Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2316

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR’s Airport Battle Gets a Video Game-Style Upgrade

It’s going to be hard for anyone to top the airport battle from Captain America: Civil War. In terms of sheer superhero spectacle, it may be the king…at least until we see what Avengers: Infinity War and Justice League have to offer. But just because Civil War‘s signature battle was an instant classic doesn’t mean that we can’t have some more fun with it!

Via GeekTyrant, YouTube user Frobman redubbed Civil War‘s most popular scene with dialogue, sound effects, and music from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The result is an absolutely hilarious mash up that still has us laughing. Somehow, we never previously noticed how similar the pre-fight lineup shots from the movie were to the shots from the game. This video drove that point home with a good use of Cap and Iron Man‘s opening taunts.

There’s a tradition in fighting games for the characters to constantly shout the names of their special moves as they perform them. In this context, it’s quite amusing to hear the live-action Spider-Man and Iron Man do the same thing as the unseen announcer grades the combos of every player. The video even captures the feel of an intentionally cheesy foreign dub when Ant-Man shouts “I’m awesome!”

Near the end of the clip, it skips to the climactic fight between Cap and Iron Man, with the Winter Soldier tagging in to help his best bud put down Tony Stark for the count.

What did you think about this Civil War/Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 mash up? Perform a combo in the comment section below!

Image: Marvel Studios

Could Iron Man have been knocked out by Cap? Let’s discuss…

The Magical Items of HARRY POTTER Get a Comprehensive, Elegant Poster

You know, even though the Firebolt was the fastest, top-of-the-line Quidditch broom out there, it didn’t quite have the style and elegance of the Nimbus 2000. It’s kind of like how even though a collapsing cauldron is both much easier to store and far more versatile than a classic standard cauldron, it doesn’t have as pleasing an aesthetic as the vintage model.

Why are we suddenly musing on the merits of modern magical advancements at the expense of design for imaginary items? Because we can’t stop staring at and studying this beautiful poster of artifacts from the wizarding world of Harry Potter (click to enlarge).

We first came across this elegantly designed poster at LaughingSquid, and it comes from one of our favorite art stores around, Pop Chart Lab. The poster has tons of items, both major and minor, from the magical world of J.K. Rowling, organized by category in a comprehensive but easy to follow print.

“Magical Objects of the Wizarding World” is an official Harry Potter piece, because it was designed in conjunction with Pottermore, and features “studiously drawn illustrations and detailed annotations” to make sure the renderings are as accurate (and gorgeous) as possible.

This is where I have to admit that regardless of how big a Harry Potter fan I am, some of these items are so minor that I can’t totally recall when they showed up in the story. As much as I would actually buy a globe of the moon for my desk, I wouldn’t bet my Muggle life on where it could be found in the books. (Best guess: Professor Trelawney’s classroom? Please don’t yell at me.)

They are currently taking preorders on the 18×24 inch poster, and it is expected to start shipping on September 27th. You can get a non-framed, non-mounted one for $29 dollars (pre-shipping).

Just don’t expect them to send it to you via the Knight Bus, or through a Vanishing Cabinet, or (hold on, let me check the poster…), or Arthur Weasley’s Ford Anglia.

What item on this poster would you want to own the most? Accio your thoughts into our comments section below.

Images: Warner Bros., Pop Chart Lab

Christopher Lee’s DRACULA Makes for a Terrifying Toy

The late great Sir Christopher Lee had his hand in many a pop-culture pot. He was a Sith Lord. He was an evil wizard. He was even a Bond villain. However, horror is where he made his name for himself as the lord of the vampires, Dracula.

Thanks to Star Ace, fans can now celebrate Lee’s rendition of the Count with this 1/6 scale figure based on the 1970 film, Scars of Dracula, the sixth in the Hammer Films Dracula saga. It is part of Star Ace’s My Favorite Legends series.

This highly detailed figure stands 30cm tall and has 30 points of articulation. It also comes with two head sculpts. One is scary and one is horrifying, so good luck choosing which one to display when your family visits. My favorite part of them is the bloodshot eyes. With each head sculpt hand-painted, it only exemplifies the amount of hard work put into this figure.

Also included with the figure are four sets of interchangeable hands, a knife, a sword, and a bat. Remember back in the day when Dracula was supposed to be the embodiment of evil? This figure can help bring back those memories.

You can check out more pictures of this awesome figure in the gallery below.

So what do you think? Is this figure worthy of a horror fan’s collection? Is it just me, or does the 1970 Christopher Lee look like the perfect person to play Ra’s al Ghul? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

Images: Star Ace

Watch a T-Rex Battle, MAD MAX Thunderdome Style, From Burning Man

Everything I thought I knew about the Burning Man festival I learned from that Reno 911 episode. People get together to wear ridiculous costumes for a giant party in the desert where they use substances of questionable legality. But oh, was I wrong, oh, so wrong. Not about any of that stuff–I am pretty sure that pretty much sums up the whole thing–but rather about the part where they also have dinosaur fights in a Mad Max style Thunderdome!

We first came across this video at Gizmodo, and it shows two attendees of the festival dressed in those ridiculous T-Rex costumes (the ones that make doing even normal tasks 1000 times funnier) fighting by swinging clubs at one another while they themselves swing from overhead harnesses.

The video was posted by the YouTube channel Rare Norm TV, and if there is a greater 39-second video out there I’d like to see it. I mean, dinosaur fights are just the best, and that ‘s true even if you don’t pit them in a dome and swing them from the ceiling.

Remember how in Jurassic World, any time the characters were talking you wished they’d be eaten alive by an Indominus Rex, but when two dinosaurs started going at it it was the best thing ever? Exactly.

In fact, after watching this we are going to be very, very disappointed if the next movie in the franchise doesn’t steal this style of dinosaur fighting. Heck, just pit Chris Pratt versus a a swinging velociraptor for 90 minutes and call it Jurassic Thunderdome.

What dinosaur would be the favorite to win a fight like this? Swing into our comments below to tell us which prehistoric participant you’d back.

Image: Rare Norm TV

“Everything Is Awesome” in This Metal Cover of THE LEGO MOVIE Song

If you scream “everything is awesome!” at someone, is it? Is everything really awesome? Is it actually possible for you to express optimism and hope by screeching those sentiments at people? Or are you merely trying to convince them of something you desperately want to be true?

The surprising answer is yes, you totally can, because this metal cover of The Lonely Island and Tegan and Sara‘s song from The LEGO Movie is, in fact, totally awesome, even if it does make being a member of a team sound slightly more mandatory than rewarding.

We first came across this unlikely cover of the Oscar-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome” at Geek Tyrant, and it comes from Norwegian artist Leo Moracchioli’s YouTube channel Frog Leap Studios. However, Moracchioli doesn’t just sing lead vocals here; he also plays every instrument. If that weren’t awesome enough, he is also responsible for recording, mixing, mastering, shooting, and editing both the music and the video.

Which means he does–fittingly in this case–everything.

“Everything Is Awesome” might seem like a bizarre choice for a metal cover, but this sounds great and is a lot of fun, and besides, turning unlikely songs into metal hits is kind of his thing.

You didn’t even know you wanted a metal cover of WHAM’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” but isn’t life better now that you have it? Of course it is.

Now everything is awesome-er.

What other decidedly non-metal songs would you like to hear him transform next? It would be awesome if we heard everything you were thinking, in our comments below.

Image: Frog Leap Studios

Here’s Your First Official Look at J.K. Simmons as Jim Gordon in JUSTICE LEAGUE

Oh, Zack Snyder, you glorious tease.

Earlier today, the Justice League director Tweeted out an image of himself in front of the Bat-signal, with the “Batman day” hashtag. It was a cool picture, but nothing really that we hadn’t seen before. It was, however, just a precursor to showing a more appropriate character ready to shine a light on the sky. You might say that in his first Tweet, Snyder was j/k. In this one, Simmons is J.K.

His massive Zeus-like muscles seen in recent gym photos look to be well-hidden under a much more traditional Commissioner Gordon look, which, as always, shows that whatever one thinks of Zack Snyder’s movies, he tends to get the visuals fairly dead-on. Although in real life, the small details on that Bat-Signal would probably be lost a bit in projection, this looks absolutely like summoning Batman should. And from what we’ve heard in set reports, it’s not just Batman who’ll be coming to the rooftop…

While most of us have fond memories of Gary Oldman, given that a recast was inevitable it looks like they’ve done right by the Commish with J.K. Simmons, who’ll presumably be nicer to ol’ growly voice than he was to ol’ web-head the last time he encountered a superhero.

Is this the guy you want to see summoning the league? Will he, as one long-ago Ain’t It Cool story legendarily put it, have a beer and “cheet” on his wife? Let us know in comments what you think of this reveal that “Gordon’s alive!”

Image: Warner Bros./Zack Snyder

Pentatonix and Dolly Parton Teamed up For a Beautiful Rendition of “Jolene”

As huge, nerdy fans of a cappella we don’t like to throw around such lofty praise lightly, but we can honestly say that this version of Dolly Parton‘s classic “Jolene” is certifiably aca-awesome, because for this gorgeous rendition of the song the beloved country singer was joined by the band Pentatonix.

National treasure Dolly Parton (whom we guess has a very old-looking portrait of herself hidden away in an attic somewhere) sang lead for this Pentatonix arranged a cappella take on her 1973 song, about a sad and desperate wife pleading with her husband’s mistress to not take him away from her.

“Jolene” was the title track off of Parton’s 13th studio album (the song was released as a single a few months before the album came out), and now it is the newest single from Pentatonix, who are currently on a world tour. They head back to the U.S. on October 17th in San Jose, California before wrapping up in Houston on November 22nd.

Parton is also on her own tour, her first major North American tour in over 25 years, with stops in over 60 cities across the U.S. and Canada. You can find her remaining dates here.

You can also hear what the original version sounded with this live 1975 performance from Parton.

Penatonix is not the first musical act to find inspiration from the song, as it has been covered by numerous artists, including The White Stripes, Olivia Newton-John, and Miley Cyrus.

Uh, we are going to need to hear all of those. Right now.

When a song can be that beautiful (and heart-breaking) across so many styles and decades, you know it’s special. And now it is aca-special.

What do you think of Pentatonix’s take on “Jolene?” Which version is your favorite? It would be aca-awesome if you told us your thoughts in the comments below.

Image: Pentatonix

Maleficent, Daenerys, and More Powerful Costumes by Sheik

The most exciting cosplay photos showcase the hard work and details cosplayers put into their costumes and the skill of the photographer and photo editor. The photos Sheik, a.k.a. Sheik Chan Cosplay, sent me from her portfolio brought all those elements together in every shot. Sheik is a skilled cosplayer and maker and also knows how to pose to emphasize the awesomeness of her work; she looks like a queen and/or khaleesi in every picture. Case in point, her Maleficent cosplay:

Maleficent, photo by Mike Rollerson Photography

Sheik has been cosplaying since 2007 and makes all her own outfits and accessories. She learned sewing basics from her mother and continues to build her skill sets with each new project. I mean, look at all the textures happening on this Game of Thrones costume:

Daenerys Targaryen, photo by Stephanie Ann

Don’t forget to pay a visit to the gallery just below to see more of Sheik’s work, including her Jubilee and Skyrim ensembles. I’m convinced she makes every costume look epic. You can see further proof for that theory by following her work on Facebook and Instagram.

Do you cosplay or take photos of cosplayers? Then I want to see your portfolio so we can talk about highlighting you in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re interested, I need you to email me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com with photos you’d like me to feature and be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image.

Images: Courtesy of Sheik Cosplay

Marvel’s Giant Kaiju Return In MONSTERS UNLEASHED Event

Welcome one and all to your weekend edition of Comics Relief! To start things off today, we finally have details on Marvel’s first big event of 2017. Read on for all the details.

Marvel Releases Monsters Unleashed Details

A few weeks back, Marvel revealed that their upcoming MU event was not short for Marvel Universe as everyone thought, but was in fact short for Monsters Unleashed. Now, the publisher is releasing details of just what this series is all about, and it’s something that takes Marvel back to its earliest Jack Kirby era roots.

The crossover event will feature a massive, simultaneous attack on the Marvel Universe by all of the giant monsters from the company’s earliest days. Yes, you read correctl: all of them. According to Marvel EIC Axel Alonso, “If there ever were a monster who stood 10 stories high or taller and created mayhem in the Marvel Universe over last several decades, they’re gonna be in the story.”

The writer for this event is Cullen Bunn, and it will feature a variety of Marvel’s best artists, like Steve McNiven, Leinil Yu, Adam Kubert, Salvador Larroca, and Greg Land. The five-part bi-weekly series begins in January 2017. For more info, click on the following link [Entertainment Weekly]

Comics Sales Hit Nearly 20 Year High In August

People have been predicting the death of the monthly comic book for something like fifteen years now, but based on this past August, it would be hard to keep beating that particular drum. This week, Diamond Distributors reported that they had shipped over 10 million “non-promotional” comic books to comic book shops in August 2016, the first time this mark has been achieved “in nearly twenty years.”

The reason for the bump? DC Rebirth mostly, which is kicking all kinds of ass and bringing in tons of lapsed readers. Also as part of this initiative, a new Harley Quinn #1 came out, which also went through the roof. According to independent sales tracking by Comichron, the last time it can verify more comic book units sold to the Direct Market was December 1996. [Newsarama]

Two Major DC Characters Died This Week. Well…Maybe Just One (Spoilers)

Speaking of DC Rebirth, two major deaths happened this week in the pages of some of DC’s most high profile books. OK, one was a death and the other…well, we’ll get to that. First off, in Suicide Squad #2, the book lived up to its premise when Captain Boomerang bit the big one on a mission, showing that regardless of whether the character was in the movie or not, they might not make it back from the mission. Maybe even Harley Quinn! (Ok, not her, she’ll always live. Because rea$on$).

The other “death” was the incredibly well written demise of Tim Drake, aka Red Robin, who valiantly died saving his teammates by taking on the brunt of a drone strike by himself in Detective Comics #940. The issue was incredibly well written and illustrated by James Tynion and Eddy Barrows. But wait! Turns out, at the end, Tim was transported to the lair of the mysterious “Mr. Oz.” a hooded figure who fans all believe to be Ozymandias from Watchmen. Apparenty, Tim needed to be taken “off the board.” We’ll have to wait and see just what that means.

Scott Snyder Teases Possible Spin-off for Batman’s Latest Partner, Duke Thomas

Speaking of Batman’s long list of partners and sidekicks, the latest to join the family is Duke Thomas, who until recently was the star of the book We Are Robin. Except, he’s not Robin anymore, not exactly. He’s currently partnered with the Dark Knight in the pages of All Star Batman and going by the codename “Lark”, in a yellow version of Bruce’s costume. (He might want to rethink that codename though).

Now writer Scott Snyder is teasing that Duke might be the next Bat sidekick to get his own comic, saying in an interview that he is “trying to do a series with Duke, alongside other creators. I think we have something really special here with Duke, and I have a long runway with this character in terms of setting him up here and trying to do a series with him myself, with other creators, as well, once he is up and running.” [CBR]

Dustin Weaver Pays Homage To The 7 Original Image Comics Founders

Back in 1992, seven of the most popular comic book artists at Marvel broke off from the publisher at the peak of their fame and founded Image Comics, a company that changed the face of the industry and thrives today (although publishing very different material). Now artist Dustin Weaver is honoring the seven founders of Image Comics and their original creations for the publisher.

Weaver has drawn pin-ups of Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood, Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S. (co-created with Brandon Choi), Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon, Jim Valentino’s ShadowHawk, Marc Silvestri’s Cyberforce, and Whilce Portacio’s WetWorks.

The artist and writer has a special link to Image Comics. In 1993 while suffering from Hodgkin Disease, Weaver was invited to visit Homage Studios, which back then was the home to Lee, Silvestri, and Portacio. Weaver later interned at Lee’s Wildstorm imprint, and even worked on some of Lee’s books, thus starting his career. You can see all of the images by clicking on Weaver’s Tumblr here. [Newsarama]

Marvel “Items of Power” Stickers Coming for iOS 10

Attention Marvel fans: the company has announced the Marvel Stickers Collection, available on the App Store for iMessage for iPhone and iPad users with the release of iOS 10. Pretty much every major franchise and character is covered here, from Spidey to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Well, almost everybody…the X-Men characters and the Fantastic Four are, of course, missing. When it comes to those characters, whose movie rights are tied up by Fox, Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter has taken a cue from Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of Mommie Dearest — “If he doesn’t like, he’ll just make you disappear.” Marvel Stickers are now available on the App Store for iMessage for $1.99 per collection. [Bleeding Cool]

Heroes for Hire and Gwenpool Getting Holiday Specials in December

In the last Comics Relief, we revealed how DC was planning a new Holiday Special this December. Well, Marvel has Christmas plans as well, and have released details on their two Holiday themed comics for the month of December. In Power Man & Iron Fist: Sweet Christmas Annual, the two heroes face off against demonic toys, and in the Gwenpool Holiday Special: Merry Mix It Up, Gwen teams up with likes of Spidery and Deadpool. You can see the covers for both issues, by Jamal Campbell and Salva Espin, respectively, in our gallery below. [CBR]

Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / Dustin Weaver

SHIPWRECK #1 is the Start of a Wonderfully Weird Trip (Review)

The first issue of AfterShock Comics‘ Shipwreck is already must read comic, because it’s written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Phil Hester. That alone is enough to warrant a purchase. I was prepared to commit to the first arc of this book just because of the creative team, without even knowing what it was about. After reading the first issue, I’m still not hundred percent sure what it is about, but it’s engaging, beautiful , and strange. That’s for damn sure. Whatever road Shipwreck #1 is taking us down, it’s a journey worth taking.

If you are an avid reader of the works of Warren Ellis, the setup of Shipwreck will not be completely foreign to you. This is not to say it’s a retread of one of his previous works, because it isn’t. It does have elements that make it uniquely Ellis and it just feels like one of his stories. It’s a stranger in a strange land, a man lost in world of violence, gore, and insanity. It features lots of characters spouting out bizarre monologues about things our man character can barely grasp. It’s weird, in other words, but as a huge Ellis fan, it’s the kind of weird I can’t get enough of.

I could use space here to relay the basics of the story to you, but I believe that’d be doing you, the reader, a disservice. A big part of Shipwreck #1 is  the sense of confusion and hopelessness of our main character. He’s lost, and we experience things as he experiences them. You’re better off going in blind, just cracking open that first  issue and discovering the strange horrors that are contained within. I will say this, it has a lot of spiders in it. An uncomfortable level of spiders. It feels icky, at times, seeing those little monsters crawling out of the panels.

When Phil Hester draws a comic book, it’s a book you should be paying attention to. His hard lines and jagged visions create a unique and exciting experience, no matter what he is drawing. Shipwreck #1 is bloody (literally) brilliant. Hester’s storytelling is superb, his sense of pacing and layouts unparalleled. Truly, this comic is one of the best looking things to hit the stands this year. From the opening sequence, to a twisted kitchen experience, Phil Hester is at the top of his game here. Amazing stuff, from the first panel to the last.

The visual flair of Shipwreck #1 is also thanks to the inking of Eric Gapstur and the colors of Mark Englert. Gapstur has been inking Hester for a long time, and the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Gapstur’s sure hand brings to life the heavy shadows and creeping darkness. The colors are beautiful. Englert’s textured palette is soft and, at times, muted. Shipwreck is never overly bright or flashy, there’s always a strange, washed out feeling, and you can thank Englert’s colors for that.

When it comes down to it, nobody should have to tell you to buy Shipwreck #1. Look at the creative team, that’s should be enough. If you are concerned it might not be any good, allow me to put those fears to rest. It’s beyond good. It’s a fantastic first issue and probably the best thing AfterShock has put out to date. You want this comic, trust me. You want to experience Shipwreck.

5 out of 5 Weird Burritos

 

 

Image: AfterShock Comics

Benjamin Bailey writes for the Nerdist and can be found on Twitter talking about Godzilla, comic books, and hardcore music.