A rambling melange of pop-culture.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The Weirding TV: Saturday Morning Playlist #5
It's that time again, folks: Saturday morning, when all kids across America used to be planted firmly in front of their TV sets, cereal bowl nestled in their laps, eyes glued to the tube. These days, with all of the choices of cable and satellite, not to mention the fact that network TV no longer broadcasts Saturday morning cartoons, such traditions simply no longer exist. While I cherish and champion individualism above just about all else, traditions bring us comfort and Saturday Morning Cartoons were an American tradition I've never understood abandoning.
The Weirding TV
Saturday Morning Cartoons Playlist, Week 5
---
Robotech: Macross - Transformation
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted - Ep. 5
Tom & Jerry - "Puss Gets the Boot"
South Park - "Cartman Joins NAMBLA"
Dead Like Me - "Reapercussions"
Saturday Afternoon Movie
---
Addams Family Values
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
The Weirding TV
Saturday Morning Cartoons Playlist, Week 5
---
Robotech: Macross - Transformation
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted - Ep. 5
Tom & Jerry - "Puss Gets the Boot"
South Park - "Cartman Joins NAMBLA"
Dead Like Me - "Reapercussions"
Saturday Afternoon Movie
---
Addams Family Values
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
10th Muse, 10 Years, 10 (+ or -) New Projects!
 |
| 10th Muse: Crossovers |
“You never forget your first love,” said Bluewater president and series creator Darren G. Davis. “10th Muse put us on the map and I've been waiting for the right time to bring her back.”
10th Muse debuted in February 2000 through Image Comics and soon rocketed to #6 on Diamond’s Top 100, beating out several well-known and established titles. The issue featured a story by revered comic book veteran, Marv Wolfman.
10th Muse: Crossovers, in stores next month, features several team ups with other well-known characters from the comic world including Shi, Savage Dragon, Tellos, Ezra, Legend of Isis, and Judo Girl. Also included is a never-before-seen crossover with Indie favorite, Koni Wave. A virtual who’s-who of top comic talent is included in the book including Billy Tucci, Erik Larsen, Marv Wolfman, Roger Cruz, and Mike Wieringo. In June, Bluewater will be releasing the 10th Muse Cover Gallery, featuring the artwork of Randy Green, Andy Park, Mike Wieringo, Stephen Platt, and Roger Cruz.
“Fans have been asking for a while when we plan on bringing 10th Muse back. I always planned for her to return. Now that Bluewater is a fully established publisher and not just the title’s creator, we have more control over operational issues. I wanted to commit to her long-term, not just [throw her in] a series of one-shots and special appearances,” Davis said. Later this year, Bluewater plans for the 10th Muse to return as an ongoing monthly series.
Also planned for later this year are two other high profile projects, including a mini-series, 10th Muse: The Lost Issues. According to Davis, there were several issues never before published that were, at the time, unusable because of the continuity issues with the hero’s design. These issues were written by Wolfman and Davis and drawn by Roger Cruz and Clint Hillinski.
Another mini-series that continues the crossover tradition, much like DC's popular Brave and the Bold, will feature 10th Muse in new team-ups with characters from the indie world like Bomb Queen (Image Comics), Demon Slayer, Badger, and others.
“We’ve got a lot of great ideas brewing, but I want the series to recapture the flavor of the original run. It won’t be a series reboot or a continuation with another character as the Muse,” Davis noted. “I want Emma Sonnet fighting bad guys in the courtroom and her alter-ego taking on the likes of Aries, Hera, and other ne’er-do-wells on Olympus.”
The suggested retail price (SRP) for the upcoming Crossovers trade paperback is $17.99. Pre-ordering is currently available at several outlets and bookstores using the ISBN #978-1-61623-926-8.
10th Muse has been optioned by Castle Bright Studios who has a deal with Universal Pictures.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
The Weirding - Site Updates, Changes
I both love and hate the "W.I.P." (Work In Progress) aspect of websites: on the one hand, it perfectly fits the medium; on the other, it can be a serious pain in the ass. The Internet blends all mediums into one media, so melding the "performance" aspect with what were once set works to create living documents says so much about the Web media and medium that one could base entire theses on this idea, alone. But waking-up to find you have to completely change your entire site's approach, design, etc. - which happens literally once or twice a year - can be so disheartening... All too often, you feel the whole thing is a Sisyphean feat no reward - regardless of its nature or size - can compensate.But the Web - well, the Internet in all its forms - is the printing press of our, and future, generations. I know that whatever I accomplish will be around for years to come, even if eventually only as a curiosity, and I take that fairly seriously. Fairly so - I mean, I write about roleplaying games and slasher flicks - I don't have my entire head up my ass!
Anyway, I added some new pages and content to the Champions section. While this is previously-published material, it has been edited, rewritten, and reformatted and includes new artwork. I should be able to get even more up next week, as SiteSpinner released the most complete version of their software to-date, which has made my life literally 85-95% easier!
I also made some structural changes which affect the entire site. This may result in some technical errors, particularly along the lines of missing images and similar formatting issues. I will try to correct these as soon as possible, but we are talking site-wide changes - i.e., every page on the site. Technically speaking, the site was originally laid-out to handle such changes without me having to edit every page on the site to make them, but SiteSpinner has had numerous "quirks" and a handful of bugs in every release which had to be accounted for and may still impede progress. A lot of these sitewide changes are meant to correct such shortcomings for future updates.
Also, I am probably going to discontinue The Wording as the siteblog and move all of that kind of stuff to the Facebook page. I don't know yet, but it makes more sense to do it that way. The major problem I have with that is being limited as to what I can say or present, due to TOS; it's far too easy for some jackass to decide s/he is offended by something - like "Satanic" D&D games, for example - and get the whole suspended or even deleted. I dealt with that back on the GeoCities site until I was able to prove that it was, literally, about three people from AOL who were consistently "flagging" the site as "inappropriate." One of them went to prison for selling pills - true story - and I only ever "knew" these assholes from online chatrooms and so forth!
ANYwho, enjoy the new Champions content - as always, there's more to come - and I'd love to hear any suggestions or criticisms you have, especially if you are having problems viewing the site! Also be sure to add The Weirding @ Facebook page (link above) to your favorites, or "Become a Fan," or however that works. I will be announcing updates, et.al., there more after today.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
No One is As They Seem...
BERKELEY, CA – 4 February 2010 – FADE TO BLACK, a new horror miniseries from Image Comics/Shadowline by ZOMBIE COP writer, Jeff Mariotte, and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Danielle Serra, promises to take its readers on a winding, twisted trail in which first impressions are always wrong.“The characters of FADE TO BLACK are actors, shooting a film on location. They’re young, wealthy, beautiful and spoiled, and everything they know about the wilderness comes from a script until they run into the Children of the Radiant Night - a cannibal cult using the desert for reasons of their own - and the script is out the window,” Mariotte said. “Danielle’s use of shape, line and light took the story down a darker and scarier path than I ever imagined when I wrote it. While there are moments of humor, when the suspense ratchets up, it’s really terrifying and it’s all thanks to Dani’s special vision.”
FADE TO BLACK is an object lesson in not accepting anything at face value. What at first appears to be five young people on a wilderness trek experience turns out to be something very different. On their own, with no specialized training or skills, our five heroes need to figure out how to survive... or not.
FADE TO BLACK #1, a 32-page full color comic with a cover price of $3.50, will be available for order in the January issue of Previews and goes on sale March 17th.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Bill Watterson's First Interview in 20+ Years
In what is believed to be his first interview in nearly 20 years, Cleveland resident and Calvin and Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson, answered a handful of questions from a local reporter who actually knew what he was doing (unlike... um, some other interviewers).
Watterson says he misses "the groupies, drugs, and trashed hotel rooms" of the Calvin and Hobbes era, and that he has "never regretted stopping when [he] did." Watterson also believes that, had he continued the strip, the fans who miss it would not feel the same -- in fact, those very fans would be cursing him for "[running] the wheels off it."
While brief, the interview is enlightening and certainly welcome. Watterson's work had an indelible and lasting impression on many of us and Calvin and Hobbes' end, along with that of Bloom County and some of the other strips of the time, signaled the true end of comic strips.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Watterson says he misses "the groupies, drugs, and trashed hotel rooms" of the Calvin and Hobbes era, and that he has "never regretted stopping when [he] did." Watterson also believes that, had he continued the strip, the fans who miss it would not feel the same -- in fact, those very fans would be cursing him for "[running] the wheels off it."
While brief, the interview is enlightening and certainly welcome. Watterson's work had an indelible and lasting impression on many of us and Calvin and Hobbes' end, along with that of Bloom County and some of the other strips of the time, signaled the true end of comic strips.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Brittany Murphy's Death Ruled "Accidental"
While more thorough results will be released later, a coroner has confirmed pneumonia as the leading factor in actress, Brittany Murphy's shocking death. Iron-deficiency anemia and "multiple drug intoxication" were secondary factors. The drugs were prescription medicines she had been prescribed for seizures, among other things, as well as OTC meds she had bought to combat the "flu-like symptoms" her husband and family members reported Murphy suffering days before she collapsed in her bathroom.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Mass Effect: Redemption Sell-Out
FEBRUARY 3, MILWAUKIE, OR, and EDMONTON, AB—Just in time for the arrival of the hit series’ second issue, in stores today, Mass Effect: Redemption #1 will be reprinted to fill demand after selling-out across the country.
Mass Effect: Redemption tells the exciting backstory that leads up to the events of Mass Effect 2, the recently released video game developed by the award-winning creative team at BioWare. The game’s lead writer, Mac Walters, takes up the pen to give fans exclusive insight into the events that unfolded between the conclusion of the original Mass Effect and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars: Legacy), this four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies in this rich science-fiction landscape.
The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science-fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich, futuristic story line, stunning space exploration, and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.
“Dark Horse has enjoyed a close and productive working relationship with everyone at BioWare and EA,” said Dark Horse’s senior director of marketing, Micha Hershman. “Thanks to that relationship, our team created an awesome comic that we feel authentically supplements the gaming experience,” he continued. “We’re geeked that comics, gaming, and science-fiction fans appreciate the quality of our work and continue to drive unprecedented demand for both the comic and the iPhone app.”
For those who have yet to read this explosive first issue, it is also currently available for free download on iTunes until Thursday. After that, Mass Effect: Redemption #1 will be available for just ninety-nine cents.
Mass Effect: Redemption is the fifth title to arrive in Dark Horse’s ever-growing stable of comics available on the iPhone platform. Other titles available now include Gerard Way’s smash hit The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Terminator: Death Valley, and multiple titles from the critically acclaimed line of Star Wars comics. The first issue will hit iTunes February 3rd, just in time for the release in comic shops of the second issue of the series.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Mass Effect: Redemption tells the exciting backstory that leads up to the events of Mass Effect 2, the recently released video game developed by the award-winning creative team at BioWare. The game’s lead writer, Mac Walters, takes up the pen to give fans exclusive insight into the events that unfolded between the conclusion of the original Mass Effect and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars: Legacy), this four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies in this rich science-fiction landscape.
The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science-fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich, futuristic story line, stunning space exploration, and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.
“Dark Horse has enjoyed a close and productive working relationship with everyone at BioWare and EA,” said Dark Horse’s senior director of marketing, Micha Hershman. “Thanks to that relationship, our team created an awesome comic that we feel authentically supplements the gaming experience,” he continued. “We’re geeked that comics, gaming, and science-fiction fans appreciate the quality of our work and continue to drive unprecedented demand for both the comic and the iPhone app.”
For those who have yet to read this explosive first issue, it is also currently available for free download on iTunes until Thursday. After that, Mass Effect: Redemption #1 will be available for just ninety-nine cents.
Mass Effect: Redemption is the fifth title to arrive in Dark Horse’s ever-growing stable of comics available on the iPhone platform. Other titles available now include Gerard Way’s smash hit The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Terminator: Death Valley, and multiple titles from the critically acclaimed line of Star Wars comics. The first issue will hit iTunes February 3rd, just in time for the release in comic shops of the second issue of the series.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Late Start
It'll be a late start today, due to a follow-up appointment. I know it's been slow, but only part of it is due to the whole surgery thing; this has been a slow news week! Anyway, we'll be back shortly.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Creator Says New Dredd Movie "Not as Bad as the Original"
John Wagner told 2000AD Online that he had read the script and seen the breakdowns and, so far, the new Judge Dredd film looks like it should be far superior to the original, which had little to nothing in common with the comic series and character from the 2000AD magazine. Fans are hopeful, especially since Trainspotting and 28 Days Later's Danny Boyle is producing and the script was written by 28 Days Later's Alex Garland. Jock is doing the production design.
The original, which featured an all-star cast, even if few of them were actual "stars" at that point in their careers, was widely hailed as a flop. Not only did it underperform at the box office, fans of Judge Dredd were soundly disappointed. Over the years, the film seems to have developed a cult following, but no one thinks it was faithful to the comic, including the creator, Wagner.
The casting for the film has not been announced.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
The original, which featured an all-star cast, even if few of them were actual "stars" at that point in their careers, was widely hailed as a flop. Not only did it underperform at the box office, fans of Judge Dredd were soundly disappointed. Over the years, the film seems to have developed a cult following, but no one thinks it was faithful to the comic, including the creator, Wagner.
The casting for the film has not been announced.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
Kristen Bell Engaged
Heroes starlet, Kristen Bell, is engaged to her movie and TV -star boyfriend, Dax Shepard. No further details were provided by her publicist. Bell also appeared in Veronica Mars and was a presenter at last night's Grammy Awards. Shepard has appeared in numerous comedies, both on the big screen and the small one. The couple appear together in the upcoming When in Rome.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
On Your Paltry Star Wars Collection
We geeks often get a bad rep for, well, lots of things, and a lot of them have to do with our collecting hobby and our attitude concerning it. We are known to be rather anal when handling our collection and - maybe a little too - passionate when discussing it. Star Trek fans (Trekkies, or "Trekkers," as they now prefer) are the poster boys for arguing minutiae, though anyone who knows us knows we comic book collectors run a pretty good race, and Star Wars fans... well, Star Wars fans have their arguments, but they like to dress-up more than anything.
And then there's this guy. (NOTE: Some ads NSFW-ish!)
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
And then there's this guy. (NOTE: Some ads NSFW-ish!)
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)