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REVIEW: Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoons

REVIEW: Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoons

Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoons

By Fred M. Grandinetti

230 pages/$30 hardcover $20 softcover/Bear Manor Media

Like author Fred M. Grandinetti, I was a child of the 60s and was exposed to all the Popeye cartoons, and it took time for me to understand that some were excellent, some were good, and some were outright bad. It slowly became clear to me that the best was the theatrical shorts made in the 1930s by the Fleischer Studio. What was less clear was who made the others of varying quality.

Thankfully, Grandinetti provides us with a handy guide, breaking down which animation house did what, all in an attempt to corner the syndicated cartoon market when there were hours upon hours of time to fill.

Elzie Segar’s Thimble Theater featured the Oyl family, with new characters coming and going as needed for each serialized adventure. On January 17, 1929, readers met Popeye, who caught their imagination, and he never left. (That same month, they were also introduced to Tarzan and Buck Rogers, quite an exciting time to read the newspapers.)

Grandinetti has written many other works on animation with a focus on Popeye so he’s the acknowledged expert. The problem with being the expert on something is that so much is in your head that sometimes you presume everyone knows this too. There’s an awful lot of context missing from the narrative.

We open with a brief background on the strip, although the current creator, R.K. Milholland, is not listed. Then we get into his screen adaptation (here, David Fleischer is not credited at all. From here, we get the handoff from Fleischer to Paramount’s Famous Studios, and then Associated Artists Productions acquired the library of 234 shorts dating back to 1933.

As children’s television programming arrived in 1949 (Crusader Rabbit), more followed with limited animation used for cost purposes. The made-for-television shorts could never compete with the hand-drawn work for features. However, by the late 1950s, cartoons vanished from movie screens and could only be found on the small black and white screens at home.

AAP’s package of cartoons was a ratings hit for countless stations and a financial bonanza for them. King Features, which owned the character, decided to get in on the act and formed King Features Syndicate Special Service, which went on to make the comic strip characters and turn them into animated fare with very mixed results.

Hired to oversee the Popeye cartoons was Al Brodax, best known today for his work on Yellow Submarine (which featured a Popeye cameo). To get 220 new cartoons made, he divided the work over six animation houses worldwide, hence the uneven quality and clear lack of quality control.

The book has an odd order, so we get info on these studios before we do the characters. Additionally, Grandietti and the book’s editor don’t like using paragraphs, so there are long blocks of type that really needed to be broken up.

Thankfully, when he does get to the characters, he clears up, once and for all, the confusion between Bluto and Brutus, so thanks for that.

Jack Mercer, Mae Questal, and Jackson Beck. The voices of Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto.

We also get nice thumbnails of the key voice performers, including Jack Mercer (whom Grandinetti wrote a bio about) who was an animator that got discovered. He also wen ton to write some of the cartoons.

Grandinetti includes sections on spinoffs inspired by the cartoon, including related merchandise.

By page 77, he seems to run out of things to say about the character and the animated history. The remainder of the book is very detailed episode guides divided by the production house. Some contain additional credits; some contain one or two lines of opinion on the quality. As a result, you really have to be a fan of the character or an animation aficionado to appreciate this book.

The designer oddly clustered all the images at the end of text sections rather than intersperse them for a better overlook loo; It would have been nice to see examples from each studio as we’re reading their history or about their output.

Ultimately, this is an uneven valentine to the lesser known and appreciated animated saga of everyone’s favorite Sailor Man.

Impossible People by Julia Wertz

Impossible People by Julia Wertz

It’s reductive and not quite true to say that this book is what Julia Wertz wanted Drinking at the Movies to be – but it’s a good enough place to start.

Drinking  was her first full-length graphic novel after two collections of Fart Party stories; at the time, I thought it was more of a collage that it didn’t quite turn into a single narrative, but was definitely bigger and more ambitious that her previous work. It was also – I shudder to realize – published in 2010, almost fifteen years ago.

Impossible People , Wertz’s big new 2023 book, is her first memoir since Museum of Mistakes  in 2018, which mostly collected older work. (In between was Tenements, Towers, and Trash , a book of New York cityscapes and related material.) It’s odd to realize that: I think of Wertz as such an immediate, confessional cartoonist, her work so direct and plain-spoken. But those stories were mostly about that late-Aughts period; she hadn’t made any books about her thirties yet.

That’s what Impossible People does. It picks up Wertz’s life from where we saw it, in those Fart Party and Museum of Mistakes strips, starting in 2009. (I was surprised to see her at the Pizza Island collective, and realize how long ago that was.) It doesn’t quite get up to the present day; this is the story of the back half of Wertz’s life in New York City, and so ends somewhere in the mid-Teens.

And, as the subtitle “A Completely Average Recovery Story” signposts, Impossible People is centrally about her alcoholism in a way she couldn’t quite wrestle down in Drinking. Again, not to be reductive, but that’s probably because she was still drinking when she made Drinking at the Movies. You can’t tell the story of your recovery until you start to recover.

Impossible People is a big book, full of spaces and people and thoughts and years of Wertz’s life. As with a lot of her work, it’s a lot more carefully constructed and smarter than her cartoony avatar tricks you into thinking. She has a great style for confessional memoir: this is real and raw, says that cartoon Wertz; see how simply I’m drawn, how directly I speak – you can trust I’m giving you the unfiltered truth.

No one makes a three-hundred page book of comics immediately, of course. But that tone, that stance gets inside the reader’s defenses quickly. It’s a relaxing style, one that looks looser and quicker than it actually is. (Pay attention to how detailed her backgrounds are, especially when she runs through all of the finds from her urban exploring – everything is placed just so, both in her actual life and in the comics panel.)

In the end, Impossible People is the story of Wertz’s relationships. At first, she had one overwhelming one: alcohol. I won’t tell the story of how she stopped drinking – that’s what Impossible People is for – but she did manage to stop, and then had to replace that with people. From that point, Impossible is mostly about her friendships – particularly fellow cartoonist Sarah Glidden and fellow recoveree Jennifer Phippen – but also her family, some attempts at dating, the wider circle of cartoonists, and just life in general.

It’s not a happy, uplifting book: that’s unlikely for a book about recovery to begin with, and Wertz isn’t going to turn sunny that quickly. (Or maybe ever: I hope to see the books grumpy old Julia Wertz does in her sixties; those will be a lot of fun.) But it’s a smart, thoughtful book – deeper than it appears, more sophisticated than the art would have you think, more insightful than you’d expect from someone known for something called The Fart Party.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Fast X Races onto Home Screens in August

Fast X Races onto Home Screens in August

Universal City, California, July 25, 2023 – After accelerating the Blockbuster franchise to over $7 billion in global box office sales, the summer sensation FAST X races onto Digital on August 1st, 2023 and on 4K and Blu-ray™ on August 8th, 2023 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The “high-energy spectacle” (Austin Chronicle) now includes over one hour of bonus content including a gag reel, scene breakdowns with Director Louis Leterrier, two music videos from the original motion picture soundtrack, and more behind-the-scenes featurettes detailing the making of the film from the streets of Los Angeles to the Colosseum in Rome. Collect the franchise by adding FAST X to your library or purchasing the complete Fast & Furious 10-movie collection.
 
Showcasing an all-star cast with full-throttle action and high-octane thrills, FAST X stars Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious), Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious), Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (2 Fast 2 Furious), John Cena (F9: The Fast Saga), Nathalie Emmanuel (Furious 7), Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Sung Kang (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, with Helen Mirren (The Fate of the Furious), with Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), with Rita Moreno, and Jason Statham (Furious 7), and Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Charlize Theron (The Fate of the Furious) and a few surprise cameos from the franchise’s past.
 
Ever since their saga started on the streets of L.A.’s underground racing scene, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have overcome impossible odds to outsmart, out-nerve and outdrive every foe. Yet when the team took down a nefarious kingpin back in Brazil, they had no idea his son Dante (Jason Momoa) was watching from the shadows. More lethal than any other enemy they’ve faced, Dante now rises as a terrifying new nemesis who’s fueled by revenge and determined to shatter their family and destroy everything and everyone that Dom loves. From London and Brazil to Antarctica and Rome, new alliances are forged and old enemies resurface. But everything changes after Dom discovers his eight-year-old son is Dante’s ultimate target.

BONUS FEATURES on 4K, BLU-RAYTM & DIGITAL:

  • THIS IS FAMILY – Family bonds are always the strongest. Reunite with your favorite FAST family members as we introduce new characters, travel across continents, reveal intimate views of epic stunts, and get personal about the beginning of the end of the FAST franchise.
  • FAST BREAKS: SCENE BREAKDOWNS WITH LOUIS LETERRIER* – Director Louis Leterrier gives insight into some of the magic that went into making FAST X, breaking down how he filmed these unforgettable action scenes in legendary locations around the world.
  • XTREME RIDES OF FAST X – In FAST, we cast cars like we cast characters. Take a closer look at how classic FAST cars were rebuilt for FAST X, and which new vehicles are customized and introduced to enhance the lifeblood of the franchise.
  • BELLES OF THE BRAWL – The women of FAST X are not to be messed with. Watch as they add their special talents to huge fight scenes, from rehearsal to the real thing.
  • TUNED INTO RIO – Revisit FAST’s past as our story takes us back to Rio de Janeiro, where we’ll experience a non-stop party, exotic cars, and a classic FAST quarter mile street race.
  • JASON MOMOA: CONQUERING ROME* – Jason Momoa joins the FAST franchise to portray a villain that pushes the team to the brink of disaster. Watch as Momoa discusses his approach to the character, biking down the narrow streets of Rome, and performing his own stunts.
  • LITTLE B TAKES THE WHEEL – Get to know the youngest member of the Toretto family as we dive into Little B’s journey in FAST X and introduce Leo Abelo Perry.
  • A FRIEND IN THE END The FAST franchise has a history of shocking end-credit tags, and FAST X is no different. We take a special look at this scene and why, if you’re watching a FAST movie, you never want to get up before the end credits are finished!
  • GAG REEL*
  • MUSIC VIDEOS
    • “TORETTO” BY J BALVIN
    • “ANGEL PT. 1” BY KODAK BLACK & NLE CHOPPA (FEATURING JIMIN OF BTS, JVKE & MUNI LONG)
  • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR LOUIS LETERRIER*

* Included on all formats including DVD

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Original Animated Film Coming in October.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Original Animated Film Coming in October.

BURBANK, CA (July 21, 2023) – Johnny Cage embarks on his biggest journey yet in Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match. The all-new, original feature-length film inspired by the best-selling worldwide videogame will be available to purchase on October 17, 2023.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, the fourth animated film in the franchise, sees Johnny Cage in 1980s Hollywood on a mission to become a famous actor. However, his world soon changes when his co-star disappears, and he embarks on a journey filled with danger and deceit.

Featuring a terrific voice cast, the film stars Joel McHale (Animal Control, Community) as Johnny Cage and Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing, Red Oaks) as Herself. Also starring in the movie is Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin, Royal Crackers) as David Doubldy, Dusan Brown (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Chuck Golden, Grey DeLisle (Teen Titans Go!) as Kia, Robin Atkin Downes (LuckDC Showcase: Constantine – The House of Mystery) as Shinnok, Zehra Fazal (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe) as Jataaka, Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin, Royal Crackers) as David Doubldy, Kelly Hu (Arrow, X2: X-Men United) as Ashrah, Matt Yang King (Elemental) as Concierge, Phil LaMarr (Futurama) as Brian Van Jones, Matthew Mercer (Resident Evil: Death Island) as Director/Bully, Dave B. Mitchell (Call of Duty franchise) as Raiden and Armen Taylor (Justice Society: World War II) as Master Boyd.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is directed by Ethan Spaulding (Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms) from a script by Jeremy Adams (Justice League: Warworld), who also penned the screenplays for the series’ first three films, and supervising producer is Rick Morales (Mortal Kombat Legends franchise, Bablyon 5: The Return Home). All four films are based on the Mortal Kombat videogame franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Sam Register and NetherRealm Studios’ Ed Boon are executive producers.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match will be available on October 17 to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more. 4K Ultra HDTM and Blu-rayTM will be available to purchase online and in-store at major retailers. Pre-order your copy starting July 22, 2023.

Synopsis

Neon lights… Suits with shoulder pads… Jumping from explosions in slow motion… In 1980s Hollywood, action star Johnny Cage (Joel McHale) is looking to become an A-list actor. But when his costar, Jennifer (Jennifer Grey), goes missing from set, Johnny finds himself thrust into a world filled with shadows, danger and deceit. As he embarks on a bloody journey, Johnny quickly discovers the City of Angels has more than a few devils in its midst. He faces off against a sinister secret society plotting a nefarious scheme, but the brutal fight against the bloodthirsty warriors of the Netherrealm is just beginning. Can Johnny, alongside other Mortal Kombat legends, save humanity…and, more importantly, his career?

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

What Would Johnny Cage Do? (featurette) – Step inside the VO Booth with Joel McHale and Jennifer Grey and go behind the scenes with the filmmakers to learn the challenges they withstood to bring Johnny Cage’s 80s action film to life.

Ninja Mime Trailer – Relive the trailer for the greatest 80s action film ever made:

NINJA MIME!

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Audio Commentary – Join Producers Rick Morales and Jim Krieg and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams on an audio adventure recounting the totally tubular tale of bringing Johnny Cage’s 80s awesomeness to life.

PRICING AND SERIES INFORMATION

PRODUCT                                                                             SRP

4K Ultra HD + Digital Version*                                               $39.99 SRP US

4K Ultra HD                                                                             $44.98 SRP Canada

Blu-ray + Digital Version                                                         $29.98 SRP US

Blu-ray                                                                                     $39.99 SRP Canada

4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Audio: French, Spanish, English

4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Running Time: 85 minutes

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language.

*Digital version not available in Canada.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Celebrates 30th Anniversay with Remastered 4K Edition

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Celebrates 30th Anniversay with Remastered 4K Edition

BURBANK, CA (July 26, 2023) – Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the most universally acclaimed film in the Dark Knight’s legendary cinematic history when the newly-remastered animated movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, comes to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. From Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, the film will be available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD on September 12, 2023.

The release will also include an all-new featurette Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight, which takes a look at the legacy of Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman for 30 years in film, television, video games and more.

Rooted in DC’s acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series and released theatrically on Christmas Day 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm has not only been ranked by Time magazine as one of the 10 best Super Hero movies ever, but is also arguably the core fans’ all-time favorite Batman film. The movie has been rated at the top of the Dark Knight film franchise by such popular entertainment media as Empire, Screenrant and Paste. And in the ultimate mainstream salute for its time, Gene Siskel & Robert Ebert didn’t initially review the film during its theatrical release, but later dedicated a portion of their At The Movies weekly TV series to pay compliment to the film – and voice their regret for not giving it the attention it deserved during its original run – when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was distributed for home entertainment.

The 4K HDR/SDR remaster of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was sourced from the 1993 Original Cut Camera Negative and was scanned at 4K resolution. Digital restoration was applied to the 4K scans to remove dirt, scratches and additional anomalies, but special care was given to not touch the film grain or the animation cel dirt that was part of the original artwork. This is the first time since its theatrical release that it is presented in its 1.85 aspect ratio. The original 2.0 mix and the 5.1 tracks were remastered to remove or improve defects such as pops, ticks, dropouts and distortion.

The animated film features an all-star cast headed by the quintessential voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, alongside Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives, China Beach) as Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Andrea Beaumont, Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise) as the Joker, Stacy Keach (Nebraska, Prison Break, Mike Hammer) as Phantasm/Carl Beaumont, Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller, The Godfather) as Salvatore Valestra, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (The F.B.I.) as Alfred, Hart Bochner (Die Hard) as Arthur Reeves, Bob Hastings (McHale’s Navy, The Poseidon Adventure) as Commissioner Gordon, Robert Costanzo (Forget Paris, City Slickers) as Detective Bullock, Dick Miller (Gremlins, The Terminator) as Chuckie Sol, and John P. Ryan (The Right Stuff) as Buzz Bronski. Additional voices included Pat Musick, Marilu Henner, Neil Ross, Ed Gilbert, Jeff Bennett, Jane Downs, Vernee Watson, Charles Howerton, Thom Pinto and Peter Renaday.

The Batman: Mask of the Phantasm filmmaking team is composed of the award-winning core group behind Batman: The Animated Series. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm directed the film from a screenplay by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko and Michael Reaves, based on a story by Burnett.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm will be available on September 12, 2023 to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more. 4K Ultra HD Discs will be available to purchase online and in-store at major retailers. Pre-order your copy now.

SYNOPSIS:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm opens with the city’s most feared gangsters being systematically eliminated, and assumed blame falling on the Caped Crusader. But prowling the Gotham night is a shadowy new villain, the Phantasm, a sinister figure with some link to Batman’s past. Can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his own name? Unmasking the Phantasm is just one of the twists in this dazzling animated feature, which provides new revelations about Batman’s past, his archrival the Joker, and Batman’s most grueling battle ever – the choice between his love for a beautiful woman and his vow to be the defender of right.

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE*:

Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight (New Featurette) – For 30 years, Kevin Conroy defined Batman for multiple generations using only his voice, best exemplified in the landmark film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Conroy passed away in November 2022, but his legacy lives on in 15 films, nearly 400 episodes of animated television series, a dozen video games, and as a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s 2019-2020 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event. Several of Conroy’s contemporaries – including animation legend Bruce Timm, Batman producer Michael Uslan and revered voice actress Tara Strong – pay tribute to the star who remains the Dark Knight for millions of Batfans.

Bonus episode of Justice League: Unlimited featuring a cameo from Phantasm.

*Special features are not available in 4K Ultra HD.

Pricing and film information:

PRODUCT                                                                             SRP

Digital purchase                                                                      $14.99

4K Ultra HD + Digital Version**                                              $33.99 SRP USA

4K Ultra HD                                                                            $39.99 SRP Canada

4K/Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French

Blu-ray Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Running Time: 76 minutes

**Digital version not available in Canada

The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 2

The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 2

I love idiosyncrasy. Even if I’m not as into Idea X as a creator is, the fact that creator is so into it is appealing – I like to see the things creators are passionate about, the things they have to do, even if it doesn’t make commercial sense.

P. Craig Russell adapts operas into comics. He’s been doing it since nearly the beginning of his career, and I see from his bibliography list on Wikipedia that he has a few adaptations of songs from this past decade, though they’re still unpublished.

And what I have today is the second book collecting that work, the grandly titled The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adapations, Vol. 2 . (It followed a full-volume version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and was followed by a third miscellaneous book; with those songs from the past few years, there may be enough material for a Vol. 4 at this point.) It’s a 2003 book, collecting four adaptations spanning the late ’70s to the late ’90s, and Russell worked with different collaborators on each of them, some more involved than others. I’ll take them each separately: Parsifal, Songs by Mahler, Ariane & Bluebeard, and I Pagliacci.

Parsifal is the oldest piece here, originally published as a single-issue comic by Star*Reach in 1978. Patrick C. Mason adapted the Wagner opera and wrote the script; Russell drew it. It only adapts the second act of the opera, but that’s enough drama and then some: Mason also adds in a lot of narration in that ’70s comics style, some of which may transmute lyrics or stage directions. It’s a very wordy piece as well as being super-dramatic, with an amnesiac young knight being tempted by an immortal witch while searching for a holy relic (the spear that wounded Jesus during the crucifixion), and all those words do constrain Russell’s visual inventiveness here – it’s a weird ’70s comic, but still a sequence of pages of people explaining their emotions to each other at great length, and so not a million miles away from a contemporary Chris Claremont joint.

Songs by Mahler is the shortest section, with two songs, three pages each, from 1984. The first is credited as translated by Mason; the second has no credits other than Russell. These are more imagistic, less narrative, and much more successful as comics, even if they’re not stories.

Ariane & Bluebeard is from 1988, and doesn’t credit anyone other than Russell; so I guess he translated Paul Dukas’s French opera and scripted this forty-page version. This showcases Russell’s design sense, his use of color, and his eye for high drama – there are great, striking pages here, including a few wordless ones, showing he’d gotten to a point of confidence in his art to reproduce the feeling of the music of an opera without needing to explain. This is even more dramatic than Parsifal, largely because Russell is in better control of the material, and opera is super-dramatic – at least, the ones Russell is most drawn to adapt; I don’t think he’ll do Einstein on the Beach anytime soon – to begin with. The opera is the old Bluebeard folktale: young woman is married to an older man with a secret, who has been married several times before (and the fate of those brides is the secret), and she learns the secret, amid a lot of loud singing.

Last up is the black-and-white The Clowns (I Pagliacci), from 1997. This one was translated by Marc Andreyko from Leoncavallo’s opera, laid out by Russell, penciled and lettered by Galen Showman, and inked by Russell. The art is striking, the adaption is swift and assured, and the story is presented well – a traveling troupe arrives in a town, and art imitates life as both the character of the leading lady and the woman herself have an affair, which ends in death at the hands of the title clown. This is less visually inventive than Ariane, but tighter and clearly focused – I’d say it’s the best piece in the book, but that may be partly individual taste. (I like Russell’s vibrant colors and big layouts, but find them a bit too much some of the time, and Ariane is full of that stuff.)

Again, if you want comics adaptations of operas, Russell is not only your go-to, but pretty much your only choice. Luckily, he’s good at it and chooses works that adapt well.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 Annoucned for Sept.

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 Annoucned for Sept.

LOS ANGELES– July 21, 2023 – Prepare for epic adventures throughout the cosmos in the all-new Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 Blu-ray ™ and DVD. Join an extraordinary crew of outliers as they uncover secrets, encountering wonders and challenges beyond imagination and so much more! Dive deeper into each episode with over 45 minutes of brand-new bonus content featuring exclusive interviews and collectible character cards only available in the Blu-ray and DVD release.
 
Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 will be available on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS Home Entertainment on September 26, 2023, for the suggested retail price of $26.99 (Blu-ray) and $17.99 (DVD). Digital will also be available starting on July 21, 2023 for the suggested retail price of $19.99 (HD) and $14.99 (SD).

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20:

  • Asylum
  • Let Sleeping Borg Lie
  • All the World’s a Stage
  • Crossroads
  • Masquerade
  • Preludes
  • Ghost in the Machine
  • Mindwalk
  • Supernova, Part 1
  • Supernova, Part 2

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 Blu-ray & DVD Synopsis:
In the remaining Star Trek: Prodigy Season One episodes, as the hopeful crew makes their way toward Starfleet, their dreams are threatened when they discover the U.S.S. Protostar harbors a weapon designed to tear the United Federation of Planets apart. To make matters worse, the U.S.S. Dauntless is on a manhunt for the Protostar as the real Vice Admiral Janeway is eager to uncover what happened to her missing former First Officer Chakotay. With these two ships on a collision course and destruction on the horizon, the fate of the Alpha Quadrant hangs in the balance.  This 2-disc set includes 3 new in-depth featurettes with more than 45 minutes of content revealing how Star Trek heritage shapes Prodigy’s characters, story and settings.

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 Blu-ray & DVD offers over 45 minutes of bonus content with exclusive interviews and collectible character cards available for a limited time.

  • The Odyssey of Prodigy
    • A review of the second half of the season with the director, producers and cast
  • Producing Prodigy: The Planets 
    • Creating the different worlds of Prodigy and how the design, music, writing and show elements come together to create environments essential to the story.
  • Producing Prodigy: The Ships
    • Evolution of ship design in Star Trek and how its rich heritage influences the design of the U.S.S. Protostar and the Borg ship
  • 4 Collectible Character Cards – Limited Time Only!
    • Featuring: Murf, Jankom-Pog, Zero & Drednok along with highlights about the U.S.S. Protostar and The Borg and definitions of Universal Translator and the Neutral Zone.

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 fast facts:
Street Date: September 26, 2023
DVD: 191329252239 (US) 191329253250 (CAN)
Blu-ray: 191329252437 (US) 191329253243 (CAN)
DVD Audio: Dolby Digital English 5.1, French 5.1, Spanish Stereo
Blu-ray – DTS-HD MA English 51, Dolby Digital French 5.1, Spanish Stereo
US Rating: Not Rated
Canada Rating: PG
US M.S.R.P.: $17.99 (DVD) & $26.99 (Blu-ray)
 
Star Trek: Prodigy: The Complete Season 1 will be released internationally on the following dates:

  • United Kingdom – September 25, 2023
  • Germany – October 5, 2023
Rom Omnibus Vol. 2 Announced for Summer 2024

Rom Omnibus Vol. 2 Announced for Summer 2024

New York, NY— Back in May, fans were ecstatic to learn that Marvel Comics and Hasbro, a global leader in play, would collaborate to reprint Rom’s original comic book series for the first time ever! A special ROM #1 FACSIMILE EDITION will hit stands in September followed by the long-awaited ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 in January. These glorious new omnibus collections will contain the entirety of Rom’s beloved solo series as well as his memorable team-ups and guest appearances throughout the Marvel Universe! Today, fans can learn about the contents of ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 2!

Arriving in June 2024, ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 2 will collect ROM (1979) #30-50, ROM ANNUAL (1982) #1-2, Marvel Two-In-One (1974) #99 which includes a pivotal storyline involving the iconic X-Men member Rogue and her mother Mystique!

Locked in an endless struggle with the Dire Wraiths, Rom’s solemn quest to eradicate them from Earth brings him into conflict with the Metal Master and his army of spiders, Mystique and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and more! The Spaceknight joins Namor to battle monsters of the deep, and Shang-Chi lends his deadly hands to thwart the Wraiths’ black magic! Meanwhile, Rom’s human friend Brandy Clark is transformed, and the impending arrival of the dreaded Dweller on the Threshold may spell doom for all! It’s a cosmic epic featuring Doctor Strange, the In-Betweener, the Living Tribunal…and the human form of Rom?! Has he been freed from his armor at long last? All that, plus the Skrulls, the ever-lovin’ Thing — and a tragedy that even Rom cannot withstand! Check out the covers for ROM OMNIBUS VOLUME 2 now and experience these rare stories all over again or for the very first time when ROM #1 FACSIMILE EDITION hits stands in September and when ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS arrives next year!

Superior Spider-Man gets 10th Anniversary Treatment

Superior Spider-Man gets 10th Anniversary Treatment

New York, NY— This October, Otto Octavius is back as the Superior Spider-Man! Teased last week, the spider-team that redefined the Amazing Spider-Man will reunite to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the most monumental and shocking Spidey story in a generation in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN RETURNS #1! Superior Spidey creators Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman will be joined by superstar artists Mark Bagley, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Humberto Ramos to deliver a Spider-Man story SUPERIOR to all others in this giant-sized one-shot.

The era of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN that kicked off when a dying Doctor Octopus swapped his mind into Peter Parker’s body was a mega hit with fans in 2013. Determined to prove himself better in every single way, Doc Ock ruthlessly made his way through Spider-Man’s legendary rogues’ gallery, shocking fellow heroes with his violent approach to crimefighting before learning harsh lessons about great responsibility. Did Doc Ock have his fill of the web-head lifestyle or is ready to trade in his metal arms and be the smartest, strongest super hero in the Marvel Universe once more? 

“A run that started with outrage ended with nearly universal accolades,” Executive Editor Nick Lowe shared. “So we were super excited to gather the folks who made SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN the historic book it was back together!!!”

“The challenge Marvel gave me was: for the 10th anniversary, how can we revisit Superior, without repeating ourselves, and while telling a story that impacts Spider-Man’s world today?” Slott explained. “SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN RETURNS is going to take an untold Superior tale, and drag it kicking, screaming, and violently exploding into the present. It’s going to give you everything you liked about Superior but in new surprising ways. No time travel. No clones. And no way we’re telling you how. Read the book!”

The next chapter in this modern Spidey masterpiece starts here! Check out the cover below and stay tuned for more SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN news to be revealed later this week at San Diego Comic-Con!

Babylon 5 The Complete Series Announced for December

Babylon 5 The Complete Series Announced for December

BURBANK, CA (July 18, 2023) – In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is releasing the groundbreaking original sci-fi TV series Babylon 5 on Blu-ray for the first time ever! On December 5, just in time for holiday gift giving, Babylon 5: The Complete Series will be available at online retailers with all 110 original episodes fully remastered in HD. The highly anticipated release is one fans don’t want to miss!

Babylon 5 is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski that ran for five seasons from 1994–1998. The critically acclaimed franchise debuted in 1993 with the pilot film The Gathering. The series then launched a year later and ran for five seasons and 110 additional episodes. A future-history story covering the years 2257–2262, with each year corresponding to one season, Babylon 5 was the first series to introduce viewers to the concept of a five-year arc, with a defined beginning, middle, and end, paving the way for a number of such later series.

The beloved award-winning series starred Bruce Boxleitner, Michael O’Hare, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, Richard Biggs, Andrea Thompson, Stephen Furst, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, Jason Carter, Robert Rusler, Jeff Conaway, Patricia Tallman and Mary Kay Adams.

SYNOPSIS:

2258 CE. Five hostile federations dominate the outermost regions of space. Heroes, thieves, and rare and exotic beings find refuge in this time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war on a lone space station — the last and best hope for peace between a hundred worlds, alien and human alike — Babylon 5

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

  • Features pilot movie The Gathering

Babylon 5: The Complete Series will be available December 5 to purchase on Blu-ray Disc via online retailers. Pre-order your copy now. 

Pricing and film information:

PRODUCT                                                                SRP

Blu-ray                                                                      $99.99 SRP USA    

Blu-ray                                                                      $119.99 SRP Canada

Audio: English

Subtitles: English SDH

Running Time: 4730 (43 min episodes)

Rated: Unrated – 18+