Fanboys Anonymous

Hello, Fanboys and Fangirls! Orion here. I'm reviewing the third and final issue of S. Simankowicz's Sage Escape: Mars Gambit in my pal Dan Ashley's stead. I may not be quite as crazy and British as ol' Dan, but I promise to give the comic a fair review from the perspective of a seasoned comic book reader and aspiring creator. I wasn't too familiar with Sage Escape before I took on the responsibility of reviewing its third issue, so I took the time to catch up and familiarize myself with the story before diving into the final issue of the arc.

Let's do a brief recap in case some of you aren't familiar with the story. In the distant future, a mega-corporation known as Friendly Corp is conquering cities on interplanetary colonies with the help of their cybernetic/human hybrid killing machines, the Salesmen Assassins. Friendly Corp, owned by the shadowy Cray family, created a new female Salesman Assassin model named Sage. Kidnapped into the Salesman Assassin program, Sage went rogue after regaining her memories of the massacre of her hometown of Natura.

Sage is on a mission to uncover the truth about the Natura massacre, but she finds herself hounded by two Friendly Corp-hired bounty hunters, one of whom, Raamon, she recruits to her cause. Together they continue Sage's adventure while being pursued by the second bounty hunter. Meanwhile, a mysterious plot unfolds in the Cray family.

In issue #3, Simankowicz starts off with Sage and Raamon dealing with the slaver from whom they commandeered a freight ship full of orphaned children from another massacre. After that brief bump in the road, we learn a little bit more about how Friendly Corp had reprogrammed Sage into a killing machine. During her combat with Elvis Cray (the patriarch of the family), however, her inner monologue becomes clunky as she mentally commands her every movement as indicated by captions. Perhaps instead of telling us her process of fighting, Simankowicz could have shown us with his art in more than just five action panels.


Also, Elvis Cray comes off as a weaker character in his dialogue and mannerisms than he should be. He's the head of Friendly Corp and should act the part, instead of flat-out surrendering to Sage's terms after she kicks his guards' collective ass. Again, there's room for improvement in Simankowicz's character development and storytelling.

Simankowicz's art gets the job done, but not without a few flaws. For one, his characters aren't always drawn to match their ages. Sage is meant to be a teenager, but she clearly has the body and face of a woman in her twenties. The children's faces and bodies are disproportionate and aged, so that they often seem more like small adults than actual children. The range of emotions on each character's face doesn't vary enough to fit the situations they're placed in, and they repeatedly suffer from serious face syndrome.

Despite these flaws, I do see potential in Simankowicz's story. What he needs is an experienced comic book editor who can help him refine his writing and art. Right now, there's no editor credited in any of the three books, and it shows in his work that he's not receiving the constructive feedback that could make this series that much better.

On the same note, he also needs to practice his art by drawing from life and from his influences. No comic artist started from scratch; instead, they emulated what they saw in the real world and in the pages of the comics they read. Right now, I see raw style untempered by skill. In the comic industry, storytelling doesn't rest solely on the writer's shoulders. It's imperative for Simankowicz to hone his craft to the point that his art gives form to the formless text on the page.

I really don't want to come off as panning Simankowicz or his work. I, too, understand the enormity of the task he's set out to accomplish. I'm also a comic book writer trying to make a name for himself, and Simankowicz has beaten me to the punch by getting his work published. Good for him! I just want to see him grow into his own as a writer and artist. He has so much potential with his story and skills; he just needs to take a little more time to hone both and get a second pair of eyes to review his work before he publishes something that could be ten times better.

Gosh, screw me, right? Bring back the Brit! He's so much more fun. Hey, every rose has its prick, and sometimes that prick is there to remind us of reality. This prick just wants good comics from people with the talent and drive to make them, and if that means denying Sage Escape: Mars Gambit a place on the proverbial fridge, so be it. I hope Simankowicz reads my review, takes it into consideration, and improves his craft and art accordingly. Then I can place the next chapter in Sage Escape on the fridge.

Got a different opinion on the matter? Have a beef to settle with me? Or would you like to praise the book? I want to hear it all in the comments below. Also, check out Dan's reviews for both the first and second issues of Sage Escape: Mars Gambit.

Pokémon is generally marketed to a younger demographic. Even so, throughout playing the video games, you tend to come across a large selection of the scary, weird, and downright fucked up Pokédex entries.

So in my first entry of "Strange Pokédex Entries," here are five Pokémon for you to shake your head at:

Drifloon

"These Pokémon are called the 'Signpost for Wandering Spirits.' Children holding them sometimes vanish."

It looks cute right? Well maybe not; maybe it just looks like the creative team ran out of ideas. Anyway, whatever you think of Drifloon, it's appearance is deceiving. This balloon's multiple editions of Pokédex entries imply it wants to steal children away. It makes me wonder though…what the hell does it do with them?


Spoink

"Using its tail like a spring, it keeps its heart beating by bouncing constantly. If it stops, it dies."

The wording varies depending on which game you look at, but the harsh reality for this cute little…pig…slinky…thing is that if it doesn't stop bouncing 24/7, then its heart will stop and it will die. I mean, what a horrible concept! This may just be the most depressing existence for a Pokémon ever. Does it sleep when it bounces? What happens if it faints?! I don't know, but I'm glad it looses this trait when it evolves.



Parasect

"A host-parasite pair in which the parasite mushroom has taken over the host bug. Prefers damp places."

Well damn! I guess you can't really say Paras evolved as much as it was taken over by the mushroom parasite. I suppose it explains the lack of pupils in the eyes and creepy look of Parasect. What a crappy existence for Paras. I'd feel bad if I ever evolved one now. Lucky for me, though, I don't raise useless Pokémon.


Cubone

"Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody."

As depressing as that is, something really doesn't add up. So am I meant to believe that every Cubone is a goddamn orphan? I understand Team Rocket killed the one Cubone's mother in the original Red & Blue games. Either way, it's a very odd entry and I could poke holes in it all day. But damn, I guess it earned its title as the "Lonely Pokémon." This entry may have to go down as the saddest.

Raichu

"Its electric charges can reach even 100,000 volts. Careless contact can cause even an Indian elephant to faint."

When the hell is a Raichu and a goddamn ELEPHANT from an entirely different world going to accidentally make friggin' contact!?

"Whoa, sorry there, Mr. Elephant! Didn't mean to shock you." So goddamn stupid….

Well that's it for my first five of Strange Pokédex entries. Let me know your favorite strange entries and check back for more.

On episode 2 of the 4 Reel Movie Club podcast, Fanboys Anonymous members gave their thoughts on four monster genre movies.

Host: Chris Dace

Panelists: Tom Jackson, Ian Phillips, Brian Gibson and Sam Lascio.

Godzilla 2 is a go! With $93.2 million in its domestic opening weekend and $103 million internationally, this was a simple decision for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros.

"Everything is awesooooome!"

Director Gareth Edwards has mentioned that if a sequel was ever done, he plans to follow the same monster movie format—the familar method I personally detest: talk about monster, allude to monster, almost see monster, see destruction in the wake of monster, eventually get to see monster.

With the first film out of the way and clearly showing Godzilla in all his (or her?) glory, why wait on a big reveal? The sequel would benefit from a little more creature in its creature feature. Although the first one did pay off, there was certainly a lot of build-up before we got to see the main character in action.

Either way, I think this franchise has some teeth (pause for laughter) and will turn into a multi-film series with a variety of directors and takes on Godzilla. There are still plenty of cities to destroy.

What city (most likely a coastline location) could benefit from being destroyed by Godzilla?

On Episode 1 of the Fanboys Anonymous FanTracks podcast, the panel provides commentary while watching Episodes 11 and 12 from Season 1 of the 1990s animated series X-Men.

Entitled "Days of Future Past (Part 1)" and "Days of Future Past (Part 2)," these two episodes were chosen to help psyche us up for the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past film.

Sand & Snow is a Game of Thrones podcast covering all the weekly happenings in the world of Westeros and beyond! Hyle Snow is a film major who exclusively enjoys Game of Thrones through the HBO television series. Jade Sand is a science major who has also read all of the books in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Together they gather to discuss and review the latest episode while also comparing it with the books, with their own brand of insight and speculation.

Beware! This podcast is dark and full of spoilers! This show covers all the content up to and including the titled episode of Game of Thrones. It also discusses the details of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire up to the current part of the story that the show has reached. However, there will be no spoiling of anything in the future of the TV series or story within the books.

This week: Dani finds that it ain't easy being queen; Stannis applies for a bank loan; and Peter Dinklage wins another Emmy.

Rumor has it Halo 5 is coming next Fall. Well, that's not entirely true: Halo 5 is coming next Fall, as confirmed by Microsoft and 343 Industries! Along with a few vague details, the pair aims to appease fans' collective bated breath with a peek at the game's box art, which features not only the main man himself, Master Chief, but also both a nifty upgrade to the flagship game's title in the form of a subtitle and a mysterious, new armored character taking a rather dominant position on the cover. Take a gander below!

The fifth installment in Master Chief's adventure will release, as expected, on the Xbox One. 343 Industries promises, "Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4," and will "take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen." No further details about the game's plot, characters, or weapons have been revealed as of yet.

Who else besides me is excited for the next chapter in Chief's epic? Who do you think the mystery man will be? My bet is on it being Chief in new Forerunner gear to help him against the Forerunner threat. Tell us what you hope to see in Halo 5: Guardians in the comments below, and look forward to more Halo news here on Fanboys Anonymous!

So far, we have only seen a short teaser for Christopher Nolan's latest film, Interstellar. However, a new full trailer has been released today. Check it out below:

Wow. The teaser led me to believe that this was a completely different type of movie. I was under the impression that it would be about McConaughey as the grounded everyman's perspective of an interstellar flight that resulted in revelations about our universe, but this comes off so much darker. The human race is running out of food, and we're looking for a way off Earth to colonize another planet merely to survive? OUCH.

Inception was a movie that I was interested in before I had any idea what it was about and I absolutely loved it. Insomnia and The Prestige were disappointments (though still enjoyable to a certain degree) after I had seen Memento and was blown away from that. Naturally, as a comic book fan, I found the Dark Knight trilogy to be amazing, and Jonathan Nolan's Person of Interest is one of my favorite shows on television right now, so this team has a great track record and my full confidence. By default, I was going to see this on opening night and that has not changed after seeing this trailer.

What did you think of the full trailer? Are you excited to see the film? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!


Interstellar will be released in theaters November 7, 2014.

Well, folks, I'll keep this brief. It's not exactly the worst thing that could have happened, and maybe it'll turn out to be just fine, but word is, we have a director for Star Trek 3, and as I reported was possible, it's Roberto Orci.

"See? I can Star Trek!"    (...maybe that's too mean.)

To sum up, Orci and his writing/producing partner Alex Kurtzman have been responsible for bringing various blockbusters to screen over the past decade, including the rebooted Trek series. Recently, they've made a concerted and public effort to split up and work on projects independently. There's no indication of bad blood between them or anything, but a big factor driving the split is that they both want to direct after spending so long penning scripts and sitting in producer's seats. They want the big chair. Kurtzman will direct the Spider-Man spinoff Venom for Sony, following one of Spidey's best-known villains, and Orci apparently gets Trek.

He lobbied hard for the gig and was backed by all the right people—Abrams, the production company, etc. I guess he made a good case, because Paramount has invited him to direct the film. The issue here is that Orci has never directed. Anything. Even JJ Abrams had plentiful TV experience before directing Mission: Impossible III. This isn't to say I have no confidence in Mr. Orci, because he's certainly been around plenty of film sets and has the benefit of stepping into a franchise that's pretty well-established by now. The cast members know their roles, and Orci is still part of the writing team for the third film, so he's immersed in the story. That said, Orci has also been at least partly responsible for many of the issues fans have had with directions the new series has taken. He can't take all of the blame, of course—not with Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, and Abrams himself also having hands in the process—but as I mentioned in my previous article, he hasn't always been warm to fans who question his decisions. He's gonna need a thicker skin and better diplomacy, because no matter what, there will be people who don't like Star Trek 3.

Not to speak badly of my people, but these guys, probably. I looked up "Trekkies" and this is what ensued.

Now, we don't know anything yet about what shape the story will take, but there is a script and, obviously, returning core cast members. After the mostly positive reception Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan received, there was talk on the filmmakers' part that they'd like to bring him back, but perhaps not immediately. Chances are he'll remain on ice for now. After featuring the Klingons prominently in the last film, chances are also good they'll make another appearance and even serve as the main antagonists. As Admiral Marcus, Peter Weller's entire motivation during Into Darkness was preparing the Federation for a war with the Klingons he considered inevitable. It's also worth noting we haven't seen contemporary Romulans in this iteration of Trek yet. Remember, Nero and crew from the first film were technically from the original Trek timeline's future, sent back through time by the magic of “red matter.” A big part of Trek lore is a war between humans and Romulans, although it took place (in canon) prior to the existence of Kirk and the Enterprise. It's concievable they could play a part, perhaps as instigators or allies, in war between the Federation and the Klingons.

In summation: Roberto Orci is directing the next Star Trek movie, about which we know nothing yet. With this announcement, it's probable we'll hear more news soon, although we can speculate on the direction the story will take. What are your ideas? Are you comfortable with the idea of an untested director at the helm? Share your comments. Make it so, below.

Godzilla has been one of those movies that survives on expectations and hype, with posters, creature reveals, and Bryan Cranston monologues leading the charge. I entered the theater with minimal expectations: sit through the first hour of set up, set up, characters reacting to destruction, monster tease, human interest story, action sequence, full reveal of Godzilla, explosions, the end.

Did I get what I expected? Yes.
Did I also get more?

…Yes and no.

First! This is a full-out SPOILER review. Read on past the "spoilers" if you have seen the movie, or don't care about learning several plot and story details.

SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
The main question on my mind going in was "how much of Godzilla am I going to actually see?", movies like this tend to hinge on the mystery of the big reveal. Great for trailers but not so great for re-watchability of a movie. In Godzilla, we do get several of what I could only call "hero shots" of the main man himself (no, not Ken Watanabe, I'll get to him later). As much as I enjoy a good script with strong actors, I'm not going to see a Godzilla movie to watch a family deal with their relationship issues amid the destruction. I want to see monsters. I want to see a giant reptile either destroying a city or beating the crap out of Mothra. In this movie, I ended up getting all three.

The main characters in this story are Bryan Cranston (Joe Brody), father to Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Ford Brody), who is married to Elizabeth Olsen (Elle Brody). The two have a son, who reacts to things only when the director wants him to, while Ken Watanabe plays a researcher who has been trying to figure out Godzilla and his motives for decades.

The plot has always been slightly under wraps, and we weren't sure if Godzilla was going to be a hero or a villain—a plot point that unfolds very slowly. Ken Watanabe suggests mid-film that he thinks Godzilla is the key to the film's main problem: two giant Cloverfield monsters trying to hook up from across the Pacific Ocean, destroying cities in the process while they search for food. What food? Radiation, of course. It's a monster movie.

The military plays its usual role of its own worst enemy in this story. Knowing full-well that the monsters, named "MUTO 1" and "MUTO 2," feed off radiation, they continually transport radioactive materials toward (or next to) the creatures.

Okay, great, so was it good, or not?
The movie ultimately falls flat in the monster brawl department. The first big meeting of Godzilla and MUTO cuts away before any action happens, which made several people in the theater I was in mutter an audible "aw, what?" The story really centers around Ford as he tries to make his way back to his wife and son. Coincidentally, the path to his family is the exact path the monsters are taking. I guess that works out for the story, but Olsen doesn't get much of a role aside from looking cute and frightened while wondering where her husband is. She's also a very understanding and patient wife. The film opens with her having not seen her military husband for 14 months. He immediately has to go to Japan (and I mean that same day) to bail his father out or prison, to which she says, "It's okay" and off he goes. She also passes her son off to a secondary character, possibly for some kind of story convenience I still don't understand. It does lead to him being on a bus that is one of the few vehicles to make it off a bridge before Godzilla destroys it, so I guess seeing him in peril during that scene was the whole point.

"Okay, Elizabeth, in this scene you are ALSO reacting to something off camera, okay? Aaaand ACTION!"

Talk about the monsters more!
Oh, right, I forgot about the monsters because they're barely ever on screen, sorry! The MUTOs meet up in San Francisco, which is odd because one of them literally was just in New Mexico surrounded by delicious nuclear waste. Why MUTO 2 walked away from all that still has me scratching my head. The climax should have taken place in the desert, but I guess there are no buildings to Hulk smash there.

When we finally get to San Fran, the action picks up a bit. We also get the biggest tease and disappointment of the movie: a classic "Godzilla" shot, wide, in the city, him on one side of the screen and MUTO on the other. This is going to be amaz—CUT TO HUMANS RUNNING IN TERROR! What the hell!? Just let the monsters fight in front of my eyeballs! Please! They do, however, eventually give us several scenes of Godzilla both getting his ass handed to him and kicking plenty of his own. These are mostly provided through sequences as opposed to one long battle shot, spliced between Ford and his military cohorts running around and the fight.

Buildings get destroyed, explosions happen, and just when you think Godzilla is actually down for the count (after knocking a building onto himself, what a klutz!) he arrives back on screen to act out the greatest finishing move of all time. There is a moment here that made an entire theater of (thus far) only semientertained people simultaneously scream "Ohhhh-hoo-hooooooooo yeah!" If that moment isn't worth the price of admission then you go demand a refund immediately because it was pretty awesome.

Sooooo, it was good? Or it was bad?
Ultimately, I found this movie to be far superior to films like Cloverfield and Pacific Rim. My attention was held the entire time and the teasing of the monster battles was very frustrating but that last shot made it all worth it.

Did you see this movie yet? What was the most frustrating part about it for you? Was it that they killed off Bryan Cranston, which I hadn't mentioned yet? Spoiler alert!

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular nation! Check out episode 47 of The Dace Man Show with hosts Dace, Gibby, and Frank Ward.

Join the Dace Man and crew this week as they break down the following:

::SPORTS NEWS::

• Current NHL playoff results
• Current MLB standings
• Current NBA playoff results
• Donald Sterling somehow makes things worse.

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY:: 

• What's up this week in the world of weird?

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• Chuck Norris facts!!

::CELEB NEWS::

• Celeb birthdays from May 8th to May 14th
• TV line up for 2014-2015 season
• Channing Tatum cast as Gambit
• Justin Bieber allegedly committed an attempted robbery
• Jay-Z was attacked by Beyonce's sister

Plus the High Five: Top 5 Shows Cancelled Too Early! All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show!



Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | Nerd Court | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

I think we would all react the way Colin Furze does to his own inventions: working pneumatic versions of Wolverine's adamantium claws! From Marvel Comics to your garage! The footage shows these puppies are actually sharp, so "don't try this at home" should go without saying.

The excited British genius has also created such insane inventions as "the world's fastest pram" (baby carriage).

Check him out playing with this new toys in this fun footage:

What can I say? I don't blame the guy for going into a berzerker rage; I would never take those off if I had them! What other X-Men powers could be created in a garage?

CW's The Flash is set to air Tuesdays at 8pm starting this fall. Promotion for the show is high, just as CW's Arrow is wrapping up and hype for the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel is gearing up. This is all amid uncertainty about whether these franchises are connected or not. DC is either not saying or hasn't figured it out itself yet.

A teaser for The Flash, "Don't Blink" went out a few days ago and now we have a full 5-minute preview of the pilot episode!

First up, here is the teaser trailer that premiered after Arrow this week. It is, I'm sure, outside of continuity and just a promo spot for fun. It shows a very jovial Barry Allen (where he's mostly known for being a stick-in-the-mud) catching one of Oliver Queen's arrows in mid-air.



Okay, so that's all well and good. We get to see how they animate The Flash's speed. We get the classic yellow and red streak, and they've added some lightning. The visuals and the sound effects are going to play a huge part in the "awesome" factor of this series, not to mention nailing Barry as a likable character (something DC has failed to do since day one).

Next up, we get a much more exciting preview of the pilot. A little too much, in my opinion, as I pretty much get the entire of arc of the whole episode. So, I'm confident in saying SPOILER ALERT based on how much footage they show.



It has a very Smallville vibe to it; searching for other "meta-humans"? A guy with powers is the freak of the week?

Here is the official write-up:

After a particle accelerator causes a freak storm, CSI Investigator Barry Allen is struck by lightning and falls into a coma. Months later he awakens with the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Though initially excited by his newfound powers, Barry is shocked to discover he is not the only “meta-human” who was created in the wake of the accelerator explosion — and not everyone is using their new powers for good. Barry partners with S.T.A.R. Labs and dedicates his life to protect the innocent. For now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the fastest man alive, but it won’t be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become…The Flash.

What do you think? Is CW going to try something new with this series, or will it follow a familiar pattern we've seen before?

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

Batman vs. Superman Teaser "Batmobile" Image.

My take: This image of Batman and the Batmobile from the upcoming DC superhero, unnamed epic is just that: epic. Talk about shutting up the Affleck-haters.

Channing Tatum Cast as Gambit.

My take: If you don't like Channing Tatum, then you're trying way too hard to not like Channing Tatum. He's the definition of the phrase "all women want to be with him and all men want to be him," so I couldn't be more excited to have him join the superhero fray! Such a charismatic guy cast as a charismatic comic book character? Hmm, sounds a little "Iron Man-ish" and genius, to me.

Transformers: Age of Extinction's New Trailer.

My take: It's a good thing I'm a day late on this column, as I got to see this trailer today. Though I have hopes that this is going to be great, we can see a lot of the same scenes we've already watched in the first three. Optimus Prime gets his ass handed to him? Check…check…aaand check. The humans are caught in the middle of high-flying danger amid skyscrapers? Check. The Autobots are misunderstood and hated by the very people they've sworn to protect? Check.

TELEVISION

The Flash Teaser and Official Airtime.

My take: With the speed of Mercury, I think Wednesday would have made more sense, but The Flash will air Tuesday nights at 8pm. The show also got a teaser promo that features Green Arrow shooting an arrow and Barry catching it. He then yells "Yahoo!" That's the Barry Allen we all know…right? Okay, so maybe they're going for a Wally/Barry hybrid for the character, I don't know, but Barry is either a stuffed shirt with a stick up his ass or he's not. They better choose wisely or this show will be short-lived.

Simpsons / Family Guy Crossover Images.

My take: It will be interesting to see who's doing a parody of who in this ridiculous concept, airing in September.

COMIC BOOKS

Deadpool Got Hitched.

My take: Not only did he get hitched but the issue broke a record for the number of recognizable individual characters on a comic book cover, ever. I think Posehn/Duggan on Deadpool and Mark Waid on Daredevil are two of my favorite things in the comic book world right now.

Ultimate Spider-Man Spoiler!

My take: Major SPOILER for Ultimate Spider-Man #1, if you care. There, I've said it, spoiler alert over. So, apparently Peter Parker is back in the Ultimate Universe? How's that going to work? In that linked article, Tom proposes it could be a clone, which sounds about right. That didn't go so well for Marvel the first time, and I can't believe they'd bring clones up again (again), again.

GAMES

Xbox to Release Kinect-less One Console.

My take: What, they should have had an option in the first place? I haven't purchased either of the new consoles yet but either side playing something like this now? I'd be pretty mad, considering how much effort a lot of people put into their decision not how to spend their money. I say, boo, Microsoft. Poorly played.

Nintendo Accidentally Causes S#!t Storm for LGBT.

My take: Nintendo had no intention of taking a huge political stance when it decided to disallow gay characters to marry in Tomodachi Life, but it clearly doesn't understand what taking a stance means. This may not be the world's most popular game, but the story brings up a point.

Wizards and witches, the first installment in J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trilogy will be in theaters in 2016.

What up nerds? Chris "The Dace Man" Dace here with the latest trailer from Paramount Pictures' newest installment of Transformers! Poised to be the first blockbuster of the official summer season, Transformers: Age of Extinction is set to release June 27th in the United States. Just in time for the release of Godzilla this weekend, this second trailer  sheds a little more light onto the fourth installment of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. Enjoy!

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. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a robot in disguise—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!




Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | Nerd Court | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

Harry Potter fans, raise your wands! Muggles and magical beings alike can experience the wizarding world with Harry Potter and his friends on the new Escape From Gringotts ride at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter this summer.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson will reprise their roles as Harry, Ron, and Hermione in brand new scenes on the new 3D ride, MTV announced.

Alan Gilmore, the art director for the park's rides as well as the films, told MTV that "They'll be there! It's quite exciting. They're regrouping for one last adventure."

Opening this summer as part of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley area in Orlando, the ride will take patrons on a thrilling ride through Gringott's cavernous vaults where they will meet Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham-Carter) and He Who Must Not Be Named.

Featuring a recreated scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 movie, Escape from Gringotts will be the main attraction inside the newly added Diagon Alley area.

Escape from Gringotts at Universal

The 20-person mine car is set on a track that parallels the path the trio took with Griphook the goblin (set to be reprised by Warwick Davis) as they pass through Thief's Downfall and face the 60-foot, fire-breathing Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon, Huffington Post confirmed.

"You get to see the events in the film from another prospective," Davis said in a Behind-the-Scenes video released by Universal. "The ride picks the adventure up just after Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook have come through the waterfall of Thief's Downfall."

While the ride itself can be expected to be exciting enough, Universal and Gilmore has fully recreated Gringotts as seen in the films, from the intricate detailing of the exterior and interior of the lobby to the staff of goblins hard at work - which will fully move!

If that wasn't enough, J.K. Rowling's film adaption of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set to hit theaters in 2016.

Check out the first look at the Escape from Gringotts:


Gringotts Bank, along with the rest of the Diagon Alley, will be opening its doors this summer, with an official date to be announced soon. 

Excited? (I know I am!) Are you planning your magical vacation or pulling out hairs in anticipation of the opening date? Let us know in the comment section below.

We're little over halfway through season 4 of Game of Thrones, and the community is burning like dragon fire. One fan, YouTuber NicksplosionFX, has used his skills for good by creating this parody of the iconic Game of Thrones opening credits sequence, but with a twist! He used the landmarks and style of Super Mario World not just for the visuals but the music as well!

Last night on the red carpet for X-Men: Days of Future Past in London, executive producer Lauren Shuler Donner confirmed that Channing Tatum will join the rest of the X-Men as Gambit.

The rumors are confirmed. Channing Tatum to take on the role of Gambit.

"It's Channing," Donner told TotalFilm. "He's a rogue, Channing. He's a rascal, just like Remy LeBeau, and he can handle the action, we all know that. And he's got a real good heart, I know him personally." She added, "He'll be great for Gambit, and he's a southerner, too…he understands that world, and you know Gambit loves New Orleans."


Rumors of Tatum taking on the role of the card-dealing Cajun have been milled about since September, when according to Slash Film, the 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike star claimed Gambit was the superhero he would most like to play during an interview promoting White House Down.

"I would like to play Gambit. Gambit's my favorite. I'm from New Orleans, around that area. My dad's from New Orleans, and I like to do a Cajun accent. I could do it for real. No knock on Taylor Kitsch, though, 'cause I actually like his Gambit, but I've always lived around Cajun people. [...] Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking [guy]. He was the punk rock of all the superheroes. He's a thief. He kind of rode the line."

Created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee in 1990, Gambit possesses the mutant ability to mentally generate and manipulate pure kinetic energy. He has been a fan favorite and one of the most famous members of the X-Men. Gambit was first portrayed on film by Taylor Kitsch, as Tatum mentioned, in the poorly received 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It will be interesting to see how this summer's Days of Future Past, which does not star Tatum, will juggle not only Gambit's previous film incarnation but also the myriad timeline continuity obstacles the film series has made for itself. The question remains whether Tatum's Gambit will be featured in X-Men: Apocalypse, the sequel to DOFP, or if his first appearance will be in his own solo film. My money's on the former, as a team-up film with other X-Men would allow 20th Century Fox to test the waters not only on the fans' approval of Channing Tatum but also on the wider movie-going public's acceptance of the Gambit character. Either way, one thing is for certain; Tatum better get to work on his Cajun accent, because we definitely don't want anything resembling this:


X-Men: Days of Future Past opens on May 23. X-Men: Apocalypse is set for a May 27, 2016 release.

What do you think of Fox's decision to cast Channing Tatum as Gambit? Do you think Magic Mike can handle the role? Are his claims of childhood affinity for the character genuine or is he just pandering to the fans? Sound off in the comments below!

When I accidentally "StumbleUpon'ed" this book, I was confused. I thought perhaps it was a cover poster for the fictitious Hank Moody novel God Hates Us All. After a few clicks and paragraphs read, the item in question revealed itself to be the famous book as seen on Californication and was soon on its way to my doorstep, 2-day delivery style.

Yes, I was hasty. I won't say I was under the illusion that it would reveal itself to be a book to rival modern classics such as Fight Club, but I was extremely curious to finally read a novel voiced by Hank Moody. After all, writing is writing regardless of whether the author's fictitious or not. Having said this, the party responsible for this near 200-page lukewarm anthem of reckless young adulthood in New York's transition into the '90s is Jonathan Grotenstein under the premise that it was Hank Moody, magically out of the screen and into the flesh.

Maybe I haven't read too many books recently, or perhaps my previous foraging into English classics like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has left me with a taste for richer journeys than fast-paced modern storytelling. I used "lukewarm" to describe this faux novel turned fanboy material mostly due to the outrageous hype and worship God Hates Us All received in the Californication series. Maybe this is the greatest charm of the novelty item: the debunking of such a critically praised work in a sarcastic "This is it?" tone. Clearly the hype is satirical, because anything that sells is instantly denominated "brilliant" in Hollywood. As Hank himself would say in the show, "Why can't anything be just good, or OK?"

That's exactly what God Hates Us All turns out to be in the real world: an OK pastime rather than a brilliant book, centered around a young man with no true goal or aim who ends up in and out of the world of minor drug dealing. Although the narration does build a romantic, slightly pessimistic vision of the world through personal accounts, there are very few epiphanies or moments of enlightenment. Rather, the character monotonously jumps from one situation to the next, skipping details that would have enriched the circumstances and story. I suspect time constraints forced this novel out early due to contractual obligations with Showtime or some such bureaucratic routine. The result is a mildly amusing tale of transition into adulthood with the occasional sex, drugs, and some mention of rock and roll.

It's not just the lack of attention to detail that bothered me; it seems like the narrating voice stays the same through good times and bad times, something I found lazy. There aren't any memorable moments of drama, save for a family crisis. There are a few anecdotes of bold situational awkwardness that I enjoyed.

It's not a bad book, but it doesn't deserve any special mention. Given that this is a licensed item, I understand the limitations that might have surrounded its inception. It would have been better if Californication writer Tom Kapinos himself had had a direct influence in the writing of this novel so that it could better match the greatness of the show's tome.

I can't give this more than a 2 out of 5, simply because it's a licensed item and one that didn't pay attention to much detail other than borrowing a few lines from Hank Moody's repertoire of dialogue. Sorry to be ripping you a new asshole, "Hank," but this is teenage literature at best. Anyone else feel the same? Comment on this piece by a major, and I do mean major American author, motherfucker!