Darwyn Cooke Remembered, (1962-2016)

May 14, 2016

It comes with great sadness to report on the passing of one of the great writers and artists Darwyn Cooke has passed away. This came not long after his family made a public statement on his recent arrival to a palliative care center to receive treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. The tragic news came from the blog Almost Darwyn Cooke. His passing occurred at around 1:30 a.m., and Cooke was surrounded by friends and family in his home in Florida.

Cooke’s portfolio included many works that came to signify why it is we read, cherish, and idolize superheroes. Cooke worked for several comic book imprints, but his seminal works were within the DC pantheon. These works included taking on Will Eisner’s legendary character, The Spirit, a Batman/Spirit miniseries, Before Watchmen, and his most famous and revered work, DC: New Frontier. New Frontier, heavily inspired by the look and feel of the Silver Age of Comics, was even adapted into an animated film by DC.

Though the aesthetics of gritty and hard-hitting stories have been the current vogue of comic book series, it is important to remember why it is we look up to heroes in the first place. His use of vibrant colors in contrast to the blackness of night captured the very essence of good versus evil that has defined superheroes everywhere. They remind us of the potential we have to achieve dreams and goals we would never dare to try to accomplish.

Though we will never face a sentient island bent on wiping out all of humanity, costumed robbers, or meta-humans waging battle throughout the city streets, we still use these figures as the golden bar of who we want to be. Darwyn Cooke perfectly captured the majestic quality of what makes these heroes heroic.

No matter how terrible the enemy, how little there was of a chance of victory, or the cost to save another life, you knew these heroes were going to do what was needed to save the day. And you were rooting for them from the first splash page to the final fin of the story. That was all the result of Darwyn Cooke’s incredible ability to connect us with his characters, both in his writing and his artwork.

His stories did not shy away from controversial discourse, and he did not hide how these heroes were flawed. Even his darkest stories had a rough beauty to them. You could never turn your eyes away from the page as the story unfolded. Yet, even in the darkest of times, you never lost faith in the protagonist. They were the guiding light in a dark storm, and in those special moments in time, they were even real, for that brief, yet beautiful space of time.

Darwyn Cooke’s passing is a terrible loss to comic book fans, artists, and those who simply love a good story. He was and always will be, in my opinion, one of the exemplary craftsmen of sequential art. Our hearts, our condolences, our prayers, and our sorrow goes out to his friends, colleagues and family.

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Petition To Bring ‘Agent Carter’ To Netflix Reaches 30,000 Signatures

Kaitlyn Booth

May 14, 2016

Marvel and ABC announced that they would not be being renewing Marvel’s Agent Carter for a third season earlier this week. This was not much of a surprise to most people since the ratings haven’t been very good from the beginning and the second season was not as strong as the first. However, the fans behind Agent Carter are vocal and very passionate about this character. Peggy Carter is the first women to helm her own Marvel property in the MCU era. It was a period piece looking at how women were treated in post-Word War II America. I can personally attest that when I attended San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con in 2015 there were a lot of cosplayers dressed as Peggy. There was even a flash mob of Peggy when Hayley Atwell and the cast were doing a signing at the Marvel booth.

No one should be surprised that someone has made a petition two days ago to see if we can find another home for the show. Right now the obvious contender is Netflix since they already have a partnership with Marvel and have been known to save shows in the past (Arrested Development, The Killing, Community). The comment section of the petition is littered with people talking about how important Peggy and Agent Carter is to them.

“I am signing because agent Carter is probably one of the only shows that shows women in such a positive light. It gave a character who started out as a love interest a true story and a positive role model for women,” wrote one comment.

“We need Peggy Carter. She represents everything that girls today are just now learning. Peggy Carter teaches girls that they are worth something. No other Marvel hero does that. Taking Peggy away from us takes away the role model so many look up to,” said another.

The petition has also even found support in Ms Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson.

FYI: there is a petition to move Agent Carter to Netflix. https://t.co/JS5FeQbLfe #SaveAgentCarter

— G. Willow Wilson (@GWillowWilson) May 13, 2016

At the end of the day will this make a difference? Probably not since star Hayley Atwell is already signed for another show on ABC but it’s nice to see so many people come out to support this character.

The petition to bring Agent Carter is here.

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DC Comics’ Statement On The Passing Of Darwyn Cooke

Matthew Sardo

May 14, 2016

Darwyn Cooke had a vision of the DC Universe that was uniquely his own, yet embraced by everyone. Once you saw his timeless designs and concepts for Batman, Catwoman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or any other character, you immediately adopted his jubilant interpretation of these heroes as your own and wanted more. His take on the most iconic heroes in the world were breathtakingly direct and elegant, powerful and cool. His were some of the most beautiful, fun DC superhero images we have ever seen.

“Darwyn Cooke lived life like a character from a Micky Spillane novel, a throwback to a bygone era that was, more than occasionally, reflected in his work,” said DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio. “He was both compassionate and combative, approaching everything he did with a tenaciousness and temerity that is now unheard of in a world afraid to offend. The simplistic brilliance of his art and the natural flow of his storytelling not only elevated but enhanced all projects he touched and his passion and love of comics was reflected in every panel of every page. Working with Darwyn was not without its challenges. There were times we’d spend hours arguing over story then go months without talking, but we always found our way back, drawn together by the common bond and friendship comics creates. This is an industry-wide loss that I feel personally, but the sadness is mitigated in the knowing that the beauty and grace of his art will forever stand the test of time and be a monument to all that is great about comics.”

Darwyn was one of our medium’s true innovators. A gifted artist and master storyteller, Darwyn began his career as a magazine art director and graphic designer. After answering an ad placed by Warner Bros animator Bruce Timm, Darwyn entered the world of animation, where he contributed to such shows as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Men In Black: The Series. From there, Darwyn made the leap into print comics, where his character design was never more effective, enduring or entrancing. It was the look and honest simplicity of his characters for which Cooke became famous—as first seen in his breakout work Batman: Ego published over 15 years ago today and then followed up by his popular and critically acclaimed work on Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score and The Spirit. Even after 15 years, Darwyn’s design for Catwoman is still the one used today in both comics and inspired the look for Catwoman on the hit TV show, Gotham.

An Eisner-award winning artist and accomplished writer, Darwyn has been a much-loved and respected member of the comics community. He lent his signature retro style to all corners of the DC Universe, from Jonah Hex to Before Watchmen to Vertigo Comic’s The Twilight Children and, of course, his masterwork, DC: The New Frontier. His bold, direct style, often compared to the works of Joe Kubert, Alex Toth and Jack Kirby, reflected his down to earth, no nonsense personality. Darwyn Cooke always claimed that he was a lucky man to have such a wonderful family, friends, and such a wonderful life. He lived that life with the same brilliance and fearlessness that so permeated his work. And for those of us who knew this one-of-a-kind and genuine soul, we were lucky as well.

Source: DC Comics Media

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Remembering Darwyn Cooke: His 5 Greatest Comics

Nick Enquist

May 14, 2016

Darwyn Cooke’s passing to cancer hit the comic book industry hard as he was one of the greats who truly understood the joy and wonder of comic books, particularly with superheroes. His talents expanded further than just being a comic book artist, he was also a great writer, director, and animator. While the Eisner award-winning artist is gone his work lives on and thankfully most of it is fantastic.

Cooke has done everything comic related from adapting novels, to creating his own mini series, to full ongoing series. It’s hard to go through his bibliography and pick a favorite, as it seems like he was breaking new ground with every comic he drew/wrote. The five comics featured below are definitely considered to be some of his best work that has resonated with audiences the most.

5. Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #11: Open All Night

Darwyn Cooke’s brief stint with Spider-Man is a very funny, comedic look at the character. This issue shows Peter Parker in a bizarre Valentine’s Day Situation. Peter gets knocked around by the Vulture on Valentine’s day, when he scheduled two dates with two different women. It’s a simple premise that doesn’t have a lot of Spider-Man’s traditional action, but it’s how Cooke handles Spidey’s large cast of characters is what makes the book so much fun. Each of them has great reactions to Valentine’s day, and the dialogue between everybody is natural, yet witty. Also, it features J. Jonah Jameson drinking coffee with a laxative in it… that alone should be worth the price of the issue.

4. Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score

Darwyn Cooke worked with Ed Brubaker on a Catwoman series, and Cooke wrote a four issue arc to kick off the run. What makes this storyline, and subsequently the entire Catwoman book work so well, is that each story is treated like a great heist flick. They all have great stakes, memorable characters, and there’s a wonderful Noir feeling to the story. Plus Catwoman may be written perfectly in this series. She’s witty, funny, and seductive in the way only Catwoman can be. Plus she’s taking on the famous Batman mobsters, the Falcone family.

3. Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter

Adapting a novel to a comic book must be one of the most difficult tasks for any writer/artist. But Darwyn Cooke seems to do it with ease as he draws the infamous career criminal Parker to life in this adaptation. The comic is drawn in that typical 60s style Cooke was so fond of, and obviously here it works even more considering the story is set in the 60s. But, this adaptation is so direct and specific that it feels like it was written by the original writer Richard Stark. In fact some people consider the graphic novel better than the original book, because the art captures the mood Stark was portraying in his series of novels.

2. The Spirit

Back in 2006, Will Eisner’s famous creation, The Spirit, got a series to himself written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke. It only lasted twelve issues, but the twelve issues are perfectly reminiscent of Eisner’s great hero. The new stories are a great introduction to the character for anyone who doesn’t know anything about him, but they’re also unique enough to stand on their own two feet. And there are issues that do feel like they were crafted by the legendary Will Eisner himself. It’s a shame the series got canceled, because there were some great stories in it. Including a crossover with the Dark Knight. And yeah it’s as awesome as it sounds.

1. DC: The New Frontier

DC’s “elseworld” concept has created a lot of great stories (most of them involve Batman), but of all of them this is one of the best. Written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, it shows the DC Universe in a transitional period. Set in the 50s, we see Superheroes become affected by a changing world. As the Cold War sets in and the fear of a red flag taking over the U.S. Superheroes are becoming more feared. Many of them, including Superman himself feel that they aren’t needed anymore. But, they push on, and discover that they are needed more than ever. What really makes this book work is that we also see wildly different characters experience some very unique problems. The book is treated seriously, but still has a sense of joy and optimism, and it is hands down Darwyn Cooke’s best work.

So, there it is, the five best stories by Darwyn Cooke. Let us know in the comments below what your favorite story or artwork by him was. The comic world will miss him dearly, and hopefully his work will live on forever.

Rest in peace Darwyn. Go find that new frontier.

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Comic Book Writer-Artist Darwyn Cooke Dies

Jonathan Bruce

May 14, 2016

Darwyn Cooke, the author of ‘DC: The New Frontier’, has passed away at the age of 53 after a battle with cancer.

The Canadian comic book writer-artist died Saturday, May 14, after reports emerged he was receiving palliative treatments for his illness.

Justice League DC — Justice League in action

Cooke’s family posted a statement on his blog: “We regret to inform you that Darwyn lost his battle with cancer early this morning at 1:30 AM ET. We read all of your messages of support to him throughout the day yesterday. He was filled with your love and surrounded by friends and family at his home in Florida. Donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society and Hero Initiative. Please continue to respect our privacy as we go through this very difficult time. A longer statement will come later today.”

Cooke is best known for ‘DC: The New Frontier’, a 2004 Eisner Award-winning series depicting DC characters from the Golden and Silver Ages of Comic Books. The book was adapted into the 2008 film ‘Justice League: The New Frontier’. He also worked on ‘Batman: Gotham Knights’, ‘Before Watchmen: Minutemen‘, ‘Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre‘, the Catwoman’ solo series, ‘Detective Comics’, and ‘Superman Confidential’. In 2006, Cooke collaborated with Jeph Loeb on the crossover miniseries Batman/The Spirit. He also wrote issues of Marvel Comics’ ‘Spider-Man’s Tangled Web’, ‘X-Force’, and ‘Wolverine/Doop’.

Cooke’s family concluded the announcement by including a John F. Kennedy quote from ‘The New Frontier”s last pages: “Then we shall not be weary. Then we shall prevail.”

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Review: ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’: Season 4: Episode 7

Anthony Wendel

May 13, 2016

Toshikazu Hazamada (Show off)

This episode was full of surprises. In the first few seconds alone there is a grotesque scene of violence. It’s not shown in detail but the implied imagery is enough to make it not for the faint of heart.

Kobayashi returns and gets a new purpose in the series. Considering it felt like he was just going to be the generic “Stand of the Week” character who would only show up once and never been seen again, it’s actually refreshing to see the creator decided to keep him around. He now serves as the information man who hears rumors on the street and will report them back to Josuke and his crew to help them in the future. It’s a lot better way of the characters getting leads then random bits of information reported from the Speedwagon foundation or more of Joseph Joestar’s psychic photos.

From there, an actual “Stand of the week” is introduced in the form of Toshikazu Hazamada’s Show Off (which is actually shown onscreen as being Surface, but again they had to change the name because they didn’t want to deal with copyright from the American band of the same name) which has the power to mimic and control its opponents. It’s here where the episode kicks into gear as Josuke and Koichi must work together to be able to put a stop to Hazamada. The pair really display some great teamwork and Koichi shows great use of his Stand despite only getting it in the previous episode.

It’s an episode which serves to help showcase more of Koichi’s powers and how he and Josuke will work together in the future. Still, it’s very entertaining and between the fact the next episode is a “Part 1” and Red Hot Chili Pepper returns to watch the heroes from a distance and contemplate how he will work to eliminate them, it’s obvious this show has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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Steppenwolf As ‘Justice League’ Villain? Count Me In!

EJ Moreno

May 13, 2016

This Creature Might Be The Villain For 2017’s ‘Justice League’.

Admittedly, this article may be a love letter to DC and the Extended Universe they’re creating but dammit, it excites me. The latest bit of news to come from the movie rumor mill is that 2017’s ‘Justice League‘ film will feature Steppenwolf as the villain and not Darkseid as everyone suspected.

The Internet was filled with their usual disgust. It was mostly complaints about the rumored villain being too minor for such a big film. While I would have loved to see someone like Brainiac or even the big bad Darkseid in the film, this seems like the creators are thinking about a long-term story. The Steppenwolf character could be the perfect way to ween the public into the chaos that is all things Apokolips.

Let me catch you up with the story before the film version gets a chance. Apokolips is the home of major DC villains like Steppenwolf and Darkseid. It’s a hellish planet where you’re basically raised a violent psycho monster. Darkseid rules the planet with an iron-fist and has no problem with military-style invasions of weaker planets. His uncle and high-ranking officer Steppenwolf is another savage Apokoliptian.

Now the online rumors suggest that 30,000 years ago, there was a battle on Earth where Steppenwolf was defeated by Earth’s heroes but left three “mother boxes“.

Basically, mother boxes are like small doors to Apokolips.

DC Extended Universe has already shown one mother box in ‘Batman v. Superman’ when Wonder Woman sees footage of one taking over the body of a young man named Victor Stone. I believe that Aquaman has a mother box in his possession as rumors have stated that Atlanteans fought against Steppenwolf 30,000 years ago.

We may have also already seen Steppenwolf. A deleted scene from ‘Batman v. Superman’ on Youtube released by Warner Bros. shows Lex Luthor talking with a creature who is showing him three boxes. Let’s not forget that cryptic dream sequence in the film where we saw Darkseid’s infamous Omega symbol.

All of this is deeply rooted in comic source material but attempts to create a fresh cinematic take on the story. I remember seeing a plot similar to this in a DC Animation movie called ‘Justice League‘: War’ but this stretches that story over what could be a few films. While many think the team at DC is rushing to catch up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I believe they are taking a natural course. They are only trying to catch up with themselves as the DC Universe has never been explored to this degree before. Once we establish how big things at DC can get then the filmmakers can deliver baddies like Vandel Savage, Brainiac, and Darkseid.

What do you think about this rumor that Steppenwolf will be the first person to challenge the Justice League? Let me know in the comments below if this raises or lowers your excitement for the 2017 film!

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MacLean’s Pale Ale from Maclean’s Ales: A Well-balanced Review

Michael Bedford

May 13, 2016

MacLean’s Pale Ale – The Brewery

MacLean’s Ales is one of those breweries with a history that’s hard to believe. According to the MacLean’s Ales website, the founder Charles MacLean learned how to brew when he ran out of money and had to work at a pub while on a motorcycle trip in the British countryside (cool!). Learning more than just how to sling suds, MacLean developed an interest in brewing at the pub, and when he returned home he started brewing his own beer, an homage to his time in Britain. I’m glad that Mr. MacLean decided to come back and open his brewery so close to me. Grey County proud, MacLean’s Ales are a welcome part of Ontario’s craft brewing scene.

MacLean’s Pale Ale – First Sip

MacLean’s Pale Ale has a rusty amber colour. Its frothy head forms on top quickly as I pour the beer into my glass. I smell apple sauce when I take my first sip, then notice a taste of strawberries that gives way to a caramel maltiness. The smooth malt transforms into a strong aftertaste that reminds me of black tea. Because of its high carbonation level, MacLean’s Pale Ale has a lasting mouthfeel that coats my palate.

MacLean’s Pale Ale – Last Sip

MacLean’s Pale Ale packs a 5.2% ABV punch so, beyond the obvious warning of only drinking a couple of these in one sitting, I suggest accompanying this beer with some snacks. This brew’s almost tart aftertaste pairs well with other strong flavours especially Mexican or Thai food, but dark chocolate, strong cheeses, or your favourite flavour of chips can be great too. You’ll find that MacLean’s Pale Ale’s flavour changes perceptibly as it warms, allowing its full-bodied British pub heritage to come out.

MacLean’s Pale Ale – Other Comments

Although this exceptional brew features a strong aftertaste brought on largely by the flavour of the hops, I wouldn’t describe this beer as hop-forward: it’s well balanced and subtle, not pushing too much of any one of its well-defined flavours.

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Michael B. Jordan Joins ‘Black Panther’

Jonathan Bruce

May 13, 2016

Creed — Michael B. Jordan is playing another Marvel hero, and it’s not the Human Torch this time.

Rising star Michael B. Jordan is doing another comic book film, but it’s not ‘Fantastic Four 2‘!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor has signed on to star in ‘Black Panther’. This film will be Jordan’s third collaboration with director Ryan Coogler, whom he previously worked with on 2013’s Fruitvale Station and last year’s surprise hit Creed. It also marks the second time he has played a Marvel Comics character; the first being Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) in 2015’s ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot. While it was not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie received critical reviews and poor box office.

Although Jordan’s role hasn’t been officially named, it is reported that he will be playing a villain in the film. He will join ‘Captain America: Civil War’ co-star Chadwick Boseman, who’s playing Black Panther/T’Challa of Wakanda. Academy Award-winning actress Lupita N’yongo has also been in talks to appear in the movie. Andy Serkis is expected to reprise his role of Ulysses Klaue, whom he already played in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

‘Black Panther’ is set to begin filming in early 2017. The film has been scheduled for a February 2nd, 2018 release.

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Trailer: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander in ‘The Light Between Oceans’

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

May 13, 2016

Derek Cianfrance has quickly made a career out of moroseness and tragedy. Both Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines were deeply emotional melodramas, and The Light Between Oceans looks to hit many of those familiar beats.

Here is the trailer:

The synopsis is fairly straightforward: A lighthouse keeper (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Alicia Vikander) find a baby in a rowboat and raise the child as their own after suffering their own loss. Rachel Weisz looks to be playing the child’s biological mother, and familial strife definitely ensues.

The Light Between Oceans is certainly aiming for Oscar gold with the September release date. Cianfrance is a true talent in my opinion. Blue Valentine was a slog of heavy emotions, but a fascinating examination into a crumbling marriage. The Place Beyond the Pines is great, despite its bloated narrative; I’ll die on that hill.

Vikander has to be the busiest actress in Hollywood these days. The Oscar winner is also in this summer’s Jason Bourne, she’s just been tapped to reboot Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, and she has three more films in some form of production.

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