Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1712
July 7, 2018
Power up Your Next Vacation With SUPER MARIO Luggage
Some of Nintendo‘s most iconic characters are traveling from the Mushroom Kingdom to… well, wherever it is you’re going on your next big trip. Nintendo Japan recently announced a new luggage and travel accessories set, all as versatile and dependable as Mario himself. And, of course, every single piece is adorable.
This eye-catching travel collection isn’t just one small carry-on or a single cute pouch for carrying your odds and ends—Mario always goes big or goes to another castle.
In the new collection, you’ll find just about everything you need to make your next trip super. A Yoshi eye mask, Chain Chomp and Mario mustache luggage tags, suitcase belts, a passport cover, a Question Block suitcase, and much more are all part of the impressive product announcement. The patterns are bold but cute, and focus on Mario’s classic power-ups and more diminutive enemies. (Sorry, Waluigi. Snubbed again.)
And in true Super Mario style, some of the accessories even transform. A neck pillow folds up into a small mushroom pillow or a small Question Block, and a small printed pouch powers up into a large tote.
Prices range from 1800 yen to 3000 yen, or about sixteen to twenty-six dollars, depending on the exchange rate. You can find the matching Switch accessories for pre-order on some import sites now, with an expected release in August. While no other country or region has announced these items other than Nintendo Japan, fingers are crossed that we’ll see some of these amazing Mario-themed travel accessories take their own trips to stores worldwide.
Which Super Mario travel accessory is a must-have? Tell us in the comments.
All Images: Nintendo Japan
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Remembering Comic Book Legend Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko was a one off. It might sound hyperbolic–as so many of these sort of pieces do when someone dies–but the man who co-created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange lived a unique life which had an impact on comics and the wider world forever. Though he strayed from big-two comics and the limelight many years ago, Ditko was a prolific creator right up until his death on June 29th this year.
Mostly known for his work at Marvel Comics, the Pennsylvania-born Ditko studied under some of the most famous names in the business–including Batman artist Jerry Robinson–before joining the studio of comic book legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Kirby and Ditko are interesting counterparts, both changing the landscape of American superhero comics and therefore modern Hollywood. While they held many similarities, each seemed to push the medium of comics and the genre of superheroes in different directions, with Kirby emphasizing action and bombast while Ditko brought out the interpersonal and internal lives of his characters. Still, both struggled to get the recognition that they deserved, with Ditko and Kirby almost written out of the popular historical narrative due to exploitative bad faith contracts, a credit-hungry co-creator in Stan Lee, and a lack of structure to protect creator rights which still persists to this day.
Ditko’s achievements and impact on superhero comics cannot be understated. Before he headed off to join Marvel during the publisher’s formative years, he worked for Charlton Comics and continued there until many years after his original tenure with Marvel ended. You might not immediately know the Charlton name, but to fans of a certain seminal comic it probably sounds familiar. In the ’80s, DC Comics purchased the Charlton character catalog shortly before Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons began work on a book that would incorporate Charlton’s Ditko-heavy roster. That story would of course become Watchmen, although the characters inside ended up turning into analogs of The Question, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and more rather than the original versions.
Rorschach is based on one of Ditko’s Charlton creations, The Question, a faceless genius detective inspired by Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, a foundation which would crop up again and again in the artist’s later work. While Watchmen deviated from his beloved Objectivist philosophy, Ditko’s fingerprints can still be found all over the famous limited series, from its characters to its layouts to its thematic explorations. Some might even say that without Ditko’s work at Charlton there would be no Watchmen at all.
There would be no Marvel Universe as we know it without Ditko as well; during his time at Marvel he led the creation of arguably their most famous character, Spider-Man. The street level hero that Ditko and Lee established would for decades set the precedent by which all other superheroes and their comics were judged. It was a mix of the mythic and the mundane that signified Peter Parker’s enduring popularity–after fighting with a tentacled mad scientist, he still had to help pay the bills and get ready to go on a date. This thematic blend mixed with Ditko’s unmistakably weird yet familiar visuals made the series an unmitigated hit.
His other renowned Silver Age creation for Marvel was Doctor Strange, a mystical and cosmic comic where Ditko was truly given the space to showcase his wild imagination, with brilliant ethereal landscapes and dynamic compositions that still set his work apart to this day. He also drew both Hulk and Iron Man, redesigning the latter’s suit into the iconic form-fitting red and gold armor. Despite his virtuosity, Ditko struggled to work under Stan Lee’s editorial direction at Marvel Comics in the ’60s, a struggle which eventually led to the artist’s departure from the publishing house where he made his name. As he created using the “Marvel Method”–a style which requires no upfront script or panel descriptions from the writer–it wasn’t long before Ditko simply plotted and drew his stories without ever consulting Stan Lee. The verbose editor and writer would then write a script to fit the artwork, sometimes changing the direction which Ditko had intended.
Ditko’s eventual departure from Marvel in 1966 led to years of journeying around many different publishers, including Marvel’s number one competition, DC Comics, where he created The Creeper and Hawk and Dove. He also worked on the most well known run of Charlton’s Blue Beetle–whom fans may know better as part of the contemporary DC roster–and had a reputation for being a kind colleague who would treat women in the office well. It was during this era that he created Mr. A, an extension and personal perfection of his thematic interest in Objectivist philosophy. The character would live on as long as its creator, as Ditko was still creating new self-published Mr. A comics late into his life.
Venturing back to big-two comics after a six-year hiatus, Ditko returned to DC and created Shade, The Changing Man. Another short lived surreal story steeped in psychedelia, Shade would later become a flagship title–without Ditko’s involvement or consent–at DC’s mature readers imprint, Vertigo. The ’70s and ’80s were an interesting time in Ditko’s career as he began to work on multiple licensed properties, leading to some fantastic cultural artifacts like a Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos miniseries–based on the animated series of the same name–largely drawn by the master cartoonist, as well as a fantastic Transformers coloring book illustrated by the legend himself. Having returned to Marvel in the ’80s and ’90s, the artist never returned to Spider-Man, instead opting to co-create new characters like Speedball and Squirrel Girl.
In the ’00s, Ditko’s output became largely self-published in partnership with his old Charlton editor Robin Snyder. These strange and vibrant zine-style tracts were filled with essays, new short stories, and illustrated tangents from Ditko, and for the first time gave fans a deep insight into the mind of a man who stopped being a public figure in the 1970s. Ditko was a renowned recluse famed for his eccentricity, and his later work did nothing but exaggerate his mythos. He stated that he wanted to be remembered for the work he did in his later life rather than his past creations, and the output of Snyder and Ditko was engaging, challenging, complex, esoteric, and intriguing as well as often hard to parse, steeped in the Objectivist theory and ideals that defined his later work.
Visually, Ditko continued his artistic evolution throughout his life, continually working towards a more elegant and refined cartooning that reflected his vast experience and unique perspective. While his old work was renowned for deftly detailed costumes and posing, his most recent work eschewed not only colors but graytones as well. This allowed intelligent lines, subtle patterns, and a paired-down shorthand version of dialogue to create rich characters and worlds all on their own. It’s nearly impossible to sum up someone’s life and work in one article, but as he was a man who firmly believed that A = A, it’s safe to at the least say Steve Ditko was a brilliant and groundbreaking cartoonist whose great comics = great comics.
Images: Marvel, Charlton, DC, Steve Ditko and Robin Snyder
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Do Rey and Kylo Ren’s Identical Lightsaber Moves in THE LAST JEDI Confirm Reylo is Real?
Rey and Kylo Ren were connected in The Last Jedi in a way never before seen in the galaxy far, far away, but that wasn’t enough for some. Many fans hope Episode IX will make their Star Wars “shipping” dreams come true by making “Reylo” a rey-ality. Is it merely wishful thinking though that two enemies will find love in each other’s arms, or is it their destiny to end up together? The answer might already have been found in the unlikeliest of places–their lightsaber fighting techniques, which might prove they are already paired up together even if they don’t know it.
On this edition of Nerdist News Jessica Chobot explains how the discovery of one Tumblr user could mean the future of Kylo and Rey’s relationship is already written, after they realized her lightsaber moves on Ahch-To were identical to the ones Ben Solo later used against his uncle Luke on Crait. Do these movements show they are already connected on a deeper level than even they might realize, or is it just a coincidence? It wouldn’t be the first time the franchise used similar imagery to connect events and people. And why might The Force Awakens’ junior novelization be yet another clue in what will happen with this “will-they-or-won’t-they” twosome?
Does any of this guarantee Reylo is gonna happen-O? No-o, but if you’re hoping to see them come together as one and bring balance to the Force, this definitely tilts the odds in your favor.
What do you think? Does this prove Rey and Kylo Ren will end up together, or do you think one of them is more likely to make it so the other needs a mechanical arm? Give us your best theory in the comments below on what will happen with them.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
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July 6, 2018
Nerdist News: WTFriday #11: New Star Wars Cartoon, SDCC Hall H, Breaking Down Spoiler Culture — and more!
Has spoiler culture gotten out of control? What is the appropriate time period to respect spoilers? Plus, new details from Star Wars latest cartoon — Resistance! And the comic con hall h schedule is starting to drop – who will be the marquee draw? Then – will memes soon be illegal? It’s up for debate… and finally, in honor of Ant-Man and The Wasp out this weekend, we’ll be testing the panel’s knowledge of the Fantastic Four. There’s a through-line there, trust us.
Be sure to check out WTFriday live every Friday at 1PM (PDT) on Alpha!
How ANT-MAN AND THE WASP’s Mid-Credits Scene Sets Up AVENGERS 4
Warning: Massive spoilers are ahead for Ant-Man and the Wasp !
This week, Marvel Studios released Ant-Man and the Wasp, its third and final movie of 2018. And while the trailers have sold audiences on a fun standalone adventure set pre-Infinity War, the mid-credits scene will leave fans on pretty big cliffhanger. So big the end credits even state: “Ant-Man and the Wasp will return?” Yes, they will, and today’s Nerdist News breaks out the Pym particles to explain how.
Join host and the master of Quantum entanglement, Jessica Chobot, as she offers a few theories about how Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s penultimate scene sets up Avengers 4. The Pyms sent Scott Lang back into the Quantum Realm on a mission of mercy, but while he was gone, the Snap occurred and wiped out the Pym family. That’s problem number one. The second problem is Scott’s stuck at subatomic size and he can’t return without help. And the only people who knew where he was are gone.
As they say at the House of Evil, “that’s bad.” Somebody on the Avengers needs to rescue Scott. But perhaps Scott will end up rescuing the Avengers from their fate. Scott was warned to avoid any time vortexes in the Quantum Realm, and that seems like a very specific piece of information to drop on the audience. What if the time vortexes are Scott’s only way out of the Quantum Realm? If they send Scott back to Earth outside of his own time period, it could explain why we’ve seen leaked photos of the Avengers and Loki circa the Battle of New York.
Note that we have also seen Scott escape the Quantum Realm before, and he may be able to pull off the trick again by himself. If so, we still think those time vortexes may be the key to ending Thanos’ reign and time travel could still explain those flashback costume Avengers pictures. But we’re going to have to wait until May 2019 to get definitive answers.
How do you think the Ant-Man and the Wasp mid-credits scene will play into Avengers 4? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Studios
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Who Will Keri Russell Play in STAR WARS EPISODE IX? We Have Some Ideas
Rumors are flying that Keri Russell is set to join J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode IX, and the excitement levels are full-throttle. Russell, who’s worked closely with Abrams in the past, is a great fit for the franchise, an incredible actress who just wrapped six seasons of The Americans, one of the best shows on TV. And she’s not just the cherub-faced, curly haired Felicity that we remember; on The Americans, she donned wigs and different personalities as a Soviet spy, and went to some extremely dark places. Her versatility is an asset, which means she could fit in just about anywhere in the Star Wars universe.
With that in mind, let’s have some fun guessing who she might play. Here are five possibilities we find intriguing.
A Leia protege who helps the Resistance
Colin Trevorrow was originally tapped to write and direct Episode IX, but was let go after Carrie Fisher‘s unexpected death in December 2016. Abrams stepped in to close out the trilogy, and the final episode had to be re-worked from ground level to accommodate the loss of Leia, who, according to Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, was set to play a major role. It would make sense, then, that Leia’s leadership role would go to someone else. The obvious answer is Poe Dameron, as The Last Jedi alludes, but perhaps that role would be bifurcated. Maybe Poe will assume a general rank and need someone else to step into his hot-shot pilot role. Or maybe he’ll stay in the cockpit and let someone else lead the way. That would track with his lesson in The Last Jedi – to trust women in high-ranking divisions – and would set the stage nicely for a new character, perhaps one played by Russell, to lead the Resistance and bestow Leia’s wisdom to a new generation, much like Holdo did.
A Knight of Ren
On The Americans, Russell played Elizabeth Jennings, a cold and occasionally evil assassin. She’s excellent at mining dark corners of the psyche, which is why it would be fascinating to see her as a member of Kylo’s mysterious Knights of Ren. We don’t know much about the Knights, but we can assume from our brief glimpse in The Force Awakens they are followers of Kylo who helped him destroy Luke‘s Jedi academy. That would make them an order of powerful dark side Force users, and a major threat to the Resistance, who have Rey on their side. Because we’ve never seen the Knights of Ren unmasked, it’s possible there is a woman among their ranks. It would be fun to have another female villain after the (presumed) death of Captain Phasma. Give us the Keri Russell/Daisy Ridley lightsaber battle that we deserve!
A high-ranking member of the First Order
Now that Snoke is gone and Kylo is at odds with Hux, it would make sense to surround himself with loyal followers in the First Order. On The Americans, Russell’s Elizabeth was fully faithful to the KGB, so she could easily apply that determination and servitude to a role in the First Order militia. Kylo loves to be told that he’s powerful and right, so he would no doubt take kindly to a high-ranking woman who worships him. Also, it’d be fun to hear Keri shout orders at peons.
The daughter of Rebel soldiers
As we know from the tie-in graphic novel, Shattered Empire, Poe Dameron is the son of Shara Bey and Kes Damerson, two Rebel soldiers from Yavin IV who were close with Leia. Poe was raised on stories of the Rebel Alliance, which led to his role in the Resistance. Surely he’s not the only one who grew up under the spell of Rebel leadership. Russell could play a peer of his who answers the call at the end of The Last Jedi to help the Resistance grow in number. Or maybe she’s been there all along in the background, ready to emerge as a fearless pilot or ground solider to combat the growing presence of the First Order.
A survivor from Luke’s Jedi academy
It’s assumed that when Kylo went rogue and destroyed Luke’s Jedi school that he killed every last student who wasn’t a Knight of Ren. But what if one of them escaped and is hiding deep in the galaxy to protect herself? It would be great if Rey’s mission in Episode IX is to round up other Force users, and it would be extra exciting if she encountered one more trained than she is. That way, she’d have a new mentor after Luke’s passing to train her in the ways of the Force. Russell’s role is said to be “action-heavy,” so this would track.
Those are our ideas – do you have any of your own? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: FX Networks / Frank Ockenfels
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A 16-Year-Old Contortionist Practices Foot Archery with a Human Belt
Summer is the perfect time for kids to go outside and take interest in things beyond the world of screens. For 16-year-old circus performer Anne Arellano, that means performing crazy stunts and amazing contortions.
Arellano’s daily workout is like no other. Sure, there’s cardio and strength-training, but her exercise also includes feats of flexibility and coordination that go above and beyond. For her 16th birthday, Anne decided to try out a new challenge. She could already shoot a bow and arrow with her feet, so she added another tricky element: a human one. Look closely—that’s another kid wrapped around her like a belt.
A post shared by Anne Arellano (@annearellano_) on May 31, 2018 at 9:00pm PDT
Foot archery is a contortionist trick that takes a lot of skill and determination on its own. To take things to this next level, a lot of strength training is entailed. Arellano’s Instagram is full of daily exercises that are powerful and inspiring. Practicing new stunts at home and posting them on social media, Arellano is able to show the progression of her performances and let us those of us who aren’t so coordinated witness the wonder of amazing flexibility.
RUMOR: STAR WARS: EPISODE IX May See Keri Russell Re-team with J.J. Abrams
Is Keri Russell headed to a galaxy far, far away? That looks to be the case, according to Variety, who announced this morning that The Americans star is “in early talks” to join the cast of J.J. Abrams‘ Star Wars: Episode IX in an unspecified role. When contacted for confirmation, Lucasfilm said they had no comment on the report.
According to the trade, the role calls for “action-heavy fight scenes.” Russell apparently won the part just before the Fourth of July holiday, after Lucasfilm and Disney met with “several actresses.” But let’s be real, the role was probably hers all along, given her long working relationship with Abrams, who created her most famous role in his hit series Felicity. Russell also had an action-packed role in his Mission: Impossible III, and Abrams spoke at her Walk of Fame induction ceremony.
Because of that close relationship, Russell has been flanked with questions about whether or not she’d join the Star Wars cast since Abrams first took the job on The Force Awakens. In 2013, TV Line asked if she’d be interested in joining the franchise with J.J. at the helm, and she joked that she was, “waiting for my call,” adding, “I would do anything for J.J. I would do crafts services if he asked!”
Of course, for now the casting rumor is just that–a rumor. Lucasfilm hasn’t confirmed the news, and Variety hasn’t named an official source for the information. But that won’t stop us from speculating who Russell might play. Will she be a feisty Rebel who helps the Resistance after most of their fleet was destroyed in The Last Jedi? Is she a member of the tyrannical First Order, working for Kylo Ren? Or maybe she’s an escapee of Luke’s Jedi academy, who helps Rey in her journey. The possibilities are endless and we can’t wait to learn more!
What about you? Who do you think Russell might play in Star Wars Episode IX? Sound off in the comments below!
Images: FX, Lucasfilm
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JURASSIC PARK’s Famous Shaving Cream Can Gets an Official Collectible Replica
I’m no shaving cream historian, but I feel very confident in saying the single most famous facial foam ever was the Barbasol can Dodgson gave Dennis Nedry to steal dinosaur embryos in Jurassic Park. It had everything! A false bottom you could unscrew, compartmentalized spaces for each (viable!) specimen with enough coolant to last 36 hours, and actual shaving cream you could also use as a pie topping. Plus it could pass Customs. Now, that very can is one you will soon be able to take home in the form of the first ever officially licensed replica prop.
Chronicle Collectibles announced through io9 it will be soon start selling their very own “100% screen accurate” version of the infamous can. Early prototype photos show just how many pieces the inside will contain, but for now the company is being coy about whether or not the complete package will actually operate like the can in the film does.
While it cost Dodgson’s company a whole lot to pay off Dennis Nedry, their can will retail for around $200, and Chronicle Collectibles is expected to begin accepting pre-orders later this summer. Unfortunately, unlike the can in Jurassic Park, this model won’t contain any actual coolant or shaving cream, since that would ruin the replica. It also won’t come with any dinosaur embryos, so your company won’t be able to catch up on 10 years of research in a single purchase.
What other classic movie prop would you love to take home next? Let us know in the comments below.
Images: Universal Pictures, Chronicle Collectibles
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How ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Could Pave the Way for X-MEN in the MCU
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
First, let’s be clear: as of this writing, Marvel Studios does not have the rights to put the X-Men or any associated characters (save Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, of course) onscreen. They’d probably get in trouble if they even dropped a blatant hint, which is to say you’re unlikely to hear Wanda Maximoff mention that her dad has a magnetic personality, or anything to that effect. Kevin Feige has been clear that no work can even start on a crossover unless and until the Fox-Disney merger is signed and sealed; meanwhile, Fox will be rolling out new X-Men, New Mutants, and X-Force movies.
But that’s not to say Marvel can’t establish circumstances under which certain characters could join their universe. And in fact, we suspect they may have done just that.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp, when Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) finally appears in the micro-verse, she tells her husband that she’s not the same woman she used to be. It’s not just that quantum fields have bombarded her; she describes the changes, rather, as “evolution.” Now, where else in a Marvel-related film have we heard a veteran actor talk about evolutionary leaps, against a backdrop of microscopic cells? You remember, right?
Consider also that we’ve been told Marvel Studios movies can’t use the term “mutant” in conjunction with super powers, which is why Wanda and Pietro specifically are not powered by mutation in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but by the mind stone in Loki’s staff. In place of mutants, we got Inhumans, but their movie was cancelled and replaced with a TV show, which became the rare Marvel Studios production that neither fans nor critics were kind to. Inhumans continue to show up on Agents of SHIELD, but they can only be specifically mutated by Terrigen Mist.
Janet van Dyne, however, has mutated independently with a Rogue-like ability to absorb energy and gift it back to somebody in need. Unlike every other super-powered human in her Marvel universe, her new powers have nothing to do with experimental treatments or alien tech or super-suits; she simply got small, and evolved. And considering Hank Pym got consistently weaker from shrinking, to the point that he supposedly, in the first film, couldn’t keep doing it (a rule he constantly breaks in the sequel), clearly not everyone gains power that way. And if you think it’s just because he never went sub-atomic, well, as far as we know, Scott Lang (who did) hasn’t evolved either.
Evolution and Children of the Atom are terms frequently used in conjunction with the X-Men, albeit generically enough that there’s no ground for a lawsuit. And just as tapping into the quantum realm managed to induce dreams and a mind-meld in Scott, so too, if the rights converged, they could conceivably release evolutionary changes in other unique ways. We’ve seen in Janet a healing factor and an ability to absorb energy; we could easily name some other characters who have those traits and might be itching to try them against Marvel villains once the corporate deal is done.
What do you think: is the quantum realm the key to unlocking mutation on a superhuman scale? Let your opinion evolve in comments below.
Images: Marvel Studios/20th Century Fox
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