell” movie from acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii, will return to the big screen on February 7 – 8, 2017 in 110 theaters across the United States. Moviegoers will be able to enjoy both the original Japanese version with subtitles as well as the English dub of the film. Each will be available on separate days of the engagement, beginning first with the subtitled version.  Tickets are available beginning today and can be pre-purchased via the official movie website at funimationfilms.com/ghostintheshell.

2029 – A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

Viewed as ahead of its time when it premiered in 1995, “Ghost in The Shell” quickly turned into a pop culture phenomenon and the inspiration for future mainstream movies. The movie became the first anime film to rank #1 on Billboard in video sales, which currently total more than 1.5 million copies across the franchise. With the release of “Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie” in 2016 and a new live action version of “Ghost in the Shell” set to release at the end of March, there has been a huge resurgence in fan interest for the franchise worldwide.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring the original ‘Ghost in the Shell’ movie back to U.S. theaters,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. “’Ghost in the Shell’ is truly a seminal work in anime cinema and it helped firmly establish a market for the genre with U.S. movie audiences.”

“’Ghost in the Shell’ is an iconic property and it is great that fans will be able to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 20 years,’ said Kevin Carney, VP Marketing Lionsgate. “Many fans will be seeing the movie in a theater for the first time and Funimation has been a terrific partner to help make this possible.”

Lionsgate will be releasing a new, deluxe collector’s edition of the remastered original on Blu-Ray with Digital HD.  This new edition will feature steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork and will be available in retail outlets beginning March 7, 2017.

Hailed by critics as “mesmerizing” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), “amazing” (Brian Truitt, USA Today) and “the best film of the year” (Christopher Orr, The Atlantic), director Denis Villeneuve’s (Sicario) phenomenal tour de force ARRIVAL makes its home entertainment debut on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand February 14, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.  The film arrives two weeks early on Digital HD January 31.

Five-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams “delivers one of her best performances” (Brian Truitt, Arrival) as expert translator Louise Banks.  When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team races against time to decipher their intent. As tensions mount between fearful governments, Banks discovers the aliens’ true purpose and, to avert global war, takes a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity. Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker co-star in this epic film with “a mind-blowing ending” (Brian Truitt, USA Today) that “you will want to see again and again”(Brian Formo, Collider).

ARRIVAL has been named one of the best films of the year by the American Film Institute, National Board of Review, New York Times, USA Today and many more. In addition, Adams was named Best Actress by the National Board of Review and received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her performance.  Screenwriter Eric Heisserer has won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received a Writer’s Guild nomination.

The ARRIVAL 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Combo Packs include over an hour of engrossing special features, with in-depth explorations of the film’s subject matter, sound, score, editing and more.

ARRIVAL Blu-ray Combo Pack

The ARRIVAL Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.  The combo pack includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:
  • Xenolinguistics: Understanding Arrival
  • Acoustic Signatures: The Sound Design
  • Eternal Recurrence: The Score
  • Nonlinear Thinking: The Editorial Process
  • Principles of Time, Memory & Language

ARRIVAL 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

Fans can enjoy the ultimate viewing experience with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes the Blu-ray detailed above, as well as an Ultra HD Disc with the film presented in 4K Ultra HD with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. The Combo Pack also includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film.

The Blu-ray Combo Pack and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack available for purchase include a Digital HD Version of the film that can be accessed through UltraViolet™, a way to collect, access and enjoy movies.  With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them—reliably and securely—to a variety of devices.

ARRIVAL Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.  The disc includes the feature film in standard definition.

ArrivalMovie.com

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The year that was 1992 is the year art-house audiences got their first taste of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s affection for ’70s-style exploitation flicks and predilection for contemporary pop-cultural references. Michael Douglas reigned as Hollywood’s poster boy for flawed machismo, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Sharon Stone both teased and tantalized in sexy leather with whip and with icepick without undies, respectively.

Also in 1992, Tom Clancy’s everyman CIA analyst Jack Ryan received a facelift, morphing from Alec Baldwin to Harrison Ford (the first of four such changings of the guard, if you count the upcoming Netflix series). There were two competing Christopher Columbus movies commemorating the quincentennial of his fateful voyage, Al Pacino finally won a Best Actor Oscar, and Tim Burton’s highly anticipated sequel to 1989’s Batman turned out to be darker and more violent than the McDonald’s executives who snagged the Happy Meal rights sight unseen ever expected.

More than anything else, the year 1992 will be remembered as the last hurrah of old-school analog visual effects—with its predominance of matte photography, scale miniatures and practical sets over the newfangled animated pixels of computer generated imagery as seen in the previous year’s blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day. One movie rose the bar of “morphing” effects in 1992—the genre-mash-up Death Becomes Her, which won the Best Visual Effects Oscar—but three other high-profile sci-fi/horror/fantasy pictures—Alien3, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Army of Darkness—are notable because they represent the pinnacle of old-school visual effects artistry, with only minor digital embellishments. From here on out, movies would rely increasingly on CGI, with 1993’s Jurassic Park changing the game by setting a new photorealistic standard for the fledgling technology.

Without further ado, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Best of Class: Basic Instinct

Dutch bad boy Paul Verhoeven, riding high on his twin Hollywood successes of RoboCop and Total Recall, directs this slick psycho-sexual pot-boiler that marked a coming out of sorts for Hollywood studios and their increasingly liberal attitude towards depicting homosexuality in the movies.

Though it doesn’t seem quite so scandalous now, the film was a hot-button topic of controversy even while still in production, targeted for the perceived homophobic stereotyping in Joe Eszterhas’ screenplay, which prominently features a flagrantly bisexual female antagonist who’s into S&M and likes to kill men with an icepick post-coitus. Verhoeven’s uncompromising attitude towards depicting graphic sex and violence only poured gasoline on the flame: irate protesters picketed movie theaters on opening weekend, spoiling the twist ending for patrons as they queued up to purchase their tickets.

As expected, this only fueled the fire of the film’s popularity, and it became a sensation during the then-typically-dull springtime movie season (it ranks #9 among the top grossers for the year). Stone is in top form as the femme fatale, and Michael Douglas brings his usual charisma and gravitas to yet another flawed and/or morally dubious character (for others, see Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Black Rain, Disclosure, and A Perfect Murder). Jan de Bont’s stylish widescreen photography and Jerry Goldsmith’s slinky musical score are considerable assets. Too schlocky to be considered art, yet this one has been imitated (poorly) more often than many other brainier and more critically acclaimed thrillers.

If that’s not a testament to the movie’s enduring influence, I don’t know what is.

Best of Class: The Crying Game

The Crying Game was also controversial in its day for its bold sexuality, but even stripped of the shock value of its most infamous gender-bending peek-a-boo, Neil Jordan’s IRA thriller remains a nuanced and impeccably performed character-driven nail-biter.
Compare To: Bitter Moon; Deep Cover; The Hand That Rocks the Cradle; Raising Cain; Single White Female.
Fewer Will Remember: Final Analysis; Jennifer 8; Whispers in the Dark.

DRAMA

Best of Class: More than any other genre, the year 1992 is chock full of exceptional and highly quotable dramas, from intimate character-driven pieces like Reservoir Dogs, Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, and A Few Good Men to old-fashioned and grand-scale epic adventures such as The Last of the Mohicans and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, as well as a pair of important films that fit into both categories—Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Western Unforgiven.
Compare To: The Babe; Bad Lieutenant; The Bodyguard; Chaplin; Far and Away; Hoffa; Howards End; Medicine Man; Memoirs of an Invisible Man; One False Move; Orlando; A River Runs Through It; School Ties; Singles; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me; Wind.
Fewer Will Remember: A Midnight Clear; A Stranger Among Us; American Heart; American Me; Article 99; Back in the USSR; City of Joy; Consenting Adults; CrissCross; Crossing the Bridge; Crush; The Cutting Edge; Damage; Equinox; Folks!; Forever Young ; Gas, Food Lodging; Husbands and Wives; Juice; Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.; Kuffs; Leap of Faith; Leaving Normal; Light Sleeper; The Living End; Love Field The Mambo Kings; Man Bites Dog; Man Trouble; Map of the Human Heart; Newsies; Night and the City; Of Mice and Men; Passion Fish; Peter’s Friends; Poison Ivy; The Power of One; Praying with Anger; Prelude to a Kiss; The Public Eye; Pure Country; Radio Flyer; Rich in Love; Romper Stomper; Ruby; Sarafina!; Shining Through; Sidekicks; Simple Men; South Central; This Is My Life; Thunderheart; Toys; Unlawful Entry; Used People; The Waterdance; Waterland; White Sands; Wuthering Heights; Year of the Comet; Zebrahead.

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Best of Class:  Batman Returns

Tim Burton’s cold and kinky follow-up to his super-sized 1989 blockbuster Batman is perhaps the director’s purest vision, undiluted by the studio pressures and mandates that made the first film feel like a mere product, and starring the best cinematic Bruce Wayne/Batman: Michael Keaton.

Admittedly too dark and macabre for the Happy Meal set, though methinks the prudes were protesting too much over the level of brutality and sadomasochism on display—Gotham City has typically been portrayed as a dispiriting hellhole and its inhabitants have always been a bit, shall we say, “touched;” just what did these folks think they were signing up for when they bought their tickets? If the high camp quotient and gaudy glitz factor of Joel Schumacher’s two increasingly risible sequels are any indication, the character of Batman works best in the shadows.

Christopher Nolan knew this instinctively, and until he rebooted the series in 2005 with Batman Begins, Burton’s Returns stood as the most satisfying adaptation of the tortured DC comic book hero. Trivia tidbit: of the four films in the original Batman cycle from 1989 to 1997, Batman Returns is the only one in which the actor behind our hero’s mask receives top billing.

Best of Class: Patriot Games

Were it not for the presence of Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, (pinch-hitting for Alec Baldwin) the underwhelming Red October follow-up may very well have ended the Tom Clancy-penned series before it really got going. Today, a quarter century later, the film pales in comparison to the better Ryan flicks because its action is too confined and does not rely on a global threat. Even so, there’s no denying the immense star power of Ford, who makes Jack Ryan seem more humane and less pompous here than the character comes off in Red October. It’s the only Ryan movie to be issued with an R-rating, earned for some salty language and several excruciating bits of realistic violence.
Compare To: Hard Boiled; El Mariachi; Lethal Weapon 3; Passenger 57; Police Story 3: Supercop; Under Siege; Universal Soldier.
Fewer Will Remember: Aces: Iron Eagle III; Christopher Columbus: The Discovery; Gladiator; Rapid Fire; Trespass; Twin Dragons.

COMEDY

Best of Class: Death Becomes Her

Robert Zemeckis’ dark fantasy is in equal measures a comic and gothic horror show of bodily decay, a grotesque tale of the undead, a pitch-black satire of elitist narcissists, and a twisted triangular anti-romance and battle of the sexes. It defies simple encapsulation and classification, though it is often shuffled into the “comedy” category for Meryl Streep’s fiercely funny over-the-top turn as an aging and vindictive diva. Plays like an overlong episode of Zemeckis’ TV series “Tales from the Crypt,” but for its visual flair and ample gallows humor it has rightfully earned a devoted cult following.
Compare To: Beethoven; Boomerang; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Diggstown; The Distinguished Gentleman; Home Alone 2: Lost in New York; Captain Ron; Encino Man; A League of Their Own; The Muppet Christmas Carol; My Cousin Vinny; The Player; Sister Act; Sneakers; Strictly Ballroom; Wayne’s World; White Men Can’t Jump.
Fewer Will Remember: 3 Ninjas; Blame It on the Bellboy; Bob Roberts; Brain Donors; Breaking the Rules; Class Act; The Efficiency Expert; Frozen Assets; Guncrazy; The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag; Hero; Honey I Blew Up the Kid; Honeymoon in Vegas; Housesitter; Into the West; Ladybugs; Love Potion No. 9; The Mighty Ducks; Mo’ Money; Mom and Dad Save the World; Mr. Baseball; Mr. Saturday Night; Noises Off…; Out on a Limb; Passed Away; Stay Tuned; Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot; Storyville; Straight Talk; There Goes the Neighborhood.

ANIMATED

Best of Class: Aladdin

Gorgeous hand-crafted animation blends with some inventive CGI, conjuring a bright and colorful storybook tale that is filled with humor, adventure, romance, magic, memorable characters, and jubilant songs. It remains one of the Crown Jewels of the Disney Kingdom, and stands up a quarter-century later to anything the Mouse House has created since—including The Lion King, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Frozen, Moana, and etcetera. Not all of the jokes and pop-culture references have aged as well, but as a time-capsule snapshot of the manic genius of the late, great, incomparable Robin Williams, this movie has few equals.
Compare To: Bébé’s Kids; FernGully: The Last Rainforest; Tom & Jerry: The Movie.

SCI-FI/HORROR

Best of Class: Alien3

Much maligned upon its original release, it took a few years until the arrival of the bizarre and schlocky Alien: Resurrection for folks to finally warm up to David Fincher’s bleak, apocalyptic third entry. Granted, the movie suffers from not being as exciting or fun as James Cameron’s Aliens or as spooky as Ridley Scott’s original Alien, but the striking production design, the unnerving musical score, and especially Sigourney Weaver’s heroic performance are all assets that have helped the movie gradually earn some respect.

Fincher has gone on to more prestigious projects and has since earned an unparalleled reputation as one of Hollywood’s most technically adept and visually seductive filmmakers, but even through the murky haze of Alien3 you can witness his dark cinematic genius on full display. A sad state of affairs, perhaps, that a movie of such ill repute ties for “Best of Class,” but this one definitely holds up better today than you may recall.

Best of Class: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Francis Ford Coppola delivers his finest film in over a decade, adapting the Bram Stoker novel with audacious sexuality and wondrous visual flair. The in-camera visual effects are a celebration of old-school optical illusions, plus there’s a whole lot of bloody violence. Quibble over Keanu Reeves and his spotty English accent if you must, but the remainder of the cast is top notch, including Anthony Hopkins as vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, Gary Oldman as a romantic yet melancholy Count Vladimir Dracula, and Winona Ryder as the embodiment of Dracula’s eternal love.
Compare To: Army of Darkness; Candyman; Dead Alive; Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth; The Lawnmower Man; Pet Sematary II.
Fewer Will Remember: Body Parts; Cool World; Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice; Critters 4; Dr. Giggles; Dust Devil; Fortress; Freejack; Innocent Blood; Sleepwalkers.

See you next year!

Directed by John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks), THE FOUNDER features the true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Writer Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. The film also stars Laura Dern as Ray Kroc’s first wife Ethel; John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald and Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald.

For your chance to win tickets to an advanced screening of  THE FOUNDER on
Wednesday, January 18 at 7pm at AMC Boston Common, Click HERE.

Wonder Woman… wow… Year One concludes a beautifully written beginning for the Amazon Princess and it is not to be missed, while at the same time Power Rangers makes the leap to the DCU in a bombastic team up that taps into our fond memories of both the Rangers and the League.

Meanwhile the big versus event continues escalating with yet another revelation set to rock the DCU to its core. Vixen embraces her legacy as Supergirl has some vexing issues with her family. Lex and Superman have to team up after forging an unlikely alliance while Superwoman learns the twisted truth behind the Luthor siblings.

You might not agree with my ratings and truth be told I’m keen to hear from you but until then, this is my look into the DC Universe this week!

 
ACTION COMICS #971
Men of Steel – Part 5
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Inker: Art Thibert
Cover: Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert & HI-FI
Variant: Gary Frank & Brad Anderson

After Jon has a cooking mishap when left alone Lois decides to keep him with her for the day and they go to Lois (N52’s) apartment so she can do some research.

Meanwhile with Superman siding with the court L’Call hands him his sword to carry out the execution of Lex.

It turns out of course that this was a trick to get Lex away from his captors and Superman throws Lex along with his Mother Box into the air so he can regain his suits power and open a boom tube.

The two Supermen escape but L’Call uses Nideesi technology to disrupt the tube forcing it to redirect the destination away from earth. When the tube opens Lex and Superman find they are trapped somewhere that both jams Lex’s suit and is under a red sun which means Clark has no powers.

The two men are forced for the first time to confront one another and air their differences. Lex swears he isn’t trying to steal the mantle of Superman but rather honour it as that Superman was the first that accepted him.

Zade and L’Call arrive and attack but with Superman powerless, Lex does the unimaginable and swears to protect Superman with his life.

Back on Earth, Jon reveals that the Geneticron building isn’t missing but L’Call and Zade had hidden it in the amazon  but they hadn’t had time to tell her as Lex was kidnapped.

While Lois tries to pull up satellite feeds the doorbell rings and Jon rushes to answer it but to his horror doppelganger Clark is there to greet him!

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
That last page… page seven… so much awe inspiring art!

The entire issue looks stunning, though I’m aware it’s a Luthor-centric issue, I’m not sure if that’s why Clark looks angry and stern, or is it my imagination?

The Lois & Jon scenes were sweet and the art reflected that and offered a glimpse of things to come and Jon questions his mother about family. There is something to be said about artistic excellence when they can handle both action and drama with equal expertise.

But again I have to direct you to that final page. Segovia and Thibert deliver a climax that makes you desperate to see what happens next.

COVER: 5/5
I really like this cover. It is reminiscent of both the silver age and a 90’s storyline called the ‘Trial Of Superman’ and no matter how much Lex is shown as the victim I am afraid he still has a long way to go for redemption (just read Superwoman) Would have liked to see more of Superman though I understand the reasoning of making his dark as he is the executioner.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
Some things were a long time coming and this issue really delivered on all fronts. Lex and Superman haven’t had a proper talk since he arrived so for them to experience the revelations and come to some at least some modicum of stability was a joy to read. Issues when Lex and Superman go head to head verbally are few and far between and are also some of the best.

Then on a slow burner as a side story doppelganger Clark has bumbled his way into discovering about Jon and though he’s only caught glimpses, he is finally confronted with Superboy but what does this mean for Lois, Clark and Superman in general? Judging by this issue some truly fantastic stories to come!

 
JUSTICE LEAGUE vs SUICIDE SQUAD #4 of 6
Chapter Four
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Fernando Pasarin
Inker: Matt Ryan
Cover: Fernando Pasarin, Matt Ryan & Alex Sinclair
Variant Covers: David Finch, Danny Miki & June Chung, Amanda Chung & Laura Martin.

Maxwell Lord and his team invade the base and Superman blocks his path.

Max reaches out to Enchantress and forces her to fall unconscious and then all hell breaks lose as a free for all fight begins.

Rustam uses the distraction to attempt freeing the prisoners of Belle Reve but Katana holds him off. While Superman and the Green Lanterns fight Emerald Empress. Simon Baz cracks the Eye of Ekron and it forces Empress to teleport away to seek Saturn Girl.

Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn battle Johnny Sorrow, he doesn’t count on the fact Harley is immune to his true face due to her own madness and Diana uses that advantage to show him his true reflection. With him also escaping his magic goes with it and let two teams are more focused.

Flash aids Captain Boomerang while Cyborg uses his scientific skills to outwit Dr Polaris. Batman and Deadshot meanwhile are trying to keep Amanda Waller away from a brainwashed Lobo but his almost immediate healing factor means their attacks are useless. Inspired by a crass comment from Waller Batman injects Lobo with a Suicide Squad brain bomb and literally takes the Main Man’s head off.

Meanwhile Killer Frost who was the only team member to attack Lord is coerced mentally to open the vault holding the weapon Max wants. The other Suicide Squad and Justice League arrive too late. The prize was the Eclipso diamond and with it, aside from Batman the entire League now serves him.

Now only the Suicide Squad and Batman can save the world!

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
Showcasing an artist each issue is proving a winning formula for the title. There was a surprising amount of story in what is essential a battle royale issue. There are some fantastic scenes but no big splashes which is something I was curious about. The story dictated much of how the art played out but Pasarin excels even with these constraints.The two particular team ups I really enjoyed were the Wonder Woman & Harley Quinn battle with Johnny Sorrow and literally every scene with Lobo. There is one scene that could be deemed as gratuitous but honestly it isn’t, especially when you factor in he has an even more incredible healing factor than even Deadpool.

COVER: 5/5
This was the cover I was waiting for. A good old fashioned free for all fight and what a cover this is! I am elated that Lobo is back and to see him relish the fight as much as I do, especially as its been three issues of waiting for something literally so explosive.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
I know this is a finite book with the sole intention of launching a new series but to be honest, they are really pulling out all the stops to ensure this is one amazing versus book. Can we have more Lobo? Can we have more Superman? Now that the ‘original’ Suicide Squad has been dispatched it would be great to see them take on Maxwell. Lobo once he wakes up from the brainwashing is not going to be happy and Superman of everyone in the fight knows exactly what Maxwell is all about. There is no way he’d allow what happened before will happen again.

But there was a curveball thrown in… the Eclipso diamond. I wasn’t expecting that and with just two issues to go the stakes are now incredibly high.

 
JUSTICE LEAGUE/MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #1 of 6
Part One
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Stephen Byrne
Cover: Karl Kerschl
Variant: Marcus To, Chris Sprouse, Marguerite Sauvage, Yasmine Putri, Dustin Nguyen & Daniel Hipp

Angel Grove is dead, everyone is dead and Zack feels responsible, Superman reaches out to the Rangers and urges them not to give up.

36 hours ago before this terrible disaster the team teleport to the command center to get a briefing from Zordon.

They immediately separate to search Angel Grove but it is Zack that finds the injured robot.

It is a trick as Alpha has had a bomb implanted in his chest and explodes critically damaging the command center in the process and giving Lord Zedd and his Putty Patrol the chance to break in. Zack morphs, grabs Lord Zedd and attempts to teleport him out of the base but the teleporter is damaged and during transport Zack is hurled to Gotham City.

Meanwhile, the other Rangers arrive and fight off the remaining Putty Patrol and Zordon informs them that a copy of Alpha was used to dupe them and that Black Ranger is on another world.

Zack is confronted by Batman but in turn is mistaken as a cohort of Zedd’s and the two fight one another until the other Power Rangers arrive to join their team mate. Batman calls the Flash for help and Batman uses the distraction to injure the invaders.
/Kimberley orders the team to return home but Zack tells them Zedd is now somewhere on this earth, like it or not they have to help to stop him.

Kimberley summons her Pterodactyl Dinozord and captures Batman and the Batmobile in its jaws.

Flash looks on as the pink dinosaur flies away and in disbelief calls for the assistance of the League.

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
Stephen Byrne, his art is unique, slick, animated and his style is a match made in heaven here as we see 1993 meet 2017 with a bang. The Power Rangers are fondly remembered by many that were brought up on their Mighty Morphin iteration and to see them given a bit more credibility story and art wise is a real joy. I’ve long wanted Byrne to draw something with the Justice League so this is a great opportunity.

Minor Niggle? Superman’s boots are the wrong colour.

COVER: 5/5
Karl Kerschl draws parallels between the teams that I’d never really considered beyond Superman and Red Ranger. Its real food for thought because the more you look the more you realise just how similar they are.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
Both teams are often dismissed, unjustly so. The Power Rangers as kiddie fodder that adapted the Super Sentai series of Japan and the Justice League as a parable of unbeatable gods. In reality they are both full of rich stories, of fantastic characterisations and if you took time to look, worthy of your attention. I’m honestly surprised that this crossover took twenty four years to happen.

Tom Taylor doesn’t make the story feel aimed at any particular audience, instead allowing it to breath and exist to an extent in continuity but more than that the story leaps head first into entertaining the audience. The story feels far more natural than Batman/TMNT and I hope people give it a chance.

 
JLA REBIRTH: VIXEN #1
Vixen: Rebirth
Writers: Steve Orlando & Jody Houser
Artist: Jamal Campbell
Cover: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo
Variant: Jamal Campbell

Angela Chen is interviewing Mari on live television about her celebrity life and charity work. However a young girl, Charlotte, exposes her on television when she reveals she’d been begging Mari for help for weeks to help find her missing mother.

Later Mari shuns all the press and tells her agent she is going to find the girls mother to help save the charity, her reputation and the life of an innocent woman that ‘fell through the cracks’.

Mari remembers Zambesi and how her mother was killed by poachers and how she was powerless to protect her.

Her father presents her with the Tantu Totem a gift from her mother that would enable her to continue her mother’s life philosophy. That night someone attacked the church and killed Mari’s father leaving Mari and the totem as her family’s only legacy.

Mari channels the bear an is able to pick up the scent of Charlotte’s mother and is able to track Tabitha Frank to her captor. Spiderbite, Stanley Ray, a murderer who lost custody of his daughter. His captives were the ones that on the jury and now he swears revenge.

Mari finally embraces her legacy and using the animal spirits she takes out Spiderbite and rescues the prisoners.

Mari reappears on Angela Chen’s show to announce she stepping back from managing her charity and is instead going to embrace her heritage as VIXEN!

To Be Continued… in JLA: REBIRTH #1

ART: 4/5
Nicely illustrated issue and some beautifully coloured flashbacks in theme with Mari’s costume as well as the spirit effects Mari uses in her rescue. Jamal Campbell creates some stunning visuals. Easily the strongest part of the book.

COVER: 4/5
Mimicking the pose from The Atom special last week this time with Mari, it looks great and I hope where Atom’s was all about fun there is a definite ‘feral’ vibe here. You really don’t want to mess with Mari! Actually she looks really deadly here, inside however there is a certain soft quality to Mari, different styles but I’m not sure which will be the definitive take.

ISSUE RATING: 3/5
A bit of a disappointment to be honest. I was first introduced to Vixen in Justice League Unlimited then recently through the Vixen series on CW Seed, unfortunately both takes were far more interesting than this one.

I just didn’t buy her change of heart, nor really buy into her character. We learnt about her legacy more than we really got to know her. I hope that is remedied in JLA because I’m not sure about her yet.

Steve Orlando & Jody Houser are two powerhouse writers and this was a little lightweight coming from them. Spiderbite as the foe to introduce her to the world was a little ‘meh’ and considering the flashback I incorrectly assumed the big bad would have been someone after her totem.

 
SUPERGIRL #5
Reign of the Cyborg Superman” Part 5
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Brian Ching
Cover: Brian Ching & Michael Atiyeh
Variant: Bengal

Supergirl arrives just in time to rescue Director Chase and explains the Odic Force plot orchestrated by her father. She then races to CatCo to rescue Ben and the other workers and requests access to the computer servers to input some Kryptonian code.

Elsewhere Zor El attacks Jeremiah for keeping Kara on earth. Kara again races to the rescue but when he refuses to listen she resorts to fisticuffs.

Meanwhile Eliza, calls in to Director Chase that she is travelling back to earth but Argo itself is following her back.

Kara strives to protect the humans and Zor El still tries to reach out to her professing a father’s love to protect his child as his motive.

Supergirl realises too late that Argo City has arrived on earth ready to replace National City!

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
Love or hate them, the visuals are part of the Supergirl rebirth DNA and the energy keeps even the slow moments tight. The emotion is there but there is a youthful energy that really works that wouldn’t in say Batman or Superman.

Ching’s art really brings something different to the book.

COVER: 4/5
Kara’s pose is a little forced and the cover just doesn’t feel like it fits the interior story. It is nicely illustrated but just doesn’t feel like a cover worthy of its purpose.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
Phew! Kara is busy racing around this issue and on top of that there is the emotional struggle between father and daughter. This was everything I had hoped JLA REBIRTH: VIXEN #1 would be that was also penned by Orlando.

This issue actually did get the pulse racing as the race against time to save everyone nears the end.

 
SUPERWOMAN #6
Who Killed Superman – Part 6: Come Dancing
Writer: Phil Jimenez
Artist: Phil Jimenez with Matt Santorelli
Inker: Matt Santorelli & Jack Herbert
Cover: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo
Variant: Drew Johnson & Romulo Fajardo Jr.

We jump back a few minutes to see that the Bizarro woman clone rescued Lana from the shape shifter model and even more surprising is that the clone can see the ghost of Lois too.

Back to the Steelworks and the clone reveals she is a clone of Superwoman from the Crime Syndicate and shares some of her memories.

The ramshackle team decide to tap into her memory link to find Lex Luthor.

Natasha activates all their prototype Steel suits for the team and they get ready to mount a rescue. When Lana finally gets into the Lexcorp tower basement she had hoped to find a repentant man and one worthy of Superman’s mantle, instead Lex is cold and sees no wrong in his actions.

The one thing they do share is a love of Metropolis and they are both sworn to protect it. When Atomic Skull appears free from his temporal cube he offers to join their team… for a price.

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
Phil Jimenez delivers on both fronts, last issue there was an awful lot truncated both art and story wise but thankfully this issue everything returns to a much more fluent pace.

COVER: 5/5
Love this cover, I know it’s a montage but this one really works. I am really loving Lana kicking butt. I also like that the rich and quirky supporting cast are featured. Something tells me this might be the trade paperback cover…

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
There is plenty to keep you going here, not only is the attack building up and the heroic forces growing to take on Lena and her master plan but we get some back story on both Luthors. Who am I siding with? Neither, they are both messed up individuals though Lena has really suffered and past experience says Lex especially with his oblivious attitude.

One thing is for sure, even after Lena is dealt with Lana Lang’s story is far from over.

 
WONDER WOMAN #14
Year One – Finale
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Nicola Scott
Cover: Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Variant: Jenny Frison

Ares, now revealed has Steve in his clutches. Diana kneels before the God and prays to him offering herself in place of man.

Ares agrees in exchange for reading Wonder Woman’s memories for the location of Themyscira. However he is shocked to discover Diana sacrificed it’s location to defend the world of man.

Ares mocks her as already failing as man’s world is so corrupt it belongs to him. Diana with the aid of animal avatars and her lasso is able to drive Ares himself apart.

An owl drops a smartphone into Steve’s hands and to his astonishment the Phone springs to life with all the information on The Sear Group and their plans of attack.

With no time Diana and Steve race to stop multiple poison gas attacks across the globe. They succeed but during the final attack Diana almost succumbs to Ares dark words but summoning the last of her strength she fights back and uses her lasso to reveal the truth to the world.

Stopping the Sear group attack revealed Diana internationally and the global press dub Diana, a force for truth and justice… Wonder Woman!

The End

ART: 5/5
I’ve enjoyed Scott’s run on Wonder Woman, I’d go as far as saying her take is iconic. I loved every minute of this issue, and some of the splashes will honestly be burned into my memory page 13 for instance is (forgive the pun) WONDERFUL.  Thank you Nicola for such a fantastic Year One.

COVER: 5/5
Diana and Steve together against the world.

One blessing rebirth gave us was putting these two back together, not necessarily as a couple but definitely as a team. Wish it was a little more colourful but that’s a minor niggle that I can live with.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5
What can I say? Wonder Woman: Year One has been an experience…

An experience that will stay with me, I never really cared for her character to be honest, she was entertaining had some great stories over the years in comics, on tv and animation but I never really connected with her, I was one of those that felt the romance with Superman felt odd and I just wanted to get to know her. Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott changed that for me with Year One, a well written, well thought out and beautifully illustrated story that really celebrates the character. Thank you.

A themed action figure two-pack recreating one of the most famous boxing matches of all time will arrive in stores later this month from action figure and collectibles maker NECA.

In 1978, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali proved that he truly was the Greatest of All Time by defeating the strongest man on Earth – Superman – in the pages of DC Comics’ historic Superman vs. Muhammad Ali issue. Far from a grudge match, this battle would ultimately set the two up to save the planet from an alien invasion, ending in the proclamation “WE are the greatest!”

Now, for the first time ever, that iconic team-up comes to action figure form in a stylized set that pays tribute to the late philanthropist, social activist and three-time World Heavyweight Champion who would have turned 75 this month. Created by NECA, in conjunction with Authentic Brands Group, the owner of the Muhammad Ali brand, the 7-inch scale figures have over 25 points of articulation and feature comic-stylized deco based on the issue’s spectacular cover art. The set comes in collectible window box packaging that recreates that famous bout, with Superman and Ali posed as they were on the iconic comic book cover.

The Superman vs. Muhammad Ali action figure set will be available at the end of January.

Everyone’s favorite futuristic family travels back in time to team up with some of today’s biggest WWE Superstars in The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania! Following the success of Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery, WWE Superstars Big Show, Alicia Fox, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sheamus team up with George, Elroy and the rest of the Jetsons gang in order to save Orbit City from the wrestle-bot army in an all-new original movie. The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania!, co-produced by WWE Studios, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, will be available on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 on Digital HD and on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, on DVD for $19.98/ $19.99 SRP, just in time for the excitement of this year’s Wrestlemania 33.

In the midst of an exhibition match, a powerful snow storm freezes Big Show solid. One hundred years later, Big Show has finally thawed and is discovered by George Jetson. His first mission is to revive wrestling in 22^nd century Orbit City. With Big Show’s help, Elroy and George build robotic Superstars. But Big Show had big plans of his own! The wrestle-bot army manages to capture Orbit City! This leaves George and the Jetsons family one option: travel back in time to enlist WWE Superstars Alicia Fox, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Sheamus to help defeat the Big Show and his wrestle-bot army in the future.

With a star-studded voice cast, including WWE Superstars Big Show, Alicia Fox, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sheamus, this action-packed film is a can’t miss!  Bonus materials include exclusive content, behind-the-scenes segments and more! The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania! will surely excite fans of The Jetsons and WWE alike!

The streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen have become over run with crime and corruption, and there is only one group of Super Heroes – Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist – who are willing to unshackle themselves from the constraints of the rest of the Marvel Super Hero community and fight the villains no one else is willing to take on. Written by EISNER award-winning writer, Brian Michael Bendis (Civil War II, Jessica Jones, Invincible Iron Man) with artwork by New York Times best-selling artist, David Marquez (Civil War II, Invincible Iron Man), prepare for THE Defenders!

The toughest hard-hitting heroes of the Marvel Universe stand together as a brand new team ready to take down one of the most dominating criminal empires ever to shadow over New York City. But in a city where leaders of violence and death are all vying for dominance, who is the one criminal despot powerful enough to challenge the saviors of Hell’s Kitchen?

“As opposed to other more global or galactic Super Hero groups, the Defenders are very much focused on the streets, on the neighborhoods, on the community,” says SVP, Executive Editor, Tom Brevoort. “Their battles are no less fiercely fought or consequential, but the arena is a very different one, and the stakes more personal. Brian will be building upon the relationships that he established years ago in NEW AVENGERS to create something unique and primary within the Marvel Universe.”

“[THE DEFENDERS] is a smorgasbord of everything I truly love about Marvel Comics,” continues Bendis. “And to keep the team of David [Marquez], Justin [Ponsor], and myself together for another creative challenge is so exciting!  We’ve been planning this book for well over a year and we’re so excited to show you what we think the next phase of the gritty marvel streets will have to offer.”

Some of the darkest days await Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, but THE DEFENDERS are ready to plant their feet, and fight back-to-back against one of the most epic wars the streets of NYC have ever encountered and stand resolute against an attack so personal that it will challenge our heroes at their very core and everyone they have ever cared about.

This June, the five boroughs have a new front line of defense. But can the collective strength of Daredevil, Luke, Jess, and Iron Fist have what it takes to protect the “Big Apple?” Find out this summer from Marvel Comics’ THE DEFENDERS!

THE DEFENDERS #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art by DAVID MARQUEZ
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
On-Sale in June!

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