Life is like a hurricane when Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck discover their uncle is none other than trillionaire treasure hunter Scrooge McDuck! Unfortunately, Scrooge hasn’t been adventuring in years. It’s up to the nephews and their action-ready friend Webby to shake him out of his funk by stirring up some supernatural trouble in his home. They may even convince Scrooge to take them on the most epic family road trip of all time to the underwater city of Atlantis! Together, the team must survive dangerous foes, treacherous temple traps and their overprotective uncle, Donald Duck, to prove that family is the greatest adventure of all!

And we’re giving away a copy on DVD!

To enter, send an email with the subject header “WOO-OO!” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:

David Tennant, who voices Scrooge McDuck, also portrayed this iconic time traveler for
three seasons of this beloved British television series?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 January 7th, 2018.

Happy New Year!

We made it through 2017! Lots to be thankful for, yes, but also lots for which I’m glad 2017 is over.
To help kick off 2018 in style, I offer a countdown of my favorite “New Year’s Eve” moments from some of my favorite movies.

True to form, the best holiday movie moments are typically from movies not specifically about the holidays.

Stay warm!

#5) When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Image via MGM

It’s the moment in every mismatched romantic comedy when the two forever best friends realize at long last that they’re meant to be together and one of them makes a mad dash across town to catch up to the other.

Harry and Sally’s mutual New Year’s Eve epiphany occurs during a rendition of that old chestnut “Auld Lang Syne,” a cliché turned appropriately on its end as Harry playfully mocks its baffling lyrics.

#4) Strange Days (1995)

Image via 20th Century Fox

No other big-screen depiction of the mayhem and chaos of New Year’s Eve in the big city comes close to the mind-boggling scale and ferociousness of Kathryn Bigelow’s hi-tech conspiracy thriller.

A crowd of tens of thousands rings in the new year—here, it’s also the new millennium in Los Angeles—as shady cops and black market brain techies duke it out for their lives.

#3) Trading Places (1983)

Image via Paramount Pictures

“Merry New Year!” Act III of John Landis’ finest comedy takes to the rails on an Amtrak party train from Philly to Manhattan. It’s a rockin’ New Year’s Eve, complete with a busty Swedish backpacker, a chatty exchange student from Cameroon, a white Rastafarian, an imbibed priest, a reveler in an ape suit, a real ape in cargo, and one uptight fixer dude soon to have some ape-sized comeuppance.

#2) The Godfather, Part II (1974)

Image via Paramount Pictures

It’s New Year’s Eve 1958 in Havana, Cuba is on the verge of revolution, and the Corleone family intends to escape the island after settling some bloody family business with Hyman Roth.

Instead of a quick hit and a clean getaway, the attempt on Roth’s life fails, and at midnight the whole city turns to havoc. Michael Corleone, thinking Roth is dead, reveals his insight to his traitorous older brother with a kiss of death: “I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.”

#1) The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Image via 20th Century Fox

For sheer outlandish spectacle, no other cinematic New Year’s Eve celebration can surpass the utter insanity and ludicrousness of this glittery and gaudy disaster flick with an all-star cast sailing on a magnificent cruise ship.

At the stroke of midnight the whole love boat gets tossed upside down by a well-timed rogue tidal wave. You might call it all a bit, um, over the top.

Make 2018 the greatest year yet!

Last batch of 2017 and first batch of 2018.

Many books use current events to ground their fantasy stories.

It’s up to your discretion whether it’s too early for so much realness.

Action Comics #994
Words – Dan Jurgens
Pictures – Dan Jurgens, Art Thibert,
Trevor Scott, Johnny Desjardins, Joe Prado

We rejoin the adventures of Booster Gold and a de-powered Superman on a Krypton that was never meant to be – Happy New Year!

With Supes hurt and stunned, it’s up to Booster (and Skeets) to try to get his lovable blue tush away from this chronal irregularity before it becomes real enough to become real (time travel is weird and dangerous).

It doesn’t help that Jor-El and Zod are actively hunting the two “infiltrators” and Superman still insists on learning all he can while they’re in this reality offshoot.

It never pays to be Booster, but it’s sure fun to follow him.

(And the Lois’s dad narrative continues, sure that will become an A storyline soon)

Batgirl #18
Words – Hope Larson
Pictures – Sami Basri, Jessica Kholinne

It’s the holidays, time to hang out with friends and par-tay.

Or so the book starts out.

After stopping a seasonal-themed C-list villain Babs and Frankie go to Alysia’s White Elephant party. But gag me with a candy cane, the venue was double booked with Smellicule’s While Elephant shindig. A start-up run by the smarmy venture-capitalist Bradley Burr.

A be-Santa-d Harley doses the mixed party with an airborne virus, the antidote will only to be administered when the rich waste-of-suit Bradley realizes what the season really means.

It’s an entertaining chaperone mission from then on as the three (Frankie, Alysia and Babs) drag Bradley around Gotham trying to solve the challenge and save all partygoers.

It’s once again not a surprising book, but enjoyable to read with relatable dialogue and interactions that make it easy to root for them to succeed. The art is cute, if character models aren’t distinct enough, the expressiveness of the faces more than makes up for it.

Blue Beetle #16
Words – Christopher Sebela
Pictures – Scott Kolins, Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Our young/old punks’ boss is finally revealing himself. The world around them is flipping like the remote of an ADD kid and in this stress Jaime learns a shocking secret, his best friends are in a relationship.

Jaime still hasn’t come clean with his friend/hopefully girlfriend Naomi and it’s just too much – he needs something to punch.

Good thing there’s the headquarters of a dead(?) mad scientist with complete control of time buried into his very flesh directly in front of Jaime.

I like and appreciate this title, it’s not clean or pretty. The characters are as raw as their drawn appearance, it’s older kids learning who they are as they’re confronted with world threatening situations.

Yeah you want to shake them sometimes (WHY haven’t you come clean with Naomi yet ya putz?). If this team keeps the quality and pace, this will be a great slow burn character arc book.

Cyborg #20
Words – Kevin Grevioux
Pictures – Cliff Richards, Ivan Nunes, Gabe Eltaeb

Just because a story is simple, doesn’t mean it’s not good.

It was an easy call to recognize this two-chapter piece a version of monkey’s paw, but it’s not what you start with it’s how you use it.

Kids are being exploited by the warlord, they litter the battlefield when (newly human and feverish) Vic wishes them not dead – zombies result because bad ideas happen.

Naliah gets bit and goes down to raise the stakes (and we have the uncomfortable images of Victor beating zombie kids).

When “safe” Sarah hands Vic his self-sorry butt in a way we can only help sticks, but a stealthy zombie Naliah takes Sarah out!

Alone Vic has to save the locals, stop the curse, and stop the warlord (and learn something?) in the Twilight Zone-ish fashion you know it will wrap up in (not completely fair, but solidly satisfying).

Dastardly & Muttley #5
Words – Garth Ennis
Pictures – Mauricet, John Kalisz

It can not be overstated how much fun it seems Garth Ennis seems to be having on this title.

It’s not the only book this week taking cues from current politics to shape their story and the message within, but it’s a joy to read.

Congress has become a gaggle of chittering monkeys taking their frustration out on the now raccoon-ed General Harrier.

Meanwhile Dick, Mutt, Zee and Uncle make their way through the Pentagon. Zee’s distressed by her sudden wasp waist and protruding boobs, Dick should be concerned with his more regular monologuing.

They stop the General from destroying evidence, and we learn more of the gas’s history full of ancient madness.

There’s a heartbreaking moment in this chapter of Mutt on the phone in the middle of all the weird silliness. You really want to see them succeed, or at least do better than the characters they’re being forcibly warped into.

Green Arrow #36
Words – Benjamin Percy
Pictures – Juan Ferreyra

This issue’s all family relations.

It’s why Ollie’s at the bottom of the ocean waiting for death in a cracking suit. It does say something for this creative team that they make it a lovely event to watch.

Life goes on as his friends above fight on his behalf.

Dinah follows his tracker and scoops him up in the nick of time (their relationship remains consistent)

Moira gets back to Star City, she works with (and does other things with) Malcolm. Dinah and Ollie have a quiet talk on the beach. Red Arrow watches after Wendy, but is called into action!

A big fight under Queen Industries! Son vs. Mother, Mother vs. Daughter, friends and lovers fight side by side and someone doesn’t look like they’re making it out.

Green Lanterns #38
Words – Tim Seeley
Pictures – German, Ulises Arreola

Last we saw Liseth admitted (in bed) to Simon that she was a member of the xenophobic terrorist organization “Red Tide”who would break the law and use violence to keep the foreign refugees out, (but she feels super sorry ’bout it now kay).

Everyone who needs to know Vob was framed learns so in this issue, so that frame-up lasted less than two issues.

Vob is the character I feel worst for here, he went with the farce because he felt like his failures in leadership should be punished. Would letting his entire species die off be better than struggling here and now in unfriendly territory? Vob questions his decision.

Regent Vok is ready to hit the Red Tide hideout with soldiers, our two Green Lanterns and her completely trustworthy daughter.

Would you believe this plan goes wrong, spectacularly? It’s fun to read with lots of interesting visuals, just don’t expect to be surprised.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35
Words – Robert Venditti
Pictures – Tom Derenick, Jack Herbert, Jason Wright

No adorable little Green Lantern in this one, it’s all grittiness and dire consequences and butt-kicking action.

Our four Lanterns (John, Guy, Kyle and Hal) mount the Guardian’s rescue.

Two more Guardians are sucked dry to make another two Controllers.

We’re down to six of the little blue dudes.

The Controllers made sure to hire all the mercenaries available and the Lanterns punch through them like a difficult video game level.

There’s blood shed on both sides as they force their way in. Hurry up guys, you’d hate to get there with no one left to rescue!

Harley & Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #4
Words – Paul Dini, Marc Andreyko
Pictures – Laura Braga, Adrana Melo, Arif Prianto

“Joker” (actually a head-bonked Reggie) saves our two body swapped girls from Harley and Ivy’s carload of gangster problems.

Betty and Veronica use the powers of their present bodies to get away (in an ungainly way, but it works).

In an attempt to put Reggie into his right mind (which is the most cringe-y thing about this story, please do) Veronica has to use Ivy’s kiss power. (Don’t worry girl, only Betty and you will remember, and she’s too nice to use it)

Meanwhile, in Riverdale… Harley and Ivy are getting a raised eyebrow from the locals for getting along. Cheryl and Jason invite them to obvious trap (that is obvious) at the local drive-in tonight and Ivy quickly agrees. Their dumb plans falls in line with the only thing she’s wanted to get done this whole time.

Meanwhile (again) Betty and Veronica are accosted by the law for not breaking it. It’s all the shenanigans all the time as everybody just wants to accomplish their task and get back into their own skin.

Two more issues, it’s gonna get wackier before it gets better.

Justice League #36
Words – Priest
Pictures – Pete Woods

Chairperson Hasgrove of the U.S. House of Representatives interviews Superman, for an investigation of the activities of vigilante superheroes.

You get the feeling they’ve been building up the case and waiting for when to spring it, there’s a “Civil War” (the Marvel one) feel to the questions asked.

Unfortunately her concerns about “masked wraiths” are proven true when after the hearing a “Batman” leaps on her car hood and slams a batarang dead center of her forehead, burying it halfway.

How do you prove it wasn’t Batman without exposing everything?

Would that even prove it wasn’t Bruce if you did?

The League, on it’s current unsure footing try to help a submarine that might be in distress.

No one’s sure what would be overstepping until Aquaman decides to flex his sovereign state muscles and no one dies, but no one’s happy with them.

Well… almost, there is the imposter Batman. He just wants to help.

Justice League of America #21
Words – Steve Orlando
Pictures – Stephen Byrne

The Ray (also named Ray, that’s convenient) is taking a break from Justice League membership and trying to help in his hometown.

But someone is getting to the troubles before he can, the latest was a bank robber wrapped for the police with the bank vault door.

He doesn’t have long to wait, the city’s new guardian Aztek introduces herself violently. Ray abandoned the city so she doesn’t trust him but “The Sons of The Earth” have taken cops hostage and she’ll need the backup.

On the B plot, Caitlin is suddenly “cured” while in a dream. I’m sure this won’t go badly.

The dialogue is relatable and the art clean and clear, it’s not the same as the animated series but it reminds me of it – and that’s a welcome comparison.

Nightwing #36
Words – Sam Humphries
Pictures – Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo

It would be easier to count how many Blüdhaven officials aren’t corrupt.

The mayor’s under the thumb of the casinos as he rails against the efforts of Nightwing.

The Judge is in his office with him, waiting to be noticed. He offers the mayor what he most wants for one favor. It’s how he do what he do, anyone he makes a deal with furthers his plan and receives a gold poker chip for the service.

Nightwing continues to pursue the Judge, and bleed. Guppy gets the raw end of every deal. I feel worse for the fish boy here, Dick has resources he just chooses not to use.

Many deaths happen, most to keep the Judge’s plan moving forward. It looks like he’s raising the stakes, like he’s going to take or kill Blüdhaven itself.

Nightwing the New Order #5
Words – Kyle Higgins
Pictures – Trevor McCarthy, Dean White

Penultimate issue! Dick, Kory, Wally and Lois fight Mr. Freeze and the might of Kate Kane to break Jake out of the lab. Wally loses the speed force, but with Jake comes hope.

We get to see how desperately this family fights to stay together, at least until they’re safe and Dick insists he wasn’t wrong.

But that’s o.k. still one more issue, and with a road trip to Metropolis we get to see powered Lois and depowered Superman share an adorable kiss.

A bit more history is revealed, it’s more understandable why Dick is so inflexible (Batman did not die easy).

Even with this chapter wrapping up with the resistance working together to give powered people a second chance, a single act of treachery in the last page assures us the victory won’t be easy.

Scooby Doo Team Up #33
Words – Sholly Fisch
Pictures – Dario Brizuela, Franco Riesco

The Legion’s faced many challenges with members adept in so many fields, but none have investigated a haunting. When you have a time machine you can recruit the only experts for such a task – Mystery Inc.

Everyone but Brainiac 5 think this is an excellent idea.

Once again this creative team has a great feel how an episode would play out. The Scooby gang are all on model and the Legionnaires look appropriately altered.

If there was a lesson to this one, it’s… assumptions are dumb?

Just because you assume it’s a ghost doesn’t mean it is.

Just because you assume someone’s a dangerous villain doesn’t mean you can’t make friends.

Just because someone comes from centuries in the past doesn’t mean they’re worthless troglodytes.

It’s nice that each Legionnaire gets a chance to show off their power and in a somewhat unforced manner (their villains less so, but it would still work for a Saturday morning cartoon).

The Snagglepuss Chronicles #1
Words – Mark Russel
Pictures – Mike Feehan, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts

Here we go, a new limited series starts with allusions to current politics using the McCarthy era to illustrate their point.

I’m not complaining mind you, just explaining for any confused readers.

There’s gonna be a lot of ideas and terms we’d like to believe we are past – as told by a anthropomorphic pink mountain lion.

It’s written well, and as much is told through picture as through words.

It’s never outright stated that Lila Lion is his beard, and I wonder how many readers will not recognize the meaning of Stonewall but I’d like to think they stay long enough to learn of this parallel history to the one in our own world.

I recommend it, though I expect to find more sad than smiles in this “funny book”, but if you can take shows like Bojack Horseman you’ve been here before.

The Demon Hell is Earth #2
Words – Andrew Constant
Pictures – Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Chris Sotomayor

And now – burning children! Just kidding, (actually not, really not).

The bombed area is en-domed (is that a word? It is now.) though not sealed, the contagion (of evil?) will spread if you get too close (as the rescue workers learned firsthand).

Inside Etrigan not happy and throwing a little hissy fit, he wants to destroy the one little girl that didn’t “go to hell” when everything else did. Jason threatens him with long rambling monologues about kindness, puppies, goodness and butterflies.

The girl can see him (and later Xanadu too) which should be odd since Jason is technically in Etrigan’s head, but the rules of newly-helled Death Valley are weird.

The girl leads them to Xanadu, they all had visions before this and the four of them (if you include Jason) are the only things unaltered here. No one can explain the situation, and Etrigan looses his temper – the kid might be dead.

Can’t wait to see how the next issue picks this up.

The Hellblazer #17
Words – Richard Kadrey
Pictures – Davide Fabbri, José Marzán Jr., Carrie Strachan

John’s on trial in front of San Francisco’s witch council.

He has to explain: First, he didn’t kill anyone; Second, this group is getting in his way; And third, the killer is after him – and not tee them off as he does so.

Meanwhile, the killer is recharging himself and the magic gun. He’s being a xenophobic ass about the encounter with John.

The witches test his truthfulness, and he isn’t lying, a fun change of pace for him.

Corrupt cop from last issue sells him out, and the bad guys send a magic junkie to kill John.

The gun John saw proves to be real, and so many die unnecessarily before this chapter concludes.

Seriously, less would die and this would go so much faster if they just believed him!

The Jetsons #3
Words – Jimmy Palmiotti
Pictures – Pier Brito, Alex Sinclair

Strange fleshy glowing colored things are streaming out of the ocean floor asteroid.

Lake gets busted reading a book (It’s fuuuture, that’s a weird act for them).

Everyone’s getting ready to wish George and Jane good luck on the mission, George meets his new Gothy/Punky assistant.

The dead mannequin look of the characters in this story have, is so well seen in panel 2, page 8… I’m sorry, back to story itself.

The guy in charge of the ship or mission (I’m not sure which) use a power play to shoo George down to the engines.

George saves the ship when one of those things from earlier try to eat it.

George bonds with it and gains mind reading abilities that are thematically convenient here, but if this goes past the six issues will have to of course disappear. (If the meteor heading to Earth doesn’t kill them all first).

Wonder Woman #37
Words – James Robinson
Pictures – Carlo Pagulayan, Stephen Segovia,
Jason Paz, Art Thibert, Raul Fernandez,
Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Zeus vs. Darkseid, lots of punching and blasting and destruction of priceless historical sites. Jason tries to be helpful but can’t even keep Grail incapacitated. Diana and the rest jumps through a Boom Tube when Darkseid moves the fight to the Philippines.

Now with helpless victims that must be saved there’s less Diana can do to help her father (who’s only here to help her). Darkseid uses the same power sucking move on him that he used on Wonder Woman.

The Legion arrives too late, Diana will never forgive Darkseid (or herself for not stopping him). Zeus collapses like dried clay (a nice bookend to Diana’s own birth) and she finds comfort on her brother’s shoulder.

I gave him a chance, but Jason has proved to be completely useless. Hopefully the next storyline “Silver Swan” is composed of different characters.

Produced by You Jeong-hun, Won Shin-yun
Written by Hwang Jo-yun, Won Shin-yun
Based on A Murderer’s Guide to Memorization
by Kim Young-ha
Directed by Won Shin-Yun
Starring Sol Kyung-Gu, Kim Nam-Gil,
Kim Seol-Hyun, Oh Dal-Su,
Hwang Seok-Jeong, Gil Hae-Yeon

The IMDB description of this film says; A former serial killer with Alzheimer’s fights to protect his daughter from her psychotic boyfriend.

This Korean film is an interesting study into one man’s descent into madness. Byung-su is a retired serial killer veterinarian with Alzheimer’s who has a grown daughter, Eun-hee.

The daughter begins seeing a police officer Tae-ju and Byung-su recognizes some disturbing traits in his daughter’s new love.

A predator can always recognize another predator.

Imagine the meticulous precision of a serial killer. If Dexter taught us anything, it’s that the process of killing matters almost as much as the killing itself. So when a killer no longer has control over his own mind, no longer can execute against his meticulous process, no longer can control his violent urges, what happens next? Mix in some hallucinations, misdirection and a generally confusing narrative and the answer is… I have no idea.

The film plays a lot like an extended Dexter episode, with Byung Su’s code of serial killer ethics seeming very close to good ole Dexter Morgan. There is also a heavy interior monologue from Byung-Su, so unless you speak Korean you are going to be a lot of time reading him explore his own broken mind. There are definitely aspects borrowed from Memento, too. It’s extremely derivative throughout and you can see where director Shin-yeon Won was clearly influenced by previous content in the serial killer space.

The acting is very good. I find that with sub-titled films it can be hard to tell if the acting is good or not because my focus is on the text and not the delivery.

However, Kyung-gu Sol (Byung-su) and Nam-gil Kim (Tae-ju) are both excellent. Sol delivers true emotion and frustration as he tries to cope with his cognitive decline as his world unravels. Kim’s dead eyes and emotionless delivery gives the viewer a sense of dread. Seol-Hyun Kim (Eun-hee) turns in a credible performance but she is more the orbital center of the story than having a particularly big role.

The technical side of the film is excellent. Shot choices all make sense. The action is well choreographed and credible and the editing is excellent. The color schemes are muted. While I don’t know for sure I think they may have been a symbolic choice of the filmmaker to signify the fading light of Byung-Su’s mind. I really enjoyed the visual aspects of the film. Everything fit really well. If you are a film fan that notices cinematography, angles, tone and texture there is a lot to enjoy here, even if the story is lacking at times.

The film is too long. At two hours there are moments it seems to drag. I think this is largely because of the long narrative expositions of the interior monologue of Byung-su.

At first I didn’t mind them too much but they went on and on. They can be very confusing at times and don’t always move the story forward. You really need to pay careful attention to “get” this film.

Overall, it isn’t a bad film by any means. It has an adequate psycho-serial killer story mixed in with the dementia angle. The characters are believable and the acting is very good, bordering on excellent. If you like international films, you will really enjoy this. If you don’t mind subtitles and like serial killer movies, you might love this movie. I would expect, if you speak Korean you would get a lot more out of it than I was able to.

Either way, it’s a solid effort.

3 out of 5 stars.

Memoir Of a Murderer is available now, exclusively on Digital HD

A few years ago, while I was the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, I picked up a book from the Top Shelf Books Booth called Wizzywig. While I was there, I talked to the creator, Ed Piskor. Ed was a great guy and when I got back to the hotel room, I read his book from cover to cover. Since then I followed his work to Hip Hop Family Tree and even tracked down his previous collaborations with Harvey Pekar, Macedonia and The Beats. His latest work is X-Men: Grand Design which he writes, illustrates, colors, and letters. I had the opportunity to speak with Ed about this cool new project. This conversation took place two days after Christmas, December 27, 2017.

* * * * *

FOG!: Hi Ed! Thank you for talking with us today here at Forces of Geek! The first question is, what was the impetus and inspiration for this project?

Ed Piskor: In a lot of ways it’s because Axel Alonso called a bluff of mine. I put a tweet out there into the ether. I just simply said in that tweet “Why don’t you let me make whatever kind of X-Men comic I want.”

Axel responded, “Well why don’t you pitch something, goddammit!”

And I couldn’t refuse. If this is the only Marvel thing I ever do, then I want to draw all of it. All of X-Men. I said, let me take this whole convoluted history and try to make a story out of it. Make a story with an honest to goodness beginning, middle, and an ending. And that is what I am trying to accomplish with X-Men: Grand Design.

That’s great. How long is it projected from start to finish to get this project done?

Well, the first issue that came out last week, I finished a year and a half ago.

You see, it takes me six months to do an issue. This is one of the only Marvel Comics in history all done by a single person. Penciling, inking, lettering, coloring. Every line you see on the page is me. That and trying to put the history in a cohesive order takes a lot of time. So the last couple of issues you won’t see for a bit.

What’s going to happen is, issue number two comes out next week (today, January 3, 2018). Then there’s going to be a trade paperback in April.

And then in the summer, there will be another wave of two issues. That wave will be called X-Men Grand Design: Second Genesis.

And that’s going to be the primo stuff with Wolverine and the Dark Phoenix Saga and all of that stuff.

There’s going to be the Dark Phoenix movie coming out at the end of the year and that’s when the second trade is going to come out.

Wow, that’s perfect timing for you!

(laughing) Totally, man! I’m fortunate. There’s also going to be a third wave coming out in 2019. I’m not sure when that will be.

I heard that you are taking the X-Men history in this series up to issue 300 if I am not mistaken?

I think I’m going to about issue 280? I might not even get that far. It will be most of the Claremont stuff.

Yeah, that’s about when I quit reading X-Men as a teenager. Once we got past the X-Tinction Agenda, which I liked as a kid, it started going downhill for me. A few issues after that, I said: “At this point I’m done. I’m tapping out.”

(laughing) It’s very funny because I was in third grade when X-tinction Agenda came out. And that was like primo stuff to me then. I still have those issues. I was eight years old.

(laughing) I do, too. I loved Brandon Peterson on it.

Yeah, man. When Scott Lobdell and those other guys took over from Claremont? I jacked out almost immediately. The tone and difference between Claremont’s writing and theirs was so drastic that it was very easy to pull the ripcord and say “Yup. I’m done with that. Let me see what else is out there.”

I think we left the X-Men at the same time with the same set of emotions! (laughing) I think a lot of us reading comics at that time felt the same thing and decided to over and try Image at that point.

Because of the X-books, I was a Jim Lee fan. I was a Rob Liefeld fan. So when they split, I split. I went right along with them.

I read an interview with you from a few years back, that I believe you said that reading Image books opened up the door to other independent books as well?

Yeah, my interests in comics are a little different than the current comics interests of fans of the Big Two. I like to see a fully realized vision created by a single person. That’s what I like. Those are the kinds of comics that I read. Give me a Dan Clowes comic over any of the nonsense that the Big Two publishes on any given day.

You mentioning Dan Clowes. I’ve read as far back as your collaborations with Harvey Pekar. You started off before that with a self published comic. Is there anything like that in the future? I do think that all of your comics are personal. Hip Hop Family Tree and Wizzywig are. But is there an Ed Piskor comic in the future akin to something that somebody like Joe Matt does? or Seth? Or Chester Brown?

Yes, perhaps. At this very moment, I want to stick to landing with this X-Men comic. It’s at the front of my thoughts completely. Seven days a week. Man, I have dreams about this comic. I think it’s the only way to make good comics.

I think you have to fully immerse yourself. I have a lot of friends who are good artists and good writers. But they’re not necessarily fully invested and the results are as such. I really want to make something great and I don’t want to dilute my thoughts with what comes next…just yet.

You just focus on what’s in front of you. Good for you. I wish more creators were like that in the field.

I do too. I find it to be a dubious proposition when you’re doing five monthly books or something.

So I see that you colored the original X-Men #1. I just saw it and it’s amazing.

Yeah, that’s for the trade paperback.

For my money, it’s going to the best color Kirby reprint in the history of comics. I think that a lot of readers don’t necessarily pay attention to it. I hate most of the Kirby color reprints sort of with a passion. It just feels like it’s kind of slapped together. No consideration for the presentation.

So, this is what happens when somebody actually gives a crap! (laughter)

Yeah, you see the color in all of those reprints and you can’t help but feel that way. Even those Marvel Masterworks. So, I guess this is what happens when somebody puts love into it.

Yeah. I’m just trying to restore the Kirby in Kirby when it comes to that stuff. You can’t put computer bells and whistles on top of Kirby and retain, his magic.

If you remember, way back, for a couple of months in old Marvel, the little corner box said “”Pop Art Comics.” That’s what the art was built for. The four color process. To be honest, I’m just trying to make the color as good as the initial issue. You know for readers, it came out in 1963 and like them, I don’t have access to that original anymore. You know, that thing costs 50 thousand dollars or something. So people can actually read it here in this format and it’s accessible.

I haven’t picked up an X-Men comic in years. In reading this, it all came rushing back to me how exciting it was. Even from the very beginning. Switching gears, let’s talk about Hip Hop Family Tree. Any more of those coming out? Any news about the animated series?

There’s nothing much to say about the animated series right now. One thing I can say, is that I am really happy I didn’t sell it to Russell Simmons. (chuckles) He has a lot of stuff he’s dealing with right now. It would have been a bad look.

In terms of the Hip Hop Family Tree comic, yeah, it could very well be my life’s work. I do have a lot of other ideas besides it. X-Men is my focus right now. Over the course of this year, I might just die a horrible death, so I can’t predict what may happen.

I remember hearing you say you wanted to take it as far as Tupac? Or Wu Tang Clan?

You know, If I was blessed with eternal life or something, it would be a forty volume series.

Yeah, eternal life and an extra 8 hours added on to each day.

That’s it right there, man.

So, I’ll start wrapping this up. But first: What are your guilty pleasures? When you’re done looking are X-Men all day, what do you do to relax? Something that nobody would expect?

(laughing) So, it’s funny, so first off I absolutely do not believe in guilty pleasures. I indulge in everything!(laughing) If I’m into it, I’m into it. But I will say, and I’m not trying to sound crazy, but there’s very little relaxation. I work on this thing from day to night and every single night I absolutely earn my bedtime. You know what I’m saying? Like when I hit the sheets man, I die. I literally cannot do or accomplish another thing for that day. All creative capital is spent. And maybe I’ll watch a half hour of something on Netflix. That’s it, man. I’m fully invested. I’ve sacrificed my social life for this thing. I sacrificed a whole lot to try to make this X-Men comic the best that it can be.

Is that why you stopped doing the mini comics for Image Plus Magazine?

Yes. I only did three of them. And they would certainly be happy to have me do more. I just got into this space of completely getting obsessive with this X-Men comic. So I’m not really doing anything else. Everything else had to be put to the side. I could do 1000 pages of the Image Plus style comics because I do have a lot to say about the value of Image Comics and the Image founding fathers. And maybe that will be the thing that I do next, you know? Maybe I’ll do Batman next. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do Spider-Man next.

But right now I’m just focused on this one thing.

Very cool. Anything else you would like to let our readers know?

Well this thing is an enormous investment of time. It was created inside a vacuum. I had no idea what the response would be. But when it hit shelves, it absolutely let me know that the fans are into it and excited about it. For that, I’m very grateful.

Well, I’m a forty year old man. You made me feel like I was 13 again. (laughing) Thank you again for doing what you do.

Thank you, man. Thanks for helping spread the word.

X-Men: Grand Design #1 & #2 by Ed Piskor
are available now from Marvel Comics!

Alamo Drafthouse’s American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, is excited to announce a January 23, 2018 release date for THE SWORD AND THE CLAW on Blu-ray.

They took his money. They took his family. And now, they’ve taken his hands. But they can never take his revenge! Exploding from the same hallucinogenic netherworld as TURKISH STAR WARS, THE SWORD AND THE CLAW stars Turkish genre legend Cüneyt Arkin in his most iconic role. It’s CONAN THE BARBARIAN meets The Three Stooges meets DOLEMITE with more lo-fi bloodshed, pop-art visuals, and bizarro dubbing than the boundaries of reality can handle. This is the movie that Kung-Fu Express described as, “Dirtiest fighting ever!”

“We’ve been obsessed with Turkish genre films for decades,” said AGFA director Joe Ziemba. “We were blown away to discover that we had the only known 35mm print in existence for this movie, which also happens to be Turkey’s most insane battle epic. This is the first 4K preservation of a Turkish genre film in history. We couldn’t be happier to share it with the world.”

Special features include:

• New 4K scan from the only surviving 35mm theatrical print!
• Face-smashing action trailers from the AGFA vault!
• Bonus Movie: BRAWL BUSTERS, a new 2K scan from an original theatrical print!
• Reversible cover art with illustration by Alexis Ziritt (SPACE RIDERS)!

For more details visit AmericanGenreFilm.com

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

Today we finish off 2017 and start 2018 with a bang!

We have over 20 books to review today and no time to waste!

Here we go!

Doomsday Clock #2
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Gary Frank


2018 starts off here! This is an unbelievably great issue!

I don’t know how much I can say without giving anything away. Just go buy this issue and read it immediately!

So the Watchmen characters have crossed over into the DC Universe.

This much is certain.

In this issue we start to see some of the interactions. And let me tell you, they are somewhat mind blowing. I loved the first issue and all.

This one starts out kind of slow.

By the end of it, I was floored. The last ten pages are just some of the best comic book storytelling I’ve seen in a long time.

Geoff Johns is pulling off the seemingly impossible thus far. He is writing at a level we have not seen from him before. It’s astonishing. There were a few moments that made me applaud. Gary Frank does the same. He does the best work of his career at a level we have not seen from him. Pick this up. Like now.

RATING: A+

Batman #38
Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Travis Moore

Tom King has really kicked this title into high gear.

This issue is titled “The Origin of Bruce Wayne.” It’s another fine tale and King sets the stage for another fine year of comic book storytelling.

This issue focuses on a boy named Mattie who is forced to relive the tragedy of what happened to Bruce Wayne.

You know, the classic comic book origin of Batman?

The creative team puts the poor kid through the same wringer and it’s up to Batman to solve this horrible crime.

King pushes his writing even further than usual in this issue. He’s always trying new things and it’s great. The art by Moore is superb as well. I haven’t seen much of his work but now I look forward to more in the future. He’s very talented. Pick this up. It’s really damn good.

RATING: A



Batman: White Knight #4
Written and Illustrated by Sean Murphy


Sean Murphy is awesome.

So far, this series has been fantastic and in this issue he ups the ante. I’ve always loved him as an artist. I’ve even liked his writing before. His writing here though is the best of his career, hands down.

Jack Napier is planning on running for the councilman position of the neighborhood of Backport. Yet, Mayor Hill is trying to make him look bad. He may be “cured” but the Mayor doesn’t want him around. So Jack Napier decides to do a big show to get the position he wants.

The art is as strong as the writing. Murphy does killer work here on the art. I can’t believe how much he packs into every single panel.

This is classic work in the making. Pick it up now.

RATING: A



Batman and The Signal #1
Written by Scott Snyder and Tony Patrick
Illustrated by Cully Hamner


Duke Thomas finally takes the spotlight in this pretty decent first issue written by Scott Snyder and newcomer Tony Patrick.

They start the issue off on the right track and I’m interested to see where this might be leading.

Batman rules the night. This much is certain.

But there are new villains that are appearing during the day that he can’t get to.

Gotham needs somebody and that somebody it turns out is Duke Thomas as the Signal.

Cully Hamner is an artist who is always solid but never had a defining work. He’s worked on all of these great characters and he never had a true classic as far as I can remember. He’s solid so I hope that this book might be that work.

RATING: B+

Batman Beyond #15
Written by Dan Jurgens 
Illustrated by Phil Hester


I really love that there is a Batman Beyond title. It was such a great concept and it’s great that these characters are being used again. It brings a smile to my face every month I get to read it.

This is part two of the storyline entitled “The Long Payback.”

Batman has to fight against The Royal Flush Gang in it. That’s just the beginning though.

There is someone behind the scenes making Terry’s villains go against him.
 The story is a really good time.

Jurgens excels on the writing here more than anything he’s done in recent years. The art by Hester is a surprise. It’s a nice solid issue. Lend it support!

RATING: B



Batman: Creature of the Night #2
Written by Kurt Busiek
Illustrated by John Paul

This is another Batman limited series that is quite good.

I really love the way Busiek handles Batman. It’s a great take. You can tell by the writing how much he respects Batman. It’s a solid take on the dark knight detective.

Young Bruce Wainwright is starting to feel more and more powerful. He starts to be more like Batman. But Batman is just a comic book character in this universe. What exactly is happening?

The story is damn intriguing. The art by Leon is excellent too. This is finally a book he will be remembered for. Pick this up. This take is something special indeed.

RATING: A

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #3
Written by Tony Isabella
Illustrated by Clayton Henry

This series continues along with another fine issue.

Tony Isabella dumped previous continuity and it’s turning out to be totally worth it. He has a handle on his character and this universe like none other. This is another very well done chapter in the series.
 There has been another shooting.

Two kids are on the run and one of them has an alien super weapon. Black Lightning is trying to track them down. But can he get to them first?

Or will they fall into the hands of the police or possibly someone evil?

Clayton Henry is a really solid artist. He draws very concise images that move the story along perfectly. This is a nice take on the character. I’m excited to see where it might end up.

RATING: B



The Flash #36
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Scott McDaniel


Ah, Joshua Williamson. He is definitely one of my favorite writers on this character. I actually sat recently and read all the issues he’s written up until this point. His work is executed well, and it really benefits reading it all in one sitting.

This is the first part of the storyline “A Cold Day In Hell.”

One of the Flash’s rogue gallery is murdered in prison(guess which one!) Barry Allen tosses himself deeply in the case. He’s also trying to get over some things in his personal life as well. Can he rise above it all?

The characterization of Barry Allen is great here. He has a personality and a purpose and Williamson really has him down.

The art by McDaniel isn’t my favorite but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment. Pick this up. It’s a good start to a new year on this title!

RATING: B+

Bombshells United #9
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated by Siya Oum


This has been a really special and unique book. Marguerite Bennett is a great writer and she keeps things really moving here. This issue also has a great artist working on it named Siya Oum.

Talia gives Batwoman and Renee a tour towards the Lazarus Pit.

Their little vacation is cut short however when everyone discovers that Cheetah has beaten them there!

This leads to a hell of a conflict and a fight!

There are some good twists in this storyline. Bennett just writes a nice story and it’s compelling. Oum is an amazing artist and keeps the story moving.

Together, they are a good creative team here. Pick this up. It’s definitely an underrated book.

RATING: B+

Deathstroke #27
Written by Christopher Priest
Illustrated by Diogenes Neves

What can I say about Christopher Priest that I haven’t said before?

He’s an incredible storyteller. He’s always done solid work. Here, he may in fact being writing the book of his career.

This issue is the second part of the storyline “The Fall of Slade.”

Jericho is trying to get to Deathstroke so he can save his father from his ex. His ex is the dastardly Dr. Ikon.

Will he make it in time?

Or will Slade be taken out of the game and killed?

Find out here!

Neves is an excellent artist for this series and has really proven himself. The art works great with the writing. I’m excited about what’s coming for this series. I’m sure whatever it is, that it’s something great indeed.
RATING: A-

Detective Comics #971
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Miguel Mendonca

I don’t know if it’s just me but Tynion’s work on this title is starting to feel a little watered down. It was good for a little bit and now it just feels almost redundant. I hope it picks up as we head to the big 1000th issue.

This is the third part of the storyline “Fall Of The Batmen!”

The Victim Syndicate is making their move against the team. They are facing a crossroads.

And there is a big “betrayal!” The betrayal is not very surprising, nor very compelling.

The art by Mendonca is a bright spot. He brings a verve to the art that I really like. It’s cool. I wish I felt that way about the story.

Let’s hope the next storyline is better.

RATING: B-

Teen Titans #15
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Illustrated by Ed Benes and Jorge Jimenez


This was a pretty awesome book. I loved this chapter of the “Super Sons of Tomorrow” storyline. Tomasi and Gleason are fantastic writers and they really are making a satisfying crossover.

The opening page of the issue had me hooked. It showed Titans Tower burning. I was automatically digging it.

Then, we get to the characters. Tim Drake is trying to prevent a terrible future.

Meanwhile, he is also becoming darker as he tries to save the day and the future as the Teen Titans fight the Super Sons of Tomorrow.

The art is pretty good on this. The only thing is that it’s a little inconsistent when it switches artists mid-stream.

Still, there are a lot of cool sequences by Benes and Jimenez.
So the final verdict?

Pick this up. It’s a good chapter in an awesome storyline.

RATING: B+

Suicide Squad #32
Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated by Scot Eaton


“The Secret History of Task Force X” wraps up its storyline here!

In it, the team fight against this demonic, dinosaur looking thing.

All right! In for a penny, in few a pound! Let the lunacy of this issue commence!
The fate of the entire world is in the balance!

The Suicide Squad has to fight against the beast called Red Wave. But they can’t stop fighting amongst themselves.

Can they come to terms with each other?

Can they defeat the beast?

Find out here!

The writing is a little sloppy by Williams. But whatever. I am just having a good time with the sheer lunacy of it all. The art isn’t that great by Eaton either.

Somehow. I still enjoyed my usual trip to this comic book world. It’s bananas.

RATING: B-

The Kamandi Challenge #12
Written by Gail Simone and Paul Levitz
Illustrated by Ryan Sook and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

I loved this series. This was a hell of an event. A new creative team each issue picking up from the cliffhanger of the previous issue.

What’s better than that? And most of them were damn awesome. This one certainly is as well.

The fate of Kamandi’s parents has been revealed!

Kamandi now has one last obstacle in his path. He has to find a way for humans and animals to co-exist peacefully. Or the planet might actually be destroyed. Can he do it?

The main story is perfect. It’s wonderful written by Simone. The art by Sook is great, too.

The bonus tale by Paul Levitz (it was supposed to be the late Len Wein) is wonderfully written and the art by Garcia- Lopez is tops.

Pick this up. It’s a stunning end to a great series.

RATING: A

The American Way #5
Written by John Ridley
Illustrated by Georges Jeanty


John Ridley is a fantastic writer. This is the penultimate chapter here. I haven’t heard a lot of chatter about this series. People should be talking about it. It’s quite excellent.

The American has discovered that there is a new superhuman out there. He decides to confront this superhuman. The young man is not too pleased that a “hero” he considers a government stooge is talking to him. Time to fight!

Meanwhile, Amber Waves may be causing more trouble behind the scenes.

Ridley has created a hell of a book with some well developed characters. The art is pretty damn good too.

I can’t wait to see how this story ends in the next issue. I’ll also be sad that it’ll be gone.

RATING: A

Hawkman Found #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Bryan Hitch


This boasts one of the best creative teams I have ever seen on Hawkman. I’m sad it’s for just this one book.

Jeff Lemire one of my favorite writers in the field and this is just another feather in his cap.

Hawkman has been missing! Nobody has seen the guy in years! Where is Carter Hall?

We found out in this issue. It turns out, his disappearance is related to the events in DC Comics Metal storyline.

Lemire gives us a solid story here with a ton of information in one issue. Yet, it’s not overwhelming and easy to pick up on.

The art by Hitch is excellent. I have sorely missed his art over the last few years and he is perfect for Hawkman.

Even better, he is inked here by the incomparable Kevin Nowlan. It’s super awesome. Pick this up. It’s quite excellent.

RATING: A

The Ruff and Reddy Show #3
Written by Howard Chaykin
Illustrated by Mac Rey


It’s tough to beat Howard Chaykin for me.

If I see his name on a title, I pick it up immediately. I have to. I just love his viewpoint and love his art. For this series, he just writes it. But you can definitely see his style all over the book.

Ruff and Reddy are trying to just do their show. They are not prepared for the amount of craziness they encounter. There is backstabbing. There is jealously and self destruction.

And that’s just on a Monday!

Chaykin keeps the book lively as he always does.
The art by Rey is equally engrossing. This is a great little series which I wasn’t too sure about. Now I look forward to seeing it month after month.

RATING: B+

Superman #38
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Illustrated by Sergio Davila

Oh, wow! I had no idea the finale of the “Super Sons of Tomorrow” would be this good! What we have here is a nice concluding chapter to the storyline.

Tomasi and Gleason have kept it consistent and here they end on a high note.

The Batman of Tomorrow brings in the Titans of Tomorrow to come do battle with the Titans of today.

Meanwhile, the life of Superman’s son is in jeopardy! While this is happening we get some characters in I didn’t expect. One of them is none other than Bart Allen!

The story is great. The art by Davila is top notch. Pick this one up. And read the storyline as a whole.

It’s pretty damn sweet and you shouldn’t deprive yourself of missing out.

RATING: A-

Injustice 2 #17
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Bruce Redondo


I love this book with a passion.

The only downside is that every issue is shorter than a regular comic book. That’s okay. Tom Taylor is brave and writes with passion.

He likes to take classic characters and spin them on their heads.

Harley Quinn takes Lucy to meet Harley’s sister. This leads Harley into conflict with the dastardly Poison Ivy.

Meanwhile, Gorilla Grodd and Solovar are getting mad over Ra’s al Ghul’s plans. Things are heating up!

The art is very cool on this series. You almost feel like you are in another world. Pick this up.

I say it time and again, this series is amazing. Give it a shot!

RATING: B+

Gotham City Garage #6
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
Illustrated by Carmen Carnero


I’ve been enjoying this comic book very much. It’s another alternative take on the Batman universe. And make no mistake: it’s out of its mind!

You need to read this comic book!

There literally is no better explanation than to say all hell breaks loose in this particular issue. There’s crazy fighting and there’s even more crazy fighting.

In the midst of it all, things really change for our characters.
The writing is sharp and the art is good.

This would be a nice reading companions to reading Injustice 2.

Give it a shot. It is quite fun.

RATING: B+

Imaginary Fiends #2
Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Stephen Molnar


Vertigo Comics used to be some of my favorite books on the market. My interest in the line has waned over the past few years. It has become a watered down line in a lot of respects. It used to be cutting edge. Now we get titles like this.

Don’t get me wrong. This title is not horrible. It focuses on Melba. She is an agent on her first case trying to figure out a series of child disappearances.

Melba also sees an evil fiend named Polly Peachpit.

And then it was at that point I lost interest, sadly.

Seeley isn’t my favorite writer. I feel he has great concepts but doesn’t always follow through in the actual scripting. The art is pretty decent however. I wish it were better. Maybe it’ll improve.

But until it does, this just feels like a lesser title in what used to be a great line of comics.

RATING: C+

The fate of Corona hangs in the balance when everyone’s favorite “barefoot princess” faces the ultimate test as Queen for a Day.

Left in charge during her parents’ absence, Rapunzel thinks she’s “got this” – until every royal decision she makes backfires! Then, a raging blizzard threatens the kingdom, while spiky, indestructible black rocks are multiplying and destroying everything in their path! Can our inexperienced heroine and her friends save the day? Bursting with action, music and fun, this thrilling adventure will blow you away! 

And we’re giving away a copy on DVD!

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

Zachary Levi, the voice of Flynn Rider, appeared as part of the Warriors Three in this comic book film series.  Which character did he portray?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 January 7th, 2018.

Although over the years there have been a number of creators who have played in Mike Mignola’s sandbox of characters, there are only a handful that have carved out their own niche; Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, John Arcudi, Guy Davis, Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo among them.  I had the opportunity to speak to New Zealand artist, Ben Stenbeck, one of the major contributors to the Mignola-verse (his work includes Frankenstein Underground, Lobster Johnson, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels, and Baltimore). 

His latest work, Koshchei the Deathless, Stenbeck reunites with Mignola to tell the story of Koshchei the Deathless’ long and tragic life before being enslaved to the Russian witch, Baba Yaga. Now, Koshchei, on his road to immortality and beyond, must relive every horrible act with Hellboy himself.

Ben took some time to discuss with FOG! his career in the Mignola-verse, his influences, and the visual appeal of Koshchei.

*  *  *  *  *

FOG!: Congratulations on Koshchei The Deathless #1. It’s a beautiful book. How did you initially hook up with Mike Mignola?

Ben Stenbeck: Thank you! Around about 2006 I was offered a position at Valve Software. It was a huge opportunity, But at the same time it would have taken me further away from what I really wanted to be doing, which was always comics. It was really tough saying no to that kind of security (and money), but I thought if I can get my foot in the door of the comic industry I can work my ass off for ten years or so doing books I don’t like and then eventually, maybe, I can talk Mike Mignola into doing one book with me.

So my first series was this book called Living with the Dead, which was a silly, fun book. And Mike just happened to see it and mentioned to our mutual editor that he wanted to try me out on a single issue, So I did B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man. Mike was happy with that and that lead to the first Witchfinder book, and Mike was happy with that, and on it went. So things just kind of weirdly worked out really well!

You and Mike seem to share a similar visual aesthetic, but it’s your sense of pacing an storytelling that I think you have most in common. What is your method of working together? Does Mike write a full script? Thumbnails? How much latitude do you have with the pacing?

Mike is much more hands on with something he’s written himself than if another writer is involved. I get a full script, and Mike will thumbnail maybe one page per issue if there’s something that’s easier for him to explain with a drawing. Sometimes he just sends a sketch for a single panel. I do have a lot of room, if I want to change something slightly I tend to get away with it.

Koshchei’s presence in the Mignola-verse has been around for a decade since Hellboy: Darkness Calls. What do you find so appealing about the character both visually and storywise?

He’s such a cool looking character.

That first shot Duncan drew of Koshchei with the cobwebs over his eyes was so compelling, I instantly wanted to know more about him when I saw that. So if you’re anything like me, you’ll find this series pretty satisfying! A lot of it for me is the world building, getting to draw this medieval fantasy Russia.

This has easily been my favourite project to work on.

Who or what have been the biggest influences on your work?

Obviously there’s Mignola. I’ve never tried to copy anyone, but I’ve always tried to understand why other artists make the choices they make. Geof Darrow is a good example of that, you wouldn’t look at my work and think he was a huge influence but he is, mostly in the way he composes pages. There are so many great artists out there. I tend to get most drawn to the guys who drive me nuts, like Mignola, Geof Darrow, Moebius, Otomo, James Harren. I’ve started getting more into Kirby, I think you see that creep into Koshchei around issue 3/ 4.

I’ve had Duncan Fegredo’s stuff in front of me the whole time I’ve been working on this book, I’d like to think that’s influenced me but mostly these guys just make me shake my head and think that I’ll never be any good at this.

Also when I was storyboarding on The Lord of the Rings, our office was right next to Alan Lee and John Howes’ office. So at least once a day I’d stick my nosy face in their door and see all that incredible concept art come together. The big thing I took away from those guys was environments. This idea that you don’t just throw away environments.

Every chance you get to draw a place or location or landscape you try to make it unique, interesting and epic. That’s the theory I came up with anyway. I don’t think I always live up to it, but that’s always sort of in the back of my mind.

Are there any of Mike’s characters that you’d either want to revisit or want to tackle that you haven’t yet?

There’s two I might be doing over the next couple years, so I’ll stay quiet about them. I

always wanted to draw the wilderness adventures of Ben Daimio and the Wendigo. That whole thing always makes me think of the old Incredible Hulk show from the 80s with that sad theme music, wandering from town to town getting in adventures and helping people. It’ll never happen. I think everything has been said about that that needs to be said, and also how do you top that fight between them that James Harren drew?!

Also Gruagach and the cheeky, potty mouth Hedgehog guy. I would love to draw those guys.

After Koshchei The Deathless, what do you have coming up?

Not 100 percent sure at the moment, but definitely more Mignola stuff. I think it’s a thing that fans will be happy about, it’s something I get asked about alot.

What are you currently geeking out over?

There’s so much! Geof Darrow is drawing comics again! Dave Cooper has a new Eddy Table book coming out this year. I think there may be more Age of Reptiles coming from Ricardo Delgado this year. The Last of Us ruined games for me, I haven’t enjoyed any games since finishing that. It just felt to me like a giant leap above and beyond what other games are trying to do. So I’m looking forward to part two.

I’ve been watching a lot of those VICE documentaries on YouTube at the moment, some really fascinating stuff there. And I’m halfway through that new season of Black Mirror, that’s always brilliant.

Koshchei The Deathless #1 is available in stores and via digital today!

X-Men: Grand Design #1 & #2
Written and Illustrated by Ed Piskor
Published by Marvel Comics / $5.99
#1 Released 12/20/17 / #2 Released 1/3/18

I have often thought of going through all the Silver Age Superman stories and piecing together a narrative of Krypton during its last few months, attempting to rationalize the disparate bits of continuity and continuity implants that had Lois, Jimmy, Mon-El, Batman, Luthor, and even Superman himself—sometimes only as an apparition—visiting Jor-El and Lara in their last days.

To date, though, I’ve never found the time nor the necessary levels of obsessiveness to complete such a daunting task.

Ed Piskor, however, although going in a completely different direction, clearly DOES have impressive levels of obsessiveness, and has channeled them toward his own Grand Design!

Not long ago, I transcribed an interview that someone had done recently with Ed Piskor. I had only ever heard the name and knew nothing about him. Initially, he seemed like a typical fanboy turned pro, with a dash of hipster thrown in. But the more he talked, the more intrigued I became, especially about X-Men: Grand Design.

Now I’m an X-Men fan from waaaaay back! The comic book that helped me learn to read—the FIRST comic book I ever remember having that didn’t star a child ghost or a little red devil—was Marvel’s X-Men #11. I carried that comic book with me everywhere and reasoned out the story while getting my mother to help me learn some of the words. I was in Kindergarten. By the time I hit first grade, I could already read fairly well, and all because I wanted to find out what was happening in that X-Men comic!

When I started actually collecting comic books—after Batman premiered nearly a year later—I somehow didn’t pick up another X-Men until months down the line. When I did, though, I stuck with the title through its lean years and into Steranko and Adams. When even those powerhouse creators couldn’t save the book in terms of sales, it went away.

We all know what happened next. After a handful of admittedly pointless cameos in other titles and edited reprints in their own revived comic, the NEW X-Men finally popped up from Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, with Chris Claremont and John Byrne taking the ball and running with it to make X-Men one of the most popular comics of all time.

This was the X-Men Ed Piskor grew up with. Instead of the Mimic, Factor Three and Frankenstein’s monster, Ed had the Shi’ar, Genosha and, of course, the Phoenix Force.

But Ed, in the classic tradition of fandom, envisioned a continuity that connected nearly every little thing in the X-Men’s increasingly convoluted world in a fashion that not only worked but that explained things along the way.

Thus was born Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design. To say it’s a labor of love is putting it mildly. The detail he goes into is mind-boggling at times and even minute, seemingly throwaway moments often tie in to something somehow.

But the real question about a project like this always has to be—Does it work? And the usual answer for a project like this is—yes, and no.

It’s very likely that the task simply can’t be accomplished, no matter how enthusiastic the creator. Marvel’s X-continuity involves too many aspects that simply cannot rationally co-exist. When Claremont retconned something in, say, 1983, it may have only worked by choosing to ignore aspects of some of the earlier, simpler continuity. While Piskor does a fairly thorough job of hammering most of the different puzzle pieces together to make one big picture, no matter how hard he tries, a few still feel really out of place and there are a handful of pieces left over.

Warning! Some spoilers inevitably follow.

First, I think Ed makes a grave mistake by essentially blaming the mutant hatred on Prince Namor—retconned into being Marvel’s first mutant—and his early ‘40s destruction of New York City in Marvel Mystery Comics. The ripples that this makes down through Marvel history would be staggering if one thinks about it. It makes sense that Piskor, viewing it in today’s more realistic terms, might use that as a starting point, but then we’re stuck with a world that would never trust Namor again.

We know that didn’t happen as, in canon, he becomes a trusted member of the Invaders, the Roy Thomas retconned supergroup, as well as a major hero in several runs of his own book, and a long stint with Dr. Strange and the Hulk as the Defenders. To say nothing of his membership in the Marvel Universe superhero Illuminati, as introduced in Civil War!

But Ed depicts him as just a waterlogged super-terrorist, who then vanished, only to turn up again when a random goon tosses the bearded, amnesia-ridden, but somehow still amazingly buff Namor into the water. That’s right. A random goon. NOT Johnny Storm’s Human Torch.

That’s one of a number of changes that feel arbitrary. Marvel Girl for example, helps rescue Hank McCoy before he becomes an X-Man. And yet, the very first X-Men story shows Jean arriving at Professor Xavier’s school and meeting all of her classmates, including the already present Beast.

There’s a humorous reference to Galactus that appears before what seems later to be the big G’s first appearance on Earth.

Magneto’s backstory is given some boost but then we lose all of his appearances in X-Men and Avengers between the Stranger taking him away and him turning up in the Savage Land.

And, of course, there’s always the problem of time periods and aging in the Marvel Universe. Magneto, for example, is now firmly tied to World War II so when was the rest of all this taking place?

With so much to tell and so much to work in, page after page of Grand Design sees X-events gets relegated to single panels such as the major, multi-issue battle with the Avengers from the late ‘60s

There are quite a few things that I DO like about the books, though: The way Charles is handled, throughout; the depiction of the younger Bobby Drake as a walking human shaped lump of ice; the lovely scene with the Professor meeting young Jean in another dimension and convincing her to come home; insanely small details like the resurrection of Scott’s “Slim” nickname; the incorporation of much of the material from the Origins back up series that ran in the ‘60s; and Piskor’s quirky, modern style of art, on the surface seemingly unsuited to superhero stories, adds an odd but somehow appropriate touch to it all.

The unique, yellowing look to the book’s pages is, of course, designed to evoke an “old comics” feel. In the interview I transcribed, the artist said that he literally created his blank, yellowing pages from the corner of a page from a fading early ‘60s Hawkman comic! Now, THAT, my friend, is a dedication to authenticity!

For new readers, though, these two issues of X-Men: Grand Design would seem to offer much confusion and little clarification. For old guys like me, it was a fun, nostalgic, but frustrating read. In the end, I appreciated the effort and the style more than the final result. If anyone could have made this project actually, completely work, I really do think it would have been Ed Piskor. He made a valiant attempt and I hope he goes on from here to cover the New X-Men era.

Booksteve Recommends in spite of its flaws.

It’s more daddies and more problems in the uproarious family comedy DADDY’S HOME 2 coming home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD February 20, 2018 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.  The original Daddy’s Home also arrives February 20 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and both films will be available in a two-movie Blu-ray Double Feature pack.  DADDY’S HOME 2 debuts two weeks early on Digital February 6.

When it comes to raising their kids, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) finally have this co-parenting thing down.  That is, until Dusty’s macho dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s sweet-natured father (John Lithgow) come to town, throwing the whole family into complete chaos.  As old rivalries create new problems, Dusty and Brad’s partnership is put to the ultimate test in this hilarious and heartwarming comedy that gives new meaning to the term ‘blended family.’

The DADDY’S HOME 2 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack feature over 45 minutes of bonus content.  Go behind the scenes with five featurettes, deleted/ extended/alternate scenes and a hilarious gag reel.  Plus, for a limited time only, get a bonus digital copy of the original Daddy’s Home with the 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Combo Packs.  In addition, the DADDY’S HOME 2 Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD discs boast a Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead and the 4K Ultra HD disc features Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR), which delivers greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors.

DADDY’S HOME 2 Blu-ray Combo Pack

The DADDY’S HOME 2 Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD compatible), French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Castilian Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Latin American Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, and Latin American Spanish subtitles.  The DVD in the Combo Pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions 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 Combo Pack includes access to a Digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:
  • Making a Sequel
  • Look Who’s Back
  • Co-Dads: Will & Mark
  • The New Dads in Town: Mel & John
  • Captain Sully
  • Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes
  • Gag Reel

DVD

• Feature film in standard definition

For more details visit Facebook.com/DaddysHomeMovie

There’s no doubt that everyone enjoys playing video games on their own, but when all is said and done, there really is nothing like gaming as part of a group. The shouts of desperation, the cries of joy, the frustration and the celebrations… these are all a part of communal gaming and quite frankly, are what make gaming such good fun. Over the years and across many consoles and hardware, many of us will have played a lot of games in a group.

True, not all of them have been classics, but there are several games which will always stick in our minds as being great to play with others.

These are the 5 best communal gaming experiences.

Call of Duty

Okay, it’s safe to say that every Call of Duty game is pretty much the same. However, every title is still a huge amount of fun, whether it’s part of the Modern Warfare or Black Ops series, or even a new take on a classic concept such as the recent WWII. Even though multiplayer gets very intense in a COD game – you’ll be shot, stabbed, and blown up about every 5 seconds – but you’ll have an epic time doing it. The classic deathmatches are always a big highlight: everyone is an enemy and there’s no mercy! Plus, with the Zombie mode, you’ve always got an extra layer of challenge whenever you find yourself bored of multiplayer.

Mario Kart

We’ve seen Mario Kart evolve all the way from the SNES to the Switch, and despite the game becoming louder, flashier and bigger every time, it always manages to retain the same level of multiplayer mayhem it’s been known to have. Even those who wouldn’t normally call themselves “gamers” still get competitive and have an awesome time with any Mario Kart title. The racing game has a good way of balancing out the skill levels, as even if you find yourself in 8th place, you may well get to the front somehow with a great power up. No multiplayer gaming night is complete without some Mario Kart.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

CS:GO may not carry a franchise name like Call of Duty or Halo, but it’s certainly one of the most popular first-person shooters of all time. You’ll usually have memorable shootouts and firefights in CS:GO, so much so that picking just one would take hours! The matchmaking is great on the Valve servers, but the fact that players are able to host their own servers is also fantastic. Many gamers prefer playing with people they know, as it’s simply an overall better communal experience. You’ll see this mentioned around the internet a fair bit if you like the idea of having your own gaming server one day for CS:GO, which is something many gamers are transitioning towards.

GoldenEye

GoldenEye will regularly be in the top 10 games of the Nintendo 64. At the time, it was very new and shiny, with a multiplayer system so unique and exciting. Having up to 4 players was monumental, and the choice of weapons, stages, characters and modes was a huge reason as to why gamers kept coming back to GoldenEye again and again. True, everyone hated it when you picked Oddjob, but apart from that, the shootouts were usually very evenly matched and everyone progressed to a very high level. GoldenEye hasn’t aged well, as the graphics are borderline unwatchable now, but people will always have fond memories of this game.

NBA 2K

Every year without fail, NBA 2K games have become better and better. Stunning graphics, fluid gameplay, and classy animations all make for a perfect NBA game. 2K always delivers. Since the NBA Live series has been spinning its wheels, 2K has shown itself to be the best company to carry the NBA name. As there are massive basketball fans all over the world, they expect only the best! Sure, this might be a game to induce ragequit like no other (maybe FIFA is worse), but if you’re the one winning, then happy days!

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

The city’s elites are being taken out one by one as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is about to become eighteen and inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Industries and all the tech gadgetry that he loves. But on the way home from his birthday party, he makes an impulsive choice and is sentenced to community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most nefarious criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.

The most intriguing inmate in Arkham is Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. A girl who will only speak to Bruce. She is the mystery he must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? 

And we’re giving away two copies!

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

What is the name of Bruce Wayne’s guardian following the death of his parents?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 January 21st, 2018.

Written by David Pepose 
Illustrated by Jorge Santiago, Jr. 
Published by Action Lab Entertainment
ISBN-13: 978-1632292520
Released 8/15/17 / $14.99

Okay, here’s one I’m really torn on.

Spencer & Locke, Vol. 1, collects issues 1-4 of the comic book of the same name.

The names “Spencer” and “Locke” are taken from two philosophers, Herbert Spencer and John Locke.

You know, as in John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes. Like Calvin and Hobbes, Spencer and Locke tells the story of a little boy and the stuffed jungle cat that’s real only to his own mind.

Unlike Calvin and Hobbes, THIS version tells what happens when that boy grows up to be a police detective and his imaginary friend becomes his partner.

It’s very dark rather than funny so it isn’t a parody. It makes a point of purposely paralleling the comic strip’s specific characters and settings, though, although giving them grim and gritty turns.

If it was just a blatant rip-off, it wouldn’t make such obvious twisted homages, though. So what IS Spencer and Locke, exactly?

Well, there lies my conundrum. It’s clever, well drawn, and its creators are obviously well-versed Calvin and Hobbes fans but since this isn’t really that strip, Spencer and Locke ultimately comes across like a comedy sketch with a potentially amusing premise that’s just gone on far too long before finally grinding to a sudden halt.

Plotwise, Detective Locke is working on investigating the murder of his childhood girl next door friend. (Picture Calvin and Susie.) Along the way, he (and his “partner”) is forced to revisit old friends, old enemies, and old haunts, most of which are perverse and sometimes disturbing plays on the more innocent and familiar originals.

Spencer, the big blue panther, seems almost superfluous much of the time other than to keep reminding us of this strip’s origins. He does get one particularly good and unexpected scene with a little girl toward the end

So I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t really like it much, either. The text sections from the writer and the artist make it out to be a combination of Calvin and Hobbes and Sin City. I like both of those. Each one is uniquely wonderful. But was there really a call for any kind of combination of the two?

An interesting experiment, but I can’t really recommend it.

The 1990’s were a strange time for television. First Run Syndication programs were in decline (although a huge rebound was due in just a few years) and cable had started to make more and more inroads into the, previously, safe space that was network TV. Not to mention that the FOX network was still an (on paper) failure at this point. Networks took more chances on genre programming to pick up the slack left by the first wave of First Run Syndication finally falling apart and one of those chances was SeaQuest DSV.

SeaQuest DSV was a hugely expensive foray into sci-fi at a time when sci-fi programming on networks was rarely successful so this was indeed a risk even though looking back today it may not seem as such.

In 1993 NBC Television took the tired and used up “Space Opera” model for television and… pretty much just moved it from outer space to under the oceans with SeaQuest and a year later,  Earth 2.

SeaQuest DSV got a huge push by the network in the fall of 1993 and would end up lasting 3 seasons (2 and a half seasons really) and never achieved the ratings or acclaim NBC hoped for.

SeaQuest DSV was set in the future of 2017 (ha) and as the ecological trend was going in full force at this time the future of 2017 was bright and clean and sound so man began to explore not outer space… but the depths of our own planet… the oceans. The SeaQuest was the ultimate technological achievement.

By 2017 we had colonized the oceans including farming and mining operations. The SeaQuest would not only lead the exploration therein but also be the protector of those under the sea. Despite being a borderline utopia in the US other nations wanted to take the oceans for themselves and thus the SeaQuest was needed.

SeaQuest DSV was really lighter scifi in terms of premise but as things went along that premise would change greatly. SeaQuest DSV was an optimistic series (almost to a fault in season 1) that drew very obvious parallels to the original Star Trek. Critics even derided the series as “Star Trek under the water” which is both unfair and yet with the frequency of Star Trek guest stars it was not completely unfounded.

Week to week the SeaQuest would dive into some problem and solve it similar to how the Enterprise would do so. Most of the time on SeaQuest DSV it was some far fetched but earth bound issue but now and then in the first season something… else was at stake. Aliens happened. Yup. Season 2 would only ramp this nonsense up too.

Each season of SeaQuest is a vastly different monster so lets break this down.

Season one was Star Trek under the water… fine. A good cast and good (for the time) FX enhanced adventures were something light to watch on a Sunday night. Starring Roy Scheider (Jaws), Jonathan Brandis (Sidekicks), Stephanie Beacham (Horror Planet), Stacy Haiduk (Adventures Of Superboy), Don Franklin (The Young Riders), John D’Aquino (Pumpkinhead), Royce D. Applegate (Twin Peaks), Ted Raimi (The Evil Dead II) and even Frank Welker as voice of Darwin the dolphin.

One of the tenants of SeaQuest DSV in this first season was it’s educational content. Each episode was ended by Dr. Bob Ballard of the Sea Research Foundation talking about something related to the episode and how it was real. Steven Spielberg was executive producer on this season and you can tell. His touch and style are all over the season, and adds to the ease of watching season one episodes.

Season one of SeaQuest got okay ratings but it was far from the hit that NBC wanted and so in season two changes were made… disastrous changes.

For season two NBC wanted to retool the show to get younger viewers. The education aspects were dumped, half the cast left and it was determined that the highest rated episodes in season 1 were the ones that focused on the more scifi stories so season two would be far more sci-fi oriented than before. Also production was moved from LA to Orlando and some of the cast refused to move. Royce Applegate and John D’Aquino were fired so younger actors could fill their characters roles. Stacy Haiduk and Stephanie Beacham simply refused to move to Florida so their characters were written out. Coming in for season two was Rosalind Allen (Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice), Edward Kerr (Snoops), Michael DeLuise (21 Jumpstreet), Peter DeLuise (21 Jump Street) and Kathy Evison (Beverly Hills, 90210).

With the younger cast in place there was just one more problem and that was star Roy Scheider. Scheider despised the move to Florida, hated the new scifi oriented direction of the series and was openly fighting with producers at every turn and not just behind the scenes. In an interview he laid it all out not caring about being fired.

“It’s childish trash… I am very bitter about it. I feel betrayed… It’s not even good fantasy. I mean, Star Trek does this stuff much better than we can do it. To me the show is now 21 Jump Street meets Star Dreck. The other shows are Saturday afternoon 4 o’clock junk for children. Just junk—old, tired, time-warp robot crap. I don’t do this kind of stuff… I said ‘If I wanted to do the fourth generation of Star Trek, I would have signed up for it. I wouldn’t have done SeaQuest. You guys have changed it from handball into field hockey and never even bothered to talk to me.'”

This did not sit well with producers who retorted “I’m sorry he is such a sad and angry man. SeaQuest is going to be a terrific show, and he is lucky to be part of it.”

With all of that going on is it any surprise if I tell you that season two is downright awful? Goofy stories that remind one of that disastrous third season of classic Trek come to mind. If you liked season one of SeaQuest you will HATE season two and so did viewers. The ratings for season 2 were awful and the critical lambasting got even worse.

Reluctantly a third season was created but major changes were again in order… this time in the right direction. Gone were most of the silly sci-fi garbage from season two and outside of needing to resolve the season two cliffhanger and a single time travel episode season three took itself very seriously.

Scheider was done with the series after the mess that season two had become and wanted out but due to this contract he was required to appear in three episodes of season three.

Taking over for him however was Michael Ironside as Captain Oliver Hudson.

Ironside didn’t just jump into the role though he forced the production to look at itself and fix the problems of season two.

“I saw so many problems that I couldn’t see where I’d be able to do the work I wanted to do. You won’t see me fighting any man-eating glowworms, rubber plants, 40-foot crocodiles and I don’t talk to Darwin.”

Also from season two the bulk of the cast was retained but Edward Kerr would have his character killed midway through the season to “shock” the audience.

The tone of season three was changed from the optimistic outlook in season one to war and invasion.

For season three ten years have elapsed and in that time a malcontent nation has begun to forcibly take the seas for themselves. SeaQuest (under a new captain) would be a war vessel and the series grew to become dark.

Now retitled SeaQuest 2032, the series became serialized but NBC refused to air the episodes in the order they took place which created much confusion among fans which led to the ratings dropping yet again after a small uptick early on. It is unclear why NBC could not air the series in the intended order but they murdered it with his asinine move. It was impossible to go from one episode to the next as NBC aired them and yet they blamed the “new dark direction” as the reason fans were tuning out.

In the end SeaQuest would leave little impact on the sci-fi television scene. All but forgotten today with it’s fanbase scattered at best and uncaring at worst. Seasons one and two are on DVD but season three is nowhere to be found. Oddly despite pushing hard that Steven Spielberg was involved in 1993 his name appears nowhere on the DVD sets. Of the cast only Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin and Ted Raimi would be in every episode.

There was a SeaQuest video game and a few tie-in novels but all in all SeaQuest really made no lasting impact despite season one being fun and season three being really damn good.

Mantic Games is pleased to announce it has entered into a licensing partnership with Dark Horse Comics for the worldwide rights to produce a game set in Mike Mignola’s inspirational Hellboy comic book universe.

The Hellboy board game will be a co-operative experience in which players face off against some of the comic’s most famous foes. Up to four people take control of iconic BRPD members, such as Hellboy, Abe Sapien and Roger the Homunculus, before exploring gothic locations and uncovering ancient artifacts.

Set to make its Kickstarter debut in April 2018, the Hellboy board game will feature stunning, pre-assembled plastic miniatures that accurately capture the look and feel of Mike Mignola’s world famous comic series.

“Hellboy has a great cast of characters, diverse locations and legendary monsters from the pages of folklore and myth,” said Ronnie Renton, Mantic CEO. “The comics provide a fantastic foundation on which to build an immersive, fun and fast-paced co-operative board game that will let players experience some of their favorite moments from the series.”

“Dark Horse is excited to work with Mantic Games on a Hellboy board game,” said Dark Horse Comics’ Chief Business Development Officer Nick McWhorter. “Mantic is not only a leader in the Miniatures Board Game category, but also have a thorough understanding of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. storylines and how to integrate them into a game.  We’re confident they can deliver a board game that fans of Hellboy and miniatures games alike can appreciate!”

Hellboy has appeared in graphic novels and comic books, prose novels and short story collections, two animated features, two live-action films, toy lines and all manner of merchandise. Neil Marshall’s forthcoming Hellboy film is currently in pre-production, starring David Harbour, Sasha Lane, Ian McShane, Penelope Mitchell, and Milla Jovovich.

For more details about the Hellboy game, sign up to the Mantic Games newsletter at www.manticgames.com

Hello, 2018.

I know we just met, but at least we started in style and in familiar comfort: with my friends amid song, booze, glitter, and feather boas in a New Haven, Connecticut, bar.

Where else would I have been, but with the drag and burlesque darlings, my dear nighttime playmates? In a free-spirited, irreverent world, with brocade on my shoulders and rhinestones on my feet? Robin Banks throws one hell of a party.

You may remember that I sometimes perform alongside these fantastical friends. A year ago on New Year’s Eve, I exulted in sequined triumph on that same Café Nine stage. This time, I sat up front at a table to watch. But while I wasn’t on the clock, I ended up working.

Drag queen Loosey LaDuca built her first performance around a money theme. As is often customary in drag lip-synch performances I have seen, she spliced together a series of songs and sound clips to create a storyline of highs and lows, reversals and intrigues. And jokes, always jokes.

Halfway through the mix, Loosey approached me in the front row as the music dropped out for voiceovers of that Family Guy bit when Stewie beats up Brian. Loosey pantomimes punching me, and I play along, including getting thrown out of my seat and onto the short stage.

Loosey returned to the stage, and the music picked up again, with – you guessed it – Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money”: Pay me what you owe me! The crowd went wild.

Within the routine, I also picked out sound clips of Mona-Lisa Saperstein from Parks and Recreation begging, “Money, please!” and Real Housewives star Erika Jayne’s single “XXPEN$IVE.” It’s expensive to be Loosey, who sparkled from head to toe that night.

But, side note, and real talk: I was so happy that I actually knew some of the music and references! Sometimes I’m at a drag show and nearly bat a platinum sombrero.

Driving home after the show, my wife noted that she is depending on drag queens now to stay current. Pop culture-wise, there’s only so much keeping up with the kids that we have time for!

In 2017, I spent a lot more time in drag spaces. I continue to learn new ways to play with pop culture from drag performers. There’s something special about using artifice and make-believe not only to play with the identities we both inhabit and are born into, but also to tap into some greater truth about ourselves. This form of play is restorative, a recreation that allows for me to re-create.

For this nerd, that also means re-creating through remixing pop culture.

Drag performers really keep you on your toes with pop culture. They’re always synthesizing new sideways takes on TV, movies, music, Internet memes, you name it. I’ve seen a Harley Quinn in a PVC bodysuit and fetish boots drop into a full split. I’ve heard Elphaba, Mariah, Celine on helium, even Mister Rogers. I’ve cheered along to Frank-N-Furter, Madeline Ashton, and the Sanderson Sisters.

From Dixie Normous and Robin Banks, to Summer Orlando and Barbra Joan Streetsand, Miss Danie`l Essence and many more, I offer deep gratitude for all you do. May my hand always have a dollar bill in it for you.

Plus I enjoy getting deeper dives into stuff that is rocking queer spaces I’m not in, or that hasn’t exploded to mainstream saturation. I’m still a straight guy spending most of his time in straight world, after all, and life is better lived by participating in its variety. When done right, a radically inclusive space breathes, within which the anxieties of minority life can be held at bay, if only for a little while.

I needed a lot of such spaces in 2017, both as a spectator and participant. The chaos generator in the White House weren’t enough. Pop culture itself also flaunted all its systematic evils as the great reckoning on sexual harassment and abuse continues, exacerbating the already neverending battle for those of us fighting for diversity and against exclusion.

It’s exhausting, and this past year I unplugged more and more often. I had to repair. Like, it’s even difficult to like Star Wars anymore because the geeks who think fandom equals ownership keep pushing their NerdMAGA upon us. Get away from me and The Last Jedi, for crying out loud! You last saw Luke Skywalker when he was, like, 23! (Return of the Jedi takes place four years after A New Hope.) You’re telling me he wouldn’t be different by the time he reaches his 60s?

Besides, it’s not that deep. Why? Because it’s Star Wars. Nothing titled Star Wars can be deep, OK? Just enjoy it.

But on New Year’s Eve, three wondrous things happened. Drag queen Mia E Z’Lay sprayed Redi Whip into my mouth and kissed me on the forehead, leaving a giant smudge of makeup. And I won (in a tie) a contest in which I had to stuff marshmallows in my mouth and say the phrase “chubby bunny” without upchucking.

Everything was made clear.

I think I’m ready to return to the war among the stars. At least after I dig out from this blizzard.

Those shirtless Kylo Ren memes are helping me, too.

In This Game, It’s Either Win – Or Die!

Get ready for Beverly Hills to crash and burn as Ken Wahl (The Soldier, The Wanderers) takes a one-man stand against one of the most daring heists ever conceived. When a toxic chemical spill sends fumes billowing through the city, emergency teams are on the spot in minutes to evacuate all civilians and set up quarantine. But it turns out that the spill is really a hoax and the emergency personnel are a crew of criminals executing an epic scheme on the entire city.

There’s only one hitch in their plan: Boomer Hayes (Wahl), a pro quarterback and local resident, and an undisputed master of moving downfield against the odds. Boomer skillfully evades a deadly SWAT tank and dozens of hired guns, but as the army of criminals are closing in fast, he’ll have to use every trick in his playbook and more – if he’s going to survive this real-life sudden-death match.

Veteran filmmaker Sidney J. Furie (The Ipcress File) directed this action-packed thriller that features unrelenting suspense, spectacular stunts, colossal pyrotechnics and the irreverent destruction of this haven of the rich and famous. The stellar cast includes Harley Jane Kozak (Arachnophobia), Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) and Robert Davi (Die Hard)

And we’re giving away two copies!

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

Ken Wahl played Vinnie Ternanova on this cult television series?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 January 21st, 2018.

Ask any casting director in Hollywood and they’ll tell you the same thing. Whenever it comes to casting a new project, a sexy doctor drama, a funny kids show, or even a show about serial killers, the producer will give them all the same mandate: NAMES. They all want name actors. It makes sense. After all, the writer wrote the series with Tom Hanks in mind, he even named the character Detective Hanks! Detective Hanks busts through doors with his partner Detective Denzel who are hot on the trail of the sinister bad guy Brad Clooney (Both actors could pull it off.)

A casting director could protest but they would get the usual response “Hey, Hanks, Denzel, and Clooney all did TV shows, go find them!” Producers don’t mean that metaphorically, as in “Find me the next Tom Hanks!” they mean “Find me Tom Hanks!” So the casting directors do as their told, and sheepishly begin making futile calls to annoyed mega agents who laugh before hanging up. Jim Carrey once famously defended his choice to do Ace Ventura Pet Detective by claiming the scripts he was getting had shit on the first ten pages due to more famous actors having wiped their asses with them before it ever made it his way.

The sad truth is the actor cast when it comes to television is usually never the first (or even tenth) choice. No one ever admits that mind you, especially once a show’s a qualified hit. All you’ll hear again and again is “We never even went out to another actor. They were our first and only choice. We would never have even done the show without them.” Truthfully it ends up not mattering. Once a show’s a hit, everyone wins. The actor chosen, gets their face on lunch boxes and T-Shirts, and Tom Hanks’ agent can regale his friends with secret tales of turning down Rick Grimes, Walter White, and Jon Snow.

All of this brings us to the marvelous new Netflix series Mindhunter.

Mindhunter is an excellent cerebral ten episode series by creator Joe Penhall and a slew of producers including some big names like David Fincher and Charlize Theron. It’s based on the real life work of FBI profilers John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler. Douglas and Ressler (who’s characters in Mindhunter are re-named Holden Ford and Bill Tench) helped create criminal profile techniques in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s that were used to catch serial killers. Their studies became the gold standard for an FBI still finding it’s way after the death of J.Edgar Hoover five years earlier, and are still widely taught in law enforcement today. Their work went on to heavily influence writer’s such as Thomas Harris who used Douglas as his basis for his Jack Crawford character in both Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, as well as countless TV shows like the CSI and Criminal Minds franchises. There’s good news when it comes to the casting of Mindhunter, there was no need to call Hanks and Clooney because Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany play the leads with expertise.

Groff and McCallany play an odd couple who don’t necessarily like each other but work really well together nonetheless. One of the reasons the show works as well as it does is the strange chemistry between these two unusual choices. The one/two punch, good cop/bad cop, brains/braun, approach to their work, for better or worse, produces results. Despite the usual pushback from the suits their undeniable progress in a field they are literally helping to create, is a beauty to watch.

Groff, the famous Tony Award winning Broadway star of Spring Awakening and Hamilton, does a great job as Ford. He plays him as a shy but confident guy who’s almost uncomfortable in his own skin. Ford knows he’s destined for better things but is somewhat stuck in the station he’s in. Once he gets his chance to make his mark he goes full force in pursuing it.

McCallany, who might be best known as the lead in the excellent but little seen boxing drama Lights Out, plays Tench a lot like who he really is. Tench is a guy who’s been around, people respect him, but he never really got his due. McCallany, due to his physical size and deep voice, usually plays the heavy or cop in a lot of things. Here he gets to do both.

The show also has two extremely talented actresses, Hannah Gross who plays Ford’s girlfriend who can do better than him, and Anna Torv who plays an academic who later joins the two agents in their work. Both women are strong equals in a world (1977) that didn’t see it that way. It’s important to note most of the violence described in horrid detail by the serial killers themselves was perpetrated against women. Having phenomenal actresses like Gross and Torv, puts a face to the women we only hear about as victims. Torv, as an academic working with the agents, sees and hears exactly what the men do, while Gross sees the toll it’s taking on Ford and on their relationship. The casting is pitch perfect when it comes to these four but it’s positively on fire when it comes to the actor who portrays “The Co-Ed killer” Ed Kemper.

Ed Kemper was a real life serial killer who killed his grandparents when he was only fifteen years old. Upon his release from the mental institution, when he was twenty-one, he went on a killing spree that included decapitating college girls and performing sexual acts on their corpses. After he had done that to several women he decapitated his own mother before casually turning himself in to police.

In real life Kemper was 6’9 and nearly 300lbs. OK, maybe don’t call Tom Hanks for this casting. But who can you call? Honestly how many guys in Hollywood (or anywhere for that matter) even fit that description? Enter Cameron Britton, a name you’ll want to remember. Cameron Britton, as Ed Kemper, is so good in this role, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Hannibal Lector himself, would say “now that guy can act!” Britton, who’s best known for being, well, unknown, positively steals the series Mindhunter. Without Britton, who’s pivotal to the work Ford and Tench are creating on the series, there is no show. Cameron Britton has a bright future ahead of him despite his size being an obvious obstacle. I have no doubt he’ll be offered other killer roles, or as a villain in one of the countless super hero movies (his agent has his fingers crossed for that one is my guess) but he has the sensitivity to be on a show like NBC’s This is Us and win an award, just like he should for playing Ed Kemper.

Mindhunter is plenty stylish in its own bleakness. It’s easy to see David Fincher’s stamp on the look of the series especially as he directed four of the episodes. The use of drab colors, wet streets, and smoke filled rooms set the scene for the disturbing underbelly the show examines. The use of music, especially the rarely heard “In the Light,” by Led Zeppelin, brilliantly lends a creepy score to the series final moments.

It’s worth mentioning if your looking for a car chases, slamming killers against the hoods of cars, and shoot-em-up firefights, Mindhunter isn’t for you. Most of the show takes place through conversations and interviews in dull places like, cars, airplanes, and dank basement offices lit by flickering fluorescent lights. It’s a thoughtful and deliberate puzzle the watcher pieces together bit by bit the same way Ford and Tench must do. There are plenty of “Ah Hah!” moments and is a very satisfying ride for even the casual crime show watcher. It’s also set in the real world therefore unlike many crime shows the layer of it all being just a TV show isn’t the same. These killings really happened. Knowing this is taking place in 1977 the audience is afforded a knowledge the agents trying to stop these men don’t have.

We know The Atlanta Child Murderer is coming, we know the Green River Killer, the BTK Killer, and perhaps worst of all, Ted Bundy, we know they’re all coming. Watching them come close to these discoveries makes me want to yell at the TV and help them. Perhaps the most disturbing notion in watching the show comes from the realization Ed Kemper is still alive incarcerated in California. I wonder if he gets to watch the brilliant actor Cameron Britton play his alter ego? Do his fellow inmates? I hope not.

The only true negative thing about Mindhunter is the title. Yes, it comes directly from John E. Douglas book on which much of the series is based, but it sounds so much like everything else. It’s also easily confused with Manhunter, the Michael Mann adaptation of Harris novel Red Dragon on which some of Douglas and Ressler’s work is based. With so much out there to watch nowadays it would be shame if people were put off the series because they simply flipped past it thinking it was something else they may have already seen before.

Netflix has already wisely ordered a second season of Mindhunter that will begin production soon. Mindhunter is cast by Julie Schubert, Laray Mayfield, and Katie Shenot. I’m certain, if the show remains at such high quality, will find Hanks, Denzel, and Clooney, calling them. I highly recommend this fine new series on Netflix with the caveat it’s not for the feint of heart.

Produced by Ai Weiwei,
Chin-Chin Yap, Heino Deckert
Executive Produced by Andrew Cohen,
Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Directed by Ai Weiwei

I was in Chicago earlier this year and I spent about 40 minutes of about 4 hours in the Chicago Art Institute with Marc Chagall’s America Windows. The deep rich blues and expressive colors overwhelm and the beauty is so powerful words don’t do them justice. They are a masterwork and I found them as close to perfection as any art I have seen in this world.

Human Flow is evocative in the same way and some very different ones.

It is as close to documentary perfection as I have ever seen.

This is a long documentary, but I found myself so engrossed in the subject matter it never occurred to me how long it was.

The flow of the film is surprisingly gentle, heading across the world, giving us a wide angle snapshot of the plight of refugees in the world. The astonishing cinematography and visuals combine with the short and biting commentary from experts drive Ai Weiwei’s message into you.

The heartbreaking commentary from the refugees themselves cements that message forever.

“Being a refugee is much more than a political status. It is the most pervasive kind of cruelty that can be exercised against a human being by depriving the person of all forms of security and the most basic requirements of a normal life. By cruelly placing that person at the mercy of inhospitable host countries that don’t want to receive this refugee you are forcibly robbing this human being of all aspects of human life that are not just tolerable, but meaningful.”

– Dr Hanan Ashrawi. Sydney Peace Prize Award Winner

The cinematography team did an amazing job. This film has a visual clarity and production value that I haven’t seen in many documentaries. It being an Amazon Films, Magnolia Pictures collaboration tells me they probably had a very nice budget to execute against. It does not appear that they wasted a dime. The drone photography alone should get this film nominated for awards. It was, without question, the most effective and powerful use of drone cameras I’ve experienced. The overarching theme of this film is to humanize people the world has knowingly and unknowingly de-humanized and they use a drone camera at one point in the film to punctuate this in a robust way.

“If children grow up without any hope, any prospects for the future, without any sense of them being able to make something of their lives they become very vulnerable to sorts of exploitation, including radicalization.”

– Maha Yahya, Acting Director – Carnegie Middle East Center

The film details the challenges of refugees around the world. Borders being closed to them, trapping them in countries that don’t want them and preventing them from getting to countries that might. Even when they get to a country that has a good mechanism for intake, like Germany, acclimating is a substantial challenge. Soul crushing boredom and hopelessness punish the ones who make it there. I suppose this is better than rape, disease, starvation, and death, which face the people that don’t make it, but no matter the outcome the pain these people endure is brutal and unending.

The film accentuates each chapter with superimposed news headlines or statistics that paint the depth of the global refugee crisis. This is an effective tool Ai Weiwei uses throughout Human Flow to help the viewer understand that what they see on the screen is just a snap shot. It is a small peek into a depth that affects 60 million people world wide. The refugee crisis is increasing globally at a time global humanitarian and physical resources are shrinking. Approximately 25% of the global refugee population sits in sub-Saharan Africa and they expect the population of Africa to double by 2050.

The refugees are the emotional hammer that beats the viewer over and over again. The Kurdish man describing how much time he spent building his home for future generations of his family as it lays in war torn ruin behind them. The Iraqi telling us his story as he stands in a graveyard. The Palestinian girls in Gaza hopefully talking about how they want to travel, see the world, learn and come back to Gaza, but the world has no place for them as one of the girls sits quietly with an Andy Warhol book in her lap.

The visual power of this film cannot be overstated. It doesn’t matter the geography of the refugee, their eyes are the same. They are haunting, searching and empty at the same time. Ai Weiwei doesn’t protect you from them.

It is truly impossible to avoid parallels to the Holocaust and the plight of refugees during World War II while telling this story. At one point, one of the experts actually spells this out explicitly saying there hasn’t been a global refugee crisis like this since the 1940’s. There are shots of refugees marching silently through the woods of Europe and refugees trapped in camps behind razor wire, or walled off from the rest of the world in modern ghettos.

Global refugees suffer daily in ways I cannot begin to comprehend, but Ai Weiwei brought me into their world a little bit with an Oscar worthy documentary I will never forget.

“The hardest is to make them feel like human beings. Not just 1 of 1 million who came to Germany. On a daily basis [we try to] make people feel like human beings and we care about them.”

– Maria Kipp, Spokesperson, Tamaja Shelter

5 out of 5 stars

Human Flow will be available on Digital HD on January 9th.