This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us when the highly celebrated live-action, sci-fi anthologyMETAL HURLANT CHRONICLES: THE COMPLETE SERIES debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 14, 2015from Shout! Factory.
Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as ‘Heavy Metal’ Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan (Doctor Who) and Michael Jai White (Spawn).
The last fragment of a living planet, reduced to dust by the destructive madness of its habitants, is condemned to roam the universe for eternity, bringing suffering and deception to those who cross her path. That damned messenger is called: The Metal Hurlant. From 1960s cold war drama to distant future, fantasy to medieval, the live action sci-fi series METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES spans a wide range of self-contained stories linked together by an asteroid, called the METAL HURLANT, which passes close to the planet where each story is taking place, thereby changing the outcome.
And so another of the items on the world’s “This will never happen” list can be crossed off. Sony and Marvel Studios have come to an accord on the use of Spider-Man in proper Marvel films, and of other Marvel characters in upcoming Spider-movies.
While this initially sounds like a stellar win, I can see a number of ways that it won’t live up to the expectations of the fans.
Marvel hasn’t “gotten Spider-Man back” – This is very much a “two guys with half the map” scenario. A great deal of cooperation will have to occur between the companies, with permitted uses and appearances strictly defined. It seems much like the partnership between the various studios in the Lord of the Rings / Hobbit franchise, each hanging on to their piece for dear life to score a taste of that sweet profit stream.
BURBANK, CA (February 10, 2015) —Batman and his team of fellow heroes are tasked with taming an altogether different form of beasts in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the latest animated DC Comics film to hit shelves from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment arrives May 12, 2015 on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. The Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD will include an exclusive Firebat figurine, while supplies last.
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts will be available on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack for $24.98 SRP and on DVD for $19.98 SRP. The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet.* Fans can also own Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts in Digital HD on May 12 via purchase from digital retailers.
Another storm is brewing in Gotham and it’s not only raining cats and dogs but evil Cyber Animals! When the city is plagued by a slew of bizarre crimes committed by an animal-inspired villain squad known as the Animilitia – comprised of Silverback, Cheetah, Killer Croc and Man-Bat – Batman must swing into action to investigate. These animalistic villains bring new and exciting challenges for the hero of Gotham, and Batman must find a way to bring these criminal creatures to a halt! But could the Animilitia be working for powerful businessman Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin? How does The Penguin’s new invention of robotic Cyber Animals fit into the mix? In the end, it’ll the combined forces of Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Nightwing and Red Robin to combat these Animal Instincts.
“We are thrilled to release Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, an action-packed DC Comics animated film that is created specifically for our younger fans,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “Batman is the world’s most beloved Super Hero and this DC Comics release will provide family-friendly action and adventure for nonstop entertainment.”
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instinctswill be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Target Ticket, Vudu, Xbox and others. Starting May 12, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
In a superhero reunion, Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced a new deal with Marvel Studios that brings new Spider-Man movies into the Marvel cinematic universe.
The next Spider-Man film will hit theaters on July 28, 2017.
According to the announcement, Sony and Marvel will cast a new Spider-Man after Andrew Garfield starred in the last two films, “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” Tobey Maguire played Peter Parker in the previous three installments for Sony.
Sony will continue to distribute, finance, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man pics. They’ll work with Marvel, owned by Disney, on how to weave Spider-Man’s character into Marvel’s upcoming superhero films, which includes the popular franchise “The Avengers.”
I’d suspected this might happen when the info was leaked during the Sony hack, because Sony might need the money and boost very quickly. And lo and behold, here we are.
NOW we know what the cubes were in The Power of Three – space Lego blocks.
Lego has announced that its newest approved project will be a Doctor Who and Companions Lego set, designed by Andrew Clark. Created as part of their Lego Ideas program, the site allows users to design and submit potential Lego sets to be manufactured by the company. Past sets from the program include japan’s Hayabusa satellite, a series of Minecraft-inspired sets, and an assortment of female scientist minifigures.
Doctor Who already has a building block license with the company Character Building – their blind-buy minifigures are currently available across the world.
Emma Owen, UK spokesperson for LEGO Ideas commented:
“We’re extremely excited to announce that a Doctor Who and a WALL-E set will be released as our next LEGO Ideas fan based sets, congratulations to the designers Andrew Clark and Angus MacLane!
No details have been revealed concerning the contents of the sets, only that more information will be forthcoming for a release by the end of the year.
Part 1 of this series can be read at BleedingCool.com
Hollywood, I’m sorry. I’ve been wrong.
You’re not responsible for the overwhelming opinion the general public has of my industry being just for kids. Yes, SDCC is our house, but our house is all fucked up. We deserve to be viewed as nothing but geeks, nerds, and children. We are not ready to play at your level, not even close.
We’re selfish, shortsighted, and stupid. Not all the time, but so often we’ve become a joke to the French and Japanese comics industries. Comics, one of the few original American art forms, are recognized as such by a country whose ass we had to save and a country whose ass we nuked. Yet we’re the joke.
And we deserve to be.
As an example, in about two weeks it will be a year since I sent an email to Variant Comics. It was my tongue-in-cheek attempt to be funny while addressing an important issue. The fantastic video they produced featured wrong “created by” credits.
The response I received wasn’t exactly what I expected. They said they would correct the issue: “We have already added a correction in our next episode to explain that we missed you and Denys as additional creators.”
But they did not think I was funny:
“I have not responded (quicker) because I do my best to steer clear of rude or aggressive correspondence.”
They thought I was being a heavy-handed bastard. Not my intention, and I immediately apologized with the following:
I bear you no ill will. I was being sarcastic, and if you read my Bleeding Cool piece, you will see I underscored time and time again how much I admire what you are doing. My goal was to show how a great piece with wrong information could do some injustice, but in no way did I ever think you guys would take to heart my FB email. I “liked” your page, I took every chance I got to say just how good your stuff and site is.
Clearly you don’t remember we met some time ago, and as such I thought you would get the joke.
My bad.
Really. My bad.
On the real, I meant to do nothing but poke fun and draw attention to the credits; it was never my intention to insult (except in jest) you or your people. Please accept my apology. It pains me (really) to think my attempt at satire fell short.
If need be, I will say what I just said to you privately in public.
I have no problem with that.
Again – I’m sorry. Try as I might, sometimes I just don’t see what others do. Truth be told most times I care not. This time I do.
The Bleeding Cool article I was referring to foreshadowed possible future events and the real damage that short film could do. That article was not the only article I wrote about this over the year – there were several. Some here on ComicMix, some on Bleeding Cool, and some on my Facebook page, and yes, they were tagged.
Occasionally, I wrote another lighthearted appeal that ended when the “possible” became reality, and the damage sure as hell followed. Since then, I’ve been that Nigga.
Variant has changed nothing on the Static Shock film, and they have had a year to do it. The credits are still wrong. If they added Denys and I to the “next episode” explaining the oversight, how the fuck would anybody know? Those watching an episode of what may be a totally unrelated “History Of” may not even give a fuck.
Anyone going to the History of Static Shock video will see what I’ve asked to be rectified for over a year: the wrong credits. Nothing has changed there.
Nothing.
In that same year, plenty has changed with Static Shock.
Static’s getting a live action television show; Milestone 2.0 was announced; my mother, Jean Davis, the real life inspiration for Static’s mom Jean Hawkins, died. In death Jean (that’s what I called my mom) joins my sister, Sharon Davis, the real life inspiration for Static’s sister, Sharon Hawkins.
As I predicted, the credits cited for Static Shock when the two major media announcements were made are exactly the credits cited in Variant’s film.
I predicted this. The film was so damn good people assumed it was the official version put out by Milestone. The Static live action show and the Milestone announcements went all over the world.
The death of Static’s real life mom?
Nope. No one knew. Not even some young Static fans, cousins of mine from North Carolina who I met for the first time at my mom’s funeral. I’m not naïve enough to think my mom would have gotten a “Static” mention when she died. She wouldn’t have. But it sure would have been nice if my newfound cousins knew who she was before I met them.
Not caring about getting a creator’s credit right is just one example of the unprofessional, childish antics that are commonplace in comics. Missing deadlines, missing shipping, quitting books, taking advances and not delivering work.
Some publishers paying established talent page rates far below what they are worth while using any excuse they can to justify it. Some creators having no choice but to take pennies on the dollar. Artists and writers blackballed on someone’s personal whim regardless of what work they have produced or what they bring to the industry. Been there, had that done.
Hollywood fires and/or sues people who pull what’s routine in comics. Try pulling that missed deadline dead grandmother bullshit at DreamWorks. You’re gone. Take an advance from Disney and decide not to do the work. Rumor has it Tupac and Biggie did that. Yeah, that’s a joke, but once Disney gets done with you, you may well wish you were dead.
Hollywood does not play our games. Disney wouldn’t wait a week after the initial letter sent to you to fix some something that was wrong. Ignoring them, just like I’ve been ignored, (not a word since my apology almost 12 months ago) would just make them increase the level of legal pain they will inflict on you.
And if they think you fucked with their brand, costing them revenue? Wow. Just wow.
Despite our flaws, I love the comic book industry. I love this business even though some in the industry have not loved me back. On a few occasions some serious power players have tried killing me in the industry.
I roll like a boss; people are always trying to kill a boss. They try. I survive and grow stronger. I don’t go public when these things happen – what good would that do? Give Hollywood another thing to look at, point and say, “Look what these children do to their own kind.”
But sometimes … sometimes, there is no other choice.
I don’t want to hurt or hinder Variant in any way. I don’t want to sue or threaten to sue. They do great work, are good for the industry, and I really do like their site.
However, they have done serious damage to my brand. Repeatedly over the course of a year they have been reminded that they were doing so. I’m not alone in being ignored. Those who posted comments echoing me were treated the same.
I’d very much like them to correct the credits on their Static Shock film. I’d like the same credits that appear in every episode of Static Shock and Milestone comics, with one exception: add Christopher Priest. He was a creator and he deserves credit.
Variant, I’m asking you once again, make this right and at least in this instance prove Hollywood wrong. Static was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Derek Dingle, Denys Cowan, Christopher Priest, and Michael Davis.
Let’s show the world we know how to act in matters like this. I’m sorry to say that if no action is taken, you leave me just one option.
End, Part 2. Part 3 can be read on Bleeding Cool and ComicMix next week.
Cinemaxtoday officially announced an eight-episode series order to drama pilot Quarry. Production will begin March 30 on location in New Orleans and Tennessee. Created and executive produced by Graham Gordy & Michael D. Fuller. Based on the novels of Max Allan Collins, the show will be directed and executive produced by Greg Yaitanes (Banshee), along with executive producer Steve Golin (True Detective).
Quarry tells the story of Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green), a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River. Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Damon Herriman co-star, along with Jamie Hector, Edoardo Ballerini and Skipp Sudduth. “This nuanced and dynamic show marks an exciting moment in the evolution of Cinemax programming,” said HBO’s Michael Lombardo.
An HBO Entertainment production in association with Anonymous Content, the series is also executive produced by Matt DeRoss, David Kanter, Max Allan Collins and Ken Levin. Additional writers on the series include Jennifer Schuur and Max Allan Collins.
Cinemax has been making strides in original programming with dramasBansheeand The Knick, the latter earning the sister HBO network its first awards nominations.
Being the weekend, Nintendo has not yet explained the delay but numerous major stores report not to have received their complete shipment for the new wave of Amiibo figures, to have been released yesterday. GameStop, Target, Walmart and BestBuy locations report that no or limited stock came in, some only receiving one or two of the new figures, if any. None have any information on their expected receipt.
One GameStop location in New York claims the Amiibo figures have been delayed till the 13th, the day of the release of the new Nintendo 3DS. This has not been corroborated as of this writing.
The Nintendo Store in NYC, on the other hand, not only received their full shipment but broke their own company’s street date and started selling them last Tuesday, according to the manager on duty this morning. They have already sold through their stock, and have none available on the advertised day of release.
This is only the latest in a series of missteps that would ordinarily enrage gamers, but has somehow only increased the frenzy in obtaining the collectibles, far above the level that their playability would suggest.
The Nintendo Amiibo are the company’s foray into the integrated figurine market, joining the Skylanders and Disney’s INfinity lines. The Nintendo lines differ from their competitors in two ways. One, while the other lines only work in the game for which they have been designed, the Amiibo are compatible with a number of games, both current and upcoming, in varying ways. Second, while the other companies are offering the figures in plentiful numbers, Nintendo has offered theirs in limited quantity, bringing figures out of production soon after their release.
The interactivity the figures offer is somewhat limited – they can store level information for Super Smash Bros, allowing you to bring your leveled-up character with you to friends’ homes, playing your character against their on other systems. A second game, Mario Party 10, will also allow you to store your progress, but there’s an important caveat – you can only store one game’s data on the figure. So if you want to start using it to play mario Party, kiss your Smash Bros level data good bye. Of course, Nintendo is releasing a second set of the mario figures, identical save for different colored bases than the original, so if you want to store both games’ progress, you won’t feel silly buying two of the exact same figures for each games’ data.
Two of the Amiibo figres I’m getting for my daughter, along with the one I’d have to trade her to get.
Other games offer Amiibo compatibility limited to obtaining special character bonuses and power-ups when the figure is activated in the game. The Nintendo site offers a list of the games here. Save for the Smash Bros games, only two releases to date allow for the use of all the Amiibo figures. A large number are essentially one-shot items that become more shelf porn.
As a result, Nintendo announced almost immediately after their release that several of the “one use only” figures first wave of Amiibo, including the Animal Crossing Villager and Wii Fit trainer, were already “out of print.” which is code for “buy every one you can regardless of how disinterested you are in them, because they are going to be worth BIG money.” That, combined with the limited production runs has turned the line from an interesting game peripheral to instant fodder for speculators, increasing demand by an order of magnitude an making it nearly impossible for actually interested parties to obtain them.
The new wave of figures, ostensibly to have been released today, have been snapped up well ahead of their release in preparation for Nintendo’d announcement that some or all would receive a limited run. This was exacerbated by the release of figures only offered by one store, like GameStop offering Shulk from the Xenoblade series, and BestBuy offers MetaKnight from the Kirby series. These figres sold out almost immediately after being going up on their companies’ web sites, and pre-sales auctions on ebay are already getting four and five times their original price.
One of the upcoming games to offer Amiibo compatibility is the offbeat steampunk shooter Codename S.T.E.A.M. Four exclusive characters originally from the Fire Emblem series can be unlocked using their Amiibo figures. One problem – one of them, Marth, was one of the “discontinued” figures from the first wave of figures, and already fetching scalpers’ prices on the grey market. All signs point to the same being so for the three figures coming soon in an upcoming wave. Nintendo promises to make more marth figures available, but the odds that they’ll be plentiful enough to obtain without concerted effort is unlikely.
So to play all the characters in the game, you’ll need to spend a minimum of fifty or so dollars, more than the cost of the cartridge itself, and that’s only if you’re lucky enough to get the figures at the MSRP. Which you almost certainly won’t.
In short, while the Amiibo offer limited playability, at least they’re hard to get. A suspicious individual would almost surmise that Nintendo, knowing the item they have offers limited play value, made moves to increase their scarcity, allowing the collector mentality to override the limitations of the product.
The countdown to the Super Bowl kickoff is getting shorter, and the excitement is about to start. By the end of the night, who will be the big winners and losers on Madison Avenue? BBDO AdMan, Will Bordeau, gives us some last minute tips on the commercials you don’t want to miss plus we’re on the set of the USA Network drama, SUITS. Patrick Adams talk about how the current season will close and what’s coming for the next.
In a few days, we ‘ll introduce you to the cast of the newest docu-comedy from the folks who gave us THE OFFICE, plus the cast of BLACK SAILS talks about the dark days ahead. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.
Some thirty years ago, I broke my left ankle in three places and was laid up for a while as it healed. It was around this time of year and it was a real harsh winter; I didn’t venture outside much because of the ice; crutches and a cast don’t lend themselves to walking on ice. I watched TV a lot, especially daytime TV. I was not then and am not now a fan of soap operas so I would find game shows and reruns to while away the hours. I became obsessive about some of them, especially reruns of Happy Days. I never said it was good TV, just compulsive.
These days, as I recover from my triple by-pass, I’m also into watching some daytime TV and my current obsessive show is ABC’s The Chew, which airs five days a week. The show is a cooking themed talk show featuring five co-hosts – Michael Symon, Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, and Daphne Oz. I’m not a chef and I wouldn’t classify myself as a “foodie” but I am a pretty good cook and I credit television with sparking my interest in cooking. I’ve long had an interest in food and eating as most of my photographs from past years will attest.
I first got interested in cooking and the Food Network with the original Iron Chef, a Japanese cooking competition. I was intrigued by the description of the show as a sporting event using kitchens. The set, in fact, was called “kitchen stadium.” The show was eventually replaced on Food Network by Iron Chef America, an Americanized version using American chefs. From there, I went on to sample other cooking shows hosted by chefs such as Sara Moulton, Mario Batali, and Alton Brown. I also watched some of Emeril LaGrasse’s shows but didn’t get into them as much.
Iron Chef was fun and so was Iron Chef America until they “improved” the latter and made it almost unwatchable.
The Chew premiered in September 2011 and, while I sampled some episodes, I wasn’t taken with it. Shot before a live audience, it had a frenetic pace and an attitude of forced gaiety, trying to be a “party” every day. It put me off.
Sampling it again during my current convalescence, I think the show has jelled and I find it very entertaining. For me, the main attractions are chefs Mario Batali and Michael Symon, both of whom had been on Iron Chef America. Batali also had a cooking show on Food Network called Molto Mario and I was always struck by his ease before the camera and his knowledge, especially of Italian food and its history. I like it when I can learn something. Symon is also a great chef with a maniac laugh. Clifton Kelly was the co-host on What Not To Wear (and I don’t know how that qualifies him as food knowledgeable). Carla Hall was twice a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef and wellness expert Daphne Oz.
The show wants to be a party and I think it succeeds. I most like shows where I learn something about cooking (although most of that happens on the PBS cooking shows such as Sara Moulton’s Sara’s Weeknight Meals and, most especially, America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country – which are my favorites).)
The Chew has been successful enough to be ripped off by Food Network with The Kitchen. It also has a live audience and five co-hosts including an Iron Chef. To me, it seems a cut-rate version of The Chew; it’s gaiety and “party atmosphere” seem forced. It’s not the first time Food Network has done this; Robert Irvine’s Restaurant: Impossible is a low rent rip-off of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. Same concept for both – a borderline abusive UK chef comes to a restaurant that’s in trouble and gets it working again. In theory. Not all the restaurants saved are open a year later.
Still, I find it sad that Food Network, that sparked my interest in cooking, has become the home of rip-offs, endless food competitions, and/or “undercover” reality shows (although Mystery Diners is so staged it’s impossible to think of it as a reality show even within that genre’s elastic boundaries).
The Chew has a relentless pace; each cooking segment has only a few minutes allotted to it and so the hosts wind up speaking real fast which, I suppose, is supposed to add to the high energy feel of the show. I’m also a little put off by the shilling of certain sponsors’ products within the show. The segments become commercials embedded in the show.
As I return to my own work, I’ll have less time for The Chew but for now it informs me and entertains me – so what more can you ask from daytime TV? I mean, it’s no Happy Days… but, then again, what is?
This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us when the highly celebrated live-action, sci-fi anthologyMETAL HURLANT CHRONICLES: THE COMPLETE SERIES debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 14, 2015from Shout! Factory.
And so another of the items on the world’s “This will never happen” list can be crossed off. Sony and Marvel Studios have come to an accord on the use of Spider-Man in proper Marvel films, and of other Marvel characters in upcoming Spider-movies.
