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Gaming Copyrights and Wrongs

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Big companies know how important branding and characters are and whatever the industry you’ll find mascots or iconic characters featuring in advertisements. Here in the UK, one particular insurance company has made themselves a huge success by utilising meerkat mascots, most Brits will know of or be aware of these insufferable creations and many will have bought insurance or purchased meerkat soft toys because of them.

Gaming companies are no different and know the importance of being ‘on brand’ and the subsequent effect it often has on their fans. The value of their characters comes inherently from the gravity we place on their characters and even our own relationships to them. We treat them like idols but we also integrate them into our own lives and personal history.

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of Sega’s biggest poster boys…or hedgehogs, I guess. Not unlike most fans I would happily buy and have purchased Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise but that’s because the character of Sonic is important to me in both a personal and historical context. He is part of my childhood and is deeply ingrained in it. I consider Sonic a cherished part of my childhood memories, no different to the time I was first taught how to ride a bike or climb a tree.

One company who has realised the value of a childhood association is Halifax Bank here in the UK. In a desperate bid to make everyone forget about the financial crisis and government bailouts a few years back, they have enlisted Fred Flintstone, Top Cat, Scooby-Doo and a whole host of other Hanna-Barbera characters to sell bank accounts, insurance and even mortgages.

This kind of marketing is extremely exploitative but luckily, I don’t think I’ve seen video game characters being used in this way. Sure, to sell a few t-shirts or a lunch box or two but not to sell you a potentially life-changing financial responsibility.

What makes games companies different to the Halifax/Hanna-Barbera partnership or the creation of a new mascot to sell a product, is that gaming fans associate idols with their childhoods in a way that gives us a false sense of communal ownership over them. This perception is extremely problematic for both fans and the gaming companies alike, causing some serious rifts between companies who are protecting their rights and fans who wanting express their love and enjoyment of characters.

Of course, some companies or games like to encourage fans to reference their brand as long as they are not commercially exploiting those references for monetary gain, Bungie and Blizzard spring to mind especially.

Yet, we’ve all seen various iterations of unauthorised usage on merchandise before and dare say, purchased said merch, right? While we as fans like to buy 100% official products, sometimes those on offer fall short, don’t live up to expectation or just aren’t visually interesting enough.

Licensing and copyright laws are so varied throughout the world and can be extremely subjective in their interpretations, meaning legal disputes are not uncommon. Some of my own friends have had their work plagiarised, it’s an awful situation for an independent artist to be in because not only do a lot of freelance creators struggle financially but there seems to be grey area surrounding what is and isn’t considered acceptable.

The most recent furore has revolved around Nintendo and Japan based city tour company MariCar, which enables tourists to dress up like Mario and co. and drive around the city in go-karts. I was so excited when I heard about this last month yet equally disappointed because I only learnt about it when Nintendo announced it was suing the tour company as they did not ask permission to offer a Mario Kart experience.

Nintendo is notorious for keeping tight control over any intellectual property it owns and insists on taking ad-revenue from Let’s Play videos on YouTube even if the creator doesn’t monetise their account.

The timing of MariCar is bad for Nintendo because late last year, it was announced that Nintendo-themed areas would be opening at various Universal Studios and Parks (Osaka, Orlando and Hollywood). Personally, as a fan and as someone who is also visiting Japan this year I would have relished the chance to dress up as Luigi and ride around Tokyo in a go-kart, though if I’m honest my main reason for wanting to do so would be to recreate the Luigi Death Stare.

Seriously though, the whole case is littered with problems and if it reaches trial, it would be an interesting debate on gaming copyright law. If Nintendo can really ban people from wearing a red cap and fake moustache, it makes me wonder what else will be at risk? What will cosplayers do? Surely a company that facilitates cosplay (if you can call a onesie cosplay, that is) shouldn’t be penalised.

But according to the big N, they are simply seeking to protect “valuable intellectual property” that they have “built up over many years of effort” and have called out MariCar as unfair competition, suing them for copyright infringement and also suggesting they will take similar action against others in the future.

Well, I guess that’d be the end of seaside amusement arcades then! Most of my Mario plush toys hail from those claw machines at amusement arcades and though they claim to be, they are most certainly not official.

Perhaps Nintendo ought to work on co-operating with other companies or partnering with merchandisers to avoid similar issues arising. That said, news of a Nintendo themed area of Universal Studios certainly surprised me and could be a sign that Nintendo are beginning to loosen the reigns a bit.

We’ve recently seen games incorporate product placement into their games much in the same way as films do, the first example that presents itself is the collaboration between Final Fantasy XV and famous noodle brand Nissin. The noodle company made a huge marketing deal with Square Enix to feature their brand of Cup Noodle in the game. The campaign worked and was well received by fans due to the humour of the advertisement itself and the way it was handled in-game. Forget in-game ads, they’re now integrated.

Is this the shape of things to come? Well, cross-platform advertisement has often touted as the future of marketing and if that’s the case then should game companies follow suit and transition in the same way? Most companies are already putting emphasis on cross-platform methodology and it makes me wonder if Nintendo will also get with the times. Though, attempting to stay relevant has never seemed to faze Nintendo before now so I’d say it is pretty unlikely.

I guess we’ll never get to indulge our Luigi Death Stare…I mean, Mario Kart cosplay fantasies after all.

What do you think about product placement in games or current copyright laws? Let us know in the comments section below.


‘South Park: The Complete Twentieth Season’ Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/13

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The Twentieth Season of South Park, the Emmy Award-winning animated series about four boys living in a screwed-up Colorado town arrives on DVD, Blu-ray and a Best Buy exclusive Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack in special vinyl-sized packaging. Between tragedies global and local, as well as parental and celebrity interference, Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny manage to have themselves a time.

Special features include:

  • South Park: By The Numbers
  • South Park: The Fractured But Whole – E3 2016 Game Trailer
  • South Park: We’ve Been There
  • Comic Con 2016 – Extended Panel with Matt & Trey
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Season Commentary
  • #Social Commentary (Blu-ray exclusive)

 

 

Backdoor Pilots With Guns and Badges

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What happens when a backdoor pilot is not really a backdoor pilot? I mean when it’s not officially a pilot nor intended as a spin-off despite so clearly being such?

One thing about backdoor pilots is that they tend to pop up near the end of a season (allowing for the new show to start the following season). This is usually a huge red flag when all of sudden new characters or settings are brought in a few episodes before the end of the season. So when what is clearly a spin-off pilot airs as a late season episode and then nothing comes of it then it is even more queer.

CSI was the early 2000’s television juggernaut well known today for the multitude of sister shows rampaging the airwaves. Well there was one that never made it and even curiouser it was never once announced as a spin-off and yet so clearly was.

By the time CSI was ending it’s fifth season they had already spun off CSI: Miami but had not yet spun off CSI: New York. Seems they had a CSI:Los Angeles planned as well.

Now, remember this was never announced as a spin off nor that the main character here was ever going to leave the main show… but the second to last episode of season 5, “Hollywood Brass” is a backdoor pilot make no doubt about it.

Paul Guilfoyle was around as a main cast member since the pilot episode of CSI as Jim Brass and in this episode he goes to LA to help out his junkie hooker daughter. While out there he meets up with an old cop buddy (Dionna Murphy) and her main CSI (Matthew Glave). They get lots of backstory and character moments (you know, like they are going to be main characters of a new show) and it turns out that CSI‘s Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) is in town for a conference. Only 2 of the other main CSI characters appear and they are cameos at best.

All the characters team up to solve the murder of Brass’ daughter’s girlfriend who it turns is out was beaten to death by a washed up action TV star now running for mayor. A massive conspiracy is uncovered to clean things up and protect the mayor to be… and then nothing. Nothing at all. Brass and Warrick go back to Las Vegas and the new characters are never seen or mentioned again (even when Brass’ daughter shows back up in Las Vegas these events are never brought up).

The conspiracy is never brought up again and neither is the mayor plotline. It’s like after it was decided not to go to series with CSI: Los Angeles they wanted the plot threads of this episode to just go away. That is the weird thing about this episode. It is SO clearly a backdoor pilot, in every way and yet there was seemingly never an intent to make the show. That is what makes this episode so odd, it’s like an episode of another show that just happens to have a few characters we know it.

Hell, when Rob Zombie would make his CSI: Miami episode he would take those characters back to LA and yet NOT to finish this storyline. It’s frustrating.

So with the CSI situation we have a backdoor pilot that was never a backdoor pilot… what about a damn series that was backdoor pilots?

Who remembers the 70’s cop show Police Story?

Police Story might be the longest TV franchise that no one remembers. Running for 95 episodes, 8 TV movies and 3 full spin offs Police Story is remarkably obscure.

The show was an anthology series but not in the normal sense. Each episode was a single story (sometimes a 60 minute episode, sometimes a 90 minute one) showcasing an aspect of police life in LA. One week it could be a beat cop, the next set in Vice, the next following an undercover unit etc… but with the connecting thread of regular background characters. Every episode had the same coroner, the same DA and the same bartender at the local cop bar. Otherwise each week it was a new main character, mostly.

Mostly because sometimes a guest actor would appear in a later episode as the same character again. So Darrin McGavin or John Saxon may appear in a season one episode and then again in a season four episode. Police Story was an anthology series with continuity.

Police Story also was the first time TV cops were arguably realistic (at least as realistic as TV cops could be in the 70’s). They screwed hookers, they smacked around junkies, they had bad marriages, they drank and most of all… they didn’t always win.

Police Story broke the mold by not always having the cops get the bad guy. Up to this point TV cops like Kojak or Columbo would always get the villain… Police Story showed you that the sometimes the guilty get away with it. The show was also honestly progressive in showing female cops and non-white cops in a positive light without it feeling pandering. The attitude towards homosexuality was also very daring for the 70’s.

The season one episode “Ripper” is about a serial killer ripping up openly gay men and treated this with a shocking amount of sensitivity and realism. Some of the cops didn’t care but the main detective (Darren McGavin) tears into them and demands that gay people be treated just like everyone else. It may not sound like it but for 1973 NOT demonizing gays was a huge step forward. The gay bar scene is all full of swishy lisps though so one step forward… one step back I guess.

The list of guest stars is staggering.

Claude Akins, Ed Asner, Jim Brown, Chuck Connors, James Cromwell, Louis Gossett Jr., Clu Gulager, Casey Kasem, Sally Kirkland, Cheryl Ladd, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cleavon Little, Tony Lo Bianco, Darren McGavin, Cameron Mitchell, Kurt Russell, John Saxon, William Shatner, Sylvester Stallone, Dean Stockwell, Jan-Michael Vincent, Fred Williamson, Claudia Christian, Mykelti Williamson, Billy Zane, Lori Petty, Karen Black, Meg Foster, Robert Conrad, Ed O’Neill, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin Bratt just to name a few.

With this (mostly) anthology show format it was very easy to make stand out episodes act as pilots to give those characters their own shows.

Angie Dickinson was in a single Police story episode and then she got her own series as the same character for 4 seasons.

David Cassidy was in a 21 Jump Street style pilot titled Man Undercover for 10 episodes.

Lloyd Bridges had his appearance on Police Story get him Joe Forrester as a spin off for a season.

So yeah, Police Story lasted longer and had more spin offs than most modern series and yet I bet 99% of those reading this had never even heard of it before this writing.

Next time I still have a few more shows you didn’t know were set to be franchises.

 

Win ‘The War on Everyone’ on Blu-ray!

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From John Michael McDonagh, writer and director of The Guard and Calvary, comes War on Everyone.

Terry (Alexander Skarsgård) and Bob (Michael Peña) are two crooked cops who frame and blackmail criminals all over town. Looking for the ultimate pay-off, they try to extort a strip-club manager (Caleb Landry Jones) and his eccentric, junkie boss (Theo James), but get more than they bargained for when their hair-brained scheme uncovers a bigger, darker secret.

And we’re giving away 5 copies on Blu-ray!

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

Paul Reiser  who portrays Lt. Gerry Stanton in War on Everyone,
portrayed cop Jeffrey Friedman in this series of films?

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

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

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on April 30th, 2017.

You Say You Want a Revolution: IDW’s Transformers, and Micronauts, and ROM

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Remember when you were a little kid and you and your friends all got together with your favorite toys and action figures, and you’d just make up games on the spot, vying back and forth with one another for who got to tell the story, which character did what, how this car came in and blew up that robot, etc., etc. – all the while explaining to one another why they were doing what they were doing, what it all meant?

Well IDW’s recently concluded Revolution crossover event, now available in a trade paperback collection, feels a whole lot like that. It’s no wonder. With no less than six Hasbro property titles in the mix, with the teams of IDW’s popular Transformers and G.I. Joe titles leading the way, the one thing this project is not lacking in is characters. Or cars. Or robots. Or explosions.

IDW launched the reboot of ROM: Space Knight last fall, to general acclaim. It’s a beloved character, from the classic 80’s Marvel run, but given that Hasbro retained the property rights to the toy and the character, it’s not a book anyone expected to see again. So it was a big deal when Hasbro greenlit the new project, and the idea to bring ROM into the previously created shared universe that set G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers (in the now legendary crossover of the same name), must have been irresistible to IDW. From there it quickly snowballed.

Another recent relaunch of a new Micronauts book – also a Hasbro license, also a former Marvel classic run – introduced the next obvious question. Why not find a way to blend all of these storylines into one giant shared universe? Throw in a new revamp of Mobile Armored Strike Kommand – the boys and girls of M.A.S.K. – along with the unfortunately-named British action toy Action Man, and suddenly you’ve got one doozy of a world-building exercise on your hands.

And so, the creatives at IDW all showed up at the sandbox, toys and ideas at the ready, and jumped in with both feet. What came out of that melding of minds is a big ol’ mess of action, mystery, mayhem, mechanoids and magic. And the launch of something altogether new from the mix. Call it the Hasbroverse. Maybe the Hasbotron Universe. Call it a little crazy.

Look, it’s a big project. Calling it ambitious is probably an understatement. A foray into territory generally dominated by the big boys of Marvel and DC. With so many moving pieces, so many narratives to advance and tie together, it’s inevitable that some things will play better than others. Not everything works. At least not everything works really well. These are very different storylines, with very different elements to combine, and so yes, sometimes that comes across as forced or somewhat rushed.

But hey, these are the toys they have to work with.

And credit where credit is due – they pretty much pull it off. More than most efforts of this kind, the trick to enjoying this story arc is to hang in there until the larger picture comes into view. And if along the way things don’t seem to mesh or suit your fancy, just give it a chance. This is all about scale. Sometimes you need the advantage of a larger perspective to see the shape of a thing, and possibly what’s to come.

Case in point: I’ll be the first to admit, my first read of the ROM relaunch didn’t exactly grab me. Part of that is high expectations, and there’s no real way around that. These are big spaceboots to fill after all. The first four or five books of the new ROM: Space Knight title, also out currently in trade paperback, (with a collection of covers from industry names that makes the buy worthwhile on its own) is a lead-in to Revolution, and you’ll want to read it to be fully prepared for the crossover. It’s a fairly straightforward intro to the ROM mythos, in an updated version for today’s comic reader.

All the elements are there, ROM’s eternal quest, his space armor, his analyzer and neutralizer, the insidious danger of the Dire Wraiths, the spunky human companions. All classic ROM. But somehow, even with his grandly serious trademark speeches, this new ROM seems to be lacking a certain essential gravitas I associated with the old character.

At first I chalked it up to what felt like competing storytelling elements. Artist Dave Messina has been doing solid work for a while, but his style relies on heavy lines and he tends to strike his characters in poses.

The effect is slightly cartoonish and two-dimensional, and along with a newly designed, more segmented-looking armor, it makes ROM look more like a toy than ever.

That’s OK, if the intent of the book is to tell a golly wow wonder story for kids. But that is clearly not the intent of this book. This is a much more adult story. It quickly dives into themes of death and war, introducing the horrors of having one’s entire family body-snatched by alien monsters while simultaneously commenting on the serious impact of combat PTSD.

G.I. Joe makes an early cameo, but aside from the para-military, the U.S. military and law enforcement both feature prominently. ROM, when he enters the fray is both brutal and menacing. Overall it is rather dark. It’s an odd juxtaposition.

But really the story itself isn’t too much different from the original. In fact it’s strikingly similar. So there was something else amiss for me, and when I realized what it was – well, I won’t say I was happy about it. At the same time, it’s worth acknowledging that ROM authors Chris Ryall (also IDW’s creative director) and Christos Gage, likely have designs on ROM that have yet to fully develop. Their approach to the character is slightly different than Marvel’s, a fact that becomes even more apparent as his story arc sets up and plays into the Revolution crossover. And that’s reasonable. Every creator’s should bring their own mark to established projects. That said, this is not quite the ROM I knew and loved.

The original Marvel take on ROM’s character, like all of Marvel’s best characters, played heavily on the theme of ROM’s humanity, and specifically his desire to retain it. An alien space knight, ravaged by centuries of interstellar war with a vile race of galactic conquerers wholly corrupted by the practice of black magic, forever encased in armor that separates him from those he is sworn to protect, and a visage boxed off from any normal human expression or connection. Not only is that a brilliant hook, but it’s hard to find a better set-up for a character to forever fret about his own potential to become inhuman. And yet, despite that, like all the best heroes, ROM’s true humanity showed through constantly – in his nobility, his spirit, his devotion to his cause, his compassion.

ROM was forever soliloquizing in absurdly stilted fashion about the dangers of his cause and his condition. But it worked, because we all knew that even as he railed against those dangers, it was precisely because he was so aware of them that he would always fight so hard to preserve his humanity. This theme is still front and center. After all Christos Gage is an old Marvel pro himself. He is hardly unmindful of the power of defining a hero through the character and the infallibility of one’s humanity. But clearly he and Ryall are going for something that has more with character development than character definition. This is more of a hero’s reclamation story.

To be fair, their ROM is hardly divorced from humanity. Not completely. But it seems pretty clear that this time around, his humanity has become, perhaps, somewhat more ravaged by his ordeals. That perhaps, the effect of his centuries long war has pushed it even further away than we might wish to see.

Indeed over the course of his own book, and the events of Revolution, ROM fairly ping-pongs about between issues of morality, brutality and the necessities of war. It’s a bit jarring actually, but the end result does clearly set him on course for a period of possible repentance. And it seems that the supporting characters of his own book, as well as new ones being introduced, are well-designed to act as foils for our Space Knight as this story unfolds. There’s a lot of potential going forward for this series, and that is good. I hope Ryall and Gage live up to the legacy. I’d like to see ROM claim with confidence once again the true, truly noble, spirit that those of us who grew up with him, know for certain beats within that armored breastplate.

In direct tonal contrast to all this sturm and angst, is the Micronauts reboot by Cullen Bunn and artist Max Dunbar.

The rules of the Microverse are different, and that’s a good thing.

It allows the opportunity for large-scale (sorry, micro-scale) space opera, combined with what is almost a pre-requisite for unfettered imagination.

Bunn takes full advantage of both.

In point of fact he seems remarkably well-suited for the Microverse, applying liberal splashes of the fantastic and the outright zany with the help of Dunbar’s clean lines and eye for action scenes, to paint the story of a Universe in peril, a ragtag group of questionable (micro)space-farers, with surprising connections to the Powers-that-Be and the tragic history of the micro-stellar war, who may very well (probably) hold the key to save all of reality.

Where that goes is hard to guess at, and while yes, old character fan-faves Arcturus Prime, Marionette and Bug have been necessary rebooted out of the picture, rest assured this new cast of Micronauts hangs together very nicely, and includes the gratifying return of Acoyear, Microtron and Biotron.

There is also the reintroduction of big baddy Baron Karza. Bunn takes the opportunity to create some interesting back story for the universal despot, one that actually paints him in a not-so-terrible light. That all goes out the window by the time their first story arc morphs into the Revolution storyline. And how that happens – well you’ll just have to read it. Suffice to say, Bunn does not hold back. His imagination roams freely, seemingly constrained only by good storytelling and an appreciation of the unique advantages of the laws of the Microverse.

So yes, in case you’re wondering, we do get to see Baron Karza in his full ‘energchanged’ centaur form. The whole book is wacky and wild, and completely ridiculous, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Thankfully for everyone involved, John Barber knows a good thing when he sees it, and invited Mr. Bunn on board to help him plot and script the final Revolution story arc. He hardly needs it when it comes to dialogue. He pretty much has that nailed down. You can actually hear the Transformers speaking in full character mode, Optimus Prime in particular, and considering the incredible number of requirements in a script that uses next to no narrative explication, he does a deft job of keeping the action moving and more or less hanging together. It’s not an easy feat, given everything that’s going on. But that’s where the genius of this collaboration really pays off. There is a certain alchemy that comes into focus as one character line after another gets folded into the plot and each ensuing issue introduces new wrinkles and twists that gradually converge into something that actually, bizarrely, manages to fit into place. Mind you some of that merging is wholly unexpected. But that’s exactly the fun of this, and it’s clear at one point that Barber and Bunn just embrace it. It’s frankly chaos at points, but thankfully they have the benefit of artist Ficco Ossio’s bold and dynamic style, with an eye for detail that is absolutely essential in a big multi-team book like this. He is not only able to hold the demands of illustrating big, break-neck action sequences, he also manages the remarkable feat of keeping everything in scale.

And there is a LOT of scale. Think about it. It is almost a hallmark of the book by the end. I suspect it will continue to be going forward.

Even then, it’s almost too much. But it comes off. More than that, they do something that, at it’s core, whether they meant to or not, is actually quite brilliant. I won’t give away the particulars, but I will say that in the mad effort to throw together a jumble of disparate stories, styles, fantastic premises, and laws of physics, to create something entirely new, IDW ends up with something in Revolution that says something about the entire nature of comics storytelling with a blending of narrative elements and features that are uniquely represented by these character lines.

Mind you, it’s still crazy. But it’s wholly satisfying to see it in action, and watch it take shape. And if the end result is crowded and chaotic and a little messy, and reads a lot like a Michael Bay movie, a classic Marvel comic book, and a couple of Saturday morning cartoons all rolled up and mushed together with great big gobs of gleeful imagination, well … whaddayagonnado?

My advice: Roll with it. Particularly if any of these things sound good to you. C’mon over. Bring your friends. Jump on in to the sandbox. Things are getting interesting in the Hasbroverse. Pretty clearly, if the guys and gals at IDW have anything to say about it, it’s gonna be quite a ride.

‘Bettie Page’ Returns to Comics! Dynamite Announces Premise, Creative Team

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Dynamite Entertainment is pleased to announce that the iconic Pinup Queen Bettie Page, who lit the pop culture world on fire more than sixty years ago, is returning in comic book form courtesy of writer David Avallone (Doc Savage: The Ring of Fire, The Twilight Zone: The Shadow) and artist Colton Worely (The Shadow, Project Superpowers: Blackcross). With the debut issue set for release in July, Bettie Page #1 will bring the heat to fans this summer.

In this latest telling, Ms. Page is more modest than Ms. Blaise, but peels more than Ms. Emma. She out-vamps Vampirella, but she’s sweeter than Honey West. She puts the mod in model, and the bangs in bang-bang. Now the world can know the truth: her classified adventures back in 1951 Hollywood have officially been declassified.

Writer David Avallone says, “Like a lot of people my age, I ‘discovered’ Bettie Page through comics, when Dave Stevens used her to inspire the ingénue starlet of The Rocketeer. She’s such a compelling, iconic figure, with such a fascinating life story, that I was thrilled when Dynamite Senior Editor Joe Rybandt asked me if I could build a comic book mini-series around her. After a lot of research into the life and times of Bettie, I chose to put her in Hollywood at the start of the fifties and the beginning of her modeling career. It’s all fictional, of course, but it’s built on some corners of her real biography, and the real history of the time. I hope I’ve made my fictional Bettie as funny, as sweet, as sharp, as tough, and as delightful as the real one.”

Artist Colton Worely says, “It’s just a fun, kooky story. Fun characters, a crazy story, and oh, hey, it stars Bettie Page. What’s not to like?”

Dynamite Entertainment Executive Editor Joseph Rybandt said of the new project, “Creating a compelling narrative for Bettie Page was a bit of a challenge; we wanted to embrace the setting, the time, and add something extra to it, but weren’t quite sure what. Enter David Avallone who nailed the tone, spirit, and overall adventure we wanted, and which Bettie truly deserves.”

Ms. Page has long been a staple in the comics, dating back to her debut in the 1980’s when Dave Stevens based the Rocketeer’s girlfriend “Betty” on the iconic leading lady. Subsequently, Ms. Page was seen in the anthology series from Black Cat Comics, a limited pinup series, and lastly in Dark Horse’s Bettie Page Comics written and illustrated by Jim Silke.

The debut issue of Bettie Page features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of Terry Dodson (Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Uncanny X-Men), interior artist Colton Worley’s, Joseph Michael Linsner (Dawn, Harley Quinn), and Scott Chantler (Three Thieves, Two Generals), respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” and “Virgin Art” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds. Fans will also be excited by the limited-edition “Black Bag” edition, reminiscent of the pinup star’s era.

Bettie Page #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. Bettie Page will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

For more information, please visit Dynamite.com

 

‘Juice’ Gets 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Release

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A powerful morality tale steeped in 90s urban culture, JUICE marked the feature directorial debut of Spike Lee’s acclaimed cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson and the first starring roles for Omar Epps and an electrifying Tupac Shakur.  25 years later, the gritty and influential film continues to be celebrated for its realistic portrayal of Harlem life, the early New York hip hop scene, and the fate of four friends in pursuit of the power and respect they call the Juice.

To mark the film’s 25th anniversary, Paramount Home Media Distribution will release the film on Blu-ray for the first time ever on June 6, 2017, packed with brand new interviews with Dickerson, producer David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise), Epps, and fellow actors Khalil Kain and Jermaine Hopkins.  The cast and crew look back on making the film, share heartfelt stories of working with Shakur, and reveal the influence that JUICE had on them both personally and professionally.  The in-depth featurettes are also loaded with never-before-released footage of the cast on set and vintage interviews with Shakur, Queen Latifah, Cindy Herron of En Vogue, the Shocklee brothers, Eric B, EPMD, Cypress Hill and more.  Along with a brand new commentary by the director, fans also will get to see the original ending and hear Dickerson detail the reasons that it was changed prior to the film’s theatrical debut.   JUICE also will be released on DVD on June 6 and on Digital HD on June 13.


JUICE 25th Anniversary Blu-ray

The JUICE Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.  The Blu-ray includes the following:

  • Feature film in high definition
  • Commentary by director Ernest R. Dickerson
  • You’ve Got the Juice Now—A look back at the making of the film featuring brand new interviews with director Ernest R. Dickerson, producer David Heyman and actors Omar Epps, Khalil Kain and Jermaine Hopkins.  The piece details Dickerson’s struggle to remain true to his original vision, his desire to cast fresh new talent, the challenges of shooting on location in Harlem, and the reasons why the film’s ending was changed.
  • The Wrecking Crew—The film’s surviving lead actors talk about how they came to be cast in the film and the bonds they immediately formed with one another.  They additionally share stories about Tupac Shakur’s drive, authenticity and unmistakable genius, as well as their delight at getting to work with Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah and Cindy Herron.
  • Sip the Juice: The Music—Explores the essential role that music plays in the film.  Features vintage interviews with the Shocklee brothers about their score, as well as Erik B, EPMD, and members of Cypress Hill speaking about their contributions to the unforgettable soundtrack and why they chose to be a part of the film.
  • Stay in the Scene: The Interview—Vintage interview with the four lead cast members on set.  The piece demonstrates their rapport as they discuss the importance of the film and its message.
  • Photo Gallery—Unit photographer Adger Cowans’ photos taken on set.

 

JUICE 25th Anniversary DVD

The JUICE DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital and English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The DVD includes the following:

 

  • Feature film in standard definition
  • Commentary by director Ernest R. Dickerson
  • You’ve Got the Juice Now
  • The Wrecking Crew
  • Sip the Juice: The Music
  • Stay in the Scene: The Interview
  • Photo Gallery

 

Andy Diggle Returns to 007 With ‘James Bond: Kill Chain’

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Andy Diggle — the British writer who redefined Green Arrow at DC Comics, thrilled readers with an impressive Daredevil run at Marvel, and scripted the critically acclaimed James Bond: Hammerhead, has reteamed with Hammerhead artist Luca Casalanguida to bring fans the next chapter in the James Bond series, entitled Kill Chain. The latest tale of international intrigue and espionage will launch in July, and feature six issues that will run through the end of 2017.

When a counterespionage operation in Rotterdam goes catastrophically wrong, James Bond finds himself in the crosshairs of a plot to smash NATO. Someone is assassinating allied agents, and 007 is the next target in the kill chain. Having kept the peace for decades, the old alliance is collapsing, pitting MI6 against its former ally – the CIA!
Writer Andy Diggle says, “I’m thrilled to be assigning James Bond his next mission. His exploits have been an inspiration from my earliest years, and Dynamite Entertainment and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. have proved to be the perfect creative partners.”
Regarding the context of the new series, Diggle says, “The decision to update the stoic Bond of Ian Fleming’s original novels from the moral certainties of the 1950s to our shifting, complex, present-day world was inspired – and inspiring. We live in treacherous times, and James Bond is the hero we need to navigate them. I have many more stories to tell, and I’m having the time of my life telling them. Working with Luca Casalanguida on James Bond: Hammerhead was one of the most creatively satisfying and enjoyable collaborations of my career, and his art for Kill Chain raises the bar even higher. Greg Smallwood’s stunning covers perfectly capture the blend of suave and brutality that has made Bond one of the century’s most enduring icons. Ably backed up by Chris Blythe on colors and Simon Bowland on lettering, we have the perfect tight-knit team to continue bringing you the exploits of the world’s greatest secret agent.”
Artist Luca Casalanguida says, “Andy is fantastic to work with. While partnering on 007, we were able to establish a great working relationship that I believe comes across in the work. Andy is doing an excellent job transporting the world of Bond in to comics. I think Bond fans will find a lot of what they like here.”
“Andy Diggle is one of the best,” Dynamite Entertainment Executive Editor Joseph Rybandt added. “Andy Diggle on Bond is some of the best writing he’s ever done, and amongst the best Bond adventures in any medium.”
In 2014, Dynamite Entertainment made headlines across the comics industry and beyond with the news that the New Jersey publisher had secured the license from Ian Fleming Publications Ltd to produce the first James Bond comics in 20 years. The first series, written by Transmetropolitan writer Warren Ellis, launched the following year to widespread critical acclaim, and was a breakout success in the comics specialty market. Subsequent James Bond story lines include Diggle and Casalanguida’s Hammerhead, James Robinson and Aaron Campbell’s Felix Leiter, Benjamin Percy and Rapha Lobosco’s Black Box, and Kieron Gillen and Antonio Fuso’s Service.
The debut issue of James Bond: Kill Chain features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of Greg Smallwood (Archie, Moon Knight), interior artist Luca Casalanguida’s, and Juan Doe (Guardians of the Galaxy) respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” and “Virgin Art” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds.

James Bond: Kill Chain #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. James Bond: Kill Chain will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

Atari’s ‘Centipede’ Comes To Comics From Dynamite Entertainment

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Dynamite Entertainment continues its partnership with Atari, one of the world’s most recognized producers of interactive entertainment, to create a new comics line based on beloved Atari video game titles. The two entertainment juggernauts are pleased to announce that Centipede will join the recently released Swordquest as the latest title in the retrogaming series. Launching in July, Centipede #1 will bring a tale of survival and vengeance to comic book and gaming fans everywhere, courtesy of writer Max Bemis (Worst X-Man Ever, Foolkiller) and artist Eoin Marron (Sons of Anarchy: Redwood Original).

Sci-Fi, horror, and action collide in a comic for fans of Aliens, The Thing, and Predator. When a terrifying creature from beyond the stars attacks his planet, protagonist Dale’s journey begins, but he is not out to save his world; its already much too late for that. As the lone survivor, the only thing Dale wants is revenge.

Writer Max Bemis says, “I’m honored to be a part of bringing Centipede to life and to be allowed to do it in a somewhat less than conventional and dangerous way. Expect many mushrooms.”

Artist Eoin Marron says, “My favorite aspect of working on Centipede: Game Over is being able to take the core concept and expand on it in a way the original couldn’t at the time. That means developing a whole new world – one that’s similar to ours but not quite – and tearing it all down again from the very first issue. So, if you like your post-apocalyptic, last-man-on-Earth scenarios to be dripping with a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness and dry sense of humor, you’re going dig what we’re doing on this.”

“When Dynamite announced the launch of the Atari comic line, fans widely shared their excitement across social media, reminiscing over their fondest memories of hours spent in the Arcade and in front of their favorite Atari games,” says Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “With the addition of Centipede to our Atari line, we’ll be able to bring that same excitement to the die-hard fans that worked hard to bring down the evilest of insects! And thanks to the massive success of Atari’s Flashback console, an entirely new generation will be able to enjoy both their catalogue of groundbreaking games, as well as the complementary comic series!”

The debut issue of Centipede features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of Francesco Francavilla (Detective Comics, Zorro, Will Eisner’s The Spirit: Corpse-Makers), interior artist Eoin Marron, and Dan Schkade (Will Eisner’s The Spirit). A special classic game art cover will also be available. Limited variant editions in “Black & White,” “Homage,” and “Virgin Art” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds. Fans will also be excited by the Classic Atari mini-comic incentive, a remastered reissue of the whimsical 32-page mini-comic (measuring 5″ x 7.75″) which was originally packaged with the Atari cartridge of its namesake.

Centipede #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. Centipede will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

 

‘Rings’ Comes to Blu-ray May 2nd and Digital HD April 21st

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The legend of Samara takes a chilling turn in the new chapter of the hit Ring franchise, RINGS, which comes calling on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 2, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Dare to watch on Digital HD two weeks early on April 21.

When a radical college professor (Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”) finds the mysterious video rumored to kill viewers seven days after watching, he enlists his students in a dangerous experiment to uncover the secrets behind the Samara legend. When the deadly video goes viral, they must figure out a way to break the curse and defeat Samara before her evil is unleashed upon the world. But, how do you stop her when she’s everywhere? RINGS also stars Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz (Summertime), Alex Roe (The 5th Wave), Aimee Teegarden (“Friday Night Lights”) and Vincent D’Onofrio (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”).

The RINGS Blu-ray Combo Pack features over 45 minutes of terrifying bonus content including deleted and extended scenes and a nail-biting alternate ending. Plus, go behind-the-scenes with interviews with the cast and crew as they discuss the new chapter in the iconic Ring franchise, dare to discover the real Samara, and more! Buy RINGS on Blu-ray Combo Pack and complete the circle with a bonus Digital HD of both The Ring and The Ring Two, for a limited time only.

 

RINGS Blu-ray Combo Pack

The RINGS 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, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack 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, Spanish and Portuguese 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:
    • Terror Comes Full Circle
    • Resurrecting the Dead: Bringing Samara Back
    • Scary Scenes
    • Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes

DVD

  • Feature film in standard definition

 

RINGS 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, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the film in standard definition.

 

RingsMovie.com

 

The FBI Takes on a Classic Pulp Hero in ‘All-New Justice, Inc.: The Avenger’

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Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that Justice, Inc.: The Avenger is set to return in a brand-new six issue miniseries, Faces of Justice, courtesy of co-writers Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Magnus) and Joe Gentile (Zorro, The Green Hornet), and artist Alexandre Shibao (Independence Day). With the debut issue set for release in July, Justice Inc.: The Avenger – Faces of Justice will serve-up a scorching good read for fans to add to their summer reading list.

When the FBI discovers evidence that incriminates Richard Benson in a brutal murder, the Avenger finds himself arrested and subjected to an intense investigation by the Bureau’s best agents! Now the Justice, Inc. team must spring into action to save their leader, and discover if there’s a sinister plot at play; or could the Avenger actually be guilty of such a heinous crime?

Writer Kyle Higgins says, “The Avenger is one of those great, classic pulp characters who has both an incredibly rich history as well as a long list of modern superheroes who owe their creative inspiration to him. I love pulp, noir, and superheroes, so when Dynamite asked if I’d have any interest in telling a new Avenger story, it was a pretty easy sell for me. I’ve known Joe Gentile for as long as I’ve been reading comics. In fact, it was his publishing company, Moonstone Books, that first introduced me to how comics are made, and ultimately set me on the path to becoming a writer. Joe and I have wanted to do something together for years, so when Dynamite called and asked if I’d have any interest in telling a story with The Avenger, the first person I thought of was Joe. Justice Inc. and The Avenger are some of his all-time favorite characters, and I could think of no one better to build a bad-ass pulp story with.”

Higgins is a #1 New York Times Best Selling author whose past work includes Nightwing, Batman Eternal, Gates of Gotham, and Batman Beyond 2.0. After spending two years at the University of Iowa, Kyle transferred to Chapman University, where he directed a superhero noir titled The League, about the 1960’s superhero labor union of Chicago. In addition to opening doors at Marvel and DC Comics, the film served as a creative launch point for Kyle’s 2014 Image Comics series, C.O.W.L. At present, Kyle is writing the critically acclaimed series Hadrian’s Wall at Image, plus the #1 selling monthly title in Boom Studios history, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Writer Joe Gentile says, “The Avenger has always appealed to me because, while his whole reason to fight crime centers on the loss of his wife and daughter, the incident was mainly his fault. Finding peace with that has been such a challenge for him, and really permeates everything he does with Justice Inc. Physically, he isn’t built like Superman. As a matter of fact, he’s fairly-average sized. But when he walks into a room, his energy commands respect and turns heads. Who doesn’t want some of that?”

Gentile has written and edited comics and prose for Zorro, The Green Hornet, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Buckaroo Banzai, The Spider, and many more. Currently he is working on a steampunk novella while teaching bass guitar.

“We’re lucky to have a talented crew like Kyle Higgins, Joe Gentile, and Alexandre Shibao on this book,” Dynamite Entertainment Senior Editor Matt Idelson added. “The story they’ve put together is full of everything you’d want from an Avenger series: clever villains, complex mysteries, brilliant investigative work, courage in the face of long odds – and of course, death-defying feats of bravery – but it’s also more than just that. The scenario they’ve created is one that will challenge all the principles that the Avenger and his team of stalwart allies stand for, and all I’m going to say is, it’s a lot more complicated than you might think.”

The debut issue of Justice Inc.: The Avenger – Faces of Justice features several cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of Tom Mandrake (Batman, New Mutants) and Alexandre Shibao (Batman/Superman), respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds.

The Avenger originally debuted in September 1939 as the lead character in an eponymous pulp magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Writer Paul Ernst is credited with creating many of the earliest Avenger tales (published under the house writer pseudonym “Kenneth Robeson”), blending the qualities of contemporary pulp heroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow, as well as his own creations that included Seekay, The Wraith, Dick Bullitt, Old Stone Face, the Gray Marauder, and Karlu the Mystic. The Avenger appeared in numerous prose novels, radio programs, and comic books throughout the decades, most recently in Dynamite Entertainment’s 2014 revival of the Justice, Inc. series written by acclaimed author Michael Uslan and illustrated by Giovanni Timpano.

Justice Inc.: The Avenger – Faces of Justice #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. Justice Inc.: The Avenger – Faces of Justice #1 will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

 

Win ‘Isolation’ on DVD

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Inspired by true events, see what happens when a couple vacationing in the Bahamas is hunted by a group of modern-day pirates in Isolation, available on DVD at Walmart, Digital HD and On Demand April 18 from Lionsgate. Boasting an all-star cast including Luke Mably (The Prince and Me, 28 Days Later), Tricia Helfer (TV’s “Lucifer” and “Burn Notice”), Marie Avgeropoulos (TV’s “The 100,” 50/50), Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe, Avatar), and Dominic Purcell (the upcoming “Prison Break: Sequel” and “Legends of Tomorrow”), watch the film JoBlo.com calls “suspenseful and unpredictable” with a “killer ending.”

Hoping to restore their flagging marriage, Lydia (Tricia Helfer) and Creighton (Luke Mably) journey to a remote island in the sun-drenched Bahamas. One drunken night, they return to their cabin to find it ransacked. Will nearby couple Max (Dominic Purcell) and Nina (Marie Avgeropoulos) offer them help — or harm? Also starring Stephen Lang, this seductive, sinister thriller shows that trust can be a dangerous thing.

And we’re giving away five copies!

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

How many films in 2015, did Isolation star Dominic Purcell make with a single word in the title?

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

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

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on April 30th, 2017.

 

Dynamite Announces ‘Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit’ From Fred Van Lente and Bob Q

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Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that classic television’s incarnation of The Green Hornet is set to make his return with an unexpected new partner in the pulp character’s latest cross-over miniseries, The Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit, featuring revered comic writer/artist Will Eisner’s famous two-fisted crimefighter. Written by Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong, Cowboys and Aliens), with art by Bob Q (Kings Quest), The Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit #1 arrives in stores this July!

The Green Hornet is back and on the case! With his aide Kato and their rolling arsenal, The Black Beauty, by his side, The Green Hornet is ready to face the toughest of challenges! On police records a wanted criminal, The Green Hornet is secretly Britt Reid, owner/publisher of The Daily Sentinel. Reid and Kato have traveled to Central City to participate in the futuristic World’s Fair, and to get the skinny on the new and potentially dangerous “Newspaper of Tomorrow“, a device capable of predicting headlines before events happen.

Writer Fred Van Lente says, “I’m very excited to link these two iconic characters. The Spirit has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and the opportunity to pair Will Eisner’s legendary creation with a character that has an actual year in its name allowed me to age The Spirit cast fourteen years forward. In our world, the Spirit hasn’t been seen since 1952 (the year the strip ended) but suddenly this new guy has appeared in the mask and hat — one who will look pretty familiar to longtime fans. Who is this guy, and why has he returned? This is the mystery Green Hornet and Kato must solve.”

Fred Van Lente is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning writer of comics like Dynamite’s The Mocking Dead and Magnus: Robot Fighter, Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Action Philosophers! (American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Teens), and Cowboys & Aliens (with Andrew Foley), the basis for the feature film.

Artist Bob Q says, “I’m incredibly excited to be working with Fred Van Lente who has written a script that’s fun all the way through. Artistically, my plan is to capture that spirit as best I can with a series of ham-handed pencil and brush strokes. What I’m really striving for, though, is to shake up masked-vigilante fashion. It’s time to trade in spandex onesies, capes, and pouched belts and get back to some nicely tailored suits and fedoras. If you’re going to fight crime, do it with some class.”

The Green Hornet and Will Eisner’s The Spirit have been incredibly successful properties for us, thanks to these characters’ dedicated and eternal fan base,” says Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “We’re thrilled that after many decades in print, the characters are still able to resonate with fans – both old and new – across the globe, and now courtesy of a titanic team-up of their trademark trench coats!”

The debut issue of The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of the award-winning husband and wife team, Mike and Laura Allred (Batman ’66, X-Force, iZombie), Ty Templeton (Batman 66, The Simpsons) and Javier Pulido (The Amazing Spiderman, Robin: Year One), respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” and “Virgin Art” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds.

The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit #1 will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

 

Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD on May 23

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A speculative thriller from Blumhouse Productions (Split, Insidious franchise, The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, the first African-American writer/director to cross $100 million at the box office with his debut film, GET OUT arrives on Digital HD on May 9, 2017 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on May 23, 2017 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  Known as the best reviewed movie of 2017 on Rotten Tomatoes to date, the dark and unsettling break-out hit is deeply relevant to modern day topics, captivating audiences with thrilling conflicts and danger at every turn. Own GET OUT on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD and be the first to see the chilling alternate ending that flips the script, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, plus much more!

Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario), a young African-American man, and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, “Girls”), a young white woman, have been dating for several months, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate at her family’s upstate home with parents Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods).  At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.


The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet.
  • Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
  • Digital HD with UltraViolet lets you watch movies anywhere, on any device. Users can instantly stream or download movies to watch on iPad, iPhone, Android, smart TVs, connected Blu-ray players, game consoles and more.

BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS FEATURES

  • Alternate Ending with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele
  • Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele
  • Unveiling the Horror of Get Out: Go behind-the-scenes for the making of Get Out
  • Q&A Discussion with Writer/Director Jordan Peele and the Cast: Director/Writer Jordan Peele sits down with the cast to answer fan questions on the film hosted by Chance the Rapper.
  • Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jordan Peele

For more details, visit uni.pictures/GetOut
#GetOut

‘Star Wars’ Comic Books For Younger Readers Coming To IDW Publishing

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Announced this weekend on the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel at STAR WARS CELEBRATION in Orlando, Disney Licensed Publishing, an imprint of Disney Book Group, LLC, has granted IDW Publishing the license to create and publish new Star Wars comic books aimed at younger readers.

“Lucasfilm is thrilled to expand our relationship with the talented and creative folks at IDW to bring Star Wars comics to kids,” said Michael Siglain, Creative Director of Lucasfilm Publishing. “IDW has an incredible pedigree of talent, and we look forward to working with them on the creation of these fun, action-packed adventures that span the entire Star Wars saga.”

The launch title, Star Wars Adventures, is timed for Fall 2017, and part of the “Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi” publishing program, which will release an exciting array of content leading-up to the next cinematic chapter in the ongoing space saga.

IDW’s Chief Creative Officer, Chris Ryall, said “IDW has long sought to offer the next generation of comic book fans ample reading choices, and being able to provide Star Wars comics aimed directly at that audience is a massive thrill. Disney has been a great collaborator with us and we’re very excited to delve into this particular corner of the galaxy.

This new deal between Disney Licensed Publishing and IDW will build upon the already strong relationship they share, having previously published reprint Star Wars content in a variety of formats such as Micro Collectors Fun Packs, and the award-winning Artist’s Editions. In addition, a series of new collections of classic Star Wars newspaper strips will be available beginning in May.

Storyline details and creative teams for Star Wars Adventures will be made public in a future announcement.


Win ‘Jerrod Carmichael: 8’ on Digital Download

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?Taped in December before a live audience at the historic Masonic Hall in New York City, the show features his subversive, thought-provoking take on cultural norms. Performing in the round and engaging audience members during his act, Carmichael addresses a wide range of subjects, including Trump’s victory, climate change, supporting the troops, animal rights, being a good boyfriend and his top four fears, as well as exploring larger themes like race, politics, love and family.

And we’re giving away three digital codes to Forces of Geek readers!

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

Jerrod Carmichael appeared in both this 2014 film and it’s 2016 sequel
alongside actors Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Dave Franco?

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

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

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on April 30th, 2017.

 

On ‘MST3K: The Return’ – a review

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Hey! It’s back!

After a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, everyone’s favorite movie-riffing heroes are back–this time on Netflix which means you get 14–count ’em–14 episodes all at once. With a strong start riffing the Ib Melchior-penned Reptilicus to the classic At the Earth’s Core starring Doug McClure and Peter Cushing, I have to say that, of what I’ve seen thus far, this is one of the better seasons in regards to movie selections, and a very promising season in regards to the new cast and crew.

Buckle in. We’re talking Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return and it’s 11th season now appearing on Netflix. [Disclaimer, I’ve only watched 8 of the 14 episodes thus far. This only came out last Thursday, it’s Easter weekend, and I have a family that loves me. I’m pretty confident, however, in that this is an accurate sampling to review in light of the entire season.]

Right out of the gate, I know there have been complaints–most notably the absence of Joel Hodgson on screen. The truth is that Hodgson is involved in this show to his eyeballs. (That’s him in the center in the header image to this piece.) Hodgson is the one who managed to get the rights back to the show, got the Kickstarter kickstarted, writes, directs, and even plays the role of the guy on the 14th level who pulls the lever and feeds the movie to our hapless heroes. He even has some dialogue from time to time. Remember, Hodgson left partially because he didn’t want to be on-screen anymore. That, plus creative differences drove him away for a bit, but he never stopped loving his creation and MST3K: The Return is pretty much his baby.

So let’s talk about the cast. You’re not going to get Joel on-screen more than he currently is. Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett are off doing RiffTrax and there are no plans for crossing over. We have cameos from the rest of the old crew, which is nice, but it’s okay to say that an all new cast is not a bad thing.

I was a little concerned at first when I saw it was mostly L.A. actors, comedians, and writers involved as the show had always had a fairly distinct Midwest sort of feel to it. That said, everyone involved is a fan. These are not people out to exploit a franchise, but fans who already feel invested in the franchise. Everyone involved has solid geek cred–many having worked with The Nerdist and Geek & Sundry folks. So long as Chris Hardwick stays the hell away from the show, I think they’ll be fine.

Felicia Day does a great job as the latest generation of Forresters to torment our heroes. There is just enough touch of awkwardness to give it a genuine sense of the shows past awkwardly-acted villains. Patton Oswalt is a bit more seasoned and professional as Max, TV’s Son of TV’s Frank. He has comic timing and delivery down, but doesn’t upstage Day in any way. I was particularly pleased with Jonah Ray’s portrayal of Jonah Heston, the token human test subject. He slips into role naturally and, maybe after another season, could easily be the equal of Mike Nelson.

For the robots–it’s all new voices of course. Hampton Yount as Crow and Baron Vaughn as Tom Servo do fine jobs. They’re always going to suffer in comparison to folks like Beaulieu, Corbett, and Murphy, but, like Jonah Ray, if they get another season or so I think their performances will only improve. For now… it’s not bad at all.

So I’m laying on a lot of postive in this review thus far. Now let’s flip this.

Is MST3K: The Return perfect? Absolutely not. I find the riffs to be too many and in too quick a succession. One doesn’t have room to breath. I think a third of the jokes could easily be cut and it would increase the overall effectiveness of the humor. That, and because they’re rushing to get the funny out, they sometimes make a joke a split-second before the it matches up to what’s happening in the movie. We all know this is a scripted show, but when the joke comes too soon it ruins the illusion that this is more like witty improv. So, yeah… ease up a bit next season, okay? Timing is everything.

I’ve heard some criticize the look of the show–the segments specifically–as either looking too polished or not polished enough.

Okay, reality check.

MST3K has its roots in local cable. It’s supposed to look a bit amateurish. The show not only hearkens back to TV-hosted horror movies of old, but they were operating with a very small budget. This was all a big part of the charm. The current look is a pretty natural progression from the previous incarnations. As a few generations ago it was “Hey, we got an empty barn–let’s put on a show!” became “Hey, we got a slot on local cable access–let’s put on a show” it is now “Hey, the Internet is a thing–let’s put on a show!”

It’s supposed to look rough–but even amateurs have better technology these days, so it’s also going to look a bit better than older cable access or even low-budget second-tier cable. I think for most of us the sweet spot was the Comedy Central years, but now it’s 2017. There are new fans who grew up with YouTube productions so… so there you go. I think they did a tremendous job in both appealing to the older nostalgic fans and to newer fans. (I particularly love the advertising bumpers even though it’s Netflix–no ads.)

I’m not going to dismiss the haters with a “haters gonna hate” line, but I will remind the haters that few resurrected projects ever fully satisfy original fans. Fans can be their own worst enemy sometimes when they’re insisting on some kind of purity. And everyone has an opinion. Fine. But performers move on, budgets shift, networks get in the way–all sorts of things can sabotage a reboot. With MST3K: The Return, however, you’re probably getting the closest you’re ever likely to get the classic shows. You’ve got Hodgson involved. You’ve got cast and crew who love the original shows as much as the rest of us. You’ve got Netflix which has, thus far, been pretty dependable in supporting its original programming.

While I’ve not seen every single episode yet, just by looking at the episodes list, I think they did an excellent job picking movies to riff on. I’ve seen some of these unironically. It’s probably the toughest part of producing the show–finding and securing rights to movies that are so bad they’re good, but not so bad that no riffing could save it. Personally, I’d love to see some hit movies get the MST3K treatment–Jaws, The Godfather, any Batman movie, that kind of thing, but I suppose that would depart too much from the original spirit of the show.

All said and done, what’s the recommendation?

Well, it’s a cult show–so you have to be open to a bit of weird, a bit of campiness, some corny humor, some cringingly geeky moments, and off-beat humor. If you’re good with that, then give it a try. You may become a new fan in which case you’ve got over 200 episodes to search out–not counting Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax. If you’re an old fan, and you’re not too beholden to the grip of pure nostalgia, I think you’ll enjoy this as well. If you’re a purist… well… your loss. MST3K: The Return is a worthy successor to MST3K, but change happens. As reboots go, this is probably a lot more faithful than many and I, for one, and happy with what I see.

I think you may, too.

And if you’re still on the fence, let me remind you… “repeat to yourself that it’s just a show, and I really should relax.”

Words to live by.

Cheers!

Luc Besson’s ‘The Fifth Element’ Gets 20th Anniversary Screenings This Spring

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Twenty years ago, audiences were dazzled by the visionary images and epic adventure of The Fifth Element.” To celebrate the 20th anniversary of director Luc Besson’s groundbreaking film, Fathom Events and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will present a 4K restoration of the film in movie theaters nationwide for two days only, on Sunday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 17 at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. (local time) both days. Following its two-day-only theatrical presentation, “The Fifth Element” will debut on 4K Ultra HD July 11.

As an added bonus, the theatrical presentation will also offer audiences a brand-new, exclusive look at Besson’s upcoming film, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” which opens in theaters nationwide July 21, 2017. This new film stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as special operatives who must protect the astonishing city of Alpha from a marauding menace that threatens not just the city but the future of the universe. Besson both directed and wrote “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” as he did the enormously influential “The Fifth Element.”

Tickets to “The Fifth Element 20th Anniversary” can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 400 select movie theaters. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

From its opening scenes in 1914 Egypt to its towering views of 23rd Century New York City, and its mind-expanding journey to the faraway world of Fhloston Paradise, “The Fifth Element” follows cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) as he discovers that the fate of the world is contained within the mysterious Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), who literally drops from the sky and into his life. To save humanity, he must protect her from the evil industrialist Zorg (Gary Oldman), who is embroiled in an intergalactic war between the Mondoshawans and the Mangalores.

The spectacular odyssey across space and time also stars Ian Holm as the mysterious Vito Cornelius, Chris Tucker as hyperactive radio host Ruby Rhod, and Luke Perry as Billy Masterson. Conceived and written by Besson when he was just 16, “The Fifth Element” became a passion project and took more than 20 years to bring to the screen. “The Fifth Element” was nominated for eight César Awards, France’s top cinematic honor, and received three awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.

“Few films have presented a sensory experience quite like ‘The Fifth Element,’” said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations. “After opening at No. 1 at the U.S. box office, it attracted both critical raves and a cult following that has deepened during the past two decades. We are thrilled to bring it back to its well-deserved home on cinema screens for its 20th anniversary.”

 

‘Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes Of Apollo’ (review)

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Produced by Keith Haviland, Gareth Dodds
Written by David Fairhead, Keith Haviland
Directed by David Fairhead
Featuring Dr Chris Kraft, Gene Kranz,
Glynn Lunney, Gerry Griffin, John Aaron,
Ed Fendell, Jerry Bostick, Jim Lovell,
Gene Cernan, Charlie Duke

 

The new documentary Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes Of Apollo spotlights the work of the people behind the scenes of the most crucial moments of space exploration history.

In the process, we are treated to an impromptu history of NASA and how human vision and determination got us to the Moon…and perhaps there is no better time to retell that story.

Many of the types of talented young geniuses who would be, in the current era, whiz kids building killer apps for start-ups and taking Silicon Valley by storm would likely have been recruited into NASA, circa the 1960s.

Watching Mission Control, you really get a tangible sense of how essentially “crowdsourcing” that many brilliant minds can accomplish something so incredible for the time period as launching people into space.

These people built and improvised what would be some of the most foundational and critical tools for humanity to reach “the stars,” working long hours and shouldering enormous responsibility. This point is really brought home in the scene regarding the tragic Apollo 1 launch pad fire, in which three astronauts lost their lives; after the accident, the Mission Control staff were told to each go to their personal blackboards/whiteboards in their offices and write “tough & competent” to remind them what they needed to be. That might sound “harsh” or even pedantic, perhaps…but the truth is, even beyond the loss of life, that every failed mission set back—and even put into jeopardy—the entire fledgling space program.

And so one of the biggest things I get out of Mission Control is how these workers felt driven by a mission, a sense of honor, and a notion of something far bigger than themselves. How many of us can claim the same regarding our own professions? How many brilliant young people are stuck in states of ennui and cynicism—states that I totally do not fault them for, given the contemporary societal and economic situation—and do not feel anything close to that sense of purpose and connection with humanity as a whole?

Now, more than ever, I feel we need to refocus both on future space excursions and the people who made it all possible. We need to stir that excitement again that I witnessed in the news footage of people of all walks of life gathering together in the street and celebrating the landing on the Moon. And I cannot help but feel that Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes Of Apollo is trying to accomplish that very specific thing.

For this isn’t a “small” documentary. Director David Fairhead has presented something that can almost best be viewed on the wide screen, sculpting dramatic moments in NASA history with an impressive array of tightly-edited intimate footage inside Mission Control, heartfelt interviews with many from the original staff, familiar shots of the the rockets at launch & mid-flight, and an epic film score. Digital re-enactments fill in the “blanks,” but not in a way that feels intrusive or that takes you out of the milieu of the time period.

I highly recommend viewing Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes Of Apollo as a way to acquire a vital refresher course on our space exploration history and to get excited at what might come in the future.

 

Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes Of Apollo
is available now in theaters & On Demand. 

For more information, visit missioncontrol.movie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel’s Central Problem: The Sokovia Accords

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When Captain America: Civil War smashed into theaters last year, it introduced a new wrinkle to the epic yarn Marvel has been weaving for the past decade. Specifically, The Avengers experienced a schism. And while the title Civil War could imply The Avengers were split on whether states’ rights should supersede federal rights, the primary issue of contention is actually whether or not The Avengers should subject themselves to bureaucratic oversight.

To this point in the films, The Avengers have operated autonomously. They’ve been a self-governing, self-funded crime fighting organization dedicated to protecting the greater good. Sure, there was a time when their entire organization was infiltrated by Nazis intent on killing thousands that would oppose their rule, but in general they have done a decent job of keeping the planet more or less intact.

Of course, during their tenure as world police, The Avengers also caused a lot of collateral damage. It can be difficult to always aim arm mounted laser cannons with perfect accuracy. By the time of Civil War, governments are questioning whether the most powerful army in the world to operate entirely independently, beholden to no one.

In an effort to curb the casualties, the United Nations ratifies a document called the “Sokovia Accords.” According to General Thadeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, “… it states that The Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

Basically, The Avengers will become just another perfectly sculpted arm of the UN peacekeeping corps. Theoretically, this provides increased accountability, as well as establishes peace of mind for countries leery of unwanted superhero intervention.

As one might expect, the not every Avenger is down to sign the Accords. Tony Stark, experiencing some combination of PTSD and survivor’s guilt, is immediately on board to sign the Accords. His hope is that having oversight will lessen the possibility of another incident where innocent people are killed. Steve Rogers, on the other hand, is very opposed to the Accords and governmental oversight generally. He believes this will neuter their effectiveness as well as potentially force them into less than desirable situations. They’ll lose their ability to choose, basically. The memory of Nazis infiltrating SHIELD is still a little too fresh for the WWII vet.

The movie – and the directors themselves – present the situation as a perfectly-balanced moral quandary with no clear answer. There are pros and cons to either move.

Unfortunately, the movie is flat out incorrect. Like tickling a sleeping Bruce Banner, the Sokovia Accords are a terrible idea and a great way to get everybody killed.

It’s Too Late

As Vision mentions early on in Civil War, ever since Iron Man came on the scene, supervillains and superheroes have been popping up at exponentially higher and higher rates. Every new superhero inevitably comes paired with some new supervillain desperate to test their mettle against the new, powerful hero. Vision – doing his best Yoda impersonation – explains that, “[superheroes’] very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe.”

The UN’s answer to that particular problem is apparently to limit superheroes’ power. Maybe if they weren’t so strong, supervillains would get bored and go back to playing Madden.

Except… how? According to Vision’s logic all the superheroes should just bugger off to Asgard or wherever and leave the planet. That’s the only way to stop inviting challenge. Villains aren’t going to stop just because The Avengers have to ask permission before deploying.

Even if Thor scooped The Avengers up in his mighty arms and flew back to his home world, all the villains they’ve created will still be around. Either The Avengers need to leave the planet and hope that any potential villains lying in wait decide to go into accounting instead, or The Avengers need to be ready to kick ass at a moment’s notice.

Usually, it isn’t even the actual superheroing that’s the, it’s what superheroes do in their downtime that’s more the issue.

Ultron Was The Result Of Unregulated Experimentation

The impetus for the Accords – as well as their naming – was the Battle of Sokovia. To save the planet from a rampaging super robot named Ultron, The Avengers destroyed an entire city. The horrible aftermath made UN lawmakers question The Avengers’ autonomy.

The problem here is that Ultron’s creation had literally nothing to do with anybody being a superhero. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner playing scientist on their day off created Ultron. Sure, Stark got the idea from Loki’s scepter, but Ultron wasn’t birthed as a result Thor punching a laptop mid battle or anything. It was created by a science experiment gone wrong, just like most other Marvel villains.

Unless the Accords’ committee will also provide experimentation oversight, the likelihood of another Sokovia-level event is practically inevitable. And that means The Avengers will be called upon again because…

Every Threat The Avengers Face Is “Worthy” Of Intervention

Again, the idea behind the “Sokovia Accords” is that a committee will determine whether an attack is “superhero-worthy” or not. The “troops” will deploy as needed.

Hopefully this will stop Iron Man from stopping a loiterer with shoulder-mounted missiles. The committee will save that kind of fire power for something that warrants it.

But have The Avengers ever deployed to any low-stakes situations? Sure, there have been a few, lesser events that have taken place in the Marvel universe, but most films end with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance.

Virtually every situation mentioned as evidence for the Accords’ importance – New York, Sokovia, Lagos – revolved around either a literal, world-ending scenario or the potential deaths of millions. Any sane committee would surely see the benefit of stopping, say, aliens from another planet are attacking New York City.

For instance, the Lagos incident – condemned for its civilian deaths – was still about stopping a freaking biological weapon from being stolen. The Avengers couldn’t just let a weapon like that fall into terrorist hands.

Some civilians died, yes, but millions more were saved.

And besides…

Deciding Where Avengers Deploy Won’t Change Their Tactics, Necessarily

When Thaddeus Ross confronts The Avengers about signing the Accords, he presents footage of the battle of New York as proof that The Avengers are inherently dangerous. Specifically, Ross forces them to watch footage of Hulk jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper, smashing everything with his gargantuan feet.

But how is choosing where The Avengers go and who they fight going to stop that? The UN isn’t really attempting to curb The Avengers’ tactics. Will the committee suggest every battle occur in the woods? How do you lure a sentient robot legion into a battleground of your choosing? Offer them unlimited batteries?

You could kindly ask Hulk to stop breaking everything, but that’s just how he moves.  Dude can’t fly, so he has to clamber up buildings and jump off if he’s going to take out a low-flying spaceship or hovering robot overlord. Hulk was instrumental in defending New York. If Hulk merely watched news footage from his couch somewhere or was only allowed to fight if directly confronted on the ground, New York would be a pile of rubble.

Remember that? The alternative to The Avengers was nuking New York City into radioactive dust. How is that preferable, exactly? If The Avengers hadn’t shown up millions of civilians would be dead by direct order of the US government. That’s pretty brutal. Suddenly Hulk cracking a few windows doesn’t seem like quite as big a deal.

But say you did manage to convince Hulk to sit a battle out…

They’ll Need 100% Of Superheroes To Sign The Accords

At the end of Civil War, the film suggests that having half of the Avengers sign the Accords and half go rogue is perfectly fine.

Rogers tells Stark, “Call me if you need me.” Presumably he’s referring to a possible world-ending super battle and not just to talk about their feelings.

Except, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of the Accords? If, during the next major event, Stark calls on Rogers’ help, he’ll be in direct violation of the Accords. Anything Rogers did would be inherently illegal.

Unless all superheroes sign the Accords, there won’t be anything stopping heroes from trying to stop supervillains on their own. Without securing oversight for every single superhero all the time, the Accords-approved Avengers regress to a world-wide anti-superhero police force. Their full-time job will be stopping “illegal” superheroes like Rogers from intervening whenever a villain strikes. It’s not like anybody else could police superheroes.

And what will be the result of this policing? Why, even more supervillains. Eventually, either Accords-approved Avengers will become disillusioned by constantly fighting and hindering good guys, or Rogue Avengers will become fed up and directly attack the organization that’s always trying to stop them from doing good in the world.

This is the end result of the Sokovia Accords. It’ll create dozens more supervillains the world over while simultaneously making it impossible for any remaining, loyal heroes to respond.

Captain America is 100% right about the Accords, he just doesn’t fully know why.

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