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Women of Wakanda Bonus Feature Unveiled

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
Dora Milaje Conceptual Character and Costume Design Sketch
Costume Design: Ryan Meinderding and VisDev Team
Concept Artist: Anthony Francisco
©Marvel Studios 2018

Ahead of Tuesday’s digital release of Black Panther, Marvel has released one of the behind the

scenes features, focusing on the powerful, independent women featured in the movie.

THE WOMEN OF WAKANDA

The in-home release of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is packed with bonus material including deleted scenes, outtakes and never-before-seen featurettes. The highly-celebrated story of a young African prince named T’Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman) has thrilled and inspired generations of moviegoers around the world, and dominated box office charts. Thankfully, the exhilarating adventure will be available Digitally in HD, 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere on May 8 and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand on May 15.

To celebrate the in-home launch of the mighty Marvel movie, we chat to the cast and crew about the women of Wakanda, which is the subject of one of the exclusive bonus features: The Warriors Within. Look no further if you want to get to know Wakanda’s women and the amazing actors whoportray them…

LUPITA NYONG’O [NAKIA]

“I love the way Black Panther represents women. Each and every one of us [in the movie] is an individual. We all have our own sense of power and we hold our own space without being pitted against each other. I think that’s a very, very powerful message to send to children – both male and female.

“In Black Panther, we see women going about their business and supporting each other. They argue with each other and have different points of view, but they are not pitted against each other and I think that’s extremely important. In doing this, audiences can get a sense of the fabric of Wakanda as a nation, where we see women alongside men and we see how much more effective a society can be if they allow women to explore their full potential.

 

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
L to R: Danai Gurira (Okoye) on set with Director Ryan Coogler
Ph: Matt Kennedy
©Marvel Studios 2018

“Cinema has the potential to show us who we’ve been, who we are, and who we could be – and Wakanda is an example of who we could be. This is a nation that has been allowed to self-determine because it has avoided the interruption that colonialism was; that assault on a culture and the imposition of a new culture on another. It has figured out how to develop on its own terms. And with that development, it seems they have figured out how to allow their citizens to realize their fullest potential, which means that women can hold their power and not compromise or jeopardize the man’s power. In Wakanda, a woman can assume her own power – but she can also stand with and in support of the man at her side.

 

“We can see that with the character of Black Panther, who is this all-powerful, vibranium-wearing guy who has Okoye [played by Danai Gurira] by his side. He also has a confidant in my character, Nakia. She’s someone that he can listen to and consider on a level plain. I think that’s really cool to see. I love the way that you get to see it unapologetic and unexplained; it’s just the way it is in a country you’ve never visited before. I feel like this gives you a glimpse as to what is possible in the real world.”

DANAI GURIRA [OKOYE]

“When [Black Panther director and co-writer] Ryan Coogler sat me down and talked to me about his vision for the movie, the story, the characters – and the women – I was floored because you don’t get to hear stories like this very often. It’s not often that you sit down and hear that type of a vision. It was amazing.

“There are so many great things I could say about how Ryan developed the women characters in the movie. I feel really blessed and excited by the fact he allowed us to collaborate, too. I love the fact that these women from the continent are very developed and very complex. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is something else. I just want to watch it, but now I also get to be in it.’

“I was immediately drawn to the idea of the Dora Milaje [an all-female, special forces security team]. I loved the concept of them, but it was incredible to see them come to life [during pre-production]. I started to train with all these astounding women and then we all started to get our heads shaved for the movie. I was the first to have it done, but then all the girls started coming in with no hair. One-by-one, we’d all been balded – but we were united together. That’s when our pride started to grow. We all started to embrace this symbol of power in these women.

“I love the moment in the movie where Okoye doesn’t want a wig. She doesn’t want to cover up her head. This is her joy and her pride, so she wants to walk in there with her bald head and that tattoo. I thought that moment was so subversive. It’s so subversive in the right way to say that you don’t have to have hair to be beautiful.”

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
Shuri Conceptual Character and Costume Design Sketch
Costume Design and Concept Art: Ruth Carter and team
©Marvel Studios 2018

LETITIA WRIGHT [SHURI]

“I think it’s great to see so many strong women in Black Panther because there’s a lack of them in cinema right now; especially black female characters. All these female characters in the movie are really well rounded, too. They are not just written one way. The women have a lot of complexity. It was really refreshing to see and it’s inspiring to be part of it, because it means a lot to me.

“I also love the way that the men are always behind the women in Wakanda. Nobody is undermined by the other sex. The men don’t stand around and say, ‘Shuri, you shouldn’t be into technology and math.’ They’re like, ‘No, go ahead.’ T’Challa says, ‘Go ahead, Sis. This is your department. This is your domain. Do your thing. Stay in your lane.’ I love that that’s the mentality of the king. It’s brilliant. Everybody’s got their own lane.

“I love what Marvel has done with this movie. They are saying that women are just as great as the men. It’s not one or the other. There’s a dope balance.”

FOREST WHITAKER [ZURI]

“I love the fact that there are many different types of strong women in the movie. Not only are there these amazing women warriors who show the world that women are powerful – but they have a warrior spirit to conquer, as well as the ability to find the tools and strength to navigate and win.

“The power of motherhood is displayed by Angela Bassett’s character [Ramonda] and the way she nurtures her children. She moves her son and daughter forward, and she’s willing to do anything to make sure they are well and right.

“Then there’s Shuri, who shows everyone the technology of this world. She illustrates the fact that women can be adept with technology and math; the movie recognizes that attribute inside of women. These are very powerful statements to the world.”

MICHAEL B. JORDAN [ERIK KILLMONGER]

“In Wakanda, the matriarchs are the backbone and the foundation on which the country is built on, and the men lean on their women for guidance and strength. I think it’s extremely important for little girls and women out there to see themselves represented in a positive, strong way in film and television – and I think Wakanda does it really well. I think Black Panther is amazing in that respect.

“There are a lot of strong female characters in this movie. The fiercest warriors are all women. The king’s private guard – the Dora Milaje – are all women. That was something that [director and co-writer] Ryan Coogler and [co-writer] Joe Robert Cole wanted to depict in the story.

“In African culture, the women are the backbone of society and they have such a positive influence on everyone. To not put a strong representation of that into the film would be a crime because we wanted to stay true to reality.

“We have some very talented black women in this film, with Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett. It was incredible to work alongside them – although I think the character of Shuri [played by Letitia Wright] is my absolute favorite in the movie. I think Shuri is amazing. She’s incredibly smart and witty, and her one-liners are awesome.”

DIRECTOR AND CO-WRITER RYAN COOGLER

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
Dora Milaje Conceptual Character and Costume Design Sketch
Costume Design: Ruth Carter
Concept Artist: Keith Christensen
©Marvel Studios 2018

“When you look at African culture, you’ll often see gender roles that are different from the norm. You’ll find issues with gender dynamics in African culture in the same way you do in other cultures, but you’ll also find things that are different. Strong women and women’s influence on culture and society is something that cannot be overlooked. That was something that we really wanted to include in the movie, although it’s something that was present in the Black Panther comics as well.

“T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda, is a constant influence on his world. And T’Challa’s relationship with his sister is one of the more unique relationships in comic book films and action films. It was something that we looked at because there’s no super hero with a little sister – but Shuri is possibly the most important relationship in his life. That was something that we really wanted to explore. And then you have the Dora Milaje, who are these elite warriors in the country and it’s all women.

“This film had involvement from brilliant women from start to finish. They weren’t hired because they were women; they were hired because they were the best people for the job. That includes our cinematographer, Rachel Morrison; our costume designer, Ruth Carter; our production designer, Hannah Beachler; and our assistant director, Lisa Satriano. In post-production, the film was edited by Michael Shawver and Debbie Berman, who is from South Africa. I was blessed to work alongside these incredible women and to have their perspective and their fingerprints all over the project.”

Book-A-Day 2018 #122: Lumberjanes, Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Carolyn Nowak

Once again, I need to lead with the obvious disclaimer: I am not the person to tell you about stories of female friendship, not being female and not overly thrilled with friendship, either. But Lumberjanes is not a comic just for young lady-persons, so I can read and enjoy it as well. You can, too, and perhaps you will.

(See my posts on the first and second volumes for similar disclaimers and thoughts.)

The third collection is Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan , written still by Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Watters. This time out, the bulk of the art is by Carolyn Nowak, though the first issue here has a lot of short pieces — campfire ghost stories told by various girls — from a number of other artists, including Antick Musings favorite Faith Erin Hicks. As before, this book reprints four issues, and it forms (more or less) one larger story.

Well, the first issue here (number 9 [1]) is a standalone, with those individual ghost stories, told around a campfire, as is traditional. But the rest of the book reprints three issues that tell a connected narrative.

Thought I should admit it’s not really one story: this is the “split the party” story, which any series about a close-knit group of people must have eventually. Mal and Molly are off in the woods together, in a totally not-a-date kind of way, to be together because they’re really good friends and…OK, it’s really a date, a cute one, when they’re not being pursued by bears and trapped in an alternate universe ruled by dinosaurs.

The rest of the girls are left in camp, and don’t want to get into anything too fun while Mal and Molly are away. So they decide to use this free day to get at least one “easy” badge. This is not as simple as they think, obviously.

As usual, the real draw of Lumberjanes is the relationships: all of the characters are real and interesting. Their conversation is zippy and truer, and their exploits are unrealistic in the way a good TV cartoon show is — there’s a close enough relation to real life that you can see it, but this world is better and more exciting.

And, of course, they’re all women (or girls, I suppose, if you want to put it that way). That’s still unusual for comics for stupid historical reasons.

I’ll end the way I started: this is a great comic for young lady-persons, and if you are in charge of any of them, you should give them the chance to read it. If not, you still might like it yourself, if you like people and ladies and youth and friendship and camping and hi-jinks and endless possibilities.

[1] Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. turn me on, dead man

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

Kaiju vs. Rock’em Sock’em Robots Round 2 Comes Home in June

Universal City, California, April 19, 2018 – Ten years after the events of the first film, the Kaiju return in Pacific Rim Uprising with a new deadly threat that reignites the conflict between these otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and Jaegers, the human-piloted super-machines that were built to vanquish them. Pacific Rim Uprising arrives on Digital and the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on June 5, 2018, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM, DVD and On Demand on June 19, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Building on the striking visual world created in the first film, Pacific Rim Uprising features a next-generation battleground complete with upgraded Jaegers and new Kaiju that offers a captivating a state-of-the-art spectacle perfect for your next night in. Experience one-of-a-kind special effects and more than forty minutes of bonus content when you own the next installment on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM and DVD.

In Pacific Rim Uprising directed by Steven S. DeKnight, John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous Kaiju. Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy. Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood), 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), returning veterans Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim), Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises) and a talented crew of fiercely young cadets. The international cast also includes Tian Jing (Kong: Skull Island) and Adria Arjona (“Emerald City”). Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, 3D BLU-RAYTM, BLU-RAYTM, DVD & DIGITAL:

  • Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Steven S. DeKnight
  • Hall of Heroes – John Boyega takes us through the awesome weaponry and cutting-edge enhancements of the latest generation of Jaegers featured in the film.
  • Bridge to Uprising – The cast and crew discuss how the world of Pacific Rim has changed in the ten years since the events of the original film.
  • The Underworld of Uprising – Humanity won the Kaiju War, but every war has casualties. John Boyega and Steven S. DeKnight give a tour of the coastal “Relief Zones.”
  • Becoming Cadets – Step into the Shatterdome, and learn the grueling physical and mental preparation required of the young actors who portrayed the PPDC cadets.
  • Unexpected Villain – Learn the secret reason that turned one of the most beloved heroes of the original film into a villain obsessed with humanity’s destruction.
  • Next Level Jaegers – The cast and crew discuss the amazing technological advances of the Jaeger program in the years since the events of the original film.
  • I Am Scrapper – Actress Cailee Spaeny shares the backstory of Scrapper, Amara’s incredible self-built Jaeger and its many unique abilities.
  • Going Mega – Filmmakers take us through the technical and creative challenges of creating the most deadly threat the Pan Pacific Defense Corp has ever faced: the Mega Kaiju!
  • Secrets of Shao – Meet the woman behind Shao Industries. Actress Tian Jing shares her insights on the enigmatic tech tycoon Liwen Shao.
  • Mako Returns – Actress Rinko Kikuchi and director Steven S. DeKnight explain the significance of Mako Mori’s return and her importance to the events of Pacific Rim Uprising.
  • Feature Commentary with Director Steven S. DeKnight

The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD disc will include the same bonus features as the Blu-rayTM version, all in stunning 4K resolution.

  • 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
  • Blu-rayTM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Book-A-Day 2018 #118: Voices in the Dark by Marcel Beyer and Ulli Lust

There once was a novel called Flughunde: written by Marcel Beyer in German, published in Germany in 1995. John Brownjohn — I feel so sorry for someone saddled with that name all his life — translated it into English, and The Karnau Tapes was published in the UK in 1997.

Almost twenty years later, German cartoonist Ulli Lust adapted Flughunde into comics form — it was published in 2013 as by Beyer and Lust. And, finally, in 2017, the comics version of Flughunde was reunited with the Brownjohn English translation — somewhat adapted by Nika Knight to work as comics — and published under a third title, Voices in the Dark .

(By the way, Flughunde means “Flying Foxes,” for an important thematic element of the story — it’s a literary-novel title, and this is a literary “graphic novel.” I have no idea why none of the English translations were willing to translate the title.)

That’s what this is, but what’s it about?

Hermann Karnau is a German sound engineer in WWII. Helga is the eldest of the six children of Joseph Goebbels. He is fictional; she is not — and, if you might possibly read this book, do not google her first. Trust me.

If you go into Voices in the Dark thinking it’s Hermann’s story — and it does appear to be his story; he gets most of the page-time, and the narrative goes deeply into his thinking for long periods — you’ll expect something like The Conversation mixed with Hannah Arendt’s famous comment about the banality of evil. Hermann is neurotic and obsessive, and it’s not clear for a while quite how twisted those obsessions have made him, until that Nazi machine gives him unexpected opportunities. He records speeches in public, Goebbels in private, sounds of battle on the Eastern front, and then is part of less definable, less sane experiments before being called back to record the last days of the man the narrative only calls “him.”

But this is not Hermann’s story. It is Helga’s, even though she is young and her life constrained. Even though she gets less time on the page, and we don’t know as much of her thoughts. Even though we don’t meet here until we’ve seen a lot of Hermann. She’s more important — Hermann is essentially an observer.

I won’t talk about the events of Voices in the Dark. It takes place in Germany, during WWII, mostly towards the end, with short scenes set before and after. You can guess at what that could include: you may be right.

Lust tells this story in mostly small, cramped panels — the white gutters between panels disappear entirely for some scenes, making them that much more intrusive and claustrophobic. Her colors are earth-tones, mostly monochromatic on a single spread — there are reddish scenes and brown scenes and grey scenes, some oranges and dull greens. And the panels themselves are close-ups more often than expected — again, tightly focused on this story, as obsessive a viewer as Hermann is a listener, close and constrained and inescapable. It’s very appropriate, and I only noticed it in retrospect.

This is not a happy book, or an uplifting one; stories about Nazi Germany rarely are. It is based on a literary novel, and it’s pretty literary itself — concerned with people’s deep emotions, and with investigating the extreme things they do, without standing up and making explanations or excuses for them. It’s a strong book: I expect it was a strong novel, and Lust has adapted it into a powerful comic.

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

Maslany, Luna, and Hirsch Lend Voices to Trollhunters’ Final Season

Tatiana Maslany, Diego Luna and Emile Hirsch have joined the third and final season of Netflix’s critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning original series DreamWorks Trollhunters, from Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. They join an already star-studded cast from seasons one and two that includes Kelsey Grammer in his Emmy-winning role as Blinky, Mark Hamill (Dictatious), Lena Headey (Morgana), David Bradley (Merlin), Ron Perlman (Bular), Steven Yeun (Steve), Anjelica Huston (Queen Ursurna), Jonathan Hyde (Strickler), Amy Landecker (Barbara), Charlie Saxton (Toby), Lexi Medrano (Claire) and Fred Tatasciore (AAARRRGGHH!!!).

Aja and Krel, voiced by Maslany and Luna, are two mysterious new students who unknowingly come to the aid of the Trollhunters team in the fight against Morgana. The duo will also reprise their roles and serve as the leads of the next installment in the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, DreamWorks 3 Below, set to debut on Netflix later this year.

Hirsch steps into the role of Jim Lake, Jr., originally voiced by the late Anton Yelchin. Yelchin completed his work on seasons one and two and a considerable portion of season three before his untimely passing. Del Toro and his creative team found a unique way to incorporate a voice transition organic to the story and create a path for a dear friend of Yelchin’s to carry on his legacy and role. Yelchin’s performance has been left intact where possible and some portions have been merged with Hirsch’s performance to complete season three.

DreamWorks Trollhunters features a tale of two fantastical worlds that collide in an epic saga.  Set in the fictional suburb of Arcadia, our unlikely hero, Jim, and his two best friends make a startling discovery that beneath their hometown lies a hidden battle between good trolls and bad, the outcome of which impacts their lives forever.

In DreamWorks Trollhunters Part 3 the fate of troll and human civilizations hang in the balance. The Trollhunters are racing to stop Gunmar and the now resurrected Morgana from bringing about the Eternal Night and shrouding the world in darkness forever. To defeat them, the team must seek the help of the legendary wizard Merlin to unlock his ancient magic and unleash a powerful weapon that will alter the course of their lives forever.

Premiering in 2016 to critical acclaim, Trollhunters introduced audiences to the seemingly quiet town of Arcadia and an ordinary kid who embarks on an extraordinary adventure in a hidden world right beneath his feet. The first season lead the 2017 Creative Arts Daytime Emmys with six wins, more than any other program, including writing for an animated program (Marc Guggenheim), directing (Rodrigo Blaas, del Toro), casting (Ania O’Hare, Mary Hildalgo) and a voice acting win for Grammer. The second season received four nominations for the 2018 Creative Arts Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Children’s Animated Series.

DreamWorks Trollhunters is created and executive produced by del Toro with Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow), Rodrigo Blaas (Alma), Chad Hammes (Dragons: Race to the Edge) and Christina Steinberg (Rise of the Guardians) serving as executive producers.  Dan Hageman (The Lego Movie, Ninjago) and Kevin Hageman (The Lego Movie, Ninjago) serve as co-executive producers.

About The Tales of Arcadia trilogy:

On the surface, Arcadia appears to be a slice of timeless Americana, but it is no ordinary town.  It lies at the center of magical and mystical lines that will make it a nexus for many battles among otherworldly creatures including trolls, aliens and wizards.  DreamWorks Trollhunters, the first installment in the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, will be followed by two additional series 3 Below in 2018 and a final chapter Wizards set to debut in 2019.

Following Trollhunters, DreamWorks 3 Below will focus on two royal teenage aliens and their bodyguard who flee a surprise takeover of their home planet by an evil dictator and crash land in Arcadia. Now on the run from intergalactic bounty hunters, they struggle to blend in and adapt to the bizarre world of high school all the while attempting to repair their ship so they can return and defend their home planet. 

 

DreamWorks Wizards brings together the three disparate worlds of trolls, aliens and wizards who have found themselves drawn to Arcadia. The final chapter of the Tales of Arcadia culminates in an apocalyptic battle for the control of magic that will ultimately determine the fate of these supernatural worlds that have now converged.

Batman Ninja Offers NYC-area Fans a Chance for Free Tickets

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment proudly presents back-to-back nights of Batman Ninja events in New York City with a May 1 screening and panel discussion at The Directors Guild of America, and a May 2 appearance/signing by filmmakers and key voice cast at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

The visually stunning Batman Ninja received outstanding reviews for its World Premiere at WonderCon in late March. The film was officially announced at New York Comic Con in October 2017, thus this two-night New York event – a week prior to the film’s May 8 release on Blu-ray & DVD – completes the circle.

Batman Ninja’s trio of acclaimed anime filmmakers – director Jumpei Mizusaki (Opening animation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), writer Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann) and character designer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) – will appear at both events alongside the film’s core quartet of celebrated actors: Roger Craig Smith (Batman: Arkham Origins) as Batman, Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) as the Joker, Grey Griffin (Scooby-Doo franchise) as Catwoman, and Tara Strong (Batman: The Killing Joke) as Harley Quinn.

On Tuesday, May 1, Batman Ninja will have its NYC premiere at The Directors Guild of America (110 West 57th Street in New York City). Starting at 7:00pm, the event will include a screening of the full film, and a post-screening panel discussion amongst the filmmakers and actors. A limited number of free tickets are available to the general public (see details below).

On Wednesday, May 2, the filmmakers and actors will make an appearance at Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Avenue of the Americas), the preeminent location for anime films, books and merchandise in New York City. There will be a Q&A and a signing of exclusive Batman Ninja posters. This event, starting at 5:30pm, is also free to the public.

Fans wishing to receive free tickets to the New York screening on May 1 must RSVP via email to BatmanNinjaNYC@gmail.com. Ticket requests will be fulfilled on a “first come, first served” basis, and fans will be notified via email by Friday, April 27.

The body of all fan RSVP emails need ONLY include the (1) name of the entrant, (2) number of tickets being requested (limit four per entry), (3) valid email address, and (4) name of the media outlet/website by which the entrant learned of the screening. Please enter only once. Fans should keep their entry simple – here’s an example of exactly how the body of the RSVP email should appear:

Bruce Wayne
2 tickets
DarkKnight@gmail.com
Greatwebsite.com

About Batman Ninja…

Batman Ninja takes a journey across the ages as Gorilla Grodd’s time displacement machine transports many of Batman’s worst enemies to feudal Japan – along with the Dark Knight and a few of his allies. The villains take over the forms of the feudal lords that rule the divided land, with the Joker taking the lead among the warring factions. As his traditional high-tech weaponry is exhausted almost immediately, Batman must rely on his intellect and his allies – including Catwoman and the extended Bat-family – to restore order to the land, and return to present-day Gotham City.

Produced by Warner Bros. Japan and DC Entertainment, Batman Ninja will be distributed May 8, 2018 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray™ Steelbook, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. The film will be available to own on Digital HD starting April 24, 2018.

Book-A-Day 2018 #116: Astro City: The Dark Age, Vol. 1: Brothers & Other Strangers by Kurt Busiek and Brent Eric Anderson

I did this before.

Halfway through this book, it started to feel awfully familiar, and so I committed the sin we all do these days: I googled myself.

And so I found that I covered this book with a mouthful of a title, Astro City: The Dark Age, Vol. 1: Brothers & Other Strangers , in my Book-a-Day run back in 2010, where I was not entirely positive .

I’ll try to say different things about this superheroes-done-right comic this time out, though I find that I’m less and less in sympathy with the idea of doing superheroes right every year. Kurt Busiek is a skillful writer who knows superhero universes inside and out, and Brent Eric Anderson is a great artist with superb page layouts and great action. But why do they waste those obvious talents on this third-hand tripe?

Now, it’s reductive and wrong to turn Astro City into a game of who-is-this-really? — The First Family is not actually the Fantastic Four, the Apollo Eleven are only vaguely X-Men-ish, and the Honor Guard are neither the JLA nor the Avengers — but they’re all generic and dull in their own ways, all standard superhero furniture under new names and with costumes designed with far too much care to look authentic to the era Busiek and Anderson want to religiously recreate.

The whole point of Astro City is to validate and nurture the nostalgic identification far too many comics fans have with the childish entertainments of their youth (or, even more these days, other people’s youth), by creating a unified, not-as-embarrassing version of those stories to be loved. If it didn’t rhyme with the real comic-book 1970s — if it didn’t make comic readers want to play this “who is this really” game — then it would have failed at what it set out to do. Even worse, this is explicitly the story about the era when “normal people” lost faith in superheroes — which they were totally wrong to do, since superheroes are by definition better and smarter than normal people, and thus the natural lords of all creation — and how mopey they were for a while until they just let the Ubermenschen do whatever they want again. (This is barely subtext: it’s right there on the surface.)

I’ve never read the second half of the Dark Age story: I probably never will. But, from the hints here, I think there’s some Reaganite bullshit “morning in America” where we all let superheroes be awesome and perfect again coming for the climax of that story. I’m sure Busiek and Anderson made it plausible. I don’t want to know.

Everything I said eight years ago is still true: this is a world ostensibly about normal people, but where only superheroes matter. Only what superheroes does affect anything. Only superheroes change the world. Everything important has a super-person behind it, every time. Everyone else are just sheep, usually with a wrong-headed view of things and always three steps behind.

There are no Astro City stories about Joe Schlabotnik, who helped foil the Counter-Earth invasion of the Solarians. Katie Random did not give vital aid to the Superior Heroes when Lord Evilocity brought hell to earth. Astro City is about what being a mere human is like in a world where mere humans don’t matter. All human beings do is run away, hide, and get in the way. Oh, and get killed — probably in vast numbers. Let’s not forget that.

If real superbeings actually existed in our world, we would all be on the side of whatever draconian Registration Act was proposed: they’re violent, uncontrolled, compulsive law-breakers who destroy nearly everything they touch. Their only positive feature is that the “villains” are even worse. All superhero universes are crapsack universes; we just like to ignore that because we focus on the aristocrats. Astro City pretends otherwise, but it really shows how horrible a life in such a universe must be.

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

The Mainstream #1 Review

When most people think of Zenescope Entertainment they think Grimm Fairy Tales, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Most of their content is related to Grimm Fairy Tales, classic monsters, Alice in Wonderland, and things like that. We don’t often think of them as having creator-owned titles, but every once in a while they put one out like they did last week with The Mainstream #1. Created by writers Michael Dolce (also the letterer) and Talent Caldwell, artist Tony Moy and Darren Sanchez, this five issue mini series featuring colors by Jorge Cortes follows law enforcement agents Nate and Dex as they investigate an increasingly complex murder.

So what did I think about this first issue?

I’m going to more or less avoid big spoilers here. Basically, the issue opens with the murder taking place as the basic premise of the world the comic takes place in is explained; that there are alternate realities to our own and that it’s possible for someone to move through them. We quickly meet Nate and Dex afterwards and discover that Nate seems to have some special ability that Dex is aware of and trusts him with. Using his power, Nate is able to figure some things out and before we know it both him and Dex are hurled into some high tech trouble and we’re introduced to some more mysterious characters before the issue wraps.

The writing serves to push the story forward at a pretty breakneck speed. A lot happens in this first issue. I’d argue that maybe too much happens. There isn’t enough breathing room to really get to know Nate and Dex that well before the story takes off. One of my favorite bits in the whole comic happens when the two of them are trying to work out details on the murder and Dex brings beer. Nate says how Dex should know he doesn’t drink beer, and Dex replies with, “Who said I brought any for you?” It’s a nice little bit. I feel the issue would have benefited from a few more bits like this for me to get to know the characters better rather than being as plot heavy as it was.

The interior art for small publishers like Zenescope can be hit or miss. This is some of the better, more interesting line work I’ve seen from the publisher. Where as Tony Moy isn’t as sharp and refined in his line work as I’ve seen done with similar types of sci fi comics, he makes up for it somewhat in his stylization. It’s also elevated by Jorge Cortes’ colors which keep the it pretty dark and moody.

Overall, this is a pretty solid first outing from a creator owned comic at Zenescope. While I tend to gravitate towards more character driven than plot driven narratives, I acknowledge that’s a personal preference. If you like sci fi comics building towards some interesting twists and turns, it’s definitely worth a read. I wish we got a little bit more of a hint as to what’s in store next, which leads me to believe this may read better in trade, but we should all have a better idea where this is going on May 30th when issue #1 hits. Issue #1 of The Mainstream is available now!

“Mine!” gets Eisner Award nomination for Best Short Story for “Ethel Byrne”

“Ethyl Byrne,” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, from Mine!: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood has been nominated for an Eisner Award in the Best Short Story category.

Mine! is a comics anthology with dozens of stories about trailblazing women, civil rights leaders, a person’s first time going to a PP clinic, debunking myths about sex, STI screenings, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, fantastical stories with superheroes, Greek mythology, and a future both with and without Planned Parenthood.

Mine! also includes work from previous Eisner Award winners Neil Gaiman, Mark Waid, Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Eric Shanower, Shannon Wheeler, Mike Norton, Andrew Aydin, Paul Levitz, Dennis O’Neil, and many other nominated creators.

We’re very proud of this story, and so we present the full story of Ethel Byrne for you here:

The other nominees for Best Short Story are:

  • “Forgotten Princess,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in Adventure Time Comics #13 (kaboom!)
  • ”A Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green,” by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017), http://magazine.columbia.edu/features/summer-2017/life-comics?page=0,0
  • “Small Mistakes Make Big Problems,” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in Comics for Choice (Hazel Newlevant)
  • “Trans Plant,” by Megan Rose Gedris, in Enough Space for Everyone Else (Bedside Press)

The full list of 2018 Eisner Award nominations is available here.

You can vote for the Eisner Awards at http://www.eisnervote.com/ All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is June 15. The results of the voting will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 20 at Comic-Con in San Diego.

Mine! is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook form at comic shops, independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Comixology, and direct from us. All of ComicMix’s proceeds from sales of Mine! will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

“An anthology that’s both entertaining and informative in equal measure… 9 out of 10!” —Newsarama

“Thought-provoking and powerful… this is a worthy entry for anyone’s bookshelf. It’s beautiful, painful, sad, and celebratory all at once, and makes for powerful reading.”
—Bleeding Cool

Good luck to all the other nominees, and we’ll see you in San Diego!

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