Advance Review: GRAVETRANCERS #1 Is The Stuff Of Pure Nightmares

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Maribel and Anthony are siblings on a road trip to visit the grave of their father. And although both brother and sister have strong and mixed feelings when it comes to the man, both feel that maybe some sort of closure will come with the visit. But something far more sinister, frightening and disturbing awaits them at Burwood Cemetery. Maribel and Anthony are about to find out the proprietors of the cemetery, the Malrot family, harbor a different notion of life and death, one that will enter their lives like a hallucinatory nightmare that may never let go.

Gravetrancers #1
Written by: M.L. Miller
Art by: James Michael Whynot
Colors by: Dee Cunniff
Lettered by: Jim Campbell
Published by: Black Mask Studios

Writing

Horror comics are a passion of mine and it’s hard to find a good one because, without the sensory overload that other mediums provide, horror in sequential art relies heavier on pure story and visuals. In its story, Gravetrancers definitely succeeds. M.L. Miller has crafted a story that is equal parts relatable, frightening and captivating. It’s relatable in the sense that the protagonists, Anthony and Maribel, are a very real and fleshed out sibling duo. The opening scene with them driving in the car will be recognizable to anyone who has a brother or a sister. The relationship is very real and the way they talk to each other is one of the highlights of the writing. It’s frightening because once the setup and concept have been executed (and I will avoid spoilers!) it’s truly horrifying (I will say if you do know why Vikings did Funeral Pyres you will get and idea). And it’s captivating because as fucked up as the Malrot family is, you can’t help but be drawn to who and what they are. This is a first issue that hooks you completely by the end.

Art

The entire art team of James Michael Whynot, Dee Cuniff, and Jim Campbell really bring this book together too. The linework in the pencils is rough in all the right ways. It really conveys the intensity of the story. The layouts are also excellent and I love the uneven and hand-drawn look to the panel borders.

The coloring is equally fantastic and immediately brought to mind the look and feel of classic horror comics from the 50s/60s. And like the pencils, they felt refreshingly handcrafted.

There is also some great work done here with the lettering. The word balloons have crisp fonts and the ‘sound effects’ lettering is again akin to classic EC Comics style and execution.

Conclusion

You can add Gravetrancers to two lists now. The list of awesome titles being put out by Black Mask Studios, and the list of awesome new horror titles. There are a great mythology and story being created in this book and it is well worth your look when it hits in December.

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INVITATION Director Karyn Kusama’s DESTROYER Adds More Talent

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Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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November 29, 2017

We haven’t yet talked about Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer, so let’s correct that course right now. Kusama, who directed last year’s damn near perfect home/cult thriller The Invitation, is back in the world of California cults, though this time she’s bringing gritty police genre work along for the ride.

Destroyer focuses on a young LAPD officer who goes undercover in a cult out in the desert. Nicole Kidman, whose career renaissance continues to be wonderful, has been cast to star, but something tells this reporter she certainly won’t be the cop in question and will maybe be the cult leader. Pure speculation.

Sebastian Stan has joined Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer as well (there’s your cop), and Tatiana Maslany from Orhpan Black is on board. Now, the great Bradley Whitford and the GREAT Scoot McNairy have joined the team. This cast is getting bigger and more awesome week by week.

Destroyer will begin principal photography next week, and there is no news of a release date at this point; but, I can assure you we won’t let any heretofore news updates slip past us when it comes to this one. Also, if you haven’t, go watch The Invitation. You can thank me later.

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Trailer – Spider-Man Is The Star Of The Show

By

Aric Sweeny

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November 29, 2017

The Avengers: Infinity War trailer dropped with intense action, a plethora of heroes, and killer music. It’s an excellent trailer all around, but Spider-Man is easily the best part.

My favorite part of the entire trailer is the brief bus scene, when the hairs on Tom Holland’s Peter Parker stick up as he knows there is a looming threat. We haven’t seen much of the Spider-Sense in the MCU, so it’s fantastic to see the editing team include that in the promotional material. Some audience members thought the lack of Spidey-sense was deliberate, and that the character actually lacked it in his feature film version – this trailer proves he indeed has the trait.

Amongst all the other spectacle of the trailer – Thanos ripping Vision’s Infinity Stone out, Captain America leading Wakanda’s warriors, Thor meeting the Guardians of the Galaxy – the introduction of Spider-Man’s Iron Suit gets me the most excited. Iron-Spider is an integral part of the Marvel universe, especially within the Civil War storyline. Although we didn’t see the character get to use the suit in Captain America: Civil War, he’s finally going to utilize it in Infinity War, and assuming it’s similar to that of the suit from the comics, it will be glorious.

Spider-Man is being Spider-Man just from the trailer. A key aspect of the character is taking foes head on, being scared, but doing it anyway. We see Spider-Man getting pummeled by Thanos, which is incredibly ballsy given his last face off with a villain was his Homecoming date’s father; fighting a celestial being is on another level. While the fight itself grabs my attention, the context behind it is what gets me hyped. We’re going to see Parker change, grow, and evolve in this film, and I can’t wait for what that brings to the MCU. Spider-Man is my favorite character in the universe, and I am eager to see anything featuring the hero.

Avengers: Infinity War comes to theaters on May 4, 2018.

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MARY MAGDALENE Trailer: Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix Tell a Story of Jesus

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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November 29, 2017

The stories of the Bible and of Jesus Christ have been big parts of Hollywood for decades. Now, director Garth Davis (Lion) is bringing us another version of the story of Mary Magdalene, played by Rooney Mara, with Joaquin Phoenix playing Jesus of Nazareth.

The trailer for Mary Magdalene is elegant, wistful, everything you would expect from a biblical tale. That being said, this feels more contemporary, more along the lines of Scorsese’s Last Temptation than, say, The Passion of The Christ. Check it out:

Here is the synopsis, courtesy of The Playlist:

Set in the Holy Land in the first century C.E., a young woman leaves her small fishing village and traditional family behind to join a radical new social movement. At its head is a charismatic leader, Jesus of Nazareth, who promises that the world is changing. Mary is searching for a new way of living, and an authenticity that is denied her by the rigid hierarchies of the day. As the notoriety of the group spread and more are drawn to follow Jesus’ inspirational message, Mary’s spiritual journey places her at the heart of a story that will lead to the capital city of Jerusalem, where she must confront the reality of Jesus’ destiny and her own place within it.

Mara seems like a perfect fit to play Mary Magdalene, and Joaquin Phoenix will certainly have an interesting take on Jesus. We’ll see when Mary Magdalene hits theaters some time next year.

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – Who Is In The Hulkbuster Armor?

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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November 29, 2017

The Avengers: Infinity War trailer dropped this morning, and it’s all the internet is talking about. Today will be full of breakdowns, and reaction pieces, but first let me ask you a question: who is that in the Hulkbuster armor?

The easy answer is Iron Man himself, Tony Stark, but my gut is telling me it’s not that simple. The Hulkbuster is in Wakanda, and we never actually see Tony in Wakanda in this trailer. He’s chilling back in New York with Doctor Strange and Spider-Man while Cap’s underground Avengers hang with Black Panther.

Now obviously Tony could go to Wakanda at some point, but the trailer does show us another genius else tinkering with the armor…

That’s right, put your tinfoil hats on, cause I’m thinking that Bruce Banner is the one throwing down in “Veronica“.

Think about it. The last time we see Bruce is in Thor: Ragnarok after he’s been Hulk for over two years. He’s terrified to ever turn into Hulk again for fear that he won’t be able to turn back. He eventually did Hulk-out in that film, and as we see in the trailer he does revert to puny Banner in Infinity War, but why would he tempt fate twice?

It’s likely that, once the war hits Wakanda, Banner wants to join the fray but is again afraid to go green. Since he helped build the Mark 44 armor, he probably has a good understanding of how to work it, so he suits up.

Obviously he does turn into Hulk at some point since we see the Jolly Green Giant at the end of the trailer, but that doesn’t negate the possibility that he puts on the armor in the film’s first half.

What do you think? Is puny Banner in the Hulkbuster, or Tony? Or could it be someone else? Sound off in the comments, and keep it tuned to Monkeys Fighting Robots for continuing Infinity War coverage!

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‘Future Man’ S1 Review Does A Lot of Time Travelling With Next To No Gaming

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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FUTURE MAN isn’t super consistent, but it packs in some solid humor along the way.

The series is a half-hour, which is part of what makes it feel somewhat oversaturated. However, the plus side to a shorter format is keeping a fast and comedic tone. The show plays well on the tropes of the genre, and gives the show its funniest moments. Of course, it’s not all high-concept genre humor – the series starts with the time-traveling heroes walking in on Josh masturbating. The good thing is that the show isn’t overly reliant on its juvenile jokes. FUTURE MAN has some solid jokes about the sci-fi world that makes the FAMILY GUY-level jokes easier to stomach.

While the sense of humor is strong, the story of FUTURE MAN is rather weak. As the show tries to play around with time-travel story tropes, the series gets lots in the details. The general plot of “will Josh be part of the Resistance” is repetitive, and is retooled several times throughout the season. As the show journeys through time, the dilemma of dealing with young Dr. Kronish also gets old. What the show does with plot makes for funny moments, but not a cohesive story.

What sells a lot of the humor and story is the actors. The performances of the leads are all solid, especially the soldiers. Eliza Coupe brings a fantastic amount of humor and gravity to the authoritative Tiger. Derek Wilson’s Wolf starts off very bland and obnoxious, but the character gets deeper over time. FUTURE MAN has some hilarious cameos. Haley Joel Osment is hilarious as the antagonistic Dr. Camillo, and Britt Lower is solid as Josh’ love interest Jeri. Robert Craighead is also hilarious as recurring antagonist Det. Vincent Skarsgaard.

One of the big things holding the show back is a strong antagonist. The three heroes jump around to stop a crazy villain that the audience never gets to meet. While all the Dr. Kronish actors are strong, the character is never a true villain. He’s always a fairly agreeable guy who Tiger and Wolf insist is evil incarnate. Some might call that “nuance,” but it plays as “boring.” The Biotic Wars video game promised a sketetal madman that FUTURE MAN never delivers.

What’s puzzling is how little gaming factors into FUTURE MAN. A huge aspect of the show’s initial branding was that Josh Futturman was a gamer thrown into the “real world” of Biotic Wars. However, the “gaming” aspect of Josh is only present in the pilot and finale. While time-travel was also billed as a key aspect of FUTURE MAN, the minimal focus on Josh as a gamer weakens the show. Ignoring his strengths and combat knowledge is what sticks Josh in a loop of “can or can’t he fight?” It’s a key element to Josh’s character that could have given the show more to work with. To see it nearly abandoned, aside from a few Paul Scheer appearances, is disappointing.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJaUfpbEYIU[/embedyt]

The thing that makes FUTURE MAN work, despite all its flaws, is how fun the show is. By focusing so much on the humor, the weaker plot elements can be overlooked. The strongest episode, “Beyond the TruffleDome,” is one that exists largely outside of the main plot. The story of FUTURE MAN is pretty weak, but the humor and enjoyment factor makes the show worth a binge-watch.

STAND-OUT PERFORMANCES: Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, Glenne Headly (Rest in Peace), Robert Craighead

STAND-OUT EPISODES: “Justice Desserts;” “Beyond the TruffleDome;” “A Riphole in Time”

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Episode 22: Thanos Wins, & Batman Becomes A Literal Creature Of The Night

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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November 29, 2017

Welcome to the twenty-second episode of the Comic Show by Monkeys Fighting Robots! On today’s show, THANOS WINS in Thanos #13 by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw. We’re also talking Batman Creature of the Night #1 by Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon, where a young boy in our “real” world conjurs up a spooky Batman shadow monster. Sound awesome? It is.

Buckle up, True Believers! Episode 22 of the COMIC SHOW by Monkeys Fighting Robots is here.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

6:20 – Thanos #13
Anthony – 4.6 Monkeys
Matt – 4.25 Robots

22:35 – Batman Creature of the Night #1
Anthony – 4.25 Monkeys
Matt – 4 Robots

Thank you for listening!

Do you want to be our FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.

Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.

Reviews are greatly appreciated – How to Rate and Review a Podcast in iTunes

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Watch The ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Trailer; Your Head Might Explode

By

Matthew Sardo

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November 29, 2017

Marvel Studios and Disney released the first trailer for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Wednesday morning on Good Morning America.

The epicness of this trailer cannot be contained in one viewing. Feel free to get no work done today as you watch it 50 times.

Watch the trailer below:

Did you get chills when Captain America led the charge with all the heroes on Wakanda?

About the film:

“AS THE AVENGERS AND THEIR ALLIES HAVE CONTINUED TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM THREATS TOO LARGE FOR ANY ONE HERO TO HANDLE, A NEW DANGER HAS EMERGED FROM THE COSMIC SHADOWS: THANOS. A DESPOT OF INTERGALACTIC INFAMY, HIS GOAL IS TO COLLECT ALL SIX INFINITY STONES, ARTIFACTS OF UNIMAGINABLE POWER, AND USE THEM TO INFLICT HIS TWISTED WILL ON ALL OF REALITY. EVERYTHING THE AVENGERS HAVE FOUGHT FOR HAS LED UP TO THIS MOMENT – THE FATE OF EARTH AND EXISTENCE ITSELF HAS NEVER BEEN MORE UNCERTAIN.”

The film stars Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ hits theaters on May 4, 2018.

What do you think of the trailer? Sound off in the comment section below.

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Dear Hollywood, Give Us BLACK SCIENCE & DESCENDER

By

Michael Stagno

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November 28, 2017

No knock on some of the stuff that Hollywood is churning out on both television and in movie theaters lately, but it’s time for a change. It was great to see ‘Valerian‘ jump off the pages and onto the ‘Silver Screen’ and it’s refreshing that sequels are en route for both ‘Pacific Rim‘ and ‘Avatar‘, but it leaves us with a stinging question, where is all the sci-fi? Give us some space dramas and bring back ‘Firefly‘ (please?)! With that said, see below for two Image titles that would make for great watches.

Black Science (by: Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera)

Grant McKay, formerly of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally achieved the impossible and deciphered Black Science, punching a hole through the barriers of reality. What lay beyond the veil, though, was not an epiphany, but that of chaos. Now McKay and his team, comprised of his wife and kids, along with some colleagues, are lost and shipwrecked in an infinite ocean of alien worlds. They must navigate the long-forgotten, ancient and unimaginable dark realms of space to make it home.

This book describes the galaxy and its multiverses as an onion. Each layer, regardless of peeling away, leads to somewhere different. Each jump the team commits, damages the fabric of reality. The pillar in which the team uses to jump from realities and worlds, must be fixed, but each team member has vowed to uphold the ideal of leaving every dimension they visit better than they found it. The Dimensionauts continue to cut deeper into the onion to reunite the team. McKay created the pillar to save the world of science, but now must use it to save all worlds and creation or doom it to oblivion.

The book has currently collected seven trades with issue #34 set to release in December, 2017, and has some of the best artwork and colors of any title going right now.

This book would make a great television show because it’s a beautiful mashup of The ‘Swiss Family Robinson‘, ‘Star Trek‘ and ‘Quantum Leap‘, all in one. It is an incredibly intelligent title that tests your imagination with action, romance and both heartbreaking and heartfelt moments throughout. All traits that would translate well to the TV screen.

Descender (by: Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen)

With issue #27 on hold till February of 2018, this title has currently collected five trades.

Descender tells the story of a young robot’s struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed, while bounty hunters search every planet for the last remaining ones. It’s a ‘rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey’ that tabs the humans versus the machines.

The main character, TIM-21, and his companions are seeking for an ancient robot to help solve the galaxy’s ancient riddle of the ‘Harvesters’, all while the ‘Robot Resistance’ rises to contention with the humans. The galaxy is on its way to all-out-war.

This title has silver screen written all over it. The notion that an android thinks itself real, has a pet android and seeks to find his family just screams Hollywood. Not to mention the whole battle between the humans and robots. This could absolutely be a trilogy as there are so many possibilities with what has been introduced by Lemire. Yeah, we’d see this movie.

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Monkeys Fight … er, Controlling Robots (With Their Brains)

By

Michael Stagno

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November 28, 2017

The main picture is misleading, right? Well, we’re not too far off from it becoming a reality!

Dr. Nicho Hatsopoulos, in conjunction with a research team at the University of Chicago, have laid the groundwork on how amputees can learn to control a robotic replacement arm through electrodes implanted in the brain. The study was published via Nature Communications.

Previous studies over the years have shown how paralyzed patients use an interface to move robotic limbs, though this is one of the first tests to speak to the viability of the devices in amputees as well.

The research discovered, through changes in both sides of the brain, it is possible to control both the remaining limb as well as the amputated one.

For the study, three rhesus monkeys that had suffered injuries while young, which had limbs removed at 4-years-old, 9-years and 10, were trained to use the robotic arm and ultimately to grasp a ball using only their thoughts.

Two of the monkeys had implanted electrode arrays placed on the side of the brain opposite the amputated limb (contralateral side), while the third had them placed on the same side (ipsilateral side).

Results

Contralateral Side: Neurons were sparse before training, but gradually became increasingly dense with training.

Ipsilateral Side: The connections were dense at the beginning of the experiments only.

What does this prove, you ask? Well, the results of both tests, along with a mathematical model used to calculate how neurons connected to each other during experiments, once the monkeys mastered activity, may prove that, one day, humans may be able to use the same methods to control prosthetic limbs.

It’s only a matter of time …