Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2386

Comic Book Club: Abraham Riesman Hails Hydra

Cap’n, Hydra, Kobik… can’t stop dissecting it, can we? Nope, and this week the Club has help for doing just that:

Abraham Riesman (Vulture.com, New York Mag) returns to the show to help break down the ongoing controversy around Captain America! Plus reviews of Starve #10, Jupiter’s Circle 2 #1, and of course, Captain America #2!

Check out the website at comicbookclublive.com to find out how to watch the show live! And follow the show on Twitter: @comicbooklive, @azalben, @jtsizzle, and @realpetelepage

The Original THOR is Returning, Plus More Comics Goodness!

Time for your weekend edition of Comics Relief, where today we’ve got lots of news on retro comics favorites from the ’70s and ’80s, ready to make big comebacks. Read on for all the details…

Genndy Tatakovsky’s Luke Cage Series Finally Scheduled

Way back in 2007, it was announced that Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky was going to produce a Luke Cage limited series for Marvel Comics, set in the yellow blouse/silver tiara era of his heroic career. But for whatever reason, the series never saw the light of day. Now it’s finally coming, as this fall Tartakovsky’s Cage! will finally hit stands.

The first issue of the four issue limited series will have lots of crazy action, which most fans know is Tartakovsky’s calling card, and even cooler, the series will be set in the ’70s, so expect lots of big afros and bell bottoms and other tropes of the era. You can see the cover for the first issue above. Issue #1 hits comic shops in October. [Birth.Movies.Death]

Prince Adam and Lion-O Finally Meet in New He-Man/Thudercats Mini-Series

If you were a child in the ’80s, then this is THE crossover event you’ve been waiting over thirty years for. DC Comics have announced a He-Man/Thundercats mini-series launching this coming October. This six-issue limited series will be written by Mattel Head Writer and Masters of the Universe Lead Creative Rob David and Supervising Producer Lloyd Goldfine, with art by Freddie E. Williams II who recently wrapped the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover.

The heroes of Eternia and Third Earth will unite thanks to a dastardly plot by Thundercats main bad guy Mumm-Ra, who searches the dimensions looking for a weapon that can defeat Lion-O’s Sword of Omens. Of course, he lands on He-Man’s own power sword, and then wackiness ensues.

Unlike the other two titans of ’80s cartoons/toys, Transformers and GI Joe, Masters of the Universe and Thundercats never crossed over due to being owned by separate toy companies. So this one has truly been three decades in the making. Sadly, I can’t go back in time to the mid ’80s and tell ten year old me this is happening, because it would probably make his week. Issue #1 of He-Man/Thundercats hits in October. You can read our full story on the new series at the following link [Nerdist]

Bryan Hitch talks Justice League Rebirth

This past week Justice League Rebirth hit the stands, with a slightly different version of the iconic team line-up: We’ve got two Green Lanterns instead of one, and a Superman from a now-lost universe replacing the dead, New-52-era Man of Steel. Now writer Bryan Hitch talks to DC All Access about what fans can expect from the new League going forward. You can watch the video in its entirety above.

BOOM! Studios and WWE Partner Up

There’s always been a cross section of comics fans and pro wrestling, and now those worlds are about to collide again. BOOM! Studios have just announced that they are partnering with WWE for a line of comic books and graphic novels. Right now, the only details we have on this partnership are a John Cena illustration by Jamal Campbell.

WWE’s Executive Vice President Casey Collins said in a statement “Boom! is one of the fastest-growing comic book publishers in the industry and their vision for the WWE brand showed us exactly why. We were blown away by the level of detail and creativity and are confident the WWE Universe and comic book fans will agree.” You can see the John Cena illustration by Jamal Campbell above. [Newsarama]

The Odinson Returns in The Unworthy Thor

Last year, Marvel made headlines by making the new Thor a woman — the original Thor’s former love Jane Foster, who was now dying of cancer. But what about the original Thor? He wasn’t dead after all, just deemed “unworthy” of the hammer since the 2014 event Original Sin. But now the Odinson is back, in a new Marvel NOW! series called The Unworthy Thor.

According to the official description, the new book “will follow the god’s escape and captivity – revealed to be at the hands of none other than cosmic archivist the Collector – and his journey to becoming a hero once more.” Long-time Thor writer Jason Aaron will write The Unworthy Thor, joined by returning artist Olivier Coipel, making this an all-star Thor creative team.

It also seems that Thor will carry the hammer of the now-dead Thor from the Ultimate universe. But how can he be unworthy of one hammer and yet worthy of another? Said writer Jason Aaron in an interview “Yeah, certainly the hammer is like the hammer we’ve already got, right? It came over from a completely different Thor, so yeah, that’s a very good question.” The Unworthy Thor is scheduled to debut this fall. [io9]

AfterShock Announces New Warren Ellis Series

New comic book publisher AfterShock has just announced new series Shipwreck from the all-star creative team of writer Warren Ellis, known for his work on legendary books like Planetary and Transmetropolitan, and Ant-Man artist Phil Hester. According to the official solicitation for issue #1, Shipwreck follows Dr Jonathan Shipwright, “the sole survivor of a very unusual and very secret shipwreck, who doesn’t know where he is. Seemingly trapped on an endless road, in pursuit of a saboteur who holds the key to his salvation — or doom.” You can see a preview for the cover to issue #1 above. The first issue goes on sale October 5th.

KFC’s Col. Sanders Comes to the DC Multiverse. For Real.

The DC Multiverse is filled with alternate and wacky versions of Superman, Batman and just about everyone else. As it turns out, it’s also filled with alternate versions of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harlan Sanders. Yes, in Tony Bedard and Tom Derenick’s KFC: The Colonel Corps, Earth-1’s Colonel Sanders, or at least the fast food icon as seen on ads and commercials over the years, “travels around the multiverse to recollect the missing pieces of his secret recipe”.  The issue also features Earth-1’s Colonel Sanders against Colonel Sunder, his evil doppelganger from Earth-3, home of the Crime Syndicate. KFC: The Colonel Corps is now available for free on comiXology. [CBR]

Images: DC Comics / Marvel Comics / BOOM! Studios / AfterShock Comics

HE-MAN and the THUNDERCATS Join Forces in New Comic Book Crossover

Two of the greatest toy lines and animated series from the ’80s are about to collide! DC has announced that a six issue He-Man and ThunderCats crossover is officially set to debut later this year.

He-Man/ThunderCats will be a six-issue miniseries that features a story by Rob David and Lloyd Goldfine, with art by Freddie E. Williams II—fresh off his stint on the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover. David is Mattel’s head writer and the lead creative person for the Masters of the Universe franchise, while Goldfine is a supervising producer for the company.

So far, the story details are scarce, but we do know that the ThunderCats’ mortal enemy, Mumm-Ra will come to He-Man’s homeworld of Eternia to claim his power sword, which may be the only weapon that can match or even exceed Lion-O’s Sword of Omens. DC has released the first preview art for the miniseries, which features the heroes of both worlds united against the villains.

It’s kind of refreshing that the first image isn’t He-Man and Lion-O at each others’ throats. But a battle between the two heroes is probably inevitable. The heroes always have to fight in a crossover. That’s just how it works in comics.

David’s recent maxi-series, He-Man and the Eternity War established a He-Man multiverse, which could explain why the Masters of the Universe are back in their classic costumes. Since the classic ThunderCats adventures took place on Third Earth, the multiverse may also play a role in bringing these characters together.

He-Man/ThunderCats #1 will be released in October.

Are you excited about the new crossover? Give us sight beyond sight in the comment section below!

Image: DC Comics

The SUICIDE SQUAD International Trailer Has Choice New Joker Footage

As we gear up for San Diego Comic-Con 2016, I’ve been reminiscing about last year’s shebang and how we got a trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice plus that sizzle reel of the very early stages of Suicide Squad. SDCC is only a couple weeks away and we’re still about a month from getting the Skwad on movie screens. Amazing, really. Anyway, a new international trailer came out on Friday and it gave us another tantalizing glimpse at what will hopefully be a fun and raucous action flick starring some of DC Comics’ most colorful baddies.

In most of the marketing for the film thus far, Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn and Jared Leto‘s Joker have taken center stage, the former because she’s the ostensible lead and the latter because, well, he’s the Joker. But this trailer is maybe the first time we’ve been shown the Joker as an adversary for our team of villains and not the focal point. He IS just going to be a part of the story, gearing up to his eventual appearance in the Batman movie.

Harley is certainly the main draw of this movie, being the first time the fan-favorite character originating on Batman: The Animated Series, and this trailer gives her a few funny moments about being vexing in general, but it also plays up the fact that–you guys–Will Smith is in it! You know, one of the most famous and popular actors of all time? Surely the international audience wants to know a huge star is in the movie, even if he is playing Deadshot, a character largely unknown to the non-comic readers out there. Funny how ads change in different regions.

I’m pretty stoked for what could be–and I’m going to use the word hopefully again–a Dirty Dozen-esque comic book movie that answers the question “What if Superman kidnapped the president?” Wait, it probably won’t answer that question at all. Weird way to start a trailer.

Anyway, are you excited for Suicide Squad? For reals are you?

Here’s what we can expect from the DCEU from now on.

Image: Warner Bros

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and a DC fan who hated BvS a ton. Follow him on Twitter!

You Can Now Ride in a Full-Size Catbus

Back in May, we told you about the plan to put an adult-sized Catbus from the Hayao Miyazaki classic My Neighbor Totoro in the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan to complement the one for kids the museum had for a time. Naturally, we were very excited about it, because on top of just wanting to visit the magical-looking Ghibli Museum, we’ve always wanted to live inside a Miyazaki movie (even if only for a few minutes). That day has finally come, as the Ghibli exhibit at Tokyo City View in Roppongi has unveiled the Catbus for grown-ups.

The Twitter user with the best handle of all time—Icecream 37—tweeted images that were then picked up by Kotaku and shared Friday morning. In their photos and tweets, you can see the unbridled joy of an adult person entering the magical realm of childhood wonderment.

猫バス。ふわふわ。 pic.twitter.com/KIlYcRX0JP

— タカハシレイカ (@icecream_37) July 7, 2016

The inside of the bus looks to just be furry and plush without much in the way of decor, but once you’re inside a vehicle that is also a living, eight-legged cat, you really don’t have much room to complain about anything. Your life is going pret-ty okay.

Other Twitter users got into the act and we got to see other aspects of the amazing furry cartoon item made real.

猫バスにも乗れます！！！
六本木ヒルズ展望台 東京シティビュー「ジブリの大博覧会」は7月7日〜9月11日開催。 #ヒルズでジブリ #ジブリの大博覧会
※内覧会時に撮影しました pic.twitter.com/o1vJeoPlB9

— ミュージアムカフェ【公式】 (@museumcafe) July 6, 2016

六本木ヒルズで今日から開催の、ジブリの大博覧会に行ってきました。
大人も入れる猫バスは、外側ガッチリ、なかふわっふわ✨ pic.twitter.com/kJ9hHaDpJT

— 鳴瀬 真奈美@8/11CCさくらオフ会 (@narusemanami) July 7, 2016

The little mouse spirits are climbing around its back! And maybe the coolest thing of all is its headlight-eyes actually light up!

猫バスが六本木で待ってます♡
ジブリの大博覧会、この夏、満喫できますよー✨ぜひぜひ！#ヒルズでジブリ pic.twitter.com/HENtH5gqaM

— 本名陽子☺︎ジブリの大博覧会！ (@honnayoko) July 6, 2016

Another site, FashionSnap, shared the following image of the Catbus on its own.

If you were planning on a trip to the Studio Ghibli Museum in the next few weeks and worry the Catbus won’t be there yet, fear not; another full-size Catbus will be unveiled at the museum on July 16. If you’ve got tickets for the 15, see if you can go later because you’re not going to want to miss out on this. Once again, we envy Japan.

Let us know what you think of the big ol’ purring metro in the comments below!

What if Totoro is the spirit of death?

Images: Icecream_37/museumcafe/narusamenami//FashionSnap

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He wrote retrospectives on Studio Ghibli’s founders in Miyazaki Masterclass and Takahata Textbook. Follow him on Twitter!

Cosplay Friday #173 – Judy Hopps, Star-Lord, and More by York In a Box

The number of cosplayers at conventions always seems to be increasing and so does the number of cosplay photographers. Many people are all about bringing their camera and capturing the hard work of everyone who crafts and wears costumes. Jon York, known as York In A Box, started taking costume photos to showcase his friends’ costumes; he wanted to get them high quality images. As he snapped more pics and attended more conventions, photography became a fun hobby for him. He goes to what seems like a million conventions now and I enjoy seeing his albums of cosplayer portraits go up after the latest convention ends. His images are always bold and interesting. For example:

Judy Hopps (Zootopia), cosplayed by Miley Tiny Thunder

Star-Lord (Guardians of the Galaxy), cosplayed by Jonathan

There are a ton of additional costumes in the gallery below! I’ve pulled a random sample of fine York In A Box photography. You’ll see the Fourth Doctor, Mulan, and a couple of Game of Thrones characters. You can have York’s work pop in front of your eyes on a regular basis by following him on Instagram and liking his Facebook page (he posts all his photos there).

Tell me, cosplayers, which convention are you attending next? Give me a shout in the comments.

Are you a cosplayer or cosplay photographer? I’d like to highlight your work in an upcoming installment of Cosplay Friday. You can get your portfolio to me by leaving links in the comments, sliding pics to me on Twitter, or tagging or mentioning me on Instagram. You can even email me at alratcliffe at yahoo dot com. Whether you’re the cosplayer or the photographer, please include credits for everyone you can so I can share those too.

Images: York In A Box

Hound Tall #23: Drought

This month is a bit of a scary talk about the future of drought and water. It’s not looking good, folks. Take-away message? Buy land in Washington. Joining us to talk the thirsty future is Professor Jay Famiglietti, hydrologist, and the Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. Comics Paul Scheer and Jared Logan provide laughter. What else can you do but laugh?

DONATE to www.water.org

Follow @moshekasher on Twitter!

Get This Spot-On A Flock of Seagulls Wig for an 80s Hairdo

File this one under products that arrived 35 years too late, but are still too wonderful to avoid today: In the early 80s, new wave/synthpop group A Flock of Seagulls set the game ablaze with both their upbeat hits and lead singer Mike Score’s upright hair, with its iconic styling of wings on the side and a pronounced downward swoop in the middle.

Back in the day, many tried and failed to emulate the style: It’s hard, and there’s a lot of hair product used in this fight against gravity. But now, the struggle is over, as 80sTees.com has won the battle with their Mike Score wig (via Dangerous Minds), which looks absolutely amazing:

The artificial do is totally convincing: One reviewer wrote that he wore the wig to an A Flock of Seagulls concert, and said that people “lost their minds when they saw” it and thought it was his real hair. The accuracy does come with a caveat, though: The same reviewer said that “a lot of people will ask to take pictures with you so be warned.”

The wig is selling for just $20, and it “will fit most adults.” For the young’uns among is who don’t quite know who A Flock of Seagulls are, it’s likely you’ve come across “I Ran” before:

Sadly, Score wasn’t rocking his signature hair in that video, so here’s “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” for your viewing pleasure:

It’s never too early to start planning for Halloween, and if your friends would understand the reference, $20 is a totally reasonable cost to dominate any costume party, so get a wig for yourself here.

Images: Jive Records, 80sTees.com

ComiXology Introduces Creator Trading Cards for SDCC 2016

ComiXology, the #1 name in digital comics distribution, has a special treat in store for comics fans attending this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. The company has created a set of collectible trading cards highlighting creators whose work it sells, titled “Comic Book All Stars.”

The 26-card set will feature fan-favorite comic book creators like The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Love & Rockets cartoonists Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, and Ms. Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson. Each card includes a redemption code for a free title on comixology.com that has been handpicked by the spotlighted creator.

“These collectible trading cards are a fun way to pay tribute to the amazing writers and artists whose creativity inspires and excites us all,” said comiXology Co-founder and CEO, David Steinberger. “Whether you love superheroes, indies, graphic novels, all-ages adventures, manga, or all of the above like me, there’s never been a better time to discover new comics – and fall in love with the creators.”

So which comic book creators are getting the trading card treatment? The 26 creators are a list of names that should be all well known to the average comics fans. The full line-up includes Brian Azzarello, Brian Michael Bendis, Marguerite Bennett, Amanda Conner, Katie Cook, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, Simon Hanselmann, Gilbert Hernandez, Jamie Hernandez, Jody Houser, Robert Kirkman, Hope Larson, Tula Lotay, Jeff Lemire, Shawn Martinbrough, Jamie McKelvie, Mike Mignola, Dustin Nguyen, Tsutomu Nihei, Stan Sakai, Scott Snyder, Babs Tarr, G. Willow Wilson, and Gene Luen Yang. According to comiXology, the individual photographers will be credited on the reverse of the cards.

In a statement, comiXology’s David Steinberger said “we want to make everyone on the planet a comics fan. And we like to have fun while doing it. These cards are a fun throwback, and hopefully collectors will discover their next favorite creator while collecting the whole set.”

The “Comic Book All Stars” collectible trading cards will also be available at designated times during the convention at the comiXology Booth. ComiXology will be announcing creator signings and card drops via social media and its Tumblr closer to the convention. For a sneak peak at what the new cards will look like, check out out a preview in our gallery below.

Image: comiXology

Watch the Closing Shot From Every Single Pixar Movie

Pixar movies seem to do just about everything well, from character development to plot twists to balancing dramatic tension with more comedic moments. Another key element Pixar absolutely nails is how they resolve all of these factors with the closing shots of their movies.

The video below compiles the final shot from every Pixar movie (except for the just-released Finding Dory) and what they all seem to achieve is a visual representation of a resolved conflict or a significant change of heart of a main character, all in one frame (via Neatorama).

Toy Story shows Woody and Buzz palling around after the trials that brought them closer together, A Bug’s Life demonstrates the newfound respect Flik has gained in his community and the people responsible for helping bring that about, The Incredibles shows the family coming to terms with the entirety of their complex identities… it all functions perfectly.

Even the shorter shots work well: Finding Nemo shows Nemo swimming off to school, showcasing both his independence and Marlin’s ability to accept it. A lot of the shots also show a sweeping shot that zooms out to reveal the larger picture, another way to capture a lot of the film’s plot points without having to cut and change angles, an effective way to show how everything that happened in the movie comes together in the end.

All in all, this clip proves that Pixar is masterful at both telling an exciting story while leaving a good taste in your mouth as the credits roll. Watch the video above, and let us know in the comments which of the above endings is your favorite.

Image: Pixar