Posted by
Unknown
- Thursday, October 30, 2014
It's been three years since the techno pop duo The Cinema have released a full-length album. Today they finally confirmed that their next album will be released on December 16th.
After a year of teasers and audio clips of different projects, fans are anxiously checking off those 47 days—not that we're counting the hours or anything.
The album is currently titled Talking In Your Sleep and will feature ten catchy songs such as "Ghost" and "Dancing Round Me." They have already announced that States singer Mindy White will provide gust vocals on at least one of the tracks. The first single, "Call It In The Air," has already been released and can only be heard here.
The album cover has a picturesque feel that brings back memories from old-school Lydia albums. If you aren't familiar with The Cinema, it consists of Leighton Antelman of the band Lydia and producer Matt Malpass. Their collaboration is a perfect blend of Antelman's vocals and Malpass' techno pop edge that will take workouts to a whole new level or at least give you something to sing in the shower. Their first album, My Blood Is Full of Airplanes, is available now at iTunes.
Excited about the new album?
Please leave your comments and tell us what song you are waiting for.
Posted by
Sean Hamilton
- Wednesday, October 29, 2014
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Cyclops 6 Cover by
Alexander Lozano |
Let's reset and go again...
Cyclops 6 is the start of a new artistic team and a new focus for the young X-Man. As announced earlier this year by Marvel, picking up the writer's reins is John Layman (Chew), who I was fortunate enough to meet at the Armageddon Expo this past weekend. When asked about the new direction, Layman stated he wanted to focus on the swashbuckling side of things and be more involved with Corsair's crew, the Starjammers.
The departing writer, Greg Rucka, balanced a fine line of action with the development of the father-son relationship between the young time-displaced Scott Summers and his Corsair. The art, while previously by Russell Dauterman (who has moved onto the new Thor series), is now by Javier Garron.
While the change in direction and artistic team is apparent from the opening pages, the cohesion between the first arc and the new is carried by colorist Chris Sotomayer and cover artist Alexander Lozano.
The cover art is a standout for me on this series. Lozano is an extremely talented artist, whose skill would be outstanding on the inside as well as the outside of the comics. You can also catch Lozano doing the cover for the soon-to-be-realized AXIS: Carnage miniseries from this week.
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| Corsair slams Cyclops |
With Garron on the pencils and inks, Sotomayer continues to provide a color presence to Cyclops. There does seem to be a slight change in the feel of the color, which is not as dramatic as the first arc of the series. This seems to be directed by the change in artists, as Dauterman had a simpler approach to his panels, compared with the more detailed line work and ink from Garron. One notable change is the approach to space, which is less colored and more reliant on a black background and pin-prick stars lighting distant vistas.
Garron's approach to facial depiction is more cartoonish than Dauterman, bringing a more youthful angle to the characters. This does support the plot notion about a teenage boy, mid-angst, trying to make it in space with his pirate father.
The panel layout from Garron is busier than in previous issues, which takes a couple of pages to get used to. There are more overlaying shots in Cyclops 6 and less width to the border definitions, which means there appears to be more art on each page, but it is closer together. Despite this, the art is not as gritty now as it was under Dauterman.
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| Cyclops isn't having a good day |
Layman applies some thematic approaches used in Rucka's arc to provide continuity to the series in Cyclops 6. The narrative approach from young Scott Summers is one such example, as the book opens and closes with the character's guiding voice. However, as the newly united Starjammer crew very quickly find out, Scott is not his older self. Layman is purposefully making Cyclops seem younger in this issue. He is a little less experienced and more bumbling than confident here, but this does reflect his age and lack of experience in such an unfamiliar setting.
The overall plot for this issue is not extreme, but is certainly setting us up for another adventure. It is great to see Cyclop's unique abilities coming to the fore when necessary. Also, we now have a stronger protagonist to identify in the series, more so than in the previous situational conflict from the last few issues.
There seems to be more dialogue in Cyclops 6, which means we have more character interaction. This makes sense as there are more overall characters for Layman to be able to play with here.
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| Time to celebrate a close escape |
Given the change in direction and the new team bringing us Cyclops, it is expected that we would see some change. It is still an enjoyable comic to read and there is potential for some great adventures to come from Layman as we go forward. Given the direction Marvel is taking in the build-up to events like The Black Vortex and Secret Wars early next year, Cyclops could lead well into the space dramas that are on the cards for fans.
As always, we would love to hear what you think. What was your opinion on the change in line-up? Do you like the new art style?
Make sure you leave a comment below, or post a message on our Facebook page.
Posted by
Justin Hedvat
- Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Marvel Studios' Phase Three lineup has been revealed and it's as mind-blowingly awesome as you
could have imagined. Full story after the jump!
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| I think I just died and went to Heaven. |
After letting Warner Brothers' DC film properties have their day in the sun following the release of their slate of films less than two weeks ago, Marvel Studios returned fire today at Hollywood's El Capitan Theater with the announcement of its Phase Three roster. A week of heavy rumors and murmurings regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been largely confirmed, complete with a few welcome surprises. Previously empty release dates have been filled with their long-awaited titles and official studio logos, as pictured below.
Captain America: Civil War, May 6, 2016
The rumors of a Marvel: Civil War adaptation, which began two weeks ago after news of Robert Downey Jr.'s involvement in Cap 3 leaked were confirmed today. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige had this to say: "Events of the whole cinematic universe will make all governments in the world want regulation. Not so much about secret identity, but about who reports to who."
The Civil War story arc pits Iron Man against Captain America in a battle of ideologies, as events on the home front lead the former to favor government mandated registration of all superhumans and the latter to rebel against it as an encroachment of civil liberties tantamount to fascism. The rift created in Captain America: Civil War will no doubt carry over and drive the connective narrative of the Marvel characters throughout Phase Three.
Doctor Strange, November 4, 2016
According to a Deadline report released yesterday, Star Trek Into Darkness and Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is in "final negotiations" to play Dr. Stephen Strange, the egotistical neurosurgeon turned Sorcerer Supreme. Casting was still shrouded in secrecy today, as Feige stated, "If [Doctor Strange casting] was confirmed, we would have announced it today."
Guardians of the Galaxy 2, May 5, 2017
No details revealed. My guess is that this is likely a working title. Following the watershed success that came with last summer's surprise hit, a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy is a no-brainer. I'm looking forward to jamming out to Star-Lord's Awesome Mix Vol. 2!
Thor: Ragnarok, July 28, 2017
The third installment of the lucrative Thor franchise will more than likely tell Walt Simonson's 1980s classic of the Norse End of Days. "This is a very important movie for us in Phase Three," declared Feige. "We plan on taking Thor to another level. It picks up where we leave Thor in Avengers: Age of Ultron and impacts everything that comes after."
Black Panther, November 3, 2017
My personal favorite bit of news released at Marvel's conference was the announcement of the highly anticipated Black Panther movie. Chadwick Boseman, who has cultivated a celebrated career of depicting seminal African Americans on film, has been cast as who is arguably the most important Black superhero, T'Challa, better known as the Black Panther. I think Boseman is an inspired choice and can't wait to see him in action, especially after seeing this just released concept art of the Panther's MCU costume:
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| I found my Halloween costume. |
Captain Marvel, July 6, 2018
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| Somewhere, Scarlett Johansson is crying. |
Black Panther was one of two major announcements indicating a shift towards Marvel Studios embracing more diversity in its films. Marvel revealed their plans to add super-heroine Captain Marvel—formerly known as "Ms. Marvel" before being re-branded in 2012—to its growing roster of good guys (gals?). Since a whopping 46.67% of all comic fans are female, it's a wonder that this film wasn't announced sooner. Could it be that today's official announcements of the Black Panther and Captain Marvel properties were prompted in part by DC Comics' Cyborg and Wonder Woman films, which respectively star Black and female characters in the title roles?
Inhumans, November 2, 2018
Not much has been revealed about the Inhumans film other than Feige's fervent excitement over the project's source material. In what has been said will be a response to 20th Century Fox's X-Men film franchise, Inhumans centers on a royal family in the deep corners of the galaxy that gains superhuman abilities after journeying into the mutating Terrigen Mists.
Avengers: Infinity War Part I, May 2018 and Part II, May 2019
By far the biggest announcement of the day was that the third installment of the wildly successful Avengers franchise will chronicle the Infinity Wars which Phase One and Two have been leading up to. The threequel will be divided into two parts, each debuting on the coveted first opening weekend of May: May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019, respectively. Marvel released an image of Josh Brolin as their "big bad," the Mad Titan Thanos—glimpsed briefly at the end of the first Avengers and who had a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy—brandishing the famed Infinity Gauntlet—a weapon that will unite the Infinity Stones of the past Marvel movies into one massive existential threat.
It's a good day to be a comics geek! Let me know what you think about this massive reveal. Do you like where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading? Is there a storyline or character you have yet to see make it to the big screen? Share your thoughts with me below!
Posted by
Unknown
- Saturday, October 25, 2014
For the longest time, whenever I told someone I was setting out to be a journalist, their immediate concerns were of covering wars or national disasters and how safe I'd be as a part of the press. It never would have crossed my mind that after college I would soon land in the most hostile war zone of geek media where I'm not alone in the fear of being doxxed (publishing private information on the Internet with malicious intent) or harassed for joining the conversation about #GamerGate.
The very much real-life #GamerGate war is a battleground that is tough to pass through, primarily because there is so much confusion as to what #GamerGate actually is. The massive controversy around #Gamergate conflicts with the two sides that don't even agree to what it is they're really fighting for.
Many would say #GamerGate is a debate about the perceived lack of journalism ethics by many game reviewers after game developer Zoe Quinn was outed for having intimate relations with a gaming journalist in exchange for positive coverage of her game, but the disturbing facts that have recently been coming out of #GamerGate pushed media focus more on the wave of misogynistic harassment.
It's not fair to denounce the entire movement because of one section of it being Internet trolls hiding behind a hashtag that was meant for something else, as #GamerGate members seemed just as outraged and condemn personal threats and harassment. According to /r/KotakuInAction on Reddit, "GamerGate is a consumer revolt triggered by overt politicization, ethical misconduct, and unprecedented amounts of censorship targeted at gamers." The main issue they are attempting to address is the unbalanced view of the industry by the media that project their political ideas as facts in their articles.
"We can't control what anyone says or does in the name of GamerGate, but we can send a clear message that we don't stand for it," Redditor "rhoark" said in a thread he started. "It does not represent us. If anyone feels unsafe about talking to gamers, it is because Gawker crafted that narrative."
But the ugly half of #GamerGate supporters—hellbent on the destruction of the traditional gamer lifestyle—are hiding behind the hashtag, sending death threats and doxxing anti-#GamerGate supporters, though they insist they aren't targeting women even if it seems that they are.
Threats of the "deadliest school shooting in American history" were sent to game critic Anita Sarkeesian prior to her scheduled speech on women in video games at Utah State University, prompting her to cancel the event. Others, like 28-year-old #GamerGate supporter, Erik Foreman, said he received an e-mail that included his home address and a threat to mutilate his body and attack his family, according to The Washington Post.
"There has been so much hate. So many angry words, so many accusations, over…what? Video games? Women in video games? People who write about video games? It would be absurd if it hadn't forced people out of their homes for fear of their personal safety," Kotaku's Luke Plunkett wrote.
The reason #GamerGate has received so much controversy is because it lacks formal leadership and denounces any harassment as not being carried out by "true" #GamerGate members, but members of the group have been tainted.
An analysis by Newsweek discovered that Twitter denizens using the #GamerGate hashtag have directed negative tweets at critics of gaming more than they do at the journalists who supposedly lack the integrity they are seeking to uphold.
In August, Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson, one of the "five guys" who were accused of having a sexual relationship with Quinn, received less than a thousand tweets using the #GamerGate hashtag as opposed to Quinn who received over 10,000 tweets in the same period. Even after it was proven that Grayson never wrote more than one sentence mentioning the game before their relationship even started, ethical issues in gaming journalism continued to grow after disclosures rose that some game journalists supported crowd-funding campaigns for games, but this is where it gets confusing.
To say #GamerGate is about journalistic integrity while female game developers like Quinn or Brianna Wu receive more outraged tweets than the male journalist is contradictory. If Chris Kluwe can write a profanity-filled tirade against #GamerGate without so much as a blink, yet Felicia Day is doxxed almost immediately for speaking up about it, the weight of the movement is no longer viable. As a journalist, I'm all for a movement to better the integrity of those in the field, but this is an irrational way of going about it.
It doesn't make sense to outright attack a non-journalist in a movement about the ethics in journalism, but after #GamerGate members convinced advertisers such as Intel to pull their ads from a gaming website after running a piece that argued video games are for everyone, it only further dilutes their core. However, thinking #GamerGate is about harassing women is far from the truth when many vocal voices of the group are women, and the #Notyourshield tag on Twitter will produce more posts from women that prove this isn't just male gamers talking about #GamerGate. Additionally, HuffPost Live held a #GamerGate conversation with three female gamers to get their views on the movement.
If #GamerGate's true mission is to convince game critics to adopt the same standards as "real journalists," they must make that a clear and concise initiative by focusing on the journalists themselves. The Society of Professional Journalists has been protecting journalism since 1909, outlining the Code of Ethics that all professional journalists, student journalists, and even bloggers should follow. It is the official code that is taught in journalism programs and enforced in the newsrooms of major media.
"GamerGate believes that journalistic ethics are important and we want nothing to do with journalists or publications who do not agree on those points," Gurney Halleck wrote on the website dedicated to #GamerGate. "We want transparency, we want to trust our news sources, and we want to make sure that a small and vocal minority of the gaming press will not try to smear their readers because we are demanding this."
However convoluted #GamerGate is, misogyny in gaming is fully prevalent, whether it is attached to this movement or not. I recently wrote an article about the harassment and bullying of females in comics and at conventions, and while those communities have made great strides in improving acceptance for fangirls, the gaming industry has taken a few steps back.
When Felicia Day finally spoke out against #GamerGate on Wednesday night after remaining silent for "self-protection and fear," just 50 minutes later she was doxxed by the username "gamerg8" with her address and personal email posted in the comments.
So seeing another gamer on the street used to be an auto-smile opportunity, or an entry into a conversation starting with, "Hey, dude! I love that game too!" Me and that stranger automatically had something in common: A love for something unconventional. Outsiders in arms. We had an auto-stepping stone to hurtle over human-introduction-awkwardness, into talking about something we loved together. Instant connection!
But for the first time maybe in my life, on that Saturday afternoon, I walked towards that pair of gamers and I didn't smile. I didn't say hello. In fact, I crossed the street so I wouldn't walk by them. Because after all the years of gamer love and inclusiveness, something had changed in me. A small voice of doubt in my brain now suspected that those guys and I might not be comrades after all. That they might not greet me with reflected friendliness, but contempt.
I went home and was totally, utterly depressed.
It is a familiar feeling that I know all too well. I grew up playing video games and reading comics and never felt unaccepted by those who shared in the same interests. But when I got to college, I realized exactly how females are treated in geek culture.
My college had a comic book club and gamer guild that was one of the reasons I chose it over a top university I was also accepted to that didn't have much of anything past Division I sports teams. At the orientation, the speaker went over the list of clubs, and I could easily see among the crowd of newcomers that I was the only one that cared. I went home and wrote on Tumblr my excitement about coming to a college with such a tight-knit community of people just like me—but they weren't like me. Almost instantly, before I officially became a member of the community, I started a war. Members from each group questioned my credibility in a heated debate over whether I was a "real geek" and if I "should be trusted" while others went so far as to find me on Facebook to quiz me on geek topics. And for what? Voicing my excitement of a few clubs where I can discuss comics and gaming and make new friends? I felt nothing but ostracized and unwelcome to a college I barely started at, and I graduated feeling almost the same.
I can't say my experience is unique, because it's not. Policing women and questioning their credibly to push them out and preserve male dominance is a phenomenon that happens all too often because females are no longer hiding that they're fangirls—and we shouldn't. We play video games. We read comic books. We are every part of the conversation that men are.
Felicia Day is right—it is depressing. To fear being harassed or doxxed for merely typing the words "Gamer Gate" is not what the gaming community is about, and it surely isn't what #GamerGate is truly about because any negativity stemming from #GamerGate has been torn down as the work of an anonymous troll. I will never put my controller down because of #GamerGate, and neither should you.
What are your opinions on #GamerGate?
Are you for or against it?
Let us know in the comments below.
It's been three years since the techno pop duo The Cinema have released a full-length album. Today they finally confirmed that their next album will be released on December 16th.
The album cover has a picturesque feel that brings back memories from old-school Lydia albums. If you aren't familiar with The Cinema, it consists of Leighton Antelman of the band Lydia and producer Matt Malpass. Their collaboration is a perfect blend of Antelman's vocals and Malpass' techno pop edge that will take workouts to a whole new level or at least give you something to sing in the shower. Their first album, My Blood Is Full of Airplanes, is available now at iTunes.
