Monthly Archive: May 2012

Grimm Season One DVD Details Released

The dust has barely settled on the 2011-2012 television season, but the studios are already gearing up the season box sets in anticipation of the fall premieres. Among them is Grimm, which was a major ratings surprise for NBC when the mid-season series debuted. It takes an entirely different look at fairy tales, compared with ABC’s ratings success with Once Upon a Time proving once more that it all comes down to execution.

Universal Home Entertainment will be releasing the first season of Grimm on August 7 and if you haven’t sampled the series yet, it’s worth a look. Here are the details:

OVERVIEW: Classic Grimm’s fairy tales come to life like never before in the “dark and imaginative” (Mike Ayers, CNN.com) supernatural series Grimm, from the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.  Homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli, Privileged, Grey’s Anatomy) discovers he is descended from a long line of criminal profilers known as “Grimms,” protectors who are charged with keeping the balance between humanity and the creatures of myth.  With newly awoken abilities to detect the evil lurking among us, Nick struggles to keep his old life separate and safe as he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries of the Grimm world.  Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on August 7, 2012, Grimm Season One allows fans to experience all 22 chilling episodes back-to-back and uninterrupted. (more…)

E.T. Comes to Blu-Ray in October

et-blu-ray-300x322-1894059Hard to believe it’s been thirty years since that magical summer when tons of great films were released including Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extraterrestrial. The film will celebrate the occasion with several events beginning with an exclusive airing Friday on The Hub on at 9 p.m.

It’s the season of Spielberg, it seems, as first Jaws, then E.T. and the Indiana Jones films finally make their Blu-ray debuts. The sea thriller will be out in August while the other two are scheduled for October releases.

Here are the E.T. release details from Universal Home Entertainment:

Universal City, California, May 30, 2012 – E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg’s magical adventure, celebrates its 30th Anniversary with its first-ever release on Blu-ray™ this October. Featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture that delivers six times the resolution of DVD, as well as all-new 7.1 surroundsound, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes the 1982 theatrical movie, an all-new interview with director Steven Spielberg, and “The E.T. Journals” featuring never-before-seen footage from the set of the film. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack also includes UltraViolet™, a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, offering fans a chance to relive the mystery, laughter and wonder of the iconic movie anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWU42c1ku-o[/youtube] (more…)

Dennis O’Neil: Selling The Flag

Captain America, Abbie Hoffman and the sexy statue in the women’s department? What the heck do they have in common?

Hey, everyone, it’s Memorial Day here in the beautiful lower Hudson Valley and if we venture out into the sunshiny pre-summer day, we’ll be seeing some flags. Flags flapping from flagstaffs, flags draped on the front of houses, flags on cars and maybe shop windows and if we drive west, toward New City, we’ll see flags – a lot of flags – displayed along the road that passes over the reservoir because somebody – I have no idea who – hangs them from roadside poles there.

Maybe I’ll even throw them a salute or two, those flags, for old times sake. (At one point, my life was full of salutes. Not so much anymore.)

The other day, en route to a department store escalator, I passed a curvy mannequin clad in a bikini that seemed to be fashioned from, yes, a flag. I didn’t salute – hell, I didn’t even leer – but it’s just possible that I thought of Abbie Hoffman and Captain America.

Abbie, most of you may not know (because his moment happened before most of you were born) led protests of the Viet Nam war. (He was smart, charismatic and energetic and articulate and, come to think of it, a friend of ComicMix’s own Mike Gold.) In 1968, in Washington, Abbie was arrested for wearing a shirt that looked like a flag. This is not as draconian as it might seem (though it’s still plenty draconian): in those days, most states had anti-flag desecration laws. So, technically, Abbie was breaking the law.

His conviction was appealed, and overturned. Sometimes the universe is just.

I wonder: would the law have pounced on, say, a lady wearing a stars-and-stripes bathing suit? The flag code, which is promoted by patriotic organizations, specifies “no part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.” Surely, a swimming suit, however minimal, qualifies as an “athletic uniform.”

And what if our swimmer lies down for a snooze on the beach? Again, the code: “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.” Wouldn’t sand be as insulting as water? (And what kind of “merchandise” are we talking about, anyway?)

If our hypothetical bathing beauty is in trouble, Captain America had really better watch his p’s and q’s. Remember: “No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume…” And doesn’t Cap roll around in the dirt dodging bullets and the like?

I guess, at the end of the day, it all depends on who’s wearing the symbol, and why, and on who presumes to sit in judgment. That’s what the flag is, a symbol. Or a rectangle of colored cloth. But I won’t be entirely facetious if I salute it, later today, though what I’ll be saluting is probably different from what a tea partier salutes, or what is honored by the old men who send young men to war.

That’s a problem with symbols. They’re slippery.

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases

 

George Newbern reprises role of Man of Steel for SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE

superman-menagerie-300x168-5942904George Newbern makes his triumphant return as the voice of the Man of Steel in SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE, the latest DC Comics Premiere Movie coming June 12 from Warner Home Video.

Newbern put all the resounding tones of truth, justice and the American way into the commanding vocals behind the animation of Superman in both the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series. He last reprised the character’s voice for the DC Showcase original animated short, Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam.

Newbern is a constant on primetime television, appearing on current hit series like NCIS, The Mentalist, Castle and Grey’s Anatomy, to name a but a few. He’s widely recognized for his starring turn opposite Steve Martin in Father of the Bride, and for the NBC series Providence. His latest projects include a recurring role on the new ABC hit series Scandal.

superman-2-300x168-4918628In SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE, Superman’s effectiveness as a super hero comes into question when a new group of super powerful crusaders, known as “The Elite,” appear on the scene.  As super heroes, the Elite know no bounds, and are more than willing to kill, even on a massive scale, to stop villainy — putting them on a collision course with the ever-ethical and decidedly non-lethal Man of Steel.

Newbern is joined in the core cast by NCIS star Pauley Perrette as Lois Lane and versatile voice actor Robin Atkin Downes (Babylon 5) as Manchester Black, leader of The Elite. David Kaufman (Justice League: Doom) also reprises his Justice League TV series role as Jimmy Olsen.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives June 12, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Both the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViolet™ Digital Copy.

Newbern offered a few thoughts about playing Superman in a short chat following his final recording session for the film. (more…)

REVIEW: This Means War

tmw_dvd3d-300x400-1262292This Means War, out now from 20th Century Home Entertainment, had all the makings of a unique and fun romcom that instead turned out to be a dreadfully dull and predictable film that fell flat for audiences, critics and did dismally at the box office. The basic premise has Captain Kirk A and Shinzon as buddy spies vying to win the heart of Elle Woods, which meant they took the eye off their mission with horrible results.

McG is clearly a visually director who cares little about characterization or story structure which is a shame because with some effort, this could have risen above the obvious and been a modern day action romance along the lines of True Lies. In Los Angeles, CIA field operatives played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are the best of friends and have been for some time. But we’re shown how lonely they are and both coincidentally use the same online dating service at the same time.

Meantime, Product focus group facilitator Reese Witherspoon has also been out of the dating game for too long and is urged by her best friend Chelsea Handler to try online and guess which site she uses? Sure enough, she and Hardy, who is unhappily divorced from Abigail Spencer, agree to meet and find a spark. By sheer coincidence, she then meets Pine at the video store and there’s another unexpected connection. (more…)

Vote In The Semi-Finals of the Mix May Mayhem NSFW Webcomics Tournament!

mixmaymayhemsquare-150x150-4994828At long last– Round 4!

Sorry it took a while, some of the donations for votes came in without saying who the money was going for, so we wanted to wait until we could come to final totals. So far, we’ve raised over $650 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund— and we’re down to the final four contestants!

Here are the updated brackets… and remember, these are NSFW comics, so be careful when you click through to look and read them! (more…)

Mike Gold: The Secret Identity Myth, part 1

It’s beginning to appear as though we’re moving away from one of the pillars of superherodom, the secret identity. Even though this movement started back in the early 1960s with The Fantastic Four, it’s moved slowly up to the breakthrough moment in the first Iron Man movie.

Of course, that was telegraphed a few years before by my pal Mike Grell during his run on the comic book, but Marvel squeezed that back in the tubes where it sat until the movie people showed them Mike was right in the first place.

Such pettiness aside, I welcome the departure from tradition. The secret identity was almost always a stupid idea. Clark Kent became Superman to protect his friends and loved ones from harm? Okay, fine. I can appreciate that even the Man of Steel can not keep an eye on Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Lex Luthor (well, they used to be friends…), Linda Lee, Lionel Luthor, and Leslie Luckabee simultaneously, 24/7. But let’s do a little reality testing here: all Toyman has to do is grab Agnes Applebee off of the streets and hold a gun to her head and Superman is in the exact same pickle.

There were worthy exceptions. I can see why Bruce Wayne covers up: he doesn’t want all those people inconvenienced by the Dark Knight’s activities to sue the poo outta him. Going back to the dawn of the pulp era, the incredibly wealthy nobleman Don Diego de la Vega was committing high treason every time he dressed up as Zorro: to the natives of California he was a hero, but to the Power he was a terrorist. Even then, Zorro revealed his identity at the end his first tale, The Curse of Capistrano, but author/creator Johnston McCulley overlooked this aberration in his five-dozen subsequent stories.

Arguably the first costumed hero (Spring-Heeled Jack was a villain, and was further disadvantaged by being ostensibly real) was the Scarlet Pimpernel, created 14 years before Zorro by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1905. He had the same excuse as Don Diego: he was committing treason, in this case against the French Revolution. He and his 19-member legion ran around rescuing their fellow aristocrats from the best of times, the worst of times. So, sure, he had a good reason for his secret identity.

But Superman? Not so much. Wonder Woman? Give me a break; army nurse turned Second Lieutenant Diana Prince was wasting her powers as anything other than Princess Diana. The X-Men? They had no lives; did they need masks because “Hey, Beast!” sounds better than “Hey, Hank!”? Doctor Strange didn’t have a secret identity; in real life, he was Doctor Strange. If the wrong people got the right idea, he’d mystically brainwash them. Spider-Man? C’mon, we’d be better off without Aunt May.

The man with one of the most famous secret identities of all time – or, perhaps, two – in fact didn’t have a secret identity at all. Were he to be unmasked, he would be nothing.

I’ll tell you about him next week.

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil Talks About Mike Gold’s Old Boss

 

WHITE ROCKET BOOKS ANNOUNCES ASSEMBLED 1 AND 2 NOW ON KINDLE!

ASSEMBLED! and ASSEMBLED 2: Avengers books now on Kindle!

Best-Selling Trade Paperbacks Covering Marvel’s Avengers — Now on Amazon Kindle

(May 29, 2012)  White Rocket Books proudly announces the release in Kindle e-reader format of ASSEMBLED! and ASSEMBLED 2, the wildly popular guidebooks that cover all five decades of Marvel’s AVENGERS superhero team—the comics, stories, creators and characters.

ASSEMBLED! breaks down the history of the Avengers comics by “era,” with chapters focusing on the greatest and most memorable stints by the top Avengers creators, from the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby run and the Roy Thomas period, through George Perez’s two eras,  all the way to Brian Michael Bendis, and everything else in between.  Each chapter was authored by a different noted Avengers expert, presenting the good and the bad of that creative team’s run, as well as commentary, humor, and analysis of the characters and events involved.  Additional chapters explore the Ultimates, West Coast Avengers, Thunderbolts and more. The book concludes with a massive chronology of Avengers history and a look at the top Avengers highlights of every single year from 1963 up to publication.  The book’s Introduction was provided by Keith R. A. DeCandido, editor of the Marvel Novels line from Byron Preiss Multimedia.

ASSEMBLED 2 presents an in-depth look at the “Big Three” Avengers:  Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, individually and as the leading forces behind the team itself.  The Introduction to this volume is by none other than Marvel Comics Vice-President and longtime Avengers editor Tom Brevoort.  The volume also includes multiple chapters exploring the histories of the greatest Avengers villains, Ultron and Kang (not to mention Thanos), as well as a look at Young Avengers and the epic Avengers Forever.  The book concludes with an in-depth chronicling of all the Avengers appearances in prose novels through the years.

The two books were created and edited by Van Allen Plexico (Sentinels, Lucian), who originated the very first and longest-running Avengers fan web site,AvengersAssemble.net, way back in 1995.  Contributors—collectively known as the “Jarvis Heads”—include such comics-culture luminaries as Sean McQuaid (MarvelHandbooks), David Medinnus (Star-Spangled Site), Joe Crowe (RevolutionSF), Ian Watson, Karen Walker (Back Issue), Mark Bousquet, Sharon Karibian, Rob Clough, Scott Harris, and many more.

Proceeds from the sale of the books go to the HERO Initiative charity for retired comics professionals, as chosen by legendary artist George Perez.

“These two books have become absolute favorites of so many Avengers fans,” notes Plexico, “and we Jarvis Heads are very proud to have brought them to the public. With the astonishing success of the Avengers movie, and with these new electronic editions, we hope to reach a whole new generation of fans and turn them on to the rich and epic history of our favorite group of assemblers!”

White Rocket Books is a leader in both New Pulp adventure and nonfiction pop culture commentary books.   White Rocket books have hit the Amazon.com Top 15-by-Genre and have garnered praise from everyone from Marvel Comics Vice President Tom Brevoort to Kirkus Reviews.

ASSEMBLED! and ASSEMBLED 2 are $2.99 each in the Kindle store at Amazon.com.  They are also available as trade paperbacks.

ASSEMBLED!  Five Decades of Earth’s Mightiest

248 pages in print edition

ASIN: B00820UESS

ASSEMBLED 2: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Villains

186 pages in print edition

ASIN: B0082PXQH4

ASSEMBLED!

ASSEMBLED 2


PULPED! RETURNS!

After a hiatus the likes which will never be seen again, the Boys of Pulped! Are Back!  This week Tommy Hancock hosts fascinating guest and author Lee Killough, author of Checking On Culture: An Aid to Building Story Background!  Published by Yard Dog Press, this book is  A MUST HAVE for anyone writing today!  Tips on how to build societies, what things to look for in all areas, including agriculture, technology, personal interactions, and more!  Doesn’t matter if you’re setting your tale in 1930s New York or in a far off future on a distant planet where amoebas are the dominant life form! Culture is everywhere and Lee’s book is a GREAT guide on how to build it properly!

Also, Barry Reese begins his REVIEWS FROM THE 87TH FLOOR, taking a look at Classic and New Pulp works and giving you his thoughts and commentary on them, like it or not!   

PULPED! is back and be sure to follow the show in the coming weeks because it’s exactly the same, but man, ONLY WAY DIFFERENT!

Listen to PULPED! here –  LEE KILLOUGH GETS PULPED! and download it from iTunes!

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Chip Kidd Is Guest of Honor at CBLDF’s Book Expo Party!

Celebrate free speech at this year’s Book Expo by raising a toast to CHIP KIDD on Tuesday, June 5th in a benefit to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!

A VIP cocktail reception starts at 7 PM. Kidd will present a behind-the-scenes look at creating this book, and all attendees will receive an extremely limited copy of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN, with an exclusive signed and numbered bookplate, designed by Mr. Kidd. These bookplated editions are extremely limited, and will be available one time only. Hors d’Oeuvres will be served. This is a ticketed event, with limited admission available for a $50 donation to the CBLDF. Reserve your ticket here.

At 8:30 pm, an open release party and book signing will begin. Copies of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN will be available at the venue! (No ticket needed for this portion of the evening, but a suggested donation at the door is appreciated)

The event happens at SMITHFIELD, 215 West 28th Street New York, NY 10001.

Info about BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN:

Writer: Chip Kidd, Artist: Dave Taylor

In this new, original graphic novel from superstar writer/designer Chip Kidd and artist Dave Taylor, Gotham City is undergoing one of the most expansive construction booms in its history. The most prestigious architects from across the globe have buildings in various phases of completion all over town. As chairman of the Gotham Landmarks Commission, Bruce Wayne has been a key part of this boom, which signals a golden age of architectural ingenuity for the city. And then, the explosions begin.

All manner of design-related malfunctions – faulty crane calculations, sturdy materials suddenly collapsing, software glitches, walkways giving way and more – cause casualties across the city. This bizarre string of seemingly random catastrophes threatens to bring down the whole construction industry. Fingers are pointed as Batman must somehow solve the problem and find whoever is behind it all.

This event will take place at 7 pm, June 5th, at SMITHFIELD, 215 West 28th Street New York, NY 10001

Tickets for the 7 PM Cocktail Hour Available at http://cbldf.myshopify.com/products/batman-death-by-design-release-party-and-presentation

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