The Zeo Crystals Is A Deep Cut For Power Rangers Fans
It’s been long rumored and even slightly confirmed but now, it’s official. The upcoming ‘Power Rangers‘ film will feature the Zeo Crystals!
When messaging with the Power Rangers Facebook messenger app, it starts a roleplaying game where you train to be a Ranger with Alpha 5. During these training, Alpha 5 states the mission is stop Rita Repulsa from finding the Zeo Crystal.
Check out an example below:
If you know anything about the mythos of Power Rangers, this is a pretty big deal. Not only does this add an extra layer of fan service but this could possibly set-up the sequel. Introducing something as important as the Zeo Crystals this early into the franchise is a bold move but shows the creators have faith.
For those who don’t know, the Zeo Crystals are powerful objects with powers to unlock new Power Ranger suits. This allowed the original ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers‘ show to reboot itself after a fairly long run. With new suits, new characters, and new powers; the show felt fresh again and I personally think it helped it helped it last this long.
If they are setting something like the Zeo Crystals in the first film, it could mean the Rangers could be changing for the next installment, if there is one. That also opens up the possibility of each ‘Power Rangers‘ movie having inspiration from a season of the show.
What do you think of the inclusion of the Zeo Crystals?
Let me know in the comments below.
‘Power Rangers’s is set to be released on March 24, 2017. The film stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Banks. The film is directed by Dean Israelite.
Even if you’ve never delved into the world of online comics, there’s a chance you’ve heard the name Homestuck. Maybe it evokes the image of cringey teenagers, or elegant cosplays. Maybe your head starts spinning with strobe animation and distant instrumental music. Perhaps all you can remember is a vague, half-remembered bottle of Faygo.
Either way, there’s very few people who have completely avoided the Homestuck phenomenon. The popular comic by Andrew Hussie ran from April 13th, 2009 to April 13th, 2016 – seven years exactly. In that time, it generated one of the most active, bizarre and energetic online fandoms to date.
All this is rather intimidating if you’re planning to read the Homestuck archives. So here’s a quick guide to what you should know as you begin.
There’s also a distinct lack of speech bubbles, panels or strip numbers. Each ‘strip’ is navigated through facsimile flash-game options, sometimes with commands as simple as ‘Descend’ or just –> to turn the page.
In an interview with Bryan O’Malley (author of Scott Pilgrim) Hussie explains that reader suggestions dictated his earlier comics (hosted at the same website, MS Paint Adventures)
“The commands and mock-text parser stuff were concepts in much better alignment with the story and website in early Homestuck and in the stories before it, when the readers would submit those commands and I would pick one and draw the response — where I was literally functioning as the text parser myself.”
-Andrew Hussie
So there you have it. Don’t be deceived by the illusion of choice – it’s all Hussie having a laugh.
2. There’s A Lot To Keep Track Of
There is no shame, none, in having the wiki open while you navigate the comic. In fact, by the third act or so, it becomes a necessity. That’s before things get into time-travel, alternate timelines and different realities. A lot has to be taken on faith. If you’re a reader who has a hard time with suspension of disbelief, it’ll be a little hard.
It’s also easy to miss something important. If you reread the wiki at the end of each act, you’ll catch up with all the weird terms that Andrew Hussie likes to throw at the audience. Don’t be afraid to reread sections, either – this is a comic that demands your attention.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Quite the opposite. As Andrew Hussie puts it in his interview, “…the harder you have to work to figure something out, and the more concentration you have to apply, the more devoted you become once it all finally clicks and you get it.”
Observer quotes a Tumblr fan with their own take on Homestuck’s complexity:
I think people like to talk about it so much because it feels like a victory to even get to the point where things are right now. It has over 6000 pages and holy shit, the beginning is the slowest thing ever. I think people just feel proud to stick with it for so long, you know?
If you manage to get through Acts 1-4 without the wiki, you’ll need it once you get into Act 5. The first few acts are fairly minimalistic when it comes to characters. John Egbert is the (nominal) lead; Rose Lalonde, his intrepid goth friend, Dave Strider the ‘cool kid’ with a love for music and video games, and Jade Harley, the enigmatic recluse gardener.
John, Rose, Dave, and Jade.
Then the Wayward Vagabond and three others start showing up. That’s a little more confusing, but ultimately only bump the main cast up to eight.
And then by Act 4, a whole twelve new cast members get dropped on you. Later on there’s another twelve. And –
Karkat Vantas.
Everybody ends up with a favourite, but the sheer number of characters and possible interactions can get overwhelming. It’s also pretty easy to go several hundred strips without even seeing a character.
It’s not helpful that the trolls – who only officially appear by Act 4 – are massively overrepresented in fandom. If you started reading for Karkat, Terezi, Vriska or Eridan, you’ll have a while to wait.
4. The Fandom Is Massive – And A Little Scary
Homestuck is several thousand pages long, but the fandom is even more massive and sprawling. Consider: for Homestuck‘s eight thousand pages, there are 42,000 written works on Archive Of Our Own, 819,000 artworks on DeviantArt, and countless more on Tumblr, Livejournal, Fanfiction.net, Dreamwidth…
It’s not absurd to consider Homestuck one of the biggest 2010 fandoms. It’s possibly the only webcomic so far to reach such a critical mass in success and widespread recognition. But for first-time readers it’s important to remember that a fandom is just that: fandom. You can read the comic and enjoy it immensely, purely on its own merits.
Once you’re done crying over the ending, then you can explore the wonderful world of quadrants, look into buying a gallon of grey facepaint, or design your very own fantroll. The choice is yours.
In the latest episode of the FilmKind podcast, Kieran reviews the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. How does the remake compare to the original? What new songs have they added? How good is Ewan McGrogor’s French accent? Listen to the review and find out!
The FilmKind Podcast is an awesome new show discussing the latest movies and movie related content. With amazing weekly episodes and detailed reviews!
Listen to FilmKind’s Beauty and the Beast review below:
“Belle (Emma Watson), a bright, beautiful and independent young woman, is taken prisoner by a beast (Dan Stevens) in its castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast’s hideous exterior, allowing her to recognize the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.”
Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, and Stanley Tucci.
Like the episode? Be sure to comment at let us know what you think and make sure you let us know what you thought of Beauty and the Beast. For more episodes of the FilmKind podcast make sure you subscribe! Also be sure to check back with Monkeys Fighting Robots for more amazing content!
Last week, in support of International Women’s Day, we looked at women in comics in 2016. What we found wasn’t great. However, several folks criticized our methods (notably on Reddit), claiming that our results were meaningless.
Most criticisms focused on the fact that we only looked at writers and artists, due to time constraints. Using typical research methods, we took a sample of the industry (the top 500 selling comics, writers, and artists) and used it to create a snapshot. But the criticisms continued, and the conversation moved from “what can we do to help fix this?” toward “this article is crap.” So, we took their suggestions. And we expanded.
The following is our analysis redux. It includes more detailed information on our methods and sample, as well as a more statistical look at our findings. Hopefully, this lets you, our dear readers, focus more on the results. Let’s get started.
Methods (or, how we did it)
First, some terms. In a nutshell, most comics are sold through the direct market system, where comic shops buy books from producers (DC, Marvel, etc.) through distributors (primarily Diamond). Shops order books based on an assessment of their demand, and generally cannot return those books if they don’t sell. This is the dominant market system for comics and has been since the late 1980s. It helped the proliferation of specialty stores, which were almost uniformly owned and operated by, and catered to, men.
These are the guys who distribute all of your favorite books
Because of this system, actual sales numbers on comic books are nearly impossible to find. Stores do not report their sales numbers, for the most part, so we don’t know how any one book is doing. The best statistic we have is the order numbers that shops place to Diamond, which does report numbers on a monthly and annual basis.
For tracking these order numbers, there is no better source than Comichron. They take their estimates from Diamond’s monthly report numbers and converge with other sites’ (like CBR and ICV2) estimates.
The best source for comic research
Using Comichron’s annual report, we looked at the top 1000 selling comics books of 2016. Making up these 1000 books were 244 unique titles, including annuals (basically one-shots). 133 of the titles were produced by DC, 87 by Marvel, 10 by Image, and 14 from Valiant, IDW, Archie, Dark Horse, Dynamite, and Boom combined. DC held a 39% share of the top 1000 books, while Marvel had 55%, Image 4%, and the rest had 2% combined.
This was the best selling book in 2016, in case you were curious. What a world we live in.
Six creative categories were considered for each of the 1000 books: writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, and editor. Each was coded for whether there was at least one woman in that category. The entire book was then coded as having at least one woman on the team, or not. This is the lowest possible bar for women’s inclusion in this industry. The teams were assessed using the companies’ wiki pages and verified through physical or digital copies of the comics.
Findings
For the top 1000 comic books sold in 2016:
65% of them had at least one woman on the team
20% had more than one woman on the team
53% of DC’s books had at least one woman on thee team
75% of Marvel’s books had at least one woman on the team
41% of Image’s books had at least one woman on the team
60% of the combined smaller producers had at least one woman on the team.
The following is the percentage of each creative category with at least one woman:
9% of writers
7% of pencillers
8% of inkers
17% of colorists
4% of letterers
51% of editors
We also took the data and ran it through analyses to see if there was a relationship between women being on a book, and lower sales. One of the leading arguments against the lack of women creators is that books created by women don’t sell as many copies. This claim is typically made without any data to support it. Probably because it doesn’t exist.
Stats is pretty ugly looking right? Here’s the gist: this shows us the relationship between a team having at least one woman on it, and the effect on sales. A book created by a team with no women sold an average of 59,566 copies. A book created by a team with at least woman sold, on average, an additional 366 copies. For those keeping score, that’s more than books without women.
However, the real key to this stat lies 3 categories to the right: that’s the P value, which is a measure of how significant the data is. Basically, it tells us what the likelihood is that the number we found was because of a relationship, or just chance. In most research, that number should be less than .05 to be significant. Here, it’s .887, which is really insignificant. This means the additional 366 books was most likely due to chance.
So what does it all mean?
Here’s the tl;dr: these results are not great for the state of women creators in comics.
65% of books had at least one woman on the team, but only 20% had more than one. That’s ludicrously low. There is, undeniably, a noticeable lack of women in writing, pencilling, inking, coloring, and lettering. Even in editing, most of the women were assistant editors. Remember, this is the lowest possible bar for what we could want. The actual number of unique women involved is far lower. And that’s a problem. Because the old adage of “this industry is for men” is crap.
First off, there is no official data on the demographics of consumers in this market. So we don’t truly know. But we do have some informal data. According to an annual survey done by Publisher’s Weekly, comic book stores responded that women aged 17-30 were their fastest growing consumer segment in 2014 and 2015.
Yep, women aren’t apart of this industry at all. I’m sure they won’t show up to this little film either.
And it’s not just in comics. Nielsen data shows that women make up at least 40% of the audience of television shows adapted from comic properties. For Supergirl and Agent Carter, it’s 50%. Women made up 30-50% of the audience of comic book films released in 2012-2015. So they’re clearly consuming these properties on screen and page.
This con is devoted to celebrating women in geek culture. So it’s amazing. Go check it out.
Women are also attending conventions in droves. Studies have found that conventions have near parity, with numbers ranging from 45%-50%. And these attendees are purchasing merchandise in a similar amount to men con-goers, so it’s not just because “Cosplay brings a lot of women in. A lot of cosplay has a sexual element to it” as one Redditor so helpfully commented on our first article. The cons themselves have also reported near parity: Emerald City Comic Con reported that men were 46% of their attendees in 2014. 43% of the attendees at New York Comic Con in 2015 were women, and this grew 84% between 2010 and 2014.
Getting to the point
The comic book industry is not made for men. It does not cater solely to men. To think otherwise is to deny fact. And if that’s your gig, then there’s not much else we can do for you.
One of my favorite pictures. From Bobbie Chase (VP of Talent Development at DC) on March 8th, “Just some of the Wonderful Women of DC Comics!”
Far more importantly, the industry should not be made for men, or cater solely to them. Women are consuming comic books, and the culture around them, in ever growing numbers. Despite this, there is a severe disparity in the number of women who help create this now multi-billion dollar genre. And it’s all of our faults.
To those who criticized the original findings, or deny that women are part of the genre, or that they don’t need to be making these books, etc., etc, now is the time to ask: Why? What is so inherently wrong with asking your shops to order more books made by women? To ask DC, Marvel, Image, Valiant, Dynamite, Boom, IDW, Dark Horse, Archie, and every other publisher to employ more women? How is that going to harm your consuming experience?
Here’s a hint: it won’t.
What can you do?
So, dear readers, now that you have the data, the facts, the evidence, what can you do to help?
If you don’t currently read comic books, but you go see the Marvel/DC films, or maybe you watch iZombie or Preacher: start reading them. This is where they are getting those stories from, and the movies won’t change if the books don’t.
If you wander into a shop or Barnes & Noble every now and then to buy a book: when you do, look at who is creating your book. Challenge yourself to buy books that are created by more than one woman every time you buy one that is only made by men.
If you have a shop you go to regularly: Great job supporting small businesses! Now hold them accountable, and ask that they stock more books created by women. Your patronage means a lot more to a small business than it does to Barnes & Noble, so your opinions, and more importantly your dollar, mean a lot more here.
If you have a regular shop and a pull list: If you have a pull list (basically a subscription to a book at a local shop), then you are the one driving those numbers we found above. So task yourself to order books created by women, at least one for every book that is by all men. Go even further, and have at least one book that is created mostly (if not solely) by women.
Ok but listen, I don’t know what books are being made by women, and it’s March Madness and I’m busy: NO EXCUSES. Be better. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. Which leads us to…
Ask for recommendations: Ask your local bookstore sales rep, your local comic shop owner, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook friends, creators themselves, other con goers, Monkeys Fighting Robots, me. It doesn’t matter, just ask. I promise you that if you ask, you will be helped. But most importantly…
Listen. Listen to when women speak out about this problem, to creators who discuss the problems within the industry, to the fans who beg for their beloved franchises to be better. Listen.
What is your favorite book created by women? What’s books created by women are on your pull right now? Let us know in the comments!
The remaining Power Rangers storm the Command Center in hopes of taking back their home from Rita and her forces. But is it already too late for Zordon and Alpha 5?
Writing
This issue decides to decrease the action and instead focuses on more world building, flushing out the alternate world and how people have been living under the rule of Lord Drakkon. Billy and Tommy meet up with the Coinless, a group of freedom fighters made up of some of the former Power Rangers and trying their best to continue the good fight against evil. It’s interesting to see the characters who appear in this group. Bulk and Skull as legitimate supporting characters is one thing, but they also find a way to introduce Aishia into the mix.
The issue also features a lot of preparation for the coming confrontation. Finster is working on a new monster to fight against the Power Rangers who have been working to regroup and retake their command center. Lord Darkkon is disciplining his troops as he mounts an all out raid on the Coinless. It’s revealed Scorpina has been the one who has been communicating with Lord Darkkon in this world. Not a major surprise but it’s still interesting to see the two interact together. Just a lot of building tension throughout the issue.
Writer Kyle Higgins has a lot planned out and is obviously just letting the characters take a moment to breath before a final battle. Also, just going to call it now: Billy’s other self did more with Trini in the other world than simply save her. Not saying they have a kid together, but if this turns out to be the twist, remember you heard it here first.
Artwork
The art still remains at a top notch level thanks to the team of Hendry Prasetya and Matt Helms. The appeal of this issue is the introduction of more of Power Ranger sentries. These protectors of Lord Drakkon have very impressive design work to them. Hopefully someone will be inspired by them and real life costume versions will be replicated at conventions in the near future.
Conclusion
An issue which is building towards an incredible battle may seem less impressive compared to previous issues, but this issue is solid. A calm before the storm moment isn’t necessarily bad as the audience needs time to figure out what is at stake before going full force into an epic battle. The series is still incredible satisfying and just needs to deliver more intensity in the next issue.
Jeff Sneider, veteran film reporter formally with The Wrap, has revealed a potential director for the Green Lantern Corps film. Sneider dropped the rumor in the latest episode of “Meet The Movie Press”.
“This one doesn’t have a director either. But it has a writer and a producer, and what if they’re one in the same? I’m hearing David Goyer could very well end up directing Green Lantern Corps himself.”
Sneider is a pretty reliable source in the world of film journalism, but this should still be classified as a rumor for now.
How would you feel if Goyer ends up directing Green Lantern Corps? Comment below!
The latest subscriber-only cover of Empire Magazine features Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
The film stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5.
Currently, Injustice 2 is slated to come out on the Xbox One and Playstation 4. However, if anything is to be perceived from Ed Boon’s Twitter, it’s that the Nintendo Switch will indeed receive a port of the game. Boon is a Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios, the company behind Injustice 2.
On February 23, Boon tweeted this out. No, it’s nothing special, but perhaps he was trying to see if his audience was interested in the system.
My OCD would never allow me to buy the Nintendo Switch with the different colored side controllers. pic.twitter.com/tVJH6B1lt1
Then, on St. Patrick’s Day, the Creative Director gave his biggest tease yet. What does the holiday have to do with Nintendo’s latest console? Nothing. The answer is nothing.
So, my point in all this? While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s safe to assume that there is a good chance of the Switch getting a port of Injustice 2. Either that or Boon is a super-troll to Nintendo loyalists.
With all the evidence presented, do you think there’s a chance we’ll see Injustice 2 on Nintendo’s latest console? Comment below!
Injustice 2 is going to be released on May 16, 2017.
In a recent interview with Screen Crush, actor J.K. Simmons briefly discussed Commissioner Gordon’s role in Justice League, its sequel, and The Batman.
“My part in the first film coming out this fall is very, very small. It’s a little introduction of the character. But whenever the next one gets off the ground, whether it’s The Batman movie or the Justice League sequel, and I know those things are getting shuffled around right now … we thought we might be getting to work pretty soon on The Batman, but we’ll see what the future brings. Hopefully that’ll be another comic-book character that I get to take two or three or four cracks at.”
Are you looking forward to Simmons’ performance as Gordon? Comment below!
“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
Justice League stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Ezra Miller as Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Amber Heard as Mera, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.
The film is slated to hit theaters on November 17, 2017.
Los Angeles, Calif. (March 16, 2017) – BOOM! Studios and Saban Brands are proud to debut three new Power Rangers Sentries in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #13, the latest issue of their best-selling comic book series. The issue went on sale March 15 in comic book shops.
Following the debut of the Mastodon Sentries in issue #11, this issue features the Tyrannosaurus Sentries, Sabertooth Sentries, and Pterodactyl Sentries, troopers molded after the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and under the command of Lord Drakkon on an alternate timeline Earth. In the story, Tommy Oliver and Billy Cranston have been transported to that universe, in which Lord Drakkon—the Tommy Oliver of this timeline—and Rita Repulsa have conquered the planet. In eluding capture by the Sentries and trying to find their way back to their own world, the pair find allies with an underground resistance called The Coinless.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #13 is written by Kyle Higgins and illustrated by Hendry Prasetya. The Sentries were designed by MMPR cover artist Jamal Campbell and Saban Brands.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an ongoing comic book series published monthly by BOOM! Studios.
