Tweeks May Loot Crate Unboxings
This week The Tweeks & Barkley open up the Guardians Loot Crate and Loot Pets boxes. There’s some pretty cool Guardians stuff and one Star Wars item which Anya gives everything else up for.
The Mix : What are people talking about today?
REVIEW: Logan
Given how incredibly popular Wolverine has been since his introduction in comics forty years ago, it’s always been a little odd that he has not fared well on the silver screen. While he’s been one of the strongest elements in all the X-Men films to date, his solo offerings — X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine – have not exactly worked. Hugh Jackman has said he had one solo film left in him so the challenge for Director James Mangold was making this one good.
Thankfully, Logan, was more than good. It was a thrilling experience on screen and now on home video. The movie, out now from 20th Century Home Entertainment, works on multiple levels but is a fitting finale for Jackman’s portrayal of the canucklehead. Where the others were solo stories with lots of extra characters around, this is more of a buddy film with the first half focusing on the relationship between Logan and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the second half with his sort of daughter Laura (Dafne Keen).
We leap ahead to 2029, a world where mutants haven’t been born in twenty-five years, and where most of the existing ones are already dead. Xavier is dying, both from old age, and metal disease that has turned his psionic abilities into deadly force that has to be treated medicinally. He’s squirreled away in an abandoned Mexican refinery, watched over by Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Logan, the adamantium covering his bones, is slowly poisoning him so he’s finally aging and his healing factor is not what it used to be. To support his drinking and Xavier’s drugs, he drives a limo in a world that has seen better days but has not yet slipped into total dystopia.
There meager existence is upended when Logan is approached by Gabriela Lopez (Elizabeth Rodriguez), toting a young girl with her. She is on the run from Transigen where she worked as a nurse and the girl was raised in captivity. She appeals for Logan’s help but he wants nothing to do with her, no longer a noble figure but a broken hero. However, things change when Transigen’s enforcer Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) warns Logan off and Lopez is soon dead.
Pierce is out for the girl, Logan, and Xavier so the chase is on. The buddy film is merged with a road race as Logan tries to keep them safe while slowly learning that Laura and the others were raised from mutant DNA experiments, making her his genetic daughter, altering his view of things.
Several of the children have escaped and gone to Eden, a mountain retreat, reportedly revealed through an X-Men comic so Laura convinces Logan to bring her there but along the way, they are stopped by a clone of Logan, dubbed X-24, and there is death and destruction in their wake.
Mangold paints a bleak portrait of a world without heroes and a man without a future. There’s a sense of hopelessness that pervades the story and it takes a youth to awaken the hero within. The writing gives everyone plenty to do and other than a stop at a farmhouse for dinner, the pacing is excellent.
Jackman and Stewart play off one another exceedingly well, a familiarity born from their previous work together. They bicker like the tired old men they are. As a result, the real revelation in this film is Keen, who is expressively silent during the first two-thirds of the film. When she speaks, though, it changes their dynamic and adds a new layer.
Interestingly, the combo pack comes with two Blu-ray discs – the film itself and Logan Noir, a black and white version that is chilling in its own way. The film can also be found on the DVD and the Digital HD code.
The AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1 is superb, sharp, and near perfect. Coupled with Logan’s DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, you have an excellent home viewing experience.
The special features include a handful of Deleted Scenes (7:45) with optional commentary by Mangold. Of these, only one could have made the film better. There is a multipart Making Logan (1:16:05) that breaks down the film from its origins in Old Man Logan and the X-23 storylines in comics to the casting process (Deen’s screen test is well worth a look) to production. Finally, there is a strong Audio Commentary by Mangold (which is repeated for Logan Noir).
If this is truly Jackman’s farewell to the character, he couldn’t have asked for a better story to share with his audience.
Valerian Final Trailer Released
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the visually spectacular new adventure film from Luc Besson, the legendary director of The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the ground-breaking graphic novel series which inspired a generation of artists, writers and filmmakers.
In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha-an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Studio: EuropaCorp/STXfilms
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, with Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and Rutger Hauer
Director: Luc Besson
Writers: Screenplay by Luc Besson. Based on the graphic novel series Valerian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, Published by Dargaud.
Producers: Virginie Besson-Silla
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Dennis O’Neil: Snoggle
Got one for you.
There’s this little dog, see. Lives with a family in a big house surrounded by acres of grass. Cutest little dog you ever saw: white, bright-eyed, tail always wagging, friendly as anything. But nobody knew what kind of dog he was. Didn’t seem to be important, but still… nobody knew. Then, one day, the family hosted a musical event and one of the guests forgot to pack his instrument. Left it laying on the couch. Well, the dog padded over to it, put the end of it in his mouth, blew and… what the heck do you know! The dog was making music and not just any music – great music. And finally, the family knew what kind of dog they had.
It was, of course, a Trump pet.
If you say that what I just perpetrated was inexcusable, rather than go through the tedium of a trial I’ll just plead guilty. (Actually, I’ll nod guilty. I’m alone in this room with nobody to plead to.)
Unless it was a snogglefritz. A snogglefritz, for those of you who attended the same schools as I did, must be perpetrated by someone with an IQ so high it cannot be measured. But we’re not talking just ant IQ here, this kind of IQ can never be detected. By anyone. Ever. Its proprietor doesn’t seem any brighter than the next guy. In fact, maybe a bit dimmer. He displays no talent. No wit. No special abilities of any kind. For him, the sound of chewing is conversation. He has no idea that massive intelligence lurks in his cranium.
This massive intelligence – hereafter MI – knows a secret. He knows of a… call it an entity because what else can you call it? The secret can be expressed in a single English sentence and once the secret is known, all the world’s questions will be answered. Every single one of them, from how to park in midtown Manhattan to what constitutes the unified field theory. Psoriasis – gone! Commercials – gone! Global warning- gone! Robocalls – gone. Every blamed thing that has ever annoyed anyone, or could ever annoy anyone – pfffft. Like it never existed.
The MI encodes the secret and hides the encoded secret in an ordinary sentence which the host will speak somewhere, sometime, with no awareness that he has also, simultaneously uttered a secret. This encoded secret is the snogglefritz. If someone detects and decodes the snogglefritz, that individual will have what is needed to salve mankind’s woes without even a single election. If the snogglefritz remains undetected?
Too bad, I guess. Check today’s headlines.
I don’t know what to do with this information, but maybe there’s a religion in there somewhere…
Surprisingly Good Kong: Skull Island Journeys Home July 18
Burbank, CA, May 24, 2017 – See the origins of one of the most powerful monster myths of all when Kong: Skull Island arrives onto Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital. This compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) tells the story of a diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers uniting to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful.
Kong: Skull Island stars Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World), Oscar® nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Best Supporting Actor, The Color Purple, 1994, Pulp Fiction,), John Goodman (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Argo), Oscar winner Brie Larson (Best Actress, Room, 2015) and Oscar nominee John C. Reilly (Best Supporting Actor, Chicago, 2003).
Vogt-Roberts directed the film from a story by John Gatins and Dan Gilroy and a screenplay by Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein. Kong: Skull Island is produced by Thomas Tull, Mary Parent, Jon Jashni and Alex Garcia, with Eric McLeod and Edward Cheng serving as executive producers.
To fully immerse audiences in the mysterious Skull Island, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and his team filmed across three continents over six months, capturing its primordial landscapes on Oahu, Hawaii, Australia’s Gold Coast and Vietnam, filming across multiple locations, some of which have never before been seen on film.
Kong: Skull Island will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $44.95, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack for $44.95, Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and DVD for $28.98. The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the theatrical version in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc also featuring the theatrical version. The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack features the theatrical version of the film in 3D hi-definition and hi-definition; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the theatrical version of the film in hi-definition on Blu-ray; and the DVD features the theatrical version in standard definition. The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a digital version of the movie. Fans can also own Kong: Skull Island via purchase from digital retailers beginning June 20.
Additionally, all of the special features, including interviews with filmmakers, new original shorts, featurettes, and deleted scenes, can be experienced in an entirely new, dynamic and immersive manner on tablets and mobile phones using the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App, available for both iOS and Android devices. When a Combo Pack is purchased and the digital movie is redeemed, or the digital movie is purchased from an UltraViolet retailer, the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App allows users to watch the movie and simultaneously experience synchronized content related to any scene, simply by rotating their device. Synchronized content is presented on the same screen while the movie is playing, thus enabling users to quickly learn more about any scene, such as actor biographies, scene locations, fun trivia, or image galleries. Also, users can share movie clips with friends on social media and experience other immersive content. The Movies All Access app is available for download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
The Blu-ray discs of Kong: Skull Island will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.
SYNOPSIS
This compelling, original adventure tells the story of a diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers uniting to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful. Cut off from everything they know, the team ventures into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong.
BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS
Kong: Skull Island Ultra HD Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and Blu-ray Combo Pack contain the following special features:
- Director’s Commentary
- Creating a King: Realizing an Icon
- Creating a King: Summoning a God
- Monarch Files 2.0
- Tom Hiddleston: The Intrepid Traveler
- Through the Lens: Brie Larson’s Photography
- On Location: Vietnam
- Deleted Scenes
Kong: Skull Island Standard Definition DVD contains the following special features:
- Director’s Commentary
- Creating a King: Realizing an Icon
- Creating a King: Summoning a God
- Monarch Files 2.0
- Tom Hiddleston: The Intrepid Traveler
- Through the Lens: Brie Larson’s Photography
- On Location: Vietnam
- Deleted Scenes
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
On June 20, Kong: Skull Island will be available to own for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, FandangoNow, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. On July 18, Kong: Skull Island will be made available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
BASICS
Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack $44.95
Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack $44.95
Blu-ray Combo Pack $35.99
DVD Amaray (WS) $28.98
Standard Street Date: July 18, 2017
EST Street Date: June 20, 2017
DVD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French
BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
DVD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French
BD Subtitles: English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for brief strong language
DLBY/SURR DLBY/DGTL [CC]
Box Office Democracy: Alien: Covenant
I’m not entirely sure what I can ask of Ridley Scott at this point. He’s made four or five honest-to-goodness classics and inspired an entire generation of science-fiction films. He doesn’t owe me anything and I’ll watch just about anything he puts out because I have that kind of faith in him as a filmmaker. He’s made a scary film with Alien: Covenant, but not one that I find particularly interesting. Scott seems obsessed with giving me lore I don’t want instead of a higher concentration of scenes with scary aliens.
It’s impressive that they made the grossest Alien movie yet. The one with the most visceral body horror. They topped the terribleness of the chestburster in this one by making the alien birth process less discrete and more, for lack of a better word, fluid-y. I don’t think it’s particularly worthwhile to discuss the particulars of the plot further. There are scary aliens, some you’ll recognize and some you won’t, that chase a bunch of humans you never quite care about around a distant planet that is suspiciously earth-like. This suspicion is both in the film and in the audience because it sure is cheaper to film in a planet that happens to be covered with plants from earth. There are other things to be scared of, it isn’t important really as long as you find something in each scene potentially terrifying. It definitely works as a horror movie; it will never be mistaken for a better Ridley Scott film.
Alien: Covenant is a movie carried by Michael Fassbender. Playing a robot that struggles with showing emotion seems like a big challenge as an actor, and playing two that each have different motivations and different ways of hinting at their true intentions is just an incredible performance. This prequel franchise is going to succeed or fail based on the audience willing to come and see more Alien-based horror, but artistically they’re inescapably linked to Fassbender at this point. I wouldn’t go see the next one (and there shouldn’t be a next one but we’ll get there) without him. He’s almost bigger than the Aliens at this point, even if I would kick him to the curb in a heartbeat for more Ripley.
The flaw in this movie is that I could not possibly care less about the origins of the Xenomoprhs. I didn’t watch any other Alien movie thinking “if only we knew where these things came from” or anything like that. Any explanation is going to make them less scary. A bump in the dark is more scary than anything you could show on camera. I won’t tell you the origins of the Xenomorphs, that would be cruel, but it’s not as good as whatever you had in your head, or even the non-explanation of “they’re just some terrifying aliens, those exist” that I had always assumed was the truth. This is a movie answering a question I never asked and don’t care about what they have to tell me.
I wish I knew why they thought Alien prequels were more interesting than Alien sequels. That what we want from a science-fiction horror franchise is less fantastical technology and more exposition. I wonder if the whole Alien braintrust learned the wrong lesson from Resurrection and have decided they can’t move further in to the future. I would rather watch an Alien without Weyland or synthetics or any of that rather than have more needless exposition shoveled on me. That’s not what they’re making though so I have to make do with what we have— a legitimately scary movie with one tour de force performance and a fair amount of useless prattle. Better than all the bad movies we’ll see this year full of useless prattle, I suppose.
Thom Zahler’s “Time & Vine”: Pour Me a Glass and Leave the Bottle
Comics creator Thom Zahler is known for his entertaining and insightful romantic and relationship comics, particularly Love and Capes, a superhero romance that starts with Superman-adjacent hero The Crusader deciding to tell his non-superpowered girlfriend the truth about his dual identities; and Long Distance, a tale about a couple who meet in an airport and have to figure out how to successfully have, you guessed it, a long distance relationship. Both books contain a healthy serving of shrewd commentary on human interactions and romance, but don’t sacrifice the fun of humor or pop culture references to the need for drama.
I appreciate these stories not only in themselves, but also because sometimes the medium of comics as a whole seems to be overshadowed by the all-encompassing, never-ending, and dramatically violent superhero stories of the Big Two, Marvel and DC. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some good superhero comics and action – but sometimes I think people forget there’s anything else. We need creators like Thom to remind us.
And now, here he is doing that again, with IDW’s Time & Vine, his latest creator-owned foray into the examination of human relationships – and this time in a setting I really wish I lived in. Why? Because the nexus of Time & Vine is a historic winery that contains a wine cellar full of very, very special bottles of wine – namely wine that, when consumed, transports the drinkers back to the time in which it was bottled. Seriously. A cool old place full of wine and time travel! Who wouldn’t want to live there?? (Other neat details I love from this fifteen-page issue #1 preview include the mysterious fashion magic of the winery, which changes the clothes and hairstyles of the time-travelers to those they would have chosen if they lived in the time they traveled to – but keeps the clothing colors the same. And also the OSHA reference. Because who doesn’t love a good OSHA reference?)
The core characters who people this amazing setting are Jack, the older gentleman who owns the winery and knows how it operates, and Megan, a young history teacher who is going through some tough family times and could use an exciting distraction. When Jack lets Megan in on the secret of the wine cellar, Adventures Ensue. We don’t know too much about those, as yet, but Thom has said this is a story about family – and given his previous work, I’m sure it will be interesting to see the characters’ interactions unfold. I know I’ll be super excited to drink in more of this story, and can’t wait to consume the whole thing!
Thom and I have known each other for years now, and I’ve enjoyed his comics for some time, so it was fun to finally do a one-on-one with him about his work. Here’s our nifty Q&A:
ESW: Where did you start when crafting this tale – with the setting, the human story you wanted to tell, or both?
TZ: A lot of it came as a result of talking with Kurt Busiek on Twitter. There was some joke about doing a comic about a winery and then the idea of a winery as a gateway to time travel just appeared to me. The human story was my starting point and that came pretty quickly, or at least I thought it did. Once I got into it, I realized Megan’s story needed some work and that went in a completely different direction than I expected. But the framework of the story, and the heart of it, remained the same. I had the structure for the arc and the time travel mechanics worked out quickly. I always knew it was going to be in New York, but I did have to research those specifics to see how the wine industry worked across the years.
ESW: As your latest creator-owned series, Time & Vine seems to both stick with a dynamic you are known for – i.e. the human interactions being the focus, but housed within a fun premise or setting – and be at variance with Love and Capes and Long Distance, where the two main characters were also the romantic leads. From the preview, it seems clear that Jack and Megan quickly establish a mentor/mentee or father/daughter-style dynamic. But are we going to see them having romantic adventures of their own within the story? Or is the focus more on family as a whole? What inspired that angle?
TZ: Megan and Jack are definitely a mentor/mentee dynamic. I wanted to write a book that focused on a relationship that wasn’t a romance this time. It’s much more about family: the ones we have and the ones we choose. I try to do something different each time with each story. Love and Capes was about a relationship going to the next level. Long Distance was about one starting out in a way that Love and Capes wasn’t.
Jack’s romance is the engine that drives the book. We’re going to see the history of his relationship play out non-linearly as they bounce through time. It’s very much the tree that the rest of the story hangs off of. As for Megan, let’s just say she meets at least one interesting person along the way.
ESW: In your past and present work, do you see a trajectory in your view of relationships and how to write or portray them? How do you think your past writing or personal experiences have influenced this work? And what tips would you share with creators who want to do what you do?
TZ: I don’t know about a trajectory, but I try to make sure I have a range. I don’t want to keep telling the same story over and over. So I try to focus on different types of relationships and different aspects of them. I worry that, if I’m not careful, I’ll write the same couple with different names in different stories. Jack’s love is a very different love and experience than I’ve written before.
My personal relationships definitely influence my writing. They can’t not. You write what you know and what you’ve experienced, either from borrowing from what’s happened or writing what you thought could or should have happened.
ESW: The preview is definitely, recognizably, your artistic style – but are there visual things you did differently or tried out in this story that we haven’t seen before?
TZ: Very much so! First is that I’ve brought on Luigi Anderson as the colorist for this project. It means I’m not doing colors or tones for the first time, and that’s very different for me. Luigi is bringing a style and a look that I’m not capable of, and it’s creating something very dynamic. I’ve loved the collaboration and what he’s doing with the pages.
As far as my style, I always try to tweak my style a little bit on each project to better suit it. Long Distance had an Archie level of cartooning to it, and Love and Capes was even more stylized. Here, I wanted something a trifle more realistic. It’s still cartoony, hopefully in the best Darwyn Cooke sense of the word, but the world is a little more straightforward than other work I’ve done.
ESW: Are there challenges or benefits to being both writer and artist on a book?
TZ: The thing I watch out for is writing easy scenes to draw. I’m always on the lookout for that cheat. I write the story that needs to be told and then I draw it. I don’t want to take shortcuts. There are times where artist me hates writer me, but when that happens, I know I’m writing the best product.
I do enjoy doing both. I’m not the artist to draw every book I write, but when I feel I am, there’s a synergy that’s hard to achieve otherwise. It’s streamlined, since I know exactly what I mean when I tell me I want to do something. It can make those things go really smoothly. And, if I do it right, there’s a purity to the end product that you don’t get in most collaborations.
ESW: What do you hope readers most enjoy or take away from Time & Vine?
TZ: That wine is awesome!
First, I hope they have a good time. I want to tell a story that people enjoy and that sticks with them in some way. I’ve been lucky enough that my past projects have done that, and that’s always heartwarming.
But this story is about the breadth of relationships, the choices we make and the time we have. If it makes someone take a second look at something they’ve done, or appreciate something in their lives in a new light, just for a moment, I’ll have done my job.
ESW: Anything else you’d like to tell us about this book or your future work?
TZ: Just a thank you, to the readers who read my work and to IDW for publishing it. I have a loyal core of readers who appreciate what I’ve done these last few years. Together, they have allowed me to tell these personal stories in a venue I otherwise would not have had. I hope I’m doing something worthwhile, and I couldn’t do it without them.
I have another new project that will be starting really soon, but that hasn’t been announced yet. When it is, I’ll be sure to let you know!
ESW: Super! Thanks, Thom, for your time and great answers!
If you want to know more about the process behind the story, Thom has also been posting about his inspirations in several blog entries on his website. And if you want to order Time & Vine from your local shop, you can get issue #1, due out July 5 with a cover price of $4.99 for 48 pages, by using Diamond code MAY17 0517 (or MAY17 0518 for the alternate cover, also by Thom).
And now, you can also see both covers for Issue #2 right here! In this issue, I’m told, Jack starts teaching Megan the rules of time travel, while winery employee Darren teaches her all about the winery. And Megan takes her first solo trip back in time to the ‘80s, where she discovers a startling family secret!
Here are the cool Issue #2 covers, both by Thom:
Cover A:
Cover B:
So get ready to check out Thom Zahler’s Time & Vine by pre-ordering now (possibly with a glass of wine in hand just to, ya know, get in the mood), and until next time, Servo Lectio!
Mike Gold: Peter Pan, Revolutionary
Never Land will always be / The home of youth and joy / And liberty
I’ll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me! Not me! No sir! Not me!
I just returned from a family reunion, and it was just about the only type I’d go to. It was a reunion of the various staff members of the Chicago Seed, the high-circulation “underground” newspaper published between and 1974.
This gathering of geriatric hippie revolutionary writers and artists was prompted by the recent deaths of two Seedlings: Snappy Skippy Williamson and Jayze Jay Lynch . I discussed the passing of my two long-time friends in this space; click on the above links if you missed those columns or if you have the desire to commit my words to memory.
Joining the Seed staff in January 1969 was the single most important step I have taken in my life, short of marrying Linda. I was 18 years old, a political organizer, a professional writer (thanks to those $5.00 checks from the Skokie News), a counter-cultural warrior and a kid tired of being pushed around by the jocks and the holy-holies. Within a few months, I was recruited to join the staff of the Conspiracy Trial. By the end of the year I was on radio as well. I did a whole lot of travelling and speechifying and fundraising for the Conspiracy Trial, all the while continuing to write for the Seed, as well as for New York’s East Village Other, the Los Angeles Free Press, the Berkeley Barb and, later, the Berkeley Tribe, the New York Rat (awesome name, edited by the gifted Jeff Shero), Liberation News Service, and the Black Panther Party newspaper.
Yes, you read that last part right. In 1970 it was easier for a white hippie boy to write for the Black Panther Party than, say, a black person to write for the hallowed-but-hypocritical Village Voice at that same time. If all you know about the Black Panther Party is what our popular media reported back then – largely quotes from the professional liars at J. Edgar Hoover’s F.B.I. – then you don’t know shit about the BPP back then. But I digress.
I was fortunate enough to work under the tutelage of Abe Peck, the finest editor I’ve ever had. He went on to work for Rolling Stone, The Chicago Daily News and The Chicago Sun-Times before becoming a full professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
I would have attended this reunion if Abe had been the only person there.
Like many such publications, The Seed was a combination of left-wing politics (as defined at the time) and the then-burgeoning youth culture. I covered both sides, as did most of my cohorts. Under the tutelage of editor Abe and, later, Marshall Rosenthal, I became a better writer. I also learned layout and design and I learned how to edit comics though my work with Skip and Jay and others.
Almost 50 years later, I look back at those seminal days with fondness and pride. But, as fate will have it, I doubt I’d seen most of those folks in the past, oh, 40 years or so. Walking in the Atlantic Bar’s party room was a bit of a challenge: all of us were five decades older, and most of us kinda look it. We had name tags, but our eyesight was no longer strong enough to make identification easy in the darkened bar. Many were retired or semi-retired. Most of us had kids, many had grandkids. Of course, Jay and Skip weren’t the only ones too deceased to make it to the party, and that’s sad. Some of us had seen others of us at sundry memorials, but in the aggregate the roll call for the dead was excruciating. That’s part of growing up.
But… That’s the one thing most all of us still had in common. Not just our politics and our many, many shared experiences, good and bad, but the fact that hardly any of us grew up completely. It was clear that we maintain the strong and important values we held back in the Sixties, tempered somewhat by experience.
Otherwise, we are still Peter Pan, flying through the skies with pen – well, laptop computer – at the ready, trying to help make the world a better place. We continue to grabble with the concept of “fairness,” which is something kids bitch about as they realize the world is not fair and something adults tell kids is just the way it is.
It is not. The adults are wrong. We Peter Pans know better. We know what should be and we have a good idea of how to get there. If you think that’s a foolish or unnecessary journey, wait a few months and ask any of the 24 million people who no longer have health insurance. Ask any of the women and men who had been dependent upon Planned Parenthood for significant portions of their health care. Ask any native-born American with a Muslim or Hispanic heritage.
We need more Peter Pans.
ComicMix readers should get this. We all want to fly.
Lucifer The Complete Second Season Haunts Homes August 22
BURBANK, CA (May 23, 2017) – Put on your devilish grin as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings home the hit series Lucifer: The Complete Second Season on DVD on August 22, 2017. Lucifer delivers over 6.2 million Total Viewers weekly, and is the #3 scripted series on FOX with Households and Total Viewers*. “Lucifans” can binge on all 18 hell-raising episodes from the second season, and indulge in thrilling extras including the 2016 Comic-Con Panel, a new featurette, a hilarious gag reel, and never-before-seen deleted scenes. Lucifer: The Complete Second Season will be available at all major retailers, and is priced to own at $39.99 SRP.
*Source: Nielsen National TV View Live + 7 Day Ratings, excluding repeats, specials, and <5 telecasts; 16-17 Season To-Date = 9/19/16-4/16/17
Lucifer: The Complete Second Season will also be available on Blu-rayTM courtesy of Warner Archive Collection. The Blu-rayTM release includes all bonus features on the DVD, and is also arriving August 22, 2017. Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are easily found at Amazon.com and all major online retailers.
In Season Two, Lucifer Morningstar and LAPD Detective Chloe Decker are back solving murders on L.A.’s white-hot streets, with their relationship growing deeper, closer, and more awkward for them both. To add fuel to the fire, Lucifer’s mum, Charlotte, escapes Hell, bringing along a ton of emotional baggage: Now Lucifer and his angel brother, Amenadiel — with whom Lucifer has serious sibling issues — must work together to deal with mommy dearest. Meanwhile, Dr. Linda, therapist and confidante to Lucifer, Amenadiel and Maze, is having a devil of a time doling out some of the most bizarre advice ever. Tensions (including the sexual kind) are sizzling in all 18 frighteningly fun, frivolous adventures. Welcome to Devil time!
“From powerhouse producers Jerry Bruckheimer Television, we are excited to heat up your home entertainment centers with the next installment of the critically acclaimed series,” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, Television Marketing. “Just in time for the third season premiere on FOX, loyal Lucifer fans can indulge on all hell-bent moments from the second season and hellacious extras.”
The series stars Tom Ellis (Rush, EastEnders), Lauren German (Chicago Fire), Kevin Alejandro (Southland, True Blood), DB Woodside (Suits, 24), Lesley-Ann Brandt (The Librarians), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Powers), Aimee Garcia (The George Lopez Show, Dexter), Scarlett Estevez (Daddy’s Home), and Rachael Harris (The Hangover, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid). Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, Lucifer is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television. Tom Kapinos (Californication) developed the series and serves as executive consultant. Returning for a third season on FOX, the series is executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean films), Jonathan Littman (The Amazing Race, CSI franchise), Joe Henderson (White Collar, Almost Human), Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami, Californication), Len Wiseman (Underworld films) and Sheri Elwood (Call Me Fitz).
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
- Lucifer: 2016 Comic-Con Panel
- Reinventing Lucifer in the City of Angels
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
18 ONE-HOUR EPISODES
- Everything’s Coming Up Lucifer
- Liar, Liar, Slutty Dress on Fire
- Sin-Eater
- Lady Parts
- The Weaponizer
- Monster
- My Little Monkey
- Trip to Stabby Town
- Homewrecker
- Quid Pro Ho
- Stewardess Interruptus
- Love Handles
- A Good Day to Die
- Candy Morningstar
- Deceptive Little Parasite
- God Johnson
- Sympathy for the Goddess
- The Good, the Bad and the Crispy
DIGITAL HD
Lucifer: The Complete Second Season is also currently available to own on Digital HD. Digital HD allows consumers to instantly stream and download all episodes to watch anywhere and anytime on their favorite devices. Digital HD is available from various digital retailers including Amazon Video, CinemaNow, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others.
DVD BASICS
Street Date: August 22, 2017
Price: $39.99 SRP
Presented in 16×9 widescreen format
Running Time: Feature: Approx. 792 min
Enhanced Content: Approx. 60 min
3 DVD-9s
Audio – English (5.1)
Subtitles – Eng SDH and French
Lego® Scooby-Doo!: Blowout Beach Bash! Splashes Down in July
BURBANK, CA (May 19, 2017) – Scooby and the gang are back to solve a brand new supernatural crime mystery in LEGO® Scooby-Doo!: Blowout Beach Bash! Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and The LEGO Group, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on July 11, 2017 on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD.
Scooby-Doo! and his pals Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy are no strangers to solving spooky mysteries filled with all types of ghouls and goblins. This time is no different. As Scooby-Doo! and his friends are on their way to Blowout Beach for a real swinging beach party in the Mystery Machine, the Ghost Pirates threaten to ruin the gang’s good vibes. It is up to Scooby and the gang to get the party back on track, without missing a beat. This all-new original movie LEGO® Scooby-Doo!: Blowout Beach Bash will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray combo pack and digital HD for the first time ever for kids to enjoy.
LEGO® Scooby-Doo!: Blowout Beach Bash! features a veteran voice cast: Frank Welker (Be Cool Scooby-Doo!), Grey Griffin (Be Cool Scooby-Doo!), Kate Micucci (Be Cool Scooby-Doo!) and Matthew Lillard (Be Cool Scooby-Doo!) . The film was executive produced by Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!), Jill Wilfert (The LEGO® Batman Movie), Robert Fewkes (LEGO® DC Super Hero Girls), Jason Cosler (LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Gotham City Breakout) and directed by Ethan Spaulding (Justice League: Throne of Atlantis) from a script written by Emily Brundige (Teen Titans Go!) and Aaron Preacher (Comedy Bang Bang). Rick Morales (LEGO® Scooby-Doo!: Haunted Hollywood) serves as producer.
BASICS
Street Date: July 25, 2017
Run Time: 72 minutes
Blu-ray Combo Price: $24.98 SRP
DVD Price: $19.98 SRP
DVD Audio – English
