I Hate Fairyland, Book One
Written and Illustrated by Skottie Young
ISBN-13: 978-1534303805
Published by Image Comics
Released 12/6/17 / $29.99

I Hate Fairyland. Now, why in the world would anyone give their story a title that just baits critics and reviewers like that? Luckily, I DON’T hate this book. But…I’m not amazingly fond of it, either.

I had heard murmurings of this series before I ever saw this collection and I’d seen its writer/artist Skottie Young’s name bandied about online. Apparently, they’re all very popular. I have to admit I don’t “get” that.

I Hate Fairyland is the story of a cutely drawn little girl who looks like she could have skipped her way right out of the pages of a modern-day tween graphic novel.

Here, though, she is subjected right from the beginning to a harrowing trip to a colorful land of adventure and magic where she has to complete a simple quest in order to get back home.

Soon enough, the reader is informed that this occurred nearly three decades earlier. Now an immature, uneducated  thirtysomething still in the body of a little girl, she still hasn’t been able to complete her task and find her way out of Fairyland.

An ultra-gory mix of Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, S. Clay Wilson’s Zap Comix stories, and Paper Mario 2 or some such, our cute little “heroine” has become an insane murderer as she continually zips from one video game style level killing all and sundry as she continues to try to complete her quest.

A vaguely similar concept played out in the several seasons of the UK TV series, Yonderland, funnier overall and without the non-stop entrails and overuse of supposedly hilarious disemboweling.

I actually do admire Young’s art style. It’s a bit reminiscent of John Pound, best known for his work on the purposefully disgusting Garbage Pail Kids cards. I always liked Pound’s work…except on the Garbage Pail Kids. I have a feeling I’d like Scottie Young’s art more, too, on something other than I Hate Fairyland.

At more than 300 pages of Mad-style humor always followed up by endless, lovingly detailed variations on the one-note theme of the little girl committing Troma-style sanguinary mayhem, I was happy to finally exit Fairyland myself.

As I wrote above, I really don’t HATE Fairyland…but no way I can recommend it, either.

Prepare to root for the bad guys when Amanda Waller sends her band of misfit DC Super-Villains on an all-new, action-packed secret mission in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, the next film in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the feature-length animated film arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital starting March 27, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD April 10, 2018.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, sexual content, brief graphic nudity, and some drug material.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay finds Amanda Waller’s top secret “Task Force X” – Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and Copperhead – on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they’re willing to risk their own lives to steal it. But the Suicide Squad isn’t the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. The race is on for the golden prize … and, to stay alive, second place isn’t an option.

The all-star cast is led by Christian Slater (Mr. Robot, Archer, True Romance) in his DC Universe Movies debut as the voice of Deadshot, who heads “Task Force X” alongside Billy Brown (How To Get Away With Murder) as Bronze Tiger, Liam McIntyre (Spartacus: War of the Damned, The Flash) as Captain Boomerang, Kristin Bauer van Straten (True Blood, Once Upon a Time) as Killer Frost, Gideon Emery (Teen Wolf) as Copperhead, Tara Strong (Batman: The Killing Joke) as Harley Quinn and their “boss,” Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) as Amanda Waller. Villainous forces in the film include C. Thomas Howell (Outcast, The Outsiders, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox) as Zoom, Dania Ramirez (Devious Maids, Heroes, Once Upon a Time) as Scandal Savage, James Urbaniak (Difficult People, The Venture Bros.) as Professor Pyg, Julie Nathanson (The Zeta Project, Beverly Hills 90210) as Silver Banshee and Jewelee, and Jim Pirri (Injustice 2) as Vandal Savage & Vertigo.

Other Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay voice cast members include Greg Grunberg (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Heroes) as Steel Maxum, Dave Fennoy (Batman: Arkham Knight, Batman: The Telltale Series) as Blockbuster & Tobias Whale, Cissy Jones (Firewatch) as Knockout, Natalie Lander (The Middle, Justice League Action) as Darma, Trevor Devall (Johnny Test) as Punch, Dave Boat (Family Guy, The Good Dinosaur) as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and Matthew Mercer (Critical Role, Batman: Bad Blood) as Savage Gunman.

Producer Sam Liu (Gotham by Gaslight, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract) also directs Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay from a script by co-producer Alan Burnett (Justice League vs. Teen Titans). Executive Producers are Sam Register and James Tucker (Batman vs. Two-Face, Justice League Dark).

“Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is a definite thrill ride for fans, mixing non-stop action with plenty of humor – all while watching villains go head-to-head with villains,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “This film has an all-star cast, an extremely accomplished filmmaking team, and the perfect mix of excitement and fun. We’re proud to bring Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay to audiences this spring.”

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Enhanced Content

Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital

A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, The Death of Superman: “The Death of Superman” – The Death of Superman is widely considered one of the most popular stories in the Superman canon and the DCU. This sneak peek at the exciting new film discusses the story and its place in pop culture.

Outback Rogue: Captain Boomerang (Featurette) – Audiences get a deeper look at this unconventional, yet entertaining villain from Down Under and how he’s evolved from The Flash universe to the Suicide Squad.

Nice Shot, Floyd! The Greatest Marksman in the DCU (Featurette) – Floyd Lawton, AKA Deadshot, is one of the most popular antiheroes in the DC pantheon. An excellent marksman and assassin, he often brags that he never misses his shot. Take a closer look at this fascinating character.

The Power of Plot Devices, MacGuffins and Red Herrings (Featurette) – An insightful examination of the power of a good plot device and the important influence it has over story.

Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay Commentary – The creative filmmaking team of screenwriter/co-producer Alan Burnett and executive producer James Tucker share their thoughts and stories on the characters, themes and development of Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay.

DVD

A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, The Death of Superman: “The Death of Superman” – The Death of Superman is widely considered one of the most popular stories in the Superman canon and the DCU. This sneak peek at the exciting new film discusses the story and its place in pop culture.

An original story, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack ($39.99 SRP), Blu-ray Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), as well as Digital ($19.99 HD, $14.99 SD). The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc featuring the film; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film in hi-definition; and the DVD features the movie in standard definition. The Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a digital version of the film.

As the awards season ramps up, the small screen is in an itty-bitty bit of a dry spell.

Sure, there is prime time TV, but that comes and goes, taking a week off here and there as it pleases while audiences are forced to wait and develop hobbies. And heavy hitters like HBO still have a few month before they roll out their big guns like Westworld, set to return in the near future.

Don’t like that answer? Well how about the fact that there is another year (yes, year) to wait until new episodes of Game of Thrones, Big, Little Lies and True Detective.

So while we all have to wait patiently for zombie ice dragons, robot cowboys, housewives with a score to settle and whatever the hell awaits for us behind the thin facade of cop drama, we have good old Netflix to get us through the rut.

Here is a small list of goodies to binge to make the wait a little more bearable:

The Toys That Made Us

Only four episodes, this clever mix of animation, sketches and interviews behind the mad geniuses behind your favorite playthings is both highly entertaining and educational. Did you know Barbie was based on the German call girl “Bild Lilli” doll? Or that Battle Cat was originally part of the Big Jim line, just painted green and given a saddle? He was morphed into He-Man’s steed due to a lack of funds to give the barbarian a proper horse.

The show covers Masters of the Universe, Barbie, G.I. Joe and Star Wars. Check it out.

The End of the F**cking World

Based on the comic by Charles Forsman, the Brit series follows James and Alyssa, two teens so disillusioned it makes Heathers look like a rom-com. James is a budding serial killer and Alyssa in a borderline sociopath. Together they hit the road, setting forth on a path that grows darker and darker with each episode.

If the premise doesn’t get you, the Spotify playlist should. It’s friggin’ brilliant.

Oh, and each episode is only 20 minutes, so it’s binging for beginners.

Dark

Netflix’s first German-lingo series is a sci-fier about the town of Winden, a small spooky little spot on the Earth where children have begun to disappear. As events unfold, dark truths of the town, its inhabitants and its terrible past begin to come to light.

Featuring a little horror, a little thrill and a little time travel, this brilliant series is ten episodes deep that forces you to pay attention. It’s not for the passive viewer.

Godless

Michelle Dockery, Jack O’Connell, Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever star in this limited series that offers folks a good, old-fashioned Western.

In the spirit of Seven Samurai, the story follows Roy Goode, a former outlaw on the run from his one-time employer (Daniels). While hiding out, he happens upon a small town made up almost completely of women due to a mining accident. The ladies take a shine to the scoundrel and protect him from his former boss. Badassery ensues.

Rotten

So…need to go on a diet anytime soon? If so, good news…

Take a deep dive into the hidden evils of the food trade. The entire series is filled with surprising revelations that will make you question every crunch. It is a look at an industry that has squeezed out the family farmer and turned every fruit, veggie and meat into a billion dollar industry. It is a hard truth to stomach, but compelling to watch.

DC is going all-out to celebrate the one-thousandth issue of ACTION COMICS—the longest continually published comic book of its kind in history, the series that introduced Superman to the world and the title that launched the superhero genre. The Jim Lee-drawn cover features a new costume that integrates a variety of classic and new elements, including the Man of Steel’s trademark red trunks.

“ACTION COMICS #1000 represents a watershed moment in the history of not just comic books, but entertainment, literature and pop culture,” said Lee. “There’s no better way to celebrate Superman’s enduring popularity than to give him a look that combines some new accents with the most iconic feature of his classic design.”

Available at comics retailers and digitally on April 18, ACTION COMICS #1000 features the DC debut of acclaimed writer Brian Michael Bendis in a 10-page Superman story featuring art by DC publisher and celebrated artist Jim Lee. This milestone issue will also include two 15-page stories from two of DC’s current and most popular talent teams: SUPERMAN writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Pat Gleason, as well as ACTION COMICS writer and artist Dan Jurgens.

“The one-thousandth issue of ACTION COMICS is an incredible milestone in pop culture and a testament to the vision of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster,” said DC publisher Dan DiDio. “Without this book, along with Siegel and Shuster’s fertile imaginations and boundless creativity, the superhero’s place in literature may have been wildly different, if not altogether nonexistent.”

This must-have collector’s item comic book will also feature previously unpublished art from Curt Swan, whose dynamic, iconic style many consider the definitive look for the Man of Steel throughout comics’ Golden and Silver Ages. Acclaimed DC writer Marv Wolfman will script a story based on this never-before-seen content. In addition, the comic will include a collection of memorable bonus stories from some of the most celebrated names in comics and entertainment.

Contributors to this once-in-a-lifetime issue include legendary Superman movie director Richard Donner and New York Times best-selling writer Geoff Johns, with art by Olivier Coipel. Other contributing creative teams will include Paul Dini with José Luis García-López; Tom King with Clay Mann and Jordie Bellaire; Brad Meltzer with John Cassaday and Laura Martin; Louise Simonson with Jerry Ordway; Scott Snyder with Tim Sale and more to be announced. This celebratory comic book is just the beginning; this milestone will be recognized across the DC superhero line for the month of April with a series of Superman-themed variant covers and even more to come. Check out the website at www.dccomics.com or the DC YouTube channel for the latest news regarding Krypton’s last son and his elevation to pop culture icon.

In my last column, I said I was finally ready to see The Last Jedi.

Life got in the way: Moving, then holiday travel, and still cleaning out the old place.

I also had to gin up my Star Wars enthusiasm again as Disney sinks its year-over-year growth ethos into Lucasfilm, a place that already was a progenitor of our ever expansionist, toyetic, blockbuster machine that runs pop culture now.

The Force Awakens was a happy reunion with the old guys and introduction to the new ones. And I was looking forward to the “A Star Wars Story” anthology films as a place in which filmmakers could explore the Galaxy and get weird, pulling away from the main story to give us new things.

But what did we get? A movie about the Rebel spies who stole the Death Star plans that got tinkered with a ton. (Rogue One was enjoyable, but that’s not the point.) A Young Han Solo movie might have been rescued from snoozeville (I don’t love Han Solo that much) by LEGO Movie and Last Man on Earth weirdos Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, but they were kicked off the film and replaced by Ron Howard.

Amid Disney somehow giving us even more Star Wars saturation (Nissan’s the official car of Star Wars? Nissan?), I also had to silence in my mind the loud minority of NerdMAGA geekholes who think fandom equals ownership. You know, the idiots who hate the new stuff because it has women in it.

But I had faith in Rian Johnson, whose auteur visions in Brick and Looper stretched the logic genre conventions to places that appear extreme and radical, but remain tethered to the original core idea. How would that mind handle Star Wars, if left alone to do his thing?

Image via Lucasfilm/Disney

I loved the film. It aims big, it swings big, and it hits big. The Last Jedi was by turns weird, thrilling, operatic, a little all over the place, and … giant. A grand accomplishment for a film that wrapped a meta commentary on Star Wars into an artful blockbuster.

Here are some thoughts I had about it – some while watching it, some afterward.

What am I watching right now?

I couldn’t stop thinking this in the theater, for multiple reasons. Not only the visuals, but the high drama.

The Last Jedi gives us so much, and then more. I hadn’t feel that overjoyed with cup-runneth-over immensity since The Return of the King – 15 years (!!!) ago.

When Vice Admiral Holdo split Supreme Leader Snoke’s ship asunder via hyperspace, I whispered “What?!?” as the sound dropped. This already was after my expectations of Rey and Snoke battling through Episode IX and Snoke’s mystery being revealed were also cut in two, literally.

Image via Lucasfilm/Disney

Yoda returned, and my heart melted from the true fan service: he was a puppet again. A tangible, shot in camera, practical puppet. No needless CGI. He’s right there. I nearly cried.

My heart leapt in my throat seeing Luke Skywalker emerge from a wall of fire, like every apocalyptic, final-battle vision from my childhood years of action figure playtime. The moment, when it finally came, was earned emotionally through great characterization, plotting, and performance.

Have you ever wanted to see a Jedi brawl with lightsabers? No, not the stuff from the prequels when they’re slicing a bunch of tiny, CGI robots. We’re talking melee fighting, with lightsabers, and full-sized human beings.

A New Hope gave me a great, weird nightclub in space. Attack of the Clones gave me a craptastic ‘50s-style space diner for no reason. But The Last Jedi gave me a glamorous casino royale in space that goes to ground level and shows us palpable exploitation and corruption upholding the beautiful lie.

But Rian Johnson put his foot down early when he gave us Leia floating in space, nearly out of air and freezing up, until with a wave of her hand she flies to safety.

The sequence was big and gorgeous and stunning. It felt radical and new to the point of feeling wrong. Yet it wasn’t.

We know Leia is a Skywalker, we know this line is strong with the Force. We know she has the gift; Luke tells us in Return of the Jedi. We know that Luke likely would have helped her hone those powers. The Force allows you to pull objects to you, so it can work the other way around. If the Force can let you be a ghost around the Galaxy to follow specific people, it can keep someone alive in the vacuum of space long enough to get to safety.

All these particulars work to make the Leia sequence ring true. But c’mon, guys: How long have we waited to see Leia use the Force?!?

NerdMAGA gets laughed at, again!

One of the most interesting things about this new trilogy is how it is Star Wars made by people who grew up on Star Wars. Thusly, the new characters are people who also grew up on Star Wars.

And it’s obvious what these creators think of a certain swath of geeks who focus all their energy on the stuff that looks cool while ignoring all the feelings. Look at the First Order, those maroons! They fanboy out on the Galactic Empire so much that they essentially are doing immature fan-fiction on the old material.

“What if our AT-ATs crouch a little bit to look bulkier and meaner?” “Our officers should dress in all black!” “Ooh – ooh – let’s do Stormtroopers, but make them tougher! And what if one of them … is all chrome! Yeeeaaaahhhh … pass the Cheetos. Mommm! We’re outta Cheetos!”

The Force Awakens featured a guy in his Darth Vader cosplay outfit lecturing a woman about what Star Wars means.

And The Last Jedi keeps on with this theme. How about that Dreadnought ship, all hulking and overcompensating menace? Yeesh. No wonder Poe Dameron sees it and pranks Hux on the comms with a your-mom bit.

Growing up with Star Wars means growing up

Speaking of Poe, he spends a lot of the movie failing at being Han Solo. Sure, he’s take-charge, full of bluster, flies by the seat of his pants, a great pilot, and handsome with a great head of hair. He also ends up getting all the bomber ships destroyed and crews killed to start the film. And he’s so intent on just blowing stuff up that he must be chastised by the older women in charge of him until he starts using his head more.

Rey idolizes Luke Skywalker and lived in the wreck of an old AT-AT. But upon meeting her hero, she gets her heart broken. He’s no grand Jedi master lifting mountains and slinging his lightsaber. He’s not the man who defeated Darth Vader. He’s a grumbly hermit in self-exile saying the Jedi knights were a failure and yelling at his fangirl to get a life.

Image via Lucasfilm/Disney

Like the Jedi who mentored him, Luke spends the end of his life old, crotchety and alone. And like his father before him, Luke’s hubris gets the better of him, he makes a cruel mistake of drastic overcorrection that sets off a chain of terrible events, and he then wallows that it’s too late for him to change and be redeemed.

As we grow up with Star Wars, we grow up. Perspectives shift, and details unexplored rise in greater relief later.

Of course we get the standard story of a grizzled old fighter and an idealistic young one who pushes the former out of disillusionment to make one last ride to save the day. Except that this old man and young ward are both self-centered and full of self-loathing that stems from the deprivations of their lowly stations. They’re nothing people from nowhere planets who felt they were destined for something more and went rushing toward anything that could take them away. No wonder the Dark Side place on the island is a mirror.

And yes, it’s thoroughly satisfying when Yoda returns and gives Luke that last push to think beyond himself and heeding his own lesson that the Force keeps going without the Jedi. We get out suped-up Jedi Super Saiyan Luke Skywalker, walking in front of a wall of fire. He takes on Kylo Ren in a badass lightsaber duel, diverting the First Order so that the rebels can escape.

And then Rian Johnson reveals his best trick of the film: this amazing Super Skywalker is an illusion, a Force astral projection. The Last Jedi just gave me all the amazing Luke stuff straight out of Dark Empire, filling a fanboy hole in my life, only to tell me it was a straight up lie.

That Luke still isn’t real.

But it doesn’t matter that he’s not real. The legend is real. Luke goes full legend so that the story of Luke’s last stand would inspire the next generation of nobodies. They’re out there, cleaning stables, playing with his action figure.

Among those children, one of them can make his broom levitate to his hand.

Image via Lucasfilm/Disney

The Jedi knights don’t own the Force. NerdMAGA Geekholes don’t own Star Wars. And as we grow up, this story can mature too without us losing sight of what brought us to Star Wars in the first place.

Star Wars lives with that little girl, that little boy, making lightsabers out of brooms.

Much like the movies, casinos offer a sense of escape; a place to lose oneself in a world of possibilities.

And films set around casinos offer a sense of adventure or danger.

And once in a while, movies set at casinos can bring some laughs.

So, with the summer having turned into fall, it’s harder to take a trip and enjoy the all that a casino has to offer such as gambling and seeing a show. But it doesn’t have to.

Online there are tons of options for gaming, utilizing such opportunities as the  Genting Casino Promotional Code  to jump right in and make money playing games in the virtual world such as roulette, blackjack, poker and slots.

And, thanks to streaming video and on demand, you can also kick back and enjoy a very funny casino-themed film without leaving your house.

After the jump, check out five casino comedies you need to check out for a few laughs.

1. The Hangover

Minutes after “The Wolfpack,” consisting of Stu, Phil and upcoming  groom Doug (with Doug’s future brother-in-law Alan in tow), entered Caesar’s Palace for a bachelor party weekend, that all craziness took off, turning the hysterical The Hangover into the highest grossing R-rated comedy movie of all time.  With two sequels, an expanding list of colorful characters (including escort Jade, baby Carlos, flamboyant Chinese gangster Leslie Chow, drug dealer “Black Doug” and Mike Tyson), and an ever ridiculous series of events, The Hangover won over both audiences and critics and is a must see (and must see again).

2. Swingers

The ultimate bro movie, Swingers, not only introduced the world to Vince Vaughn, but also created an entire new vernacular adding “Vegas, baby!” and “You’re so money and you don’t even know it.” into the language of would be players everywhere.

Swingers not only shows the most depressing casino ever depicted on film, but also does a really great job capturing male friendship in their mid-twenties.

“Who’s the big winner?”  Anyone who watches.

3. National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation

The fourth Vacation film means plenty of Chev and Bev, an appearance from Randy Quaid and a fresh casting for Rusty and Audrey (this time played by Ethan Embry and Marisol Nichols).

The only film in the series not written by John Hughes, Vegas Vacation is nevertheless a pretty entertaining romp.  Set at the Mirage Hotel, the film has plenty of gambling, show girls and of course, Wayne Newton.  Also appearing in the film were iconic producer Jerry Weintraub, Sid Caesar, Christie Brinkley, Wallace Shawn and Siegfried and Roy.

4. Oceans Eleven

A remake of the classic Rat Pack film Oceans 11, this one features Elliott Gould as former casino owner Reuben Tishkoffm who is recruited to finance a heist by orchestrated by former associates Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt).  The job is to simultaneously rob the Bellagio, The Mirage, and the MGM Grand casinos, all of which are owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is currently dating Danny’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts).

Rusty and Danny recruit a team to rob the Bellagio vault on the night of a fight of approximately $150,000,000.  Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, and Bernie Mac are among the associates recruited to plan and pull off the intricate heist.

The film spawned two sequels (the third film being better than the second) all under the direction of Steven Soderbergh.  Joining the festivities in those films are  Catherine Zeta-Jones, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Vincent Cassel, Bob Einstein, Julian Sands, Albert Finney, Eddie Izzard, Jared Harris and Robbie Coltrane.  Ocean’s Eleven provides not only lots of set pieces, but a fantastic montage of the history of attempted casino robberies.  An upcoming film featuring Danny’s sister (played by Sandra Bullock), Ocean’s 8, will be released this year.

5.  Honeymoon in Vegas

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Nic Cage and fiancée Sarah Jessica Parker travel to Vegas to elope, not before Cage gets hustled in a private poker game, finding himself $65,000 in debt to James Caan.  Caan offers to wipe the debt away provided that Parker spend a weekend with him.

Parker agrees, going off to Hawaii with Caan and driving Cage into a fit of furious jealousy as he attempts to get her attention and win her back.  The colorful cast also includes Pat Morita, Peter Boyle, Tony Shalhoub, Seymour Cassel and a number of Elvis impersonators including a 6 year old Bruno Mars.

Although it’s since become a Broadway show, most people don’t know about this hidden gem of a comedy.

Having taken the publishing industry by storm with a widely popular Kickstarter campaign for their acclaimed comic book, co-creators Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3 are publishing two new titles set in the world of BLACK, their controversial comic that asks “in a world that already fears and hates them, what if only Black people had superpowers?” The progressive, Los Angeles-based indie publisher Black Mask Studios will publish both of these new projects in early 2018, the first of several planned BLACK spinoff titles.

On sale timed to Black History Month, the original graphic novel BLACK [AF]: AMERICA’S SWEETHEART introduces America’s first superhero, a black teenage girl. Though Eli Franklin’s friends and neighbors in rural Montana think of her as a typical 15-year-old, she just might be the most powerful person on the planet. The adopted daughter of a government official, Eli sets out to give America hope as its first superhero, Good Girl, but soon discovers it may take more than donning a patriotic costume to lessen societal divides. On sale in comic book stores on January 31 and in bookstores on February 13, BLACK [AF]: AMERICA’S SWEETHEART is a stand-alone YA story that updates classic superhero tropes (an adopted child manifests incredible powers of super strength, invulnerability, and flight) to tell a bold, thrilling, and timely origin story for a new generation.

The book introduces artist Jennifer Johnson, who makes her graphic novel debut. “With superhero comic books rising to prominence, many stories have evolved to reflect modern ideals,” said Johnson. “AMERICA’S SWEETHEART embodies ideas of heroism, sacrifice, and empathy while reflecting on the world around us. Eli is a savior that we need and a character that many can identify with. In the wake of her powers, Good Girl harbors an uncompromising sense of justice and selflessness, unafraid to do what’s right for the greater good.”

“In this book, we wanted to show the breadth and depth of the world of BLACK and our flexibility to explore other genres within it,” said co-creator and writer Osajyefo. “Jennifer Johnson’s charming approach to the art allows us to tell a coming-of-age story that has a lot of dynamic action as well as social context.”

Following the publication of BLACK [AF]: AMERICA’S SWEETHEART, Black Mask Studios will publish the miniseries BLACK [AF]: WIDOWS & ORPHANS starting in April. The four-issue series will reunite BLACK co-creators Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, with Osajyefo  writing the series and Smith illustrating it. The series highlights Anansi, one of the characters introduced in BLACK, and marks the first BLACK series to be illustrated by Smith, who designed the characters that Jamal Igle illustrated in the first BLACK comics.

“Tim and I first came up with the concept of BLACK almost a decade ago,” said Osajyefo. “It’s a thrill to see these characters come to life through his art in the pages of this series.”

“Like the other titles, BLACK [AF]: WIDOWS & ORPHANS is no-holds-barred storytelling,” said Smith. “This story features Anansi and Hoodrat investigating a human trafficking ring that will take them across the globe and bring them face-to-face with dark pasts of abuse, child soldiers, and families torn apart. The series asks a genuinely disturbing question—in a world where only black people have superpowers, what price do they fetch on the black market?”

More BLACK titles are in development from the co-creators and Black Mask Studios.

BLACK AF: AMERICA’S SWEETHEART
written by Kwanza Osajyefo; illustrated by Jennifer Johnson
$9.99; 80 pages; Full Color
On sale: in comic book stores on January 31 and in bookstores on February 14, 2018

BLACK [AF]: WIDOWS & ORPHANS #1
written by Kwanza Osajyefo; illustrated by TIM SMITH 3
$3.99; 32 pages; Full Color;  Mature
On Sale: April 2018

About Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer is a game developer, designer, and illustrator from Toronto. She is fascinated with portraying otherworldly landscapes and strives to promote diverse voices in speculative fiction.

About Kwanza Osajyefo
Creator and writer of BLACK, Kwanza Osajyefo is a former digital editor at Marvel and DC Comics – best known for launching DC’s Zuda imprint, which published series like the award-winning Bayou, High Moon, Night Owls, Superton, Celadore, Black Cherry Bombshells, Bottle of Awesome, and I Rule the Night.

About Tim Smith 3
Co-creator and designer of BLACK, Tim Smith 3 (A.K.A TS3), has been working in the comic industry for over 15 years. He created and self-published Red After the Party, and has worked on hit titles for some of the biggest publishers in the industry! To see more of TS3’s work, check out: http://www.ts3art.com/.

About Sarah Litt
Sarah Litt has been in the publishing industry for over a decade. She started at Penguin and later moved to DC/Vertigo, where she worked on graphic novels. She was later recruited to work with the DC Digital team in LA. Back in NY, she is currently an editor for The Princeton Review.

About Black Mask Studios
Bringing the punk rock ethic to comics c/o co-founders Brett Gurewitz, Steve Niles, and Matteo Pizzolo, Black Mask supports creators telling awesome and important stories.

“In the 19th century, persons suffering from a mental illness were thought to be alienated from their own true natures. Experts who studied them were therefore known as alienists.”

Caleb Carr’s 1994 novel The Alienist was a thrilling read about how a Victorian-era psychologist and his fledgling forensics team track a brutal serial killer in New York City.

The murders are as bloody as any committed by real-life killer Jack the Ripper, but he preys on even more vulnerable victims: Children.

In the first episode, “The Boy on the Bridge,” which airs January 22, a policeman stumbles upon a mutilated body that turns out to be a young boy dressed as a girl.

What was disturbing on the page — the victim is found with eyes gouged out, hand chopped off, and entrails exposed — is nearly unwatchable when transferred to the screen.

Just when you think the camera is staying a discreet distance away from the body, we zoom in through one of the dead boy’s empty eye sockets! (All CG, but still.) If I weren’t watching this for review, I might have turned if off. But I’m glad I didn’t.

Daniel Brühl is perfectly cast as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, who has the brilliant deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes and more medical training than Dr. Watson. He’s zealously committed to protecting exploited and troubled children, which 1896 New York is sadly teeming with. And he’s about a century ahead of his time in supporting a young male patient who’d rather dress as a girl.

Kreizler relies on the expertise of his friend John Moore (Luke Evans), a New York Times employee whose artistic skills are most often used to draw society ladies, instead of murdered boys.

They quickly find a compatriot in Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), the first woman to work at the New York Police Department. The self-assured Sara, who endures no end of daily harassment at work, proves as devoted as Kreizler and less squeamish than Moore.

Kreizler is convinced that the young Italian victim was murdered by the same brute who slaughtered his young, cross-dressing patient, so he has the body of the first boy exhumed to try to prove his point.

Police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (yes, the Teddy Roosevelt) doesn’t want to listen to Kreizler’s theories, since he’s viewed as an anti-establishment crackpot by most of the police force. Roosevelt was originally going to be played by Sean Astin, who had to drop out over conflicts with making Stranger Things. The actor who replaced him, Chicago P.D.’s Brian Geraghty, is rather colorless and not at all the blustery, take-charge Teddy Roosevelt of popular legend, but that’s the way the character is written, at least in the first two episodes.

I read the book shortly after it came out, so, nearly 20 years later, I can’t recall how he’s portrayed in the book. It does seem, however, that Roosevelt’s role in this unorthodox pursuit has been greatly downplayed. In the miniseries, the group is assembled by Kreizler, not Roosevelt, although the police commissioner does reluctantly sign off on the parallel investigation.

It’s Kreizler who recruits the bright Isaacson brothers (Douglas Smith and Matthew Shear) to do an autopsy on the disinterred boy, although Roosevelt had the wisdom to hire them in the first place.

The pace begins to pick up when Kreizler spots a suspect and gives chase, only to have the man seemingly vanish into thin air.

In the second episode, “A Fruitful Partnership,” which airs January 29, Kreizler officially invites his new colleagues to join him in pursuit of the murderer.

Things start to click when the team comes together. As one brother enthusiastically tells Sara, “It’s something new: Forensic science married with human psychology.” Despite the gruesome nature of the murders, it’s easy to see why, in 1896, a woman and two Jewish brothers are thrilled at being regarded as equals and asked for their expertise.

Kreizler’s declaration that in order to catch this killer, he must become the killer are fresh to him and his era, but, of course, old hat to viewers. The dawn of a new era of crime-fighting, and its forward-thinking adherents, was what made the novel so interesting. Here’s hoping the series keeps its focus there.

The series is probably on par with another Victorian series, Penny Dreadful, in terms of bloodletting. But it’s a bit harder to take when the killer is human and not, say, a witch, werewolf or vampire. And when the victims are children.

Your enthusiasm for The Alienist may depend on your stomach for extreme forensics. And how many child prostitutes you can stand to see being exploited or murdered. But the cast is uniformly excellent (apart from the bland Roosevelt).

TNT only released two of the 10 episodes for review, but count me in for the whole series.

Rating:  3.5 out of 5

The Alienist premieres tonight At 9P ET/PT on TNT

The Alienist
Created by Cary Fukunaga
Based on the novel by Caleb Carr
Directed by Jakob Verbruggen
Cast: Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning,
Robert Wisdom, Douglas Smith, Matthew Shear,
Matt Lintz, Brian Geraghty, Q’orianka Kilcher,
David Wilmot, Ted Levine

Produced by Sammi Edelson, Aaron Feldman

Executive Produced by Randy Sklar, Jason Sklar,
Jordan Rubin, Bobby Stewart, Andy Edelson,
Jeremy Edelson, Jonny Edelson,
Helen Edelson, Brian Volk-Weiss
Directed by Aaron Feldman
Featuring Kumail Nanjiani, Pete Holmes,
Eric Stonestreet, Nikki Glaser, Adam Carolla,
Rob Corddry, Bobby Lee, Paul Scheer, Steve Agee
Paul Provenza, Nick Swardson, Dr. Drew Pinsky

Do you enjoy stand up comedy? Do you enjoy potty humor?

Do you enjoy poop, specifically? Come on, who doesn’t enjoy a good poop?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the previous questions, Aaron Feldman has graced us with a little over an hour of laughter as a bunch of stand up comics tell their greatest poop stories from on and off the stage.

There isn’t a lot to say about this documentary. The stand ups seem to have lined up to participate and some of the stories are truly glorious. Brad Williams tells a story about pooping in a public bathroom that is so funny I will probably re-tell it every chance I get from now until I die. I had to pause the film I was laughing so hard. It is a brilliant story, brilliantly told.

That’s really all I can say about Poop Talk. Aaron Feldman found the right group of comedians, both male and female to spend an hour telling the camera some great stories. There are plenty of names you know. Adam Carolla, Eric Stonestreet, and Rob Corddry are the three most famous comedians involved. They also bring in Dr. Drew Pinsky to describe digestion at a couple of different moments to give a weird nod to the natural state of pooping. This is also funny, if only because it is so out of place and Dr. Drew is clearly participating with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

From a technical standpoint, the film is very sound. The production values are high and the editing is excellent. It moves from one story to the next and back without feeling remotely disjointed. It is a well crafted film from a technical standpoint and the comedians, being professional story tellers have no trouble keeping things moving.

I love stand up comedy, so admittedly I am a soft audience for this type of content and I am a fan of some of the comedians that participated. Nikki Glaser is emerging as a favorite of mine, so I was especially happy to see her make an appearance.

There is nothing high brow about this, so don’t expect more than it will give. If you enjoy stand up comedy, stand up comedians, and potty humor I highly recommend spending about 70 minutes with this comedic documentary. If you don’t, pass.

4 out of 5 stars.

Poop Talk will be arrive in theaters and On Demand on February 16th.

The zippiest, poppy-est, outright ginchy-est comic in the world, Madman, is celebrating its twenty-fifth birthday and IDW Limited is helping ring in the celebration with a special new hardcover limited edition collection hand-curated by series creator and multiple Eisner-winner, Michael Allred!

Madman: Quarter Century Shindig is an oversize hardcover collection and the newest release in IDW Limited’s Artist Select series. Previous Artist Select editions have featured Marvel characters including The Hulk and The Avengers, and now, Allred’s Frank Einsten is joining the party.

Madman: Quarter Century Shindig compiles more than 450 pages of Madman adventures, all hand-picked by Allred and spanning the character’s 25-year history. The book celebrates the incredibly innovating, risk-taking work of Allred. Hand-picked by the creator, the book includes stories from the character’s earliest tales through adventures set in Dimension X, including a story told in one connecting 32-page image; a story told in flip-book fashion; stories presented in both duotone color and the full vibrancy that colorist Laura Allred brings to every page she touches. The stories collected herein showcase not only the best Madman adventures but also the progression, dynamism, inventiveness, and pop-art madness that infuses all of Allred’s work.

IDW’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall conducted a comprehensive new interview with Allred to open the book as well.

And as an IDW Limited Artist Select release, this collection is being offered in two deluxe limited editions. 999 signed and numbered copies will come housed in a clothbound slipcase priced at $125, while 56 incredibly rare, traycased copies will come with an original piece of art drawn and colored by Michael Allred, these collector’s items 25 years in the making will be available for $350 each.

As a unique touch befitting Madman, all 56 of Allred’s original hand-drawn plates make up one animated sequence.

“For over two decades now, Mike Allred’s art and storytelling have thrilled readers like myself,” said Ryall. “Really, it’s impossible not to look at a page of Mike’s art and not have it put a huge smile on your face. So IDW is very excited to be able to celebrate this anniversary of Mike’s work on Madman and offer up this amazing new collection.”

For more information on this and other IDW Limited titles, follow IDWLimited on twitter and like IDWLimited on Facebook!

Director Ruben Östlund’s (Force Majeure) returns with THE SQUARE, the “madly ambitious” (The Hollywood Reporter) dive into the world of modern art. comically exposing how we truly view one another and, at times, the shallowness of our relationships. Arriving on DVD and Digital HD on January 30 from Magnolia Home Entertainment, THE SQUARE shines a light on the inner workings of a successful modern art museum and the effort to maintain relevancy and become a “viral hit.”

Art curator Christian (Claes Bang, “Sibel & Max”) is determined to push his museum’s latest installation, “The Square,” a physical space for passersby to relish in solace and equality, to critical acclaim. A routine interview with Anne (Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”), an inquisitive reporter, develops into something much different, after a night of strange circumstances. After being challenged by Anne both intellectually and emotionally, Christian begins to collapse under pressure.

He finds himself quickly losing a handle on work, foolishly leaving the promotion for “The Square” in the trusting hands of the museum’s public relations firm. When the marketing video for “The Square” goes public, Oleg the ape-man (Terry Notary, War for the Planet of the Apes) is just another piece that makes THE SQUARE a film that will “knock the wind out of you” (Rolling Stone).

Special features for THE SQUARE include behind the scenes clips and photo gallery. The out of the box comedy will be available on DVD on January 30th for the suggested retail price of $26.98 and on Digital HD via iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, FandangoNOW and more.

And we’re giving away 10 copies to FOG! readers!

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

The Square co-star Dominic West played Jimmy McNulty on this series
which is considered to be one of the greatest television shows of all time?

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 February 11th, 2018.

Baywatch was the number one show in the world in the 1990’s (only briefly being unseated by Renegade in 1995) and while most people are familiar with the show they tend to forget the spin-off, Baywatch Nights, and just how batshit that got.

Baywatch began on NBC in 1989 and was cancelled after a short 13 episodes. The producers refused to take this lying down and now free of the network restraints they took the series to the burgeoning First Run Syndication market which was about to enter it’s second golden age.

This turn to First Run Syndication not only opened up the possibilities in terms of nudity and flesh on display but also allowed the series to be sold internationally much easier than a network series.

In 1996, at arguably the peak of the Baywatch ratings, it was not the producers but Baywatch star David Hasselhoff who requested a spin-off series, and thus, Baywatch Nights was born.

Hasselhoff was always against the title “Baywatch Nights”… he felt that since this new show was going to be so different from the original show it should not have Baywatch in the title… producers (and more importantly distributors) disagreed.

On Baywatch, David Hasselhoff was lifeguard Mitch Buchannon heading up the Baywatch. Straight forward. Yeah, on the main show Mitch might help solve a crime or thwart a bad guy, but that was hardly his focus.

For Baywatch Nights, Mitch took on a second job as a Private Investigator because, well, of course he did. Teaming up with Baywatch cop Garner Ellerbee (Gregalan Williams) and new character Ryan McBride (Angie Harmon) to form a PI agency, Mitch was expanding. Mitch will lifeguard and solve cases at the same time… no issues here right? Their office is over the the nightclub simply titled “NIGHTS” owned by Lou Rawls (kind of playing himself). That is where the title Baywatch Nights comes from by the way… most of the first season episodes take place during the day… I guess on the days Mitch has off from life guarding.

So the two Baywatch series are running side by side (many stations running the shows back to back) and Hasselhoff is on both (Williams left Baywatch to concentrate on Baywatch Nights). There are crossovers between the series as Baywatch regulars Billy Warlock as Eddie Kramer and Yasmine Bleeth as Caroline Holden both make appearances on Baywatch Nights episodes and Angie Harmon makes an appearance on the regular Baywatch.

The first season of Nights was a very expensive cop show with the gimmick that one of the cops is a lifeguard. Each episode of Baywatch Nights cost over a million dollars which for a 1990’s syndicated series that is a lot, but to be fair you can see the money on the screen in most episodes. The bulk of season 1 episodes are standard cop show/private investigator stuff… stopping a hired killer, finding a kidnap victim, foiling a robbery, going undercover in a phone sex ring… that kind of stuff including the famous episode where Hasselhoff is staked out in front of a chicken restaurant wearing a full chicken costume resulting in a chase and fight in said costume.

Baywatch was doing it’s thing and still getting amazing ratings and Baywatch Nights... was being critically lambasted and the ratings were terrible (ironically the ratings were only terrible in relation to Baywatch, they still were huge for a First Run Syndicated series).

With disappointing ratings for season 1 when season 2 rolled around they changed the game up… and I am not kidding when I say they went batshit crazy in doing so.

Lou Rawls wanted out (and honestly he was barely in season 1 anyway) and it was decided that since season 2 would go in a “different” direction that Gregory Alan Williams would be let go as well. Eddie Cibrian and Donna D’Errico stepped up and Dorian Gregory was added to the series as their new handler. Oh did I mention that for season 2 Mitch and Ryan would be battling the supernatural while being controlled by a shadow organization pulling their strings? Yeah that is the thrust of season 2… aliens, monsters, mummys, vampires, spores from space, time travel, the devil and Mitch single handily takes down the Illuminati.

You see in 1994, The X-Files was so popular that every network wanted an X-Files clone. Most likely in a cocaine rage, it was determined that the new, new direction for Baywatch Nights would be knocking off The X-Files. By the way Mitch was still on Baywatch so he would save a drowning victim by day and by night would be helping NASA stop the shuttle from accidentally infecting the planet with alien spores from space which mutate humans or fighting a time traveling viking from destroying the city and then just go back to life guarding. Even Donna D’Errico’s character who helped them on Nights would be folded into the main Baywatch show after Nights ended with no mention ever of once punching Satan or being chased by a real werewolf once.

Alexandra Paul as Stephanie Holden and Michael Newman from Baywatch guest starred in episodes of Nights this season and the fact that Paul was DEAD in the main show makes this an odd appearance.

The new X-Files-inspired season 2 still did not fare in the ratings to where producers wanted the show to be, so with no real finale or resolution it was just cancelled, and Mitch was in Baywatch again with no mention ever of the pretty major things he did on Nights. Ryan would also never be seen again and these events never happened.

Baywatch Nights was quickly forgotten and Baywatch would continue it’s reign as the most popular show in the world with little note as to a spin-off ever having happened at all. It was not until the growth of the internet that Baywatch Nights (season 2 specifically) began to rise to the cult series status it has today. Most people never knew how off the rails it got in season 2 and still can’t believe today that season 2 really happened.

To quote one of the producers of both series “If you thought the writing was bad on Baywatch… Baywatch Nights was a new set of lows”.

Personally, I don’t think it it was not that bad as season 1 was honestly a fun (if not dopey) crime show and season 2 was amazingly insane.

The unprecedented vision and mythic storytelling of Jim Henson’s 1982 epic fantasy-adventure “The Dark Crystal” returns to cinemas nationwide for a special two-night presentation from Fathom Events, The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures. Each screening of “The Dark Crystal” will also feature a brand-new featurette with Lisa Henson, CEO and President of The Jim Henson Company, who reflects on the making of this one-of-a-kind film and its creative legacy.

A milestone in fantasy filmmaking, “The Dark Crystal” was co-directed with Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and produced by Gary Kurtz (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back). Following its two-day-only theatrical presentation, “The Dark Crystal” will debut on 4K Ultra HD and return to Blu-ray and digital on March 6 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

See the film:

Sunday, February 25, 2018, 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time)
Wednesday, February 28, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time) 


Tickets for “The Dark Crystal” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

The folks over at Sitcomics had an idea on how to take the comic world by storm, and now in January 2018 they’ve introduced Binge Books.

What are Binge Books, you may ask? They are a new affordable 64-page self-contained comic stories that sell for $3.99 each and I had a chance to check out the first wave of books from this new innovative company.

Sitcomics and is the brainchild of Darin Henry, a TV sitcom writer with shows like Seinfeld, Muppets Tonight, Futurama, and a slew of other sitcoms under his belt. Hence, the name “Sitcomics”.

Offering 5 new comics titles ranging from superhero books, to humorous, to “slice of life”, to horror based books, he is dubbing it “the new bingable age of comics”.

Henry has written a variety of stories that blend the idea of episodic television sitcoms with self contained humorous and semi-serious comic books. Each is a little different but still playing off the standard comic book industry as well as TV tropes, right down to the idea of having “commercials” during your comics. these “commercials are parodies of commercials you might see during an average show. Think MAD Magazine or Cracked and how they would have “ads” for fake humorous products that make fun of real products.

The Blue Baron

Henry’s superhero book, The Blue Baron, with great art by Ron Frenz (The Amazing Spider-Man) and inked by legendary Sal Buscema (The Incredible Hulk) is a fun mix of Shazam! and Freaky Friday where a 300 year old super hero from the colonial days of Philadelphia has a body switcheroo with a loser high school kid. Each learns how hard it is to be the other while learning to be both themselves AND the other until they can figure out a way to get back their respective bodies.

Startup

Startup, featuring the fantastic art of Craig Rousseau (Perhapnauts), is a classic origin story book with a twist as a 300 pound hapless, single mom struggles with her weight as well as raising a son in the city. She is made fun of, and at the same time, ignored by the people around her. She finally looks to a crazy scientist that tells her he can make her thin instantaneously. The magic elixir he has concocted is able to transform her into a svelte hot mamma. There are side effects though as she now has super speed from all the energy released when the weight is compacted into a tiny frame.

There is also a social side effect of what she must do to moralistically when all of a sudden EVERYONE notices her and her life changes overnight both for good and most definitely for the worse. What she thought would be an answer to her prayers becomes the source of her worst nightmares.

Super Suckers

Then there is Super Suckers, a humorous teenage vampire tale with lots of hijinks, á la Archie comics. Makes sense seeing as the book is drawn by Archie Comics veteran, Jeff Shultz. It is literally like watching an Archie comics version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is definitely my favorite of the bunch so far.

Telepathic

Henry then takes on life as an awkward teen in high school with Telepathic. This “coming of age/slice of life” book is one part Freaks and Geeks and one part Carrie, if Carrie was a comedy. I love the art and colors by Blair Shield. What would happen if two social outcast nerds gain telepathic powers only to find out that the most popular cheerleader in high school also has the same powers?

They all have to assist each other with trying to deal with their new found powers while trying to continue to deal with all the added bonuses of being a high school teenager with all the trials and tribulations that go along with that as well.

Z-People

Finally Z-People is a humorous tale of a zombie apocalypse that is captured before a live audience when a news reporter and a bunch of town folk have to contend with the undead. With art by MAD Magazine caricature and comic artist Tom Richmond, it is wacky fun and dynamic visual feast. Think Home Improvement and Entertainment Tonight meets The Walking Dead.

Each of the books Darin Henry is creating is trying to do something different and he succeeds most of the time. I feel like with most television series first seasons, these books are still trying to find their niche and their voice. He has rounded up some amazing talent and he has some really wonderful ideas and unique takes on the characters that, I think, just need a little more fleshing out. It is almost there. I was entertained reading these and the one thing I very much enjoyed was the variety of tales he is telling. I also like the idea of having self contained long stories. even with the “commercials”, which were funny and made me laugh more than not, I think having them as 64-page format books will help in the long run, especially at a $3.99 price point.

As someone who usually dislikes sitcoms and is annoyed with most television I really liked these books despite what they are. They are fun. They take chances. They play with the genre they are in while respecting it fully. You can tell Henry is a fan of comics and loves them a lot. He treats each genre and style with a reverence and yet knows where and how to poke fun at it without being a total jerk. Only someone who appreciates something can do this well, I believe. I hope these do well. I will definitely be picking them up in my sub folder when they come out. If for no other reason then to have a well written well drawn alternative to the same old, same old stuff that almost made me stop reading comics altogether.

If you like fun and funny alternative takes on the comics you love and read then you may want to give Sitcomics titles a chance. There may be one you really like that will satiate your fan heart.

For more details, visit sitcomics.net

Monster maven Guillermo del Toro, and funnyman Jordan Peele are the big winners this morning as the 90th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday.

The Shape of Water took the top nods with 13 nominations, including all the top categories, which horror hit Get Out surprised many with nods in top categories including best pic, actor, screenplay and director.

Other best pic nominations went to Call Me by Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

In addition to Peele and del Toro, the helming category was rounded out with noms for Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk, Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird and Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread.

In the actor category, Vegas favorite Gary Oldman got his nom for Darkest Hour, followed by Timothée Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name, Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, and Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Meryl Streep got a place in history as the most celebrated actor of all time with her record-breaking 21st Oscar nomination for The Post. Rounding out the actress category includes Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water, the foul-mouthed Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, foul-mouthed-but-on-ice Margot Robbie for I, Tonya and teen angsty Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird.

Speaking of history, Netflix made Oscar history with it’s fist nom for Mudbound star Mary J. Blige in the supporting category.

Suspiciously missing is The Disaster Artist, which was once considered a shoo-in for best pic and actor, but that was prior the swarm of sexual misconduct allegations that surround star-director James Franco. Now the pic must settle for just Best Original Screenplay.

Also missing entry was Wonder Woman. The box office blockbuster was didn’t even nab a tech achievement, a costuming nod or a makeup nomination for the critically acclaimed and beloved actioner helmed by Patty Jenkins.

And the nominees are…

BEST PICTURE
Call Me by Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me by Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly’s Game
Mudbound

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Boss Baby
The Breadman
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

ORIGINAL SONG
“Mighty River”, Mudbound
“Mystery of Love”, Call Me by Your Name
“Remember Me”, Coco
“Stand Up For Something”, Marshall
“This is Me”, Greatest Showman

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places
Icarus
Last Men in Aleppo
Strong Island

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
Edith + Eddie
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Heroin(e)
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Fantastic Woman
The Insult
Loveless
On Body and Soul
The Square

COSTUME DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria and Abdul

SOUND EDITING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

SOUND MIXING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
DeKalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmett
The Silent Child
Watu Wote/All of Us

ORIGINAL SCORE
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

VISUAL EFFECTS
Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes

FILM EDITING
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Darkest Hour
Victoria and Abdul
Wonder

90th Annual Academy Awards will air on 5:00 p.m. PST on March 4, 2018

Photo by Marilyn Acosta

Fed up of playing computer games, why not try a bit of a retro gaming trend to coincide with the 80s themed movie and TV show resurgence by getting your hands on a pinball machine?

During the 1980s these were popular gaming machines at amusement arcades, leisure centres and bars where you would enjoy high-score competitions with your friends. These cult gaming machines are no longer relegated to pubs and bars where you just know that the machines have had a few drinks spilt over them throughout their life, they are now enjoying a glorious retirement in many gaming rooms or man-caves. In collaboration with award winning UK games room and pool table retailer home leisure direct, view our seven best selections for movie-based pinball tables…

Guardians of the Galaxy

First on our list is the Guardians of the Galaxy pinball table, based on Vol. 1 the first film in the Guardians series. Featuring all the Guardians and Ronan the Accuser battling for control of the Infinity Stone, this pinball machine is sure to liven up the games room. Especially when you manage to bash Groot in the face with a ball and unlock multi-ball capabilities. Featuring artwork from Chris Franchi, known for artwork on other comic books like Batman, as well as an original score by Ken Hale, this pinball machine is certain to make a great addition to your games room.

Available for £6,195.00

Star Wars

Everyone loves a classic, which is why this pinball machine focuses on the Star Wars Original Trilogy exclusively and features Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Han Solo. This particular pinball table is one of the most technologically advanced, featuring a HD LCD screen to keep track of your stats, plus another HD LCD display on the actual playfield, so if you’re looking to have an extremely modern gaming den, you need to have this as part of it.

Available for £6,295.00

Aliens

It’s definitely not game over, man, with this pinball table. Choose either a gaming experience based on either the original film, where you try and survive against the Xenomorph, or take the fight to them when you select Aliens.

This limited edition 35^th Anniversary edition is available with a ton of upgradeable options as well, motion video back light lcd display, sirens and flashing lights make sure this pinball machine will certainly be an awesome part of your gaming room. Just remember not to shout at your friends “get away from her, you bitch!” if they start to hog it.

Available from £7,499.00

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Based on the 1950’s b-movie classic, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of those classic movies that we’ve all seen at one point or another, and this pinball machine is widely regarded as one of the classic machines.

Featuring instrumental versions of classic rock songs from the 50s, as well as impressive technology to generate holograms, this pinball machine will make a great addition to your man-cave.

Available from £5,297.00

Iron Man

With the Marvel films dominating the box office, why not go back to where they all started with the Iron Man pinball table. Featuring elements from the first two films, such as Whiplash and Iron Monger, this pinball table has you battling as Tony Stark/Iron Man against them. Utilising some top technology, this pinball machine will keep you coming back for more.

Available for £5,497.00

Ghostbusters

Who ya gonna call? Everyone knows it’s the Ghostbusters! This pinball machine is officially licenced and based on the films, so you’ll need to make sure you don’t cross the streams when playing. The game has you completing tasks to join the Ghostbusters, and features some pretty impressive technology that comes into play during game time.

Available for £6,195.00

The Addams Family

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky… yes, of course we’re talking about the Addams Family! This is one of the most popular pinball machines of all time, and with a ton of technology at its disposal to ensure that no two games are the same, it’s easy to see why this is so popular. Plus, hey, everyone loves the Addams Family and their kooky antics, and they’d be a great addition to your games room.

Available from £6,997.00

Doomsday Clock #3
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Gary Frank
Published by DC Comics
In stores Jan 24, 2017 / $4.99

The latest issue of Doomsday Clock is relatively packed, and moves faster than previous chapters as a result.

While that makes for a brisk read, it doesn’t necessarily make for a better storytelling experience.

Indeed, it seems that this is a story that won’t truly be satisfying until read all at once.

Last issue ended on two big cliffhangers: a very much alive Comedian ambushing Adrian Veidt in Lex Luthor’s office, and the new Rorschach face to face in the Batcave with the Dark Knight.

Geoff Johns jumps into addressing those threads, and gives Gary Frank an opportunity to reinterpret key moments from Watchmen in the process. Frank is in top form here, and his facial expressions are a highlight, especially in a scene where the Mime and Marionette get into big trouble in a Gotham bar.

Also of note this issue is an extended sequence in a nursing home, where we see Johnny Thunder waiting for his family.

On one hand, it’s interesting to see him and lends credence to the idea that this story will see the return of the Justice Society. On the other hand, the narrative device Johns and Frank employ here, juxtaposing current events with an old film noir, smacks too much of the original Watchmen‘s “Black Freighter” subplot.

Rorschach gets a particular focus here, as we finally see his face and flash back to the end of Watchmen, from his point of view. He also seems to receive the greatest sympathy, especially the way this issue ends. Rorschach is all too willing to follow Batman, but the Caped Crusader doesn’t seem too keen on doing the same, leading to a particularly cruel betrayal.

That the moment lands as well as it does is a testament to Johns and Frank’s character work–three issues in and this new Rorschach feels distinct enough from his predecessor, yet familiar enough to believe in the role.

While this issue does seem especially fleet, it still doesn’t go very far. Three issues in and Johns is still parceling things out very carefully. Here’s hoping they dispense with the table-setting as the first quarter of the story closes.

Otherwise, I’m not sure how much I want to stay on the ride.

Produced by Shereen Hariri, Kevin Baird
Maile Baird, Erik Lundmark
Written and Directed by Francis Stokes
Starring John Hawkes, Karen Black,
Dan Castellaneta, Ryan Alosio

I love film. I’ve been a movie buff for as long as I can remember. I can find something good in almost any film or a reason to watch. I even love the category of film, “So bad it’s good,” and will frequently get lost in a movie that’s truly awful but enjoyable as my wife shakes her head at me.

However there are some things about the movie business I will never understand. Sometimes it is just better to walk away than try to resurrect a project that has gone stale and friends, Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman is the definition of stale.

It was shot 15 years ago. It was released on YouTube for free 11 years ago and it has no business being released or shown now. It wasn’t good in 2003. It wasn’t good in 2007 and it isn’t good today.

Things get stuck on the shelf for a reason. People forget. Rights change hands. The need for content forces companies to reach into the literal bottom drawer to fill digital real estate or drive revenue. When executives are looking at profit and loss statements they should take a deep breath and realize that some things do not deserve to see the light of day.

This is one of them

I can understand how this movie got made originally, because on paper, it could easily look amusing. A blissfully unaware wanna be stunt man takes his shot at the big time while juggling friendships, family and romance. I saw this film described as a dark comedy, but realistically speaking, it’s not especially comedic and the story is just sad, not dark. The script is stiff, goes nowhere, and the performances match.

The one shining light in this film is John Hawkes, who knows how to act. He plays Harold Buttleman as well as he can, considering the terrible narrative he was saddled with. It’s really a good thing no one saw this movie until 2007 originally because his next role was Sol Starr on Deadwood in 2004 which was his coming out party as an actor. The pinnacle of his career was an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone in 2011 and a Golden Globe in 2013 for The Sessions. I expect, if you were to ask him privately he would hope this sad, amateur effort stayed in whatever hole it was buried in originally.

Every character is written with almost the exact same obtuse voice. The story has a beginning, middle and end but there are no real layers. The characters are depth free. All the conflict is manufactured and when there might have been the possibility of a truly funny moment or engaging interaction the scenes and dialogue just fizzle out and we are forced back to the plodding middle where very little happens and what does is mostly boring.

Dan Castellaneta has a cameo as a has been stuntman that was really interesting. That character, aptly named, Human Cannonball, had the ability to save the movie. Castellaneta and Hawkes had some genuine chemistry and there was the subtext of a backstory for Castellaneta that could have been really funny and interesting had it been explored. Unfortunately it stalled and was abruptly cut off.

If you are a big John Hawkes fan you might like this movie. If you like Todd Solondz’ Happiness or Peter Berg’s Very Bad Things, you might find something remotely redeeming about this film. If not, my suggestion is a hard pass.

1 out of 5 stars.

John Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman will be available
on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play Feb 2, 2018

Do you constantly feel like you’re trying to combat your own mental clutter when trying to manage your work desk or personal business matters? Well, you are certainly not alone. There is an entire industry built on trying to help people with those same challenges rise above and thrive.

It is tough to know just what factors may be contributing to your inability to achieve your daily goals. Therefore, in order to find the right solutions to your issues, it may help to dig a little deeper to unearth the underlying issues so you can nix them for good. The following are three unlikely factors that tend to contribute to mental clutter that you can eradicate or correct them with the right tools.

Perhaps you are highly sensitive to ambient sounds, which means that when your next-door neighbor starts mowing the grass, you can’t hear anything else. Fast Company notes that environmental noise — background music, city sounds and intermittent talking — can lead to a decreased performance in many people who are otherwise hard workers and highly committed to quality results. For some people, the ramifications of excessive noise can be devastating without a solution.

Fortunately, there are a few different solutions that you can use to combat the mental chaos and clutter you detect when environmental noise is on the rise, such as:

• Noise-Canceling Headphones.Some brands boast that they reduce 100 percent of atmospheric noise.
• Sound-Absorbing Wall Panels. You’ve heard of soundproof booths? Well, you can make your own soundproof area in your home office with soundproof panels. If you work in an office, work with your employer to see if you can create such a space in your office. You are likely not the only employee in the office with this issue, so it may be beneficial for your employer to think of the needs of valued employees who thrive in quiet environments.

2. Poor Memory

Productivity and project management products are crucial to the success of professionals for a very good reason: most people need help remembering events, dates and contact information. And most of those people need to be easily able to find those things all in one place. The reason they cannot is usually due to the highly common human characteristic of not having a great capacity for carrying around massive stores of data. That’s why the benefit of having an iPhone 8 Plus where you can download a good productivity a calendar, contacts list and anything else needed to help clear the mental clutter and remember every deadline, appointment and more.

3. Self-Doubt

The first thing you need to come to terms with if you have self-doubt is that just about everyone has some degree of self-doubt. Secondly, if you find your own self-doubt crippling and has become a detractor keeping you from achieving your professional potential, you need to manage it right away. You may find yourself shying away from amazing opportunities that are yours for the taking if you don’t find a way to overcome this issue. There are a number of strategies for overcoming self-doubt:

• Acknowledge your self-doubt and practice self-compassion
• Question and challenge the validity of your self-doubt
• Seek support, advice and mentorship from trusted professionals

As long as you are aware that you have some mental clutter in the way, and you are working to clear it, there is no reason you can’t keep moving forward and upward in your business.

Ready to see the Wizarding World as you’ve never experienced it before?  Step through Newt Scamander’s case and explore the spectacular world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in an expanded breathtaking cinematic virtual reality experience available for purchase on January 23 on major VR platforms.

Based on Warner Bros.’ 2016 film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Virtual Reality Experience allows users to meet and interact with six magical beasts, complete spells, explore Newt’s shed, create potions, and immerse themselves in the magic like never before, all while guided by Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) himself.  This version of the previously released limited VR experience will allow fans to return to the Wizarding World for a more robust and expanded experience, featuring three new beasts including the fan favorite Niffler, as well as the Occamy and Bowtruckles.  These join the previously available Thunderbird, Erumpent and Graphorn.  Fans can also participate in more magical spells as they interact with each of Newt’s fantastic creatures.  Additionally, the experience includes a deleted scene and 360 degree behind–the-scenes footage that takes fans onto the set and into the movie making process. 

In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, there are growing dangers in the wizarding world of 1926 New York. Something mysterious is leaving a path of destruction in the streets, threatening to expose the wizarding community to the No-Majs (American for Muggles), including the Second Salemers, a fanatical faction bent on eradicating them.  And the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, has slipped away…and is now nowhere to be found.  

Unaware of the rising tensions, Newt Scamander arrives in the city nearing the end of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded in the magical hidden dimensions of his deceptively nondescript leather case.  But potential disaster strikes when unsuspecting No-Maj Jacob Kowalski inadvertently lets some of Newt’s beasts loose in a city already on edge—a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy that former Auror Tina Goldstein jumps on, seeing her chance to regain her post as an investigator.  However, things take an ominous turn when Percival Graves, the enigmatic Director of Magical Security at MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), casts his suspicions on both Newt and Tina.  

Now allied, Newt and Tina, together with Tina’s sister, Queenie, and their new No-Maj friend, Jacob, form a band of unlikely heroes, who must recover Newt’s missing beasts before they come to harm.  But the stakes are higher than these four outsiders—now branded fugitives—ever imagined, as their mission puts them on a collision course with dark forces that could push the wizarding and No-Maj worlds to the brink of war.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them takes us to a new era of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, decades before Harry Potter and half a world away. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl) stars in the central role of Magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them also stars Katherine Waterston (Steve Jobs, Inherent Vice) as Tina, Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Jacob, Alison Sudol (Transparent) as Tina’s sister, Queenie, Ezra Miller (Trainwreck, upcoming Justice League) as Credence, two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (In America, Sweet and Lowdown) as Mary Lou Barebone, Oscar winner Jon Voight (Coming Home, TV’s Ray Donovan) as Henry Shaw, Sr., Carmen Ejogo (Selma) as Seraphina Picquery, and Colin Farrell (Saving Mr. Banks, TV’s True Detective) as Percival Graves.

The film mark the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose seven beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into one of the highest grossing film franchises of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” written by her character Newt Scamander.

In addition to David Yates, the film reunited a number of people from the Harry Potter features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Tim Lewis, Neil Blair and Rick Senat served as executive producers.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Virtual Reality Experience will be available for purchase on major VR platforms beginning January 23.  The home-based VR experience will support controllers, spatial tracking and room scale tracking, depending on the platform.  The mobile experience (Samsung Gear, Google Daydream) will be available for purchase for $4.99, and the room scale/immersive experience (Oculus, HTC Vive) will be available for purchase for $9.99.  The experience will be available in six audio languages, including English, Latin Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.