Fear Seeps Through Dimensions In Transdimensional From TPub Comics

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September 14, 2017

Transdimensional is a new four-issue science fiction and horror comic book from UK publisher TPub Comics and up-and-coming writer Michael Gordon. TPub features a catalog of thriller, horror, noir stories told in a gritty, realistic style. You won’t find spandex in a TPub book unless it’s a deranged psycho who likes the feel of it against his skin while he or she torment victims. Titles like Twisted Dark and Theatrics make it clear what TPub aims to do as a publisher focused on telling stories like those found in Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. Transdimensional continues this trend by offering a mix of Alien, The Abyss, and the dangers of the multiverse.

As the story goes, underwater archeologist Deacon Price is seeking to fund a journey down to a sunken sub. Meanwhile, Deacon is haunted by nightmares regarding his estranged wife, Grace, and disabled daughter, Evie. Deacon receives his funding, and his pal Coop is along for the ride down below the sea. Also on the team is Grace who adds several dimensions of real word tension to this genre story.

In issue one, Michael Gordon packs a lot of character development and set ups. Monkeys Fighting Robots caught up with the writer to ask him more about Transdimensional as the Kickstarter campaign for Issue #2 comes to a close.

We started with a basic question regarding the influences behind Transdimensional.
“The main influence and initial inspiration for Transdimensional are actually pretty predictable; I wanted to write my own version of Alien. But, considering that in the last four decades, imitations of Alien or stories that are inspired by Alien have become pretty damn commonplace, it was a stroke of genius that my lovely wife actually suggested setting the story underwater, as opposed to space!”

Reading through issue one, the influence of The Abyss is evident. Gordon also mentions the 1998 horror feature Sphere. “I love how those stories, if they’re told well, build and build in suspense and tension until it’s almost unbearable for the reader/audience.”

Issue one also doesn’t start off with a bang. Transdimensional is patient, and it builds a lot of character throughout the first chapter. Pub and Gordon both share a love for character. “Characters are the most important element of any story. You could have the coolest plot, with the most badass action and the best production values in the world, but without characters that people genuinely connect with, it will just feel hollow and forgettable. In fact, interesting and compelling character work should make all those other elements even better, as the readers will care about what happens to the characters they like, or love, or love to hate. “

The Kickstarter for Transdimensional #1 ended in April fully-funded. Gordon received plenty of feedback from readers. Asked about the comments effect on the scripts moving forward, Gordan says “I do like the idea of being able to adjust some things here and there due to reader feedback if the ideas make the story better. It’s certainly not something I’d be against, so I welcome readers telling me exactly what they think!”

The scale of the story begins small, focused on several characters and this one job. However, Gordon alludes to a bigger story. I compared it to the difference between The Abyss’ theatrical release versus the much grander ending of the Special Edition. “There’s an escalation of tension and scale in each issue, which is how I feel a good horror story should be structured. Start small and intimate, draw the reader into the lives of the characters; that way whenever everything goes to hell in the final act, the reader is attached to the characters and is more accepting of some of the more heightened story elements.” And Gordon is happy to say “the ending is closer to the scale of The Abyss’ special edition.”

We here at MFR are no strangers to science, and Transdimensional makes use of theoretical ideas such as the multiverse. Both Gordon and Neil Gibson, TPub’s Editor, wanted to use as much inspiration from real-world science as possible. “The title is definitely a hint at the direction the story will go. I’d say it gets pretty sci-fi as it develops, but there is always a very strong horror vibe as well. Think along the lines of Event Horizon, which was a sci-fi movie through and through…but a gory, terrifying one!”

All good stories extend from a core truth in the writer’s soul. For Gordon, “…the idea of actually going deep beneath the waves gives me the willies.” However, Gordon’s own daughter is disabled and inspired parts of the story regarding Deacon and Evie.

As the Kickstarter comes to a close, the plan is “#3 could then see print in December, and #4 in February 2018.” Later, a graphic novel from TPub will collect the whole story in one edition.

Gordon isn’t done telling stories, particularly with TPub “There IS another story in the works through TPub, as a matter of fact. I can’t say too much, other than that it’s a mystery thriller.” Transdimensional is just the start, Gordon hopes, “I’d love to forge a career where I can split my time between my own projects and working with established characters and properties.” If Transdimensional is a sign of stories to come, Gordon will get his wish and the comic book industry will gain a new, solid storyteller.

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How Video Games Have Influenced TV Shows, Movies, and Comics

By

Don Draper

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September 14, 2017

With the new SNES classic in the process of being released in the United States, many of us are drawn back to the nostalgia of an amazing era where graphics were two-dimensional and the games were fun and intriguing. Indeed, the SNES classic taps deeply into the root of nostalgia and is pretty much sold out wherever it has been available to pre-order. This SNES shows just how much American culture has been influenced by video games on such a wide scale, so much so that we often forget just how much of an impact games have made on things like television, movies, and even comic books.

When the original Super Nintendo first came out, society wasn’t particularly interested in things considered to be geeky. Things like Dungeons and Dragons, comic books and fantasy were usually relegated to a special area that some adults looked down upon. Children, the outcasts, and misfits were the only people who would openly enjoy gaming, and these older geeks were often isolated from the rest of their community. But as the medium evolved, so too did its complexity. As the internet became more mainstream, communities began to form around these hobbies, creating the geek culture that we know and celebrate today – namely things like comic books.

But gaming itself wasn’t widely accepted until the technology began to grow more complex on a technological level. Over the years, with the advent of 3D technology, action games, first person shooters and triple A titles, video games shifted from being perceived as being simple child’s play to something more. Film companies started to take advantage of this advanced special effects technology and directors started to look to games for visual inspiration in their work. Filmmakers began to implement things that they enjoyed from games and even camera work started to take notes from first person shooters.

As the technology and accessibility of games improved, so too did its reputation. Casual games and online casinos started to draw in regular people and companies like Microsoft were able to target the mainstream audience with games like Call of Duty. These elements broke through the social barriers, moving gaming from being a type of subculture to a widely accepted type of hobby.

Of course, there are still a group of holdouts who look down on gaming, considering it to be lesser than television or films, but these holdouts are shrinking by the year, especially with the arrival of E-sports and Twitch, which has shown that you can make a legitimate career out of playing video games. With each passing year, the stigma of being a “gamer” fades further and further from memory.

But for those of us who started at the very beginning, back when we were young and a SNES was cutting edge, we will always have our nostalgia to provide warmth when we boot up Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario or Donkey Kong. For many of us, those were the first games that we played and they influenced our pop culture tastes and desires for the rest of our lives. And Nintendo is well aware of that, which is why they released the SNES classic which comes preloaded with 21 classic games, games you probably loved to play when you were a child. There’s a reason the product is off the shelves before it has even been released: games were really good back then and they will forever shape nerd culture and the way we consume entertainment.

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Outlander Season 3: “The Battle Joined” – Impressions Of A New Season

By

Michael Bedford

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Outlander Season 3 premiered with lots of action and the birth of a character that viewers met during the finale of Season 2. Written by Ronald D. Moore, who developed Outlander for television and previously wrote for such science-fiction favourites as Star Trek: The Next Generation and the 2003 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, “The Battle Joined” didn’t answer many questions about what direction the show will take, but it did show viewers Jamie’s return to Lallybroch and added some tantalizing layers to Frank and Claire’s often tense relationship.

Rather than recapping “The Battle Joined,” I’ll talk about my impressions of this episode and how things might unfold over the next eleven. So grab yer shield and sword, lads and lassies. It’s time fer battle, ye ken?!

“The Battle Joined” – The Never-ending Sword Fight

This episode bordered on poetic: the parallelism of Jamie’s meeting Black Jack Randall in combat at the Battle of Culloden while Claire struggles to reclaim her 20th century life with Frank worked to great effect. That both Jack and Frank are played by the talented Tobias Menzies made these parallel struggles plain enough for even the most casual of Outlander fans. Claire and Jamie may be separated by a couple centuries but their struggle is practically identical. Both must stave off their insatiable hunger for each other during their respective battles with Jack and Frank. But playing against expectations, although Frank is a decent man who loves Claire and Jack is a homicidal maniac, it might just be Claire who has the harder fight ahead of her.

In the 18th century, we see Jack and Jamie doing battle for what seems like hours: they grapple with and slice at each other long after the battle and its other combatants have died down. Having both scored crippling blows to each other early on in their combat, they eventually collapse on a heap of corpses in a macabre lovers’ embrace. But even though viewers last see Black Jack lying face down in a corpse pile after Rupert rescues a weakened but very much alive Jamie from the battlefield, one can’t help but wonder if the interminable psychopath will come sneering back into Jamie’s life at some future inopportune moment. Let’s hope!

“The Battle Joined” – Time to Buy A New Ashtray

Back in Boston in 1948, Claire has difficulty adjusting to modern life. The workings of her gas stove confound her and the prospects of her social life seem pretty grim. Her only companionship throughout the days promises to be limited to infrequent visits from a nosy neighbour who seems to loathe her own husband. And, trying to make an impression on the dean of Frank’s department at Harvard, Claire is reprimanded for reading The Boston Globe.

For his part, Frank is relatively patient with Claire as she adjusts to the chauvinistic customs of the ‘40s but Claire’s somewhat withdrawn habits and the couple’s complete lack of marital intimacy weighs heavily on Frank. A few ill-considered words about Claire’s 18th-century infidelity wins Frank nothing and terminates the functionality of a perfectly good ashtray when Claire hurls it at his face — luckily, he dodged it.

“The Battle Joined” – A New Beginning … ?

Viewers are treated to a faint ray of hope for Claire and Frank after giving birth to Brianna. Although Claire has to put up with a lot more chauvinism and a forced sedation from the doctor delivering her baby, Brianna is born healthy and the unfortunate couple has a rare moment of bliss. The two resolve to put aside their differences and begin again. But like many similar promises made by many couples throughout time, the saying is easier than the doing.

A nurse walks into the Randalls’ hospital room to ooh and ahh over the newborn. The proud parents, especially Frank, are happy to oblige but Frank’s happy countenance clouds over perceptibly when the nurse, admiring the happy brown-haired couple, asks where their daughter got her red hair from. Oops. Let’s just hope the Randalls have a lot of ashtrays.

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‘All The Money In The World’ Trailer: Ridley Scott Tackles a True Kidnapping Drama

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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September 14, 2017

All The Money In The World is something different from Ridley Scott, a true story about the famous J. Paul Getty grandson kidnapping case back in the early 70s. Scott is stepping away from swords, sandals, and aliens to head back into American Gangster territory.

Sounds like an awesome plan. Check out this trailer:

For anyone unfamiliar with the story, here’s an excerpt from Empire magazine about the back story after J. Paul Getty’s hard-partying teenage grandson is taken one night outside a nightclub:

Unfortunately for the younger Getty, his grandfather didn’t think much of his father or his party lifestyle, and, initially believing the teenager might have staged the whole thing himself, at first refused to pay. He was also unmoved by the pleas of Paul’s mother, as Gail Harris (Williams) had divorced his son and snubbed his money to raise her children alone. One of Paul’s ears was posted to the family, and eventually a $2.9 million sum was stumped up. It affected Paul for the rest of his life and he died aged 54. Nine of the kidnappers were arrested, and two were sent to prison.

Kevin Spacey looks wild as Getty. In there with Spacey is Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg, and young Charlie Plummer as the teen grandson, Getty III.

These are the Ridley Scott movies we need more of, as much as I unapologetically enjoyed Alien: Covenant.

All The Money In The World opens December 8.

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IRMA: Four Pop Culture Writers Share Tales Of The Storm

By

Matthew Sardo

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September 14, 2017

Monkeys Fighting Robots is based out of Florida and four writers from the site share their experiences before, after, and during Hurricane Irma.

Episode Breakdown:
01:01 – Manny Gomez, Cape Coral
18:54 – Dewey Singleton, Tampa
35:55 – Ruben Diaz, Miami

Thank you for listening – hope you and your family are safe.

Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?

Never heard of Matt Sardo?
For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.

Places you can find the show:
iTunes
Blog Talk Radio
Stitcher

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

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Jim Carrey Returns to Acting in Michel Gondry Series ‘Kidding’

By

Michael Fromm

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September 14, 2017

Rubberface star Jim Carrey is returning to mainstream acting since 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To. This time, however, he is making the leap to the small screen – his first series regular role in more than two decades.

According to Deadline, Carrey is starring in Kidding, a comedy series created by Dave Holstein and directed by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind filmmaker Michel Gondry. The series recevied a 10-episode straight-to-series-order on Showtime, where Carrey executive produces the drama about comedians, I’m Dying Up Here, which was recently renewed for a second season. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Ozark) will also serve as an executive producer.

Here is the official synopsis:

Created by Dave Holstein (Weeds, Raising Hope) and to be directed by Gondry, Kidding stars Carrey as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children’s television, a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds and the parents who grew up with him – who also anchors a multi-million dollar branding empire. But when this beloved personality’s family – wife, two sons, sister and father – begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairy tale or fable or puppet will guide him through this crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

Are you excited for another Jim Carrey/Michel Gondry collaboration?

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Norman Osborn Desperate To Be Green Again, Greg Smallwood Graces ‘Amazing Spider-Man’

By

Brandon J. Griffin

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Superstar Artist Greg Smallwood has been raising the bar for every title he touches. Ever since his stellar run on Moon Knight with Jeff Lemire ended, he’s been a floating feature artist on a number of titles. This time, he teams up with Dan Slott and Jordie Bellaire for an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.

***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***

Peter Parker isn’t the only character moving on from the Parker Industries era of ASM. Following a brief stint as an international terrorist, Norman Osborn is desperate to get back into the Goblin business. To restore that madness in his brain, he must seek the help of a secret order of monks to flush out the nanites that Spider-Man infected him with.

Amazing Spider-Man #32 is a cleverly crafted script, brilliantly illustrated, and vibrantly colored. Readers go on this journey of mystic findings with Norman as he sees what could have been if the monks had taught him the way of sorcery. Revealing that he never passed the first test, but now knows the madness is still inside him, is a satisfying misdirection.

Dan Slott gives us a breather, spending some intimate time with our favorite Goblin was a wise choice as we enter the Legacy era. Osborn is one of the best villains in Marvel Comics history. Slott successfully showcases a lost and broken man finding his way back to misguided hope and insanity. It’s been a while since Norman’s priorities and personalities were that of pumpkin bombs and gliders. Seeing him come full circle gets my blood pumping, I can’t wait to see where he goes next.

Smallwood’s artistic approach isn’t limited to characters with mental issues, but he sure has a knack for them. The final act of this issue is a liquid insanity swirling around the drain of reality. The grainy and sand paper looking visual style adds a layer of mystery and suspense. It almost seems like a dream sequence, which is all the more fitting once you reach the big reveal.

This was a fun snippet of what Norman would look like if he were to find a path to mysticism. With Peter Parker returning to a more humble financial state, seeing that Norman is also reverting to his former ways is exciting enough to make your spider-sense tingle.

With Marvel Legacy just around the corner, the world of Amazing Spider-Man is one to pay close attention to. This era of Spidey comics might not have been for everyone, but the fallout and graduation from it will no doubt be stimulating. Having Norman desperately back on the path to being the Green Goblin again promises future fun for our favorite web slinger.

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‘Red Sparrow’ Trailer: Jennifer Lawrence is a Stone-Cold Seductress

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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September 14, 2017

If you were a fan of those hyper-stylized 90s sexual thrillers, films like Jade or Basic Instinct, then Red Sparrow looks to be right up your alley.

Jennifer Lawrence plays, for lack of a clearer term, a seductress and assassin. It sounds a little like Atomic Blonde, sure, but this trailer presents something altogether different. See for yourself:

“Dominika Egorova is many things. A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs. A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit. A master of seductive and manipulative combat. When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.”

That is not what I expected when I hit play. This looks like something totally different for Jennifer Lawrence, and I am on board for it.

Red Sparrow also stars Joel Edgerton, Mary Louise-Parker, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons, Charlotte Rampling. It will hit theaters some time in 2018. Stay tuned.

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Check Out This Pulse-Pounding, Red-Band Trailer for ‘The Shape of Water’

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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September 14, 2017

The Shape of Water is getting terrific buzz from the Toronto International Film Festival, and if it’s not on the list of your most anticipated fall movies I don’t want to know you.

The first trailer was hypnotic in its gentle nature, but this NSFW red-band trailer heightens tension, anxiety, and is quite frankly a perfect trailer.

Check it out:

“From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER – an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.”

Who needs a Dark Universe from the Fast and Furious guys? We have Guillermo Del Toro doing his own Creature From the Black Lagoon love story to tell! I want to live inside the world Del Toro paints here, it’s stunning to see even in a two-minute stretch.

The Shape of Water stars the incredible quartet of Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Shannon, who is in definite nut job mode. It opens December 8, see you there.

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Liam Neeson Retiring From Action Movies

By

Parish Hodges

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September 13, 2017

The 65 year old actor known for the Taken franchise says he’s done with action films. During an interview with SkyNews he revealed his age plays a big part in his decision.

“They’re still throwing serious money at me to do that stuff. I’m like: ‘Guy’s I’m sixty-f******-five.’ Audiences are eventually going to go: ‘Come on.’ ”

This isn’t the first time he’s talked about retiring from action. In a 2015 interview with Collider he said,”Well, there is a limit, of course. It’s the movies, you know. For myself, I probably – maybe two years if god spares me and I’m healthy and stuff. After that I’ll stop, I think.

Don’t worry we still have four more films coming up where Neeson will be showing off his action skills. Here’s a list of his upcoming movies and release dates.

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, September 29, 2017

Widows, November 16, 2018

The Commuter, January 12, 2018

Hard Powder, no date yet

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