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Winter is Here and so is Game of Thrones Season 6 on Disc

got-s6-e1469042092833-3881715New York, N.Y., July 18, 2016 – Last year’s Emmy® Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series and currently nominated for 23 2016 Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing Outstanding Supporting Actress (Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington), Game of Thrones is bigger than ever delivering “the power and pathos fans have come to expect” (Los Angeles Times).  The HBO drama has consistently been the top selling TV on DVD/BD for the past five years and now fans can get the most recent season earlier than ever when Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season debuts from HBO Home Entertainment on Digital HD on August 1, 2016 and on Blu-ray™ with Digital HD and DVD November 15, 2016. The set features all 10 episodes, plus extensive bonus content:

Digital HD Download

  • Bran’s Journey – A nine-minute feature delving into the shocking and revelatory journey Bran Stark took in Season 6.
  • The Dothraki World – Behind-the-Scenes featurette bringing viewers up to speed on the Dothraki culture, not seen since Season 1.
  • Inside Game of Thrones: Prosthetics – Behind-the-Scenes featurette detailing what goes into the show’s prosthetics creation.
  • The Game Revealed – Five-part series covering the creation of Season 6’s most epic set pieces and scenes.

Blu-ray™ with Digital Copy – includes all DVD features plus:

  • In-Episode Guide – Dig deeper into the show with this in-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations, and relevant histories.
  • Histories and Lore – Learn about the mythology of Westeros and Essos as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves in 18 history pieces.
    • The Old Way: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
    • The Kingsmoot: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
    • The Sunset Sea: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
    • War of the Ninepenny Kings: narrated by Brother Ray (Ian McShane)
    • The Great Tourney at Harrenhal: narrated by Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick)
    • Robert’s Rebellion: narrated by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)
    • Vaes Dothrak: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)
    • The Dothraki: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)
    • Northern Allegiances to House Stark: narrated by Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)
    • Children of the Forest vs. the First Men: narrated by the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow)
    • Brotherhood Without Banners: narrated by Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye)
    • Oldtown: narrated by Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) and Qyburn (Anton Lesser)
    • House Dayne: narrated by Young Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo)
    • The Little Birds: narrated by Lord Varys (Conleth Hill)
    • Knights of the Vale: narrated by Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish (Aidan Gillen)
    • House Tarly: narrated by Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner)
    • Riverrun: narrated by Brynden ‘the Blackfish’ Tully (Clive Russell)
    • Great Sept of Baelor: narrated by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce)

got-s6-beauty-shot-e1469042167676-1424933DVD:

  • The Battle of the Bastards: An In-Depth Look – Behind-the-scenes piece examining the production challenges of creating this epic event, including explorations of VFX, stunts, and interviews with key cast and crew.
  • Recreating the Dothraki World – Behind-the-scenes piece looking at the creation of Vaes Dothrak and its importance to Dany’s evolution.
  • 18 Hours at the Paint Hall –Follow all three shooting units as they converge in this behind-the-scenes snapshot of a day in the life of the largest show on television
  • Audio Commentaries – The most commentaries ever recorded for Game of Thrones, featuring:
    • Episode 601: Director Jeremy Podeswa, Director of Photography Greg Middleton, and Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne)
    • Episode 602: Writer Dave Hill, Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Ben Crompton (Dolorous Edd)
    • Episode 603: Director Daniel Sackheim, Production Designer Deborah Riley, and Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon)
    • Episode 604: Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont),  and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm)
    • Episode 605 (2 commentaries): Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Ellie Kendrick (Meera Reed), and Kristian Nairn (Hodor); Prosthetics Supervisor Barrie Gower, Camera Operators Chris Plevin and Ben Wilson, and Executive Producer Bernadette Caulfield
    • Episode 606: Director Jack Bender, Director of Photography Jonathan Freeman, John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Hannah Murray (Gilly)
    • Episode 607: Producer/Writer Bryan Cogman, Ian McShane (Septon Ray), and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)
    • Episode 608: Director Mark Mylod, Essie Davis (Lady Crane), and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)
    • Episode 609 (2 commentaries): Director Miguel Sapochnik, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), and Kit Harington (Jon Snow); Director of Photography Fabian Wagner, Visual Effects Producer Steve Kullback, and Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Bauer
    • Episode 610 (2 commentaries): Executive Producers/Writers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister); Special Effects Supervisor Sam Conway, Camera Operator Sean Savage, and Producer Chris Newman
  • Deleted Scenes – Four deleted scenes.

The most-watched series in HBO history and a worldwide TV phenomenon, Game of Thrones returns with another power season. This year, after the shocking developments at the end of Season 5 – including Jon Snow’s bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys’ near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei’s public humiliation in the streets of King’s Landing – survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south.

The Point Radio: 3RD STREET BLACKOUT A Really Dark Comedy

Brilliant comedian Negin Farsad has moved from stand up to documentary filmmaker to book author, and now a romantic comedy. 3RD STREET BLACKOUT isn’t a typical RomCom, but Negin rarely does anything typical. Plus after six decades of TV and movie roles, Robert Forrester talks about paying his dues a few times over and his part in the upcoming TWIN PEAKS reboot.

And…ComicCon 2016 has started!  Follow our daily reports here and see who we run into here on Instagram

REVIEW: Person of Interest the Complete Fifth Season

POI Season 5Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.

It used to be we worried about the threat of artificial intelligence in movies like Colossus: The Forbin Project or “The Ultimate Computer” episode of Star Trek. Today, though, artificial intelligence is here thanks to Siri and Cortanna and their cousins. We talk to our phones and they answer back and these bots are growing increasingly sophisticated. As a result, what seemed ahead of its time a mere give years ago is looking increasingly prescient.

CBS’ Person of Interest arrived on September 22, 2011 and came with a fine pedigree having been created by Jonathan Nolan with J.J. Abrams on board as Executive Producer. It starred Michael Emerson, hot off Lost, Jim Caviezel, a pre-Empire Taraji P. Henson, and Kevin Chapman. It received near universal acclaim for raising key issues about personal privacy, cyber-terrorism, the invasiveness of the government, and the growing reliance on A.I. to help our everyday lives.

While never a ratings blockbuster, it did nicely for the network and continued to grow and evolve as the Machine, invented by Harold Finch (Emerson) continued to data mine and pop out social security numbers of Americans whose lives might be in danger. Ex-Special Forces agent and lost soul John Reese (Caviezel) was dispatched to investigate and intervene as necessary, often aided first by NYPD detective Jocelyn “Joss” Carter (Henson) and also detective Lionel Fusco (Chapman).

Along the way, the series raised questions each week while weaving a fascinating tapestry about the characters as we watched Fusco overcome the taint of corruption via the Police force’s wicked HR and learned about Reese’s complicated and difficult life. While their assignments sent them here and there, often they were in New York City and we gained insights into the criminal element as well with high school teacher/underworld mob boss Carl Elias (Enrico Colantoni).

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Photo: Barbara Nitke/CBS ©2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Of course, Finch wasn’t the only one to hack their way around the world, there was the threat from someone known only as Root (Amy Acker) but in time, she and Finch found they had more in common and became allies if not friends.

And the government had their own shadowy operatives and agencies with SIA operative Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi) trading blows with Reese on more than one occasion before she too joined forces with the Machine’s team.

Across four taut seasons, the storytelling went from topical and dramatic to character building and was never less than interesting. As the fourth season wound down, we met Samaritan, a machine built by the government to replace the Machine, stolen by Finch before they could use it for questionable purposes. A man named Greer (John Nolan) oversaw the government eventually agreeing to activate it. As it grew in strength, it built a network of operatives and acquired companies in order to protect itself and begin its systematic takeover of America in order to perfect society.

Season four saw the rise of Samaritan and the fall of the Machine as Greer captured Shaw and everyone else had to scatter. Things looked bad for the world and worse for the series as CBS held it off until mid-season, ordering a mere thirteen episodes. When the air date was finally announced for May, it became clear the series was over so the team saw to it everything wrapped up.

Warner Home Entertainment has released Person of Interest the Complete Fifth Season as a three-disc DVD set. In addition to all thirteen episodes, it has the 2015 Comic-Con Panel, Revelations of Person of Interest, with executive producers Nolan, Greg Plageman and Denise Thé  and Emerson talk with critic Eric Goldman about the series; and Finale for the Fans where Goldman and company talk the series’; 100th episode.

With a shortened season, the stories had to be more focused and the first order of business was restoring the Machine, which had to be condensed and compacted to escape Samaritan. Once that was done, it continued to adjust itself and send the agents out on routine assignments while Root fretted over Shaw’s whereabouts. Shaw, meantime, was subjected to over 7000 virtual reality simulations in an attempt to turn her into a traitor, destined to kill the Machine’s team. Instead, she escaped and struggled to regain her balance between reality and fantasy. And we were surprised to see Elias had survived, harbored by Finch and supportive in the battle against Samaritan, which proved to have no compunctions about killing when most efficacious in solving a dilemma.

"The Day the World Went Away" -- Finch’s number comes up when a fatal error blows his cover identity and sets off a deadly series of escalating encounters with Samaritan’s operatives, on the 100th episode of PERSON OF INTEREST, Tuesday, May 31 (10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured L-R: Sarah Shahi as Sameen Shaw, Amy Acker as Root, and Michael Emerson as Harold Finch Photo: Giovanni Rufino/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. ©2016 WBEI. All rights reserved.

Photo: Giovanni Rufino/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. ©2016 WBEI. All rights reserved.

One issue concerned me in Season Four, which was why the Machine was not assembling its own expanded team to ready for the coming battle with Samaritan. The new intelligence seemed to have in inexhaustible supply of killers and henchmen while Finch had just his small cadre. Well, it took until episode 101, or the eleventh of the season, to show that the Machine had been busy. Three former numbers – Joey Durban (James Carpinello), Harper Rose (Annie Ilonzeh), and Logan Pierce (Jimmi Pierce) – had been recruited by the Machine and sent out on missions. Cool, but the Machine never told Finch? It feels false coming in so late and without much discussion.

The season, though, had plenty of debates between Finch and Root and Finch and Greer regarding the ethics of the Machine and Samaritan, the role of A.I. in human society, and the price of freedom. It was chilling when Greer admitted he lost control of Samaritan and there were no official checks or balances in place. Everything fell to the Machine and its creator, Finch, to protect humankind.

By series’ end, there were deep losses but there were also very satisfying conclusions to numerous character arcs. Unlike the dissatisfying wrap ups on Castle and Nashville, the series gets kudos for going out with its head held high and its relevance still important as the show shifts into streaming mode.

If you missed the season or the series, it’s comes well recommended.

 

Mike Gold: Archie Is Too Cool For Words

ramones-wide-3091023

Lately, my Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind kickass rock and blues Internet radio show has spilled over into my ComicMix column. But it’s hard for me to restrain myself, and besides, self-restraint isn’t exactly my long suit.

Since every living person, as well as the estates of many of the dead, makes all kinds of “big” announcements at SDCC, the smart people (Hi, Martha!) make their big announcements the week before the show. They’ll get better exposure in the online comics news sites, and this year they avoid having to compete for attention with a 70-year old Creamsicle media hog with severe bigotry issues.

ramones-archie-7740162So our friends at Archie Comics cleverly chose last week to announce their latest bizarre crossover, Archie Meets The Ramones. This past decade or so, Archie Comics (as opposed to the character, Archie Andrews) have been the most innovative and risk-taking of the Original Comics Publishers. Archie has methodically testing new concepts, new interpretations of their characters, super and non, and new ways of running their company to provide the revenue to launch such projects. I think I read all of their new-material comics save their Sonic the Hedgehog line, and I like what they’re doing.

They’ve done unusual crossovers before – Archie Meets The Punisher probably is the one best-known to the ComicMix audience. They’ve done rock’n’roll based crossovers before. But linking up with The Ramones is a whole ‘nother matter. The Ramones were part of the vanguard of the punk rock movement that they, in fact, started back in 1974. It was and remains as exciting and as vital to the form as the blues/folk/hippie rock from the previous decade. One might not think the Ramones to be a good fit with the Riverdale crew, and I highly suspect that previous (and older) management teams might have felt the same way.

Riskier still is the fact that almost all of the original Ramones are dead. They ran until 1996. Joey Ramone died in 2001, Dee Dee Ramone died in 2002, Johnny Ramone died in 2004, and Tommy Ramone died in 2014. Two important notes: First, the “Ramone” surname was contrived; they were no more related to each other than were the Doobie Brothers. Second, they were not the most doomed band in rock history. That privilege goes to Beatles protégés Badfinger; I mean them no disrespect by avoiding the specifics. Wiki’s got them just fine.

Let us not be confused by the fact that one of Archie Comics’ more popular titles is called Afterlife With Archie. Evidently, Riverdale’s typical teen-agers indulge in some serious time-travel. Comics fans get that. Rock fans get that. Your grandparents; probably not. They’ve been working on understanding Doctor Who since 1963.

Archie Meets The Ramones is a very, very clever concept. And it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ll see on October 5th.

The Ramones, The Punisher, KISS, Predator, Glee, Sharknado… Where does Archie go for its next unlikely team-up? Way back in the mid-1980s I whimsically suggested to then-publisher Michael Silberkleit we do a Betty and Veronica / American Flagg! mini-series. He immediately agreed; I suspect he was more familiar with Flagg!’s sales than with its content. But I can’t tell you how much I wanted to see how far I could push that one.

Sigh. Maturity sucks.

So, next time I think Archie and the band should go back in time once again and team-up with the MC5. I’m dying to see what Wayne Kramer www.waynekramer.com would say to Forsythe P. Jones – and vice versa. Maybe Brian Bendis can get a waiver from Marvel; his dialogue skills would work well here. Maybe John Sinclair could offer Juggie a… cigarette.

Yeah. Google that, chillen!

Highlander 30th Anniversary Edition Announced

highlander-anniversary-9404564In the end there can only be one Highlander 30th Anniversary edition, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 27 from Lionsgate. Starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, relive the sci-fi epic that launched a TV franchise and captivated millions of fans worldwide! The 30th Anniversary edition features never-before-seen interviews with director Russell Mulcahy and actor Christopher Lambert, a brand-new “making of” documentary, deleted scenes, and audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy. The Highlander 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 and $14.98, respectively.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the original cult classic that inspired movie and TV franchises! An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize.”

BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*

  • The Making of Highlander
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Interviews with Director Russell Mulcahy and Actor Christopher Lambert
  • Archival Interview with Actor Christopher Lambert
  • Audio Commentary by Director Russell Mulcahy

*Subject to change

CAST

Christopher Lambert               Mortal Kombat, Fortress
Roxanne Hart                          The Verdict, TV’s “Chicago Hope”
Clancy Brown                         The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers
and Sean Connery                  Dr. No, The Hunt for Red October

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Year of Production: 1986
Title Copyright: ? 1986 Highlander Productions Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Feature Run Time: 116 minutes
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1)
DVD Format: Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1)
Blu-ray Audio: English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master AudioTM
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital

Philip Pullman Pens 1st Graphic Novel with art by Fred Forman

philip-pullman-2087764NEW YORK, NY—July 14, 2016—Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will publish Philip Pullman’s first original graphic novel, illustrated by Fred Fordham in 2017. The full-color graphic novel, The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship, for ages 8-12 will be published jointly by David Fickling Books and Graphix, both imprints of Scholastic, in North America in June 2017.

World rights for the book were acquired earlier this year by David Fickling Books in the UK, which currently is serializing the story in The Phoenix, a weekly children’s publication available in the UK via newsstands and by subscription. The serialized comic will be collected into the full-color graphic novel, to be published simultaneously in the UK, US, and Canada in June 2017.

“John Blake is a story that’s close to my heart,” said Philip Pullman. “In Fred Fordham, John and the crew of the mysterious schooner The Mary Alice have found the ideal illustrator, and I’ve loved watching the story develop in his hands. The joy of the setting and the characters for me is that they’re capable of infinite variations. The Mary Alice can roam throughout time, past, present, and future, and anywhere on the oceans of the world. I hope readers will enjoy it as much as we have!”

fred-forman-7158740“We are so proud and thrilled to be bringing Philip Pullman’s brand new hero and astonishing adventure, out of the pages of The Phoenix comic, to all the readers of North America,” said David Fickling, Publisher, David Fickling Books. “Can anything be better than to sail in the company of Fred Fordham, a blazing new comic strip talent, and to have Philip at the helm, The Captain of Story himself!”

“What an honor to welcome the brilliant storyteller Philip Pullman to the Graphix list. And to partner with The Phoenix and David Fickling Books—publishers at the forefront of creating acclaimed comics and books for young readers in the UK—makes this collaboration even more exciting,” said David Saylor, Vice President Creative Director, Trade Publishing, and founder and Editorial Director of Graphix.

About The Adventures of John Blake: The Mystery of the Ghost Ship

Trapped in the mists of time by a terrible research experiment gone wrong, John Blake and his mysterious ship are doomed to sail between the centuries, searching for a way home. In the ocean of the modern day, John and the crew rescue a shipwrecked young girl his own age, Serena, and promise to help.

But returning Serena to her own time means traveling to the one place where the ship is in most danger of destruction. The all-powerful Dahlberg Corporation has an ambitious leader with plans far greater and more terrible than anyone has realized, and he is hot on their trail. For only John, Serena, and the crew know Dahlberg’s true intentions, and only they have the power to stop him from bending the world to his will . . .

About Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman is the internationally acclaimed author of many books for children and adults. His trilogy His Dark Materials has been published in more than forty languages, has sold close to 17.5 million copies worldwide, and won innumerable awards and accolades. The Golden Compass (Northern Lights in the UK) was named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” by Entertainment Weekly and a “Top 100 Book of All Time” by Newsweek. In 2008, The Times (UK) named Pullman as one of the 50 greatest writers since 1945.

About Fred Fordham

Fred Fordham was born in 1985 and grew up in North London. He studied Politics and Philosophy at Sussex University alongside working as a portrait painter and occasional tutor. Here he discovered comics after reading Marjane Sartrapi’s Persepolis. This book sparked an interest in the form generally but particularly in the French Bande Dessinee tradition. His first graphic-novel, Nightfall, was published in France by Editions Delcourt and launched at the Salon Du Livre in Paris in 2013. He has also written and illustrated strips for David Lloyd’s online comics-art magazine, Aces Weekly, and worked as an illustrator for The Phoenix.

About David Fickling Books

David Fickling is an acclaimed editor and publisher based in the UK. Scholastic US welcomed David Fickling Books as a new imprint in June 2015. Over the years Fickling has published some extraordinary books like Phillip Pullman’s The Ruby in the Smoke and His Dark Materials trilogy, John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jenny Downham’s Before I Die, and Andy Mulligan’s Trash.

About The Phoenix

In 2012 David Fickling launched a weekly story comic for children called The Phoenix, filled with beautiful and original artwork, exciting stories, and featuring no advertising. The comic recently celebrated its 200th issue, becoming the first independent comic in the UK to do so since 1969. It has also been voted No. 2 in Time Magazine’s global list of “Top Comics and Graphic Novels.”

Joe Corallo: Black Comics Matter

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This past Wednesday I joined my fellow ComicMix columnist Martha Thomases at the signing for Scout Comics Solarman #1 at JHU in midtown Manhattan. Present from the creative team were co-writer and Milestone Comics alum Joseph Phillip Illidge as well as illustrator N. Steven Harris. Martha gave a big hug to Joseph Illidge, she introduced me, and they proceeded to catch up. Dakota North even got brought up by Joseph Illidge and not Martha!

On my way home I got a chance to read Solarman #1. For those of you unfamiliar with the character, he was created by Dave Oliphant with Deborah A. Kalman and starred in two issues of his own comic book series at Marvel in early 1989. In the time since then, Dave Oliphant eventually got the publishing rights back and has now found a new home at Scout Comics.

The original iteration of Solarman was a white guy with red hair donning an outfit he clearly nabbed from the Legion of Super-Heroes HQ during a skirmish with Dr. Regulus. Chances are you can probably guess his superpowers as well.

What makes this reboot of Solarman stand out is that the character is now black. Multiple people on the creative team are black as well. And although myself and presumably most comic book readers didn’t read the original two issue run of Solarman so I can’t compare the two, this reboot is a compelling story with a rich and well developed world in just one issue.

Solarman got me thinking a lot about representation in comics. In the past I’ve talked about how at the big two we’ll see a character a woman or minority character take over for a big name like Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern, and so forth. The problem that I and many others have with this is that it is often short lived with their original straight cis white counterparts taking back the reigns. Almost as if to say you’ve had your fun, but now let’s get back to the real story.

solar-social_1-550x287-5969818A character like Solarman is a bit different. With heavy hitters like Captain America and Thor, people already associate them so heavily with their long time comic and movie counterparts that are straight cis white men. Solarman is a character that is a virtual unknown in comics and never had the opportunity to gain much of a following. By updating Solarman to be a young black man, the vast majority of readers will associate this Solarman as being the default and makes it significantly easier to see this character as staying black for the long term and being a part of long term representation as opposed to being a footnote.

mosaic-6123527This is going beyond Solarman as well. This year has been seeing an influx of black characters in comics written by black writers. Black Panther is being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and was the highest selling comic of the year so far. Marvel is also introducing a new ongoing with a new black Inhuman hero, Mosaic, being written by Geoffrey Thorne and illustrated by Khary Randolph.

We will also be seeing DC Comics doing something closer to what Scout Comics is doing with Solarman. This fall, DC is rebooting Vigilante in a miniseries titled The Vigilante: Southland, the once problematic by our current standards golden age hero. Vigilante has popped up time and again since then, but arguably never in any significant way. He’s been reimagined as a failed NBA player getting by in life as a maintenance man until being dragged into a conspiracy.

One of the most intriguing sounding titles involving a black hero with a black creative team coming out this September is Black from Black Mask Studios. Written by Kwanza Osajyefo with co-creator and designer Tim Smith 3, art by Jamal Igle, and covers by Khary Randolph, Black is the story of Kareem Jenkins, a young black man gunned down by the police only to find that he’s one of many black people with superpowers.

A powerful concept tackling unfortunately divisive issues like police executing citizens is important for the comics industry to tackle and I’m proud of Black Mask Studios for putting a comic like this in its lineup. It’s certainly one of the comics I’m looking forward to reading most this year.

It seems like the comic industry is starting to make a bigger push at publishers both small and large to better represent the black community both on their pages and behind them. These efforts certainly seem to be more prevalent than they were over the last few years. Of course there is always more work to do to create a better, more inclusive environment in the industry as well as its readership, but these are certainly some positive developments and they should be noted.

These kinds of positive developments will only continue if we support these books though. So please, keep an eye out for comics like Black, The Vigilante: Southland, and Mosaic this fall, catch up on Black Panther if you’re not up to date, and pick up a copy of Solarman #1 if you haven’t yet.

X-Men Apocalypse Arrives in Oct., SDCC Special Offer

x-men-apocalypse-e1468849374953-1169059SAN DIEGO (July 18, 2016) – Based on “one of the coolest superhero movies of the decade” (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times), Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will debut the first ever “challenge room” at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC).

The X-Men: The Tomb of Apocalypse X-perience (Booth #3529) will incorporate a series of challenges that fans will solve to defeat the world’s most powerful mutant, Apocalypse. The booth will be open daily, including Preview Night, July 20 – 24. Each morning, fans will have the opportunity to RSVP for “Tomb Time” until the day’s schedule is full.

The Tomb of Apocalypse X-perience:

  • Will allow fans to work through a series of challenges to defeat Apocalypse
  • Fans who complete the challenge receive a custom SDCC 2016 X-MEN: APOCALYPSE t-shirt, while supplies last, and a souvenir photo
  • Will feature original costumes from the film including Oscar Isaac’s “Apocalypse,” Evan Peters’ “Quicksilver” and Alexandra Shipp’s “Storm” – offering fans several photo opportunities

As part of the experience, fans will have a chance to pre-order X-MEN: APOCALYPSE which arrives on Digital HD on Sept. 9, 2016 and debuts on Blu-ray™, 4K Ultra HD & DVD Oct. 4, 2016. Exclusive to SDCC, fans who pre-order will receive a limited edition Dazzler vinyl cover while supplies last.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Synopsis
OSCAR® Winner Jennifer Lawrence*, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy lead a powerhouse cast in director Bryan Singer’s extraordinary follow-up to X-Men: Days of Future Past. After thousands of years, Apocalypse – the world’s first and most powerful mutant – has awakened to find a world led by humans. Intent on cleansing the Earth of mankind, he recruits a group of mutants to create a new world order. In a desperate race to save humanity, Professor X (McAvoy) leads the young X-Men in an epic showdown – against an unstoppable enemy – that will determine the fate of the world.

*Actress, Silver Linings Playbook, 2012
OSCAR® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Blu-ray™ Special Features Include:

  • Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Introductions by Bryan Singer
  • Gag Reel
  • Wrap Party Video
  • Hour long documentary, X-Men: Apocalypse Unearthed
  • Audio Commentary by Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg
  • Concept Art and Photo Gallery

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Blu-ray™ Disc & 3D Blu-ray™ Disc
Street Date:                  October 4, 2016
Prebook Date:              August 31, 2016
Screen Format:            Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio:                           English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English Descriptive Audio 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles:                      English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Spanish/French
Total Film Run Time:    Approximately 144 minutes
U.S. Rating                   PG-13

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE 4K Ultra HD:
Street Date:                  October 4, 2016
Prebook Date:              August 31, 2016
Screen Format:            Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio:                           English Dolby Atmos
English Descriptive Audio 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles:                      English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Spanish/French
Total Film Run Time:    Approximately 144 minutes
U.S. Rating                  PG-13

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE DVD
Street Date: October 4, 2016
Screen Format: Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1,Spanish Surround Dolby Digital 2.0, French Surround Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Spanish/French
Total Film Run Time: Approximately 144 minutes
U.S. Rating PG-13

Kirk Meets Kirk in Star Trek Four

George KirkHOLLYWOOD, CA (July 18, 2016) – Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot today announced that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will return to the big screen for another voyage.

In the next installment of the epic space adventure, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father.

Chris Hemsworth, who appeared in 2009’s Star Trek, will return to the space saga as George Kirk to star alongside Pine.

The remaining cast is expected to return.

J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will write the screenplay. J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber will produce through Bad Robot Productions. David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance will executive produce.

Captain-Kirk-chris-pine-as-james-t-kirk-34518525-500-300Star Trek,  the first film in the rebooted franchise based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, earned more than $380 million worldwide in 2009. The second installment, “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS,” earned more than $460 million worldwide when it opened in May 2013.

The series’ third film, Star Trek Beyond, is directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious franchise) and opens in theaters on July 22, 2016.

Hemsworth is currently starring in Ghostbusters alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig and Kate McKinnon, and filming Thor Ragnorok and Avengers Infinity War back to back. He is repped by CAA and ROAR.

Ed Catto: Sam Wilson’s Timely Tales

Misty and Sam Captain America

We’ve been obsessing over the wrong Captain America stuff.

Last month, both Geek Culture and the “world at large” (they aren’t as different anymore, are they?) were outraged that Captain America, in the debut issue of his latest series, was revealed to be an evil Hydra operative. Marvel, to their credit, played it all with a straight face. Some devotees seemed eager, unlike The Who, to “get fooled again.” Fists were clenched and keyboards were angrily pounded as indignant fans expressed their extreme displeasure at the “bad guy treatment” given to a favorite fictional hero.

hail-hydra-shot-my-parents-chimic hangas-hahah?-if-you-2586866The Hail Hydra shocker inspired a kazillion hilarious parodies, too.

But in the second issue of this new series, Marvel revealed it was all an insidious brainwashing trick. “Oh, never mind,” sighed most outraged fans. However, some outraged fans broke into a victory dance, assuming that Marvel caved to their wishes and changed the story based on their expressed outrage. These fans don’t quite realize how far in advance comics, a very collaborative effort, must be planned before the publication date.

CAPA2015011-int2-4-51167There was also a hubbub about the new Captain America statue being erected in Brooklyn. Was it the “real” Captain America or just the cinematic version? Mike Gold explored this notion here when he talked about conflating the media version of a character with the original comic incarnation.

Others, like Teresa Jusino in this Mary Sue column, pointed out that in the original comics continuity, Steve Rogers, the everyman who would become the most popular Captain America, was born not in Brooklyn but in the lower East side.

Even with all that going on, the Captain America news we should be buzzing about is the story unfolding in Sam Wilson: Captain America #11. In this series, Captain America’s pal and partner, Sam Wilson, has graduated from his Falcon identity to become another Captain America. Hey it makes sense to me. Companies can have several Vice Presidents, why can’t our nation have more than one Captain America?

Rage in Captain AmericaIt’s a gorgeous looking comic with fantastic artwork by Daniel Acuna. This brilliant Spanish artist combines dynamic images with innovative composition and then he then wraps it all in a spectacular mastery of color.

I was astonished when I read this comic right after July 4th. To put it in perspective, this was the week our nation had been shocked and saddened by violence in Baton Rouge, Dallas and Minnesota.

Remember I mentioned comics must be planned and created months ahead of time in order to make the publication deadline? It seemed like Nick Spencer, the writer of Sam Wilson: Captain America #11, penned the story that very week. It had a “ripped from the headlines” feel, complete with a nuanced and balanced presentation.

Captain-America-Sam-Wilson-11-Panel-2 copyIn this story, the Americops, a sort of privately funded police force, are the villains. The creators didn’t waste the opportunity to show the difficult conflicts faced by several characters as they struggled, just like the rest of us, to make sense of the awful situation in this story unfolding in the comic as well as in the real world.

Kudos to all involved for adding texture, depth and hopefully a little more understanding to the national conversation.

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