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Why is it Always Star Wars Day?
As any well-trained fanboy (or fangurl) should know, Comic-Con International— also known as San Diego Comic-Con –is right around the corner, running from Wednesday, July 21st to Sunday, July 25th. Those five days are jam-packed with programming, and as usual, some of those days are…special. Read more… The Epic Saga of Leonard Nimoy’s Bicycle
Posted by Gia Manry on Jul 9, 2010 in Star Trek
I’m not much of a Trekkie (nor a Trekker), but even I can get a kick out of the following video, spotted at Topless Robot and shot in what I’m going to guess were the early ’80s, possibly late ’70s, featuring Leonard Nimoy (Spock) and Bill Shatner (Kirk) recalling fond memories of their time on the Star Trek set…particularly as it relates to Nimoy’s bicycle. Oddly enough, it’s the Shat who spends more time proclaiming to be the logical one in the situation… Read more… Despicable Steve: The 5 Best Even Step(v)hen Bits
Posted by Gia Manry on Jul 9, 2010 in Cinema, Television
This Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage Trailer is Bloody Marvelous
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 8, 2010 in Animation, Videogames
Back in the mid-80’s, Hokuto no Ken — or as we’ve come to know it, Fist of the North Star — was a huge hit in Japan. It eventually produced a number of games, a few of which were localized after being heavily modified for US audiences, an OVA and a sequel. It actually blew my mind when I found out that my copy of Black Belt for the Sega Master System was actually a butchered version of the second Hakuto no Ken title. Thankfully, the games have come a long way since then. Still Lost? Maybe This Encyclopedia Can Help
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 8, 2010 in Lost
It’s been months since the series finale aired, and yet we still find ourselves trying to make sense of everything that occurred over the course of Lost‘s six seasons. If you’re looking for answers however, you’ll just have to keep waiting until this book hits shelves in late August. Coinciding with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the sixth and final season, this encyclopedia claims to feature over 400 pages of information, from the characters and plot, to the mythologies surrounding the hit the series. Along with that, the book will also contain roughly 1,500 images from various episodes. Needless to say, if you’re a fan of Lost, you’ll want to have this book handy next time you decide to watch from start to finish. It lists for $45, but pre-order from Amazon now, and you can save $15 off the MSRP. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition Trailer
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 7, 2010 in Videogames
You’ll have to forgive me, but with the release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition only a day away, I felt it was probably a good time to show you exactly what to expect. The trailer above is a perfect example of the quality you can expect from LucasArts upcoming remake, in terms of voice acting, as well the visual enhancements. While I talked a little about that last week, I could only really illustrate so much with the screenshots. So, please take some time and check out this fantastic trailer — you won’t regret it. There’s a 68.71% Chance You’ll Miss This Tron Be@rbrick
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 7, 2010 in Hobbies and Collections
Okay, maybe that’s a pretty high estimate, but if you want to prove the Master Control Unit wrong, you’ll need to go to San Diego Comic-Con later this month and be one of the lucky 1,500 to people in line. Why only 1,500? Well, like so many other toys premiering at the event, it’s a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive. Rendered with in a translucent purple, this Be@rbrick features the famous circut design of the outfits from the sci-fi classic. For those of you fortunate enough to be going, you’ll want to head over to the Diamond Comics booth to pick yours up. No word on the price as of yet. Can the Next Silent Hill Live Up to it’s Namesake?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 6, 2010 in Horror, Videogames
I know it’s been a few weeks since E3, but if you haven’t seen the latest trailer for the latest installment of Silent Hill, then here’s your chance. Konami seems intent on staying true to the formula we’ve seen in previous entries into the series by focusing on twisted puzzels, and their usual brand of dark, thought-provoking, mystery. While that much sounds promising, this will mark the first entry into the series that lacks series composer Akira Yamaoka, who many fans hold largely responsible for creating the terrifying atmosphere that the series has been known for. Not all hope is lost however, as Dan Litch, composer for television’s Dexter, has stepped in. He has some big shoes to fill, but I have high hopes. Expect to see the game hit shelves sometime in 2011. Read more… Show Some Support For Your Favorite Android Lovechild
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 6, 2010 in Star Wars
You know, it seemed inevitable. C-3PO and R2D2 always seemed so inseparable, so it would stand to reason that they may or may not have given birth to an illegitimate lovechild-droid. At least, web dev and caricature artist Jon Plante, seemed to think so — I just never imagined it’d be so hilarious or horrifying . That said, it sure makes for an awesome t-shirt. The shirt is currently available at teefury.com for only $9 plus shipping, but if you want one, you’ll need to hustle. Due to the format of the site, the shirt will only be available for the next 24 hours and once they sell out, they’re gone forever. If you’re worried about the quality of the shirts, I can actually vouch for them as I order from the site quite often. For more of his work, you can also check out Jon’s infrequently updated web comic Celebrity Skinned. Read more… Machiko Hasegawa: Honoring a Manga Master
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 5, 2010 in Comic Books
If you’re lucky enough to be in Japan this July do yourself a favor and make it a point to see an exhibition which will be honoring Machiko Hasegawa (長谷川町子) at the Sazae Setagaya Literary Museum (here’s an Adobe Acrobat file with details in Japanese). Machiko lived from 1920 until 1992 and her best known work is her comic strip Sazae-san (サザエさん) which focused on modern family life in Japan during the post-war era. The manga was one of the longest running comics series in Japan (about 10,000 strips!) and lasted from 1946 until 1974 when Machiko retired. But it wasn’t just the quality and the quantity of her work that Machiko Hasegawa stand out as she was one of the first women manga artists in Japan, which is why I wish that more otaku knew about her work. Read more… A Love Letter to an Art House Cinema
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 5, 2010 in Cinema
The above video (and the ones below) tell the amazing story of the Cinema Arts Centre. Back in my art school days I met Dylan Skolnick who was then a film major at School of Visual Arts — and one of the first things I knew about him was that his parents ran an art house movie theater in Long Island. Now I didn’t think much of this as movie theaters that ran classic and art films could be found all over the nation by the 80s — but what I didn’t know was that Dylan’s parents didn’t just run the theater, but in fact were pioneers of a entire movement. Back the early 70s Dylan’s parents Vic Skolnick and Charlotte Sky started the theater as they were unhappy with the films they found in suburbia so on their own they started the theater as a non-profit and as the years went by many other theaters across the nation copied their template and we’re all the richer for it today. Read more… A Manga About a Watermelon Eating Cat
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 4, 2010 in Comic Books
This August 2010 cover of Monthly Shonen Rival caught my eye because of the very hungry looking cat who seems to be enjoying eating a watermelon. The cat and cat girl are from the manga Was in! Medium Teacher (ほんとにあった！霊媒先生) which just published its fifth volume: Read more… I Can Haz Human Progress?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 4, 2010 in Tech
In this video techie pundit Clay Shirky shares his notion that Lolcats aren’t just a fun waste of time but in fact a sign of progress. His theory is that while in the past humans have had spare time that with the net this potential can be captured to produce things — even if its adding captions to cute kitty photos. Captain America: A Fanboy Forth of July Salute to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 3, 2010 in Comic Books
Superman and Batman were both born in the Great Depression and focused on subjects that were popular in that era like fighting crime — however Captain America came about as a direction reaction to World War II by writer Joe Simon and illustrator Jack Kirby. And what’s interesting is that the first issue actually hit the newsstands in December of 1940 which was a full year before the bombing of Pearl Harbor when America entered the war. So it’s fair to say that Captain America was actually a political cartoon above all else, in fact the character was created as a reaction to the opponents of the war who were quite organized at the time. Read more… My Pet AT-ATI really got a kick out of this short film titled AT-AT Day Afternoon by Patrick Boivin. Boivin is a French Canadian director and special effects artist who started drawing comic books fifteen years ago and the gradated to video. Read more… The Gundam Café in Akihabara: A Photographic Tour
Gundam Café in Akihabara opened back in April and is a living shrine of all things Gundam. Shy of traveling to Japan this amazing photo essay by kozika gives you a feeling of what it’s like to hang out there, order dessert, buy some goodies and yes even visit the loo: Read more… Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 2, 2010 in Tech
In this clip author Nicholas Carr addresses the topic Does the Internet Discourage Deep Thinking? And I’ve got to say that he’s dead on — I tend to find that in it’s current form the web is a mile wide but an inch deep. For example at your fingertips you can google the name of any historical figure who has ever lived and find at least a wikipedia entry, however if you want to go that extra step and read book on the topic you hit a real dead end. Although I think blaming the net is a bit of an excuse because in reality the signal-to-noise ratio has been been weakened since the advent of television over fifty years ago. Pizzazz: A Long Lost Marvel Youth Culture Mag from the 70s
The late 70s wasn’t the best of time for the comic book biz so Marvel took a look at Dynamite magazine and Starlog magazine and created their own youth culture magazine called Pizzazz. The magazine was an amazing mirror of pop culture during the disco era of 1977 until 1979 and lasted a total of 16 issues. The inside of the publication featured articles on popular films, a Star Wars comic and even a one pager by Harvey Kurtzman. Read more… Monkey Island 2 Special Edition; Revenge is a Dish Best Served Undead
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 1, 2010 in Videogames
Monkey Island is a series that has always held a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first point-and-click adventure games that I truly fell in love with. Unfortunately, the genre has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Developers have shifted their focus to first-person shooters, mmorpgs and casual gaming. We can’t really blame the developers, though — World of Warcraft and Bejeweled practically print money. Adventure games, on the other hand, don’t come with a monthly fee. As a result many developers lack the incentive to develop the games we all grew to love so many years ago. Thankfully, the guys over at Lucas Arts haven’t forgotten us just yet. What If Luke Skywalker Was An Incompetent Moron?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 1, 2010 in Star Wars
Ever wonder how things would have turned out if Luke Skywalker’s cocky attitude during the mission briefing ended up causing his trench run to fail miserably? Well, now you can see how that would have probably played out in this hilarious short. As you’ve probably guessed, a fan edited together the final moments from Episode IV: A New Hope, re-cut to tell a slightly different story. Instead of saving the day, Luke shows up late to the party, ignores the force, and ends up missing his shot while trying to destroy the Death Star. Han, on the hand, has much better luck having managed to shoot down Vader. In the end, Luke’s a bit of a poor sport, but at least the good guys still prevail. Will 3D Printing Change Our World?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 30, 2010 in Tech
In this video Makerbot founder Bre Pettis demonstrates a 3D printer that he designed. What’s amazing to me about this technology is that while it’s being used as a novelty today I can see it changing the world in two ways: First we’ve lived in an age of mass manufacturing since the Victorian era — this sort of technology could lead to micro manufacturing where short runs of unique objects are the norm. Imagine if you would if no cars were alike in the world? The second thing is that if you combined this technology with robotic assembly lines it could bring back local manufacturing so products wouldn’t need to be shipped around the world and thus saving a ton of energy. Predators Japanese TV SpotHow sad is it that I found the Japanese TV spot for Robert Rodriguez’s Predators more enticing than the TV spot airing here in the states. Sure, Japan edited the spot to feature the Yakuza character a bit more, but that’s not really the point. I tried to put finger on it and finally I think I’ve figured out why — the edits they did make feature some actual action. While our own TV isn’t exactly boring, we’re given a number of second-long clips that feature explosions and gun fire. The Japanese TV spot, on the other hand, shows off the slightly longer initial clash between a Predator hunter, and the katana-wielding Yakuza. Needless to say, it was enough to seal the deal for me — I’ll be buying ticket opening day. Read more… Kirk and Scotty Join DST’s Latest Star Trek: The Original Series Action Figures
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 30, 2010 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Trek
Diamond Select recently announced the latest individual additions to their “”Series 5” Star Trek: The Original Series action figure line. This time around, Kirk sports his seemingly comfortable season 3 Green Dress shirt –I’ve always suspected it was a result of Shatner complaining about the standard tunics being way too stuffy. He’ll be joined by Scotty, whom I believe was previously released as part of a Spock/Scotty two-pack, and a random Romulan officer, all of which should retail for about $15.99 each. Read more… A Gundam Cover That Could Make a Yamato Fanboy Cry
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 29, 2010 in Animation
Having been President of the Star Blazers Fan Club I’m still envious to this day the attention that’s lavished on Mobile Suit Gundam. This cover of Monthly Gundam Ace which goes on sale on July 26th is crammed with all sorts of goodies: Firstly you’ve got the celebration of the 15th anniversary of Mobile Fighter G Gundam but then you’ve got those cool Gundam collector’s cards and a story on Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. |
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