It’s been quite the year for Tom Holland. After making his debut star performance as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, the official trailer for this summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming hit the web and got fans excited. Now, the actor has earned a BAFTA nomination in the category of rising star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The other nominees in this category include Anya Taylor-Joy, Ruth Negga, Lucas Hedges, and Laia Costa.
Last year saw John Boyega win the award for his breakout role as Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Holland’s next blockbuster performance will be in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is slated to hit theaters on July 7.
In a recent tweet by James Gunn, it was revealed that the director is a big fan of Moon Knight, and even wants to make a movie based on the character.
Oh my God I love Moon Knight & I have a great idea for a movie, I just wish I had the time (but, no, he doesn't belong in Guardians). https://t.co/ARJCPh62gt
As Civil War II wraps up, Iron Man and Captain Marvel’s conflict ends with a whimper, and not a bang.
The series has a lot of action scenes, but it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez have a lot to work to follow in Mark Millar’s footsteps.
Talk about an epic brawl
As the sequel to Civil War, the plot seems convoluted and nonsensical. Tony Stark and Carol Danvers meet up to determine Miles Morales’ fate. Basically, in Ulysses’ vision, Miles kills Captain America. While this is said to be false, another vision shows the event still happens in the future.
Woah- this is pretty intense. If only the story would follow suit.
When Danvers tries to detain Miles, Iron Man arrives to challenge her. The two heroes begin fighting. Medusa tries to warn everyone about Ulysses’ vision in an effort to end the conflict. Finally, Marvel hits Iron Man with a blast that seems to kill him.
Or does it?
Spoiler- it’s not what you think.
Does Tony Stark really die? You’ll have to read and find out.
Despite the blast, Tony appears to not be dead. Nor does the fall to Earth kill him. Mind you, that fall is a pretty long one. Surely, Tony couldn’t have made it, right?
Later, Beast and Danvers examine Stark’s body, which lies in a healing tank. It turns out Tony does have a heartbeat, but he’s in a type of coma. Apparently, he has found a way to keep himself alive.
Beast can’t find out what Tony has done to himself. Nor is he willing to experiment on him either. Ultimately, Beast and Danvers decide to let Tony heal on his own.
The man who is Stark will rise again. We can rebuild him….
Thus ends Civil War II. War Machine and Hulk are dead. Iron Man is in a coma. Ulysses leaves Earth ands become a new cosmic being alongside Eternity. Danvers takes on the role of leader in the superhero community.
Bendis and Marquez have a few neat concepts, but the story feels muddled. Heroes fight each other for no real reason. Famous characters die in various ways. Poor science offers Iron man a “Deus ex machina” way of coming back from the dead. One can hope the next Marvel crossover is an improvement.
More spoilers – Thor is coming back. Plus, Ultron will return – again.
The Great Gazoo is working on his report card for the human race, and so far humanity has earned a big fat “F.” When the Church of Gerard starts selling Indulgences, Bedrock descends into violence and debauchery. Meanwhile, a miner gets trapped at Slate’s Quarry. Might there be an honest citizen in this burgeoning civilization willing to come to his rescue?
Writing
Thanks to a busy personal schedule, there wasn’t enough time in 2016 to review all of the comics which came out, or even a fraction of them as intended. Many entertaining and fantastic books didn’t get the attention they deserved. Case in point: The Flintstones, one of the best surprises to come out of comics last year. What could have been a simple case of reintroduction of the characters to hold the property rights (much like what Wacky Raceland turned out to be), this series continually mixed current events with dark comedy to deliver very amusing and at the same time thought provoking comics.
In this issue, the Great Gazoo, a character which became infamous with decline when he appeared in the original cartoon, is used as a framing device to serve as an outsider’s view into humanity. Through his report back to his superiors about what life is like on Earth and how humans seemed doomed to be one second away from destroying themselves in their quest for meaning, the creative team is able to help illuminate an often felt in modern society. Just as it seems like the issue will end on a very disheartening note, writer Mark Russell proves how he is becoming the king of the last page delivery. Sure nothing is going to top how he ended the fifth issue but he still continues to find a ways to hammer home his point with each issue.
Artwork
Artist Rick Leonardi continues to deliver amazing character visuals. Building off the cues of the original cartoons he finds ways to make the setting truly feel like a modern stone-age family. The use of clams as cell phones is a particular nice touch. Also, the final page wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if the art wasn’t so finely detailed.
Conclusion
The Flintstones was not only one of the greatest comic books to come out of the DC’s line of comics based on Hanna-Barbera characters, but it was also one of the best books of the previous year period. If you haven’t taken the time to read this book, the latest issue is a perfect way to get a sense of what this book has to offer. You’ll have a gay old time.
Sylvester Stallone put his directing career on hold after 2010’s The Expendables, opting for more time in front of the camera with Escape Plan, Bullet to the Head, Grudge Match, Reach Me, The Expendables sequels and, of course, his excellent, Oscar-nominated supporting performance in Creed. But Stallone, the director, is soon set to reappear. Much like his buddy Mel Gibson returned to filmmaking last year with Hacksaw Ridge, Stallone will revisit directing with Tough As They Come, based on the best-selling memoir by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills, one of five soldiers to survive a quadruple amputation resulting from a battlefield injury.
As Deadline reports, Stallone will star in addition to direct the war-based biopic alongside Adam Driver, who’ll play Mills. Stallone will play his father-in-law, Craig Buck. Fox is working to acquire both the memoir and the life rights of Mills and Buck. Susan & Eric Carlson and James Keach will produce. It looks like Stallone is trying to gun for that Oscar again. There’s no screenwriter attached yet, however.
Tough As They Come will be a more personal project than most for Driver. The Girls actor comes from a military background, as he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, but was medically discharged before he could be sent to the field. Since then, Driver has worked towards bringing services and attention to the military with programs like Arts in the Armed Forces, which Vice documented over a year ago.
Stallone, meanwhile, turned down a top post in the NEA under President-elect Trump to spend more time “bringing national attention to returning military personnel and shining the light on the challenges of reintegrating into society.” Tough As They Come will certainly accomplish that, whenever it decides to hit theaters. In the meantime, Stallone is hoping to get The Expendables 4 off the ground as well.
Driver can currently be seen in limited release in Paterson and Silence. He’ll soon star in Star Wars: Episode VIII, Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky and Girls season six. Stallone will next be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in a mysterious role.
Disney XD has released a new mid-season trailer for Star Wars: Rebels season three. The short trailer gives fans a look at what to expect when the show returns, but also teases a major showdown between two iconic Star Wars characters from the prequels.
As you can see in the trailer above, Rebels will bring Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul together again. Things might get a little violent since the last time they met, Obi-Wan removed the lower half of Maul’s body. The trailer also features a new look at Saw Gerrera’s return to the franchise after his appearance in Rogue One.
Any fan of Star Wars should be excited at the idea of Obi-Wan and Darth Maul having one more battle, but I think we can assume the outcome of the fight since one character appears in the original trilogy and another does not.
Star Wars: Rebels will return to Disney XD on January 7th, 2017. If you don’t already watch the animated series I highly recommend especially if you’re looking to expand your knowledge of the franchise.
Are you excited to see Obi-Wan and Darth Maul battle in Rebels? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!
Catwoman aka Selina Kyle has been accused of murdering 237 people and sentenced to death. Batman, with the help of “Bruce Wayne” was able to reduce the sentence to life without parole at the infamous Blackgate prison. Selina, emotionally vulnerable, asks Bruce for one more night together. So on a star-filled, cold night in Gotham, the Bat and the Cat set out on an evening together patrolling the streets.
Batman #14 “Rooftop part 1” Publisher:DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Penciled, Inks and Colors by Mitch Gerads
Writing
After last month’s weaker conclusion to the four-part “I Am Suicide”, writer Tom King takes Batman into a new two-part story line. And although initially I saw this as a lighter story, I realized I was wrong about that. There IS levity, but the sentencing of Catwoman hangs over the whole issue like a Sword of Damocles.
The levity in the issue comes from the brief, but great cameos from some of Batman’s lesser rogues. In a fantastic sequence (each done in one page), Batman and Catwoman take down the likes of Clock King, Magpie, Gorilla Boss, and Ten-Eyed Man, among others. The fights are played for laughs, and the villains seem to pose no threat. It’s a great use of DCU history and a treat for C-list character fans.
But it isn’t all fun and games, as there is some great and mature dialog between Batman and Catwoman that really brings out their feelings for each other. The best example is the opening rooftop conversation. Catwoman has always been emotionally expressive, but not Batman. King really humanizes Bruce here and reveals that there is a deep love between these two that is complicated. It’s a very sensual scene in a very sensual issue. An issue that ends in one of the most romantic and passionate scenes I have ever read in a comic
Art
The art chores on this issue belong solely to Mitch Gerads, (King’s co-creator on Vertigo’s Sheriff of Babylon) and he does an amazing job. His style is realistic and gritty, with amazing detail in the faces that really convey the subtle emotions at play between Batman and Catwoman.
His backgrounds also really paint the atmosphere of the night. There is a softness to the sky in this issue that gives it the magical and romantic feel needed. It’s still recognizable as Gotham, but it also feels “quiet” when the time calls for it, and Batman and Catwoman truly seem like the only two people in the world.
My favorite thing about Gerads art was the page design and structure. The scenes with all the C-list villains are told with identical nine-panel grids, and this repetitiveness brings out the humor and emphasizes how easy these takedowns are for Batman now. The dialog scenes are also very symmetrical, but told with longer panels, allowing for both figure and background to stand out, giving the emotions playing out a cinematic feeling.
The coloring, also by Gerads, is beautiful and just plain feels like nighttime. There is a lot of blue in this issue, but with enough variety that it’s not just one toned and boring. The colors truly capture that very specific lighting that only exists in the middle of a quiet, star-filled night.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this issue, and found it a nice change of pace from the previous storyline. Tom King seems to be attempting to write a very fully realized and three dimensional Batman, and it’s working. He is also working with some fantastic artists that compliment each story perfectly. If you love Batman, it is a great time to be reading this book.
A recent update to the Justice League IMDb page has caught our attention.
In this update, a new character was added: Daniel Eghan as Arkham Guard 2. Although this isn’t official confirmation of Arkham Asylum, it gives us a pretty clear indication that the iconic Batman location will be making an appearance in the film.
In all likelihood, the Asylum will have something to do with Lex Luthor, as he was sent to Arkham by Batman at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Could we see cameos by any famous Batman villains? How big of a factor will Arkham Asylum and Lex Luthor be in the overall Justice League story? Let us know your guesses in the comments section.
Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017.
Two new promotional clips for The Lego Batman Movie have been released. Watch them both below.
Promo Clip – “I’m Batman”
Promo Clip – “Nerds”
“In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The LEGO Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.”
The Lego Batman Movie hits theaters on February 10, 2017.
Doctor Strange hit theaters back in November, and to no one’s surprise, was a massive success. It’s brought in over $650 Million as of this writing.
Although the film hasn’t even finished its theatrical run, we won’t have to wait too long to pick it up on Blu-Ray.
According to Comicbook.com, Doctor Strange is slated to get a Blu-Ray release on February 28. The 3D version clocks in at $34.99, with the normal version costing $29.99.
“From Marvel comes DOCTOR STRANGE, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place – a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange – armed with newly acquired magical powers – is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying, and totally mind-bending journey.”
Batman #14