BURBANK, California (June 2, 2016) – Everyone’s favorite mystery-solving gang reunites with WWE to defeat the evil phantom, Inferno, in the all-new animated film, Scooby-Doo and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, co-produced by WWE Studios, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Full of twists and turns, Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, will be available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD for $24.98/$19.98/$19.98 SRP on August 9, 2016, just in time for the excitement of this year’s WWE SummerSlam.
When Scooby and the gang attend an off-road racing competition, the last thing they expect is to stumble upon a menacing phantom. However, before they can say “ruh-roh,” things take a turn for the worse, as Inferno schemes to sabotage the race and cause chaos for everyone. With the help of WWE Superstars Triple H, Paige and Sheamus, as well as Scooby’s new driving partner, The Undertaker, it’s up to Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang to save the race before it’s too late!
With a star-studded voice cast, including WWE Superstars The Undertaker, Triple H, Paige, Sheamus, Mr. McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Lana™, Rusev®, The Miz®, Kofi Kingston®, and Goldust®, this action-packed film is a can’t-miss! Bonus materials include two episodes from fan-favorite series, Be Cool Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and exclusive content containing a behind-the-scenes segment featuring Scooby-Doo Monster Jam truck drivers. Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon is a film that Scooby and WWE fans alike can enjoy!
ABOUT DIGITAL HD WITH ULTRAVIOLET
Digital HD with UltraViolet allows fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital HD with UltraViolet is included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. Digital HD with UltraViolet allows consumers to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones through UltraViolet retail services like CinemaNow, Flixster, VUDU and more. For more information on compatible devices, go to wb.com/ultravioletdevices. Consult an UltraViolet Retailer for details and requirements and for a list of HD-compatible devices.
BASICS
Street Date: August 9, 2016
Order Due Date: July 5, 2016
Languages: English
Audio: Dolby Surround Stereo
Color / Closed Captioned
Price: DVD $19.98 SRP / BD $24.98 SRP / Digital HD $19.98 SRP
BURBANK, CA (June 1, 2016) – The series that spawned several novels, magazines, comics, games, and even an anime series continues with more thrilling adventures as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season on Blu-rayTM including Digital HD and DVD on September 6, 2016. The set contains all 23 gripping episodes from Season Eleven and is packed with over four hours of bonus content – including featurettes, commentaries, the show’s packed Comic-Con panel, deleted scenes, and a priceless gag reel. Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season is priced to own at $49.99 SRP on DVD and $54.97 SRP on Blu-ray including Digital HD.
Season Eleven plunges Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) into extreme peril as they face The Darkness, a sinister new menace unleashed upon the Earth. They continue their monster-hunting missions, battling the usual werewolves, black-eyed demons and even a vengeful ghost in a stuffed bunny costume, but with a sharp new focus: destroy The Darkness. Needing all the help they can get, the brothers turn to fallen angel Castiel (Misha Collins); the King of Hell, Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) and even an unassuming God (Rob Benedict)– only to come face to face with Lucifer and Crowley’s power-hungry witch-mother Rowena (Ruth Connell). Strap yourself in for the Winchesters’ darkest adventures yet as they journey between Heaven and Hell in all 23 electrifying episodes of the epic suspense thriller.
“After eleven captivating seasons, there is no denying that Supernatural is an extraordinary TV success story,” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, Television Marketing. “With both strong ratings on The CW and strong sales on home entertainment platforms, the series continues to enthrall its passionate and dedicated fan base. We are very excited to release Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season with four hours of bonus content for fans to add to their collection.”
Supernatural returns this fall. airing Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW, and stars Jared Padalecki (Friday the 13th, Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Smallville, My Bloody Valentine) as Sam and Dean Winchester, in addition to Misha Collins (24, Girl Interrupted) as Castiel and Mark A. Sheppard (In the Name of the Father, White Collar) as Crowley. Created by Eric Kripke (Revolution, Timeless), the eleventh season of the hit series was executive produced by Jeremy Carver (Being Human) and Phil Sgriccia (Smallville). Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Supernatural returns for its twelfth season this fall on The CW.
BLU-RAY, DVD and Digital HD FEATURES
· On the Set with Supernatural: The Real Fan Contest
· Jensen Ackles on Directing “The Bad Seed”
· Digital Magic: Enhancing the sets with VFX
· The Winchester Mythology: The Darkness
· 2015 Comic-Con Panel
· 3 Audio Commentaries
· Deleted Scenes
· Gag Reel
Deep inside a bunker, equidistant from MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and Univision, the remaining candidates vying for President of the United States secretly meet. Please note they do this every couple of days.
Lowly PA: Sirs, Madam, I wanted to bring this item to you, as you may be handed some softball opinion questions in the next news cycle. That is if Donald hasn’t spouted off something racist that needs to be covered.
The Donald: Not this week, you loser.
PA: Thank you, sir. May I have another sir? Anyways… So, Nick Spencer – a comic book writer – has penned a recent issue of Captain America wherein Steve Rogers has turned out have been brainwashed by Hydra for decades. This rewrites whole swatches of his origin, potentially. But I should note the story has only just –
The Donald: Weak! Pathetic! What a loser. I mean, look, are there some great yuge stories about Steve Rogers? Yes. But none by this guy. Who, not that I’m saying anything wrong here… but Spencer is a Mexican. I personally gave over 12 million dollars to Marvel to stop this. But I think they are being run by… well… the guy is named “Alonso.”
Hil-Dawg: *Cackling Laugh* Oh, Donald, you slay me! But I think we should all take a minute or two to come to a consensus about how we’ll react to this.
Comrade Sanders: Hilary, Donald… I think this is indicative of the fat-cat Wall Street Mickey Mouse Militia out to push an agenda to usurp more powah’ for the one percent! Furthermore –
Hil-Dingo: Just so you know, it actually doesn’t matter what you answer. I’ve already won. This opinion question. The nomination. And the Presidency. But I recognize your right to continue…
Bernie waves an angered hand from his rumpled Men’s Warehouse Special towards the Secretary of State.
Don Juan DiRacist: Look. I love Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics loves me. That they could let this baddy bad badness to occur is just another reason we can’t have Crooked Hilary or Crazy Bernie in charge. Steve Rogers should be a Trump University graduate who fights ISIS and beats them. You’ll see that when I’m President.
Hil-Django: It’s a nice thought. But just like tickets on Trump Airlines, I’m not buying it. I think the smart money says we stay conservative about this Captain America issue. When my husband and I were President in the 90’s, Captain America was an unwavering success. It’s clear that this is just another attempt by the GOP to get in the way of the rights for characters to have retconned background stories for the sake of new fiction.
Burning Man Sanders: Mista’ Trump? Steve Rogers is from Brooklyn. Like me. He fights for the 99%. Miss Clinton? In the 90’s, you’ll denote I wrote many a’ bill to try to stop things like Captain America’s laser shield, Heroes Reborn, and several other complete mishaps during the time President Clinton should have been reconsidering Glass-Steag –
Hilary pulls out an air horn from her purse and honks it angrily at Senator Sanders.
Lowly PA: Gentlemen, Mrs. Clinton… We really need to come to a consensus here. Meet the Press is going to ask each of your communication directors about your stance on this topic in just an hour or two! And the people of America are screaming bloody murder! Some people are livid that there would be such a retcon to a seminal staple of the American spirit. Others are just casually awaiting the arc to end before jumping to conclusions.
Drumpy-Dumpty: Nate Spicer is a Mexican. When I’m President, we’re going to destroy these copies of the book, rewrite the backstory, and make Captain America great again.
Feel The Burn: I think Mr. Spencer is a good writer. Would I have taken such a drastic step in the first issue of a long arc? Potentially. But I think it’s key that we hear the complete story, and work togetha’ to ensure that Captain America doesn’t allow Wall Street to be too big to fail!
Hilarious Clinton: It’s clear to me now, that I feel the same way as any woman would at a time like this. When the country needs to still be this divided over a male-centric issue? It’s a shame. And one that I’ve been fighting against for years. And I’ll fight it more… over the next four years. When I finally take my throne as promised.
The three candidates get up from their seats. They exchange pleasantries and perform the ceremonial secret handshake. Donald Trump then puts on his traditional Latverian tunic, finger-extending gauntlets, and sorcery-empowered armor. He seals his craggy orange facade behind the mask of Doom, and flies out of the cave, to an awaiting mass of white supremacists. I mean… Latverians. Hilary Clinton gets into her Goldman-Sachs’ LexCorp Power Armor™, hugs an awaiting Loki, and promptly teleports back to her secret Harlem think tank. Bernie Sanders tears away his Robert Hall Special revealing a more frumpy Mervyn’s, and plinks away at his 2005 Blackberry. He calls to ensure his greyhound tickets are in order, and takes the stairs towards the street-level shelter to await his bus back to California.
Nick Spencer remains secluded in his own private bunker while the baby boomers all get their death threats in order. He reminds himself that it’s just fiction, he does have an editor who approves his scripts, and, thanks to Doctor Doom, the compelling feeling that there really is no bad publicity anymore.
BURBANK, CA (JUNE 3, 2016) – Continuing a decade-long tradition, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) will host the World Premiere of its latest DC Universe Original Movie – this time, the highly anticipated Batman: The Killing Joke – on the Friday night (July 22, 2016) of Comic-Con International in San Diego.
The premiere will spotlight the first public exhibition of the eagerly awaited film and a post-screening panel discussion among available members of the core cast and filmmaking team. The celebrity-laden cast is led by Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League) and Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series,Star Wars franchise) as they reprise their seminal roles as the voices of Batman/Bruce Wayne and The Joker, respectively, as well as Tara Strong (Teen Titans; Batman: Arkham games) as Barbara Gordon and Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, RoboCop) as Commissioner Gordon. Batman: The Killing Joke is directed by Sam Liu (Justice League vs. Teen Titans) from a script by Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Azzarello. Bruce Timm and Sam Register are executive producers. Benjamin Melniker & Michael Uslan are executive producers. Alan Burnett is co-producer.
Since the debut of the DC Universe Original Movies in 2007 with Superman: Doomsday, WBHE has premiered its next upcoming film (when available) before 4,250 ardent fans in the San Diego Convention Center’s massive Ballroom 20. Past film premieres have included Batman: Under The Red Hood, Batman: Year One, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Batman: Assault on Arkham and last year’s Justice League: Gods & Monsters, and the films’ panel discussions have featured such acting luminaries as Bryan Cranston, Nathan Fillion, Ben McKenzie, Justin Chambers, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff, Matthew Gray Gubler, Paget Brewster, Bruce Greenwood, C. Thomas Howell and Cary Elwes.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, Batman: The Killing Joke arrives August 2, 2016 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray™ Deluxe Edition, Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet. The Blu-ray™ Deluxe Edition will include all components of the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack, along with an exclusive figurine of The Joker in a numbered, limited edition gift set. Fans can own Batman: The Killing Joke on Digital HD starting July 26, 2016 via purchase from digital retailers.
Based on the acclaimed DC graphic novel of the same name, Batman: The Killing Joke takes a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime – from his humble beginnings as a struggling comedian to his fateful encounter with Batman that changes both of their lives forever. Years later, and now escaped from Arkham Asylum, The Joker devises a plan to prove that one bad day can make anyone as insane as he is – setting his sights on Commissioner Gordon. It’s up to the Dark Knight to put a stop to The Joker’s latest scheme and save one of Gotham City’s finest. Following a gripping prologue introducing Barbara Gordon’s heroic adventures alongside Batman as Batgirl, Batman: The Killing Joke stays true to the authentic tale that has held fans’ imaginations for nearly three decades – spotlighting the birth of a Super-Villain, the fortitude of a Super Hero and the punchline that will leave you speechless.
BURBANK, CA (June 2, 2016) – A new Super Hero will soon be flying into homes, as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Supergirl: The Complete First Season on Blu-rayTM and DVD on August 9, 2016. Delivering 10.9 million Total Viewers weekly, Supergirl is the #2 series on CBS amongst Men 18-49, just behindThe Big Bang Theory and a Top 5 series on the network with Men 18-34, Men 25-54 and Tweens 12-17*. Fans can purchase the set which, in addition to all 20 exhilarating episodes, contains over an hour of extra content, including the 2015 Comic-Con panel, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel. Supergirl: The Complete First Season is priced to own at $49.99 SRP for the DVD and $54.97 SRP for the Blu-ray including Digital HD.Supergirl: The Complete First Season is also available to own on Digital HD via purchase from digital retailers.
*Source: Nielsen National TV View L+7 US AA%; excluding repeats, specials, sports, and <5 TCs; Season To-Date = 9/21/15-2/7/16
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped at the same time as her cousin, Superman, but didn’t arrive on Earth until years later after being lost in the Phantom Zone. Raised by her adopted family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learned to hide the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin. Years later, at age 24, and now living in National City while working as an assistant for Catco Worldwide Media mogul Cat Grant, Kara has spent so many years trying to fit in that she forgot to ever stand out. All that changes when she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and become the hero she was always destined to be. With the help of Daily Planet photographer James Olsen, her bioengineer sister Alex, and the research of the super-secret, off-the-grid Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO), who are tasked with keeping the Earth safe from aliens, Kara takes to the skies to protect her world. (TBC)
With Blu-ray’s unsurpassed picture and sound, the Blu-ray release of Supergirl: The Complete First Seasonwill include 1080p Full HD Video with DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1. The 4-disc Blu-ray will feature a high-definition Blu-ray and a Digital HD copy of all 20 episodes from season one.
Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist (Glee), Chyler Leigh (Grey’s Anatomy), Mehcad Brooks (About Last Night) and Jeremy Jordan (Smash), with David Harewood (Homeland) and Calista Flockhart (Brothers and Sisters). Season One guest stars include Dean Cain, Peter Facinelli, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Laura Benanti and Helen Slater. Based on the characters from DC Comics, Supergirl is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Ali Adler and Sarah Schechter.
BLU-RAY & DVD FEATURES
2015 Comic-Con Panel: Warner Bros. Television Presents a Night of DC Entertainment at Comic-Con 2015: Supergirl
The Man From Mars: Superman once described J’onn J’onzz as “the most powerful being on the face of the Earth.” This documentary will explore J’onn J’onzz’s current circumstances on Supergirlas the alien who swore an oath to a dying father to protect his daughters.
A World Left Behind: Krypton: Kara Zor-El’s home planet of Krypton was destroyed in the opening minutes of the pilot. It was a spectacular, futuristic society filled with mystery and intrigue! This documentary will explore the history of this famous planet and its role and depiction in Supergirl.
Burbank, CA, June 2, 2016 – Prepare for war when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives onto Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. The extended cut will be available on all Blu-ray formats and Digital HD.
In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition features an extended cut of the film which includes 30 more minutes of story and action not seen in theaters. The extended cut is rated R.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $44.95, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack for $44.95, Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and 2-disc DVD Special Edition for $28.98. The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the Ultimate Edition in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with the theatrical version and special features in HD, and Digital HD versions of both the Ultimate Edition and theatrical version.The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack features the theatrical version of the film in 3D hi-definition and hi-definition, as well as the Ultimate Edition in hi-definition; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the Ultimate Edition and theatrical version of the film in hi-definition on Blu-ray; and the DVD features the theatrical version in standard definition. The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack include digital versions of both the Ultimate Edition and theatrical version movies in Digital HD with UltraViolet*. Fans can also own Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition via purchase from digital retailers.
The Blu-ray discs of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment that aren’t Dolby Atmos compatible.
From director Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) comes Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Oscar winner Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Superman/Clark Kent in the characters’ first big-screen pairing.
The film also stars Oscar nominees Amy Adams (American Hustle, Man of Steel) as Lois Lane, Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as Lex Luthor, Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Man of Steel) as Martha Kent, and Laurence Fishburne (What’s Love Got to Do with It, Man of Steel) as Perry White; Oscar winners Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune) as Alfred, and Holly Hunter (The Piano) as Senator Finch; and Gal Gadot (the Fast and Furious films) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince.
Snyder directed from a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, based on characters from DC Comics, including Batman, created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, and Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film was produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder, with Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer serving as executive producers.
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
On June 28, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be available to own for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. On July 19, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be made available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and Standard Definition 2-Disc DVD contain the following special features:
Uniting the World’s Finest
Gods and Men: A Meeting of Giants
The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder
Accelerating Design: The New Batmobile
Superman: Complexity & Truth
Batman: Austerity & Rage
Wonder Woman: Grace & Power
Batcave: Legacy of the Lair
The Might and the Power of a Punch
The Empire of Luthor
Save the Bats
ABOUT DIGITAL HD WITH ULTRAVIOLET
*Digital HD with UltraViolet allows fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital HD with UltraViolet is included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. Digital HD with UltraViolet allows consumers to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones through UltraViolet retail services like CinemaNow, Flixster, Vudu and more. For more information on compatible devices go to wb.com/ultravioletdevices. Consult an UltraViolet Retailer for details and requirements and for a list of HD-compatible devices.
BASICS
PRODUCT SRP
Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack $44.95
3D Blu-ray Combo Pack $44.95
Blu-ray Combo Pack $35.99
DVD Amaray (WS) $28.98
Standard Street Date: July 19, 2016
EST Street Date: June 28, 2016
DVD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French
BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
DVD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French
BD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Brazilian Portuguese
Theatrical Version Running Time: 151 minutes
Ultimate Edition Running Time: 182 minutes
Theatrical Version Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality.
Ultimate Edition Rating: Rated R for sequences of violence.
DOLBY ATMOS DOLBY AUDIO [CC]
For some of us, the 1990s was a certain kind of Golden Age of Comics. The success of Image Comics meant that creators were given a lot of freedom to do what they liked, with deep-pocketed corporations competing to see who could throw the most money at the talent. It was in this environment that DC launched the Vertigo imprint, and eventually set up a satellite office in London.
Art Young was in charge, fresh from a brief stint at Touchmark, Disney’s pre-Marvel attempt at the Direct Market. The only other person on staff was Tim Pilcher. Together, they published a slew of books (including most of the books originally commissioned for Touchmark) and generally made comics seem even cooler.
I only met Tim Pilcher a few times, although we talked on the phone fairly often. He always struck me as a delight, quick and funny and smart – although it should be noted that, like many, I am a sucker for anyone with an English accent.
Now he has a new book, Comic Book Babylon, not to be confused with this Comic Book Babylon by ComicMix pal Clifford Meth. Tim’s version is an account of his time in the Vertigo UK office, about the drugs and the sex and the blatant disregard for any sort of corporate decorum.
God, I wish I had been there.
MT: What titles did you work on? Were there any Vertigo UK titles you did not work on?
TP: Officially (meaning credited in the books) I worked on Face, Tainted, Shadow’s Fall, The Mystery Play, Rogan Gosh, Kill Your Boyfriend, and The Extremist. Unofficially, the first books I started working on were #4 of Enigma and #3 of Sebastian O. I was also working on Egypt, Flex Mentallo, The Eaters, Millennium Fever, and Tattered Banners towards the end of my tenure, but didn’t get credited in any of those. Other Vertigo UK titles I didn’t work on were the Tank Girl miniseries and film adaptation (which were pretty poor), and Mercy (as that was already completed by the time I’d started).
MT: Ever since I saw The Monkees as a kid I assume that all rock bands share a house, and from there, I imagine all kinds of groups share houses. There was a point when I was at UKCAC one year when I realized that I subconsciously thought all British comic book creators shared a house. While that isn’t true (not even for The Monkees), you did share a flat with a few. What is that like?
TP: Well, actually, at the time, many of us were mostly fans creating stuff for fanzines and writing and drawing for free. When I look back on it, it was a fun time and funny how I took all that creativity for granted. I lived with Fiona Jerome, who was a respected comics journalist and writer who went to John Brown Publishing and revolutionized their magazine publishing. There was Martin Hand, a very well regarded small press creator and Howard Stangroom (nee Will Morgan) who wrote lots of strips for Meatmen Comix. Plus, the house owner, James Wallis, who wrote for various comics magazines and eventually became a games designer. But there were little groups like this all over the UK. I used to go and visit the “Worthing crowd” who all came out of Northbrook College including Philip Bond, Jamie Hewlett, Glyn Dillon, and Alan Martin. They all used to share houses and hang out together, so it was quite common. The British comics scene is pretty small and incestuous!
MT: Did you resent having to go to a day job when they got to stay home?
TP: Not at all! I got to work in Soho, the coolest part of London at the time, and we had various creators and people popping by the office all the time. Plus, there was a free bar on our floor and private advance film screenings in the Warner Bros. building at least once a week!
MT: Can you describe your first week at Vertigo UK? What was most different from your other jobs?
TP: It was the first proper office job I’d had. Prior to that I’d spent almost six years working in retail, so not having to deal with the public and just me and Art in an office was a big change! I was very nervous and mindful of not screwing anything up! I probably put in far more extra hours than I needed to, as I was enthusiastic and really wanted to learn. In those days everything was much slower as we didn’t have computers (initially) so all our business was conducted by fax, phone and Fed Ex. It feels really archaic now, as I work with digital files being transferred all over the world and talk to my colleagues in Paris and L.A. on Skype on an almost daily basis. Technology has definitely made comics publishing much easier (in certain respects).
MT: Can you describe your last week at Vertigo UK?
TP: It was very bleak. In many ways it was like the emotional hangover of someone who’d been raving on ecstasy for three days straight and now had hit the mid-week depression blues. All the dopamine of the job had been used up. The fun had gone completely and things were very tense. I’d learned some very important, and hard, lessons. I think in many ways those hedonistic days of the Vertigo UK office have actually switched me around from a crazed party animal to an obsessive workaholic! Hopefully, one day, I’ll find the correct work/life balance!
MT: My tenure at DC overlapped yours, and our office was run much differently. For example, expense accounts were monitored so closely that we were not allowed to tip more than fifteen percent. Do you know if anyone in accounting was ever asked to verify your expenses?
TP: I think one of the major factors for Art wanting to set-up shop in London was exactly to get away from that micro-management. Karen Berger trusted him enough to run the London office, and as far as I was aware he had a pretty much carte blanche expense account (at least initially). I think as the spending went up, and the titles’ sales didn’t match that, questions in NYC were started to be asked. But really, it was impossible for DC’s accounts to prove how much an average taxi or a meal would cost in London, so they had to take our word for it.
MT: What was the most outlandish thing you ever expensed?
TP: I was actually very wary of pushing things because I didn’t want to kill the golden goose. In the book I talk about when Art took myself and our intern, Helen, out for my birthday to a fancy restaurant and spent the equivalent of around £450/$650 in today’s money on the meal and champagne, which was charged back to the company. So, thanks for that, DC!
MT: Have you seen the movie, The Devil Wears Prada? (Or read the book, although I haven’t done that.) Was Art Young like that?
TP: Actually, that’s a pretty good analogy, it was a little like that. Art was a tad flamboyant at times! I actually used Toby Young’s How to Lose Friends and Alienate People as my template in approaching the story: Eager, keen guy gets job of a lifetime and screws it up! To be fair to Art, he was a brilliant mentor, and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for training me up and explain how the business works, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that…and all the free drugs.
MT: Finally, I asked Tim to tell me what people said about me, although I said I probably wouldn’t print that. Suffice it to say that he assured me that everyone thought I was the most beautiful woman in <a href=”
Puppetland, but he added this:
I can’t recall anyone being bitchy about anyone at DC at that time! You, Bob, Patty, Karen, et al were thought of as good guys. ;-) Sadly, it’s no longer the company we used to know! I don’t think there’s a single person left there working from our days! Nearly all the women have gone! All looks pretty bleak to me and sadly the company I grew up reading, loving and working for, no longer exists. Had lunch with Dave Gibbons the other day and he feels the same way!
Tell people that if they want copies of the book they can contact me on Twitter: @Tim_Pilcher
The X-Men movies have a fairly high average quality for a franchise going in to its sixth entry. In fact, with the exception of a Brett Ratner directed monstrosity of bloat and pettiness, there isn’t a truly bad film to be found in the bunch. For a stretch of my college career I would have told you X2 was the best superhero movie ever made. I would have been wrong— Unbreakable was a lot better and Spider-Man 2 has held up better over the years if we’re talking strictly licensed fare. But this is a franchise that means something to me so it’s a shame to see them start to slip a little bit. Not that X-Men: Apocalypse is a bad movie or anything, but it’s a frustrating one in many respects and one that could be pointed to some years down the road as the beginning of the end of X-Men as a quality, bankable, brand.
I’m not certain when it became the decree from on high that every X-Men film had to be a period piece but with three in a row and a fourth on the way that definitely seems to be the way things are going. It felt revolutionary with First Class, these characters are timeless in their way and putting them in some historical context is a great way to show off the multi-faceted nature of the material (it’s also a great way to not have to pay some of your more expensive actors but that’s neither here nor there). Days of Future Past was also fun; the time-travelling Wolverine made it all feel a bit more earned, plus it was a great excuse to retcon away some of the worst bits of X-Men: The Last Stand that no one cared for. Now it’s starting to feel a bit unnecessary with another movie another decade later. I’m no longer feeling like these are timeless characters and instead they’re starting to feel dated; like the X-Men are nothing but a nostalgia act. The best X-Men comics I’ve ever read have felt cutting edge, like they were happening six months from now not thirty years in the past. I get that all storytelling eventually feels dated, but at this point I would much prefer them working and reworking things so that older stories felt new instead of constantly telling me how old and quaint the X-Men are.
I understand that if we accept the premise that every X-Men movie has to be a period piece, that recastings will have to be a constant part of the franchise (although all the people from First Class sure don’t look 20 years older but whatever) and I generally like the new blood. Sophie Turner is a great young Jean Grey, although it’s certainly possible the casting is trading on some good will borrowed from Game of Thrones. My only critique of Tye Sheridan as Cyclops is he’s a bit of an emo stick-in-the-mud, but that’s also my critique of Cyclops the comic book character so maybe he’s actually perfect. My only real beef is with casting Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse. You have one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood riding a hell of a run and you put him in a big suit under a ton of makeup and have him just recite dialogue that would have felt cliché in comics 15 years ago. It’s a staggering waste of an incredible talent. Even my fiancée, a dyed-in-the-wool Isaac fangirl, didn’t even recognize him in the movie until I pointed him out.
It’s not the kind of thing I like to complain about, but I was quite struck with how much the final battle looked like it was taking place in a studio lot. I know that they can’t actually film in a destroyed Cairo or anything but a bunch of people in costumes with no bystanders and some generic looking rubble looks a bit too much like a SyFy channel original movie for my taste. I don’t even know how to fix it and I’m sure I’ve seen a dozen action sequences shot in lots this year alone, but something about this one had me thinking the tour tram could drive by the background at any moment.
I know I’ve crapped on this movie a bit here but I want to emphasize that the stuff the works works so well. Michael Fassbender is amazing as Magneto, displaying a tortured depth to the character that honestly surpasses Ian McKellen’s wonderful but more scenery-chewing effort. Jennifer Lawrence has made Mystique into a character more interesting than her comic book counterpart, and while I’m not entirely sure it lines up narratively with all her other appearances she carries the film through all its bumpy stretches. All of the stuff that’s been working since the reboot still works… it’s just the connective tissue is getting worse and the formula feels a bit more tired. This series needs a kick in the ass, and not in the way a film set ten more years in the future is going to do. Maybe the next Wolverine will be great though.
In SuperTeenTopia we learn that being a teenager and having super human abilities isn’t really how the other comic books makes it out to believe. It’s more a DIY kind of thing, indestructible costumes & high-tech gadgets aren’t easy to come by and sometimes you don’t even get to pick your own super hero name. These four teen super-heroes can only fight crime if they can find a ride and they don’t have to be at school.
Geriatric Boy Editor here. Denny O’Neil, not so much. Here’s what happened.
Denny was working on this week’s column. He was about half-way through when his screen blanked out. Generally speaking, this is not a good sign. Subsequent events gave Denny the impression that he might be the victim of an online scam. People who watch a lot of porn online are familiar with this – or so I’m told – but Mr. O’Neil is as pure as the driven snow… depending, of course, upon where you’re driving said snow.
So our Thursday morning columnist has taken his tubes and wires to an electronic exorcist for diagnosis (“Second opinion? OK. You’re ugly, too!”). He’ll be back here next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
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BURBANK, California (June 2, 2016) – Everyone’s favorite mystery-solving gang reunites with WWE to defeat the evil phantom, Inferno, in the all-new animated film, Scooby-Doo and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, co-produced by WWE Studios, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Full of twists and turns, Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, will be available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD for $24.98/$19.98/$19.98 SRP on August 9, 2016, just in time for the excitement of this year’s WWE SummerSlam.
