When you read Justin Pierce's The Non-Adventures of Wonderella, you'll get the sensation that you're falling. Falling out of your seat from laughter! Zing! But seriously folks, this comic is utterly hilarious at the worst of times, and borderline offensive at the best. A superhero satire about Earth's mightiest protector; with a once-a-week schedule, saturday mornings will make you feel like a kid all over again.
To say that Marvel's first foray into self-financed film was a success is an understatement, to be sure. Iron Man kicked the summer movie season off with a huge bang and the DVD version is hoping to do the same with the fall DVD season. Will the disc be a blockbuster at Blockbuster? Will Netflix be sending out so many discs that the U.S. Postal Service is completely derailed for months?
The Marvel movie you never thought you'd be able to own for yourself is actually coming to DVD. Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., the FOX TV movie, is coming to DVD exclusively to your neighborhood Best Buy.
As you'll remember, this man-mountain of a film stars none other than David Hasselhoff, the greatest actor known to man. Yes, that's right. He kicks the ass of one Chuck Norris.
Think that Sam Jackson was an inspired choice for the role of Nick Fury in Iron Man? Then turn back the clock ten years to the last guy to play the character in live-action form. From the pages of Marvel Comics comes Nick Fury (David Effin' Hasselhoff), the infamous hard-boiled, cigar-chomping, eye-patch sporting, former director of the covert counterterrorism strike force S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division). When his old organization uncovers a plot to annihilate Manhattan with a deadly virus by his arch-nemesis, the sexy, sinister Viper - Fury must return to duty, this time aided by his old flame Val and new colleagues Alexander Pierce and Kate Neville. Will Fury be the antidote Manhattan desperately needs, or will Viper's venomous scheme eradicate the city completely? Armed with a stockpile of high-tech weapons, Fury is the city's only hope in the full-length action-packed adventure debut of this Marvel Comics hero!
Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is being released on DVD by popular demand for the first time ever on September 30, 2008 and exclusively at Best Buy for an SRP of $22.98. Originally airing on FOX Television in 1998, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Blade, Jumper) and produced by Stan Lee and Avi Arad of Marvel Films (credits including X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Iron Man and more).
For a mere $22.98, you can reserve the DVD at Best Buy.com and then sit by your mailbox and wait for the fateful day that it arrives.
That bastion of nerd pop culture UGO.com has one of those fancy lists we always seem to love s much. This time they're looking at the "Top 50 WTF Moments In Comics."
What's a "WTF moment" you ask? Well, think about the last time you turned a page in your favorite book and then BAM! What the hell just happened?! How could that happen?! How could he do that?!
You, my friend, have just been hit by a WTF Moment. Congratulations.
To celebrate Time Out magazine's 40th anniversary, each publication under the umbrella is looking at the top forty denizens of their particular city. Eve though Time Out New York is only thirteen years old, we get a look at some of the best and brightest the Big Apple has to offer.
"But, Goblin", you say. "What on Earth does this have to do with a comic book site? Why don't you stop blathering on about New York and talk to me about Spider-Man?"
And my response to that is thusly - "Why don't you hold your friggin' horses and let me finish before you interrupt me again. Rude."
Now, as I was saying, among the list of Amy Sedaris, Mike Bloomberg, Stephen Colbert and the Metrocard is our very own friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! Since Spidey's been associated with NYC for so long he's become one of its mos high profile residents and as luck would have it, he was available for a short interview for the magazine!
Here's a snippet.
What's the biggest thing that's happened to the city in the last 13 years?
Spider-Man: The '05 transit strike. Sure, it was awful for you guys, but I was the first person into work every. single. day. That's a big change for me.
Oh, wait I'm supposed to say Time Out magazine, right?
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Word is you may be single. Any tips for picking up the ladies?
Spider-Man: Hit the clubs with the Hulk. You're bound to look like a better option.
Our boy Frank Castle is headed back to a console near you (assuming you own a PS3) for some head crackery and bullet firery. Let's ge the word from those jolly blokes over at Joystiq ...
Sony announced today that Frank Castle will be, as rumored, returning to video games. The surprise? He'll be doing it exclusively on PSN in Punisher: No Mercy. The Unreal Engine 3-based title is being developed by Zen Studios, of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Mushroom Men fame.
Though we mentioned Frank Castle earlier, we doubt all of you will get to play as the titular Punisher, as the first-person shooter promises "intense arena-based multiplayer action" featuring characters like Jigsaw, Bushwacker, Barracuda and Silver Sable. We haven't heard or seen nearly enough to pass judgment, but what we've got now just leaves us befuddled. Help us figure it all out with your perspective in the comments.
An arena shooter seems an odd choice for the Punisher, given his tendency toward a lone wolf status, but here's definite potential in there.
It would seem that Activision is eagerly awaiting the October launch of their new Spider-Man: Web of Shadows game. Makes sense, since I know I'm sure waiting for it with bated breath. It may have kind of a goofy cover, but the game looks fantastic.
The boys over at Superhero Hype have discovered that the voice of Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat will be played by a person well known to sci-fi fans. Though not on the scene long, actress Tricia Helfer has made her mark on genre television as the star of Battlestar Galactica
What gives her the right to play the Black Cat in this newest Spidey game? Well, it's part of her day job since she voices Felicia in the animated Spectacular Spider-Man series.
Another week has come and gone and this Goblin is beat! It always seems that the commute into NYC is more work than actually working in the city. Build a few more bridges on tunnels, Mr. Bloomberg!
It was a quieter than normal week here in the comic shop wing of the Gay Gamer castle. We should be rectifying that in the week ahead. But, never one to miss out on a bit of nostalgia (no matter how recent), our little gator friend has a week's worth of stuff you may have missed out there in the open blogosphere. He's mighty tired after helping swim across the Hudson River - screw the Lincoln Tunnel, he's faster - so let's see what he has to report and let him go back to sleep.
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BAM! ... Okay, so you know you're gay and you read comic books. Maybe you even watch some Sci-Fi Channel and have a wookie costume in your closet. But does that mean you're a Gay Geek? Take the test and find out.
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BAM! ... Brad Curran over at CBR's Comics Should Be Good has some issues. Well, he has issues with the comics industry. (He may have other issues as well, I profess I'm not nearly as close to Brad as I would like to be ... yet.) How many issues does he have, you ask? Excellent question. Head over to CSBG and check out Brad's "60 Things I Hate - Well, More Like I Don't Care For ABout Comics."
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BAM! ... Hollywood has latched onto comics as a never-ending pool of ideas and has converted many properties to both movies and TV. But what about the other side of the coin? Comic By Comic takes a gander at when TV shows escape the box and get locked onto the printed page - it's a list of the good and not-so-good television-to-comic adaptations.
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BAM! ... Graffiti is fun. Illegal, perhaps. Gratifying, definitely. Comic Foundry is spotlighting a crafty new graffiti artist and some of their work.
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BAM! ... The Mindless Ones have a new article discussing the finer points of martial arts. Oh, they not talking about its meditative effects or the skill it takes to master the art. No. They're arguing about who would win: Iron Fist or the Badger. God bless imaginary fights.
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If I have a favorite internet writer (besides every one of these fine folks at Pink Kryptonite, natch), it would probably be Devin Faraci. He writes for CHUD.com and is one fo the rare people whose reviews on film I'll actually care about. He's also a great writer and thankfully gets to talk to a slew of fantastic people in Hollywood.
Why am I mentioning ll this, you ask? Well, because the estimable Mr. Faraci recently talked to Iron Man director Jon Favreau for some time and walked away with a bunch of news on the forthcoming Iron Man 2 (which I would pay to see have the sub-title of Electric Boogaloo.
No, no. Don't worry. Superman is not reverting to that God awful Red/Blue energy duality.
This time the "blu" is a good thing as the recent Superman: Doomsday DVD is coming out with a rerelease and first go-round on Blu-Ray high def. Yay for double dips! I was not a huge fan of the movie, but it was a worthy first shot in DC's DVD library.
Both the 2-disc DVD special edition and the new Blu-Ray disc will have the same features which are conveniently listed below. The discs will release day-and-date on November 25th.
* Audio Commentary by Producer Bruce Timm, Writer Duane Capizzi, Voice Director Andrea Romano and Executive Producer Gregory Noveck
* 4 Bonus Episodes from Superman: The Animated Series, selected by Bruce Timm (NEW to the Special Edition)
* Documentary: "Requiem and Rebirth: Superman Lives!" - About how the DC Comics team decided Superman's fate
* Featurette: "Behind the Voice"
* Featurette: "When Heroes Die: The Making of Superman: Doomsday" (NEW to the Special Edition)
* Featurette: "Clash of the Juggernauts" (NEW to the Special Edition)
* Sneak Peek at DC Universe's Justice League: The New Frontier
* Sneak Peek at DC Universe's Feb. 2009 release of Wonder Woman (NEW to the Special Edition)
For those of you who have a Blu-Ray player (otherwise known as a Playstation 3), you'll be thrown for a loop come October. Ed Norton's The Incredible Hulk will be coming to Blu-Ray (and DVD), but instead of the titular color border slapped on the top of the high definition disc will be a spiffy green border!
Now that's news!
Here are the special features for both the DVD and Blu-Ray:
(This is the 3-disc special edition DVD, ther eis also a barebones single disc edition.)
* BONUS FEATURES - SPECIAL EDITION DVD AND BLU-RAY HI-DEF: Alternate Opening
* The Making of THE INCREDIBLE HULK: An in-depth look at the making of the blockbuster film, featuring interviews with Edward Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and producers Avi Arad, Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd and the entire cast and crew. The documentary covers the film's innovative take on the character, look and storyline, as well as the casting process, production and profile of director Louis Leterrier.
* Becoming The Hulk: This featurette focuses on Edward Norton's approach to the iconic role and the incredible visual effects employed by award®-winning studio Rhythm & Hues to create the character on screen.
* Becoming The Abomination: From the first motion-capture session to the visual effects at Rhythm & Hues, viewers go behind the scenes with actor Tim Roth and watch as he transforms both his mind and body into the super villain known as The Abomination.
* Anatomy of a Hulk Out: Behind-the-scenes looks at three of the movie's most exciting action sequences:
o Hulking Out in the Bottling Plant - Go inside the first action sequence of the film where both viewers and the army are given a glimpse of the Hulk to come.
o Hulking Out on Campus - A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a Hulk action sequence, featuring airplanes, guns, and even a sound machine.
o Hulking Out in Harlem - From pre-visualization animatics to visual effects, this featurette shows how filmmakers created one of the largest action sequences in Marvel film history.
* From Comic Book to Screen: See the incredible comic books come to life courtesy of narration, sound effects and "living" panels of action.
* Feature Commentary With Director Louis Leterrier And Cast
* Digital Copy of THE INCREDIBLE HULK- Compatible with PC, Mac or iPod.
* Deleted Scenes
And here are the Blu-specific specific features:
# U Control: Universal's exclusive signature feature, U Control puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever interrupting the movie, through animated comic book panels, storyboards, early renderings of the visual effects, interactive cast and crew interviews and exclusive information about the characters, back story, and THE INCREDIBLE HULK physics.
* Thunderbolt Files - Explore the top-secret files of the forces hunting The Hulk with this interactive feature that takes you deeper into the movie - without ever leaving the film.
* Scene Explorer - Discover the secrets behind the special effects! Explore all the individual layers that go into an effects-intensive scene with this unique Blu-ray feature.
* Comic Book Gallery - Enjoy a Hi-Def experience of the classic comic book images that inspired key shots in the movie.
# BD-LIVE FEATURES - Blu-ray and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:
* My Chat - Just plug your player into your Internet connection and connect to BD-Live to chat with friends while watching the movie and conduct your very own private screening discussions.
* My Scenes Sharing - Share your favorite clips with your buddies through the BD Live Internet connection
When Marvel entered the film business we all knew they'd be converting some oddball properties to their own features. However, I don't think anyone saw Ant-Man getting his own franchise let alone a name director heading the project.
Edgar Wright, director and co-creator of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, is not only behind the forthcoming Ant-Man film but a huge fan of the property itself. In an interview with Wizard Universe, Wright gives us an update on the film's progress.
Can you confirm that you're still involved with "Ant Man?"
WRIGHT: Absolutely. I wrote the first draft of the script which, to be honest, kind of took two years to deliver because I did "Hot Fuzz" in the middle of it. But I did my first draft of it just before the strike last year and I think it's one of my favorite things I've ever written. It was a real blast to write. I know that [Marvel's] very pleased with what we've done and, really, really, the appeal to that for me is the fact that like, Ant Man is considered slightly D-list. The whole raison d'etre of the piece for me and my thing has always been to take something that would seem to be uncool and make it really cool and that's certainly the case with British cops in "Hot Fuzz." To take the most seemingly kind of underwhelming concept and make something really cool out of it--I always liked that premise. As a little kid I had a reprint of "The Man in the Ant Hill," the very first Ant Man kind of story and it's something that always struck me. Most shrinking films are about in somebody in jeopardy and this is something where the shrinker has the power. Rather than it being something that's a terrible thing to happen, it's actually making your character into the most bad ass sort of action hero/spy possible.
I'm still unsure if the book will focus on Hank Pym or use either of the other two Ant-Men. It sounds like Wright is certainly enamored with Pym, but we'll have to wait and see.
Moment Of The Week #8
Well last week Ruby Summers blasted the competition easily for Moment of the Week! Just like the old saying goes, never underestimate a girl made out of living gemstone with laser eyes. This week we take a look at some astounding moments from last weeks Spider-Man: Secret Invasion, Wolverine, New Avengers, Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge, Ultimate X-Men and Thunderbolts. (Marvel heavy, last week) So join me after the jump, and be warned. Spoilers lie beyond. So if you still have to pick up any of these books, don't read ahead because it'll ruin the surprise!...
When you read Justin Pierce's The Non-Adventures of Wonderella, you'll get the sensation that you're falling. Falling out of your seat from laughter! Zing! But seriously folks, this comic is utterly hilarious at the worst of times, and borderline offensive at the best. A superhero satire about Earth's mightiest protector; with a once-a-week schedule, saturday mornings will make you feel like a kid all over again.
