Fanboys Anonymous

E3 2014 is four days away, and as per usual, social networks are abuzz with excitement for what this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo will bring us. Among what’s ahead are the latest titles from Capcom, which were just announced, along with the lineup of playable games that will be available to us at the Capcom booth.

Indie comic supporters: if anyone's paying attention, I've been raving about Future Earth Entertainment's new comic, Earth Alliance, which has been in production for a while now. Recently, the creators dropped the finished product and I was lucky enough to catch a free copy from them. Buckle up and hang on, because this project-turned-reality is going to blow you away.

Maleficent - Directed by Robert Stromberg. Written by Linda Woolverton. Starring Angelina Jolie (Maleficent), Elle Fanning (Aurora), Sharlto Copley (Stefan), Lesley Manville (Flittle), Imelda Staunton (Knotgrass), Juno Temple (Thistletwit), Sam Riley (Diaval) and Brenton Thwaites (Prince Phillip).

2014 is shaping up to be an interesting year for Peter Parker fans. Six months ago the original, and most iconic, Spider-Man was "dead" in both of Marvel's Spider-Man publications, and the verdict was still out on the fate of the cinematic Spider-Man universe. Following Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #1, Peter was inexplicably back in the Ultimate Universe, so that it's Miles' future that's now uncertain.

The opening pages of the issue promise massive things to come. We watch as a recently escaped Norman Osborn transforms into the Green Goblin and breaks into an old Oscorp facility, where he finds dozens of green vials of the Oz formula that turned him into the Green Goblin. Although Norman offers no dialogue, it's fun to see the classic villain slowly re-entering the fold.

The issue truly gets started in Miles' apartment. There Miles stands face to face with Peter Parker, who wants his web shooters back. The scene is a perfect showcase of Bendis' talent. It's the sort of character scene you just don't get in other books, particularly in the main line. He devotes several pages of story to allow Miles the sort of emotional reaction you'd expect from someone who is suddenly confronted by an idol he believed to be dead. Furthermore, he doesn't show them grappling with one another or teaming up against a villain. It's an honest conversation between two characters who truly feel like people. The reunion quickly ends, however, with Peter knocking Miles unconscious and taking the web shooters. Later than evening, Miles awakens and decides that this must be a clone and not the real Peter Parker.

Elsewhere, the twin robbers in spider-themed costumes pull another heist, offering us a closer look at their character. Their banter during the evil deed reveals an affinity for flashy fisticuffs as opposed to efficient use of weapons. After a flurry of blows, the twins turn to the last conscious guard and ask for a crate Tony Stark is sending to Latveria. Although their appearance doesn't last long, the tightly-scripted scene got me invested in the twins' plot line.

The next day, Miles tells Ganke about his meeting with the clone and explains that this false Peter is keeping himself removed from ties to the original Peter's life. Before they can get too far into the discussion, however, Kate Bishop arrives, and she's wary of the secretive nature of the conversation she intruded on. Miles begins to lie but changes his mind, and as the issue comes to a close, we read the opening lines of a monologue in which he reveals his identity to her.

Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #2 certainly feels like the beginning of a new chapter of the Ultimate Spider-Man series. Although the last two issues have been rather slow, I think the quality of character work and pacing make up for the lack of driving action. The buildup to the reveal was unexpected, but cliffhangers are a dangerous thing to get too excited about. Do you think Miles is going to tell Kate his secret identity? Let us know in the comments section below!

One of the rumors going around right now is that not only is a reboot of the Indiana Jones series coming, but it may also be starring Robert Pattinson as Dr. Jones himself—and this has gotten Fanboys everywhere in a big fuss. As expected, people are complaining that he isn't right for the role due to primarily one aspect: "that guy was in Twilight!"

As a fellow Fanboy who gets into these types of discussions 24/7, I know the mentality, and I see your frustration. However, I stand in a weird position on this issue. I have never seen any of the Twilight films, I have only seen one film that Pattinson was in (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and I'm one of the few members here (and in our culture) who thinks the Indiana Jones series is massively overrated. It's an unpopular opinion, I know. I can see the appeal, and I find them entertaining, but I think that they are fawned over far too much and are not strong in terms of structure.

So, with that preface in mind, I have something to ask those who are speaking out so vehemently against this. Just why exactly can't Robert Pattinson play Indiana Jones? He's not a weird looking guy with a deformity that you can't market on a poster. He's been in action sequences. He's worked in a series before, so he knows what it is to be committed to more than one picture at a time. He's been a big star to market and could draw money. If the sole reasoning is that he was involved in the Twilight series, then that is just ridiculous. It isn't as though his involvement would mean that the next film would have to be entitled "Indiana Jones and the Sparkling Vampires" or something. It's hypocritical to judge an actor on one role in a supposedly bad set of films and then ignore the same concept when it comes to others.

Even if we keep this at Twilight actors themselves, there are people that speak against this kind of thinking. Did anyone lash out when Anna Kendrick was cast in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? There seems to be a positive reaction to her whenever her name is brought up as a potential casting decision for a comic book film. Many fan casts have thrown the name Kellan Lutz and Cam Gigandet all over the place, but they were in Twilight. Billy Burke's Revolution didn't have a stain on it because he was in that series. For everyone who complained by Shailene Woodley's casting as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 because she was "too ugly" for the part, if Ashley Greene had been cast, there probably would have been no uprising whatsoever.

Then again, maybe it isn't that Pattinson was in Twilight that has people upset, and that's just a scapegoat response. Maybe the truth of the matter is that these fans are just mad that a franchise they love is being rebooted in general. For those people, I can sympathize. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is my favorite movie of all time, and as much as I hated Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and thought that Terminator Salvation was problematic, I was at least happy that they kept some of the continuity. Granted, The Sarah Connor Chronicles was significantly better than both of those installments, but that's beside the point. When Terminator: Genesis was announced as a reboot, it annoyed me. I don't like the idea that they are going back and messing with two films that I love. I also don't like some of the casting decisions, as I can't imagine Jason Clarke fitting the role of John Connor particularly well.

But—and here's a huge "but"—that isn't from a disliking of Jason Clarke. I wouldn't lambast the guy's acting chops, as I think he's a fine actor. My problems spawn from thinking that the reboot concept is ridiculous and unnecessary when there's still a potential future (in my mind, at least) of showing the war with Skynet and getting a few more movies out of the time period before Kyle Reese is sent back through time. My problem with Jason Clarke is that I just think that he's much better suited to play a villain rather than a hero, from my experiences watching him in films. Still, he'll probably do a better job than Nick Stahl.

I don't know Emilia Clarke, as I don't follow Game of Thrones (but if you do, you'd love the Sand & Snow podcast) and I think that Jai Courtney is alright, so I have to trust that the filmmakers know what they're doing. The same should apply to Indiana Jones. If the same people involved in making the movies that you loved so much are telling you that they think this is the direction that the series should go in, then you should have a little bit of faith. They know more about this stuff than you do, even though you're a hardcore fan. Devotion to a series doesn't equal talent in performing the jobs that bring that series to life. I love the characters of John Connor, Sarah Connor, and Kyle Reese, but I'm not a good enough actor or the right choice to pull off any of them (especially Sarah).

It's a simple fact that Harrison Ford cannot play Indiana Jones forever. That means there are only three directions that the franchise can take:

1) Continue the continuity and recast the role
2) Reboot the continuity and recast the role
3) Let it go and never see anything Indiana Jones related again

As fans of the series, option #3 is terrible if there is a chance that it can continue to be good as opposed to a guaranteed failure. Letting something go can sometimes be the best course of action, as there's always the risk that things will get worse, but that isn't something that will definitely happen. If X-Men fans kept this mentality after the abortions of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then we wouldn't have gotten X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, which are arguably two of the best in the series. Maybe a rebooted Indiana Jones story can end up being just as entertaining, if not better, than what has come before it. Remain optimistic until given a reason to believe otherwise. It worked for Star Trek, it worked for Planet of the Apes, and it might work for Terminator and Indiana Jones as well.

At the very least, try to give actors credit that they are not responsible for the script material of the movies in which they appear. A bad actor can ruin a good film, but a good actor cannot save a fundamentally flawed movie no matter how hard they try. When they apologize and agree with the fans that they think those movies kind of suck, then cut them some slack and don't hold them to it as though that means they can't ever act in anything else ever again. Would I necessarily cast Robert Pattinson in the role? Probably not. But I've been wrong before with Heath Ledger's Joker and Chris Evans as Captain America, so I should keep my mind open, as should you.

How To Be

Bel Ami

Cosmopolis

Hey, hey, hey Dacetacular Nation! The Dace Man is back with part three of "Rebooting The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" here on Fanboys Anonymous. In our last installment we wrap up Chris Dace's mega-billion-dollar trilogy and the final chapter in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' franchise reboot.

Now, I'm a man who loves to give you just enough to make you go crazy for the next one. So last time we left of with Zordon saying "Prepare the transporter," and Goldar speaking to a mysterious figure. In today's edition it's time to put a cap on the Power Rangers and make Fanboys and Fangirls alike walk away happy. So let's get into it and get dirty.

We begin this flick with the typical day in the life of the Power Rangers. All has been in the clear since the tragic encounter with Tommy Oliver, a.k.a The Green Ranger. Peace has seemed to reign over Angel Grove for a while now as our favorite five teenagers approach high school graduation. The Rangers discuss among each other how they have been summoned to the command center in months. From there we cut away to Rita pacing back and forth, frantically yelling at all her goons (with the exception of Goldar). A siren goes off, and one of the goons tells Rita a vessel is approaching and appears to be docking with their station. Goldar excitedly runs to greet the new arrival. Out walks the most badass MMPR villain ever. Yeah, I said it—ever! Lord Zedd storms out of Serpentera and seizes control of the space station. His first act after assuming control is banishing Rita back into a capsule with all those who do not swear loyalty to him. Rita, left on her own, is ultimately imprisoned by Lord Zedd and cast into the depths of space.

We cut to the command center with Zordon panicked at feeling the disturbance of evil in the morphing grid. He alerts Alpha to immediately gather the Rangers, and upon doing so we get a nice history lesson into Lord Zedd and his viciousness. The dark lord himself arrives outside of the command center with Serpentera and destroys the defenses. Upon walking into the command center Zedd blasts Alpha 5 and breaks Zordon's containment device. He strips the Rangers of their morphers and transports them to a realm beyond Zordon's reach. Zedd grabs Zordon out of his containment pod and pulls him close, saying there's nothing he can do and that it was a long time coming. Alpha 5, in a last-ditch effort, initiates Project White before Zedd destroys what remains of the robot.

 

May 23rd marked the official 30th anniversary of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and there's a fun little purchase that any true fan of Indiana Jones would probably like to add to their desk or dining table.

"Roast chicken and Shepherds pie just won't cut it any more. Your body is a temple, a temple of doom, and it deserves to be fed something far more exciting.

Firebox's monkey brains bowl, not for the faint of heart!

So why not liven up meal times with this Monkey Brains Bowl and scoop chilled cerebral delicacies straight from its hairy gaping cranium. If this fine piece of severed simian storage is good enough for his Supreme Highness, the Maharajah of Pankot (and he knew how to party), then it's certainly good enough for you. You can fill it with all sorts of exotic delights like crispy Coleoptera beetles, Eye-ball soup and "Snake Surprise" ...or something more boring, like cornflakes.

It's an undeniably tasteful dining vessel, though the sight of it may cause more squeamish dinner guests to roll their eyes back and faint melodramatically."

Get ready for some more rounds, Super Street Fighter IV fans! Capcom has released Ultra Street Fighter IV on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live for console players who are pumped for an upgrade.

So there's been a lot of buzz in the past few days about Marvel Comics canceling their Fantastic Four line of comics and not allowing any toys to be made for X-Men: Days of Future Past in order to win back the X-Men from Fox. There has even been talk of Marvel negotiating with Sony, due to the lukewarm reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, about Peter Parker swinging his way into Avengers 3. Whether this makes Marvel sound like a jealous ex-boyfriend or not, the idea of Spider-Man FINALLY joining the Avengers and maybe even a future Iron Man vs. Wolverine scenario that Hugh Jackman himself wants to see should make even the sweatiest Fanboy jump up and down and cheer from the rooftops, am I right?

You bet your ass I'm right, bub.

1. Toy lines are decided well in advance of a movie's release. Between getting the green light to do it, finding a manufacturer to make them, designing each figure, making prototypes, contacting distributors and making agreements with them, setting prices, and knowing how many you'll make, production isn't something you do on the fly. Do you really think Marvel decided at the last second to try to hurt Fox by not making toys? Nothing is last second.
2. Toys means kids. Sure, some of us sweatier nerds have action figures still. Shit, I'm 24 years old, and if I see an Iron Man figure I like, you know I'll buy it. Realistically, however, toys means children. Even more importantly, toys means parents taking their children to the movie and then buying said toys. Did you even see the movie? I wouldn't call it a film for little kids. Sure, some parents are cool and would take their kids, but the numbers don't add up. Spider-Man? Huge cash cow for children. Marvel Studios has done a remarkable job making their cinematic universe gritty enough for older audiences but still child-friendly enough that you can take your 8-year-old to see Iron Man 2 or, more importantly, The Avengers. That film made kids excited about films that didn't have much attention otherwise, like Captain America, Thor, and Hulk. I mean, Iron Man was already a success with kids, and the fact that his suits always change? Money in the bank when you have a ton of different Iron Man toys, and kids collecting them all. Does 5-year-old Johnny want to play with Wolverine in '70s clothes? Considering, you know, he's the most popular character in that franchise, he's a no-brainer to make a toy for. There were toys back in the day. I remember the first film or two having toys (I even had a few), but Mommy is going to have to choose which toy she buys her son, the Wolverine from the disco era or the naked Wolverine from when he first goes to the past. I know which one Mommy would buy for herself, but her son? Yeah, a toy line probably wouldn't do too well anyway.
3. Movies like these do not hinder toy sales. Did you see those numbers? Don't be spoiled by all the billion-dollar talk from the past few years with Avengers, Iron Man 3, etc. Grossing that much money is insanely good. Sony can listen to the criticism about ASM 2 and improve the third film, Sinister Six, Venom, the fourth film, yadda yadda yadda. There's no way that sort of box office return means Sony needs Marvel Studios to help them. They're fine. And Fox? Highest. Grossing. X-Men. Film. Ever. Toys are not going to do a damn thing. Won't even phase them. The Fantastic Four? Look, not as many people buy comics anymore. If a million people bought FF comics, and each one of them (which isn't realistic) went to the film, at what, $10 a ticket on average? That's $10 million. If they brought a friend? $20 million. Even if they brought a friend and went twice, that's $40 million. This new Fantastic Four reboot is coming off of Rise of the Silver Surfer for god's sake, canceling a comic book line means nothing for the film. The film has a history to go to. I don't even think a million people bought FF comics anyway; the last figure I heard was something like less than 50,000. You think continuing that series means anything for Fox's studio? No. 

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.

Hello all fanboys and fangirls! It looks to be that time of year again where the future of gaming is revealed. Yes, it is none other than the week of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). I'm just going to share with you a little preview of sorts highlighting the games that are set to be showcased as well as some potential surprises.

• The word "lightsaber" is only spoken ONCE in the film. (by Obi-Wan Kenobi - "Your father's lightsaber.")
• There are 43m5s of spoken English, 81m39s of other.
• The most common word is "the". It is said 368 times.
• The word with most screen time is "you", at 52.56 seconds.
• There are 1695 different words, and 11684 total words.
• The longest words are "responsibility," "malfunctioning", "worshipfulness", and "identification", all 14 letters.

Hey, hey, hey Dacetacular Nation! The Dace Man is back after a lackluster month for himself here on Fanboys Anonymous.  About a month ago I brought you breaking news on how Lionsgate would be bringing the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (MMPR) franchise back to the big screen. Now I, for one, was very excited at this announcement, so excited I did a little dance at work in front of my fellow business professional colleagues.

A month has gone by since the big announcement, and I have some theories on a possible storyline for the MMPR movie. That's why I have decided to gather with all of you and share my ideas. Join me for part 1 of a 3-part series where I discuss my ideas on the MMPR franchise. To Lionsgate: Feel free to borrow the ideas!

Now assuming all of my fellow '90s kids rally together and make the first movie a smash hit, Lionsgate could potentially turn this franchise into a trilogy or at least shoot us a nice sequel.  For the sake of this article I'm going to pretend the studio has greenlit the production for three films.

The first film would dip into the origins of the Rangers and the classic get-your-feet-wet formula common in origin films. Keeping with the concept of the pilot episode Day of the Dumpster, Rita Repulsa would be the main antagonist, with the group of Goldar, Finster, Squat, and Baboo. Some would argue for the inclusion of Scorpina, but to me Goldar would be the build up for the main fight. At that point there is really no need for him to have a tag-team partner, it would just take away from Goldar as a threat to the Rangers. I still like the concept of them being trapped in the capsule after banishment by Zordon; this would set up a revenge plot against him and the eventual Rangers. During a space expedition to the Moon—yes, I'm still sticking with the Moon—scientists discover and ultimately open the capsule that has kept Rita and her squad contained for thousands of years. Rather than having scientists run off like nerds with nothing else happening, at this point we would instead establish Goldar as the main threat by having him destroy the entire expedition with ease. His group then sets their eyes on Earth and begins rebuilding their base, using the remains of the space station.

We'd now cut to the main logo and fade to the suburb of Angel Grove outside some major city. The five teenagers (Kimberly, Trini, Billy, Zack and Jason), and of course Bulk and Skull, would be introduced. Now in my opinion the five should not be friends; it didn't really make sense in the show, based on their interests, and it would set up a better dynamic if they came from different stereotypical high school groups. They can bond over time, but I think if you start out with them having to work at getting along it will help build the characters, unlike the generic teens we had in the past. Bulk and Skull would be the comic relief but ultimately the reason that brings them together as high school friends. The concept of Zordon and Alpha 5 would virtually be the same, with just an upgrade tech-wise to be more current.

Zordon would go on to recruit the Angel Grove teenagers and lead them through training and prep for the imminent attack by Rita and Goldar. After going through the training and still not grasping the concept of the Morphers and how to control their power, they eventually quit, leaving the Earth open for attack. Rita, seeing this, would send the Putties down to attack, which would force the hand of The Rangers and unite them. Send down Goldar also, maybe, with a few throwback monsters made by Finster, and we're in the home stretch toward the major fight scene with the classic Zords and giant monsters—vintage Japan.

The Power Rangers would go onto save the day by destroying the monsters. Goldar, beaten and battered, would flee back to the Moon base with Rita to regroup and lick his wounds. The movie would roll into credits after the teens vow to protect Angel Grove from any evil that would threaten it. To pump the audience up for what would be both the second installment in the cinematic universe of the Power Rangers and part two of my "Rebooting The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" series there naturally has to be a post credits scene. We'd hear Goldar pleading his case to return to Earth and finish off the Power Rangers as Rita walks toward the camera with a single flame. She bends down off camera, and as she rises back into frame she states, "I've got other plans." The camera would then pan out to show a green candle lit, and they'd cut to black.

Check back tomorrow for part two!

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 your communicator—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!