DC Comics relaunched their entire line of titles back in 2011 with “The New 52!” Not all of the original 52 titles have survived the past five years; some didn’t even last through 2012. But those that have survived will be hitting 52 issues in May, and the company is celebrating the occasion with eleven variant covers, each paying homage to the respective title’s cover from issue #1.
Read the Official Press Release from DC Comics, and check out the covers below:
DC Comics proudly presents: “The New 52” hits 52!
Celebrating 52 issues of incredible storytelling, DC Entertainment’s May 2016 variant cover theme will pay homage to the #1 issues of eleven comics that debuted in 2011 when DC Entertainment rebooted their superhero publishing line and revitalized the comics industry as a whole. It was a momentous occasion then, and is an anniversary to celebrate now!
Inspired by Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman #1, Rags Morales and Brad Anderson’s Action Comics #1, Adam Hughes’ Batgirl #1, and more, these brand-new “The New 52” variants will grace the covers of those same landmark titles that are hitting issue #52 in May. Illustrated by an all-star lineup of incredible talent, May’s lineup of variant covers are as remarkable as the industry-changing covers they’re based on.
Action Comics #52 variant cover by Ben Oliver
Aquaman #52 variant cover by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Batgirl #52 variant cover by Babs Tarr
Batman #52 variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque
Catwoman #52 variant cover by Inaki Miranda
Detective Comics #52 variant cover by Francis Manapul
Flash #52 variant cover by Jesus Merino
Green Arrow #52 variant cover by Szymon Kudranski
Green Lantern #52 variant cover by Billy Tan
Superman #52 variant cover by Mikel Janin
Wonder Woman #52 variant cover by David Finch and Matt Banning
Apple is creating a top-secret six-episode series Vital Signs, starring Dr. Dre, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Vital Signs is a half-hour scripted series that is semi-autobiographical to Dr. Dre, co-stars include Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae according to the report. The series is expected to be hard hitting when comes to sex and violence.
Paul Hunter is directing the series. No release date has been announced. Apple sees an opportunity in the market with the success of original shows on Amazon and Netflix.
Check back with Monkeys Fighting Robots as more details are announced.
In “Watch The Thrones”, The 100 draws some lines and connections that I’m not sure preceding evidence could uphold. Clarke finds herself inexplicably in the middle of a coup-from-nowhere which turns into a deathmatch via champion a la The Mountain vs. Prince Oberyn in Game of Thrones. The comparisons to HBO’s masterful political drama don’t stop there as characters all across the land engage in questionable tactics which enrage the viewer because of everyone’s lack of communication. The biggest difference in season three of The 100 as opposed to the previous two is we’re dealing with very many brand new characters and resulting events in which we don’t have the gravity to process their effects taking place in this world. The story, by necessity, is getting bigger but we’re thrown so abruptly into lives and events of people with whom we have no connection, it’s hard to believe anything that happens as being true consequence. In Game of Thrones, the story slows slightly for us to catch up with their newbies whereas in The 100, the breakneck pace just chugs right along.
So, Lexa chooses herself as champion to fight against Ice Queen Nia’s champion and exiled son, Roan. This ignites that can’t-die, won’t-die fight in Clarke to not let this fight take place. Clarke is the perfect representation of manifest destiny on this show. If she doesn’t like what’s happening, she swears to change it. The problem here is that her inconsistencies when choosing sides should undoubtedly come back to bite her. It isn’t as if she’s dominated by some moral code she’s sworn to uphold. The closest she comes to this is defending her people and who is to even say who her people even are anymore? She’s alienated most of Skaikru and seems to only have grounds with her mother, Kane, Octavia and Bellamy. On the positive side, she doesn’t let antiquity and bygone ceremony rule her life and will fight against any process she deems unfair.
When she goes to Roan to speak her case against the battle occurring, he hatches his own plan to stop it. Unfortunately, it is also kicked in the teeth as Clarke tries to poison Nia in a blood oath. One of “Watch The Thrones” many shortcomings is given light here as if we’re really to believe Roan thought this plan would work. This is, after all, his own mother he has plotted to kill and despite his banishment at her hands, we have to believe there is a history at play here that wouldn’t let this plan end so simply. Still, the fact that Roan wanted Clarke to do this hopefully means we’ll see some aftermath on his psyche, especially after how the deathmatch ends.
Can we give a round of applause for the deathmatch, by the way? Early in its life I’ve resorted to the “great for a CW show” defense when talking about The 100. I’ve since given that up because it is a great show regardless of network but let me bring that line to the forefront one more time: On a network with such putrid fight choreography and eye for action (Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash, I’m looking at you), this battle stood above many regardless of network or medium. Lexa’s sword/spear/fist fight against Roan was short but it packed all the punches and emotional beats as the best of them, including those seen on Game of Thrones. The fight told its own story swiftly and brutally as Lexa found her way to victory. Instead of actually going through with killing Roan, she sends a spear Nia’s way and kills her instead. Now, I have a bone to pick with knowing the entire time we wouldn’t see one of the combatants die, but it does give Roan some interesting grounds to tread henceforth. He has just ascended to King of the Ice Nation after having been banished by his mother. Surely, he’ll have his own bone to pick with the nature by which he has reached this point and hopefully the show will address this adequately.
On the other side of the forest, Pike is beating his war drum incessantly. Bellamy, feeling guilty for the death of the Farm Stationers and his R.I.P. Ex Gf (I don’t know her name and I won’t look it up. Ever.) starts to see the light of Pike’s anti-Grounder platform. Should it be concerning that a Chancellor election looms? You betcha. Pike has his stance which is more than acceptable but Bellamy should absolutely know better. In fact, everything about his character’s previous actions would tell us that he’s making the wrong move in aligning himself with Pike and the plot devices known as Pike’s supporters.
Here’s the thing: I want this show to give me characters who do dumb things that piss me off. With that want also comes the responsibility of earning those moments. In order to earn moments we need insight as to what a character wants and why. With a show now in its third season and when dealing with a top three character, we understandably need something greater than a cursory reason as to why someone acts the way they do. With Bellamy, I don’t buy for a single second he would align with Pike. We never knew R.I.P. Ex Gf well enough to believe Bellamy’s alliance with Pike is the result of a vengeance-guilt complex. If anything, Bellamy knows that the actions of one Grounder doesn’t represent the whole. He learned this lesson with Lincoln in the first season. Bellamy is past this point. I get that Bellamy is looking for a father-figure but it honestly feels like we’ve gotten past that point as he’s made so many mature choices on his own that he might take a greater shove for him to follow another strong male so blindly.
I must give kudos to Bob Morley as he continues to portray Bellamy. Even if I don’t believe his character’s motives and choices, Morley has changed his entire demeanor and cadence when delivering his performance that it’s clear he’s giving it his all. I would completely believe defenders of Bellamy’s actions because the performance is so rich. It’s only the writing that fails him here.
Seemingly more arbitrarily, Pike is elected the new Chancellor of Skaikru (does Pike even acknowledge that term? ::Act IV as Chancellor, eliminate Sky-Crew::).
Looking back at previous seasons of a show and expecting more of the same is an absolutely insane thing to ask. It’s also a stupid one. I don’t think I’m asking for that, though. I do believe that early interactions between characters and their decisions were treated with greater nuance and deftness of hand that truly surprised and worked on many thematic levels. “Watch The Thrones” felt like a definite step back in regard to the spines of our main characters and the tropes the show decides to tackle. Before tonight, The 100 felt distinctly its own thing. Now, I’m not sure it’s more than Game of Thrones-lite. All this said, it’ll take more than one episode that still happens to be jam-packed with detail (those Nightbloods are interesting as hell) and inciting incidents to derail me and, at the very least, The 100 continues to move at a ridiculous pace.
Also, Jasper does more moping, Monty cements himself as an interesting character and Jaha, Murphy and Finn (literally!) are lost to the ether. I didn’t mind.
“Anger IS our policy!” – Pike
Check out Monkey Fighting Robots’ reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
Its been almost three months since we were graced with the first four episodes of Digimon Adventures tri. Since then we’ve all been wondering where the story will turn given the cliffhangers from the four episode. Well now that were so close to part two’s march 12 release date, we get a nice look at whats to come in part two of Digimon Adventures tri. And I’d have to say that it’s quite interesting and worth the wait. Unfortunately the trailer isn’t translated yet, so unless you know Japanese you’ll be going of visual queue’s, but it’s still a sight to see, especially for those of you who have been impatient since the first four episodes released in November. Also just like the first trailer there is a sneak peek at whats to come out in part three. Yet more ants to put in your pants as you patiently wait for this new Digimon series to continue.
If you didn’t catch the first four episodes of Digimon Adventures tri. they are streaming for free on Crunchyroll.com
Agent Carter Season Two’s “The Atomic Job” starts off with a great emotional swing between serious and lighthearted. The episode begins with the ghostly Dr. Wilkes waking Peggy up only to have a gun pointed through his ethereal head. Shortly after Peggy must reassure an arachnophobic Jarvis that they’re safe from spiders while they both attempt to steal a corpse. Beyond swinging between macabre and silly, though, we also see Chief Sousa propose to his girlfriend, Violet, while hunting through her couch for the engagement ring.
Mainstream Marvel Continuity’s Joseph Manfredi is very different
This swing continued through the episode with the cordial/brutal introduction of Joseph Manfredi (Ken Marino) to the show. In mainstream Marvel continuity, called Earth-616 by those in the know, Joseph Manfredi is better known as “Blackwing.” Unlike Agent Carter’s Joseph Manfredi, who appears to be the leader of Maggia, Blackwing is essentially a gimmick villain who has the ability to control bats.
One wonders why the writers of Agent Carter chose to appropriate this batty name from the comics rather than others, especially since Manfredi first appeared in a Marvel comic in 1975 and it’s only 1947 in the world of the show. It appears that Mr. Manfredi will act, chiefly, as an unstable mob boss with a penchant for punching. And, though it’s fun for viewers to have an unstable lunatic character on the show, I was hoping Ray Wise would get the honour of filling that quota through his role as Hugh Jones, president of the nefarious Roxxon; dedicated geeks may remember Wise as Laura Palmer’s haunted father Leland from Twin Peaks. Instead, if this week’s episode is any indication, Hugh Jones won’t be at all intimidating on Agent Carter, acting mainly as an “arrogant plonker,” as Peggy calls him, who can’t keep it in his pants. That being said, Wise’s acting talent was put to great use this week giving viewers what may have been the funniest bit on the show so far. This involved Peggy, sporting a red wig and an American accent, retrieving a key from inside Hugh Jones’s belt buckle armed with only a prototype memory inhibitor that erases the past two minutes from the subject’s mind … imagine what you will if you haven’t yet watched this week’s episode.
Another highlight of “The Atomic Job” is its “getting the band together” quality. Unlikely additions to Peggy’s elite team this episode include Rose Roberts, SSR receptionist and bouncer, and Aloyisius Samberley, who developed the prototype memory inhibitor Peggy used on Jones along with a host of other gadgets. The newly minted team’s obligatory slow-motion walk towards the camera is set to Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters’ “Pistol Packin’ Mama” to great comic effect. This scene’s goofiness again masks a serious problem: this team of misfits must now stop Whitney Frost and Calvin Chadwick from causing a nuclear disaster. And, though the plan is for the well-trained Chief Sousa to disarm the nuclear warhead, when the time comes the stressful task falls to none other than Edwin Jarvis–the comic relief. He, of course, handles the task as impeccably as any butler could.
We get to see Rose and Peggy kick some goons’ butts while Jarvis disarms the warhead, after which the audience is treated to Peggy and Whitney Frost’s first big confrontation. Much to Chadwick’s disappointment, Frost refuses Peggy’s offer to have her cured, instead trying to absorb Peggy’s essence as she has with others in previous episodes. Peggy responds with a quick headbutt/chest kick combination that, though it saves Peggy from Frost’s absorbing her, ultimately results in Peggy’s impalement upon some rebar.
Peggy gets rushed to Chief Sousa’s fiancée’s house, Peggy refuses to go to a hospital for fear of the Council of Nine‘s trying to kill her, to have her wound treated. And, though Violet is able to patch her up, after seeing them together Violet’s intuition tells her that Sousa is in love with Peggy. In terms of other relationships featured on the show, love is a bit stale for Chadwick and Frost, Chadwick living in fear of his wife calls a contact to arrange an emergency meeting of the Council of Nine, presumably to discuss Frost’s abilities. And, Dr. Wilkes and Peggy’s budding relationship seems less likely to happen when, at the end of the episode, he disappears entirely while Peggy shouts his name into thin air.
My Critique
Although this wasn’t a bad episode, it was a strange episode to see halfway into the second season, Agent Carter Season 2 only has five episodes left after all. It’s strange to see two new characters join the team halfway through. It’s also strange that we’re halfway through the second season and we’ve only seen the heroine fight the villainess a single time. Plus, although Agent Carter was always a somewhat lighthearted show, this episode was basically an out-and-out comedy, not like the relatively grim spy thriller I watched last season. Basically, this was a good episode but I’m getting bored. At this point in the season I was hoping that we the audience would have some compelling stories to engage with, instead it seems like the writers can’t figure out what Peggy should do, only who she should do it with.
On the surface, Criminal sure looks like another lame attempt at re-branding a former superstar (Kevin Costner, in this case) as an action hero. The Liam Neeson route, if you will. But this trailer, which shows off an incredibly impressive cast, might have a little more to bring to the table than post-Taken Neeson junk.
Here’s the trailer:
The quick synopsis of Criminal reads: “The memories & skills of a deceased CIA agent are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous convict.”
The cast is tremendous, no matter what the final priciest may be. Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds, and Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot! Tommy Lee Jones is along for the ride, as is Michael Pitt and apparently 80s villain stalwart Robert Davi is somewhere in there.
Criminal will be released April 15 this year. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
There are two schools of thought that surround SpikeTV’s cult-favorite yet short lived TV show, Blue Mountain State. One is that the show is a wonderful parade of breasts, beer, and football, much in the vein of the American Pie franchise. The other view sees the show as a parody of such works – taking the misogyny and ridiculousness of college football culture to such extremes that you can’t possibly take it seriously. It was members of both parties that made the show so beloved in its time. And while its possible the former of the viewpoints may find Rise of Thadland enjoyable, the latter will likely walk out before the attraction opens its doors.
To put it simply, Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland is a bad movie. It picks up a year after the show, where senior Alex Moran (Darin Brooks) is trying to save the beloved Goat House, the football team’s home for drugs, alcohol, and women. In order to buy it out from the outside bidders, the team calls upon former member Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson), who has enough money from his pro-football contract to buy out the house. Thad agrees to do so, under one condition: the team must make his childhood dream of a drug-infused amusement park come true – Thadland. If they build it, he will come. What follows is the gang partying in an amusement park, huffing balloons filled with poop vapors, and one character – co-creator Chris “Romanski” Romano – having sex with a goat. Yes, there is a beastiality sex scene in this movie.
In case the promise of goat sex, poop fumes, and several shots of Romanski’s penis aren’t enough to turn you off to this film, let the shoddy plot and juvenile humor do so instead. While the show focused on the humor that stems from the team’s ridiculous situations, this film is light on any actual jokes. We get a couple one-off jokes about how girls are dumb, how Romanski has a gross penis, how the dean has a funny accent because foreigners are funny, but that’s about as far as the humor goes. The film is only a vehicle for the concept of an R-rated theme park where Ritchson can call Walt Disney an “unimaginative piece of shit!” Likewise, the plot of the actual film only fills about 90 minutes worth of time, as it takes only about 20 minutes for the team to introduce their new amusement park. Sure, the Goat House may be auctioned off, Alex wants a lesbian cheerleader to be his girlfriend, and Thad hasn’t been as great as he thought he’d be outside of college, but who cares about all that when you can see Thad slap breasts and snort cocaine out of the sky?
Even for fans of the franchise, there’s little pleasure from seeing the boys back in town, unless you were hoping for them to realize the error of their ways. Alex decides by the end that he’d rather not be a party boy, opting instead to be with a girl he’d once slept with way back in the show’s earlier seasons. Fans were hoping for a return of two former characters, Shilo and Radon, who both only spent a season on the show. And both do show up – for about 10 minutes total. Instead, we see a lot of new character Dickdawg (played by Youtuber Jimmy Tatro), who is successful at being a second Thad Castles and not much else. Even the team’s beloved coach is only on screen enough to have his arm broken in a motorcycle accident. If a film like this doesn’t focus on complete and total fan service, especially after being crowdfunded into existence, then what has it really accomplished?
Now that’s not to say the film has absolutely zero positive qualities. We do see glimpses of real humor from Larry Summers (Omari Newton), the former Thad sidekick turned assistant coach. We also get an interesting twist of Donnie, one of the lead players, revealing that he’s gay, which Thad proclaims to the entire campus with excitement, going so far as to buy him “a guy.” There’s a brief moment where one of the “sloots,” Thad’s catchphrase term for women, notes how ridiculous and misogynistic the whole situation is.
That may be the crux of my issue with this film – it seems to be self-aware of its explicit and juvenile nature, but rather than have any real comedic insight into it, it rushed headlong into it. There’s no real humor or meaning behind Rise of Thadland except that the gang – both fictional and real-life cast members – wanted one last hurrah of horror. Alex’s ending revelation of letting the frat culture go to be with Mary Jo (Frankie Shaw) makes no sense within the context of the film – if it really was all about NOT embracing this horrible culture, then why is it only in the final few scenes that we get any indication of it? Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland seems to want to be more than it possibly can be. It wants you to think it sees the error of its ways, but it’s preaching about sin while still in the thick of it. What use is self-awareness when you don’t do anything to change it?
The movie doesn’t do enough of anything to make it redeemable to someone who wants more than a party, but after watching three seasons and a movie based off similar madness, maybe that’s all the film should be. Anyone who’s hoping to watch The Rise of Thadland for a good movie is out of their mind. A viewer hoping for a delightful parody of football culture should only watch this as a means of comparison. Even fans of the raucously funny show shouldn’t expect to much from this movie. The people who are most likely to enjoy it are the ones who made the movie, who now have 90 minutes worth of proof that people liked that thing they made once. To the creators, it’s a victory lap that misses the point of what made it work at all.
The Walking Dead returns on February 14, and AMC released the first four minutes of episode nine of season six, No Way Out Wednesday morning.
Rick is realizing his plan to escape is a disaster. Glenn runs into trouble while attempting to save Maggie. The Wolves leader has special plans for Denise.
AMC revealed that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will not appear as Negan till the final episode on April 3.
From the looks of this episode, it doesn’t look like Sasha or Abraham have much time left. What major charcter do you think will get killed off before the end of the season?
“There’s some large things that happen to us in the back half. We don’t all survive and we don’t all take it very well,” said Norman Reedus earlier this month.
Who do you think will die in the second half of season 6 of The Walking Dead?#TheWalkingDead
As AMC’s The Walking Dead comes back this Sunday, February 14th, here’s a quick recap of where everybody is leading up to this episode.
MONSTER HOUSE
Rick – Still the de facto leader, mostly just because he’s the only one that can think of things to do under pressure. He still doesn’t care much for the people of Alexandria, aside from Jessie, who he’s sleeping with, and Deanna, who’s now gone. Now that Alexandria’s fallen apart, expect him to get grouchier and to grow his beard back.
Deanna – Was going to die from zomb-itis. Instead, she shot up a couple walkers and died like a pro. Made her big, meaningful goodbyes to Michonne and Rick, trying to guilt the latter into caring about the Alexandrian nobodies.
Michonne – She doesn’t do much this episode, aside from backing up Rick, receiving unnecessary advice from Deanna, and doing stuff with her sword that looks cooler than any promo I’ve seen for Into the Badlands.
Carl – Currently the most badass protagonist. Does not care about Ron’s feelings.
Ron – Has an attitude problem. Definitely not helped by watching Rick kill his dad last season. He doesn’t succeed in getting another character killed, like Nicholas, but the season’s still young. He’ll get his chance.
Jessie – Isn’t a fan of rocking the Zombie Gut Poncho. Tells her son to pretend to not be such a doughy pushover. Trying to show Rick that she’s a big girl now, and big girls don’t cry.
Sam – Cabin fever. Not eating food, listening to vinyl records like some dumb hipster. Seems most likely to get killed by zombies and/or Babadook.
Judith – A baby. Probably wet her pants at least a couple times.
Gabriel – God, he’s still alive, isn’t he?
GARAGE-PAIL KIDS
Tara – Girl power. May have watched her new boo get walked off the metaphorical plank into Zombie Ocean.
Rosita – Worried about Abraham. May not be a fan of how he & Sasha have been bonding.
Eugene – Really good Eastbound & Down impression. Hanging off Tara & Rosita like a parasite. How is he still fat? What is he eating?
FIGHT CLUB
Morgan – A better preacher than Gabriel. Waxes more self-righteous than morally upstanding. Told Carol that he wouldn’t let her kill Wolf-Man, so he knocks her out. Then Wolf-Man knocks him out. Because duh.
Carol – Not Morgan’s biggest fan. “I will kill you to kill him because I don’t want anyone else to die” needed a laugh track behind it.
Denise – Meat shield for Wolf-Man. Very likely dead or zombified. Also not a great doctor.
Wolf-Man – You know, the dude sporting that Scarlet W on his forehead? You forgot they called themselves wolves? Yeah, me too.
“MY WIFE”
Glenn – Still alive because of bogus fan service. Trying to get back into the town that is no longer worth staying in. Hopefully will find a way to help Maggie get off the ledge.
Enid – Grating. Annoying and self-centered. She and Ron really are the perfect couple.
ON A LEDGE
Maggie – On a ledge. Likes Glenn and balloons.
POST-CREDIT CREW
Daryl – Just met the psychos he helped the loser crew get away from. Probably getting deja-vu from the Sons of Anarchy squad he ran with last season.
Abraham – Into Sasha. Still wearing that dead dude’s army duds. Looks like a Navy Colonel Mustard.
Sasha – So over everything and everyone. Will likely kill many more people that deserve to be killed.
MISSING
Tobin – We saw him get walked offscreen briefly by Rosita and Tara. Whether that means he’s actually alive or not remains to be seen.
Aaron – Probably the best fighter of the Alexandria bunch, but is nowhere to be seen when his town is in danger. He will likely be back next episode, as will be the people mad that he’s gay despite the fact that it doesn’t affect them in the slightest.
Spencer – Probably on another wire being stupid somewhere. If he gets killed, it probably won’t be Rick’s fault, so hopefully Deanna’s ghost won’t haunt him too hard.
What characters do you still care about? What characters do you think The Walking Dead will kill off next? And who’s the most likely to kill Gabriel? Come on, someone’s got to do it.
AMC Thursday, released a teaser for Fear The Walking Dead season two, featuring zombies on a boat!
When we last saw the cast of the show, they had reached the Pacific Ocean and were headed for a yacht.
Fear The Walking Dead stars Kim Dickens as Madison, Cliff Curtis as Travis, Frank Dillane as Nick, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia, Ruben Blades as Daniel, Mercedes Mason as Ofelia, Lorenzo James Henrie as Chris and Colman Domingo as Strand.
The second season of Fear the Walking Dead starts on Sunday, April 10, one week before the premiere of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The ratings battle will be intense.
The Walking Dead universe is based on the characters created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.
