The Tower of Il Serrohe is a mind-bending read. It follows two main characters at first, and their connection to each other takes some serious reading to discover. They share an uncommon talent for walking in two worlds… or is it the same world in two dimensions? That's a question that you will constantly kick around when you pick up this interesting fantasy book by RJ Mirabal.
The first character is a drunken, sloppy mac named Don. He's no regular drunk, however, but rather a very educated and intelligent professor with little more ambition these days than he needs to make it to the couch at night to pass out. His wife is enjoying the company of another man, a man he himself considers trashy. His life is mundane, his marriage is a drag, he's tired of his students. Don is Eeyore, only more of an adult version.
Our second character is a young woman hailing from a traditional Mexican family with firm Catholic beliefs and a dated lifestyle. Theresa listens to her father… mostly. She is a pillar in her community, a curer, and, in general, a very pure person with an unquestionable sense of morality.
Both of these characters were born in our world of scientific reality; they are both able to visit the valley in its magical parallel; and they are both considered heroes to the clans people. Sounds like a blast, right? Not if you are the leader of a bunch of dummies. Neither finds it easy to grasp the uncommon sense of the magic valley's inhabitants, a very underdeveloped people, if you could even call them people.
At some point, you begin to make surprising connections between the worlds and ways in a backward realization. The people aren't quite what you thought, the timeline may not be what you thought, and the enemy, although never established, you will find to be something other than what you thought. It was quite thought provoking indeed.
My personal opinion, however, is that The Tower of Il Serrohe was a bit too slow. I enjoyed the story, weird as it may have been, but did not so much enjoy the read. After all, I'm a weirdo. The odd fantasy reality is a very interesting place and so much more unique than the general fantasies of dragons, elves, and fairies. I enjoyed the western Native American religious tone that I felt the book's fantasy aspect drew from, and I enjoyed the plot twists. My issue with it was the fact that it flowed somewhat like an ancient epic poem (an exaggeration), so it probably took me much longer to read than it generally should have. To me, flow is key. Tell me what you think downstairs!
The Author Exposure Campaign
You might think that soap shaped like a game cartridge would be the perfect gift for a gamer. It might also be a subtle hint that the recipient should shower him- or herself with actual water rather than achievements. While the former is pretty accurate, the latter ruse would be futile. Why? Because when you use soap, IT MELTS AWAY.
Who would want to dissolve a design such as this Super Nintendo cartridge for the sake of being clean? People who want to wash $21 worth of nostalgia down the drain, that’s who! There’s a purpose for the detailed label and ridges. This mix of lye and animal fat is crafted to be an identifiable symbol of your youth. It’s like that pot leaf-shaped decorative candle that you bought at the head shop thinking that lighting it would add ambiance to your room. Then when you go to light it, you realize, “like, wait, then it won’t be pot leaf-shaped.” So while it goes without saying that gamers are infamously unclean, gifting them with Mario Kart suds will have them racing into your arms more than into the bathtub.
The good news is that you can satisfy your discerning game palate by choosing from the several different titles available for both versions, including Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II Turbo, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon. The bad news is that you have to preorder them, so they won’t be able to gather dust on your game shelf until 2014. You can receive a notification as soon as they’re available by giving the nice people at Firebox your e-mail…and of course your monies.
Think you could bring yourself to wash up with a life-sized piece of your past? Let us know in the Comments below.
Earlier this week, Steam released the latest title by the makers of Battlestar Galactica Online through its Early Access program. Entropy is an open-universe MMO that places gamers in an expansive cosmos, challenging them to both battle and cooperate with each other to hold up an interplanetary evolution.
Created by award-winning studio Artplant, Entropy spans more than 100 comprehensive star systems that Early Access players can explore to gather feedback for game enhancements prior to its full launch. Space-based dogfighting is a main component to the game’s quickly paced combat, while the player-driven collaborative element entails working with each other on managing trading and mining efforts to benefit the good of the galaxy.
The Founders program for Entropy makes three packs available to early adopters of this Alpha build: Colonist, Explorer, and Founder. All provide an abundance of benefits for players to get into the game, including generous starting funds, increased character slots, and exclusive skins. Full access to the game, updates, and new content are standard with every pack, and no characters or stats will be reset prior to full game lunch, allowing players to get a head start. The bonus with Colonist is 250,000 credits, Explorer grants its purchasers 500,000 credits and one ship from a selection of three different classes, and Founder owners start off with 1,000,000 credits, a bonus ship with its own unique class-specific skin, and two free Colonist versions of the game to gift to friends. The Colonist, Explorer, and Founder packs cost $19.99, $39.99, and $99.99, respectively.
Artplant’s chief executive officer, Jack Wulf, is anxious for Entropy’s introduction:
We’re really excited to finally unveil Entropy to MMO fans; it’s an ambitious title for us and we can’t wait to see how players react to engaging in player-controlled, intergalactic dogfights for the very first time in a space-based MMO. Launching through Steam’s Early Access programme, will help ensure Entropy connects with its emergent community and utilises players’ crucial feedback to enhance the incredible gameplay experience we’re building.
What would your approach be in such large-scale space combat with thousands of other people, friendly or hostile? Let us know in the comments below. In the meanwhile, check out updates on the game’s development, watch the trailer video, and see more screenshots at Entropy’s Early Access Game listing on Steam.
In a sudden twist of events, World War Z, the movie many never expected would get a sequel, has found itself probably the most unexpected of sequel directors!
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| World War Zoidberg. WOOWOOWOOWOOWOOWOO! |
![World War Z bears more similarity to 28 Days Later and [REC] Record movie than to Max Brooks novel](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTIQiJ6WtG4wXk4wt7e3NfN5xKG46QTs2k9t6a6P_phqS-trq43aQ33ycDof2iR52LkX-I6lyhoL03XThpqenk4p5OFoK1o4EAgSyfDhbrFNDrlAuyp_erx9ALL6Uulc9xqoBwTGVpWJQ/s1600/World-War-Z-003.jpg "World War Z Zombie and Brad Pitt")
As a fan of the book, my own personal opinion is that it was muddled, hilariously unintelligent, and bore more resemblance to the time I had explosive diarrhea and almost didn't reach the bathroom. It was also more watered down and tasteless than a 22p can of Tesco's own lager.
Many will remember the much publicized stories of Brad Pitt and his director's falling out, aside from the budget-busting rewrites and reshoots that made the film look like an even more absurd version of Roland Emmerich's disaster turd 2012. Well, Marc Forster is out…
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| Tie that hanky just a little tighter. |
World War Z's sequel doesn't yet have a proper title, a cast, or even a writer yet. But in my honest opinion, that probably beats having four writers to ruin it, not to mention the cast of disposable two-dimensional characters. However, Max Brooks is already credited with having written the characters, so maybe that means we're getting an actual adaptation of his novel this time?
Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls. Did you like World War Z and are you looking forward to a sequel? Did you hate it but are willing to give it a chance next time? Comment below and thanks for reading.
For the fans that haven't been involved in the Kickstarter project started by creator Rob Thomas, the Veronica Mars movie release date has been set for March 15th 2014!
Thomas, who started the project—wanting to give fans the movie they've been asking for for so long now—managed to pull together over $5.7 million from a whopping 91,585 backers, and no doubt that will be enough to pull in a few more generous backers.
The Veronica Mars series, starring Kristen Bell, ran from 2004 to 2007, and much like our beloved Firefly and Buffy, became a cult phenomenon that fat grouchy TV and movie studio executives have since failed to notice since they cancelled it without a definitive ending. This made Jack a dull boy, and so Thomas immediately began writing a movie script, hoping to give the show a real send-off.
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| Uncle Scooby? |
Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls. Will you be showing your support March 15th? Comment below and thanks for reading.
:: This Week's Theme ::
Mario vs. Sonic
Mario vs. Sonic
It's time to settle the age old battle dating back to our childhoods. Who is the superior gaming mascot, Mario or Sonic?? And what better way to do it than with an old fashioned debate?! Two teams of fans will gather to argue. One for Mario, and one for Sonic. One team will be judged as the victor and crown which character is best.
Special thanks to our special guest judges Tony Mango, Shaun Walker, and Braeden Mayhew for helping settle this tough battle at the end. And also thanks to Lee Garasich and Michael Burhan for acting as the supporting team members for Mario & Sonic.
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After last week's announcement that Gal Gadot had snatched the role of Wonder Woman comes the news that Game of Thrones and Conan actor Jason Momoa is now in talks with Warner Brothers over another main character that has not yet been revealed!
And why the hell not, with his fancy fighting skills and a physique that makes women both weak-willed and simultaneously intimidated? Momoa has been making an impression over recent years and certainly caught my attention with that ridiculous (as in crazy-awesome) axe fight with Sylvester Stallone in Walter Hill's Bullet to the Head.
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| So scary, and yet women want to touch his guns. |
Just who will Jason Momoa portray, if his appearance would be anything to go by? At 6'4" and built like a brick shithouse, Momoa has three inches' height on Cavill but not so much on Affleck, who is surprisingly over 6'3" tall, so it might be a bit silly to suspect he'd play Doomsday. However Doomsday is mentioned in the special features of Man of Steel.
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| "Dammit Momoa, you're just so prickly!" |
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| "Cavill, you pleb, my name's Jason!" |
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| "LOL at Affleck, IMDb said you were taller!" |
CAUTION: BAD LANGUAGE
So it happened I have updated to Windows 8.1, and let me tell ya, it was the biggest pain in the arse I have ever experienced. I will not be updating to Windows 8.2 even if Microsoft paid me to.
There I was, chatting to mates about trivial things, minding my own business, when I get a random pop-up from the Windows shop app saying that I can update to Windows 8.1 FOR FREE. I tried to ignore this pop-up, but it would not go away. I couldn't finish my conversation on Facebook. I tried going into Windows Task Manager and nothing would work [goddamn it]. I was forced to click "OK." I didn't want this update; they forced it onto me. But anyhoo.
Then I get another pop-up saying that I can still work on my PC while it's downloading—which, to be fair, it did. After about ten minutes went by, my whole system restarted itself out of nowhere. I was all, "OK, cool, no worries, let this install." It did install pretty quickly, to my surprise, until it hit 82%. It took two and half episodes of American Dad later to get to 83%. I don't have a lot of patience, so for me this took the piss.
Then, we have another restart. My god, how many of these do I actually need? This time it was installing new Microsoft apps that I didn't want on my PC. Again, this took a lifetime and froze around the 72% mark.
When I was finally greeted with my sign-in screen, I had to do a fucking security check. I swear to God, if I have to do this every day (like I had to do with my Xbox), then it will be joining my Xbox up for sale.
I logged on and to my horror, all my tiles had been moved into different places. Goddamn you, Microsoft!
I am very anal when it comes to familiarity. In other words, I fucking hate change. So it's taken me most of the night to get all my tiles back in the right place, even though some tiles still look odd.
Not to mention, I lost my Skype mute button, but that was probably Skype's fault and not Windows 8.1—but Skype's a Microsoft product anyway, isn't it? Goddamn you, Microsoft!
What was the update, you ask? For a motherfucking Windows button that takes you from the desktop to the tiles page. You could do that by pressing the Windows button on the keyboard. I have said it numerous times already, but goddamn you, Microsoft.
Earlier today, Marvel released a handful of comic book solicitations for March 2014 exclusively on Comic Book Resources, including a synopsis and a few covers for Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire's All-New Marvel NOW! ongoing series Moon Knight #1. Along with the previously revealed cover to the first issue, the solicitation includes two variant covers: one drawn by Shalvey and another installation of Marvel's trending "animal variant covers" drawn by Katie Cook. Read below for the official solicitation:
Marc Spector is Moon Knight!…Or is he? It’s hard to tell these days, especially when New York’s wildest vigilante protects the street with two-fisted justice and three—that’s right, count 'em—different personalities! But even with the mystical force of Khonshu fueling his crusade, how does the night's greatest detective save a city that's as twisted as he is? The road to victory is going to hurt. A lot. Marvel's most mind-bending adventure begins NOW as Moon Knight sleuths his way to the rotten core of New York's most bizarre mysteries!
Once again, Marc's identity crisis takes front stage in this series. Long has the man known as Moon Knight struggled with his mercenary persona throughout his crime fighting career. Even when writer Mike Benson tried to kill off the Marc Spector persona during his 2008 run in the third volume of Moon Knight, the vigilante's original identity was resurrected not long after during the "Shadowland" cross-title event.
That's not the only interesting thing about the solicitation, though: Moon Knight will be utilizing three personas again. The big question, then, is who are these personas? Marc Spector definitely takes one spot, and it's still unclear whether Moon Knight occupies another. Will Ellis honor the character's history as he said he would and dust off the Lunar Crusader's Jake Lockley and Steven Grant identities? I hope so, because I personally didn't care for his personality trio of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America in the last Moon Knight series by Brian Michael Bendis. Moon Knight was just fine being his violent self, and I'd rather not see him try to embody his fellow Avengers again.Also, Khonshu is back! I loved the dynamic between the avatar and the Ancient Egyptian god in the third volume and Vengeance of the Moon Knight. When Bendis completely omitted Khonshu from his series, I was pretty miffed. In fact, it's hard to call Bendis' series a true Moon Knight series. There are three defining elements to a Moon Knight book, in my opinion: the holy triad of personalities (Marc, Jake, and Steven), Khonshu's implicit or explicit presence, and Moon Knight's main supporting cast. There's still no word on whether Ellis will include Marc's friends—Marlene Alraune, Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp, Bertrand Crawley, and Gena Landers and her sons—but, again, I hope that Ellis will stay true to Moon Knight's classic stories.
The most exciting things to come from this solicitation, however, are the variants. Well, one in particular, that is; but I'll give Cook's a fair mention, too.
These "animal variant covers" Marvel has been pumping out have been equally as fun as the "baby variants" by Skottie Young (although never as satisfying as the "Venom variants" from last year were, in my opinion). As fun as it is to see Moon Knight as a hippopotamus, I feel this was a lost opportunity on Cook's part to create "Moo Knight," the Lunar Cow of Vengeance and a hilarious response to DC's Bat-Cow. Besides, what sort of connection does a hippo have to Moon Knight in the first place? Ah, well. (Also, Marvel had better be careful about claiming Moon Knight as "the night's greatest detective." He already has an unfair reputation of being called a Batman copycat!)
We get our first peek at Moon Knight's iconic look under Shalvey's hand with his variant cover. Additionally, it looks like the hero will be getting an updated costume with some influences from the original jet-and-silver design and the armored upgrade from Vengeance of the Moon Knight. Gotta say, I'm loving this new look. Also, Shalvey's variant reminds me of something from his Venom days of recent history…
He confirmed with me on Twitter that the resemblance was unintentional, but I like to think he did that just for
Moon Knight #1 will be available in March 2014 as a part of Marvel's second season of NOW! titles. Are you excited for the next chapter in Moon Knight's career? What are your thoughts on the new threads?
Hey everyone, this is Stephen Wago, host of Addicted to Anime, and today I'm bringing you my top five most controversial anime. Now, when I talk about controversial, the criteria stem from numerous things. The content of the show, the audience's reception to the content, and the show's impact in the real world.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion
When anyone talks about controversial anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) always comes up. However, the bulk of the content is never really the issue of the show; they're a little on the edgy side with their use of religious and historical symbolism, but for the most part it's your typical futuristic anime with giant fighting robots.
NGE saw a huge surge of popularity, which is the reason I put it on the list. This anime will go down as the series with the ultimate fan backlash toward its creator, a man known as Hideaki Anno. NGE's creative team cut production too close to deadline on multiple occasions, and as a result the final two episodes of the series deviated from the initial story heavily and were of incredibly poor quality. Fans of the series felt betrayed and sent multiple death threats to Anno.
Although budget cuts are the assumed reason for the series' less-than-spectacular ending, people closer to Anno have claimed that it was because of the plot changing from the initial script thirteen episodes in and because of the ending being constructed so close to the final deadline. Another rumored reason for the series' weak ending is Anno's mental state. To this day, people still debate the issue and the causes behind the series' downfall. Even if you're not interested in the show itself, I recommend checking out the debates on various forums.
4. Pokémon
Pokémon makes number four on my list, and that might come as a shocker to you. Sure, the content isn't really edgy, and its general audience hasn't really been offended by it. Yet I cannot think of a single anime that has had as wide a global impact as Pokémon. Because of this popularity, the series that saw a 10-year-old Ash Ketchum journey the Kanto region to become a Pokémon master has been shrouded in controversy. In my opinion Pokémon is the most popular anime title of all time, so it was only natural that some people would find issue with it, ranging from as minor as a parent finding the content too stupid and banning their child from it, to more controversial issues raised mainly by religious groups and animal rights terrorists PETA.
PETA and other animal rights groups have taken issue with Pokémon as well, saying that it positively promoted cock fighting—that the concept of catching Pokémon and forcing them to fight was disgusting. In recent years, PETA even has created a Flash game in which you take control of abused Pokémon to fight against some of the games' and animes' best known human characters.
The last bit controversy stems from banned episodes of Pokémon, and in this case the issue raised actually holds weight, as opposed to the two previous arguments. One episode that included the debut of Porygon caused seizures in multiple children in Japan after it showed a series of blue and red flashing lights. As a result, neither Porygon nor its evolutions have ever appeared in another episode of Pokémon (even though the lights were caused from the mascot, Pikachu).
There have, of course, been plenty of other minor incidents that have caused controversy or gotten episodes banned, but these are the main issues that stick out, giving me a reason to make Pokémon number four on my list.
#FreePorygon
3. Death Note
Death Note has a very special place in my heart. When I returned to bingeing on anime after a few years' hiatus, Death Note was one of the first that got me hooked again. The series follows a high school student (a trend in anime) named Light Yagami. Sick of the constant crime rate and general boredom in his life, Light was a prime candidate to take Japan by storm with the help of a book dropped from the Shinigami realm—the Death Note. This book allows the possessor to write in a person's name and kill them in whatever fashion he or she desires. The story allows us to follow the villain and watch his mind and personality transform as he becomes an insane serial killer, eventually taking on a persona known as Kira.
2. School Days
School Days is a fun one, simply because the ending is so damned unexpected. What suckers you in as a romance anime ultimately leaves you very surprised, confused, and (for some) horrified. The three main characters are Makoto, Katsura, and Sekai. Sekai learns of Makoto's crush on Katsura and brings them together. However, jealousy begins stirring, and Sekai develops feelings for Makoto as well. In the end, Mokoto, while dating Katsura, ends up sleeping with Sekai also. The final episode is where this love triangle takes a deadly and dramatic turn.
Makoto receives a text message from Sekai saying, "sorry…goodbye" before she launches a surprise attack in his apartment, stabbing him to death. Later that night, Sekai receives a text from the dead Mokoto's phone, asking her to meet him on the rooftop. It was from Katsura, who had earlier found Mokoto's body. In her backpack she carries is the head of the dead Makoto. She then proceeds to kill Sekai, cutting open her womb to see if Sekai is pregnant with Mokoto's child.With that lovely image in our minds, we're left with a final scene of Katsura on a boat going out to sea with Makoto's head in her arms, saying they could now finally be together.
The final episode never got to air in Japan after news broke of a sixteen-year-old girl who had killed her own father, if that rapid turn in this love triangle wasn't controversial enough. Due to the poor timing, the episode was not seen until a later date at theaters. Based purely on content and some people's outrage or disgust over a show that had captured many people's hearts, I can't help but put it on my list.
1. Elfen Lied
Number one on my list goes to none other than Elfen Lied, a series I watched a few years ago that has always been one of my favorites. This is one of those shows that never became popular in the mainstream. However, based of the reception of first-time viewers and the pure content from start to finish, it's hard not to put it on this list. Never in a million years could I do this show justice in describing what it accomplishes throughout, but I'll do my best to break down the reasons why it tops my list:
Incest: I don't know if incest between cousins in Japan is accepted or not, but living in England and America, it seems fucking weird to me. Elfen Lied's main characters Kouta and Yuka seem to have a romantic relationship throughout the series; we see Yuka constantly getting jealous of Kouta and his affections toward others. Eventually we get an unexplainable kiss between the two at some weird shrine, which I still can't get my head around.
Abuse of Children: Although this may fall under the violence section, I felt it needed its own spot. People die in anime all the time, yet it's very rare that a video game or a show involves the abuse of children. In Elfen Lied, however, we see it on several occasions. Nana's and Kouta's younger sisters are the victims of a brutal assault via Lucy's wrath, which includes the one girl being ripped in half and the other having her limbs slowly pulled off as she tries to fight through the pain. We also have a pedophile in this series who forces one of the younger females in the cast to strip and perform for him. Although we never truly see any of the acts, we get glimpses of compromising positions.
THEY KILLED A DOG! Need I say more? I've never been so happy to watch children get decapitated after they kicked a small puppy to death.
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| See? This is what happens when you kick puppies. |
That's it for me! I hope you enjoyed my top five most controversial anime. If you guys disagree with my placement or choices, tell me why in the comments below! If you've enjoyed my views on some of these titles, be sure to check out my podcast here on Fanboys Anonymous: "Addicted to Anime."
Anticipation and excitement are in abundance right now as the UK's greatest export under Marvel is back with a major event. Fanboys Anonymous is proud to present Marvel UK's Revolutionary War.
Marvel UK is an imprint of Marvel that was originally established in 1972 simply to reprint existing Marvel comics for the British market. It later flourished and began to produce its own original works, thanks to writers and artists such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon, and Grant Morrison, and as a result we had characters such as Captain Britain, Union Jack, Spitfire, Pete Wisdom, Night Raven, Motormouth, Death's Head, Death's Head II, Dark Angel, and Killpower.
As a result of an ailing UK market in the '90s, Marvel UK was plagued with problems that resulted in the eventual buyout by Panini Comics. Cancellations and reboots aplenty followed; Captain Britain's adventures were some of few that really stood out. With members of the X-Men joining Excalibur, the British version of Professor X's team, Captain Britain also jumped the Atlantic to join the Avengers briefly, but his own team hasn't had a good run for a long while, and here we are.
So it's a pleasure for fans to see Brian Braddock and what is now MI 13 reunited for Revolutionary War. Fanboys got a glimpse of some lush artwork and a piece of the plot:
Long ago, Captain Britain, Dark Angel, Motormouth, and the pantheon of Marvel UK heroes believed they had defeated the shadowy Mys-Tech organization in one Earth-shattering climactic battle. But they were wrong. Mys-Tech has returned, and their presence threatens not only the world – but the entire universe!
Now, Marvel UK’s greatest heroes must band together for the first time in 20 years to stop a long forgotten enemy. But are they too late?
Written by Andy Lanning and Simon Cowsill, with artwork by Richard Elson and Mark Brooks, Revolutionary War will be an eight-part series also accompanied by various one-shots charting the UK heroes' attempts to stop Mys-Tech dead in their tracks. I just can't say enough about how lovely Elson's work is looking.
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| This artwork, I like it. ANOTHER! |
Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls! You want some of this? Comments below and thanks for reading.
When last we saw Spider-Man and the heroes of the Ultimate Universe, they stood behind Galactus on the scoreboard, who has completely destroyed New Jersey while the heroes have yet to even slow the Devourer of Worlds. Cataclysm Ultimate Comics Spider-Man 2 steps back before the troupe decided to send Miles and Reed Richards to the 616 Universe to see how Miles' friends fared when Galactus made landfall.
The issue opens with a nice double page spread of the infamous Ultimatum Wave. It's nice seeing that the Ultimate Universe is self aware of the hardships its been through. We then jump to Dagger, Tandy Bowen, who was caught out on the streets when the wave hit. Again, Bendis highlights his mastery of world building as Tandy watches Spider-Man, then Peter Parker, swing to save whomever he can. The book then jumps, as only comics can, in the turn of a single page to the present day, highlighting just how that moment inspired a young woman like Tandy to challenge a being as powerful as Galactus without needing dialogue at all. Although her attack, assisted by Cloak, proves to be entirely futile, it was still a great character moment that grasped at a higher standard than simply "filler tie-in story".
Following Tandy's retreat we move to the scene from Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand 2 in which Miles and the Ultimates break off from their assault on the giant purple man to save what civilians they can. Miles ultimately helps one young man find his father which flashes him back to his family's attempt to leave following the Ultimatum Wave. Here we see Miles' father go on a familiar tangent about his distaste for super powers. The scene is a bit heavy, his dad having to stop himself from saying if his son ever had powers he doesn't want to know, but doesn't last long as we jump again to check in on Bombshell who stops a looting.
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| It was a bit more dramatic than this |
How do you think Miles' father will react to his unmasking? Do you think he'll take his dad to the 616 universe? Sound off in the comments below and follow us next month as we cover the Ultimate Universe's attempt to repel its deadliest threat yet.
So, it isn't exactly news to a lot of people that the legendary James Cameron/Arnold Schwarzenegger cyborg sci-fi movies are getting their boots polished once again... is it? Oh, you haven't heard?
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| Who needs pants in the apocalypse, I ask? |
It was a painful experience for me to have grown up shitting my infant trousers watching 1984's Terminator, going on to read every single issue released by Dark Horse Comics, proclaim Terminator 2 as one of the best films of all time next to Aliens and Robocop, only to see Arnie jump back in a decade later without Cameron and essential co-star Linda Hamilton and looking old and wrinkly like a condom stuffed with walnuts.
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| "AHL BE... ummm... I'll be in my office.! |
It was never going to be a Terminator movie without Arnie. I say that as a purist and as someone who knows that the current generation of kids will never know the terror and awesomeness that Schwarzenegger brought to the role of the Cyberdine Systems model 101 back in the day. Hell, they'll never have a movie icon and an action star like Arnie ever again.
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| Right? |
Terminator 5, also being dubbed Terminator version 2.0, is being pitched as a reboot and, at the same time, a sequel. Whether that means it will move forward from Judgment Day as though none of the other hoo-ha happened or will just reboot the whole damned thing, is beyond me. What we do know is that producers are already bold enough to pitch this as a trilogy—which is brave in today's climate of economic downturns and people hating the crap out of remakes and reboots.
The first installment will be directed by Thor 2 and Game of Thrones helmsman Alan Taylor, because what a Terminator reboot needs is space vikings and sword fights. The role of Sarah Connor is now said to be in a toss-up between frauleins Emilia Clarke (oh look, Game of Thrones) and Brie Larson (Don Jon). Its release date is set for the summer of 2015, which gives me plenty of time to look in on developments and take back every insult I've so far thrown at its shiny chrome head.
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| "Hey! Cyborgs have feelings too... Pretty, and Witty, and Genocidal!" |
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| Goddammit, I want it to be like THIS! |
Earlier this year, DC unveiled plans of a line wide five year leap forward scheduled to roll out
September 2014. Today, the publisher's bold new initiative began to take shape with the announcement of The New 52: Future's End, a weekly comic set to begin with a free zero issue on Free Comic Book Day followed by a number one at the end of the month.
DC has braved weekly books before though is being particularly ambitious this year as Future's End is the second weekly book announced following Batman:Eternal. Although weekly books are often synonymous with comic store fifty cent bins, the move makes a fair bit of sense on DC's part.With few writers still on the books they originally began, the young DCnU has a distinct lack of momentum. It seems Future's End could be the solution to this as it's said to explore DC's past, present, and future simultaneously.The talent affixed to Future's End indicates DC plans to use it as more than a gimmick as it has affixed considerable talent to the project with Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, and Dan Jurgens on script duty for the year long odyssey along with Ethan Van Schiver, Jesus Merino, and Aaron Lopresti set to deliver art. Along with the talent comes the early revelation that the book with officially incorporate Batman Beyond's Terry McGuinness into DC canon.
Although the creative team's have been announced, the cover sets an interesting tone for the series. What do you think of the book so far? Could the cover indicate a return of OMAC or Brother Eye? Stay tuned to Fanboysanonymous.com for more DC news and let us know what you think of the announcement in the comment section below.
Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.
MOVIES
"X-Men: Apocolypse" 2016 post credit sequence makes internet explode.
My take: A leaked, possible post-credit sequence for DOFP suggested Apocolypse would be an alien in the movie-verse instead of the world's first mutant. It has since been debunked...but so what? It's the movies, not the comics. Perhaps that plot thread would lead to a link to the Shi'ar Empire for yet another film. Think big picture, people.
World War Z hires Juan Antonio Bayona
My take: Though capable, I'm sure, I'd be a little happier to hear more on the story. The first disaster ended with a ho-hum due to budget restraints. I did enjoy the first but felt it really missed the mark overusing the world-hopping plotpoints as the reality curve warped wildly over the course of the story.
Gal Gadot cast as Wonder Woman.
My take: Push-ups required.
VIDEO GAMES
Jason Momoa casting for Batman vs Superman heats up "Doomsday" rumors.
My take: Doomsday doesn't translate to live-action, please give up and move on. Even CGI would look forced. Even so, you want to take Batman directly from the streets of Gotham and immediately launch him into a scuffle with a Kryptonian-destroying monster? Great for comics and cartoons (if done right) but sure isn't going to look natural IRL.
TELEVISION
Bruce Wayne to be a series regular on "Gotham".
My take: Caallled it. This is a horrid idea and immediately takes the focus off the STAR of the series, Jim Gordon. This is stooping to the lowest common denominator to get viewers. I can understand the Wayne homocide being one story arc but to have Gordon cross paths with a 10 year old over and over will sure feel unlikely damn fast. Hopefully Bruce goes overseas to train sooner than later.
AMC will run "Breaking Bad" and "Walking Dead" marathons over holidays.
My take: Nice knowing you, world! Nice meeting you, my own children! Check out AMC's website for details but they run between December 27th-31st and the ratings will be sadly enou.
COMIC BOOKS
"Image Revolution" documentary coming up this month covers the creation of "Image Comics" back in 1992.
My take: I'm curious to see how much of the drama people are expecting actually comes up. A lot of bridges got burned that year and a full story has yet to be told. I'll definitely be watching. Currently available at www.sequart.org for $5.
First post-"Zero Year" story jumps ahead in "Batman"
My take: Gimmick. Stunt. Cry for help. DC Comics. I used to be a huge DC fan from way back before the original Zero HOUR started. I hopped on the year Tim Drake was introduced to the DCU and was loyal until this New 52 nonsense. I preferred the try-hard "Crisis" events over the horribly executed new universe they have now.
TECHNOLOGY
4DX Movie Theatres to reign supreme.
My take: I don't personally see the appeal of having liquids sprayed at my face while I'm trying to watch a movie but maybe for kids? I could see my kids having a blast at that and it would make going to a movie even more of an event. I, however, am an adult. I could get on board for scents being included to add atmosphere, or maybe a breeze but don't spray me in the face with a water bottle like a cat.
Watch out for this segment each and every Wednesday. We'll see you next week!
Did we miss something? What are your thoughts on these topics?
Leave us a comment below!
So, you've seen the photos, you've read the news, you've joined the hype, and now, the moment of truth is one giant step inevitably closer!
Fanboys and Fangirls, pants wetters of all ages, the trailer to 2014's Godzilla is here...
So... Holy Crap? Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olson, all looking good. Godzilla looking freakin' amazing. Mind blown all over the wall.
How about you? Looking forward to it any more? Is Roland Emmerich fading from your childhood yet?
Godzilla, released from May 2014. Comments below!
