‘Holidays’ (2016) Anthology Celebration of Hits and Misses

By

-

April 19, 2016

Whether you hate them, or love them, yet another horror anthology was birthed with the 2016 April release Holidays. Here we will break down each segment with a clue of what each segment entails without the spoilers, with a hint of opinion and personal reactions. What’s your personal favorite day to celebrate?

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpsN2JaWEwc[/embedyt]

Valentine’s Day

Starting the movie right along comes the visually striking Valentine’s Day story directed by Dennis Widmeyer and Kevin Kolsch. If you’re a fellow fan of their 2014 film Starry Eyes, you’ll feel semi at home with their genius way of creating a bully that you seriously just want to see get stabbed in the throat, and the familiar repercussions of kicking a dog that’s already down. The too familiar tale centralizes around a teenage girl who is constantly teased by the other girls on her high school swim team. It often reminded me of classic humility gym scenes such as in The Craft (1996) or even Carrie (1976) but brought up to current times with the mentioning of school talent shows allowing teenagers to perform “twerk” routines inspired by Nicki Minaj and some lovely gore to wrap it all up. Certainly a strong punch to start off the series!

Overall reaction: Couldn’t help making me think of Japanese school girls but if Americans did yandere.

St. Patrick’s Day

Next up on the calendar comes the disturbing story of St. Patrick’s Day directed by Gary Shore. After further research of this director, I was highly impressed with having only one horror movie under his belt with Dracula Untold (2014). The plot immediately starts off with a red headed little girl who’s new to the school but is completely stand offish with the teacher’s friendly attempts of trying to make her feel more welcomed. You soon discover that although the teacher loves her job caring for the students, she wishes more than anything to have a child of her own. At the end of this Irish holiday she discovers a cute little handmade coiled snake trinket on her desk with a note that reads “only your deepest wish can make me smile” and the baffling events take off from there. Without giving out any spoilers, I will say this is one of the strangest stories in the mix. By the end of tale, I wasn’t sure whether to appreciate the oddness as I do in the king of weird movies Gozu (2003) or to simply object it due to the lacking visual effects and numerous loopholes.

Overall Reaction: Still undecided.

Easter

Ok, so if you’re into creature features, this will probably be your favorite out of the bunch. Nicholas McCarthy’s Easter delivers a tale of a little girl who is completely confused by which parts of this particular holiday should be deemed as truth or fiction. The creepy atmosphere easily develops as the little girl starts to overthink the popular concepts of Easter and her mother accidentally adding even more fear with a bed time story of how it’s important for the little girl to keep her eyes closed until morning. Like clockwork the little girl gets thirsty in the middle of the night and fights a shocking surprise down stairs that personally left me utterly giddy of how well it tied the story all together. Loved the creature design, the transition from the fairy tales, and just the overall eerie feeling from an obedient little girl’s perspective.

Overall reaction: Very pleased.

Mother’s Day

And then there’s the Mother’s Day bit directed by Sarah Adina Smith… The story features a young woman who keeps getting pregnant regardless of the numerous contraceptives procedures she partakes in. She is recommended to visit a fertility facility owned by the current doctor’s sister that is located in the middle of the desert. An unsettling atmosphere is met once you realize that all the women attending this fertility ceremony are either infertile or looking to get pregnant as the main character just wants her ovaries to just give it a rest. As the ceremonial practices begin, everyone gets naked, Ayahuasca is ingested and the mysterious experiences for protagonist take off from there. In retrospect, this potentially sounds like an interesting story but it really fell short for my tastes. Nothing really memorable, nothing really intriguing, just a bunch of “meh” followed by an annoying ending.

Overall reaction: You’re better than that.

Father’s Day

Now if you’re a fan of mystery done CORRECTLY, then the Father’s Day short will perk your mood right back up! Anthony Scott Burns grabs the viewer’s attention immediately as the adorable teacher played Jocelin Donahue retrieves a random Father’s Day package from her doorstep. She soon unravels a cassette player with a tape already inside in which happens to be a message from her father. As the story progresses, you discover that her parents were separated during early childhood along with her father supposedly deceased. The mysterious audio tape soon presents a quest for the heartbroken young woman to meet him at an undisclosed location by following his step by step directions. Without heading into a spoiler zone, this was possibly the best story among the 8. The audio tape idea also brought out my Fallout fandom which added even more kudos than the massive amount it already had. From beginning to end, I was incredibly enthralled with the story progression, character investment, awesome cinematography, and seriously wanted more.

Overall reaction: IT’S OVER?!?

Halloween

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I could’ve completely done without Kevin Smith’s lazy excuse for a Halloween story. This short is basically about a scum bag cam girl business owner who lives out in Hollywood and has girls work out of his residential home. As the viewer is introduced to the three girls currently living in his home, they have a mini discussion about the witch cartoon playing on TV and cam life. The owner makes his way home throwing cheap candy at the girls, instigating a confrontation, a name calling fury and a subpar aftermath. As TrueHorror.net wrote in their recent review of the film,

“Imagine you are handed the keys to the coveted Halloween based segment in said holiday horror anthology film. Now imagine you take the keys and segment and piss all over it. Sadly that is exactly what Kevin Smith has done with Halloween…”

“This would be fine for “Kevin Smith’s Anthology of Whatever the Hell he feels like”, but for a Halloween segment in a horror film about holidays, it is a complete and utter disappointment and failure.”

I honestly couldn’t agree more with those statements. I’m not sure if Kevin Smith was attempting to spread his wings in a B-Rated fashion of writing, but it left me overall irritated especially with the undertone message of the ending.

Overall Reaction: Just stop.

Christmas

So to be completely honest, one of the leading factors that led me to wanting to see this film was my inner love for Seth Green. I’m not exactly where it spawns from (he’s not my dreamy blonde haired Viking-esque type whatsoever); whether it’s the whole Scott vs Dr. Evil imagery that never leaves my head or my immense adoration for the 1999’s Idle Hands but I love Seth Green! In any event he is featured in the Christmas segment of the film directed by Scott Stewart. The tale involves a desperate father who is in need of the latest virtual headset glasses to complete his family’s Christmas holiday. One thing leads to another, he acquires the glasses but with major consequences on multiple scales. This certainly isn’t one of the stronger films on the list but I didn’t hate it. If anything it left me with a light hearted giggle that was constant until the end.

Overall Reaction: Ha ha.

New Years

The popularity of online dating is a topic that I am 100% ok with in use of horror story form. Adam Egypt Mortimer directs quite a satisfying tale for the New Year segment. The story starts off with a creepy serial killer who ironically captures and murders the same actress who was first killed off in the brilliant 2012 remake Maniac. (Poor Megan Duffy, I would really love to see her in a revenge redemption film!) A lovely transition from brains to cherry ice cream introduces the another sobbing young female who is yet again on her couch dateless and of course on New Year’s Eve. A message suddenly pops up on her laptop from her online dating account from a new prospect – guess who! With the mindset of “can’t be worse than the last one”, they end up going out for dinner, and just having one of the most awkward first dates possible as you catch yourself shuddering at the serial killer’s disturbing unkempt teeth. Stepping away from the spoiler zone, this was another favorite on my list. I found myself intrigued with both characters, the story line, and wouldn’t be disappointed if this segment was drawn out into a longer movie.

Overall Reaction: no other words but YASSSSSS.

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The Turnbuckle Bandwagon: You Are Supposed To Hate Eva Marie

By

Mat Douglas

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April 19, 2016

Welcome to the Turnbuckle Bandwagon, MFR’s semi regular column on professional wrestling and sports entertainment. Today, we are going to discuss one of the most divisive talents in the WWE, Natalie Marie Coyle, better known as Eva Marie.

Debuting in 2013 alongside the Bella Twins, Eva Marie quickly gained notoriety as being a fairly inadequate wrestler. So much to the point where the WWE was forced to remove her from the main roster and has sent her down to the Performance Center twice since her 2013 debut. Her most recent tenure in NXT has shown very little in-ring improvement but a small change in her already heel character. Embracing the boos and the chants of “You Can’t Wrestle”, Eva Marie would thank the crowd for their support and pledge to “do her best” to make them proud of her. She would train with Brian Kendrick aside from her Performance Center regimen in an attempt to get her in-ring performance to an acceptable level, it did not work all that well, but after some mediocre matches, Eva Marie would take some “me time” and share her vacation videos with the NXT crowd, much to their chagrin, and upon her return would gently call her dissenters, which is 99 percent of the NXT audience, “jealous”..but in the nicest way possible.

Here’s the thing, the NXT and WWE audience doesn’t WANT to like Eva Marie, and while that viewpoint is definitely justifiable, there is every reason to embrace it. Eva doesn’t wrestle all that often, not as much as a Bayley, Asuka, or Sasha Banks. She wrestles just enough to keep the crowd invested, because even when a crowd sounds like they are about to break out torches and pitchforks, they are involved. If there was nothing there to work with, the crowd would go silent, much like they do when Dana Brooke performs, but the fans WANT to hate her, so having her play the “nice” card is easily the best way to go about it. She could show up tomorrow, have a 5 star Match Of The Year candidate, and the WWE and NXT audience would still hate her guts, so why not embrace it.

Starring on E!’s Total Divas has raised her profile, her recent tenure on NXT and possible return to the main roster has incensed the WWE Universe, so use it, and make her worthy of the boos and vitriol with her perfect smile and blazing red hair.

Agree? Disagree? Think I should be put through a table?

Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @MatPDouglas

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How I Met The Unbreakable OJ Simpson (Telly Buddies Podcast)

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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April 19, 2016

On this episode, the Telly Buddies talk about Netflix shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and F is for Family, the various crime & detective TV shows currently running, and which shows that we love should have been trimmed down a couple seasons.

FAIR WORD OF WARNING: The Telly Buddies Podcast often contains spoilers, as the show is meant to be an up-to-date podcast that talks about new developments. This episode contains some spoilers for Horace & Pete, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, and Limitless (the movie), so if you don’t want to be spoiled, make sure you consult the time stamps listed below.

https://soundcloud.com/telly-buddies-635287709/episode-2-how-i-met-the

Telly Buddies podcast is hosted by Jon Barr, an avid TV fan and writer on Monkeys Fighting Robots (if you didn’t guess). Guests this week are Jake Christie, Emma Layden, and Josh Corrigan. Artwork created by Scott Ginsberg, and intro/outro music is “Nevermind the Books,” as performed by Mourning Todds.

Telly Buddies Topics Covered (In Order)

-Fate of Horace & Pete (5:32)

-Dan Harmon FX Show (9:57)

–Rush Hour/Limitless TV Shows (13:36)

–F is for Family Renewal (17:05)

–MadTV CW Reboot (21:40)

-Good Shows that Should have been Shorter (27:57) CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

–The People vs OJ Simpson Wrap-Up (45:36)

–Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S02 (52:58) CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MAD MEN

Do you have any topics you’d like to hear about? Send any television-related questions to tellybuddiespodcast@gmail.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @TellyBuddies, subscribe to our SoundCloud feed, and subscribe/rate/review on iTunes!

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Review: ‘Supergirl’ Episode 20 – Better Angels

By

John Zakour

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April 19, 2016

Better Angels not the Best….

This week was the Supergirl season 1 finale. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) has to do whatever it takes to stop Non (Chris Vance) and Indigo (Laura Vandervoort) who have turned the good people of National City into their army. Lucky for Kara she still has Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) and Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli) on her side. Of course before Kara can do any saving she’ll have to deal with her sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) who is under Non’s control, armored and packing a kryptonite sword.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

The fight between Alex and Kara starts off the episode with a bang. Kara doesn’t want to harm Alex, but the feeling isn’t mutual. Alex gains the upper hand but thanks to Mom’s (ex-Supergirl herself Helen Slater) speech and some help from Martian Manhunter (David Harewood) they can talk Alex back into being Alex. Mom giving Alex hope broke Non’s control over her.

Supergirl broadcasts a message of hope that Max piggybacks onto Myriad. Benoist as always does a stellar job selling the speech. Sure, it’s a little corny but in today’s cynical world a little hopeful corn may not be such a bad thing. Hope has been the central theme to Supergirl. The message sets the human’s minds free which of course irks off Non and Indigo. They (well mostly Indigo) decide to destroy Earth. It turns out by cranking up Myriad; they can kill all the humans.

Back at the DEO, we learn Superman is still down after all this still isn’t his show. General Lane wants to tie up J’onn, but Lucy Lane actually grows a spine and fights back. But J’onn defends the General’s decision. Max clues everybody in on how Myriad is going to kill all humans. They need to find the source of Myriad’s power and shut it down. Max tells Kara it’s going to be a tough battle versus multiple super powered beings. Max has faith in her, but he also calculates her odds aren’t great. One Supergirl versus a bunch of super powered beings means this is most likely a suicide mission.

Kara heads off for nice thank you talks with Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and Cat. These are followed by an emotional heart to heart with Jimmy. A distraught Kara blows him off and tells him to find somebody who will love him for being him. Jimmy sends word to the DEO that Supergirl seems to be saying good-bye (which she was). Now time for J’onn and Kara’s emotional chat. Supergirl is worried that she’s going to die though she is determined to save Earth no matter what. I understand the sentiment, but this seemed to drag on a bit long especially considering everybody on Earth is going to die fairly quickly. At least this sparks J’onn to decide to join the battle. After some coaxing General Lane shows he’s a bit human and agrees to let J’onn help Kara.

Max finds the source of Myriad it’s in Nevada, it’s Fort Rozz. The government has been “hiding it” there. Their defense, “it’s hard to move a million ton building.” J’onn and Supergirl head to Nevada for the big knock down, drag out battle versus Non and Indigo. The latter two have conveniently put the rest of their super powered beings in sleep pods. That’s a bit cocky, but that’s how bad guys run. The battle itself is enjoyable especially with Manhunter ripping Indigo in half. Supergirl unleashes her pent up heat vision furry, burning out Don’s eyes. Not really sure if this kills him guess we can assume he’s just crippled. The bad duo may be beaten and fried, but Myriad is still active. The only way to save Earth is for Supergirl to fly Fort Rozz into space. Of course, she doesn’t do this until after a long heartfelt talk with Alex. Again a bit corny and the timing is kind of off since everybody on Earth has minutes to live. This version of Supergirl can lift 100 million tons and fly it into space but apparently can’t survive for long without oxygen. Supergirl saves the planet but is on the verge of suffocating. Luckily, Alex somehow knows how to fly the ship Kara came in and saves her.

Kara wakes up at the DEO. All is right with the world. J’onn is once again put in charge. Ms. Grant promotes Kara reassuring me she knows Kara is Supergirl. We end with a nice warm and fuzzy family moment with Kara and her closest friends chowing down. Kara and Jimmy even kiss this time with feeling. They are going out of their way to make sure we realize the show is about hope and family. Oh and then, of course, we have the required “cliff hanger”. A pod very much like Kara’s comes crashing down to Earth. Kara opens it up, amazed at who or what is in the pod. Cut and hold for season 2.

Notes: Best line of the night Cat, ““You people were more punctual when you were drones…” Max and General Lane seem to be scheming something. Ms. Grant finally called Kara, Kara. Mom learned Dad is still alive, and Alex and J’onn are going to find him, which shouldn’t be hard now that J’onn is back in control of the DEO.

Summary: Not my favorite episode. How come the government didn’t do something with Fort Rozz? Why can’t Supergirl hold her breath forever in space? I like “love and hope and teamwork” but they went a bit overboard this episode. As previously mentioned it seemed a bit too cocky that Non and Indigo wouldn’t come with some backup. Non was a pretty wishy-washy main bad guy. He never seemed like an imposing threat. Still, I mostly enjoyed this show and see a lot of potential here. The fights were on the short side but enjoyable. As stated before Benoist and Flockhart are Emmy worthy. Truthfully, all the characters grew on me as the season went on – yes even Jimmy. Next season, they need to send Superman off world and leave him there. Maybe what’s in the pod can be the reason Superman takes off? If they remove Superman, get a true “Big Bad” and clean up the writing Supergirl can truly fly next season.

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Complete List of 2016 Eisner Award Nominees

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 19, 2016

Comic-Con International announced the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2016 Tuesday morning.

Voting for the awards is now open at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The Eisner Awards will be presented at a gala awards ceremony to be held on July 22 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

Best Short Story

“Black Death in America,” by Tom King and John Paul Leon, in Vertigo Quarterly: Black (Vertigo/DC)
“Hand Me Down,” by Kristyna Baczynski, in 24 x 7 (Fanfare Presents)
“It’s Going to Be Okay,” by Matthew Inman, in The Oatmeal, theoatmeal.com/comics/plane [2]
“Killing and Dying,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #14 (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Lion and Mouse,” by R. Sikoryak, in Fable Comics (First Second)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

A Blanket of Butterflies, by Richard Van Camp and Scott B. Henderson (HighWater Press)
I Love This Part, by Tillie Walden (Avery Hill)
Mowgli’s Mirror, by Olivier Schrauwen (Retrofit/Big Planet)
Pope Hats #4, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse)
Silver Surfer #11: “Never After,” by Dan Slott and Michael Allred (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
Giant Days, by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin (BOOM! Box)
Invincible, by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cliff Rathburn (Image/Skybound)
Silver Surfer, by Dan Slott and Michael Allred (Marvel)
Southern Bastards, by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour (Image)

Best Limited Series

Chrononauts, by Mark Millar and Sean Murphy (Image)
The Fade Out, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Lady Killer, by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich (Dark Horse)
Minimum Wage: So Many Bad Decisions, by Bob Fingerman (Image)
The Spire, by Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely (BOOM! Studios)

Best New Series

Bitch Planet, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro (Image)
Harrow County, by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook (Dark Horse)
Kaijumax, by Zander Cannon (Oni)
Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
Paper Girls, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Image)
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosion, by Dominque Roques and Alexis Dormal (First Second)
Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (First Second)
The Only Child, by Guojing (Schwartz & Wade)
SheHeWe, by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch (Lerner Graphic Universe)
Written and Drawn by Henrietta, by Liniers (TOON Books)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)

Baba Yaga’s Assistant, by Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll (Candlewick)
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War, by Jessica Dee Humphreys, Michel Chikwanine, and Claudia Devila (Kids Can Press)
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor, by Nathan Hale (Abrams Amulet)
Over the Garden Wall, by Pat McHale and Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!)
Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson (Dial Books)
Sunny Side Up, by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

Awkward, by Svetlana Chmakova (Yen Press)
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, by Don Brown (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
Moose, by Max de Radiguès (Conundrum)
Oyster War, by Ben Towle (Oni)
SuperMutant Magic Academy, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Humor Publication

Cyanide & Happiness: Stab Factory, by Kris Wilson, Rob DenBleyker, and Dave McElfatrick (BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box)
Deep Dark Fears, by Fran Krause (Ten Speed Press)
Sexcastle, by Kyle Starks (Image)
Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection, by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
UR, by Eric Haven (AdHouse)

Best Digital/Webcomic

Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
Fresh Romance, edited by Janelle Asselin (Rosy Press/comiXology)
The Legend of Wonder Woman, by Renae De Liz (DC Digital)
Lighten Up, by Ronald Wimberly (The Nib), thenib.com/lighten-up-4f7f96ca8a7e#.u45ffr3l1 [3]
These Memories Won’t Last, by Stu Campbell, memories.sutueatsflies.com/ [4]

Best Anthology

Drawn & Quarterly, Twenty-Five Years of Contemporary, Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels, edited by Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
Eat More Comics: The Best of the Nib, edited by Matt Bors (The Nib)
24 x 7, edited by Dan Berry (Fanfare Presents)
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, vol. 3, edited by David Petersen (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)
Peanuts: A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz, edited by Shannon Watters (kaBOOM!)

Best Reality-Based Work

The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978–1984, by Riad Sattouf (Metropolitan Books)
Displacement: A Travelogue, by Lucy Knisley (Fantagraphics)
Hip Hop Family Tree, Book 3: 1983–1984, by Ed Piskor (Fantagraphics)
Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist, by Bill Griffith (Fantagraphics)
March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
The Story of My Tits, by Jennifer Hayden (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Graphic Album—New

Long Walk to Valhalla, by Adam Smith and Matthew Fox (BOOM!/Archaia)
Nanjing: The Burning City, by Ethan Young (Dark Horse)
Ruins, by Peter Kuper (SelfMadeHero)
Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen, by Dylan Horrocks (Fantagraphics)
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua (Pantheon)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Angry Youth Comics, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)
Roses in December: A Story of Love and Alzheimer’s, by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers (Kent State University Press)
The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal Omnibus, by E. K. Weaver (Iron Circus Comics)
Nimona, by Nicole Stevenson (Harper Teen)
Soldier’s Heart: The Campaign to Understand My WWII Veteran Father, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

Captive of Friendly Cove: Based on the Secret Journals of John Jewitt, by Rebecca Goldfield, Mike Short, and Matt Dembicki (Fulcrum)
City of Clowns, by Daniel Alarcón and Sheila Alvarado (Riverhead Books)
Ghetto Clown, by John Leguizamo, Christa Cassano, and Shamus Beyale (Abrams ComicArts)
Lafcadio Hearn’s “The Faceless Ghost” and Other Macabre Tales from Japan, adapted by Sean Michael Wilson and Michiru Morikawa (Shambhala)
Two Brothers, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Alpha . . . Directions, by Jens Harder (Knockabout/Fanfare)
The Eternaut, by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano Lòpez (Fantagraphics)
A Glance Backward by Pierre Paquet and Tony Sandoval (Magnetic Press)
The March of the Crabs, by Arthur de Pins (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)
The Realist, by Asaf Hanuka (BOOM! Studios/Archaia)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

Assassination Classroom, vols. 2–7, by Yusei Matsui (VIZ)
A Bride’s Story, by Kaoru Mori (Yen Press)
Master Keaton, vols. 2–4, by Naoki Urasawa, Hokusei Katsushika, and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ)
Showa, 1953–1989: A History of Japan, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
A Silent Voice, by Yoshitoki Oima (Kodansha)
Sunny, by Taiyo Matsumoto (VIZ)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

Beyond Mars, by Jack Williamson and Lee Elias, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
Cartoons for Victory, by Warren Bernard (Fantagraphics)
The Complete Funky Winkerbean, vol. 4, by Tom Batiuk, edited by Mary Young (Black Squirrel Books)
The Eternaut, by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano Lòpez, edited by Gary Groth and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
Kremos: The Lost Art of Niso Ramponi, vols. 1 and 2, edited by Joseph P. Procopio (Picture This/Lost Art Books)
White Boy in Skull Valley, by Garrett Price, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

Frank Miller’s Ronin Gallery Edition, edited by Bob Chapman (Graphitti Designs/DC)
P. Craig Russell’s Murder Mystery and Other Stories Gallery Edition, edited by Daniel Chabon (Dark Horse)
The Puma Blues: The Complete Saga, by Stephen Murphy, Alan Moore, Michael Zulli, Stephen R. Bissette, and Dave Sim (Dover)
Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library, vols. 3–4, edited by David Gerstein (Fantagraphics)
Walt Kelly’s Fairy Tales, edited by Craig Yoe (IDW)

Best Writer

Jason Aaron, Southern Bastards (Image), Men of Wrath (Marvel Icon), Doctor Strange, Star Wars, Thor (Marvel)
John Allison, Giant Days (BOOM Studios!)
Ed Brubaker, The Fade Out, Velvet, Criminal Special Edition (Image)
Marjorie Liu, Monstress (Image)
G. Willow Wilson, Ms. Marvel (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

Bill Griffith, Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist (Fantagraphics)
Nathan Hale, Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor (Abrams)
Sydney Padua, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage (Pantheon)
Ed Piskor, Hip-Hop Family Tree, vol. 3 (Fantagraphics)
Noah Van Sciver, Fante Bukowski, Saint Cole (Fantagraphics)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

Michael Allred, Silver Surfer (Marvel); Art Ops (Vertigo/DC)
Cliff Chiang, Paper Girls (Image)
Erica Henderson, Jughead (Archie), Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Marvel)
Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer (Dark Horse), Brides of Helheim (Oni)
Nate Powell, March, Book Two (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Tiger and Love: The Fox (Magnetic Press)
Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
Carita Lupattelli, Izuna (Humanoids)
Dustin Nguyen, Descender (Image)
Tony Sandoval, A Glance Backward (Magnetic Press)

Best Cover Artist

David Aja, Hawkeye, Karnak, Scarlet Witch (Marvel)
Rafael Albuquerque, Ei8ht (Dark Horse), Huck (Image)
Amanda Conner, Harley Quinn (DC)
Joëlle Jones, Lady Killer (Dark Horse), Brides of Helheim (Oni)
Ed Piskor, Hip-Hop Family Tree (Fantagraphics)

Best Coloring

Laura Allred, Lady Killer (Dark Horse); Silver Surfer (Marvel); Art OPS (Vertigo/DC)
Jordie Bellaire, The Autumnlands, Injection, Plutona, Pretty Deadly, The Surface, They’re Not Like Us, Zero (Image); The X-Files (IDW); The Massive (Dark Horse); Magneto, Vision (Marvel)
Elizabeth Breitwiser, The Fade Out, Criminal Magazine, Outcast, Velvet (Image)
John Rauch, The Beauty (Image); Batman: Arkham Knight, Earth 2: Society (DC); Runaways (Marvel)
Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD Hell on Earth, Fight Club 2, Frankenstein Underground, Hellboy in Hell, Hellboy and the BPRD, (Dark Horse); Sandman: Overture, Twilight Children (Vertigo/DC), Captain America: White (Marvel), Space Dumplins (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Lettering

Derf Backderf, Trashed (Abrams)
Steve Dutro, Blood-C, Midnight Society, Plants vs Zombies (Dark Horse)
Lucy Knisley, Displacement (Fantagraphics)
Troy Little, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Top Shelf/IDW)
Kevin McCloskey, We Dig Worms! (TOON Books)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)
Comic Riffs blog by Michael Cavna, washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/
Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes (Hogan’s Alley)
Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)

Best Comics-Related Book

Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America, by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics)
King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear (Abrams ComicArts)
Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer, by Martha Fay (Abrams ComicArts)
Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel, by Paul Levitz (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art, edited by Frances Gateward and John Jennings (Rutgers)
Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan, edited by Mark McLelland et al. (University Press of Mississippi)
Graphic Medicine Manifesto, by M. K. Czerwiec et al. (Penn State University Press)
Superheroes on World Screens, edited by Rayna Denison and Rachel Mizsei-Ward (University Press of Mississippi)
Unflattening, by Nick Sousanis (Harvard University Press)

Best Publication Design

Beyond the Surface, designed by Nicolas André, Sam Arthur, Alex Spiro, and Camille Pichon (Nobrow)
The Eternaut, designed by Tony Ong (Fantagraphics)
Eventually Everything Connects, designed by Loris Lora, Sam Arthur, Alex Spiro, and Camille Pichon (Nobrow)
King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/LOAC)
Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, designed by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
Sandman Gallery Edition, designed by Graphitti Designs and Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios (Graphitti Designs/DC)

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Elizabeth Banks Makes Rita Repulsa Look Good

By

Matthew Sardo

-

April 19, 2016

The first image of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa in Lionsgate’s ‘Power Rangers’ reboot has hit the internet via People Magazine.

“It’s definitely a modern and edgy re-imagining of the original Rita Repulsa. I’ve never played a villain before. I’m looking forward to looking forward to “world domination – and being unpredictable as a character,” says Banks.

‘Power Rangers’ is directed by Dean Israelite, and stars Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler as the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott as the Pink Ranger, Becky G as the Yellow Ranger and Ludi Lin as the Black Ranger.

‘Power Rangers’ is set to hit theaters in March 2017.

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REVIEW: ‘Transformers: Robots in Disguise’ #52: Optimus Calling

By

Anthony Wendel

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April 19, 2016

Sadly, no, the featured image from an alternate cover for this issue is a lie. Optimus Prime doesn’t ride Sky Lynx into battle in a homage to ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction.’ Instead, Optimus has a bunch of meetings to discuss intergalactic protocol. Yay?

The issue is very character-based issue. This means lots of dialogue and not much action. Still in the All Hail Optimus storyline, Optimus Prime is dealing with his decision to save the Earth by making it part of Cybertron’s Council of Worlds. This time, he takes meetings with the leaders of different factions, and none of the them are pleased with his decision. Starscream gives him a guilt trip, The Mistress of the Flame thinks Earth should belong to a Prime, and Soundwave agrees to work with him only because Optimus has dirt on him. It’s Transformers: West Wing.

[easy-tweet tweet=”It’s Transformers: West Wing. ” user=”IDWPublishing ” hashtags=”#transformers, #IDW, #IDW”]

The art adds atmosphere to the issue. Ramondelli, employs his usual gritty art style which is great to look at and gives a feeling of dread throughout. The fight scene between Galvatron and Arcee in an active volcano is the highlight of the issue and wouldn’t have been as epic without Ramondelli’s art. Unfortunately, it’s one fight sandwiched between dialogue filled scenes.

Its an issue of politics and negotiations. Not as brutal as ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ but not nearly as good as ‘House of Cards.’ It’s somewhere in the middle which is the overall feel for the entire issue. In the middle with a few bright moments here and there. The story is building to something but for right now it could go either way.

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First Look At Antoine Fuqua’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 19, 2016

Get your first look at Vincent D’Onofrio, Martin Sensmeier, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Byung-hun Lee in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of ‘The Magnificent Seven.’

USA Today released the images early Tuesday morning. Fuqua talked to the paper about the day Washington agreed to be the film.

“Denzel just smiled and said, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ I walked out of the restaurant and said to myself, ‘Denzel Washington is getting on a horse for The Magnificent Seven,'” said Fuqua.

The trailer for ‘The Magnificent Seven’ will hit the internet Wednesday morning, with the film release on September 23.

Springing from the legendary Akira Kurosawa’s epic ‘Seven Samurai,’ released in 1954, and being adapted into a what became a legendary Western in 1960, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ told the story of seven outlaws and gunfighters hired to defend a Mexican village in the face of a very large opposing force.

Check out our video: Antoine Fuqua And Chris Pratt Talk ‘The Magnificent Seven’

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J.A. Bayona Takes Over for Colin Trevorrow for Jurassic World 2

By

Curtis Waugh

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April 19, 2016

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that J.A. Bayona has been named the director of whatever Universal decides to call Jurassic World 2. 2015’s Jurassic World was directed and co-written by Colin Trevorrow. Presumedly the only reason Trevorrow isn’t returning as director (he’s still co-writing the script with JW scribe Derek Connolly) is because he’s going to be directing a small little trifle of a movie called Star Wars Episode IX.

Jurassic World made a ton of money. A TON. Universal made the decision to get back to the roots of the franchise with this third sequel and soft-reboot of its classic modern dino-franchise. There was definitely no guarantee in turning a profit from a new entry to a series which had already shown a decreasing return of profit, directed by an unproven blockbuster entity in Colin Trevorrow. Color everyone surprised when this paid off in spades as Jurassic World raked in a massive $652 million domestically, only to be eclipsed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.

And Jurassic World was terrible.

I believe Trevorrow to be a potentially interesting director but so many of the problems with Jurassic World stem from things that Trevorrow actually believed to work but were train wrecks (the wanton torture and death of the “Bridezilla” comes first to mind).

J.A. Bayona has an interesting background having made The Impossible, which is an ok example of pitting high human emotion against even higher physical and environmental destruction. The Orphanage also proved he can more than handle the horrific elements inherent to a dinos-run-amok tale. He’s in post-production on his intriguing adaptation of A Monster Calls which brings in a high fantasy element. I think we’ll know what we’re in for regarding Jurassic World 2 after we see what that film is like.

Color me intrigued but cautious because this series has historically pushed to meet release dates over being certain of having good material.

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The 5 Worst Comic Book Movies You Have To See

By

EJ Moreno

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April 18, 2016

The Ones We Love To Hate: 5 Bad Comic Book Films!

While the superhero genre has seen its fair share of massive blockbuster, there are just as many blunders. For every ‘Dark Knight‘, there is a ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance‘.

It goes without saying that any genre suffers from this problem but unless it’s horror films, nothing comes close to the level of how many bad superhero movies exist. As a known lover of really bad movies, I have respect for some of the campiest & hated comic book movies in history.

Except 2008’s ‘The Spirit.’ That was just unwatchable…

So I had the pleasure of going through the dreadful list of the worst superhero films of all time. I pick out the shining stars of the much hated. Does your favorite “bad movie” find its way onto the list?

5. Howard The Duck (1986)

Marvel’s first major film, ‘Howard The Duck‘ nearly derailed any other big-screen Marvel attempts. The movie stars Howard The Duck, an anthropomorphic duck who crash lands on Earth in the 80’s Ohio. He befriends a girl and uses his martial arts knowledge of “Quack-Fu” to save the day from mad scientists & evil band managers. This ridiculous comic book adaption flopped with critics but somehow became loved as a “cult classic“. Marvel eventually recovered greatly but Howard The Duck’s solo film remains a blemish on their record. He has made a post-credit appearance in 2014’s ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy‘. “No one laughs at a master of Quack Fu!”

4. Batman & Robin (1997)

The king of all bad comic book movies. ‘Batman & Robin‘ was the reason we didn’t get any Batman films until 2005′. Filled with nipples on the bat-suit and Mr. Freeze’s “ice” puns, Joel Schumacher crafted this most infamous masterpiece. The 1997 film can be found on many “worst movie ever list” but many see it as a throwback to the 60’s era Batman. Things were handled much lighter; this tries to re-create that feeling. George Clooney’s only outing as The Caped Crusader is memorable for all the wrong reasons but I do love Uma Thurman’s, Poison Ivy.

3. Catwoman (2004)

Another blunder in the history of DC films, ‘Catwoman‘ is a ridiculously campy film which tries to re-do the entire background of the beloved anti-hero Catwoman. Casting Halle Berry as the new version of Catwoman named Patience Phillips was problematic from the get-go but add in horrendous CGI with bad acting and you got a recipe for a bomb. Somehow with all these faults, the movie has found a home with some loyal fans. LGBT channel Logo even plays the film on a regular basis.

2. Green Lantern (2011)

2011’s ‘Green Lantern‘ was hopefully the last major flop in the DC film list. In the midst of a Batman resurgence, DC was hoping to bring Green Lantern to the big screen. What we got is the punchline to many jokes. Ryan Reynolds tries to make the most out of a flimsy script & more laughable visual effects but nothing could help. Maybe the worst offense in this movie was making comic book villain Parallax a giant cloud. Luckily Reynolds recovered wonderfully with 2016’s ‘Deadpool‘.

1. Fantastic Four (2015)

The biggest issue with the latest Fantastic Four film is how mediocre it is. ‘FANT4STIC‘ suffered from a much-publicized studio/director battle that harshly affected the final product. Without all the petty drama, this film could have been the first good movie about Reed Richards & crew. Presented to us was a plot-hole riddled story with a serious lack of tension. Now fans heavily debate on the future of the F4 franchise; do they stop making them or give them to Marvel Studios?

What’s your favorite bad superhero movie? Did you guilty pleasure make this list?

Let me know in the comments below!

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