Psyche! We're Still Around...

So, what, you might ask, have we been doing for the last two months? We're not at liberty to discuss it. Let's just say that no one at the Department of Homeland Security was seriously injured.

During our hiatus we made a number of changes to the content we'll feature here. Mostly, it's a streamlining of articles. No more non-comic related movie reviews. No more travel related blog updates. No more music reviews (WTF was I thinking?). From here on out, it's comics and comic related articles. Something about every post here will have some connection, no matter how tenuous, to comicdom. Pinky swear.

Now that that's all cleared up, read on.

Planet Terrible

Robert Rodriguez is directing a reboot of Predator?! Yep. And he's gone and cast the two biggest badasses in Hollywood to be the leads. Who? Adrien Brody and Topher Grace! Now who ain't got time to bleed?

Sahara Sucked But...

lets hope The Crazies is different.

Possibly the best non-zombie Romero film, The (new) Crazies is being handled by Breck Eisner (Sahara) and although he is far from my first choice, the trailer looks nice and polished. The cast is strong starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson and I'm holding out some hope. The trailer however nice looking though, reveals quite a bit of the plot...maybe to much so if your down for spoilers check it HERE!! If you really want to do it the right way though watch the original (if you haven't seen it) then see what the new movies shaping up to be.


Joshua

Rules To Live By

A little late off the starting line with this one but finally I'm writing a review on one of the best films I've seen (at the theaters) in a long time...

ZOMBIELAND

First off lets get this out of the way SPOILER ALERT!! Now then, this movie fucking rocks...in more than one way. If you seen the trailer, you know the plot, if you didn't get it you suck. So instead I like to list off some of my favorite parts and the reasons why this movie is and will be a huge hit.

RULE #1: Always open with metal...
This film kicks it off in a special way featuring "For Whom the Bell Tolls" while images of broken bones, bitten flesh and flying teeth fill in the rest. At this point I was in and couldn't be more excited.

RULE #2: Comedy, Comedy, Comedy...
This film is not a horror-comedy, its a comedy (with zombie scenery) and it works perfectly. The zombies are there and they pose some kinda threat, but they are far from the focus, this movie is all about the characters and how they deal with life in this reality. The laughs are non stop (except for one moment in particular) and just when you think you've seen (and heard) it all, we get the cameo of a life time...Bill Murray...that's right I said it, BILL FUCKING MURRAY!! (not to say his middle name is fucking). Fuck he's perfect for the role and if your a vet you'll know to stay threw the credits cause Bill comes back to steal the scene again.

RULE #3: Opposites attract...
Lastly I wanna talk about the dynamic duo, no not the b-man and boy wounder...were talking about Tallahassee and Columbus two dudes that have nothing in common except for capturing my heart. These guys have got something for everybody, although the female roles in the movie where way underwritten, they didn't skimp on our two beaus. If you can't get behind Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a neurotic nerd who's O.C.D. puts my own to shame. Then perhaps you can show some love for Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a guy who kicks zombie ass and loves Twinkies (a little to much). Combined you've got one hell of a team, a true classic buddy duo.

This movie is one I can recommend to everyone, a film for the casual and hardcore fans alike. Do yourself a favor and see this movie...NOW!!


Joshua

The B Team

Well shit here we have it...

Neeson, Rampage, a de-Prawned Sharlto Copely (as my favorite character Murdoch) and Cooper. Check out all the photos of the new A-Team HERE!!


Joshua

Doom On You

Bethesda Studios has a new stealth-action-shooter on the way called Rogue Warrior. Normally I'd be indifferent, but the main character will be voiced by none other than Mickey "The Comeback Kid" Rourke. Sweet.


Tyler

Flabby Toad

I love me some of The Beatles. Problem is...they're all the fuck over the place right now. 40th anniversary of Abbey Road, The Beatles: Rock Band...where does it all end? It doesn't.

So, I have the balls to take the piss out of Rock Band: The Beatles...

So, the song choice is decent...no matter that the developers made the songs WAY harder to play on fake instruments than they are on real ones. Really, anyone with a modicum of musical ability could pull off nearly all of these songs at one listen, much less perfect them after a practice or two.

Pulling a cheap ass Guitar Hero stunt loses respectability with the users. Do us right next time...or we'll disconnect...or something.

Posterios Hairlip.

David Mazzuccelli...artist on Ultimates 3, and Batman: Year One.

An amazing artist throws his hat into creating a leviathan of a graphic-novel.

His effort? Asterios Polyp.

The outcome? The most discussed offering by any contemporary comics creator this year.

The review? A monstrosity of a tale about the duality of a single man completed by his forsaken but self-actualised other half...not his dead twin.

While the story is heartbreaking in it's delivery, so to speak, the art delivers more of the current of realization by Asterios as a whole. Even the utterly preposterous meteor strike ending Asterios' narrative makes a bit of sense, given his visualizations throughout the story.

Not for the everyday reader, by FAR! Give yourself over to this masterful piece of art.

Master Thief

Ok...I'm going on record here. FUCK HALO!

Story wise, maybe the Halo universe has it's merits...as a game? It's done nothing but repackage the same basic gameplay over two generations of home consoles. Be honest with yourselves...has Halo changed significantly outside of graphics since the first game? Answer: No.

Now, Production IG and TOEI are teaming up for a Halo anime...which looks like I expected...a shitty Americanized anime like Armitage. Sure, it has some sweet anime-style colors and their ilk, but the action is Americanized to the point of boredom. CG models of major elements in the scene rather than CG as enhancement. Thumbs down...across the entire Halo universe.

Fist Bungie Entertainment. The bastard is called Halo: Legends


Tyler

Your Heart Is No Place For A Wretch Like Me.

I offer up another first for thecomiccult!

A bona-fide music review.

My subject? Every Time I Die and their new release New Junk Asthetic.

Musically, ETID has always kept their releases interesting for the most part...Gutter Phenomenon aside (natch!). Lyrically, Keith Buckley brings the cock and drugs. This release is not too different.

Band wise, this album is tight as fuck. Big drums, big guitars, big bass, big vox. All the ETID cock and swagger is here. Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams get savage with the tone on their guitars. Borrowing a buried sound from The Dillinger Escape Plan to facilitate Keith's vox.

This is ETID at their most muscular...in all arenas. The single: Wanderlust sees Keith putting on his best Neil Fallon...and not disappointing.

I could go on about this album, but you should give it a listen for yourself to get the full effect.


Tyler

It's "Go" Time!

Tonight, on the same cable TV network, I saw two seperate advertisements for two seperate Sony PSP products...

First up...Gran Turismo on PSP. Showed on a PSP 3000 series unit in glorious graphical eye-candy. 800 cars, 35 tracks...fuck yes! Or is it?

Launching the same day and marketed with a FAR sexier commercial is the digital-download only PSPGo system.

I'm torn...GTPSP is a major enticement for me...I love GT...like whoah! I have no PSP though...

Should I get the UMD based PSP3000? OR! Should I wait out the PSPGo and go all digital and not bother with stupid fragile UMD discs?

Oh...I get GT for free...

Shit!


Tyler

Batgasm!

More Batman?! Fuck yes.

Batman: Arkham Asylum. Our first game review!

I don't have much to say other than the fact that it's the single best comicbook character based game ever made. I worded it that way because the game's story doesn't follow anything in the comics canon.

As a game, the controls are top-notch. You feel like you're the Batman skulking through the shadows after your prey. The combat, though mapped to a single button for the most part, is intuitive and fully visceral at the same time. Taking out thugs ten at a time is such a fucking blast you won't even be bothered to get on with the campaign. Speaking of campaign...who scripted this bad-motherfucker out? Comics legend Paul Dini, that's who. The same Paul Dini that created Batman: The Animated Series in the early 90's and Batman: Mad Love in comics form. You can also credit him for creating Joker's girlfriend and Kevin Smith's daughter's namesake...Harley Quinn.

What's a great game without great voice acting? Most of the cast from The Animated Series returns...namely Mark (Luke Skywalker) Hamill as The Joker...in his last performance of the role:( and Kevin Conroy as The Batman.

There are a few hang-ups I have with the game, but they're minor... Things like having to walk across Arkham Island most of the time... Ease of defeating most bosses (I AM The Fucking Batman after all) Detective mode being 'on' all the time.

These things aside...you'll be hard pressed to find a better comics-based game for a long long long time.

Score: 9 of 10


Tyler

30 Days Of "What The Fuck?"

Steve Niles... Oh what has become of thee? 30 Days Of Night was brilliant...as a comic, not that shite film adaptation. The work with Bernie Wrightson? Fantastic. City Of Dust? Not so much.

City Of Dust: A Phillip Khrome Story is Niles' melding of heady but lumbering sci-fi dystopia and fairytale horros come to life. In the universe of COD all imaginative thought and expression is against the law (think Equilibrium without the sweet ass action sequences). Philip Khrome is a police officer who was deemed a ward of the state after he turned his father in for crimes of thought at the age of 7. Many years later, after Khrome kills a wanted thought-criminal, he responds to a call regarding a brutally beheaded dead body. After a thorough tech-scan, no cause of death can be found. Khrome moves the body (against procedure) and finds an old children's book full of imaginary beasts under the dead man. Thus begins the skepticism by Khrome of the law he was raised on as truth.

There are conspiracies and horrors laid out within the story that would be really interesting if our focus wasn't placed on Khrome so early. He's basically a lifelong believer in this philosophy of non-imagination who's swayed, after YEARS as a police officer, by one murder and one glimpse at an outlawed book. I felt like I was being insulted as a reader by the audacity of the creators to let their stalwart character be so easily swayed. There was little internal conflict within Khrome at all. After the initial imagination spark Khrome goes on a quest to discover the truth behind the lies of thought-crime. Followed by a love interest (also a police officer) who needs no convincing whatsoever and has no personal revelation but does not question Khrome at all and a chief of police that is revealed to be an illegal robot, he sets out to discover what unidentified killer slayed the man with the book.

This was a mess to read, asking readers to take HUGE leaps with the main character that had seemingly dismissable reasoning.

The end of the story seems to point this out to be an ongoing series. That would be fantastic, if they started over and gave the material and reader the thought they deserve.


Tyler

That Bastard's Faster Than Walt Flanagan's Bat

Who wants to guess what I just finished reading? Yes, the first comic creation from long-time pals Kevin (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Green Arrow: Quiver, Marvel Visionaries: Daredevil) Smith and Walt (Fanboy) Flanagan. My impression? Story: Decent, and a fuck-ton of fun to read. Art: Passable, while not Tim Sale or Jim Lee or David Mazzuccelli, and reminiscent of the animated series with a lot more blood and detail. Highlight? The characterization of The Joker. All the nutcase staples are hit but with a bit of tongue-in-cheek and a flirtation with cock-in-ass. As a three issue series, I wish it had two more installments to flesh out the story a bit more. Gist: Someone hires Deadshot to kill Joker while he's captive in Arkham (reading The Fountainhead no less) for the overdose of his son on "chuckles". A drug comprised of Joker's venom cut with ecstacy (by the lamest villain in Batman's Rogues Gallery: Maxi Zeus) that is de rigueur on the club scene. But a masked action-word quoting badass gets the drop on Deadshot! (and later on Batman...TWICE!) Thus, turning this foiled assassination attempt into an escape. An escape Joker is willing to give up his holiest-of-holies for...but is snubbed.

While I adore Kevin Smith, I'm not going to fellate him by saying this is the best Batman arc since The Dark Knight Returns. What I will say is this: If you want a nice one-off story with pop-culture references and poop jokes...pick up the trade of Batman: Cacophony. Now available in hardcover.

I sought out the individual issues...and paid $22.50 for the three, when the hardcover trade goes for $19.99 before my sweet ass discount...bollocks.

On a very related note: Batman: The Widening Gyre #1 by Smith and Flanagan hit a few weeks ago and issue #2 drops tomorrow. Fucked if I know what the name means...


Tyler

Down With The Browns?

No, I'm not either. The Cleveland Show premiered last night. Let's just say I was less than impressed. To put it into perspective, I'd rather watch an episode of American Dad. In as much as American Dad is a step down from Family Guy, The Cleveland Show is a step down from American Dad. I chuckled a couple times but my precious DVR space will not be filled with the new show.

I'm back from vacation and conference and hurting my foot so expect lots in the next few days...for realsies though, not like that tease Josh left:)


Tyler

Lost But Not Forgotten

So we have been absent for a while...but no worries Tyler will soon be back and I myself am going to be posting by the end of the week.

We are your only hope.

Joshua

Hex Appeal

Get the fuck into this... There's a Jonah Hex film on the horizon. Josh Brolin is Jonah. That fact = awesome. Megan Fox is in there somewhere...getting billing...which is NOT awesome in any way at all. However, what is exponentially more awesome than Sean Astin's older brother starring in the film is the fact that Masto-motherfucking-don are handling the ENTIRE soundtrack for the film. No no no...not just an existing song or two...the whole soundtrack...form it's genesis.

I Pity The Champ

My esteemed colleague has informed me that the film version of The A-Team has cast it's B. A. Baracus in the form of ex UFC light-heavyweight champ (YES!!! 'EX') Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. Really, filmmakers? Was Michael Clarke Duncan THAT busy?

Not that there was a chance in hell I'd actually go watch an A-Team film in the theaters in the first place. but 'what the fuck'?

80's TV-to-film shit piles: Transformers and it's sequel, G.I. Joe, Transformers...again, ...and the predicted A-Team.

My advice to Hollywood: Capitalising on nostalgia is only successful if you're a sports franchise. Give it up...cunts.

Body Of Lies

I really want to encourage all you fine upstanding young folk to go and get you a peek at the film Jennifer's Body. "Why Tyler, why would you want us to do such a deplorable thing?" Well, my reasons are two fold. 1) I want every male with a chub-on for Megan Fox to realize that she's fucking worthless. 2) I want every script writer with a chub-on for Diablo Cody to realize that an ex-stripper isn't Hollywood's savior.

I'll drink to flashes in the pan on an hourly basis.


Tyler

Buena Venom

Disney buys Marvel for $4 billion?!? Holy snikt I hope they don't thwip all that money on Marvel only to have it bamf out.

Seriously...out action-word me there!


Tyler

Bonnie

Waiting to go the eff home at SFO. The conference was pretty cool I guess. It actually ends up being the worst of both worlds. All that walking around and all you want to do is sit down. Then when the time comes to sit, it's for hours at a time. I thought I'd have more to report on but the vendors didn't really have much to show. Brutal Legend looks badass. We met Tim Schafer and offered him a wet lemon. I'm actually excited for a Splinter Cell game. Other than that...I got nothin' but dehydrated.


Tyler

Ain't No Moshpit Like A GameStop Moshpit

Activision reception = Awesome. I have a new, albeit begrudging, respect for turntablists. DJ Z-Trip layed down beats from Jay-Z to House Of Pain mixed with the likes of Kansas and Pantera. Not my normal forte but still good fun. Then Camp Freddy (Donovan Letich son of crooner Donovan, Chris Cheney of The Cult, Matt Sorum of Guns 'n Roses, Dave Navarro and a bassist I can't remember) took the stage. With the help of a few friends (Duff McKegan, Mark McGrath, Steve Stevens, Steve Smith from the fucking Sex Pistols, Corey Taylor, John 5 who slayed, and the Prince Of Motherfucking Darkbess...Ozzy) blazed through a set of classic cock 'n roll songs from the likes of Thin Lizzy, Ozzy, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick. It was a blast...despite Mark McGrath using the mic as a stunt cock.

Day One Down.

Nothing cool to report. Saw ODST gameplay and that's about it. I'm in transit to The Hard Rock for Activion's reception. Free food, booze, and music from some has-beens and John 5

Nergal Is My Co-Pilot

Airborne, I'm looking out the port side window of an all too small turboprop airplane. Less than six feet from my seat the wing mounted engine spins the attached propeller at a massively high rate of speed. Suddenly it occurs to me that the slightest stress fracture or flaw in said propeller's design could send it hurtling through the fuselage and directly into my body. My sleep deprived mind wonders at the similarity of the cloud shrouded landscape below to that of a huge miniature (oxymorons yay!) someone has constructed using looooots of spun cotton candy to simulate cloud cover.

Paranoia aside. I've landed safely at SFO. In flight music? Behemoth - Evangelion. Nearly the perfect running length...and blastbeats are fucking brutal whilst suffering through turbulence and small aircraft waggle.

Hitler On Avatar

Earlier we posted on the Avatar trailer...

I finally had my interest sparked by the trailer (which wasn't out of excitement) and wanted to investigate further on what Cameron has promised. Although I wasn't impressed by what I found (mostly because it all seems to add up to what is going to be a disappointing film) I did find this hilarious video featuring everyone's favorite fuhrer.

Watch it HERE!!

Joshua

Wish Me Well

Tomorrow, at the ungodly hour of 5:30am, I fly my way to Vegas for my annual conference. I expect to see a shit ton of cool games in play...and exponentially more uncool games. Either way, you'll be briefed intermittently throughout the week. Hopefully the walking won't kill me...or my inevitable buzz.


Tyler

D-10

Well it was inevitable...those son's a bitches that run the show have decided they want a D-9 sequel, they refer to jokingly as "District 10".

In a interview with writer/director Neill Blomkamp by SciFiMoviePage they discuss weather the next movie will be a prequel and what to do about the main character Wikus.

CHECK IT!!

Joshua

Can You Put A Price On Evil?

Taco Bell can. Evil is pretty reasonable though.

For your trouble you get a small drink, Nachos Supreme (no tomato or sour cream), crunchy taco, Ranchero chicken soft taco, and a side of nacho cheese. What? I was hungry! All for the highly demonic price of $6.66. Oh, and your eternal soul.


Tyler

Waxing Twilight

Vampires...they are the antithesis of sexy...Robert Pattinson should beware...

According to the diagnosis laid forth by legal novelist Chuck Hogan and master storyteller Guillermo Del Toro, the vampire is little more than a vermin to be exterminated with extreme (hatred for faggoty pseudo-romatic interpretations of the affliction) prejudice. I tend to agree.

The Strain is the first novel in a vampire-centric trilogy concieved by Del Toro and co-written by Hogan. Alas, this will not portray the vampire in the cinematically erotic position of 'Twilight' or 'Interview With The Vampire'...the decidedly romanticised vision of the vampire in cinema. Instead it will present the vampire in a more realistic light, as the scavenger of human sorrow.

The Strain starts with a plane landing without incident, but not answering any calls after the landing...not unlike that ship from that one vampire book...what was that ship called?!?! The DeeMeeter? Maybe The Demeter?

Yeah, everyone but four survivors are dead...sure the four survivors walk away...but after dark the rest of the passengers disappear from their respective morgues...

Despite what you've been shown...the sting of the vampire is not an erotic experience...but a savage emaciation by blood-thirsty savages with no regard for life of any kind!

You want to be truly scared...read The Strain by Guilermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It's scary as fuck...and steeped inreality...



Tyler

True Lies

Alright class. Raise your hand if you've heard the name Brad Meltzer. Yes, Bobby that's good. Alyssa, fantastic. Frank? You didn't raise your hand...why?!?!

Ok, ok. I'll give you stalwarts a break, sort of. You see, Brad Meltzer penned what some might consider the single greatest Justice League story ever comitted to page. That story is entitled 'Identity Crisis'. If you've not read it, you should consider yourself a slacker by comicdoms standards. Please go read that trade before continuing...

Done? No...really...read that fucker before you attempt this... We'll wait.

Alright...here goes...


In chapter four of the bible, Cain slays his brother Abel. However, the bible has nary a mention of the weapon used by Cain to kill Abel...

In 1932 Mitchell Siegel is slain by three gunshots to the chest. After Mitchell's death, his son Jerry dreamed of a man stronger than a locomotive. A man who could leap buildings in a single bound. A man faster than (and completely impervious to) a speeding bullet...a Superman!

The gun used to kill Mitchell remains undiscovered until a man named Cal Harper discovers his long lost father shot and left for dead in a park. The bullet matching the ones left in Mitchell Siegels body nearly 75 years earlier...

These three fragments...partially fact, partially fiction, start off the tremendous work of Brad Meltzer's novel The Book Of Lies.

If that lead-in isn't enough to get you interested in the book...you probably need someone to change your diapers.


Now that you've been wiped...go read this book. It reads like a crime thriller-family drama-conspiracy theory-spiritual explorarion mixed with the origin of the greatest super-hero ever concieved.


Tyler

SHAZAM!!

Bill Birch along with Geoff Johns take on "Captain Marvel" adaptation for a future film.

But this project has already sat for several years with unsuccessful attempts by William Goldman, Bryan Goluboff, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, as well as John August.

Peter Segal remains attached to direct and also is producing alongside Michael Ewing.

So is this the winning team? Will we finally see "Shazam" on the silver screen? I sure hope so.

Joshua

Reborn

Todd McFarlane, how could fans forget, but still McFarlane and his creations have become a faint memory (or so says the majority).

Well I'm happy to report McFarlane is back on the scene and has begun writing the screenplay for another "Spawn" movie.

"The story has been in my head for 7 or 8 years," McFarlane said. "The movie idea is neither a recap or continuation. It is a standalone story that will be R-rated. Creepy and scary." He also added that "the tone of this 'Spawn' movie will be for a more older audience. Like the film 'Departed.'"

Now I'm not sure about the "Departed" reference (maybe he's a big fan of the movie) but I'm looking forward to seeing "Simmons/Spawn" get reborn more mature and violently.

Joshua

Thor Casting

The cast of "Thor" continues to grow, but will it pay off? Is there any hope for cloudy and THUNDER (GOD)!! I don't know.

Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Brian Blessed and Chris Hemsworth as "Thor". With Ashley Miller, Mark Protosevich and Zack Stentz (spelled Zak in the credits), two out of three ain't bad. But theres no gaurentee, especially when it comes to comic book movies and there's a bigger problem, Kenneth Branagh...a director who in my opinion is lacking (to say the least).

If anything at least we have the comic series to read (which if you didn't read the review is amazing).

Joshua

Who Are You? And Why Should I Care?

Because the "Futurama Mini Figures" are here...

Thanks to Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and Kidrobot you now can have your own 3-Inch Vinyl figures of your favorite Planet Express employees.


With a total of 12 iconic characters, it doesn't end there, each figure comes with a sticker and gear for your new best friend to handle.

There is only one problem that I see...they are all "blind boxed". Whats that you say, well basically they are all packaged the exact same way with no possibility of knowing which figure awaits inside. This may seem novel or fun for some people but can also be extremely frustrating to others (including myself in the later).

None the less I can't deny my needs, my very desire, my giant man child geek! So I'll buy box after box and if you know me you might just get lucky and receive a (re) gift from yours truly.

Sold individually for $8.95 or by the case (total of 16 pieces) for $136.00

The 31st century never looked so good!

Pick yours up HERE! (Shipping is restricted)

Joshua

Andrew Stanton Goes Live Action

Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo", "WALL-E") is making his live action directorial debut with "John Carter of Mars". The screenplay by Stanton and Michael Chabon ("Spider-Man 2") is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs "A Princess of Mars" which is part of the 11 volume "Barsoom" series.

I'm a huge fan of Burroughs and especially the "Barsoom" series, not to mention being a fan of Stantons and who didn't love "Spider-Man 2"...seriously? The cast already includes shaping up Dominic West, Samantha Morton, Polly Walker, William Dafoe, Lynn Collins and Taylor Kitsch as "John Carter".

It might be a stretch but I'm already betting on this one being a success and hopefully a multi-film series.

Joshua

Nolan's Mind Fuck

Whats Christopher Nolan been doing... I'm not really sure. A contemporary science-fiction "set in the architecture of the mind", sounds good I guess. But with a cast of true talent (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine and Tom Berenger) and clearly one of the most gifted directors in Hollywood today, I'm not that worried.

And if there was any doubt in my mind, its been blasted out my ear by the new teaser which is both bizarre and brilliant looking.

Watch it Here!!

Joshua

Bastiches Unite!!!

Scott Ian + Sam Keith = New Lobo two issue series.

Check it...

http://www.gorila.hr/go/anthrax-guitarist-shreds-dc-comics-hellraiser-lobo_feeds_wired_com

Fallow the Cult

In case you didn't know were on Twitter...spread the word and check us out.

Keep up with the CULT!!

I Love Hitler And Hitler Loves Me

"Venture Bros." Season 4 preview is looking to continue one of the best series on Adult Swim. But its left me with one question...is "Brock" gone forever?

Watch it HERE!!

Joshua

"Kick Him In The Nards"

Werewolf movies get a lot of flack and for good reason, but "The Wolfman" (starring Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving) is not going to be one of those movies. This Wolfmans got nards.

Watch it HERE!!

Joshua

Return Of The "King"

I'll admit I wasn't overwhelmed with excitement when I first heard of James Cameron's Sci-fi "Titanic", even after reading article after article and seeing all the stills I just couldn't get behind it...but now that I've seen the trailer "Avatar" looks to be staying on track with my previous fears.

Watch it HERE!!

Joshua

Revolution District 9

This is the kind of sci-fi film I wish I'd seen ten years ago. Dystopia isn't new. Segregation is less new. This film, however bleakly, DOES show these situations in a new and fascinating light.

Set in present day Johannesberg, Africa, the film tells the story of Wikus Van De Merwe. A federal agent tasked by his father-in-law to evict the alien refugees known as 'prawns' from District 9. In the process Wikus is exposed to an alien fluid that has unexpected effects on his body.

I really don't want to tell you any more about this films plot or subject matter. It really needs to be viewed to be appreciated visually and narritively.

I will say that the better part is filmed documentary style with cuts to 'real-time' interspersed. Also, this is NOT a popcorn summer movie, but rather a film that has been meticulously crafted to generate discussions about not only race but societal class in the modern world.

Regardless of intent...this is a brutally shot film. Plenty of gore and splatters to engage even the more ardent slasher-flick fan. Nice camera spatter...cranial explosions...full body disintegrations...this is a true benchmark not only for mainstream social commentary, but for gorehounds and conspiracy theorists as well.

Do me and yourself a favor and see this film...then tell your asshole friends waiting to see 'The Final Destination' to skip that piece of shit and watch a film that entertains with gore and educates with more.

Tyler

GAH!

I had a ton of titles floating through my head for this post: "Grasping At Webs", "Hello! McSpidey!"(Cause Bob Gale wrote the Back To The Future trilogy...heh!), or "Maximum Suckage". Either one would fit, but in the end the one I used fit the best.

I am, of course, referring to the recent run of Amazing Spider-Man trades. Starting with 'One More Day' and running through 'New Ways To Die'.

First off: I love Spider-Man. He's the greatest ungerdog. The ultimate reserve Avenger. The fifth of the Fantastic Four. His logo would be the only one I'd consider tattooing on my body...maybe the Silver Surfer too.

ANYWAY. After the last few collections I've read, I'm seriously starting to reconsider.

I'll explain: Post-Civil War, Spidey is a fugitive. He revealed his identity at the behest of Tony Stark...and soon regrets his decision. He goes underground to escape the persecution. Villains come out from the woodwork and try to assassinate Peter Parker. A snipers bullet misses Peter and M.J. but hits May Parker instead. Everyone from doctors to super scientists to the Sorceror Supreme tell Peter to let go and accept the fact that May's time is at an end.

Peter, being Peter, takes full responsibility of course...but after the meeting with Dr. Strange, is led through the streets of New York by a little red-haired girl who runs away. Trying to save the girl from the dangers of the street, Peter encounters a fat bespectacled man in the park who tells him that becoming a video game programmer was the only way he could become the hero that Spider-Man is. Then, Spidey gets a lift from a mysterious man in a black limousine. The man is rich beyond imagination, but tells Peter that he only became rich to prove himself to the bullies he had in high school. But he also regretted leaving behind the one girl he truly wanted to be with.

Peter's next encounter is with a mysterious figure that tells him that every decision that has ever been made, every turn, every moment could have ended differently. Mephisto!

Mephisto tells Spidey he can save May. For a price. Not Spidey's soul...duh! Something far more valuable. Mephisto will make small changes in Spidey's life in exchange for his marriage...his love for Mary Jane. The one love that comes along in millennia. Peter and M.J. accept...to the bewilderment of Mephisto... as Mephisto explains: "Those people you met on your way to me were all different versions of you, Peter. But, the one you overlooked was the red-headded girl who started you on this journey. The daughter you will, now, never have."

What a great story! Right?! Yes...it is something for the ages...until the end. JMS' last Spidey story is epic and heartbreaking. Too bad the rest of the 'reboot' is trite and revamped shit.

After the 'deal' is made, Peter wakes up alone in his bed at May's house. Spidey's a fugitive for not registering...a criminal, again. Persecuted by the police and "The D.B."(formerly The Daily Bugle) which is no longer run by J. Jonah Jameson but has been bought by Dexter Bennett (initials D.B. blech). Triple J.'s competitor.

Peter becomes a papparazzi for a while, makes some money, gets fired, moves in with a police officer who is kidnapped by the daughter of Kraven The Hunter by mistake...

Those last two semi-paragraphs are the culmination of the three trades after JMS' One More Day.

One More Day starts at AMS #544 and this current run ends at AMS #573. Let's hope for the best after...

Tyler

Bjorn Again

The Thunder God Returns, and he’s bad ass…


On a whim, I picked up the two most recent Thor trades. I haven’t read a single issue of Thor in my life. So, why would I start now? Two reasons. 1: I get a sweet discount on books through my employer. 2: J. Michael Straczynski (Laziness dictates that reason 2 should be condensed to the acronym JMS because it’s a bitch to type out that whole name more than once.). We all know and love JMS from his previous efforts: Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, The Changeling (screenplay), and, of course, Babylon-5. He’s also penned the screenplay for the film adaptation of Max Brooks’ World War Z. I hate to say it, but once again JMS hits a homerun…

SPOILER ALERT! (Not really)
Ragnarok has come to pass. Asgard is no more. The son of Odin sleeps. But Dr. Donald Blake, Thor’s human vessel, convinces Thor that there is still need for him in our world. Seeing Blake’s words for truth, Thor resurrects himself. A god displaced needs somewhere to call his own, so Thor rebuilds Asgard on the plains in rural Oklahoma. Thor then finds out that there are other gods walking the Earth, cast into human hosts with, or without, their knowledge. He then sets out to find his lost brethren.

From then on, the story twists and turns with a subtlety that won’t surprise any JMS fan, culminating with the Thunder God dethroned and banished. The writing is spot-on, muscular and taut while still capturing the loneliness of a god out of his time. The pencils by Olivier Copiel (Avengers, Legion, House of M) give the title the requisite weight and otherworldly ambience it deserves. There are plenty of battle scenes to keep the action factor up to par, including a thorough pummeling of Iron-Man. Thor reduces Stark to scrap with two blows from the mighty Mjolnir. If you’re not a reader of the series, this is a good place to start.

Subsequently, issue 601 sees a splintering of the Asgardians. Some who align themselves with Balder, the new crowned king of Asgard (and Thor's recently revealed brother). Whom, at the convincing of Loki (!!!), has taken refuge in Latveria...home of Doom. But some yet remain loyal to their golden prince, Thor. Though he is banished.

In issue 602 the son of Odin seeks out Dr. Strange to repair the damaged Mjolnir and retrieves the soul of his beloved Sif. Meanwhile, a human who's fallen in love with the beautiful Kelda must prove himself to the new Asgardian company he now keeps. Oh, and Loki returns to his original form.

603 should hit soon...I'm all a'twitter...

Tyler