Tag: Jason Martin

The Clone Wars Isn’t Done Just Yet

May. 06 Animation, News, Television no comments

Depending on what Star Wars camp you’re in you either love or hate the Clone Wars. The animated TV series takes place between Episodes 2 and 3 of the Star Wars Saga and charts the three odd years of the intergalactic civil war that played a pivotal role in Darth Sidious’ plan for ultimate domination. Now, if you’re a fan of the series you would have been upset to hear that the Disney takeover of Lucas Film spelled the end for the cartoon action after 5 series, but it would appear that it’s not over.

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If you’re unfamiliar with the Clone Wars TV series, and as a Star Wars fan you really should be, the series followed the adventures of the good guys and bad guys through the Clone Wars! (Not just a clever title) Taking us through battles, strategies, blockades, trade negotiations and tax hikes that span the entire Star Wars universe and introduced a lot of great new characters, as well as keeping us in touch with some of the universes favourites, the series came to an end after five full seasons. But now it would seem that we are not quite done with war time adventures just yet.

The Jedi have been fighting a war with an army that was commissioned by one of their own, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. But who was Sifo-Dyas, and what happened to him? The dark lord of the Sith has woven an intricate web to ensnare the Jedi, but it is not full-proof and sometimes a small clue, and a bit of chance, can lead to the unraveling of the best-laid plans.

Those are the words of Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni, dropping hints around where the cartoon is heading and some of the questions yet to be answers (He was talking to the USA Today, for more and a sneak peek at some unseen footage click HERE). When the announcement was made about the cartoon coming to an end it was revealed that there were a good few hours of footage that had already been made hanging around and plenty of other stories still in the works that haven’t yet been made. It’s not yet clear if the show will continue on another channel or straight to DVD but it’s clear that they’re coming.

Right, time to flex that Star Wars muscle!

Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas

Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas

Filoni hinted at one of the major story lines centring around Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, the Jedi who supposedly ordered the creation of the Clone army to serve the Jedi and protect the Republic. In Episode 2: Attack of the Clones it is understood that Master Dyas was presumed dead 10 years prior to the events in the movie. Also in the movie it is revealed that the template for the Clone army was a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter by the name of Jango Fett. Fett tells Obi-Wan that he was recruited for the assignment by a Lord Tyrannus, not Sifo-Dyas. Here is where things get interesting, and extra nerdy, Lord Tyrannus is the name given to Count Dooku after his fall to the Dark Side of the Force. Meaning that the creation of the Clone army was engineered from the beginning for the destruction of the Jedi and Sifo-Dyas was merely another porn in the Emperors great end game.

Now, here is where it gets tricky. If you follow the extended universe then the creation of the Clone wars goes deeper than that. It tells us that each of the Clone batches is developed for a specific task. Some are simple fighters with less intellect and more obedience all the way up to the top flight troopers, the ARC (Advanced Recon Commando) troopers, that are basically straight clones of Jango, with all of the Mandalorians battle skill and cunning. These ARC troopers are assigned to each Jedi as a second in command, meaning each Jedi basically had his own Jango following him around at all times. Jango Fett was most famed for one thing, the killing of six Jedi with his bare hands at the Battle of Galidraan. So, when order 66 came through each Jedi was accompanied by their very own, highly skilled, Jedi killing Mo-Fo. Job done, perfect.

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However, where the Clone Wars cartoon is concerned most of the story has changed. It would appear that all of the Clones are created equal and given different training to obtain their rank. This coupled with a number of other things could have a bearing on the story of Sifo-Dyas that we are about to see. They will have to handle it carefully though as there is no mention of the seemingly ill-fated Dyas in the third movie AND if Sifo-Dyas’ fate is discovered then surly it would lead to, or at least raise questions about the creation of the Clone Army that should make the Jedi think!

Duchess Satine Kryze

Duchess Satine Kryze

One of the other things that changed in the animated series was the current state of Mandalor. In the extended universe Mandalore was still a self-governed planet of worriers, all about honor and brotherhood. In the TV series Mandalore is now a pacifist world living in fear of the return of the Death Watch, a Mandalorian terrorist faction. This was both good and bad. The extended universe version was both the more exciting and interesting guise, but the cartoon version allowed us some more insight in to the character of Obi-Wan.  Turns out that good old Kenobi considered tending his resignation to the Jedi for the love of Satine Kryze, Duchess of New Mandalore, helping to humanize the Jedi Master and strengthen the bond between him and Anakin as master confides in former apprentice.

Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka Tano

Another addition to the universe thanks to the series is the introduction of Anakin’s war time Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka’s introduction, as well as being a kick ass little Jedi, serves as more attachment for Anakin and a keenly felt loss that builds towards his final fall. At the end of season 5 of the Clone Wars the young Jedi walked away from it all. Accused of a crime that she didn’t commit the young Togruta turned her back on the order to walk off in to the sunset (Becoming a Dark Jedi, a trained force user that leans neither to the dark or the light, one would assume!). This leaves a lot of possibilities for her character to return, either later in the animated series or maybe even in Movie form!!!!

On the whole Star Wars The Clone Wars has done a lot of good for the franchise. For a start, Anakin is a hell of a lot less annoying then he is in the movies, which is a massive plus, and it has gone a long way in giving us more information surrounding his role as the Chosen One and his intended purpose in the force. It has helped us get to know a lot of brand new characters and learn more about some of the universes finest and gone on to introduce Star Wars to a new and younger fan base insuring ticket and DVD sales will be astronomical for years to come. I’m glad that the series is not yet done and am very much looking forward to what is coming next. There have also been hints at another animated series set in another timeframe in Star Wars history, no doubt that will mess up some more amazing books, but should be fun and as a fan of comics I’m used to things constantly changing and nothing really making any sense. It seems that everything is still very up in the air and nobody knows what’s going on since the Disney take over. I’m sure it’ll all sort itself out in time. Until then all that’s left for us hardcore fans to do is sit and s#@t ourselves about how bad they are going to screw up all of the movies that Disney are going to bang out in the next few years. *SIGH*

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1 Tweet Comic Reviews

Apr. 27 Comic Books, Editor's Pick, Reviews, Twitter no comments

That’s right, we’re back to review slap you with several small chunks of new comic goodness. Enjoy.

YA  Young Avengers #4 – @kierongillen, @McKelvie, @TheMikeNorton & @COLORnMATT  might be THE perfect team to bring YA in to the 21st century. Page 2 is masterpiece! – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers)
GotG  Guardians of the Galaxy #2 – I’ve been wanting an epic superhero space opera for a while now and @BRIANMBENDIS‘ Guardians of the Galaxy is that and so much more. – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers)
USM  Ultimate Spider-Man #22 – Miles Morales is officially my favourite Spider-Man of all time. This is one of the best issues in an already spectacular series. – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers)
IV  I, Vampire #19 – I’m still not sure if I love it or hate it. The cancellation and rushed ending have really mired what could’ve been a jaw dropping finale. – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers)
Dredd  Judge Dredd: Year One #2 – With every other week pumping out new and, more importantly, good Dredd comics (on @comiXology, no less!) I am a very, very happy boy. – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers) – - – - – - – - – - – So,
apparently the Dredd movie was a flop, then why all the new Dredd books?? CAUSE THEY’RE AWESOME, THAT’S WHY!!!!! – Jay Martin (@thejizzo)
EoW  East of West #2 – Ambitious is not a strong enough word. East of West has the potential to be as incredible as Saga and, so far, it’s living up to it. – Jack Chambers (@JLWChambers)
2013-04-01-gi_joe_special_missions_02  G.I. Joe Special Missions #2 – The Baroness is on the outs with COBRA. Great read after the re-launch. Yo Joe!!! – Bryan Brown (@bryanthenerd)
Bat inc  Batman Incorporated #10 – I’m sure a big lead character died in this book recently, oh well, best tee up the endgame! – Jay Martin (@thejizzo)
JL  Jupiters Legacy #1 – Its Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Buy it, Read it, Prick!! – Jay Martin (@the jizzo)
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Review: Five Ghosts: The Haunting Of Fabian Gray #1

Mar. 23 Comic Books, Reviews no comments
five_ghosts-promo

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Frank J. Barbiere
Artist: Chris Mooneyham
Release Date: 20th March 2013

If you’re my age then you will no doubt remember the hit 80′s cartoon BraveStarr. If you are younger, or were raised in a bubble, then the plot revolved around Marshall Brave Starr who policed the planet of New Texas with his trusted half robot horse. The interesting thing about this particular Marshall was his ability to invoke the powers of various, and always conveniently useful, animal spirits. Every week the hero Marshall would use the Speed of the Puma and Strength of the Bear in order to beat the living crap out a wide array of space villains. Bringing that concept up to date(ish) is the latest Image mini-series Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray.

This book has had quite the buzz around it in the run up to its release. Written by Frank J. Barbiere and featuring some interesting gothic style oldie worldie art from Chris Mooneyham the book was discovered at a con by one of the Image higher ups and re-released under an Image banner. Now it’s here and it makes for an interesting read.

 

After a tragic encounter with an artifact known as “The Dreamstone” infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray was possessed by five literary ghosts and has been granted access to their unique abilities.

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The first book in the series introduces us to our would be hero and we witness his amazing abilities first hand as he pinches an expensive artifact from an Austrian castle using each of his spirit companions to full effect. As the book moves on we see that poor old Fabian is not coping too well being full of ghosts and is haunted by memories of his sister. Accompanied by his sister’s partner, Sebastian, the pair set off to darkest Africa in search of answers and a solution to all of their problems. But while Fabian searches for solutions, a mysterious figure with an unknown agenda is in search of Mr Gray and I don’t think he comes bearing gifts!

This is a very nice book that is definitely worth all the hype. It looks good and moves quick, with the art moving the story along as swiftly and clearly as the dialogue. You also get a lot for your money. Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray #1 is a 40 page comic, so minus the ads and all the other gubbins its gives you around 33 pages of actual story. So it’s good all round. Give it a look see.

 

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Star Wars #3

Mar. 16 Comic Books no comments

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away……….

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The galaxy is at war! With the

destruction of the Death Star

 over the former rebel stronghold

on Yavin 4, the rebels have been

forced to search for a new base

of operations.

Tasked with finding a new home

 for the Rebel Alliance, Senator

Leah Organa has formed a select

group of the Alliance’s most trusted

pilots to create a secret task force

and flush out the suspected spy

in their midst.

Mon Mothma, a high-up in the

Rebel command, has used her

vast and high-powered contacts

to secure new supplies and

munitions for the Alliance and

has dispatched smuggler Han

Solo and his first mate Chewbacca

to Imperial Centre, formerly the

capital planet of the republic

Coruscant, to secure the supplies.

Meanwhile the disgraced Sith Lord

Darth Vader has lost his position as

head of the Imperial fleet and been

sent to oversee the construction of

 Death Star 2 over the forest moon

of Endor as punishment for his

failure…………..

 

We are now on to issue #3 of the new Star Wars series and things are moving along in typical Star Wars fashion. And to be honest this series is a lot closer to the franchise then any others I’ve read, with multiple stories all taking place at the same time and all heading for what is looking to be an explosive finally. Comic book series that take place in the middle of an established franchise such as this are always interesting. Although we know the eventual outcome – who will die, who will live etc – the writers and artists always provide insight in to the characters and  what it took to get to the stories we already know.

 

prv15465_pg3These books provide an excellent look at what the rebellion had to go through in order to not only survive, but also become a force able to take on the might of the Empire. The series also explores the relationships between all of the main characters, and how they made the change from disorganized individuals to a team in order to fight the biggest bads in all of the universe.

 

We see some good stuff in this 3rd issue. We are shown that Luke is still very young and not ready for the massive responsibilities that lie in front of him. We see that Han definitely hasn’t lost his prowess and that Leah’s feelings for Luke are still unclear, which is a bit weird and very uncomfortable for everyone involved.

 

Publisher: Dark Horse

Writer: Brian Wood

Art: Carlos D’Anda

Release Date: 13th March, 2013

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Review: Witchblade #164

Mar. 05 Comic Books 1 comment

TopcowlogoPublisher: TopCow/Image

Writer: Tim Seeley

Art: Diego Bernard

Release Date: 6th February

Top Cow’s latest universe spanning story arc makes the jump from Artifacts to Witchblade in “Progeny Part 2“, and it’s revelation time!!

witchblade-164The “Progeny” story kicked off last week in Artifacts #24 and saw Tom Judge lead a group of Artifact bearers against Jackie Estacado, the Darkness bearer, and his new mate the Ancient One. (See more HERE) Now, fresh off an ass whooping, Judge has made his way to Chicago to convince Miss Pezzini to join his side. In order to do that, he must tell her what he knows of what Jackie has done and the new universe.

Poor old Jerry. You would think most men would enjoy being tasked to watch a sexy redhead all day. Unfortunately, he’s tasked with watching Sara Pezzini, who’s no ordinary redhead. Jackie sent Jerry to watch Sara and report back in the “Rebirth” storyline and he has been doing so ever since.  Sara has been onto him, but let him think she was in the dark… until now. In this issue, Jerry is seeking police custody so he won’t get ripped to pieces. Unfortunately some of those little Darkness buggers know exactly where he is, and Jackie himself shows up to tie up some loose ends.  Sara confronts Jackie in order to save Jerry and find out the truth, but will she like what she discovers?

It’s more of your standard ultra-violent, sexy, half-naked women and witty bad language from the Witchblade team, and what more could you want from a comic? Written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Diego Bernard, this book is a must-buy for any Witchblade fans. The creators seem to be aiming for “Progeny” to be the biggest Top Cow crossover since “Rebirth,” and whether that turns out to be good or bad for the characters’ lives remains to be seen.

Witchblade #164  is out this Wednesday, and then the next installment jumps to The Darkness in issue #111.

Witchblade #164

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Review: Artifacts #25

Mar. 04 Comic Books, Reviews 1 comment

TopcowlogoPublisher: Top Cow/Image

Writer: Ron Marz

Art: Stjepan Sejic

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2013

Tom Judge’s quest to right the wrongs of the entire universe continues in this issue’s new story arc, “Progeny – Part 1.” Artifacts #25: Progeny Part #1. He faces the problem head on, but do Tom and his band of confused and sometimes unwilling artifact bearers have any idea what they face?

If you aren’t up to date with what’s going on in the Top Cow universe, then you have been missing out. Here are a few key points to get you all caught up.

  • There are 13 artifacts in the universe, and each has a bearer to look after it;
  • If the 13 are brought together they will unmake the entire universe;
  • This happened not too long ago when Jackie Estacado, bearer of the Darkness, remade the universe to his liking;
  • Tom Judge, ex-priest and bearer of the Rapture, knows this and is trying to put it right;
  • Tom is traveling around finding artifacts and making sure they are safe in the right hands;
  • Tom has got a band of bearers together and means to confront Jackie to get stuff sorted out; and
  • Jackie has made an alliance with some older, bigger baddies known as the Ancient Ones.

artifacts25_p2And that should just about bring us up-to-date.

So here we are at Artifacts #25, and it’s time for a showdown. Tom leads four people—a former wielder of the Darkness and the current Angelus, Heart Stone and Spear of Destiny bearers—to lure Jackie into a confrontation in order to right his wrongs and save the universe. Unfortunately, everything doesn’t go quite to plan…

artifacts25_p6This is a must-read for any Top Cow fan who hasn’t checked out Artifacts yet. It’s a great title that not only brings together the two biggest books in the universe, The Darkness and Witchblade, but adds other amazing characters to mess everything up. The art, from Stjepan Sejic, is something else. The images are realistic because of his painting style that makes characters look like vivid portraits. Ron Marz’s fast-paced story is filled with several characters, and he’s clearly having a lot of fun penning these books. “Progeny” looks like it will span all titles across the Top Cow universe, and Matt Hawkins teased at last weekend’s LSCC that Top Cow’s creative architects are going to make readers think that things will return to normal, but appearances may be deceiving.

 

Artifact #25

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London Super Comic Con 2013

Feb. 27 Comic Books, Editor's Pick no comments

One of the first UK cons to roll around is also one of the biggest, London Super Comic Con. Now in its second year at the Excel Arena in the heart the of London docklands, the con is very purist, featuring nothing but comics and some of the biggest names working in the industry. With everyone involved in comics at every level feeling the pinch, it seems that all have jumped to the same conclusion; that cons are the best way to make the most money, thus causing more to pop up every year. This also gives a massive and varied turnout with plenty of people throwing books at you in order to keep doing what they love.

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Every time I go to one of these events I am astounded as to how lovely everyone is. Creativity tends to have quite the stigma attached, pretension and arrogance. I’ve met a number of famous people in my travels, working in a number of different fields and am happy to say that comics is the one place where said stigma is almost nonexistent. Top flight creators, with masses of success and back catalogs that feature some of the best books in history, come across just as humble and personable as the people who go to a con (me included) to kiss as much arse as possible in order to break into the industry.

While on the subject of all round nice guys, my partner in crime during this weekend’s misadventures was UK WotN contributor Jack Chambers. Thanks to two press passes secured by Jack, the pair of us took it upon ourselves to bring you the very best of the event. We live tweeted throughout the weekend, (search #WOTNCon on Twitter for some pics and to see the updates) as well as doing a few interviews and attending a few of the most interesting panels. Jack will be along soon bringing you the interview highlights from our chats with Matt Hawkins (TopCow legend and Think Tank writer), Erik Hendrix (Arcana Studios) and the creative team of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (Young Avengers, Phonogram). So, for now you’re stuck with me and some highlights from the rest of the show.

Set out the same as any other Con, halls N10 and N11 of the Excel looked like a giant comic flee market. The biggest producers and vendors were in the center, and the newbies were farther out signing tables at the rear, and a large 200-seat amphitheater sheltered the panels. A lot of publishers created special edition covers, a couple from TopCow, Zenescope, and even Marvel threw in a Superior Spider-Man and Nova exclusive. Also, the free LSCC catalog is quite impressive, featuring a section of pages that have a sketch, a picture of the creator, some information, and a handy place for an autograph, a hunters dream.

LSCC Mag

Cosplayers were also out in force, ranging from the sublime, to the sexy, to the utterly ridiculous. For extra giggles on Sunday, there was a large beauty and cosmetics convention taking place in the next hall, making for some interesting meetings in the communal food hall. And Dan Slott’s (Superior Spider-Man’s writer) autograph queue was at a constant 150 – 200 feet for the entire two days… and not one of the people in line slapped him.

Cosplayers

Then there were the panels, all of which sounded interesting and had an impressive line-up, but many con vets go to all of the panels and do nothing else. A few panels went on the back burner in favor of interviews, shopping, chatting, food and beer. The ones we missed included Daredevil Through The Ages, 20 yrs Of Top Cow, and a screening of Judge Minty from 2000AD. I’m sure if you have a look on Youtube you can find them all in full glorious HD. We did attend the Superior Spider–Man panel, but there was quite a lot of info there which I think warrants its own post, so keep your eyes peeled later in the week for more on that. To save us all some time I’ll break down the couple of panels we did get to into handy and interesting bullet points. Enjoy.

2000AD Dredd and Beyond panel (Brian Bolland, Ian Edginton, Alan Grant, John Wagner, Frazer Irving, Ben Wiltshire.)

2000AD Panel

  • Alan Grant, John Wagner and the rest of the panel loved the Dredd movie. They say it did twice as much as the Stallone movie with half the budget;
  • Bolland wanted to see the film go deeper into Mega City One and feature more stuff like stranger, more mutated mutants and gorillas in suits;
  • All agree that Urban did an amazing job and would be happy to see him return to the roll, but a sequel needs epic DVD sales;
  • bolland- lincoln dreddFavorite cover seemed to be the Dredd Lincoln tribute.
  • Stickleback to return, 5 years on, steam punk style London with serving Dinosaurs.
  • New Anderson series from Grant, Cadet Anderson and Senior Judge Anderson. He says current Anderson stories are a little too depressing and wants to lighten the mood by having her kill herself;
  • Wagner has passion back for Judge Death and next arch might see Dredd lose to the Dark Judge;
  • Judge Death was originally meant to be more of a comedy character but it didn’t fit with the art;
  • The panel wasn’t sure what would happen when Dredd finally dies. Rico could take over or they could put Dredd’s brain into Rico’s body;
  • No plans for any further cross overs. They would all like to see Dredd vs. Punisher but would consider most crossovers, apart from superheroes, especially the Justice League. “They’re sort of wankers.” – Grant.

Batman Through The Ages (Neal Adams, Brian Bolland, Gary Franks, David Finch)

Batman Panel

  • While waiting for Finch, Neal Adams gave us a song;
  • Batman is so popular as he is a regular guy with no powers, and he is cool in every facet;
  • He could save far more people as Bruce Wayne but chooses to go out and fight baddies;
  • The panel decided that the best Batmobiles were to either the one by Dick Sprang or the original Burton car;

Sprang's BatmobileBatmobile burtom

  • DC #410The end of Arkham City has no bearing on the rest of the Batman universe;
  • If there was no Joker there would just be other clowns, Gotham attracts clowns, and Batman would be too grim otherwise;
  • No real need for Robin in this day and age, especially Damian as he’s a little s#@t;
  • But in the same breath Adams would like to see something good done with Robin in another movie and would like Talia to be more attractive. Also show Manbat;
  • Don’t trust the fans, they voted Todd dead and then moaned when he died;
  • Finch said fan pressure is crazy as the introduction of social media can bring the horrible right to your door. People will always moan about everything you do and then grow to love it over time;
  • Question – Why has no one ever become Batman in real life? Answer – Because you would get arrested or killed;
  • One of Bolland’s favorite stories is in Detective Comics #410 and features Seal Boy;
  • Another favorite is the Batman Olympics. Enemies of Batman hold games to find evil replacement Batman;
  • The panel agrees that comics are too expensive now; and
  • The old school don’t read the new books!!!

Amazing weekend with a lot of amazing people, roll on the next con.

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Americas Got Powers #5

Feb. 16 Comic Books, Reviews no comments

Publisher: Image
Writer Jonathan Ross
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2013

 

Ross and Hitch return in their penultimate book in this series with Americas Got Powers #5 and things are lining up for an explosive finally.

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So far in this book we have found that a strange glowing rock has gifted some people with super powers. In order to control said super individuals, a fantastic sporting event has been organised to pit hero against hero, Americas Got Powers. The series focuses on Tommy Watts, a child in the same situation as the other individuals but with seemingly no powers. When Tommy enters the powers arena mid-battle to save a child, it turns out he does have powers, big powers, but it’s unclear which. The people in charge decide they want some of Tommy’s powered goodness and go after the young man.

AGP #5Further on in the series we know that Tommy’s power is to gift powers to non-powered individuals (still with me?), sort of like a reverse Rogue. In issue #4, poor old Tommy was kidnapped by a group of super terrorists and beaten into revealing his powers, only to be kidnapped back by the armed forces and forced to do the bidding of the evil Sarah Palin looking boss lady. And use his powers he does, but to what end? I am a big fan of this series and both Ross and Hitch. Throughout this series the book has not disappointed, both in looks and content. This book has been coming out for longer than you’d expect for a miniseries, thanks to rewrites and delays, but we are getting closer to the final issue.

Issue #5 is very much a fill-in book between #4 and #6, and some of the scenes drag on for too long. Most of this issue takes place in one room and probably could have easily been included in other issues of the series. Things are now all in place for an unpredictable ending, and I for one am looking forward to the next issue, whenever it’s released.

America’s Got Powers #4 came out on February 13th from Image Comics. Written by Jonathan Ross and drawn by Bryan Hitch. To read previous issues, check out the links below.

Issue #4 review: – http://www.wordofthenerdonline.com/americas-got-powers-4/

Issue #2 review: – http://www.wordofthenerdonline.com/americas-got-powers-2/

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Marvel Ushers In The Age Of Ultron

Feb. 10 Comic Books, News no comments

Just when you thought Marvel was getting fed up with massive events they drop Age of Ultron on us. It appears that Ultron has returned, taken over the world and kicked almost everyone’s ass, and to get us pumped here’s a funky new advert:-

Released on March 6th, this ten issue cross over event brings writer Brian Michael Bendis together with a team of Marvels best pencil jockeys, including Bryan Hitch, Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco to bring back this Asimo with attitude.

AgeOfUltron_1_UltronVariantUltron is a bad ass Robot built by one of the Avengers resident geniuses Hank Pym. Hank uses his own brain waves as a template for the robots own mechanical mind. Ultron then developed his own sentient intellect and decides that his father, the great Dr Pym, isn’t all that great and tries to kill his ass. After that the crazy kill bot is destroyed by the Avengers, and a couple of other well hard super teams, around 17 times throughout his 40 odd year career. His various guises have seen him made from everything from steel, to vibranium, to adamantium, to possessing a human or two. He is able to fly, shoot stuff, be dead strong and use mind control to devastating effect.

The last we saw the most recent incarnation of Ultron he had been re-energised by the Intelligencia. In Avengers Vol 4 #12.1 Sword finds a new robot thing in space and sends Spider-Women to go and get it. She is taken hostage by the Intelligencia who are trying to pinch the Galadorian Spaceknight’s power source. The Avengers manage to stop the bad guys, but the Spaceknight is inadvertently activated and unfortunately turns out to contain the consciousness of Ultron. A battle ensues between Ultron and Thor resulting in Ultron doing a runner. Tony Stark then turns up with some poop in his suit and informs everyone that he has seen the future and we are all in said poop when Ultron returns.

age of ultronAnd that, apart from a few pictures and the above ad, is about all we know so far.

As with everything, there are good and bad points to an event like this. As we all know this is by no means the first big cross over event the Marvel fellas have thrown our way. That said, it needs to be big and it needs to be good as it is the first major event since the release of Marvel Now. I just hope it doesn’t leave me hating the entire universe like AvX did. Also, those at Marvel have slipped in to the habit of bombarding us with books and Age of Ultron, AU, seems to be no different. With three books in the first month and then two every month until the arc ends it’s as if they are trying to get it out of the way as quick as possible. I get that AU will have to fit around other books and current story arcs and the speedy releases are clearly there to keep it in line with everything else happening in the universe, but it doesn’t make it any easier on the wallet!!!!

SLOW THE F#@K DOWN MARVEL, WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

Submit or Perish to Age of Ultron #1 from Bendis and Hitch on 6th March 2012.

Age of Ultron #1

Age of Ultron #1

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America’s Got Powers #4

Dec. 21 Comic Books, Reviews 1 comment

It’s here and it’s real, at last!

If you are looking for a good book, other than DC’s amazing Death of the Family and the fifty odd billion weekly Marvel books that are coming thick and fast at the moment, then look no further. It may not be the most regularly released title but we are now on issue #4 of this six issue run and things are heating up nicely.

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If you are not following the America’s got Powers series then click HERE for a quick recap and a review of book #2 in the series. Also, if you intend to start this series a fresh then stop reading and pick up issue #1.

Things are starting to get worse for powerless super-human Tommy ‘Zero’ Watts as everyone wants a piece of him and whatever powers are buried deep within his seventeen year old mind. The band of ‘evil’ scientists who have been working on a method of transferring powers from super-humans to ordinary folk have realized what Tommy can do and are hot on his trail, but they are not the only ones who want to use the unfortunate teen the their own ends.

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After the attack on the games, Tommy has fallen in to the hands of a terrorist super group who are trying to activate Tommy’s powers by beating the living crap out of him. But, with most people, including the boy himself, still in the dark about what he can do, they just keep beating him up to no effect. Well, that might not be completely true……

This is a great, inventive series. Drawing on the same prejudice we have seen in X-Men books for years, but from a different angle, AGP is action packed and fast moving. With writing from Jonathan Ross and amazing art from Bryan Hitch this is a must read!

Released Wednesday, 19th December.

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WOTN – Favourite Movie Endings #1

Dec. 15 Movies, Nerd's Perspective no comments

Every good story is said to have three parts:- Beginning, Middle and End.

Beginning – The start of the story sets the scene and introduces audiences to the characters. The beginning can be as in your face as you like for the first couple of minutes to get you hooked, but then it needs to slow down to give a real taste of the story and the characters.

Middle – After we are introduced to the characters we need to get to know them better so that we’re invested in them and what they have to go through. This is what the middle of the story is for. This is where the characters’ journeys happen, establishing who is good, who is bad, who is hot for who etc. Basically it’s how the characters change from how they were in the beginning to how they are in the end.

The End – After our characters have gone through their trials and tribulations, this is where they end up. The ending is by far the most important part of the movie. If you have sat through two hours of amazing cinematic goodness and the ending is crap then it ruins the entire film. It can have twists and turns, be huge and action packed or just leave you with a nice warm feeling of fulfillment. It can make a bad film worthwhile and an amazing film complete and utter rubbish! But, good or bad, it’s the part of the movie that sticks with you the most, so we at WOTN are going to celebrate our favourites, right now!

WARNING – This post is going to be filled with spoilers! So check the titles, they are not hard to miss, they’re the words in the bold print that are underlined, and if you haven’t seen the movie and intend to then don’t spoil the end for yourself! You have been warned.

So off we go……………

 

Pulp_Fiction_coverPulp Fiction

 A lot s**t went down and characters you liked died, but with the non-sequential timeline, it ended with everyone happy and alive. I thought that was well done on Tarantino’s part to have a happy ending without jumping any sharks. – Becca Nark

First up today is a modern classic from movie god Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction. The movie follows a group of robbing, cheating gangsters as they go about their robbing, gangsta business and is perfectly summed up by Becca. The movie jumps to different points in the characters time line and ends in the same place it starts.

The end sees enforcer duo Vince (Travolta) and Jules (L. Jackson) face off with robbing duo Pumpkin (Roth) and Honey Bunny (Plummer) when a very cool discussion between the latter pair leads to them holding up a coffee shop at gun point. This is a good ending due to the fact that we see Vince gunned down by Butch (Willis) earlier in the movie. But thanks to the jumpy time line all four leave at the end of the scene alive and happy! Great movie, amazing ending.

 

citwteasersmallCabin In the Woods

Our second choice is another film full of mad twists and turns, mental horror, zombie, werewolf, slasher, mind f#$k movie, Cabin in the Woods.

A group of teen/twenty something’s, played by actors that are well in their thirties, end up at a cabin in some woods. Turns out that they are being manipulated by a group of technicians into playing out a scenario set to end with their deaths.

The movie ends with Dana (Connolly) and Marty (Kranz) in the basement of the technician’s  facility where they meet the Director (Weaver). They find out that they are part of a ritual to keep the Ancient Ones, giant god like beings, from destroying the world.  The pair decide that humanity isn’t worth it and sit down to enjoy a joint as the Ancient Ones wake up!

Because of everything I was expecting, I was not expecting THAT. – Becca Nark

 

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

Vamp HuntAnime-tastic Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust follows D, the son of Count Dracula no less, as he searches for a young girl, Charlotte, who has been kidnapped by a vampire Baron. The movie is a race against time as D is not the only one on the trail of the girl and the Baron and the movie becomes a right old monster fest involving ghosts, shape shifters, shadow manipulators and all manner of baddies.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust had the perfect ending to it. It was bittersweet and it reflects the immortal nature of the main character. – Joseph Furguson

The very end of the movie jumps to years later and we see D attend his friend and companion Leila’s funeral. D and the still human Leila made a pact that would see the one that survived the other bring flowers to their grave. The immortal D is seen talking to Leila’s granddaughter who offers him a place to stay which he declines to continue his adventures to who knows where.

 

Shawshank Redemption

Hailed as one of the all-time greatest movies, The Shawshank Redemption follows the story of the ill-fated Andy Dufresne (Robbins).

Because it made all the pain of the previous two hours worth it. Best good-guy-wins ending ever. – Rachel Proffitt

The start of the movie sees Andy returning home to catch hisThe-Shawshank-Redemption1 wife getting nasty with someone else and walking out without being seen. The next thing we know Andy’s wife turns up in deadsville and he is coping for the blame. Andy is sent to Shawshank for the murder of his wife; unlucky. While there he meets Red (Freeman, a good bad guy, as opposed to Andy who is a pretty bad good guy!), makes a library for the inmates,  sneaks some music on, does the warden’s tax returns and manages to get some convenient masonry tools to make a stone chess set.

At the end of the movie we find out that Andy has been a busy boy. Not only has he made his chess set he has also made an Andy shaped tunnel out of his cell to freedom. Before going he tells Red a story that leads him, upon his release, to some money that’s under a tree and a little further to meet Andy on a beach sanding a boat! Great movie, lovely ending.

 

The Dark Knight Rises

DKRThe last movie in the Nolan trilogy, TDKR managed to swoop its way up to number seven in the list of highest grossing movies of all time. Pitted against Bane (Hardy) we see the Dark Knight (Bale) broken and pushed to the limit as Gotham is held hostage once more by the League of Shadows. The movie sees the bat helped (sort of) by Catwoman (Hathaway) and a young cop known as Blake (Gordon-Levitt).

I freaking LOVED that slightly-but-not-really ambiguous ending with JGL finding the BatCave and us realizing he’s about to become Robin/Nightwing, plus the happy ending for Bruce Wayne with Selina of all people. When Alfred saw him and they smiled at one another in the cafe, it felt so full circle and complete. – Liz Chenery Long

And that about sums it up. Batman/Bruce Wayne presumed dead, sneaks off to live the good life with Selina ‘Catwoman’ Kyle leaving Blake, also known as Robin, to stumble in to the Batcave to continue the legacy.

 

Any Indiana Jones Movie That Isn’t Crystal Skull

The ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s such a good conspiracy theory ending with the long shot of the man pushing the cart containing the Ark of the Covenant amongst a sea of other crates. And the set up line of the ark being examined by “top men” is brilliant. Also, the ending of The Last Crusade. Before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Crusade gave us a great wrap-up to Indiana’s adventures with the emotional payoff of the relationship between father and son with the added bonus of learning Indiana was named after the dog! Salah’s laughter is so wonderfully contagious. Plus, they get to ride off into the sunset, so to speak. Perfect ending. – Samantha Cross

Indiana-Jones

I’m not going to go through the Indy movies for you; if you haven’t seen them then you have issues, big ones, see somebody. The first three Indiana Jones movies took us all over the world and dealt with such subjects as religion and………………. well religion and their masterpieces (I have to say that I also really liked the fourth movie, but I will shut up about that while I still have most of you onside). We followed Dr. Jones (Ford) on his adventures to secure some massively religious relics including the Ark of the Covenant, The Sankara Stones and the Holy Grail. So here are the three endings summed up real fast.

Raiders of the Lost Ark – Nazi’s melt, Ark secured, stored in a warehouse to be ‘studied’.

Temple of Doom – Stones recovered, bridge cut, crocodiles, drought cured.

The Last Crusade – Old Knight, Nazi melts, Grail lost, Indiana = dogs name, ride into sunset.

Awesome right.

Shallow Grave

Shallow Grave has a perfect ending, but because it is a movie I’m not sure many people have seen (AND THEY SHOULD), I don’t want to say any more. Directed by Danny Boyle, starring Ewan McGregor, and the 9th Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston, it is a fantastic 90s “Holy S#*t” thriller. – Rachel Proffitt

220px-Shallow_Grave_soundtrackOh, isn’t Rachel nice not to spoil the ending for us?  Good job. I don’t really give a rat’s arse: you have had a warning. In Shallow Grave we meet three roommates looking for a fourth. When Hugo (Allen) moves in with the group it’s not long before they find him dead of a drug overdose. But, as luck would have it, he is also holding on to a large bag of money. The other three roommates discover the money and the body, decide it’d be better to keep the money and bury poor old Hugo in a ‘Shallow Grave’ (good, eh?)

The ending of the movie sees David (Eccleston), who has grown massively paranoid that the three of them will be discovered, start a fight with the other two.  Getting the best of the pair he stabs Alex (McGregor) through the shoulder and is about to finish him when Juliet (Fox) stabs him in the neck, dead. Turns out that Juliet is a bit of a greedy cow as she uses a shoe to hammer the knife in Alex’s shoulder all the way through and in to the floor, pinning him, and bogs off with the money. Unfortunately for poor old Juliet, Alex has to laugh as he has hidden the money under the floor and filled the case with scrap paper. Worth a knife in the arm if you ask me.

Aww….I completely forgot about Shallow Grave! Must watch that again soon. – Dieter Zimmerman

 

Right, that’s your lot for now. Stay tuned for some more in WOTN – Favourite Movie Endings #2 around the same time next week!

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Think Dead Terrorists Are A Good Thing? – Osombie

Dec. 03 Movies, News no comments

When I first heard about this movie I had a vision in my head of a badly shot and very low budget B movie made in the worst taste. Needless to say I was very excited, and then I watch the advert. From the ad it looks to be a well-made, relatively average-budget movie that actually looks quite good!?! Have a quick look for yourself:-

 

That’s right. Osama bin Laden, formerly of Al-Qaeda before he was shot in the face by some U.S. Marines, is back from the dead and kicking up a right old stink in his old stomping ground of Afghanistan. And best of all, the movie’s called Osombie. Win.

The story follows Dusty, a yoga instructor from Colorado, who is on a desperate rescue mission to save her crazy brother Derek, a conspiracy theorist who is convinced Osama bin Laden is still alive, despite having been buried at sea. In Afghanistan, Dusty falls in with a team of NATO Special Forces on a secret assignment. Turns out Derek is not so crazy after all, and that Osama has returned from his watery grave and is making an army of zombie terrorists. When the group crashes headlong into the growing zombie apocalypse, Dusty and the troops must find and destroy the root of the zombie insurgency before it infests the rest of the world.

Osombie – IMDb

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It also features a nifty little cast for a B movie. Corey Sevier, Eva Mauro, and Jasen Wade take the leads and Walter A. Carmona brings the world’s most famous terrorist back to life. Written by Kurt Hale, writer of such epics as The Singles Ward and The R.M. (no, me neither), and directed by John Lyde, from One Man’s Treasure and You’re So Cupid! fame(?) Osombie is available from iTunes and on DVD and Blu-Ray from all over the place, give it a look!

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Star Trek 2 – Synopsis

Dec. 01 Movies, News no comments

Excitement has been building for J.J. Abrams Star Trek sequel since the announcement of Benedict Cumberbatch as the big bad guy. But, said announcement aside, very little is known about the movie. Until now!!!

star-trek-into-darkness

 

Paramount Pictures has just released an official, all be it brief, synopsis for the big out of space follow up: Star Trek Into Darkness:-

In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Looking good so far then, if it’s anything like the first movie, massive time paradoxes aside, then I am very much looking forward to it. Abrams is constantly impressive in everything that he does, apart from Lost, so I can’t see it disappointing. Add to director Abrams a returning cast of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho and Bruce Greenwood plus newbies Alice Eve, Peter Weller and the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch its shaping up to be a right old talent fest.

movie-nerd-star-trek-2-into-darkness

 

I know what your next question is going to be, ‘When are we able to see Kirk hump his way through the galaxy in this next out of space photon torpedo fest?’ Well, the good news is that you won’t have to wait long for your slice of Spock vs. Sherlock as the release date is set for mid-2013, May 17th to be precise.

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This movie seems to have been politely swept aside by all of the Star Wars news that’s been bandied about recently, but I’m sure some of you are still excited about it. Even if it is just to fill the void until the release of Star Wars VII in 2015. That’s not the way I look at it though. These two great franchises have always stood apart and been amazing on their own. I for one am just excited that there are going to be generations of kids arguing which is best for a long time to come.

 

 

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Is 3D Super or Not?

Nov. 12 Movies no comments

3d tigeravatar-682_963475aWhen I was younger (I mean in body as well as in mind) 3D images didn’t move very much and looked like the image to the left.

But now they look more like the image to the right. (I know it’s not 3D but you get my point)

Now everyone has jumped on the 3D band wagon, making every movie from Hollywood blockbusters to small Indy snoozearamas pop out at you, but is it really worth it?

It was announced earlier this month that the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, it to be made in 2D, 3D and Imax which means that movie goers will be invited to pay more money to view the same movie through a sweaty, well-used pair of glasses to get the full 3D effect. Movie makers like to bill their 3D releases as a “fully immersive viewing experience,”  but in my personal experience the only difference to my viewing experience is that my wallet is a little lighter, which makes my jeans fit better, causing me to eat more snacks and thus causing indigestion. And I’m not the only one – perhaps with the indigestion, but not about the 3D.

I’ve found that when watching some live action 3D movies that around ten minutes in to the film I don’t feel any different to as if I was watching the 2D version. After the initial ‘Wow this looks cool’ moment has passed and you settle in to actually watching the movie the 3D tends to take a back seat, even becoming off putting in scenes with a large amount of action. And then, to top it all, you have to pay one full English pound for a pair of highly unfashionable thick rimmed glasses, but to be fair you do get to keep them for future use most of the time so I can’t really blame the cinema for the fact I’m a dumb ass who leaves them at home.

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But for all my whining it looks as if 3D is here to stay with more and more movies adopting the format and more movie theatres able to show them. And the more movies that use 3D, the cheaper the technology will become and the better and more advanced it’ll become. Some phone companies are even aiming for holographic calling by 2015, and that’s just f#@king cool. Right now the 3D technology is a little all over the place with a number of different methods to fool the brain in to seeing the 3D images. Three of the four main methods involve different types of funky spectacles but all four involve two different versions of the same image (ironically reading up on the tech made me go a little cross eyed and see double), one for each eye, played at the same time to give the illusion of depth (check here for some more info).

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Also, for all of my whining, I have seen some amazing 3D movies on the big screen. Amazing Spider-Man, Monsters vs. Aliens, Transformers 3 and of course Avatar to name but a few. Seemingly the more the CGI the better the 3D affect as opposed to the slightly more disappointing live action 3D offerings.

There are other issues surrounding the 3D genre. Film goers have been known to experience headaches, nausea and vertigo like symptoms, if you have dodgy eye sight or are blind in one eye then you miss out on three dimensional fun and according to a recent study most film fans just aren’t bothered. But it does look as if 3D is going nowhere, although there is always the cheaper 2D option for people who aren’t a fan.

man of steel movieSo, back to Man of Steel. With all of the rumours surrounding the impending Justice League movie, the next Superman film is one of, if not the hotly anticipated movie of next year. With that in mind it’s little wonder that Warner Brothers have decided to present it in 2D, 3D and in Imax as most comic fans will go and see it more than once. I know for a fact that no matter how good the movie is I will be going to view it in Imax 3D first, for the all-round experience, and then in standard 2D to watch the bits of the movie I missed due to feeling ill, dizzy or just because I can’t move my head fast enough from one side of the massive screen to the other in order to catch all of the action.

In summing up, I think that 3D does have its place, but perhaps not in every movie. If it’s not an action packed CGI fest or cartoon then perhaps put the money you set aside to make it 3D in to some better actors, or better writers, or a better director, or the wrap party. I would love to know your thoughts as everyone I speak too isn’t bothered by 3D either and feels pretty much the same way as I do.

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The Walking Dead Continue To Take Over The World

Nov. 01 Comic Books, Television no comments

So, you have a hit comic that is then made into an even more popular TV series, what do you do next?  Why not do as so many others have done before and make a magazine about your hit comic and TV series? Well that’s what the Walking Dead boys have gone and done.

wd-weekly-1a-logoLike almost every other series you can see or read, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead released its official magazine last month to add to this ever-growing franchise. The magazine is said to feature cast and crew interviews and supply the reader with all they need to know about the comic or TV series, so if simply watching/reading them is not enough for you anymore, then this is the mag for you. Think of it as DVD special features you read that constantly updates on a monthly basis both in print and digital forms.

“This magazine will be your one-stop destination for all the news pertaining to the comic, TV show, video games, and whatever else exists in the ever-expanding Walking Dead universe!” – Robert Kirkman

 

 

wd-weekly-1a-logoWith the TV series into its massively popular third season and the comics just tipping over issue #100, this freight train full of rotting walking corpses shows no sign of slowing. But, if you think about it, we’ve seen it all before. There have been almost countless zombie apocalypse comics, movies, etc., so what makes this so different?

If you look at the franchise from a purely logical perspective there is nothing that makes this franchise stand apart from other recent zombie-based stuff. All are based on the survivor/group of survivors struggling to stay alive in a world gone dead, no real explanation for the outbreak of zombies, the survivors look for a safe haven, never finding any and going to extreme lengths to live. Take this simple formula and repeat to create your own hit zombie franchise. So again, why is this one so popular?

 

 

 

 

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There is no doubt that both the comic and TV show are very well written with some great characters, but so were others that came before. The art in the books is incredible, but again, nothing new there. The actors in the TV series are all amazing and the likenesses to the comic characters is phenomenal, but this again is nothing new. I suspect that it was simply a case of coming out at the right time that catapulted this highly addictive franchise into the hearts and minds of millions, me among them. I have no doubt that this new addition will follow in this popularity.

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1 Tweet Comic Review

Oct. 26 Comic Books, Editor's Pick, Reviews, Twitter no comments

If it wasn’t for 1 Tweet Reviews there would be no point in the internet.

TDK #13  Batman: The Dark Knight #13 – Batman and Scarecrow in a battle of wits. Brilliant writing by Gregg Hurwitz, best issue yet.  – Bryan Brown (@bryanthenerd)
Talon #1  Talon #1- While written somewhat poetically, I can’t help but think that Calvin Rose unnecessary in the grand scheme. – Jason Padua (@Japadua)———Bored with hundreds of bats in Gotham? Try a bird for a change! Oh, wait, Robin! Never mind. – Jay Martin (@thejizzo)
ASM #696  ASM #696 – @DanSlott does it again! He takes an ordinary issue of Spidey and by the end the reader feels like they have run a league! – Jason Padua (@Japadua)
BM Inc #4  Batman Inc. #4 – Only Morrison can do so much damage with so little effort. In one issue he flies in the face of every other Bat book being written. – Jason Padua (@Japadua)
Hulk #15  Incredible Hulk #15 – Jason Aaron’s story was all over the place, but ultimately it leads to a “united” Hulk and a cooler Banner. I will take that. – Jason Padua (@Japadua)
Art #22  Artifacts #22 – A new story arch reintroducing old characters into a new universe. This is a great on-going! – Jay Martin (@thejizzo)
Wolverine Max #1  Wolverine Max #1 – Maximum Wolverine, what’s not to like? Jump on this bus right now! – Jay Martin (@thejizzo)
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Millar’s Fox Movie Universe

Oct. 24 Comic Books, Movies, News no comments

If any of you have read any of my other posts then I imagine you’re aware that I’m a big fan of comic creator Mark Millar. So it will come as no shock to you that hearing Millar was to be involved in future Marvel movies, produced by 20th Century Fox, made me very excited. Soon after the news was revealed by the Hollywood Reporter Mark took to his forum, at millarworld.tv, and had this to say (among the boat load of thank yous):

Mark MillarIt’s way too early to talk about plans just yet, but as you can imagine the idea here is to make exactly the kind of superhero movies you and I want to see most. There literally isn’t a more talented bunch of film-makers to be working with and the team at Fox are incredibly excited about this bold new direction too. I also want to post this here to say thanks for the hundreds of emails I woke up to this morning and the thousand-plus tweets I got overnight from well-wishers. I wish I had time to reply to them all today – I usually reply to most of my tweets @mrmarkmillar – but this morning was an AVALANCHE and so I just wanted to say a big thanks, that I’ve read every one and that they’re hugely appreciated. A highlight, I think, was well-wishes from Stan The Man himself. That’s like the Pope sending a message. Couldn’t have been more exciting.

 

Millar has a good history where Marvel are concerned and if you haven’t yet read any of Mark’s Marvel books then I strongly recommend you do; The Ultimates, Civil War and Ultimate X-Men are just some highlights. Hopefully he will be able to use his influence to bring some of that hard grittiness to the future movies, but only time will tell on that. As for right now it seems that some of Mark’s views that have come to light in recent days could have very interesting repercussions for the entirety of the Marvel movie franchise.

marvel-heroes

The major bug bare for all of us comic book fans is the apparent lack of connection between the movies produced by different production companies. The reason for this is that unlike the comics, different and competing movie production companies own different rights to make movies featuring the different Marvel characters; this was the main reason that Wolverine and Spider-Man were not in The Avengers movie, Grrrrrrrrrrr. This means that unless someone can bang all of their heads together and make them work with one another we are never going to get the definitive Marvel movies we want. In a recent interview in the October 17th issue of SFX Mark had this to say:-

Fox have said that they want to build a cohesive universe and I’d personally like this to work in complement to the Marvel one. It would be cool if these universes didn’t contradict each other so if you went to see Spidey, The Avengers, the X-Men, etc, as a viewer you would have no idea that all three are coming from different studios. I’d love to make it look like they’re all just happening in one place.

I don’t think it’s something anyone would want to rush into. Following that Marvel model, we want to establish things first. If you had a Fantastic Four re-launch, and Wolverine and the X-Men were in it, I think it would distract you from the Fantastic Four. You can make people aware that they’re existing in the same universe without making it a big crossover movie but it would be an injustice to the Fantastic Four not to make their first movie all about them.

This is nothing but good news. If all of the movies/universes could be brought in line then the prospects of companies working together to make some amazing crossover films is a hell of a lot more probable. I for one would love to see the Avengers going to Mr Fantastic for some help with science stuff, or Cap giving Spidy some advice on how not to be such a whinge ass all of the time. That kind of thing is easy in the comics and should be just as easy in the movie universe, for the fans sake, so here’s hoping that Mark can set the right wheels in motion to sort it. Millar has the friends and connections to influence some major changes within the Marvel movie world so I guess anything is possible. Fingers crossed and breath held. So, best of luck to Mr Mark Millar, not that he’ll need it, and for the last word I will hand back to the man himself:-

Right. Work. Catch you all later and I promise you are in for an awesome few years. If you’re on this board you know how much I’m INTO this stuff.

Lotsa love,
MM

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Who Is The Best At Playing Who?

Oct. 15 Movies, Television 5 comments

People get old and die. It’s a cold hard fact that it’s going to happen to us all eventually. But a good character can last forever.

Age is just one of a whole host of reasons that the same character can be portrayed by a number of different actors. So here are a few great characters from TV and film that have been played by a whole lot of fine(ish) actors and the best three of the bunch for each. Obviously this is purely from my point of view and I’m sure that all of you will want to let me know yours, so feel free. I’m quite sure that age is going to be a factor in this and I think my relative youth is going to come through, but here we go.

Superman

superman

Superman has been a hit comic since the early 30s, became a radio series in 1940, a cartoon in 1941 and finally hit the screen as a live action TV series in 1951. Since then there has been a truck load of TV series and movies featuring the Man of Steel and up to now there have been six different leading men bringing those smashing blue tights and red underpants to the screen. But here’s my top three:-

3, Dean Cain – Played the hero in the 1993 series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I whiled away a good few hours of my youth watching the show and it brought the Superman of the movies home for me for the first time!

2, Tom Welling – Smallville, starting in 2001, this show featured a younger Clark Kent who was struggling to grow in to his powers while coping with school, friends, women and a whole host of ‘Meteor Freaks’. This was a great and well-made show that that introduced a new audience to younger versions of some of the best loved DC characters.

1, Christopher Reeve – How could it be anyone else? His name is, and always will be synonymous with Superman. Filling both roles, Kent and Superman, brilliantly, Reeve starred in four major motion pictures and had a couple of guest appearances in the Smallville TV series. I’m quite positive that no one will argue with my choice for the top spot as Reeve played the part since 1978 in the first movie, which still holds its own to this day, but let’s see what the future brings.

Batman

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Another DC property that has appeared on screens, both big and small, in a number of different guises is Batman. Also a long running comic from the 30s, Batman made the jump from comic to screen in 1943. Since then, like his brother in arms Superman, there have been a whole lot of TV and movie versions of the Caped Crusader with plenty of masked men to choose from, 7 in all.

3, Adam West – Starting in 1966 the TV series might be one of the campest things to ever be screened but it was still amazing. From the amazing excuses as to Bruce Wayne’s whereabouts when Batman was present, to epic fight scenes to the incredible assortment of convenient gadgets (including great white shark repellent in one episode) the series was an all-round winner. Not the most serious and dark of interpretations but still a goody.

2, Michael Keaton – The first major Batman motion picture was released in 1989 and saw Keaton take the lead opposite Jack Nicolson as, now the second best, Joker. The 89’ Batman movie was amazing, not going too far and capturing the darkness of the character very well. Keaton appeared as Batman again for the second movie, Batman Returns, which is also a good film. Both were made before the franchise went daft and a bit mental.

1, Christian Bale – Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy are, in my opinion, the best on screen adaptation to-date of Batman and this is thanks in no small part to Bale’s dark and brooding portrayal of the hero. Between Nolan and Bale they not only made three great films but managed to make the entire franchise less of a joke and made the character feel a hell of a lot more real. He definitely did the job well and made the roll his own. Again, let’s see what the future brings.

The Doctor

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It’s a lovely irony that this beloved Time Lord has stood the test of time so well. Each generation since the mid sixty’s has had a couple of Doctors to call their own with 11 men filling the TV role officially with a further 29 portraying him as stand ins, on stage or in audio versions. Each Doctor has been more kooky than the last and have brought their own uniqueness to the roll. Unlike the previous two characters, the Doctor’s regeneration in to these different guises has been part of the story, meaning leading men can be changed at any time and still be the same man, sort of, with no confusion, whereas the above characters just changed with no feasible reason in the fictional world of the character. Anyhow, off we go.

3, Sylvester McCoy – Starting as the 7th Doctor in 1987, McCoy is the first Doctor I knew. Whenever anyone says Doctor Who he is the default image in my mind.

2, David Tennant – Taking over from Christopher Eccleston as the 10th Doctor, Tennant brought the fun and kookiness back to Doctor Who.  Sporting a lovely blue suit, long brown jacket and scruffy trainers, Tennant managed to merge the new and the old Doctor Who nicely.

1, Matt Smith – The newest and 11th Doctor completely optimizes Doctor Who for me, he also had the best looking companion in Karen Gillan. The always happy, slightly wired doctor manages to appear both cool and frantic simultaneously in everything that he does making the latest series a fun, sometimes stressful and emotional watch.

James Bond

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The final character, and very much the inspiration of the piece, is the man of the moment: James Bond. Skyfall is about to be released worldwide and features the latest in a long line of silky smooth, silver-tonged actors to play the MI6 agent. Six actors so far have donned their finest suits, grabbed their Walther PPKs, smashed in thousands of gallons of Vodka Martini and bedded god knows how many women to bring good old James to life. Throughout his impressive service career we have followed this fantastic specimen of manness to the moon, under the sea and to pretty much every country on the planet to have sex, sorry, to fight crime. So let’s have a look at the best of the actors that played the only man on earth that can give Batman a run for his money in the gadget stakes.

3, Rodger Moore – This silver tonged, eyebrow twitching hunk of a man played 007 in seven movies starting in 1973 with Live and Let Die.

2, Sean Connery – It is widely believed that Sean has the best voice on the planet and is the only actor to have been asked back to reprise the roll after his initial run in the movie franchise.

1, Daniel Craig – It’s hard to say anything different about all of the people to play Bond before Craig came along. All of the versions that came before have been slight variations on the gentleman spy with many more similarities than differences. Then Craig came along, bringing with him a new 007, one that you truly believe would do anything for the greater good and although he can still carry himself as quite the gentleman is not afraid to get his hands very dirty to reach his goals. Daniel Craig is exactly what James Bond needed to make the character more gritty and up to date and long may it continue. Skyfall better be good, although I can’t see it being bad as in the latest advert we see his new Walther PPK is coded to his DNA so only he can fire it, it’s a Lawgiver!

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1 Tweet Comic Reviews

Oct. 12 Comic Books, Editor's Pick, Reviews, Twitter no comments

Big week for comics this week and what better way to sum it up then a bite sized chunk of reviewey goodness!

avenging spi  Avenging Spider-Man #13
What can I say? This book is fun, beautiful, and I always put it down with a smile. Long live Deadham and Spider-Pig! – Jason Padua (‏@Japadua)
fan str  Phantom Stranger #1
The Stranger is proving important. The book has reintroduced Raven, Trigon & Spectre. Didio’s story is interesting, and the art fits well. – Jason Padua (‏@Japadua)
batgirl  Batgirl #13
Hardly a prologue for the Joker, but we get to see @GailSimone ‘s run come full circle. Maybe there has been a bigger arc all along. – Jason Padua (‏@Japadua)
Batman #13  Batman #13
Joker sheds the methodical nature he adopted and returns to being truly maniacal. If this is the calm before the storm then hold on tight! – Jason Padua (‏@Japadua) – - – - -Best book I have read in a long time and it’s only the start. Joker is hardcore and nice treat from @Jock4twenty at the end. – Jason Martin (@thejizzo)
uncanny aven  Uncanny Avengers #1New look team in a new comic arch. A lot of hype around this tittle and it’ll be interesting to see where they go with it. – Jason Martin (@thejizzo)
BWDM  Before Watchmen Dr Manhattan #2Meh – Jason Martin (@the jizzo)
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ComiXology Celebrates Massive Sales With Free Comics!

Oct. 11 Comic Books, News no comments

Comic book day is always a time for joy and happiness. Each Wednesday millions of us set out to obtain our pull-down list of the week’s new releases. Once upon a time that meant making the journey in the cold and rain to the local comic book store to pay money for print versions and risk spoiling them on the way home.

If you’re as unlucky as me then your nearest comic book store is an eighteen mile round trip in to the centre of a large city full of people who have never taken a driving lesson and just brought a car on a whim. I always hoped for a better way, and thanks to ComiXology all of that crap is a thing of the past. Thanks to these lovely people it’s possible to get the latest comics, the same day as release, on your friggin mobile phone! How future is that?

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So it comes as no surprise that that the hit website/App is about to hit sales of 100,000,000 and to celebrate this fact they are giving away a free comic every day until they reach the hundred million mark. Co-founder and CEO David Steinberger said:

This has been a banner year for comiXology. We have dedicated ourselves to expanding the comic book audience by delivering the best consumer experience, and it’s fantastic to see that unfold. We started the year cresting 50 million downloads, two and a half years after launch; we added the next 50 million more than 3 times as fast. We are spreading the love of comics.

With the other guy, co-founder John D. Roberts, adding

It’s dizzying to look back at the last 12 months and see that we’ve been the top grossing iPad app in the entire iTunes App Store almost 90% of all Wednesdays. ComiXology’s mission is to bring comics to everyone everywhere and – looking at crossing this 100 million download milestone – it certainly feels like we are making good on that promise.

 

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Check the website or your Apps for details on this offer as well as a funky count up clock to inform you of the amount of sales and how far off the hundred mil mark they are. I don’t think this giveaway will last too long due to the popularity of the site so get your ass over there now and see what you can get!!!!

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