Fanboys Anonymous

About two weeks ago, I saw a news article that referred to Marilyn Manson as a model for Yves-Saint Laurent. A bit insignificant, but I was slightly amused by the contrast, so I read it and scrolled down to browse commentaries that were sure to give me a few seconds of joy. I came upon one comment that stood out for its subliminal truth. It went something along the lines of, "He (Manson) had his fifteen minutes of fame."

I do agree that the peak of Marilyn Manson's mainstream spotlight has faded, but I disagree that he hasn't rooted himself deeply enough into showbiz to allow for lifelong red carpet privileges. Now let us adhere to the purpose of this article, which I find necessary to write because I haven't seen another artist like this in the music world and am unsure I will again. Mind you that I will be writing in the past tense—not because Marilyn Manson has called it quits, but because the thesis that the band brought us has come full circle. Also, I will refer to the band as Marilyn Manson and the vocalist simply as Manson.

Marilyn Manson isn't just a pseudonym for Brian Warner's intelligent, albeit frustrated American mind. It is not just a band that stood out in the Florida scene of the early '90s and accidentally found its way onto MTV via their brilliant cover of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." They (for it was a collective effort) were far more than the intentionally-performed vulgarities of their live shows. Much more. In fact, Marilyn Manson was an idea.

An idea so simple it was genius. I'm not referring to the dark satire of opposites in American culture, hence the names Marilyn (Monroe) and (Charles) Manson. Sure, it was a great gimmick, but Alice Cooper beat them to it, even if at a more superficial level. Was it the stage antics? The self-mutilation? Perhaps it was all about the lyrics, or the affiliation with the Church of Satan? Let's not dismiss the music itself, as well as the striking visual imagery that came with the videos in bile-coated candy, cynicism, and disgust. Are all of these together the reason the band deserves recognition? No, none of these are it.

I'm referring to the real message that Manson, both man and band, only realized they were delivering several years into their careers. Only when shit, or rather bullets, hit the fan did they truly rise. There will be more on this as we progress.

Over the years, the band has received an avalanche of worship and praise from its fans, for Marilyn Manson were the champions of the underground. But which fans? Against all odds, Marilyn Manson completely redesigned themselves with each album, from demented Halloween childhood to downright Nietzsche-esque nihilism and misanthropic hate, and onward to a Ziggy Stardust allusion. This caused the alienation of their earliest fans, and not too many followed the band from its beginning to its mainstream success.

In a defiant act of pure, unrefined "balls," Marilyn Manson won over many new fans with 1998's Mechanical Animals, the successor of goth's arguable paramount Antichrist Superstar (1996). A mere two years apart, these two absolute musical opposites still had plenty in common. They were concept albums that held a mirror up to society and showed the unfortunate truths that were hidden in contradictions accepted as laws, beliefs, and cultural following. Manson himself would say that if your kid listens to Marilyn Manson, take that as a warning sign. Inevitably, someone drawn toward anything that screams "society is wrong" could possibly feel frustrated and/or neglected. They say Nirvana best represented the gloom of Generation X, but that's just a cute story for the media to sell. Marilyn Manson truly proved the gloom of that generation, and that depression would not be forgiving of the next. Kids were growing in a damaged world—change it or else.

This was Marilyn Manson, the band that scraped off the unwanted goo of youth frustration from the back pages and put it on the headlines for all to see. They managed to do so because they were making too much money to be shut down once and for all. No conservative parent could convince enough senators to bring Manson to a halt in light of record sales and sold out concerts. Showbiz wouldn't hear a word of it.

It was no surprise that eventually something did happen. "Columbine" can mean two things: if you are a botanist, it is a flower. If you were of age, then you know this is the infamous high school shooting location of 1999. Although there was plenty of mindless blame to throw around, Marilyn Manson quickly became a target simply because it was later found that the shooters had the band's albums on their shelves. No hard facts, no evidence, no goodbye message from the two stating their love for the band was left, yet the media jumped like the usual hyena onto this "Marilyn Manson told them to" hypothesis and crucified the singer and the music. The band cancelled the last remaining tour dates and went into hibernation for a period. Manson himself wrote one brilliant and straight-to-the-point column in Rolling Stone magazine and went AWOL for a bit. A big chunk of celebrities backed him, although not too openly.

An event of this magnitude is enough to put a severe dent on an artist's career, or to jeopardize the rise or maintaining of status in the entertainment world. Despite this obstacle, the real twist of fate was another. In late 2000, enter Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). The fourth release in their discography was perhaps one of the most triumphant and unique musical epistles that any band has ever conceived. The lyrical content alone was highly significant to the Columbine incident, guns, Christian fanatic hypocrisy, and teenage angst, and coherently linked them all together. Lines such as "This is evolution / The monkey, the man, then the gun," and "the death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is just a statistic" told anyone who heard them that there was a pattern in America's cultural reality and it has been repeating itself since the dawn of time. It also rebutted the senseless blame the band had received with a glove slap.

The cherry on top for the album was the song "The Nobodies," which deliberately sung of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold's fate. The song condemned the killers' actions whilst lamenting their eventual postmortem realization that they were "forever dirt."

This gun crucifix implied that violence dominates American culture; used as logo for the band's website in 2000.

Manson had always spoken eloquently and even with class, if I may say so, regarding the purpose of the band's message. Any time the controversial vocalist would make an appearance on TV or some form of debate, he would always win over the audience (minus the biased) with simple, clear logic. Yet after taking the blame he did, to release a phenomenal record is just plain majestic, especially since it proved to be musically good enough to garner even more fans and do great in the charts.

I remember this well, because I was (and still am) a Marilyn Manson fan. Then, thankfully, Michael Moore and his Bowling For Columbine documentary came along in 2002. Manson was interviewed right before the Denver show, and in a brief few minutes of movie time, using his same old discourse, he convinced millions of viewers around the world that Marilyn Manson was not a perverse band trying to profit off of satanism but instead, a literate, intelligent shit-stirrer. Even though he received numerous death threats mere minutes prior to the interview, Manson still took the stage and delivered.

They were not about satanism. They were not an attack against particular institutions, despite the numerous calling-outs toward bad parenting and church, and not about the drugs with which they were openly and admittedly friendly.

Marilyn Manson was about the duality within ourselves and the power that we have to use it. We can create or destroy, be peaceful or violent. This is the domineering factor in our civilization. We build, then destroy and build again. The band seems to celebrate this factor in humanity and yet, in snobbish fashion, society fails to acknowledge its instincts and flaws and condemns those who point it out. What's even more unnerving is that the media and mainstream seem to be tightening the rope ever more in the music world. Or perhaps artists aren't doing too good a job at relevant content.

Caricature painting of Harris and Klebold by Manson

Very few artists have released concept albums that put them dangerously close to unemployment. Marilyn Manson is definitely one of them and likely the most underrated in recognition, because they were the most in-your-face, up-your-ass, and go-read-a-book of all mainstream bands. Though the primary focus was America, a big part of the planet related as well, bringing worldwide success that perhaps even the band didn't count on.

In the aftermath of the first few years of the 2000 decade, Marilyn Manson have indeed released albums and still perform successful tours around the globe, but not with the same shocking impact as before. Perhaps they helped push the threshold of censorship a bit, or maybe they came full circle. Yet for a band that came out of Florida's strange underground goth scene of the '90s alongside peers like Jack Off Jill, Amboog-a-Lard, and Genitorturers, they sure went in through the backdoor and were puked up to the top in rock star fashion. To close off with a lyric of this unique band, "I was made in America and America hates me for what I am / I am your shit. You should be ashamed of what you have eaten."

Marilyn Manson in its Spooky Kids era, circa 1992.

I challenge anyone to name a band that fought such a battle. I cannot think of one. Oh wait, Rage… maybe for the next article.

Among the wealth of comic Kickstarter campaigns, tucked neatly between the oddly-drawn cover pages of another sixty-day fundable project, lies the concept for The Pseudoverse. I find it interesting because it follows a new wave of adventure thinking most popularly displayed in animated series such as Adventure Time with Finn & Jake and The Regular Show.

What makes these shows, and this comic, unique is that they are not held to any steadfast rules within the realm of their fiction. In fact, on several occasions, I've been pretty sure they were just flying by the seat of their pants.
Growing up, Rocko's Modern Life and Ren & Stimpy were about as wild as cartoon concepts could get, or so we thought. All these years later, the minds of my children's animated series creators are coming up with constant universe rule changes, adventures to odd worlds within worlds, simple games leading to planetary destruction, and super brain drinks that boost your intelligence so much you can no longer understand regular people. The nonsensical comic novel Pseudoverse is nestled somewhere in this genre and, like the animated series my kids watch these days, I thought it was pretty funny myself.

Take a look at the free epilogue for Pseudoverse below, and if you have time when it's over, tell me what you think about it in the Comments section downstairs!

Per the campaign - "Pseudoverse: Epilogue is an all new mind-blowing sci-fi graphic novel experience with motion, sound effects, and full audio."

This year is going to be pretty damned exciting for movie fans everywhere, with the early winter months being no exception. Just think about it: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Robocop, Amazing Spider-Man 2, Arnie stepping up his game again with Sabotage, Godzilla in an acting deathmatch with Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, Tom Cruise getting repeatedly killed in Edge of Tomorrow, and more!

This month we get the grueling war film Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg and Ben Foster. It will be awesome, kickass, emotional, the mutt's nuts, the kitty's titties. To coincide with its release, I wanted to run a feature—not on its actors, but on its director, who will want none of the credit but deserves lots.

I'm talking, of course, about Peter Berg—a familiar face in acting since the '80s and now writer, director, and producer of some great films and TV shows, with a few guilty pleasures in the mix.

"Fucking tell me how to drink my soup!"

The Lone Survivor director, who turns 50 this March, marks his ninth movie as a director since Very Bad Things in 1998, with a tenth in pre-production. You could call that lazy by some standards, but then you'd be discounting the fact that he's also directed six TV series, written seven movie and television screenplays, and then made some forty-one acting appearances since his debut in 1988's 21 Jump Street.

Berg, middle name Winkler (true story), apparently never wanted to be an actor. Moving to LA in 1985, he was a dock worker and pizza delivery man before his big break, because let's face it: say for instance you never wanted to write comic books for a living, and instead you cleaned toilets. If you had the opportunity to tell stories rather than smell bleach and arse, you'd take it and see where it went.

"I don't wanna play pro football anymore, I wanna grow a crazy old man beard..."

Well, not only did Winkleberg get his break quickly, he was very soon a leading man in popular film and working with some pretty stellar actors before the mid-'90s. You may or may not remember that Berg was the lead protagonist in Wes Craven's 1989 film Shocker, co-starring X-Files and Sons of Anarchy actor Mitch Pileggi.


Bearing in mind that the 90s were possibly the worst decade in Hollywood film history—lack of money, crap CGI, action heroes were getting old—Berg worked hard to do fewer films like Aspen Extreme ("Top Gun on the Ski Slopes") and tried to apply himself to more serious work like A Midnight Clear and Fire in the Sky.

It was his role as Dr. Billy Kronk on smash hit TV show Chicago Hope (the role he is still best known for) between 1995 and 1999, however, that marked his change in fortune and his directorial debut. That same year he directed his first movie, Very Bad Things.

"Who switched off the football to watch The Notebook?!!"

If anything, his debut promised great things to come for reasons other than the fact that he found a greater passion in directing. Some positive film experiences had clearly helped him to see what makes a good production, whereas some terrible ones had no doubt shown him all the schoolboy errors a director should never make.

While still making frequent film and television appearances as an actor, with the likes of Cop Land, Alias, and King of Queens, Berg continued to write and direct for television before his next movie, The Rundown aka Welcome to the Jungle, arguably Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's most credible and enjoyable film to date (at the time).

AKA Welcome to the Jungle

You might not have seen what came next after his appearance as "Pistol" Pete Deeks in Smokin' Aces…


…but Berg would quickly go on to prove that he was no small-time director, even if his ease and competence had already proved what he could do with a small budget. From 2009 up until 2012, Berg would apply himself vigorously to working in television, but first, he released two of his most successful movies yet: 2007's suspenseful Middle Eastern terrorist thriller The Kingdom…


…and 2008's superhero drama Hancock, which was (in my opinion), Will Smith's last decent film.

Well, that car isn't covered for superhero damage.

From those two features, you can get a great idea of not only Berg's dramatic style of direction but also his flair for timing between drama, suspense, and comic relief. Not that there is a lack of that in cinema today, but Berg is a standout director, one that delivers on what he promises. Lone Survivor, for this reason, will be a film you can bet on.

Of course, the man has also made his mistakes, namely in the hefty-budgeted Battleship, which was based on the Hasbro board game of legend. The film was made for an estimated $209 million and made just over $100 million in profits on top of its money back worldwide, but cinema goers seemed hardly impressed. Why the hell did a board game about sinking battleships have a film about an alien invasion?

Taylor Kitch is our only hope? Hahahaaa let's surrender!

Regardless, time will tell whether Berg will ever make that same mistake again. Outside of film and television, he's co-owner of the famous Wild Card West boxing gym with legendary boxer Freddie Roach, and doesn't rely on the fame or fortune of Hollywood. Boxing and movies are both lifetime passions of his from which he will never walk away, especially since his client bases consist of his idols and those who idolize him.

Not bad for a kid who came out west to LA from New York City to be a dock worker!

"Yeah whatever, not bad for a... just shut up..."

So, who'll be going to see Lone Survivor this month? I'll bet on you getting your money's worth. If I lose, though, I hope you don't mind Monopoly money. I'm broke-ass poor. Comments below and thanks for reading.

It has been announced by Brian Singer that in 2016, the follow-up to X-Men: Days of Future Past will be called X-Men: Apocalypse, which naturally has to feature one of the series most powerful (if not THE most powerful) enemies, Apocalypse.

A Little Background on the Character:

Generally speaking, Apocalypse's backstory is that he was born thousands of years ago in Egypt, and at that time, he was named En Sabah Nur (or "The First One"), which is referenced many times to imply that he was one of the first mutants in history.

His powers are immense and include virtually everything out there. He is immortal, invulnerable, has superhuman strength, can alter his size and molecular structure, manipulate matter, and pretty much anything else you can name.

Challenges on the Screen:

1) Big frame, unless you go with CGI
2) Intimidating
3) Sense of being regal

In a lot of ways, this is similar to trying to figure out who you would cast as Thanos, which still hasn't been confirmed yet despite Damion Poitier playing him in The Avengers.

Who wins this fist fight?

If he were still alive, my top choice would probably be Michael Clarke Duncan. Unfortunately, that's no longer a possibility. I've never been able to think of anyone else that can do the character justice with a relative size proportion, so instead, I think they need to go with heavy CGI and in that case, you don't need anyone that particularly resembles the character at all.

If you're going with just voices, my first thoughts run to Keith David or Kevin Michael Richardson. If you're going for an actor who can provide a voice and also do the facial expressions and such, I'm going with Javier Bardem. He's nowhere near as physically big as the character, but neither is Mark Ruffalo, and he was the Hulk, so that's something to get around.

Bardem has an evil-looking face, and I think it can be manipulated enough to look like Apocalypse. Plus, he has a deep and distinct enough voice that, with some extra editing, I would buy into it. Being Spanish obviously isn't the same as being Egyptian, but it's much more believable to me to have someone like Bardem play the character than a stark white Irish person or someone who sounds like they're from Brooklyn, that's for sure.


My first thought on casting Apocalypse also was Michael Clarke Duncan. He had the size, the voice, and just overall aura that represent the character. Since Michael is no longer with us (may he rest in peace), I would go with Idris Elba. I love him in the Thor movies. Idris as Heimdall just exudes royalty—a trait that Apocalypse himself exhibits—which is a perfect reason to cast Idris. His voice alone would make a great Apocalypse, since it's deep and carries authority. The studio may have to CGI Idris's size, but I can't see that being a problem. Idris Elba is the only actor I can think of being able to capture the essence that is Apocalypse.


When I imagine how they might want to portray Apocalypse aesthetically, I imagine something of a Hellboy-esque prosthetics job with a touch of CGI. Then again, I might be wrong. They might go for full-on mocap suits and have a voiceover actor instead. So I'm looking to take the middle ground and try to imagine not only who would look similar to Apocalypse, but also who I imagine could pull off the voice.

First off, I'm going out on a limb to suggest Vin Diesel stop trying to be so likeable and go full villain. The guy would look spot on with a bit of blue and grey greasepaint on his slaphead and, of course, the prosthetics. He also has a very deep, aggressive voice, which I imagine would work well. Otherwise, because Fox has been very ballsy in casting the X-Men franchise, it's very possible they may go with a great big hulking wrestler superstar to provide both the bulk and a huge boost in popularity. We've all seen how monstrously big Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been getting for his films over the last year or two. The guy can play a villain, and as he proved with Fast & Furious and GI Joe: Retaliation, he has all a filmmaker needs to turn an ailing project around and make it a success.


Based on body size and facial structure, I like Jason Momoa from Conan to play Apocalypse. He's massive and very serious and has a great face for it. I don't know if it's fitting since his skin isn't quite dark enough (to be Egyptian, I mean) and we would have to do something about that voice, but he's the one who comes to mind. If the character is going to be portrayed in any way like the animated series, then maybe it deserves a total rethink.

Hey everyone, it's Stephen Wago back again. For the most part, I normally stick to podcasts and articles with regard to anime. However, I'm going to tread a little onto the Dace Man's territory and introduce you to one of my favorite YouTubers in this edition of YouTube Spotlight.

Dan Bull rapping about DLC already on the disc.

The YouTube channel Douglby is home to an independent rap musician known as Dan Bull. He covers a large variety of topics on his channel, including politics, social media, and hot topics in the news, but he mostly focuses on video games. Throughout his time on YouTube he's gained himself 400,000 subscribers. Most of his popularity stems from his "Skyrim Epic Rap" video.

That said, the reason I put him on the YouTube Spotlight is because, in my eyes, he is truly deserving of more. He releases high-quality content on a regular basis with his music videos, which is reason enough to warrant more attention. However, in addition, Bull also shines the spotlight on many other YouTubers in a segment he calls the "Love Bomb."

Through his video logs and the lyrics to his music, it's very easy to become emotionally invested in and appreciate Dan Bull and to see that he's a genuinely nice guy. Plus he truly sends out a great message as someone who has autism and other ailments yet has been able to accomplish many awesome things.

So with that, I ask you to dive in to the ill mind of Dan Bull.


What do you think about Dan Bull? Are there any YouTubers who you think deserve the spotlight? As always, you can catch me on Addicted to Anime; our next broadcast is scheduled for January 12 at 8PM EST on Mega Powers Radio. I'll be covering Sword Art Online, along with my wife Johnna. Otherwise, you can catch me every Tuesday at 10pm EST for Unanimous Decision MMA on Dream Elite Radio.

Microtransactions are a feature in many online games today that allow players to play "freely" with the "option" to purchase in-game items using real-life cash. However, despite being able to be played for free, it would seem that games that offer "optional" microtransactions to players is more than what it seems to be.

The Illusion of Playing for Free

On outlets such as Facebook, microtransactions are popular because people feel like they're spending less. For only $0.99, you can get an additional item, armor, or even make instant progress in the game. However, while it may look like microtransaction games are making people save money from buying games traditionally, they're actually making players spend more cumulatively, compared to buying games the old-fashioned way (source: Parks Associates).

"Players often cite the microtransactions model as a way to reduce their gaming expenditures because it allows them to spend according to their budget and play patterns," says research analyst Pietro Macchiarella. "However, Parks Associates research reveals that people who spend money on these games tend to spend amounts that are comparable to the cost of traditional games."

It may seem like it would be difficult to spend the same amount of money through microtransactions as you would for a normal video game, but in one study, it was revealed that people spend around $50 a month in this fashion. The reason for this is because many games rely on these purchases to affect the outcome of the game itself. In many games, the only way to make progress is to buy a strong weapon in order to defeat an enemy, or to even to buy an entire stage to fully complete the game.

Real Free-to-Play Games

While there are game developers that take advantage of the microtransaction feature, there are many other free-to-play games that stay true to offering optional-only content. For example, casual games like Imangi's Temple Run and Rovio's Angry Birds are titles that offer a real, free-to-play experience. People can play them to their fullest without making a single purchase. The free-to-play MMORPG titles on Steam also offer a real, free gaming experience with the option to purchase in-game items that don't really affect the gameplay in general.

The key to distinguishing games that offer the illusion of being free versus the ones that offer purely optional microtransactions is the game progression. If you need to purchase things to progress in the game, then it isn't really free, is it? But if a game allows you to finish it in its entirety, with real-cash purchases treated as just extras, then the game is truly free-to-play.

Hopefully in the future, game developers won't take advantage of microtransactions as a means to make more money by deceiving players. Microtransactions are a fun way to enhance a gaming experience, but they should never be used as a necessary means to beat the game.

Who knew they were actually going to remake Starship Troopers? I mean, for sure? Film studios and producers always bang on about how they'd like to do a remake, how they own the rights to a remake, or how it's most definitely happening now… for a decade!

Well, for those of you who, like me, didn't know they have been planning this since 2012, Starship Troopers is now in pre-production. I don't know how you feel about that. Personally, I could get behind it if I knew who was directing and producing. I don't really care who's starring.

"The only good bug is a dead... oooh fuck me, run away!"

You could put Bert and Ernie in the lead and I'd be happy, because I loved the original, and that's because Michael Ironside was a boss!

Hardest Canadian Ever!

After he and Dizzy died I was like, "Casper Van Whooo? Denise Whaaaa? Son of Gary Busey?" I'm kidding, of course. That film rocked. It was like an unofficial Aliens sequel, and it was Paul Verhoeven's best film since Total Recall and Robocop. Speaking of which, what is it about Verhoeven remakes? All that's left to dismiss the freaky Dutchman now is Showgirls, Basic Instinct, and Black Book, and I don't think we'll be seeing those until there isn't a brain cell left in Hollywood.

In a recent statement, one half of the upcoming film's writing team, Zack Stentz (Thor and X-Men: First Class) put out some reassurance by stating that they were doing less of a parody like Verhoeven's version and sticking closer to the source material of Robert Heinlein's original novel.


Then adding: "An Officer and a Gentleman in Power Armour!"


Oh wait... I get it!


Sound off Fanboys and Fangirls. Do you think he just means they'll wear tight white pants instead of tight black pants? Maybe he just means it'll be ultraviolent but with romance instead of comedy and senseless shagging? Comments below and thanks for reading.

TorrentFreak has given their list of the top 10 most pirated movies of the year according to their downloads tracking.

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (8,400,000 estimated downloads)
2. Django Unchained (8,100,000 estimated downloads)
3. Fast and Furious 6 (7,900,000 estimated downloads)
4. Iron Man 3 (7,600,000 estimated downloads)
5. Silver Linings Playbook (7,500,000 estimated downloads)
6. Star Trek Into Darkness (7,400,000 estimated downloads)
7. Gangster Squad (7,200,000 estimated downloads)
8. Now You See Me (7,000,000 estimated downloads)
9. The Hangover Part 3 (6,900,000 estimated downloads)
10. World War Z (6,700,000 estimated downloads)

 
For the record, my predictions at the beginning of the year only included half of these (#3, #4, #6, #9 and #10)

I really expected The Hunger Games to potentially be on the list as well as a few others like Jack the Giant Slayer, Kick-Ass 2, This is the End, Thor: The Dark World and The Wolverine. By far, the biggest surprises to me are that Man of Steel and Pacific Rim aren't on the list.

What does this list tell us?

First and foremost, it reiterates that action movies are where people put a lot of their attention. Nearly everything on this list is an action film and many of them are in the Comic-Con type of fandom genre.

Also, what's interesting is the differences in grosses for the films. The two that grossed the most worldwide earnings were The Hobbit and Iron Man 3, both breaking the $1 billion mark. It's expected that so many downloads were a result of people wanting to watch the popular movies.

However, something like Gangster Squad made only 1/10th that, capping off at around the $100 million mark. This must have been a film that people were interested in seeing, but not interested in actually spending their money on. For good reason, too, as I personally thought it wasn't that good. This probably applied to Now You See Me as well, though that did much better with $350+ million at the box office (not too much more than The Hangover Part 3, showing that people just weren't as into the third film in that trilogy as they were the first).

What do you think about this list? Are there any things that surprise you? Did you download any of these movies? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Announced Friday, January 3, 2014, Star Wars will officially be leaving Dark Horse comics and heading over to LucasFilm's parenting company, Disney. Disney's own publishing company will now take the reigns of the comic book franchise in 2015. In short, we're going to see a Deadpool and Boba Fett comic!!! That's right, Fanboys and Fangirls, Marvel will begin penning the franchise's comic division the same year J.J. Abrams releases Star Wars Episode VII!!

Marvel initially had a run at Star Wars comics back when the original trilogy was released, but Dark Horse has been the publisher of the franchise since 1991, which included the launching of Dark Empire saga set after the events of Return of The Jedi. In a press statement released by Carol Roeder, director of Lucasfilm franchise publishing, she expressed gratitude for the 20-plus years Star Wars was handled and cared for by Dark Horse as well as her excitement for the franchise's re-debut into the Marvel Universe.

"Dark Horse Comics published exceptional Star Wars comics for over 20 years, and we will always be grateful for their enormous contributions to the mythos, and the terrific partnership that we had. In 2015, the cosmic adventures of Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca will make the lightspeed jump back to Marvel, to begin a new age of adventures within the Star Wars universe."

Certainly with the December 18th, 2015 release date of the next Star Wars movie, one could put together the idea that this brand moving will tie in with the upcoming trilogy. Stay tuned for more details as we follow this developing story and look forward into the Era of The Geek and 2015!


As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your preorders form for Marvel Star Wars #1—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Hey, Hey, Hey, Fanboys and FanGirls, it is I, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace bringing you the Top 10 Highest-Grossing Films of 2013. Join me as I break down the list that cracked the box office and read you a brief synopsis/review each movie (and if I didn't see it, you'll just get the synopsis). Away we go!!

10. Star Trek Into The Darkness

J.J. Abrams takes a crack at the twelfth installment of the Star Trek franchise, numero dos for Señor Abrams. We joined Kirk and Spock as they reunited on the big screen to take on the bad boy known as Khan. Being an outsider to the Star Trek franchise—yeah, I'm a Wars boy, not a Trekkie—the film was vastly entertaining, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Once again this is from an outside perspective; I'm sure plenty of Trekkies out there would disagree (and if you disagree, sound off in the Comments section!). This sequel from Bad Robot, released by Paramount, grossed $228,778,661, with an opening weekend of $70,165,559 on May 16, 2013. Its theater run ended September 19, 2013. I am looking forward to the next one but curious as to how it will do, now that J.J. has jumped over to the Wars! 

9. Oz The Great and Powerful

Now, I'm a little biased to this one, because my boy Zach Braff is in it. If you follow The Dace Man Show, you know I'm obsessed with Scrubs. In Oz, featuring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weiss, we visit the land of Oz long before Dorthy and Toto illegally parked their house on a witch. The story follows a young Wizard of Oz as he finds his way and learns morals and life lessons along the (yellow-brick) road. It also shows the origins of many other beloved Wizard of Oz characters and how they became who they are in that film. Released by Buena Vista, Oz The Great and Powerful grossed $234,911,825, with an opening weekend of $79,110,453 on March 8, 2013. Its run closed July 18, 2013.

8. Fast & Furious 6

The crew is back for their sixth installment of their Fast and Furious franchise, proving that movies just about cars aren't good enough. Now it has to be about heists and shit like that. I'll be honest with you: I have not seen this one…yet. I'll catch it on TNT. I know that with the addition of The Rock and the repackaging of the franchise it falls into a category of "junk food for the brain" type film. Michelle Rodriguez returns to the franchise, again, to have Hobbs (The Rock) drag Vin Diesel back into some overthrowing-evil-people-in-an-illegal-way type plot. The film, released by Universal, grossed $238,679,850, with an opening weekend of $97,375,245 on May 24, 2013. Its theatrical run closed September 5, 2013, running the length of the summer. 

7. Gravity 
 
This movie and concept seem stupid to me, so here's the synopsis: Dr. Ryan Stone is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. On a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. The only way home may be to go farther out into the terrifying expanse of space. The movie has grossed $255,144,426, opening at $55,785,112 on October 4, 2013, and is still running in theaters at this time. This hurts my heart.

 6. Monsters University


I, for one, was overjoyed to see this film franchise return to the big screen this year because I enjoyed the first one very much. Now, I have not seen this sequel yet, but it makes sense that a Disney/Pixar film release would make the Top 10 list, especially one that had a prior movie received so warmly. This prequel to the popular Monsters Inc. follows Mike and Sully through their college years. Also returning are the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi. Buena Vista distributed Monsters University, and it grossed $268,492,764, with an opening weekend of $82,429,469 on June 21, 2013, finally closing in its last theater on December 19. I am really looking forward to seeing this one in the near future!

5. Frozen

Our next movie didn't have much time to rake in the dough in 2013, but it still made it to number 5 on our list! Disney's Frozen, which was done without Pixar, hit the theaters at a slow start but quickly picked up momentum during the holiday season. I probably won't see this one, I imagine anyone with small children would be hooked by the story and animation wow factor. Starring the voices of Kristen Bell (love her), Jonathan Groff, and a bunch of other people I don't really know, this is a story about a young girl who must team with a bunch of oddballs to stop her Snow Queen sister and endless winter. Also released by Buena Vista, Frozen grossed $277,116,204 in 2013 with a sad opening of only $243,390 on November 22. It is still currently showing in theaters. 

4. Man of Steel

Superman returns to the big screen under the guidance of Batman franchise savior Christopher Nolan. Although there are two main points of the movie that really irritate fans, overall this was a decent Superman movie. For starters, Superman didn't battle a rock, and Lex wasn't his enemy, as in every other incarnation of a Superman movie, although there were subtle references. The Nolan brothers jumped right into the franchise with General Zod as well as a back story for The Man of Steel. Due to the success of Nolan's Superman Warner Bros. is now getting the itchy trigger finger and has announced a Superman vs. Batman film. (Oh dear God, does that make me nervous as hell!) Man of Steel was released by Warner Bros. and grossed $291,045,518, with an opening weekend of $116,619,362 on June 14, 2013 and closing September 19, 2013.

3. Despicable Me 2

That's right, the Minions are back!… Wait, I mean Groo is back with the kids, and this time he's been recruited by the good guys. The Minions also have a dominant role in this film, which looks like it will cause a spinoff movie for them. Way to go yellow guys! This sequel was highly anticipated by children and adults because the first one was received with much praise and laughter. Steve Carell returns to lend his voice to the movie along with Kristen Wig, Ken Jeong, and Russell Brand. Released by Universal, Despicable Me 2 grossed an impressive $367,860,095 over its run from July 3, 2013, and in some places it is still showing in theaters. They recorded an opening weekend that fell behind Man of Steel's opening weekend at $83,517,315. Here's hoping for a third film! 

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

If this movie had opened earlier in 2013 it would have most likely been number 1 on our list. The hype and media buzz that went into this movie was phenomenal, and judging by its box office numbers, it lived up to the hype. The sequel brought us back to the annual Hunger Games, but this time it featured all-stars and a plot to kill Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss. NOOOOOOO!! The cast of Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland all return this time with the addition of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They broke into the game late but claimed the number 2 spot for the Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of 2013. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released by Lionsgate Films and grossed $400,088,390 in 2013, with an opening weekend of $158,074,286 on November 22, 2013. It is still showing in theaters presently.
  
1. Iron Man 3

Let's take a look at what this Iron Man sequel was facing going in: Jon Favreau had turned over the directing reigns to Shane Black, The Avengers had just set a new bar for comic book movies, and The Avengers 2, Thor 2, Captain America 2, and Ant Man are waiting in the wings to follow your lead. No pressure at all, right? Being a huge Iron Man fan myself and having read most of the Iron Man comics, I would be lying if I didn't tell you I was disappointed with the Mandarin. After rewatching the film and seeing all the developments with Sir Ben Kingsley, however, I now realize it was brilliantly done in order for the franchise to stand alone and apart from the comic book itself while still being true to it. Iron Man 3 was action packed and set a firm tone for Phase 2 of Marvel's Initiative. Hell, Thor: The Dark World came in twelfth among the Top Grossing Movies of 2013 and that is still running. Iron Man 3, released by Buena Vista, grossed $409,013,994 and had the highest opening weekend of the year at $174,144,585 on May 3, 2013. Its run closed September 12, 2013. 

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a seat for 2014 films—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

In what is being coined as one of Marvel's big events of 2014, Deadpool is set to marry… Yeah, we have to wait until April to find out who. Marvel isn't one for being shy when it comes to beloved characters hooking up and tying the knot; remember the big hubbub in Astonishing X-Men #59 when the born and bred Canadian Northstar married his American love Kyle Jinadu in an effort to seal the bond of love and make Kyle a citizen of Canada? Plus we've seen the classic marriages of Peter Parker/Mary Jane, Black Panther/Storm, Cyclops/Crazy Fire Bird lady…but I digress. This one is huge because the Merc with a Mouth is absolutely batshit crazy and not really easy on the eyes once you remove the mask. (It does give me hope, though, that if Deadpool can find love, this shmuck of a nerd can find love too. D'aaaawwww!! Moving on.)

On Thursday, January 2, 2014, Nerdist revealed images of the big day to the interwebs. Writer of the current Deadpool Now! franchise and former ATOS! writer Gerry Duggan (no relation to Hacksaw Jim Duggan—trust me, I researched the hell out of it) had this to say about Deadpool's big day:

"The honest answer is that it was written into a Deadpool story, but more or less as a gag, and Jordan D. White, the editor, was like a dog with a bone. He was like, 'No, no, no—this is going to be a big deal.' You know, we wrote it, so it’s not like we weren’t behind it. The fun thing has been—after his misadventures, I guess you’d call them, in North Korea, in the story arc 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,' he learned a lot about himself and why he is the way he is. He doesn’t really have too much of a life. Yes, this is a knee-jerk reaction from a wounded guy to go out there and sort of do something crazy to sort of jump start a life, but there is a real emotional reason for doing it, so I think that will be the part that will resonate. Then the actual gags of the wedding will be fun too, but there is a real grounding to it, and that’s what will make it fun to explore."

Below is the teaser image released by Nerdist that shows Deadpool in tux next to a lady with fairly large knockers. I'm placing my money on Lady Death.

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case an eye patch—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

For those of you that simply cannot wait for the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier this year, Fanboys Anonymous got its hands on some stills and artwork to help keep the feel-good chemicals flowing!

All seems in order for Captain America's second solo outing. Darker tones, check; subplots of espionage, terrorism and human guinea pigs, check. If you don't know the plot already, we don't want to spoil it for you just yet—not while we have new stills of Steve Rogers looking like a boss. Not just any boss, but THE boss—not like in Avengers where he looked like a silly wrestler in a plastic helmet. Just look at the new uniform he's got, taken from the events of Marvel's "Seige" story arc. Now he looks serious, and I can't express how much I appreciate that.

Like a BOSS!

But thinking about how they've so far introduced Cap and other Avengers into the fold so far, I have to wonder how they're going to work this one, since they seem to be jumping back and forth between some half a century's worth of Marvel comic events and mixing and matching to suit. Personally, I'm more a fan of the last decade's main events, and they've certainly been the most exciting in a very long time The last decade has seen the rise of some great characters, Winter Soldier being one of the very best.

Will they take on the work of Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker for this, or are we getting a mixed bag; a literal "Best Of" compilation of Marvel main events?

This time around—from what we know from both film news and comic history—Captain America is thrust into a different kind of danger and adventure when he discovers that the presumed long-dead Bucky Barnes has been resurrected as the Winter Soldier, a bionic assassin brainwashed and programmed by the Russians to kill without question, and who is now encroaching on U.S. turf.

It's not only going to be about Rogers living up to being the First Avenger, but it's also about ex-Soviet spy Black Widow getting a better introduction and becoming embroiled in these events, especially regarding Barnes, as the two have history—her being ex-Russian and all.

Of course, it wouldn't be maddeningly exciting should Disney just decide to stick to the events of a single comic book. Since this is part of the greater picture of "Phase 2," the code name of Marvel's epic film series post-Avengers, it's all about writing new characters into the mix. I just hope that the great origin story we have here isn't going to be the arse end of a huge, layered cake climbing up to Avengers: Age of Ultron. It really would be an insult to how Brubaker not only resurrected a classic character and made him a great standalone character, but also how he made Barnes the perfect dark contrast to the star spangled Avenger. It marked the beginning of an era where Marvel really began to accept that its readers had matured.

Whatever twists they'll throw in to keep fans guessing, this installment will also introduce the Falcon, (who may quickly join the Avengers), played by Anthony Mackie…


…and the mercenary Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones (one of Marvel's most prominent non-powered characters) as played by Frank Grillo…


Just like in the Cold War days, international superpowers have found themselves with literal superpowers (only this time it's superheroes and supervillains instead of nuclear weapons) and a war of wits will indubitably explode right underneath Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s noses. And so Captain America: The Winter Soldier is unleashed upon audiences this Spring 2014.


Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls! Me likey. You likey? Comments below and thanks for reading.