Archive for the 'Comics' Category
May 22nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
How do you bring everyone together? That is the question returning X-Men director Bryan Singer must have been set on answering in his attempt to not only combine the casts from nearly every previous X-Men film, but find a way to satisfy everyone with what is basically the biggest X-Men film ever. The results are fairly strong, as Singer manages to get past the overwhelming nature of having an incredibly large cast, two timelines, and providing emotional resonance in a film that is almost completely made up of forward plot momentum, expositional dialogue, and mutant action. Fans of the franchise should be mostly pleased, as it takes one of the iconic comic storylines and uses the cinematic versions of established (and some new) characters to truly deliver an exciting spectacle. Overcrowding is pushed aside in favor of eradicating previous story elements to make a focused and gratifying X-Men film, even if that means risking continuity coherence for the most devoted of fans, as well as some casual viewers.
Continue reading ‘‘X-Men’: Logan’s Run Back To The Future (Movie Review)’
May 22nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Did you know Marvel has a animated Disney film coming out this November? Those more in the know with this kind of news certainly did and now there is a trailer out for the first animated Marvel feature from Disney. It is about a boy who builds a robot superhero team to save his city and it looks quite charming. Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, we are looking at some obscure properties to build films from, but if they all keep looking like a lot of fun, let alone delivering on said fun, it is hard to be anything but excited about future prospects. Continue on to watch the debut trailer for the film, as well as see a new poster, and some images.
Continue reading ‘Debut Trailer For ‘Big Hero 6’ – The First Animated Marvel Film From Disney’
May 19th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
For those either still on the fence or excited enough to want to see more and more footage leading up to the cinematic debut of what is sure to be everyone’s favorite raccoon and a bunch of other chumps, here is a brand new trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Naturally, this trailer explains a bit more beyond who the hell the Guardians of the Galaxy are made up of, with more emphasis on the plot of the film and world that these characters inhabit. Given the weirdness of it all and the involvement of writer/director James Gunn, along with the rest of this cast, I continue to be excited about what could come from a movie like this, especially since it’s a Marvel film straying far from the norm. Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1st, continue on to watch the new trailer, see the new poster, and see a number of images from the film.
Continue reading ‘The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Have A New Full Trailer Out, You’re Welcome’
May 2nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I am a Batman fan. People who know me well enough are pretty clear on that. With that said, while Batman and the characters in his universe provide more for me to think about, I also grew up reading and watching Spider-Man (and occasionally his amazing friends). I may find something more inherently interesting in the Caped Crusader, but it is easier to find fun in watching your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man knock out bad guys and one-liners, while zipping through New York City. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 delivers on that and while the film is certainly stuffed with story and setups, it also features some dazzling action, a few very solid performances, and some ambition to go with some unfortunate desire to rest a lot of weight on Peter Parker’s shoulders.
Continue reading ‘‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Forever (Movie Review)’
April 22nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
From what I can tell, both Comic Con and WonderCon have proven to be great venues to debut the latest DC Universe Animated Original Movies and I am sure the other cons do it too. The past few years have seen the debut public screenings of films such as Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, and Superman: Unbound, among others. It makes perfect sense, as the people attending these cons consist of the exact type of audience that would seek them out. For WonderCon 2014, audiences were treated to the debut of Son of Batman, which was screened on Friday and had an encore screening on Sunday. The film introduces the Damian character, the child Batman learns he has, which leads to a battle with some old and new foes. As a Batman fan attending WonderCon, I of course had to check this out for myself.
Continue reading ‘WonderCon 2014: Son of Batman (Movie Review)’
April 4th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Captain America really has his work cut out for him. Along with being a man who now lives in modern times after being frozen for several decades, he is also an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. performing intense field work, a devotee to untangling a web of international conspiracies if it means keeping his country safe, and the target of a secret assassin who may or may not share history with Cap. It is a very good thing that Marvel Studios has a lot more confidence in how to make these movies work at this point, because even with all the trouble the piles up towards the end of the supremely entertaining Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the film never stops being an entertaining and action-packed delight.
Continue reading ‘Winter Is Coming For ‘Captain America’ (Movie Review)’
March 27th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Like it or not, there is a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie headed to theaters this summer. They have traveled through time, eaten plenty of pizza, and have now turned into CG creations produced by Nickelodeon and Michael Bay’s production company, Platinum Dunes. The film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: LA) and stars Megan Fox as April O’Neil and William Fichtner as The Shredder, who seems to have a tie to the secret of the Ooze as well as O’Neil’s father, who is now linked to its creation; making the film feel like it is borrowing from deleted sections of The Amazing Spider-Man‘s untold story. Regardless, I have no real issue with these changes, regardless of what the original comic and various cartoon series have established as general canon. If the film turns out to be a new fun take on the source material than I’ll be happy to start belting out lyrics to T-U-R-T-L-E Power. Continue on to check out the trailer.
Continue reading ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Produced By Michael Bay) Has A Debut Trailer’
March 24th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here is the second trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Given how quiet marketing has been, as far as revealing plot details regarding one of the best story lines in the X-Men comics goes, this new trailer will surely satisfy those on board with the popular mutant franchise, as it has plenty to offer as far as juicy new footage, fitting of an action/superhero blockbuster. A new poster has been released as well, once again suggesting that (aside from The Wolverine) Fox has no idea how to make a great X-Men movie poster. This one is not terrible, but it’s still pretty blah. Take a look for yourself at both the new trailer and the new poster by continuing on in this post.
Continue reading ‘The X-Men: Days of Future Past’s Full Trailer And A New Poster Debut’
January 14th, 2014 by Gerard Iribe
Hot off the success of the shared-world vampire prose anthology,V-Wars, IDW and New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker award-winning horror author,Jonathan Maberry conspire once again to continue the battle that rages between humans and vampires in the all-new ongoing comic book series coming this May. V-Wars is set in a world transformed by a global pandemic caused by a millennial-old virus that, once triggered, affects individuals differently depending on their DNA. The result is vampires as unique as their cultures and a response from those unaffected humans like never seen before. “The vampires people used to believe in weren’t charming romantic antiheroes. They were monsters,” says writer Maberry. “Each culture had their own legends, and each of these vampires was completely different from the others; and all of them were different from the vampires in pop-culture. We went directly to the source: the myths and legends of vampires around the world and throughout history. Old-school, scary, and complicated.” Continue reading ‘‘V-Wars’ Makes Its Comic Book Debut!’
January 10th, 2014 by Gerard Iribe
44FLOOD’s first project developed with IDW Publishing is LIBRETTO, a 9×12” anthology presenting emerging and world-class artists as they explore a single theme using diverse mediums such as comics, oil painting, photography, sculpting and more. The libretto refers to the part of an opera or a musical that is the words or lyrics, and is distinct from the music. 44FLOOD’s LIBRETTO will be the “text” to the “music” that is a central theme, starting with LIBRETTO Volume 1: Vampirism coming this April. LIBRETTO Volume 1 is curated/edited by Kasra Ghanbari and has the theme vampirism, being the misuse of power, as well as the objectification and exploitation of others. Featured contributors give their unique perspectives on this theme, with many sections including an interview of the contributor conducted by another artist. Continue reading ’44FLOOD & IDW Publishing Introduce LIBRETTO!’
December 22nd, 2013 by Gregg Senko
Marvel books usually tend to leave me feeling like I’ve been let down after I finish reading them. There are very few titles from the mammoth comic book publisher that give me any sense of satisfaction. Why is this? Because Marvel tends to flood the market with underwhelming stories resulting in an empty delivery. Leave it to a Spidey spin-off to be the exception.
Continue reading ‘Scarlet Spider Comes to a Close (sort of)’
December 12th, 2013 by Gerard Iribe
Visionary author and celebrated comic creator Steve Niles is returning to IDW in 2014 and bringing the most nefarious fiends along with him. Debuting in March, Niles weaves together a grave team-up between Frankenstein’s monster and Jack the Ripper in the terrifying new series, Monster & Madman. A lost soul, Frankenstein’s monster seeks refuge from his waking life but finds no comfort in the bitter harshness of his surroundings. He sets out to free himself from his lonely isolation and during this journey he finds himself at the doorstop of a creature more sinister than he could have imagined, the madman, Jack The Ripper. Continue reading ‘IDW Releases ‘Monster & Madman’ March 2014!’
December 2nd, 2013 by Gregg Senko
Super heroes and regular humans alike had their work cut out for them in 2013. The DC universe witnessed the advent of the Forever Evil storyline that saw everyone’s favorite do-gooders beat down and removed from the picture (temporarily anyway). Marvel is experiencing the return of Galactus, so you can bet earth is on his menu again. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead delivered its consistently high quality storyline of survival amidst a world of zombie fodder. But with all the awesomeness that filled the comic book landscape of this year, which ones are deserving of being the best in their class?
Continue reading ‘The Best Comic Books of 2013’
November 26th, 2013 by Gregg Senko
Even after taking home an Eisner Award for Best Ongoing Series, I’m still going to argue that the documented work of Tony Chu does not get nearly enough credit. Chew, written by John Layman and drawn by Rob Guillory, has had significant ongoing success; enough to draw (no pun intended) artist Guillory to the 2013 Austin Comic Con. The master with a marker filled me in a few details on the future of Chew as well as his own future works.
Continue reading ‘Austin Comic Con: Artist Rob Guillory’
November 25th, 2013 by Gerard Iribe
From the minds of writer Eric Garcia (Matchstick Men) and artistJavier Fernandez, Darby Pop Publishing’s City: The Mind in the Machine will make its debut this February! “Practically every day in the news there’s a story about a new interface between man and machine. We’ve gone from punch-cards to keyboards to touchscreens in a matter of decades, and direct brain-system connections are already being explored,” said writerEric Garcia. “Between that and the ubiquity of wireless networking, we’re living in uncharted territory — which is why I’ve been so excited to tell the story of CITY: MIND IN THE MACHINE. It’s been a thrill working with Javier and Darby Pop to explore these concepts and bring this world to life.” Continue reading ‘Darby Pop’s City: The Mind in the Machine’
November 25th, 2013 by Gregg Senko
One of the final panels I attended at this past weekend’s Austin Comic Con was titled “Super Villains and Psychology.” It sounded interesting enough on the ride to the convention center, so I figured what the heck. I’ll give it a go. Let’s delve into the mind of the Joker, Dr. Doom and whoever else’s fictional brain we can dissect and study. Headlined by psychologist and author, Dr. Travis Langley, this expert of the mind was the catalyst for one of the most incredibly interesting discussions I have ever come across at any pop culture convention.
Continue reading ‘Austin Comic Con: Super Villains and Psychology’
November 8th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Thor: The Dark World seems like a clear statement by Marvel Studios, insisting that they are simply here to entertain. While there are more complex comic properties that have adapted into films featuring more than just adventurous heroics for the leads, spending two hours with Thor and the gang was an unlabored blast. It has its share of issues involving story presentation and the effectiveness of the villain, but I had such a good time watching this film and the main actors in it that I hardly felt troubled by the messiness of a film that tries really hard to keep moving and be entertaining. Regardless of all the strings that come with these various Marvel superhero films, I was very happy dive back into the world of Thor and witness Mjolnir in action.
Continue reading ‘‘Thor’ 2: Still Thor (Movie Review)’
October 29th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Last week saw the debut of the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This week is all about X-Men: Days of Future Past, the latest mutant adventure, which will be based around one of the most iconic stories from X-Men comic series. The most intriguing part of all of this is how this film will be utilizing actors from practically every X-Men film made so far. It makes sense from a story standpoint, for those familiar with the comic, but I can only hope it does not hurt the film, given that the biggest issue has always been the hefty number of characters in each film and finding the right balance. That said, this trailer has done a very convincing job of making me worry less. Sure the enthusiasm I took from San Diego Comic Con was a good way to get me more on board, let alone teaser images of Sentinels, but I am quite excited all around for the release of this new X-Men film, in May 2014. Continue on to view the trailer as well as a load of images from the film.
Continue reading ‘‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’ Trailer Debuts’
How do you bring everyone together? That is the question returning X-Men director Bryan Singer must have been set on answering in his attempt to not only combine the casts from nearly every previous X-Men film, but find a way to satisfy everyone with what is basically the biggest X-Men film ever. The results are fairly strong, as Singer manages to get past the overwhelming nature of having an incredibly large cast, two timelines, and providing emotional resonance in a film that is almost completely made up of forward plot momentum, expositional dialogue, and mutant action. Fans of the franchise should be mostly pleased, as it takes one of the iconic comic storylines and uses the cinematic versions of established (and some new) characters to truly deliver an exciting spectacle. Overcrowding is pushed aside in favor of eradicating previous story elements to make a focused and gratifying X-Men film, even if that means risking continuity coherence for the most devoted of fans, as well as some casual viewers.
