Last night, we posted the teaser for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rising. Though I’m excited for the film, it’s not the only Batman title I’m looking forward to. Later this year, Warner Brothers and Rocksteady Games will be releasing their long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Arkham Asylum, titled Batman: Arkham City. The sequel features a larger cast of villains, larger areas, tougher puzzels, and even the ability to play as Catwoman and Robin for portions of the game. What’s more, Warner Brothers just released the details for their special collector’s edition. In addition to the game, the $99 set will include a custom Batman statue from Kotobukiya, a collectible Arkham City art book, access to the Iceberg Lounge challenge map, a unique Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in-game skin, an official soundtrack, collectible cards, and finally a copy of the Gotham Knight anime which, if you recall, was produced by some of the same studios who worked on The Animatrix — though, I’m told it’s much better than that.
Those of you who waded through lines last weekend to catch the final installment of Harry Potter were treated to several nifty little teasers. While we’re still waiting for Marvel to officially post their teaser for The Avengers — though, I’m sure we’ll probably get a decent leak later this week with Comic-Con happening — Warner Brothers have posted the teaser for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises on Facebook. Although it’s brief enough, the final film in the series looks as though it’ll focus heavily on Batman’s battle with Bane in a scene that’s very reminiscent of the graphic novel Batman:Knightfall — not to spoil the film or anything. That said, I’m really looking to seeing how Nolan intends on wrapping the series up, and I have to admit that I’m a little sad that it’s over so soon. At least we can all rest assured knowing that Joel Schumacher won’t ever touch our beloved franchise ever again.
Yeah, popular fanboy media is filled with awesome cars, like the DeLorean from Back to the Future, or KITT from Knight Rider, or the ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters, but what car is more desirable than the Batmobile? And what sounds cooler than driving the Batman Returns Batmobile with an actual turbine engine? Nothing. And that’s why Casey Putsch, head of Putsch Racing, a high-end auto restoration team, built one using the turbine engine from a drone helicopter. If that sounds incredible and one-of-a-kind, you’re damn right, but you have to see it to believe it. Check out the video after the cut.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen any promotional photos from the upcoming Spider-Man film reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, so it’s only fitting that Sony gave Entertainment Weekly a cover story about the film, treating us to a number of glorious, high-res shots. We finally get a clear look at Spidey’s suit from virtually all possible angles, confirmation that the web-shooters are mechanical instead of organic (like in Raimi’s trilogy), a shot of Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and of course the lovely Emma Stone as an eerily-accurate Gwen Stacy. For his part, Andrew Garfield does look the part, especially if your favorite Spidey is the lithe, lanky version. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 14, 2011 in Comic Books
Something I’ve always wondered is if coloring books aimed at kids really just stop short of encouraging real creativity? After all your biggest challenge is which crayon you want to pick and making sure you’re “coloring in between the lines”. What I love about Sasquatch’s Big Hairy Drawing Book is that it really encourages kids to use their imagination — and most importantly to draw, draw and draw! What I also love about the book is that in a world of slick CGI films that there’s a very warm and whimsical quality to the illustrations in the book by Chris McDonnell; you get the feeling that your doodling amongst friends who have a sense of humor. The big hairy drawing book won’t be released until October but you can either pre-order it at Amazon or if you just can’t wait there will be a pre-sale at the San Diego Comic Con. Read more…
Well, it does, in Russia, the Ukraine, and South Korea, apparently. Captain America is nearing its release date here in the US under its proper title, but for its international release, Marvel gave overseas distributors the option to title the film “The First Avenger” rather than referencing America at all in its title for fear of anti-American sentiment. Surprisingly, all but three countries opted to use the original title. Of course, Cap represents more than just America — he also represents heroism and selflessness, which is something to which any audience can relate. At least, that’s what overseas distributors are banking on. Thor did very well internationally, so hopefully Cap can pull similar numbers to make it a profitable summer for Marvel. Granted, as we saw with Green Lantern, actually being a good movie probably helps with sales figures too. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 7, 2011 in Comic Books
Oh sure anybody can go to an anime convention these days — but this September 24th manga fans in Japan are in for a treat: There will be a one day festival that’s just focused on the manga artist’s collective CLAMP. The gathering will feature music, videos, interviews, skits and of course cosplayers are welcome to attend. Read more…
Marvel’s done pretty well for itself bringing its A-list heroes to the big screen — Iron Man, Thor, (hopefully) Captain America — but what about some tried-and-true second-stringers? What about the Dr. Stranges and Iron Fists of the world? When do they get their time in the sun? Apparently soon, according to Film School Rejects. Marvel has reportedly filmed two shorts for the Thor and Captain America DVD/Blu-Ray releases starring some B-list heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Coulson, with more to come. If the shorts were filmed and star heroes with at least a little name recognition, I’m really surprised that the casting didn’t get out into the wild already. Now I’m excited for those video releases! Give me Dr. Strange, Marvel! Read more…
If you’re a Star Trek fan, then chances are good that you’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like an eternity. But the moment is here: just in time for the long holiday weekend, you can catch the entire original Trek series on Netflix Instant, along with the entirety of Next Generation and Voyager. Start and stop as you please! Marathon it! Iron-man it! It’s a matter of honor now. But Trek isn’t the only nerdy thing to watch this weekend — Netflix has also added the entire X-Men animated series for your viewing pleasure. For viewers new to the series, you’ll probably want to stop watching riiiight around when Cable shows up. Hey! Just like the comics! Read more…
Mark Bongo from Major League Mods has created a bunch of really neat Xbox 360 case mods, like the R2-D2 360/projector combo we featured in the past. But this latest project looks so cool, you’d think Tony Stark himself built it in a cave! With a box of scraps! In this case (ha), Mark teamed up with Nub Grafix from Orange County Choppers to give this Iron Man-themed Xbox a sleek, metallic paint job. The miniature arc reactor that mimics the 360’s trademark ring of lights, though, is all Mark. Put the whole package in a Stark Industries locked case, and you have the c0olest Xbox this side of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. Read more…
You may not recognize the name Chris Meloni, but I guarantee you’ll recognize his face, seeing as for the past 12 years he’s been one of the two primary faces on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (the other being the talented Mariska Hargitay). Word on ComingSoon.net is that Meloni, who is departing SVU for greener pastures (or at least less “blue” ones…get it? Cop uniforms? No? Okay then!), will play “a general” in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman flick, Man of Steel. So no, everyone who thought he’d play Lex Luthor is (sadly) wrong. But… Read more…
Music fans— and horror fans — will doubtless nod knowingly when they hear that Michael Jackson’s trademark red and black leather(-that-looks-like-vinyl) jacket from the music video for “Thriller” has sold for US$1.8 million dollars at auction. That’s nine times the initial estimate of “at least $200,000.” That’s a damn high price, even if you factor in that the jacket is signed. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jun 26, 2011 in Comic Books
With great power comes great sacrifice! Brian Michael Bendis wrote Peter Parker’s origins in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, one of the arguably more successful forays into Marvel’s Ultimate continuity, so it’s only fitting that he also got to write … the end of Peter Parker?! That’s right: Marvel has officially killed Peter Parker in the Ultimate universe as of Ultimate Spider-Man #160. So what’s next for Ultimate Spidey? A new hero and a new costume, though Marvel is mum on the details, will appear in the Ultimate Comics Fallout series in August, with a reappearance in Ultimate Spider-Man #161 to follow. While Bendis insists that Parker is deader than dead in this continuity, fans of the web-slinger can still catch his adventures in The Amazing Spider-Man, which is ongoing. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jun 25, 2011 in Comic Books
We’ve seen minimalistic versions of superheroes in pixel form plenty of times before, but I think this is the first time that I’ve seen superheroes represented as flags! Fabian Gonzalez created this piece, available in print and t-shirt form, giving 50 different superheroes their very own national flag. Some of them are obvious (Captain America), some less so (is that Black Vulcan?). How many can you name? And would you want to live in the People’s Republic of Spawn? Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 23, 2011 in Comic Books
This is kind of exciting news for manga fans. CrunchyRoll is readying a closed beta for their upcoming online manga distribution platform, JManga.com and are currently accepting applications from North Americans readers interested in testing it out. They haven’t released too many details about the new service, but have stated that they’ve been working closely with their partners in Japan in order to facilitate their selection of content. They’re hoping to use your feedback to improve the site before its official launch later this year. Like CrunchyRoll, I imagine it will be in the form of a subscription based premium service. To sign up for a chance to take part in the closed beta, simply click here and fill out their form. If you’re picked for the beta, they’ll be notifying you the first week of July.
Here’s some hilarious clips featuring the 1978 Fantastic Four animated series with a cameo by none other than the master of magnetism himself. The show only lasted 12 episodes, no doubt due to the lack of the Human Torch — after all, he’s the only member anyone really liked. While there had been a long-running rumor that network executives were worried about kids immolating themselves, the fact of the matter was that Johnny Blaze had been licensed to NBC at the time for a potential pilot that never got picked up. Of course, with amazing scripts like The Menace Of Magneto here, I’m sureno amount of “flame on” could have saved it, and can someone please tell me why every 70’s cartoon villain felt the compulsive need to narrate everything?
These Star Wars hoodies look cool by themselves, but every image I’ve seen of someone wearing one has them looking like a Japanese Sentai hero, or a Mexican Luchador. I really can’t decide if I want one or not. On some level, looking like a Sentai might be awesome, but you’d also look like the least intimidating thief to ever step in a 7-Eleven. If it’s looking like a superhero we’re worried about, we may as well pick up one of these officially licensed Marvel hoodies instead. Sure, they don’t provide a makeshift helmet, but at least they look silk enough to wear out on a regular basis — the Spider-Man ones do, any way. If you’re looking to pick one up yourself, each of these hoodies will run you $49.99 via ThinkGeek.
With San Diego Comic-Con just over a month away, Sideshow Collectibles has been gearing up with a short list of exclusive pre-orders for attendees and non-attendees alike. The other day, they unveiled their latest addition to the list, Hot Toys’ Iron Man Mark IV “Secret Project” collectible figure. This 1:6th scale figure stands at 12 inches tall and comes with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from Hot Toys — battery powered LED lights, interchangeable parts, articulated joints and armor flaps, you name it. If you’re attending and want to get your hands on one, you’ll need to sign up for the Sideshow Collectibles newsletter, then pre-order on June 16th between the hours of 10 AM to 12 PM PST. If you’re not attending Comic-Con but still want one, you’ll have to wait until the 17th. It’ll retail for just $209, and any figures left over will be sold to the general public, but that’s probably not going to happen. For more photos, visit the Sideshow Collectibles production blog. For info on how to pre-order, head over to their con exclusives sub-site.
A few years back when I began my first blog another blogger commented on a post I wrote. I followed back, and I became a reader of his own blog. Kitsune of Kitsune Thought’s, what I always appreciate are intelligent content, and comments, so to my knowledge Kitsune has been a great person to talk to via blog comments. Here’s my interview: Read more…
Ever since I saw Lady Gaga’s “horns” — an addition she made for the release of her single “Born This Way” — I’ve thought that she would make for a pretty good character in X-Men. The question is just whether she’d be on Xavier’s side, or Magneto’s.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jun 11, 2011 in Comic Books
DC’s upcoming relaunch announcements started with the Justice League and now have ended with the revelation that Grant Morrison will be writing the new #1 for Action Comics, the series that Superman originally appeared in 70 or so years ago. Morrison has written some damn good comics in the past — his run on New X-Men is one of the series’ best and he’s also responsible for the almost universally well-received All-Star Superman — so it’s pretty reasonable to assume that he’ll give Supes the re-debut he deserves. The issue is also being touted in its solicitation as the “cornerstone of the new DC universe,” so it may mean far more than just a fresh start for the Man of Steel: it could be what gives everybody else a fresh start, too. Good luck, Grant.
With all the exciting announcements from this week’s E3 press conferences, it’s nice to finally be able to take a break from gaming news. Thankfully, Paramount has released it’s latest TV spot for the upcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger. Like the other trailers, this TV spot features quite a bit of action shots, and includes a brief confrontation between Steve Rodgers and Red Skull. The film looks fantastic, but I’m not sure if it’ll be able to top X-Men Origins or Thor in terms of box office performance. Then again, I should note that both of those films were better than I expected going in. Anyone else looking forward to it?
No, no– it’s not about Batman raping hicks. Or hicks raping Batman. It’s a French fan-made film about a Batman getting on in his years but still suiting up for one last fight…against Wolverine.
Yeah. I said Wolverine.
Seriously, who cares about Superman versus Batman? Watch the epicness after the jump– the important part starts up at about 4, 4:30. Before that is introspection in French, which is apparently a requirement of all French cinema. Read more…
I’m going to give you a rough review of X-Men: First Class, but before I do that I’m going to give you the highlights:
1. It’s better than it looks.
2. That’s mostly not due to special effects.
3. Michael Fassbender completely works as Erik.
4. January Jones completely works as Emma Frost…as written in this film.
5. Xavier is kind of a dick Read more…
