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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+

Blue Is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

Blue Is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

I shouldn’t be the one to tell you about this book: I’m the wrong gender, the wrong orientation, the wrong nationality, the wrong generation. So don’t trust me.

Blue Is the Warmest Color  is a graphic novel by Julie Maroh – that’s what the edition I read says; I see indications that the author goes by Jul Maroh now and is transgender and nonbinary, which adds another wrinkle to the story. But this presents itself as fiction, even if, like anyone’s first big story in public, we suspect there are autobiographical elements in the mix. (It clearly can’t be entirely autobiographical, for reasons that should be obvious.)

Maroh is French; so is her cast. I found the story to be in a older mode than I expected: a frame story, coming out amid self-loathing, the clear tragedy of older gay/lesbian stories. It wasn’t nearly as 21st century as I was hoping from a book published in 2010 and translated in 2013 (and turned into a movie in French the same year). It’s not my world, not my community, but I thought we were past the sad dead LGBTQ people.

The main character is Clementine, but we start with her partner, Emma, after Clem’s death. Emma is retrieving Clem’s diaries from her partner’s parents. It’s not really clear how old everyone is, but we immediately dive out of the frame story into the main narrative, and the frame is just used for occasional (and I’d say, unnecessary) commentary. The frame is distancing at best: a more confident creator, later in their career, probably would not have made that choice.

The bulk of Blue is Clem’s story, starting on her fifteenth birthday in the mid-90s. She gets her first boyfriend, Thomas, is focused on school, has dreams of her future – the whole standard deal. She also sees a lesbian couple on the street, and has a strong, unexpected reaction to one of the women, with bright blue hair.

That’s Emma. We already know Clem ends up with Emma; there’s no mystery or surprise there; the frame story has eliminated that possibility. So I won’t run through the plot details, of how Clem denies she could possibly be lesbian, how wrong and unnatural and strange that is, how all of her friends (except one gay man) abandon her eventually. I said this was in the old mode: all that is familiar.

On the other hand, Clem does meet Emma more seriously, and they become first friends and then lovers. Emma is nearly a decade older and already in a relationship, with the forbidding Sabine, both of which would be warning signs in a more modern, conventional romance. But I think Maroh doesn’t mean any of it that way: this is a world where lesbians still live mostly quietly, out of sight, and young lesbians need to be introduced to that world and find a way in; they can’t just declare themselves and be accepted by the wider world.

(I may be naïve in thinking the other is true, now or at any time, in my country or this one. Again: don’t trust me.)

Blue covers two or three years in depth, and then jumps forward a decade to see Clem settled as a schoolteacher approaching thirty, to set up for the inevitable tragic end. There’s no intrinsic reason for this to be a tragedy; that’s unrelated to any of the main plot.

I would have preferred a happier romance; I was expecting one from the cover and the publication date. I’d like to think we’ve had enough tragedies about loves that can’t speak their names, and that most of us are happy to name those loves out loud, even if they’re not the ways we love. Again, I may be naïve.

But this is the story Maroh wanted to tell. It’s a personal, specific story, and I believe the world and the people. Maroh keeps it mostly monochrome, in soft greys and off-blacks, with blue as the one pop of color, making Emma almost luminous, especially in the early days. Like a beacon, like a signpost to a better world for Clem, if only she’s able to follow that sign and join that world – as she does, for a time.

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

The Flash to Light Home Up Screens in July 18 and on Disc in August

The Flash to Light Home Up Screens in July 18 and on Disc in August

Burbank, CA, July 12, 2023 – Prepare for the time-bending adventure of a lifetime when The Flash arrives for purchase Digitally at home on July 18. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti with Ezra Miller reprising their role as The Flash/Barry Allen in the DC Super Hero’s first-ever standalone feature film. The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on August 29.

  • On July 18, The Flash will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $24.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $19.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more.
  • On August 29, The Flash will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. The Flash will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

The Flash ensemble also includes rising star Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue and Michael Keaton. The Flash is produced by Barbara Muschietti and Michael Disco. The screenplay is by Christina Hodson, with a screen story by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein and Joby Harold, based on characters from DC. The executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Marianne Jenkins.

Synopsis:

Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

Additionally, on July 18 The Flash will be available as a Web3 Movie Experience, a multimedia NFT allowing fans to own and to engage with the 2023 DC Super Hero film in an exciting way. Through dynamic menu options based on locations from the film, owners can watch the film in 4K UHD on desktop, mobile, tablet or TV, access special features, collect standard or motion key art, discover digital easter eggs, uncover hidden AR collectibles, and more.  The Flash Web3 Movie Experience will be available for purchase at https://web3.wb.com. 

Also included with The Flash purchase on Digital is the six-part original scripted podcast The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus. An original, standalone audio series, the podcast features Max Greenfield (TV’s New Girl) as the voice of The Flash/Barry Allen.  The podcast is also available to follow on Apple Podcasts at https://apple.co/theflashpodcast.

DIGITAL, 4K, BLU-RAY & DVD ELEMENTS

The Flash Premium Digital Ownership contain the following special features:  

  • The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash
  • The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Saving Supergirl – featurette
  • The Bat Chase – featurette
  • Battling Zod – featurette
  • Fighting Dark Flash – featurette
  • The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster – featurette (Amazon digital exclusive)
  • Making the Flash: Worlds Collide – featurette
  • Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again – featurette
  • Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton – featurette
  • Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse – featurette

DIGITAL, 4K, BLU-RAY & DVD ELEMENTS

The Flash Blu-ray contain the following special features:  

  • “The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash
  • The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes
  • Making the Flash: Worlds Collide – featurette
  • Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again – featurette
  • Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton – featurette
  • Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse – featurette

DIGITAL, 4K, BLU-RAY & DVD ELEMENTS

The Flash 4K UHD contain the following special features:  

  • The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash
  • The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Saving Supergirl – featurette
  • The Bat Chase – featurette
  • Battling Zod – featurette
  • Fighting Dark Flash – featurette
  • The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster – featurette
  • Making the Flash: Worlds Collide – featurette
  • Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again – featurette
  • Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton – featurette
  • Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse – featurette

BASICS

Premium Digital Ownership: July 18, 2023

PVOD: July 18, 2023

4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD Street Date: August 29, 2023

4K Languages: Parisian French, English, Latin Spanish, Italian, Canadian French

4K Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian

BD Languages: Canadian French, English, Latin Spanish

BD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French

DVD Languages: Parisian French, English, Latin Spanish

DVD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French, Korean, Complex Chinese, Cantonese 

Running Time: 144 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for partial nudity, action sequences of Violence, some strong language)

DVD: DLBY/DGTL

Blu-ray: ATMOS TrueHD

4K UHD + Digital $44.98

Blu-ray + Digital $34.98

DVD $29.98

Asteroid City is now Available to Rent at Home

Asteroid City is now Available to Rent at Home

Universal City, California – Continuing its theatrical run, the charming comedy starring Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Jojo Rabbit), and Tom Hanks (Elvis, News of the World), Focus Features’ ASTEROID CITY is available tomorrow, July 11, 2023 to buy or rent at home on digital platforms nationwide from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Packed with humor, an eclectic cast of characters, and an extraordinary alien encounter, the film marks the return of seven-time Oscar® nominated writer and director Wes Anderson (Isle of Dogs, Moonrise Kingdom) and his signature unique visual style.

A “delightfully profound desert charmer” (Indiewire) that “packs a punch with its ensemble cast” (Slash Film), ASTEROID CITY showcases a star-studded, critically acclaimed supporting cast alongside Schwartzman, Johansson, and Hanks, including Jeffrey Wright (Westworld, No Time To Die), Tilda Swinton (Suspiria, Michael Clayton), Adrien Brody (The Pianist, The Darjeeling Limited), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Trumbo), Edward Norton (Glass Onion, Birdman), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Hope Davis (Your Honor, Succession), Stephen Park (The French Dispatch, Fargo), Rupert Friend (The Young Victoria, Pride & Prejudice), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Do Revenge), Steve Carell (The Office, The Morning Show), Matt Dillon (There’s Something About Mary, The House That Jack Built), Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man franchise, The Florida Project), Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, I, Tonya), Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man franchise), Jake Ryan (Moonrise Kingdom, Eighth Grade) and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park franchise, Independence Day).

A fictional American desert town, circa 1955. Junior Stargazers and Space Cadets from across the country assemble for the annual Asteroid Day celebration — but the scholarly competition is spectacularly upended by world-changing events. Equal parts comedy, drama, and romance (with a touch of science-fiction).

Filmmakers:  
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Live Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Jeff Goldblum
Casting By: Douglas Aibel
Music Supervisor: Randall Poster
Music By: Alexandre Desplat
Costume Designer: Milena Canonero
Film Editor: Barney Pilling, ACE
Additional Editor: Andrew Weisblum, ACE
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Director Of Photography: Robert Yeoman, ASC
Co-Producers: Octavia Peissel, John Peet
Line Editor: Frédéric Blum
Executive Producers: Roman Coppola, Henning Molfenter, Christoph Fisser, Charlie Woebcken
Produced By: Wes Anderson, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
Alpert P.G.A.                                                                
Story By: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Screenplay By: Wes Anderson
Directed By: Wes Anderson

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits Streaming Today, Disc in Oct.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits Streaming Today, Disc in Oct.

Get ready to roll out when the adrenaline-fueled adventure Transformers: Rise of the Beasts becomes available to buy or rent on Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment. Fans can watch all the action at home starting today.

Fans who purchase the film on Digital can immerse themselves in the world of TRANSFORMERS with over an hour of thrilling bonus content. Take a deeper look at the AUTOBOTS, MAXIMALS, and TERRORCONS, as well as the humans at the center of the film. See how filmmakers recreated 90s New York City through incredible set design, music, and fashion. Go behind-the-scenes of the eye-popping action, from the edge-of-your seat car chase on the streets of New York City to the mesmerizing battle on the mountains of Machu Picchu, Peru. Plus, check out deleted and extended scenes not seen in theatres. Bonus content is detailed below:

• Human Affairs— In a world of robots, machines, and aliens, we explore the humans who help save the world.
• Life in the 90s— The filmmakers discuss how the music, set design, fashion, and cultural references transport viewers to New York in the 90s.
• Heroes— Get an inside look at the inspiration and thought process behind designing the AUTOBOTS and the MAXIMALS.
• Villains—Watch as the filmmakers bring the TERRORCONS and PREDACONS to life.
• The Chase— Meet MIRAGE, a new AUTOBOT that converts into a 1993 Porsche, and experience the adrenaline-filled car chase through New York City.
• The Battle of Ellis Island— Join the cast and crew as they go behind-the-scenes of the epic battle sequence between the AUTOBOTS and the TERRORCONS at the museum.
• Into the Jungle— The TRANSFORMERS franchise has been filmed all over the globe. This time, join the cast and crew as they explore the new and exotic location of Peru.
• The Switchback Attack— Witness the wild, intense driving sequences filmed on location in Peru where the AUTOBOTS fight the TERRORCONS through a town square and into the mountains 15,000 feet up.
• The Final Conflict— Get a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s epic climax. Watch as the AUTOBOTS, MAXIMALS, Noah, and Elena attempt to save the world.
• Extended/Deleted Scenes—Includes an alternate opening and ending to the film!

Synopsis
OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS take on their biggest challenge yet! When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction known as the MAXIMALS. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) will do whatever it takes to help the TRANSFORMERS as they engage in the ultimate battle to save Earth.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS will arrive on 4K Ultra HD SteelBook™, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, and DVD on October 10th.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.

An Enchantment by Christian Durieux

An Enchantment by Christian Durieux

There is a long-running – it may have ended; I don’t know – series of graphic novels about the Louvre museum, officially licensed by that museum. Each one is separate, a different idea from a different creator or team. It started in 2005 with Nicolas De Crecy’s Glacial Period , and I’ve seen a few more, mostly years ago: The Museum Vaults, On the Odd Hours , The Sky Over the Louvre , (There’s what may be a comprehensive list of the series on Goodreads ; I note that half or more of them have never been translated into English.)

I have a weakness for bizarre publishing projects and quirky brand extensions, so I’m going to try to find all of the books in this series that have been published in English. I’ll go in order if I can, so the next one up was An Enchantment  from 2011, by creator Christian Durieux.

It takes place during some kind of celebration at the museum. We see uniformed staff bustle about, setting gala tables, and an old man in a suit quietly grab two bottles of wine and sneak away. We learn, before too long, that the celebration is for him: he’s some sort of political leader, who has just retired.

We don’t know his name. He does cast some scorn in the direction of a certain leader of Italy who I’m sure is meant to be Berlusconi, so my guess is that this is Jacques Chirac, or a transmuted fictional figure with some aspects in common with Chirac.

That doesn’t really matter: like the other books in this series, An Enchantment is symbolic and allusive and backwards-looking, a meditation and a dialogue rather than a book driven by plot.

And the dialogue this unnamed man has is, of course, with an equally unnamed gorgeous young woman who he meets as he sneaks away from his own fete to explore the museum. They appreciate art, talk about their own lives to some degree, and engage in the typical French philosophizing about life.

Along the way, Durieux has the opportunity to drop in about two dozen major works that are in the actual Louvre, and the handy backmatter tells us in exactly which galleries they can be found, so we could retrace this journey if ever we find ourselves in Paris.

Durieux makes nice pictures and constructs strong pages, though I find his philosophizing somewhat less compelling. (I’ve seen a lot of philosophizing in my day, and this isn’t terribly distinctive or unique – it’s yet more gather ye rosebuds while ye may.) Within the context of the series, this is fairly straightforward and normal, though: quite French, as is to be expected.

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

Groo: Friends and Foes, Vol. 3 by Sergio Aragones with Mark Evanier

Groo: Friends and Foes, Vol. 3 by Sergio Aragones with Mark Evanier

The modern era of comics is built for short attention spans, all miniseries and limited runs and hot new creators, emphasizing new “jump-on issues” and trying to ignore that vastly more people are jumping off, every chance they get.

Some of that is effect, some of it is cause; it’s been a spiral since the ’90s crash fatally injured the viability of the long-running series. Frankly, long series always tended to dip and (if they were lucky) rise over time – it’s just the “rise,” unpredictable as it used it be, got eliminated from those calculations forever sometime in the early Aughts. [1]

So a comic that’s published anything like regularly doesn’t look regular. There’s this twelve-issue series and that thrilling relaunch and the other one-shot tying into something else. And each one of those “new” things has to be new enough for the fabled “new reader” to start there, which means we get a lot of repotted origin stories and returns of fan-favorite characters and “here’s my favorite Batman story from childhood, done totally awesome!”

This is tedious for anyone who isn’t an utter neophile, but it’s the world we live in. In the case of Groo, it’s why the big series for 2015-16 was Groo: Friends and Foes, a twelve-issue extravaganza in which each issue saw one of the idiot adventurer’s most popular secondary characters returned to do the same things that character (and Groo) does every single time.

Now, Groo was always formulaic: it’s a comedy, and comedies are all about the bit. Groo‘s bit is that the title character is deeply stupid, though well-meaning, and that everything he touches goes wrong and gets broken. It’s usually heavily narrated by The Minstrel – that guy with the jester cap on the right of this cover – in verse that is usually almost as funny as it aims to be. And it’s been running for about forty years now, so there are a lot of recurring characters and running jokes (cheese dip, mendicant, and so on).

That all sounds unfriendly to new readers, but it’s still a light comedy: running jokes are still jokes, and you don’t realize they’re running until it runs into you for the second time. Groo was always built so anyone could drop in anywhere and get basically the same experience; it still is.

So there’s only a thin through-line for this miniseries: it’s basically ten mostly standalone issues, with a recurring character in common, and then a two-part finale. Volume 3 , the book I just got to, has the finale. (See my posts on the first two books for equally random musings about Groo, comics, and comedy.)

This time out, the special guests are: Pal & Drumm, a swordsman nearly as dumb as Groo (though beefier) and his handler/friend; Taranto, the scheming leader of a bandit band; The Minstrel, who I’ve already mentioned; and the recurring new character for this series, whose story gets wrapped up and whose name I won’t mention here to give some very slight suspense for anyone who might read these books. As I said, the first two issues are just like the eight that preceded them, but the last two see the subplot turn into main plot, all of the guest stars for the whole series return for several grand melees and finales.

Like all Groo stories, it’s more good-natured and sentimental than you would expect from a series of stories about a deeply stupid murder-hobo. I’m not a huge Groo fan, so I may seem lukewarm here – and, frankly, I am lukewarm – but this is just fine for what it is, and as dependably Groo-esque as it could possibly be. So those of you who like Groo will be very happy.

[1] Apropos of nothing: in a recent piece I wrote for work and was adapting for UK use, I learned the standard term on that side of the pond (at least according to my organization) for the first decade of this century is “noughties.” I had to believe this out of organizational pride; I can’t require that you do the same.

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

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