Saturday, January 1, 2011

Hot Topics in the Comics Blogosphere

  • Yaaay Dan Slott telling a fan to "go fuck himself", how dare he voice a negative opinion?
  • Yaaay Dan Buckley chasing a fan out of the room for acknowledging that the ultimate line has, uh, suffered somewhat creatively of late.  At a panel.  At NYCC. Where fans pay to have an audience and, ya know, Q&A and stuff with creators who get paid to do this shit.   Seriously, does Marvel need to set up Bush-era "Free Speech Zones" at events now or what?

Both of the above stories are extremely old and devoid of substance, but damned if they aren't being milked to death.

Meanwhile.... Spider-Man play?  Wha?  Christopher Tierney "lucky to be alive," as his doctors put it?

Meh.

Go out and buy tons of Star Wars shit to show your support for Katie, the only person on the planet to have ever been teased. 

'Cause we're against bullying now!

(Actually, Katie's story made it all the way to CNN, who gave it the space they had free from stories that were below their radar, like ya know - genocide in Darfur and other inconsequential junk.)

 

It's Pon Farr time, baby!

Got any Vulcan in you?

Do you want some?



Show the ladies you need to get your freak on at least once every seven years in this awesome Spock t-shirt.

Videogame pioneer killed in a hit-and-run

Amplify’d from blogs.laweekly.com

R.I.P. Brigitte Burdine.

She was a legendary talent in an overwhelmingly male market, and a true entertainment-business character who helped make L.A. a leader in the new age of consumer art.

But it's an awful way for her to go: 48-year-old Burdine was run over by a dark sedan at about 1:45 a.m. this morning as she was walking home -- after what police speculate to be a late-night date with her boyfriend at the Shack hamburger joint in Marina del Rey Playa del Rey.

Read more at blogs.laweekly.com
 

Cartoonize Converts Photos into Cartoons [Image Editing]

via Lifehacker

While it's not quite the same as hiring your own cartoonist, Cartoonize does a pretty decent job converting pictures into cartoon versions for those times you want to customize an avatar image or otherwise "cartoonize" a picture.

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Cardboard Gundam: Taking Paper Products to an Anime Level

via Walyou

Are you bored of those plastic toy Gundam models yet? If you are, you should take a look at this cardboard Gundam!

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The Beatles' Lord of the Rings: A Stanley Kubrick Production [Concept Art]

via io9

Once upon a time, the Beatles wanted to star in a Stanley Kubrick-directed Lord of the Rings movie. Art blog Super Punch is holding a contest that imagines how this alt-history flick might have looked.

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Casting Marvel and ABC's 'AKA Jessica Jones'

via TV Squad

To bring Jessica Jones to life, ABC needs a talented actress who can pull off snarky, yet wounded. What's 'The Good Wife' without Julianna Margulies? Not the same that's for sure. Whoever ABC casts in 'AKA Jessica Jones' must be able to have the same thing said for her.

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Friday, December 31, 2010

The First Rule of Social Media: Know Your Audience [COMIC]

Concept Art and Story Details for Unproduced 1976 STAR TREK Film PLANET OF THE TITANS

via GeekTyrant

Here's some interesting concept art and story details from an unproduced Star Trek film from 1976-1977 called Planet of the Titans. This version was written by Chris Bryant and Allan G. Scott.

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Natalie Mendoza Makes Her Spider-Man Exit Official

via Vulture

The news was already out about the concussed Natalie Mendoza leaving Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, but now the show has released its official statement confirming that fact.

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Gallifreyan Ice

You know that you're at a cool New Year's party when the host busts out a TARDIS ice bucket.

It's bigger on the inside. 

Happy New Year, everybody! 

First Look: Alyson Hannigan Gets Simpsonized!

via the TV addict

When THE SIMPSONS returns with its first new episode of 2011 on January 16, it’s about to get a helluva lot better for the citizens of Springfield.

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Only one of over 7,000 Batman XXX P2P defendants remains

via Ars Technica

Holy downloads, Caped Crusader—the judge that has been kneecapping copyright troll suits right and left has done it again. This time, West Virginia United States District Court Judge John Preston Bailey has "severed" 7,097 out of 7,098 Joe Doe defendant subpoenas in a lawsuit alleging that they illegally downloaded copies of Batman XXX: A Porn Parody.

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Street Fighter TRON

Chun li on the grid! Once again, an artist on the web packs more awesome into a single image than Disney was able to provide over the course of two hours, with a budget the size of many nations' GNP, with TRON: Legacy.
via *BossLogic on deviantART, who has an entire gallery of TRON-ified Street Fighter characters.

Batman ruins another game

Seriously, who keeps inviting him to guys' night out? Dude is such a buzzkill.

First Look at Mutants’ ‘Final War’ in Age of X: Alpha

via Underwire

Get a first look at the “final war” of the mutants in these preview panels from Age of X: Alpha No. 1.

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'Stargate: Universe' Cancellation Puts Kibosh on 'Atlantis' Film

via TV Squad

A new casualty of 'Stargate: Universe's' cancellation has emerged: the planned 'Stargate: Atlantis' DVD movie.

Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi took to his blog to answer fan questions and shared the news.

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‘Thor’ Star Chris Hemsworth Marries Elsa Pataky

via The Inquisitr

Chris Hemsworth has married his actress girlfriend Elsa Pataky.

The ‘Thor’ star and the 34-year-old Spanish actress are believed to have married in his native Australia over the Christmas period after a whirlwind romance.

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New Image of Tomar-Re from GREEN LANTERN

via GeekTyrant

Hey gang! Here's a new image of the alien character Tomar-Re from Warner Bros. Green Lantern movie. If you saw the trailer for the movie then you saw several brief shots of the CGI alien Green Lantern Corps in the film. This shot of Tomar-Re gives us a more detailed look at the character.

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REVEALED: How season 3 of Dollhouse would have been like Buffy

via Blastr

Dollhouse lasted only two seasons, but what would have happened in the subterranean wish-fulfillment complex had Fox given it one more year's worth of airtime? Producer and writer Tim Minear tells all.

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What's your favorite video game that came out in the past 2 years?

Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Ask me anything

Do you read much Wildstorm?

Not so much anymore, sad to say. They had a turbulent and uneven but, in the final analysis, brilliant run.

I loved a lot of their books but overall the line suffered greatly at its core after the "Worldstorm" event, and despite many enjoyable issues from some of the greatest literary and artistic talent in comics, it was pretty clear to me that the aforementioned event was the final, decisive stroke in DC's long, slow murder of a comic line that will go down in history for its innovation and greatness, and for introducing some of the greatest creative talent out there to the world.

I'll always remember the good times, and that even in its waning years Wildstorm published one of my favorite titles ever, Ex Machina.

For all their ups and downs Wildstorm set a highwater mark for creativity, innovation and good old-fashioned comics fun that all publishers should aspire to.

Won't miss the videogame adaptations, though.

Ask me anything

Hawkeye To Appear In Thor Movie Before Avengers

via Bleeding Cool

It’s that on-again, off-again Thor rumour that seems, finally, to have been locked down. According to a new report, Hawkeye will be making a cameo appearance in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor movie.

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Guy Plays Real-Life Frogger, Gets Hit by SUV - Alcohol just might have been involved, says police chief

(Newser) - In a case of life imitating Seinfeld, a 23-year-old guy in South Carolina thought it would be a great idea to play a real-life version of Frogger—and got hit by an SUV for his trouble. The man was talking about the video game with friends—it involves navigating frogs across a busy road—before shouting “go” and running into traffic Monday night, the AP reports. He was hospitalized, but was set to be released yesterday; the driver will likely not be charged.

The police chief, not surprisingly, suspects alcohol may have been involved. “I’ve never heard of anything like this,” he tells the Independent Mail. “I had to ask questions to even find out what Frogger is.”

via Newser.

Go Rogue on the cheap

Not that Rogue, sugah! 

Steam is in the midst of it's annual super-crazy holiday/end-of-year blowout sale, and while we wait out the release of DC Universe Online, City of Heroes: Going Rogue Complete Collection is on sale for %75 off, just $10.00 including a month of gameplay.

See, dark hues going way up your butt scream "moral ambiguity".  She'll be a good hero and all, but cross her and she will end you.  Like, she's got a Psylocke thing happening.

Primary colors whale tail, on the other hand, speak to a purity of heart that belies your stripper suit - i.e. Power Girl.

I've gotta write a book about superhero costumes and what they represent one of these days.

In the meantime, I'll see ya in Paragon City.  Am I a white knight?  Or a black king?  Maybe I'm more like Jenga! 

Time will tell, bwahaha!

Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of 2010

via Cinematical

At first glance, one might think that 2010 was a weak year for sci-fi films. Truth is, its handful of good-to-great sci-fi films mark a fairly typical calendar year for the genre. 2010 just happened to be the follow-up to the '09 blowout roster of 'Moon,' 'District 9,' 'Avatar,' 'Pandorum,' 'Knowing,' 'Watchmen' and 'Star Trek.' That's a tough act to follow, but let's see how the year's offerings rank.

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Is Marvel plotting a Secret Wars video game?

via Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources

Secret Wars, the 1984-1985 limited series that launched a toy line, introduced Spider-Man’s black costume and marked the beginning of the crossover era, looms large in Marvel history. The 12-issue comic spawned an immediate sequel, and has been revisited or referenced more recently in Beyond!, New Avengers: The Illuminati and Spider-Man and the Secret Wars.

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'Mad Men' Actress Christina Hendricks Wants To Play Wonder Woman

via Splash Page

As Warner Bros. prepares for theatrical and television adaptations of "Wonder Woman," many fans are wondering who should play the Amazon warrior. For the sake of conversation, let's add one more name to the debate: "Mad Men" actress Christina Hendricks.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Batman: ...and I never had fun at the movies again.

Because my parents are deeeeeaaad!!!!

An unamused Batman munches popcorn while suffering through, judging by that disappointed expression, I'm guessing Iron Man 2.

via imgur.

Patton Oswalt: How the Internet Has Ruined Geek Culture

via Vulture

Patton Oswalt used to be a sci-fi geek (that is, when he wasn't tormenting them in junior high), but now that you can find Boba Fett's visage on "sleeveless T-shirts worn by gym douches hefting dumbbells," he thinks the tide has turned.

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Winter Slay: Buffy kicks off the new year

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been off the air for some time now, but the characters and universe brought to such vivid life by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, David Fury and many others lives on - not in the ill-conceived reboot film in the works by Fran and Rebel Kuzui, but in the spectacular "Buffy Season Eight" comics spearheaded by Joss himself, published by Buffy's longtime comics home, Dark Horse.

Dark Horse has always been a progressive publisher, and this year saw them take a huge initiative into the world of digital comics, something we'll be seeing a lot of from them in 2011, as well as the burgeoning genre of motion comics.

Die-hard Buffy fans such as myself have been subscribing to the Buffy Season Eight motion comics, available from iTunes and Amazon Video on Demand, and have been collected on a Blu-ray/DVD combo which sees release on January 4.

One week before Season Eight draws to a close, get boned up on all things Buffy with whe Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales hardcover on January 12. This book should serve as a bridge between the final events of the TV series, and the first page of BTVS season eight #1.

Here's what you'll get, as per Dark Horse's description:

Before Season Eight, Joss Whedon brought generations of Slayers and vampires to comics with the help of his acclaimed TV writing team and some of the best artists to ever grace the comics page. Now all those stories, plus selected stories from Season Eight, are collected in one deluxe hardcover with a new cover by Jo Chen.

Joss writes multiple tales: a somber vamp tale, drawn by Cameron Stewart; the story of the first Slayer, drawn by Leinil Yu; and more.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales also reprints for the first time new Season Eight stories written by novelist Jackie Kessler (Hell's Belles) and award-winning cartoonist Becky Cloonan (Demo), featuring vampires living in the public eye, killing Slayers and killing each other.

* This hardcover collects stories from MySpace Dark Horse Presents #31 and #32; Tales of the Vampires: Carpe Noctem parts 1 and 2; Buffy: Tales of the Vampires one-shot; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires #1--#5; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers #1--"Broken Bottle of Djinn"; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers TPB.

As for the ongoing comic, the turbulent season eight finally comes to its climactic conclusion, breaking hearts, closing plot threads and opening up brand new ones, setting the stage for the upcoming season nine and Angel's highly anticipated return to Dark Horse with Buffy the Vampire Season Eight #40

This is it - the big one.  The season finale. It all comes down January 19.

Bring your sharpest stake, and - knowing Joss - a hanky - these things never end well for everyone, you know - and prepare to ring out the old with a bang.

When the World Cracks: The cancellation of STARGATE: UNIVERSE has left a fan-base reeling in after-shock

via the TV addict

On the fateful day that it was announced the Syfy had canceled STARGATE: UNIVERSE the sci-fi fans rose up in anger and the sleeping horde of sci-fi fans let their voices be heard. It was the second time in as many months that a beloved sci-fi series had been canceled - on the same television network no less. It was a double-blow to an increasingly diminishing genre.

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Did Usher Steal a Song From Homer Simpson?

via TV Squad

In the most hilarious accusation of plagiarism ever, an intrepid YouTuber has compiled evidence that a portion of the Usher song 'OMG' was actually inspired by a Christmas carol penned by none other than -- wait for it -- Homer Simpson.

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Artists redesign Darth Vader with only George Lucas' original script as a guide [Darth Vader]

via io9

What if you redesigned Darth Vader, but you only had a few sentences of description from the script to go on? Artist Carlos Villagra (and a few others) tried. Here's what they dreamed the Dark Lord could have looked like.

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Concussed Actress Natalie Mendoza Is Quitting Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

via Vulture

More crappy news for the most expensive Broadway show of all time: The Times reports that Natalie Mendoza — the actress who plays Arachne, a major villain invented by Julie Taymor — is leaving Spider-Man. Mendoza suffered a concussion on November 28 while offstage, when a rope holding a piece of equipment swung into her. She continued with the show despite a doctor's recommendation, with her last performance coming on December 20.

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Star Wars Playing Cards [pic]

Check out Luke with his lightsaber and practice drone as a bitchin' Jack of Spades!

Star Wars cards, via sithempire.com.

New 'Captain America' Set Visit Pics And Shield-Slinging Details

via Splash Page

As filming continues on "Captain America: The First Avenger," we're likely to see more and more coverage arrive online from the much-anticipated 2011 film starring Chris Evans as soldier-turned-superhero Steve Rogers.Read More >>

20 psychedelic strains of Star Wars-themed marijuana

via Blastr

Despite Carrie Fisher's recent acknowledgment of cocaine on the set of The Empire Strikes Back, we're pretty sure that everyone on the right side of the Force would tell you to just say no to drugs. (With the exception of Han Solo, who'd probably tell you're to just say no to smuggling drugs on any ship other than the Millennium Falcon.)

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Which member of the Fantastic Four will die? Place your bets!

via Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources

As most of us know by now, January’s Fantastic Four #587 will mark the death of a member of Marvel’s First Family. But which one will it be? Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch or The Thing?

Well, if odds-makers are to be believed, Sue Richards probably should get her affairs in order.

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Blade prequel may drop Deacon Frost for a whole new vampire villain [Stephen Dorff]

via io9

We've been hearing about Stephen Dorff and director Stephen Norrington's Blade prequel for ages. First it was going to be a Deacon Frost-centric trilogy, then it was Deacon Frost meets Scarface. Now the film-makers might just reinvent the vampire entirely.

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R.I.P. Miss Grundy

via Comix 411

Miss Geraldine Grundy, a longterm resident in the alternative magazine universe of Riverdale, has died following an illness that spread over several issues.

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Epic Thor GIF puts movie trailer to shame

Let's face it, after that “In a world…” cookie-cutter Generic Action Movie© trailer for Thor, the only people who are still excited for its release are the racists who are freaked out at that Heimdall is being played by the enormously talented Idris Elba, who is not Caucasian and therefore scares them.

As for us comics movie fans, the general consensus - all too common these days, after a months-long hype-fueled PR campaign - was a collective "meh".

Daddy issues, “a hero must rise”, gaudy visuals, scowling faces, yada yawn.

Now if Thor were to roll himself a fatty and ride into battle on a giant chicken…!

Pre-order me some IMAX 3D tickets right the hell NOW, beeyotch!

The Thor we'd like to see, courtesy of The Chive.


Rumor: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 comic art reveals Galactus and Taskmaster

via Joystiq

Neither Capcom nor Marvel has yet to announce an official comic tie-in for forthcoming fighting game collaboration Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but a portfolio posting by comic artist Kevin Sharpe indicates that just such a product is on the way.

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20 Striking Star Wars Helmets

via Walyou

The Star Wars series has inspired people around the world in several ways. You can see its influence in almost every aspect of human life - from gadgets to clothes.

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Fighting crime through pinball: Ars reviews Marvel Pinball

via Ars Technica

There are two types of pinball fans in the world: those who enjoy the simpler, classic style tables and those who prefer the bright and flashy modern tables. Marvel Pinball definitely appeals to the latter.

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Tron Legacy falls 54% in its second weekend, claims 3rd place at box office [Hollywood]

via io9

Several weeks ago, we reported that Tron Legacy would have to gross $50 million in its opening weekend to recoup its $200 million budget. This weekend wasn't much help, as it's on track to gross $20.1 million.

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Injured Spider-Man Stuntman 'Chomping at the Bit' to Return to the Stage

via Vulture

Christopher Tierney, one of several performers who was set to play Spider-Man during stunt sequences in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, took his first steps Friday since the onstage accident that left him in the hospital last week. “My understanding is that Chris is fortunate to be alive,” Tierney’s father said Sunday.

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Holiday zombies: safety first!

I know, Christmas is over, but what with Boxing Day, New Year's, etc. it's still the holiday season which means we still have to watch out for those pesky zombies!

I know, your plate is full what with the baking, entertaining friends and family, and spreading good cheer - but that's no substitute for undead awareness!

Hopefully this little clip can help you make it through this busy season safe and sound, with lots of people eating your yummy pies and nobody munching on your braaaains!

JibJab's Year in Review

New Year's Eve (which, ahem, is also my birthday - prezzies are welcome ) is nearly upon us, but before we ring in the new let's take a look back at the year that was:

2010, as summarized by the all-singing, all-dancing, puppet Obama and Biden, from the good people at JibJab.

“Tron” Gaming Mouse Glows Like a Light Cycle

via Mashable!

Here’s a gaming mouse that will make you feel like you’re driving a light cycle in the movie Tron: Legacy.

Not only does this ambidextrous pointing device from Razer look like some sort of implement from the far-off future; it sounds like one, too.

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Ring in the Who

So, did we enjoy yesterday's Doctor Who special?

Yeaah we did.

If you stuck around after "A Christmas Carol," you got a sneak peek at what to expect from our favorite Time Lord in 2011.

If you missed it, here's a look at all the timey-wimey goodness in your future.

And if you saw it - come on admit it, you wanna see it again!

Soul Calibur series returns to the stage of history

via Joystiq

Daishi Odashima, Soul Calibur IV designer, opened a Twitter account on Christmas day, offering the following tease as his gift to fans of the weapons-based fighter series: "SC is BACK! Get ready, fans!" To prove he was serious, he included a picture of himself at his desk, with a drawing of the Soul Calibur sword.

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Gingerbread Serenity

via Geekosystem

Firefly fan and Facebook user Kristoffer Gressli and his brother made a gingerbread version of everyone’s favorite Firefly class starship, Serenity, which will undoubtedly be smuggling gingerbread cattle across the gingerbread ‘Verse for the holidays.

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