The Liars are Back, Bitches! PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: THE PERFECTIONISTS Begins Production

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March 14, 2018

My Tuesday nights have been pretty boring since June, as I’m no longer entangled in the webs of lies, scandal, sex, murder, and mystery that was Pretty Little Liars. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too much longer to dive back into the drama and the feels.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, the spinoff of the wildly popular Freeform television series has begun production, according to Entertainment Weekly and show developer and Executive Producer Marlene King’s Instagram.

Based off of another young adult book series by Sara Shepard, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is set in Beacon Heights, which, just like Rosewood, is full of beautiful overachievers with lots of secrets to hide.

While much of the plot is being kept a tight secret, we do know that Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish will return to the liars’ world as Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal. Joining them will be Disney Channel princess Sofia Carson, The Walking Dead starlet Sidney Park, and Gossip Girl alumna Kelly Rutherford.

Instagram - I Marlene King 03122018 — Photo: Instagram @imarleneking
Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis

“Tonally, it’s very similar,” King told TVLine during the inaugural Freeform Summit in Los Angeles in January. “There is a big mystery, and there is a murder, and there are some characters who are a fractured group at the beginning of our story, and through a murder they become friends. So it’s similar in that regard, but it’s a whole new mystery, a whole new murder. We also have Alison and Mona coming from PLL to Beacon Heights, and that’ll all make sense when you see the pilot.”

Shepard’s The Perfectionists book series does not tie into the Pretty Little Liars world, but King stated that she plans to incorporate much of the PLL television realm into this new series. This means that The Perfectionists source material novels won’t be followed precisely.

Ravenswood - ABC Family — Photo: ABC Family
Cast of Ravenswood

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is the second attempt at a PLL spin-off series, following the failed Ravenswood, which was canceled after only 10 episodes due to poor ratings. Ravenswood transplanted resident hacker Caleb Rivers into a creepy ghost-infested town, and he paired with several others to decode the town’s curse. The campy, unrealistic supernatural tone of the show was its likely downfall.

While the Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists pilot is being shot now, the show has not officially been picked up by Freeform or any other network. A premiere date is not set, but a general timeline of 2019 is being considered.

Were you a Pretty Little Liars fan? Will you watch this new spin-off series?

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Tom Holland Wants Spider-Man And Shuri To Meet

By

Jackson Hayes

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March 14, 2018

Coming out of Black Panther everyone seemed to agree that Letitia Wright’s Shuri stole the movie. She wasn’t just the funniest person on screen but the smartest. Moving forward Shuri will likely become an integral part of the MCU meaning we may see her pop up in movies not set in Wakanda.

One MCU actor who would love to see that happen is Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland. Ahead of the release of Avengers: Infinity War, Holland discussed the idea of Peter Parker getting the opportunity to interact with Shuri:

“I think Peter would love it. There’s some great moments in the comics where Peter ends up there. And Letitia and I have become really good friends over the last year and a bit. It would be brilliant to have our characters meet up, it would be so funny. She’s brilliant in the movie, she’s actually my favorite part of Black Panther.”

Much like Shuri, Peter Parker is a gifted scientist who has a knack for inventing things. A bit of that was on display in last summers Spider-Man: Homecoming but imagine what crazy things Shuri and Peter could conjure up using Wakandan technology. It’s also entirely possible that the two will cross paths in Infinity War but only time will tell if that comes to fruition.

Would you enjoy a meeting between Peter Parker and Shuri? Let us know in the comments below!

Avengers: Infinity War blasts into theaters April 27th

Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.

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Famed Theoretical Physicist STEPHEN HAWKING Dead at 76

By

Michael Stagno

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March 14, 2018

The famed physicist and cosmologist that transcended space and time, Stephen Hawking, has passed away, at age 76, in Cambridge, England, via a statement from his family.

“We are deeply saddened that our father passed away today,” The Hawking children Lucy, Robert and Tim said. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.”

He was born in 1942 in Oxford, England, and was best known for his discoveries in black hole phenomena and theories of relativity. His best-selling book to date is still 1988’s A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. He was diagnosed with a slow-progressing and extremely rare form of ALS when he was just 21-years-old, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was given just a handful of years to live, but clearly surpassed that mark, but the disease did leave him paralyzed in confinement to a wheelchair. After a tracheotomy, he developed the ability to communicate through a computer with voice-synthesizing capabilities.

He was not only a scientist, but a celebrity, having appeared on several television shows like The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, among others, and even had a movie adapted based on his life with then-first wife Jane Wilde, The Theory of Everything. He was also subject to numerous documentaries, co-wrote a series of children’s books and authored roughly 15 books, all of which is historically captured in his 2013 memoir, My Brief History.

Prominent figures from the world of entertainment, science and politics were all quick in reacting to the news on social media. Tributes continue to flood social for the award-winning scientist, though, one of the best ones came via Big Bang Theory costar Mayim Bialik, who said, “As we near Pi day (3.14) I join the global community in mourning the loss of the greatest physicist of our era. #StephenHawking is free from the physical constraints of this earthly condition we all exist in and he is soaring above us now marveling at it all.”

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Review: MISTER MIRACLE #7 Amps The Tension Up To 11

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ Mister Miracle returns this week after a month off, and – as we say each month with this series – this may be the best issue yet.

It’s funny: King and Gerads referred to last issue as their “season one climax”, and Miracle does feel like a great TV show. Like one of these new-age, premium dramedies that you find on cable, where there’s a clear plotline through the season, but each episode also serves as it’s own little story-within-a-story. Think Atlanta. This approach allows for more freedom in how the team tells their story, and sets this series apart from all other mainstream superhero books on the shelves.

This issue sees Scott and Barda return to the hospital last seen in issue one, the one Scott was brought to after his suicide attempt. This time, however, they’re there for a more joyous occasion: the birth of their child, the first New God born of both New Genesis AND Apokolips.

Minus the first few pages, this story takes place entirely inside the hospital, mostly within Barda’s delivery room. This makes for a very claustrophobic atmosphere. Even those first few pages are set inside a tiny, cramped car. Couple this setting with Mister Miracle‘s signature nine-panel grid structure, and this issue has the strongest feeling of entrapment yet.

And if that isn’t enough, the team decides to amp up the tension even further. A heart monitor around Barda’s stomach adds a persistent “beepbeep” to every panel. It has sort of a “Tell-Tale Heart” effect. The constant beeping adds a sense of dread to what’s supposed to be a joyful event. Clayton Cowles slips the sound effect into just the right spot in each panel too. It never steals focus, but it’s often the most powerful part of the panel. That’s the subtle power of lettering that’s too often overlooked. Your heart will beat faster as you read, guaranteed.

The beeping plays well with the 9-panel grid as well. The grid’s designed to play with time, to slow you down and mess with your pace. King and Gerads use it to disrupt your reading experience and take you out of your comfort zone, and the incessant beeping doubles down on that.

Finally (God, there’s so much to talk about in this issue), Mitch Gerads’ character work here is his best of the series so far. There’s no action in this story, so it’s totally dependent on the characters acting. Gerads puts so much emotion and thought into Scott and Barda’s faces that you know exactly what they’re going through. You don’t just see it; you feel it yourself. Like everything else in this series, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will take your breath away.

Mister Miracle #7 shows that King and Gerads still have plenty of tricks left up their sleeves to disturb their readers. It’s useless to try and guess where the series is going, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Or, more likely, sit on the edge of your seat and enjoy the existential dread and anxiety as you ponder your entire existence.

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One Limb Left: Mr. Sony, Tear Down This Digital Wall!

By

Nick Battaglia

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March 13, 2018

As more and more gamers take their talents and passion for gaming online, cross-play has become more and more important. Over the weekend Epic Games revealed its battle royale game Fortnite would soon feature the gaming mechanic. Giving players the opportunity to play with and against anyone no matter the console or platform they play on. Unless they’re someone who plays on Xbox One or Sony’s PlayStation 4.

On Monday, Microsoft revealed Sony is blocking cross-play between both of their consoles. Causing both communities to reach out to both sides to show they want to be able to play each other. Prompting Xbox’s Executive Vice President of Gaming Phil Spencer to tweet out “Me 2” in response and Epic Games replying with “We 3”. Microsoft also put out a statement via an email to Kotaku.

In the statement is the line “We’ve worked closely with Nintendo to allow cross-network play between Xbox One and Switch and our offer to do the same with PlayStation players still holds”. This, of course, is true as Microsoft announced at E3 2017 cross-play was coming to Minecraft and Rocket League. Breaking down the barrier between them and Nintendo. What was Sony’s response when pressed by Eurogamer on why they weren’t playing along?

PlayStation’s Jim Ryan said “We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base. Minecraft, the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it’s all ages but it’s also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe”. Now I understand that Ryan (who is head of PlayStation’s global sales and marketing) doesn’t want to expose kids to possible harassment.

Especially when over 144 million copies of Minecraft have been sold, and making it impossible to determine how many kids play the game. But as Eurogamer’s Wesley Yin-Poole pointed out to him, Nintendo is most known for being family friendly. To which Ryan replied, “Everybody has to take their own decisions. We’ll do that. Like I say, we have no philosophical stance against cross-play at all”.

Which is true. Sony does not fully dislike cross-play as PlayStation owners can play Fortnite with people on PC, Mac, and mobile. So why no hesitation there? Why the dislike of playing nice with Microsoft?

A company whose console has been outsold by over 37 million units when measured next to the PlayStation 4. This is Sony cutting off its nose to spite its face. They are Xerxes standing atop of a golden platform in 300, arms stretched out in pure cockiness. Thinking they are God-like and cannot be harmed, as Microsoft is looking up at them like Leonidas.

But the truth is Sony, just like the movie, you can bleed. By being petty, you are giving Microsoft more ammunition to lure gamers into purchasing their current-gen and next-gen consoles. Add in the fact E3 is only a few months away it makes the ammo, even more, deadlier, and the Xbox’s lure more attractive. Instead of viewing cross-play with them like the Yankees view the Red Sox, treat it like the Olympics.

View it as an opportunity for players from all consoles and devices to come together and compete with and against one another. Even put out daily, weekly, or the monthly number of wins on each platform. It’d be a cool way to measure each one up, and who knows maybe it’ll drive players to try each one out. By tearing down this digital wall you’re giving birth to new types of LAN parties, and you’re helping in the creation of new bonds and friendships.

Gamers including myself have been clamoring for these things, so you have two choices. Either be a part of a monumental achievement in gaming or do what you’re still doing. Staying silent and pissing off those who make your shareholders happy. Sony, TEAR DOWN THIS DIGITAL WALL!

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Scene Description Reunites Cap And Bucky

By

Jackson Hayes

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March 13, 2018

Ahead of the release of Avengers: Infinity War, a few lucky outlets were allowed access to the set of Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster. One of those outlets was io9 who was able to get a sneak peek of a scene from the film. The scene brings together Captain America, T’Challa, Bucky, Falcon, and Black Widow, who discuss the impending assault by Thanos’ forces.

“How big an assault?” T’Challa asks after the initial greeting.

“Quite an assault, sir,” Cap replies.

“Well, I have my King’s Guard. The Dora Milaje—” T’Challa says, but is interrupted off-screen.

“And a semi-stable 100-year-old man,” adds Bucky.

Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Steve Rogers reunite with a hug. “How you doing, Buck?” Cap asks.

“Not bad. So… little green men?”

“Not little. Not green,” says Widow.

Falcon expresses some doubts about Bucky’s mental state. “I just want to make sure you aren’t going to snap when someone says ‘baloney sandwich,’” he jokes.

“Not baloney,” says Bucky.

“Eggplant? Rancho Cucamonga?” Falcon retorts, spouting off a few more improvised words in the process. Then he ends with…“I still hate you.”

The interaction between Bucky and Falcon is a nice call back to their relationship during Captain America: Civil War, which is referenced directly in the “I still hate you” line.

The other interesting tidbit is that this scene appears to be the first time Bucky and Steve have seen each other since the events of Civil War. With the third act of Infinity War taking place primarily in Wakanda, we may not see the old war pals reunite until late in the film.

What are your thoughts on this scene? Let us know in the comments below!

Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.

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Review: NO.1 WITH A BULLET#5 Introduces An Unexpected Twist

By

Manuel Gomez

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No. 1 With A Bullet #5 takes the story in a new direction with a nifty twist you probably didn’t see coming.

No. 1 With A Bullet #5
Written by: Jacob Semahn
Art by: Jorge Corona
Colors by: Jen Hickman
Lettered/Designed by: Steve Wands

The hunt is on for Violet Reynolds! Who will find her first? Nash…or the police? As Grover circles closer to the answer, Nash makes a frighting discover that changes everything.

Writing

This is a comic that has slowly been playing its cards, building toward a truly mysterious hand. In this issue, Jacob Semahn seemingly plays one of the aces up his sleeve. It won’t be spoiled here (as always, READ THE BOOK!) but suffice to say it takes everything we have seen and known before and flips it a bit. We also get a bit more focus and moments with Detective Grover, which lends this issue a nice ‘noir’ feel.

Not that Nash and her central story take a back seat, as – like last issue – we continue to get more insight into her thoughts and feelings. Semahn writes some very moving flashback scenes between Violet and Nash (a New Year’s Eve date on a Ferris Wheel is particularly good), as well as a few more nightmarish hallucinations that give this issue an almost horror story vibe.

But it’s the cliffhanger that once again gets you, and once again gives that ‘Holy Shit!’ moment this book has given before. It’s a twist will make you question a lot of what has been seen and happened before, and that is one of the most important qualities in a developing mystery.

Art

Jorge Corona, Jen Hickman, and Steve Wands also once again do a fantastic job with the art. Corna’s figures and line work are expressive and unique. And the palette and contrast here REALLY play up the noir feel, especially in the scenes with Grover. The art team seems to converge more and more with each issue. This book really does have a look and feel of its own.

Conclusion

Don’t be the last one to get on this title. It may not be this week’s ‘most talked about book’ or ‘internet breaking issue’, but No.1 With A Bullet has been delivering a solid, involving mystery that will completely engage any reader.

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Preview: Neil Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS: MY AINSEL #1 From Dark Horse Comics

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 13, 2018

Dark Horse Comics announced Tuesday, the comic book adaptation of American Godsby Neil Gaiman, returns with American Gods: My Ainsel #1. The publisher released a four-page preview.

About the series:
The bizarre road trip across America continues as our heroes gather reinforcements for the imminent god war! Shadow and Wednesday leave the House on the Rock and continue their journey across the country where they set up aliases, meet new gods, and prepare for war.

American Gods: My Ainsel is written by Gaiman, with script work and layouts by P. Craig Russell, Scott Hampton is the artist, Hampton and Jennifer Anderson worked on colors, the main cover is by Glenn Fabry, with a Variant Cover by David Mack.

Check out the preview below, click on the image to enlarge.

Are you a fan of American Gods? Comment below.

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Zack Kaplan Brings His Talents To AfterShock With LOST CITY EXPLORERS #1

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 13, 2018

AfterShock announced Tuesday morning Zack Kaplan’s first book with the comic book publisher, Lost City Explores #1 will hit your local comic book store in June.

“It’s a Stranger Things style story that follows a group of millennial teenagers who discover the Lost City of Atlantis is hidden underneath New York City.

I’ve always been fascinated by urban exploration and what underground secrets a city holds. I grew up on Goonies, so I remember wanting to go looking for lost treasure or mythical wonders in my backyard. And what’s more mythical than the Lost City of Atlantis?! This is my millennial spin on all that, something personal, empowering, dark, challenging: a gritty, modern adventure story,” said Kaplan.

The science-fiction adventure series is written by Kaplan, with art by Alvaro Sarraseca, colors by Chris Blythe, and letters by Troy Peteri. Rafael La Torre and Marcelo Maiolo worked on Cover A, with Sarraseca’s art on Cover B.

About the series:
Lost cities aren’t just the stuff of myths. They exist hidden right under our noses. But when a mysterious expedition is disrupted by supernatural activity, and an antiquities professor goes missing, his teenage daughter and her friends must become underground urban explorers, follow his tracks on a coming-of-age journey through subterranean tunnels, and ultimately find the holy grail of lost city: Atlantis buried right under New York City!

Lost City Explores #1 hits the streets on June 20.

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WWE FASTLANE Steers Us Toward WRESTLEMANIA

By

Kimberly Cook

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March 12, 2018

Fastlane, the final WWE pay-per-view event before next month’s Wrestlemania, left us with a clearer understanding of the card for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment.”

As usual, the kickoff show match was pretty ho-hum. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) teamed with Tye Dillinger to defeat Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, and Mojo Rawley. The match was pretty pointless, and it proved why it was only a kickoff show match.

What are the chances that the match that had the biggest crowd reactions would fall on Rusev Day?! The match between the Bulgarian Brute and Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura had the crowd pumped, as these two seem to have the WWE Universe in the palms of their hands. Anything these two would have done would have been great, and the match was pure magic.

The United States Championship was up for grabs, and Randy Orton was focused on this match. Bobby Roode did a “glorious” job defending his title, but it proved to not be enough to keep the Viper from striking. With similar physiques and skill sets, these two made their match look like a choreographed dance. With Orton’s win, he joins the Grand Slam Champion club, a title that only 18 men have held in the WWE.

A Twitter war came to a head with the Women’s Tag match between Carmella and Natalya versus Naomi and Becky Lynch. The match itself was short, which is disappointing considering the amount of talent in the ring. And still, Carmella’s carrying around that Money In The Bank case… How much longer until she cashes that thing in?

We’ve seen The New Day and the Usos battle each other so many times before, but something seemed different during this Smackdown Tag Team title match. The New Day used their “speed line-up” with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods against the twins Jimmy and Jey. Xavier Woods came out fierce, and both his words and actions emulated this. This is the best he’s performed, and he proved that no one should underestimate his talent and intensity. There were great acrobatics and fun, until… The Bludgeon Brothers (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) rolled through the match and destroyed all, just like their former Wyatt brother Braun Strowman does. After the match of his life, Xavier Woods suffered a thoracic spine injury during the attack, and his future is unknown.

Bludgeon Brothers - Fastlane 2018 — Photo: WWE.com

The Smackdown Women’s Title match was the most predictable of the night, securing the title with Charlotte Flair with a defeat over Ruby Riott. While Riott isn’t bad in the ring, she just isn’t ready to carry the title into Wrestlemania. With another predicted rumor, Asuka showed up after the match to declare her intentions for Wrestlemania. This privilege was awarded by winning the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble in January, and everyone had assumed she’d go after Alexa Bliss‘s RAW Women’s Title.

The 6-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship was a rousing bout to feature the best of the Smackdown card, but a win by anyone other than AJ Styles would have caused a riot. The dream main event match is now set with AJ Styles versus Shinsuke Nakamura, and John Cena still doesn’t have a match at Wrestlemania. Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon provoked the feud between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. And Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler were made to look like unnecessary stooges.

AJ Styles - WWE Champion - Wrestlemania 34 sign — Photo: WWE.com

The road to Wrestlemania is finally being paved, and the card is coming together. What are you most looking forward to at “The Show of Shows?”

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