Infamous Iron Man #10 came out this week. Writer Brian Michael Bendis has been taking an old comic book trope down a different path.
Victor Von Doom found himself in a tight spot but his long lost sorceress mother bailed him out. She shares with him “The Tear” and a new form of mystic arts. Meanwhile Ben Grimm continues investigating Doom in an effort to stop this Iron Man “charade”.
Bendis is delivering a “replacement hero” story without feeling stale. He’s also doing so without shying away from the long and twisted history of DOOM.
The already complex character of Von Doom gets even more layered as Bendis dives into his past and relationship with his estranged mother. The scene with a young Vic and his mother shows the character’s initial reluctance to the world of sorcery.
Infamous Iron Man (along with Ultimates) has been helping to fill the void in our hearts left by the absent Fantastic Four.
The concept of “The Tear” being the place where the two pre-Secret Wars universes existed is undoubtedly cool. This continues to push the idea that Marvel may have plans for the lost worlds that could tie into Secret Empire‘s finale and Marvel Legacy.
Water color and mystic arts go hand-in-hand, there’s been no shortage of beautiful art in the series thus far. Matt Hollingsworth has been putting on a show with the color direction in every issue.
The Bendis/Maleev combo hasn’t lost any of its magic from their run on Daredevil. A heavy and rustic look gives the comic an added sense of importance. Which is extremely necessary for a book starring DOOM.
Ten issues in and the series hasn’t lost any momentum. Infamous Iron Man provides readers with a juicy scenario and takes it so many different places as Doom has never been the master of just one realm.
The farther we go into the psyche of what Victor is trying to do and why, the more this story stakes its claim as one of the best to use this trope. Bendis’ masterful pace for the title keeps us coming back hungry every month.
“About Last Night” is a movie review show, where writer EJ Moreno talks about the movie he saw last night. This week’s episode is all about new David Leitch film, Atomic Blonde.
“Agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality, and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on an impossible mission. Sent alone to Berlin to retrieve a priceless dossier from within the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through a deadly game of spies.”
Atomic Blonde stars Charlize Theron and James McAvoy. John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones fill out the supporting roles.
‘Atomic Blonde’ hits theaters on July 28, and break down the film in a Facebook Live session as Charlize Theron gave everything to this movie, blood, sweat, tears. As a Gen Xer, ‘Atomic Blonde’ reminded me why I love 80s action films.
The film is bit long, and ‘Atomic Blonde’ could have used a better cinematographer, but even with those short comings – the cast, the action, and the soundtrack make this a must see in theaters experience.
Check out the video below for my complete review:
‘Atomic Blonde’ is based on the Oni Press graphic Novel, ‘The Coldest Night’ writen by Antony Johnston with art by Sam Hart.
About the film: Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors.
The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.
‘Atomic Blonde’ is directed by David Leitch from Kurt Johnstad’s screenplay and stars Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, Bill Skarsgård, and Toby Jones .
Niles Caulder returns to the pages of Doom Patrol as he enlists his old team to help him invade a universe of bad ideas! But is there a secret Dr. Caudler is hiding? What is truly motivating him? Can he be trusted? All this plus a trip to the mall and Orange Julius!
Doom Patrol #7 “Into The Scantoverse or Emotional Robots and Psychic Werewolves: A Doom Patrol Adventure” Written by: Gerard Way Art by: Michael Allred & Nick Derrington (pages 23-24) Colors by: Laura Allred Lettered by: Todd Klein
Published by: Young Animal an imprint of DC Comics
After a brief hiatus, Doom Patrol returns and it’s a fantastic issue! Not only do we get some gorgeous art from Mike and Laura Allred, we also get to finally see Niles Caulder go back on the field with the team in a very classically inspired Doom Patrol adventure. The ideas really explode out of this issue, and it’s energy and storytelling are exactly the kind of thing you want out of this title. It’s also hysterical! Read on for 11 reasons Doom Patrol #7 is my favorite comic of the week!
First thing; the gorgeous art, panel structure and page layout by Mike Allred.
The brilliant colors by Laura Allred
“We’re pretty aimless right now. I mean look at us, we’re at the mall.” –Negative Man
“Find me at the Orange Julius when you’ve prepared to take charge of your destiny!- Niles Caulder
The Gatz’Gah’Gatz aka The Sea of Frozen Faces.
The whole idea behind the Scants and their world. A universe of ‘bad ideas’ is straight out of Morrison era Doom Patrol.
Dan Scram and his Gravity Pirates!
“I’m crying but I have no tears! –Robot Man
Niles Caulder’s description of evolution-“Evolution is really just a series of bad ideas strung together.”
“Psychic Werewolves, the natural predator of evolved man!”
The product known as $#!+ “Makes everything better!”
Seriously, folks, this was a fantastically fun and funny issue! It’s pacing is great, the art POPS off the page, and it’s exactly the kind of storytelling you can only to in the comics medium. I’ve enjoyed all of the Young Animal stuff so far, but this has to be one of the best single issues the imprint has put out. Don’t sleep on it and get it!
After a massively popular introduction inCaptain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther will have a larger presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Not only will the character appear in his first ever solo movie when Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther lands, but Boseman will also have a large role in the next Avengers movie, Avengers: Infinity War.
In an interview with Moviefone, Boseman briefly discussed his role in Avengers: Infinity War, confirming that he will have a “vital” role in the movie.
It’s a vital role — definitely a vital role! And I think Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo is the main person that I felt like we hit it off and had fun, and I hadn’t worked with him before. In fact, when I met him, it felt like I had already met him. That would be the name I’ll say. I can’t say more than that.
While it’s not surprising to hear that Boseman will have a larger role in Avengers: Infinity War, it’s certainly a relief. It has previously been reported that Spider-Man will only have a brief appearance in the film, and it would be unfortunate if Black Panther’s role was also reduced.
Are you excited to see Black Pantherin Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments section below!
From the paper and ink comic books of the thirties and forties where it all began to the super-slick Marvel/DC blockbuster showdown that seemingly dominates this and every summer at the movies, the super hero franchise and the branded fantasy media explosion it spearheads have come a long way – and there’s plenty to show for it. Shelves of licensed merchandise, running from dolls and action figures to sticker books, lunchboxes and the like, and much of it based on blockbusting TV and movie franchises such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and this summers hot tickets, Spiderman and Wonder Woman. But have we reached some kind of commercial tipping point? And if so, who cares? The video games industry, that’s who. It’s waiting in the wings with franchise hits of its own and is poised to take up any slack…
The story so far
Toys licensed from movies and TV have surfed the wave of enthusiasm generated from the Marvel and DC camps over the last decade, and now Disney too, with its reinvigorated Star Wars universe. From 2008 to 2015, licensed toys based on movie and TV brands accounted for 21% of all toys sold, and made up 41% of the growth, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng. Last year, mostly off the back of Star Wars and Marvel superhero movies, these revenues grew by 5% to reach $20.4 billion; no mean feat in a global toy market reckoned to be worth upwards of 87.4 billion USD. This is a numbers game, in the most brutal of senses, and numbers like these show just how closely the creative forces of Hollywood have become entangled with the fortunes of the toy industry in general – and, of course, vice versa. There’s a synergy at work here, separate industries flowing together for mutual benefit; this synergy includes the video game market, and has done for quite a while.
Today’s licensed toy product is not represented just by plastic action figures in a box (Hasbro’s Star Wars range), or even by the Disney Princess line of dolls and playsets featuring classic characters from the studio’s offerings. There’s also a vast array of spin-off products destined for the video game market – from the recent Spiderman tie-in by Marvel and Insomniac Games for the PS4, too many of the online slots and mobile-friendly casino games popular on iGaming sites. These often come hitched to a trending brand upon release – for example, an official Game of Thrones slot, another promoting the movie Jurassic World, yet another for Tarzan, are available play online on Betway casino. Similarly, the Apple Store and Android Play are hosts to a number of licensed apps and games based on films, including the recent Jurassic World – The Game, developed by Ludia Inc, which promises more than 150 dinosaurs from the film. There has been a good deal of cross-matching and hybridization between the licensed toy industry, visual media, and videogames, but now the sands seem to be shifting.
Too many toys?
Market saturation could be on the way. As Mr. Ng drily points out in his market note, there are seven Marvel films scheduled for release next year, two Star Wars films coming out, and three back-to-back Transformers movies on the books for 2019. Taken together, that’s a torrent of toys set to hit the shelves in the next couple of years, and each from a fixed franchise with a set fanbase. There’s a lot of spillover, but it’s not set in stone that the fan who is buying the Spiderman game would be so inclined to spend money on a Star Wars toy. All those toys from all those films, jostling for space in an increasingly crowded market. Something has to give, and when it does, the video game industry will seek to fill the void left behind, with toys and spin-offs based on characters of its own.
New Model Army
source: flickr.com
IMAGE SOURCE: Flickr.com
The toy industry is sprawling and broad and old and established, and expensive, and all about distribution. Five Titans dominate the field: Jakks Pacific, Namco Bandai, Hasbro, and Lego, with Mattel taking the top spot. Tricky, you might think, to crack such a market, but it’s not without precedent. In fact, the reverse has been the case for ages, with products that began life as toys, successfully transitioning to the big screen as licensed movies – think 2014’s Lego Movie by Warner Bros, which made $257,716,507 within its first six months of US release. In fact, Lego is the perfect example here, a flagging tangible toy product into which new life was breathed, first by the popularity of the groundbreaking Lego console games, and now onwards to the movies, with a dash of DC magic applied to the mix in the form of licensed Batman characters. This direction of flow works, and works well, but can lucre flow from original video games to the toy market?
The video game industry, worth a global $108.9 billion, has shown itself adept at what is termed market adaption, flowing amoeba-like from one form to another to best suit environmental conditions: From cartridge to tape to CD to ribbons of code, hanging like cobwebs in the Cloud. Along the way, it’s taken inspiration and official license from Hollywood and TV, from retro board games and parlor pursuits and turned it all into product – games, projects, applications. And all this, in much the same manner as the movers and shakers of Hollywood and TV (but especially the former) in turn took their inspiration from what had come before – from a rich print medium of comic books and pulp novels, the tour-de-force page-turners of their era. Stories and ideas, mined and transformed, carried from one stream of media to another, and now it would appear, running the gamut from pixels to plastic and back again.
As you might expect, the first scouts to arrive on this scene are those associated with spectacular achievements in their home markets; collectibles licensed from the Halo games and last summer’s ambulatory Pokémon Go craze, cuddly toys in the form of Rovio’s Angry Birds, miniatures of Geralt from The Witcher 3. Lessons are being learned and chances are being taken as companies glean data on what sells and what doesn’t. When these get applied for the second push, sales will ramp and profits will be taken.
Looking ahead
It’s early days, but the signs are good and the video game-based toy invasion is already underway. As yet, the industry has but a tiny presence here, a scattering of footprints in the sand at the edge of an untested desert. But a diminutive army of toys based on characters from original video games is marching steadily upon the market horizon, a distant column of dust perhaps, or the first ranks of a vast army.
Tom Hardy can currently be seen (partially, anyway) in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk as a courageous air force pilot defending beached troops from air raids. His next project takes him back into war, in what sounds like a much more substantial and challenging role, in My War Gone By, I Miss It So.
Variety broke the news about the adaptation of Anthony Loyd’s firsthand account of the Bosnian War. Judging by this description, the film has about a dozen different, harrowing plates in the air:
“My War Gone By, I Miss It So” is Lloyd’s personal account of the Bosnian War, and alternates between his experiences in Bosnia and personal reflections of his time in the British army, his parents’ divorce, his estrangement from his father, and his heroin addiction.
As much as I love gimmick Tom Hardy, hidden behind masks in The Dark Knight Rises and most of Mad Max and Dunkirk, or behind the wheel through the entirety of Locke, I love Tom Hardy the actor even more. He was the best part of The Revenant, he was terrific in The Drop, and he was captivating in Warrior.
And speaking of Warrior, Gavin O’Connor will direct My War Gone By, I Miss It So. Hardy could be aiming for an Oscar with this one, but whatever… We don’t have release date, co stars, or production news yet, but stay tuned..
The Flash and Reverse-Flash bring their epic confrontation to an end. Barry absorbs aspects of the negative speed-force and literally fights his enemy across time. But even if he defeats the villain, the Scarlet Speedster may find out he has lost the battle and much, much more.
The Flash #27 Running Scared –Conclusion “I Will Possess Your Heart” Written by: Joshua Williamson Art by: Paul Pelletier & Howard Porter Inks by: Andrew Henessey & Howard Porter Colors by: Hi-Fi Lettered by: Steve Wands
Published by: DC Comics
SPOILERS! Joshua Williamson brings this action packed story to a close, ending it on a quiet and sad moment. And although this issue lacked a bit of the narrative drive this arc started with, it was still an important story and one that will seemingly affect the dynamic of the Flash and his extended family for some time to come and also leaves Barry with some new powers and abilities. Read on for 11 reasons The Flash #27 changes lanes and leaves the road open for some great upcoming tales.
Barry and Thawne literally fighting through time. That concept just doesn’t get old in The Flash.
The long, vertical panels and ‘wide screen’ splashes during the above fight scene. It gives it the feel of a huge, blockbuster cinematic sequence. Great job by the art team!
The balance of action and emotional beats. It’s both a physical and an internal battle here.
Barry’s new look after absorbing negative speed-force energy.
“You think murdering your mother was bad? That’s not even in the top ten horrible things I do to you.” –Reverse-Flash. Thawne is pretty chilling.
SPOILER!- Iris West ‘killing’ the Reverse-Flash!
How even in defeat, Thawne still wins this one.
“Is there anything else? Anything else you lied to me about?” –Iris West.
“And as long as I had that, I was never alone” – Reverse-Flash.
The final image of Barry sitting alone.
The potential we are left with; Barry’s new powers. The fracturing of his relationships. This is a dark place for the Fastest Man Alive.
So now we are left with Barry in a much different place than we saw him in before, and that is really what you want out of a good story. Williamson is at the very least writing an entertaining, well-paced Flash run. He is changing the character as he goes along. Good stuff. Let’s see which way Barry runs next!
Once upon a time, James Cameron was one of the more fascinating technical masters in Hollywood. He was an Oscar winner, and an epic filmmaker. Now, well, in between the endless barrage of Avatar sequels, Cameron wants to pepper us with more Terminator.
Cameron spoke to The Playlist about whatever the hell he’s thinking these days, and he threw out this ominous plan:
“I am in discussions with (producer) David Ellison, who is the current rights holder globally for the Terminatorfranchise and the rights in the US market revert to me under US copyright law in a year and a half so he and I are talking about what we can do. Right now we are leaning toward doing a three-film arc and reinventing it.”
Yes, because that’s what the world needs, a reinvention of an intellectual property that has been reconfigured in a million different amalgamations so intensely that rebooting the original would prove a futile exercise. Please, sir, may we have another.
It’s disappointing that James Cameron would make Avatar and the rubble of the Terminator franchise his obsessions heading into the twilight of his career. Remember when this guy directed The Abyss? True Lies was cool. I still like Titanic.
Too bad, it looks like we won’t get any of those James Cameron joints anytime soon. Because even if these Terminator movies (hopefully) fall apart, the dude still wants to make infinity Avatar movies.
Preacher Feature is a weekly analysis of the AMC show Preacher based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In this column, we will give a breakdown of the events from the previous night’s show, including how they relate to the comics, and speculate as to what’s going on and what might be coming up. This is to say that there will be spoilers, both actual and potential. If you have not yet watched the episode in question or are watching the show without reading the comics and don’t want to have any foreknowledge of what might happen to Jesse and company, then you would do well to stop reading this now.
Last night’s episode was a welcome return to form after a couple lackluster installments. Backstory and exposition are important, I know, but they can’t compete with action and humor.
The episode starts off with…something…being extracted from a man in exchange for a large sum of money. It’s then brought by armored truck to a rich couple and exhanged for a larger sum of money (That’s Capitalism, folks). Taken as a pill, the “something” instantly seems to cure dementia in the woman who takes it.
No word yet if the mystery substance cures diabetes, which could come into play after this breakfast
From here we’re treated to a glimpse at Tulip’s culinary expertise (Reddi-Wip, marshmallows, and hot fudge are the cornerstones of any complete breakfast), just before The Saint of Killers arrives. Now, as we all know, a seven foot tall cowboy decapitating people with a cavalry sword tends to put a damper on the appetite, so the gang hightails it out of Denis’ apartment before said cowboy reaches them.
They decide they need to find out why Genesis doesn’t work on The Saint and whether he has any weakness, so they head to their local library (reading is fundamental, after all). The scene in the library was one of the best of the season, with the audiobook narration and the plethora of Saint of Killers-related books (shoutout to writer Mary Laws and propmaster James Rosenthal) transforming what could have been a boring scene into a delight. The research yields results: they find out that The Saint was the only living man without a soul. Perhaps this is the reason Genesis can’t control him?
Cassidy, never the most considerate vampire, realizes that he neglected to tell Denis of the murderous scalp-hunter likely waiting in his apartment and Jesse calls just in time to keep The Saint from killing Denis, because he’s on his way over.
Dominic Cooper (Jesse) and Graham McTavish (The Saint) give performances worthy of the gravity of the scene as these two foes come face to face for the first time. This time there will be no gunfire. Jesse, transitioning from preacher to sheriff, lays down the law: If you kill me, you’ll never get what you want. The Saint wants to see his family again in Heaven, but he can’t do that without a soul. The Saint agrees to terms: Jesse gets one hour to find the Saint a soul, but as collateral, he holds Tulip, Cassidy, and Denis. Jesse goes to a voodoo shop (and we find out that Jesse’s mysterious family, the L’Angells, also have ties to voodoo) but finds that they’ve been run out of business by…Soul Happy Go Go, the company from the opening scene, whose armored car (the titular Sokosha) is parked outside. After a hilarious but ineffectual attempt to break into the armored car, Jesse decides using Genesis is the way to go.
Meanwhile, Denis is dangerously ill and Cassidy reveals that he is actually Denis’s father (vampires age very well). This sets up another dramatic confrontation with The Saint, this time between him and Tulip (Ruth Negga, in another stellar performance). Tulip finds out how strong The Saint is when she makes the mistake of mentioning his daughter.
Jesse finally gets hold of the armored truck, only to find out that there’s no match for The Saint’s soul onboard (pesky rare soul-types), but that his own soul is a match. Jesse gives up a piece of his soul to The Saint. This allows Genesis to exert its influence over The Saint, so Jesse orders him to disarm.
After seeing the possible disadvantages of sending The Saint (and with him a piece of his own soul) to Hell, Jesse locks The Saint in the armored truck, drives it to Angelville and sinks it into the swamp.
Easter Eggs/Connections to the Comics
This episode contains actual images from the comic books themselves. While Jesse and crew are researching The Saint to try to find his weakness, the research montage features a few pages from the excellent Preacher Special: Saint of Killers miniseries. The miniseries is one of my favorite short comic book stories, I highly recommend it.
The comic books aren’t all, however. Also studied by the trio of scholars: a romance novel, a book of sing along songs, and a special Mad Libs.
When Jesse decides to sink the armored truck into the swamp, we hear the same music/wench sounds from the aquarium scene in Episode 1.
Questions/Theories
How long until The Saint is back after Jesse? We know that armored truck won’t hold him. I think The Grail will be the ones to find him and who knows what mayhem they’ll set him to?
To what does next episode’s title, Pig, refer? There was a file folder marked ‘Pig’ on Herr Starr’s desk in a previous episode, but nothing like it in the comics.
Best Line
“Say your prayers, Preacher” – The Saint of Killers
