Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2387

Hasbro Is Opening the Collector’s Vault From Marvel at SDCC

It has taken many, many years for fans of Howard the Duck to feel both vindicated and appreciated. We always told you he was a cool character, and that the George Lucas-produced movie, for all its bad rep and not-insubstantial charms, was barely scratching the surface. And in the end, Disney buying Marvel worked out probably better for Howard than any other character, as he could no longer legally be accused of infringing upon Donald Duck (which is what prematurely killed the prior Marvel Legends figure that came with Silver Surfer).

Now Howard is part of a 3.75″-scale exclusive action figure box set for Comic-Con and Fan Expo Canada. Fittingly, he comes with the folks who surrounded him in the Guardians of the Galaxy post-credits scene, albeit in their comic-book forms rather than movie style. The Collector is here, along with Cosmo, Lockjaw, Moon Boy, and three cosmic artifacts (the Zodiac Key, wand of Watoomb, and Cask of Ancient Winters). The box set, which mimics the Collector’s museum in appearance (see our larger images below), runs $69.99 and will be available in limited quantities after the show on HasbroToyShop.com.

For now, this is the only way you can get a bona fide Howard the Duck figure, and it’s his first in this scale. But if these sell out, who knows? Could a vintage Howard be next? Would Hasbro dare sell a figure named Doctor Bong? Can we see the Sinister S.O.O.F.I. make everything all smiley in the toy aisles?

I sure hope so. Tell me I’m not alone, in the comments section.

Will the Guardians be in Avengers: Infinity Wars?

images: Hasbro

Erika Lewis Unveils New Novel GAME OF SHADOWS (Exclusive)

Last month, we told you all about our own Jessica Chobot‘s new comic book series Firebrand that she’s writing with Erika Lewis with art by Claudia Aguirre coming later this fall. (You can watch a Nerdist Special Report about it below!) You might think with a comic book series on the way that a writer might not have time to pen a novel as well. Au contraire! Lewis’s new novel, Game of Shadows, is being released Friday, July 7, and we have THE first look at the awesome and evocative cover art right here.

Looks pretty cool, huh? Hot teen, horse, sword, and green, floating skeleton mist–what’s not to like?! And if Stan “The Man” Lee likes it, it’s probably pretty cool. The synopsis has us even more jazzed.

It all starts thousands of years ago in Ireland, an ancient race fought a battle and lost, leaving Celtic gods and goddesses to flee and magical races and Druids to set sail for a new land, called Tara. In modern day Los Angeles, Ethan Makkai lives with his overprotective mother and hides the fact that he has a special power–to see ghosts! One day he returns home after being attacked by birds to find it trashed and his mother missing.

This begins Ethan’s journey into the magical realm of Tara with the help of a captain from Tara who’s been watching the Makkais for a very long time and others such as Christian, the cousin he never knew he had, and Lily, a sword-wielding healer. He’ll have to go up against a ruthless sorcerer who wants nothing more than to rule Tara and the world, and accept help from ghosts whom he’s been afraid of all his life. It’ll test the LA teen’s resolve and his ability to not be terrified.

The book is out on Friday from TOR Forge and it’s described as a magical, mystical Ender’s Game–a YA/grown up novel crossover. You’ll have to let us know what you think in the comments below!

And if you’re coming to Comic-Con in San Diego this year, swing over to Camp Conival to see all sorts of panels and interviews, including a panel by Erika Lewis and Jessica Chobot. They’ll also be doing a signing as well. Get ready for it! And check back here on Nerdist.com for more info once we have it.

Remember that Firebrand special report we mentioned earlier?

Image: TOR Forge

Music Dispatch: Album Sales Sink to Lowest Figures Since 1991

This year has been the worst for many reasons, but now we have one more statistic to add to the pile: this is the worst year for music since 1991. Before you hide your head under your pillow, stick around for uplifting music news. Someone found an unreleased Sufjan Stevens album in a dumpster, Missy Elliott is getting a star-studded tribute, Father John Misty covered the Squidbillies theme, Factory Floor dropped a heart-pumping new track, and Chance the Rapper guest stars on a moving number to lift your spirits.

Remember when SoundScan (now Nielsen Music) arrived on the scene in 1991? Turns out the 2016 music world is somehow doing just as poorly as that year. Album sales went down 16.9% in the first half of this year alone. It seems strange given how many huge albums have come out, including records from Beyonce, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Radiohead, and more. I mean, really, what other huge artists are out there that can make people buy or download LPs? And we’re not talking vinyl sales; those have gone up. CDs, digital albums, and new album releases all see sinking numbers. Track sales also dropped by over 100 million units. What does it mean? You may have guessed it: Streaming is to blame for a lull in album sales, especially song sales. And ladies and gentlemen, the streaming business will keep on booming. [Billboard]

Image Creddit: Reddit.com/user/lookitzpancakes

From long song titles to sonic evolutions, Sufjan Stevens never underwhelms his fans. If anything, he overwhelms them. The folk prodigy and elctro-pop crooner is in his 17th year as a recrding artist. There’s been some sizable gaps between records. Turns out he was writing music then; he just didn’t think it was worth sharing. A redditor posted a story the other day about finding an unreleased Sufjan album in a dumpster outside his Brooklyn studio. “One day, while he was renovating the place, he threw a bunch of stuff into the building’s dumpster. I salvaged this…as far as I know, I don’t think it’s ever been released,” he writes. The pretty bland CD shows black and white artwork with a release date of 1998. His label is listed on the packaging, and they took the time to respond (surprisingly well) on that same Reddit page. “You have received a special gift. You’re hearing something only a few have ever heard,” they write. “Like any great musician Sufjan writes a ton of music. 99% of it is unreleased for whatever reason. Sometimes you just have to trust the smurfjam.” Curiosity killed the cat, and yet the asthmatic kitty seems the least curious of them all? [Consequence of Sound]

Adult Swim tends to outdo itself with the weird cartoons, yet some, like Squidbillies, are so absurd that they stick around for more seasons than most people would guess. Part of what makes the animated show so fun is their creativity. This season, Squidbillies recruited tons of stellar musicians to cover the show’s theme music. Sharon Van Etten and Kurt Vile have already had a go at it. The season premiere sees Father John Misty behind the board, offering up an alt-country take on the 30-second song. It’s fun, funny, and not too far off from something that would appear on a Father John Misty record, truth be told. Give it a listen above. [Stereogum]

Image Credit: Missy Elliott

At this year’s VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, Missy Elliott will see a live tribute take place in her honor. The event will air live from New York City’s Lincoln Center on July 11 is dedicating the evening to “the trailblazing ladies of hip-hop.” As such, Nelly Furtado, Keyshia Cole, Pharrell Williams, and Timbaland will all take part in the Missy tribute. [Rolling Stone]

UK electronic act Factory Floor is prepping to release their new album, 25 25, on August 19. They’re staples of LCD Soundsystem’s label, DFA Records, and know how to get crowds dancing as such. New single “Ya” is no exception. A deep, brooding voice repeats the titular phrase while the rhythm section has at it, pounding away like a heartbeat that’s sweating nonstop. It’s seven minutes of energy you may need to finish off whatever work is on your plate for today. Check it out above. [Stereogum]

Jamila Woods is one of Chicago’s best kept secrets in the music industry. She has a gorgeous voice with vocals that stay smooth, even when getting hitting the opposite ends of registers. Woods performed with Chance the Rapper for songs on his new mixtape as well as live TV performances. Now, the two team up on “LSD,” a song named after the windy city’s Lake Shore Drive. It’s a complicated love song not for a person, but a place. Give it a listen and catch the vibes above. [Consequence of Sound]

See you back here on Monday for another Music Dispatch!

Image: The Rumpus

Marvel Pits X-Men Against Inhumans In DEATH OF X

For weeks, Marvel has teased the upcoming Death of X with variant covers featuring its iconic X-Men meeting gruesome fates. Now, the full details of the project have been revealed and it looks like at least one prominent Mutant hero is going down for the count!

Entertainment Weekly broke the story that Death of X will be a four-issue miniseries starting in October that will take place during the eight month gap between Secret Wars and the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe. The miniseries will feature art by Aaron Kuder, and it will be co-written by Extraordinary X-Men scribe Jeff Lemire and Charles Soule, the writer of Uncanny Inhumans. The story will explore the dramatic reversal of fortune for the Mutants and the Inhumans, as well as the apparent demise of Cyclops, one of the very first X-Men.

“We’ll definitely see some characters who have been missing in action since the series launch,” said Lemire while speaking to EW. “We’ll answer the question of where certain mutants have been, and what’s happened to them. Cyclops is the big one, he’s the one we’ve said was dead and that’s all we’ve really said. His death was very controversial, so obviously that’ll be a big part of the story we’re telling here.”

Whether Cyclops is truly dead remains to be seen, but this is very likely to be a prologue to a much larger X-Men vs. Inhumans story. Presumably that will be saved for later in 2017. And we’d be willing to bet that Emma Frost will be making her return in this story as well. Each issue of Death of X will be bi-weekly, which means the fourth and final issue will be released in November.

Whose side are you on: Mutants or Inhumans? Declare your allegiance in the comment section below!

Could Wolverine join the MCU?

Image: Marvel Comics

THE WALKING DEAD Promotes Four Actors to Series Regulars

By all indications, there’s at least one member of The Walking Dead cast who will be leaving the series when it returns for a seventh season on AMC. After all, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan clearly murdered someone with his barbwire bat, “Lucille.” As for Morgan himself, he’ll be sticking around for a long time to come.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, AMC has triggered its deal to make Morgan and Xander Berkeley into series regulars on the upcoming seventh season of The Walking Dead. Both actors were signed for the sixth season as recurring performers, although Morgan’s onscreen debut was saved for the final moments of the finale. Berkeley portrays Gregory, the leader of another group of survivors who live at the Hilltop.

The series also promoted two other familiar faces from season 6: Tom Payne and Austin Amelio. Payne was cast as the fan favorite Paul “Jesus” Monroe, while Amelio made a stealth debut as Dwight before his distinctive facial scarring confirmed whom he was playing. While Jesus is an ally of Rick Grimes and the survivors from the Alexandria safe zone, Dwight is a formerly rebellious follower of Negan who has been brought back into the fold. Presumably more info about their backstories will be revealed on the series this season.

Intriguingly, THR also noted that the series may soon announce who has been cast in the role of Ezekiel, the enigmatic and unconventional leader of the men that Morgan and Carol encountered in the sixth season finale. We’re quite curious to see if Ezekiel’s tiger, Shiva, will also make the jump to the series!

Are you excited to hear that Morgan and the other new additions to the cast will be sticking around? Who would you cast as Ezekiel? Let us know in the comment section below!

But who exactly did Negan kill?

Image: AMC

New MR. ROBOT Clip Teases the Moment fsociety Took Down E Corp

Hello, friend. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten the chance to talk about Mr. Robot, even though it was one of our favorite new shows of last year. But thankfully, lying in anxious wait to find out the consequences of fsociety’s insane takedown of E Corp on 5/9 is almost behind us. With the series’ sophomore season coming to your screen again on July 13th, it’s no surprise that USA has started teasing out bits about what’s to come.

In a new clip revealed on the show’s Facebook page—after a tease about the global revolution because of course—we see the moment Tyrell “Is He Dead Tho?” Wellick and Elliot finished recording their announcement video and actually executed the most insane hack we’ve ever even tried to comprehend.

Take a watch below:

Man oh man oh man: do we ever love the way writer/director/creator Sam Esmail ratchets up tension. No one makes a computer screen as terrifying as he. Although even with this look at what we missed during the season one finale time jump, questions do remain: who was Elliot talking to? (Our money is on B.D. Wong’s character.) Where’s Mr. Robot during all of this? Did Darlene have a hand in how this all went down? And, oh yeah, IS TYRELL FREAKIN’ DEAD OR NOT? You’re killing us, guys.

Needless to say, we’re looking forward to a post-E Corp world: a world free from the tyranny of capitalism, saved by the hack to end all hacks…

…only, did it really though? I suppose that’s the question of season two itself.

Are you looking forward to the return of Mr. Robot on July 13th at 10pm? Let us know in the comments below.

And check out our conversation with Rami and Christian Slater from SDCC last year!

Images: USA

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of Nerdist, creator/co-host of Fangirling, and puts tape over every camera-having entity she owns. Find her gettin’ paranoid on Twitter.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’s New Poster Features Enchanted Rose

I don’t know how many movies can be identified and epitomized by a single image, but I do know that when it comes to Beauty and the Beast the first and only thing I think of has nothing to do with the castle, or with the talking silverware and household goods, nor is it even the hideous monster and the beautiful girl come to live with him. No, the defining image of the story, one of the most famous in all of cinematic history, is of the glass-encased red rose. So it is more than fitting that Disney‘s new poster, that we first saw at EW, for their upcoming live-action version features the iconic Enchanted Rose, the one symbolizing Beasts’ hidden and fading humanity, and his blossoming love with Belle.

In May, Disney released the first teaser for the film, which stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as Beast. That trailer didn’t give much away, as it primarily focused on the stunning but dilapidated castle. However, it did end with Belle, new to the castle, reaching out to touch that ever beautiful rose.

The movie, set for release in March of next year, is directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), and also features Luke Evans as Gaston, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Ian McKellan as Cogsworth, Josh Gad as Le Fou, and Kevin Kline as Maurice.

Obviously Disney had some problems getting anybody good to sign on for the film.

What are you most excited to see with this live-action version? We want your enchanted thoughts to blossom in our comments below.

Image: Disney

Knife Maker Named Stark Crafts Perfect Iron Man Blade

Ben Stark shares more than you’d think with the fictional genius playboy billionaire philanthropist that bears his last name. For starters, both he and Tony Stark started their impressive craft young — Ben is only 18 and already creating beautiful work. It makes sense then that Ben would eventually craft another gorgeous blade in homage to the fictional Iron Man inventor. Behold, a true Stark knife.

A photo posted by Ben Stark – Stark Creations (@starkknives) on Jun 18, 2016 at 11:42am PDT

Every time Ben posts a new knife, he says that multiple comments hit on the obvious Tony Stark connection. So here is the fruit of that geeky labor. The blade itself is made from the immediately recognizable Damascus steel, and although Ben claims that his equipment isn’t as high-end as he’d want for such a knife, it still cuts paper like a gauntlet laser through Ultron drones.

In-hand and cutting demo of the damascus Iron Man Cleaver. —- #edc #customknives #bestknivesofig #everydaycarry #knifepics #knifemaking #dailybadass #knifefanatics #knifeclub #diy #handmade #damascus #ironman #tonystark #avengers A video posted by Ben Stark – Stark Creations (@starkknives) on Jun 18, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

If you’d like to attempt your own Tony Stark knife, Ben has posted a complete tutorial here. He even made sure to use lower-quality tools in his Imgur explainer so that people with less-than-ideal equipment can try. Ben Stark’s full collection of knives can be found here.

What do you think? Is this the next best thing to a shoulder-mounted mini-rocket launcher? (No, but humor us here.) Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Ben Stark

Fangirls Rejoice! Her Universe and Loot Crate are Teaming Up at SDCC 2016

We all know and love Loot Crate, and many of us know and love Ashley Eckstein’s fangirl fashion company, Her Universe. Both companies have brought something really special and unique to the world of geekery and fandom—whether it’s a subscription box or an amazing new dress. And now, at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the two giants will team up to provide the first fangirl-centric mystery box: Loot4Fangirls.

This crate will be an exclusive, limited edition crate that will highlight some of our favorite heroines from Marvel, Borderlands, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, DC Comics, and beyond. So whether your thing is comics, video games, superheroes, or all of the above, the Loot4Fangirls box will have something awesome for you.

What can you expect in the box? Since this is Her Universe, you can definitely expect to find an amazing dress—an exclusive design for this crate—from their expansive size range (small to 3XL). You’ll also find some goodies from Espionage Cosmetics, a figure for your ever-growing collection, some fandom gear, and accessories. Basically, there’s something for everyone in the boxes, and a ton of it is exclusive to the Loot4Fangirls crate.

According to Eckstein, Her Universe and Loot Crate worked together incredibly closely to create something fun, new, and offer fangirls an amazing, beautiful, and empowering dress. The crate will be unveiled and available for purchase at San Diego Comic Con at booth  number 241, but don’t freak out if you aren’t going to make it to San Diego this year. You can buy the crate online starting on July 18.

Are you going to get yourself a Loot4Fangirls box? What do you hope to see in the crate? Tell us in the comments!

Image: Loot Crate

SCHLOCK & AWE: THE PHANTOM Could Have Started a Franchise…But Didn’t

1996 was a banner year for cinema. Or, at least it was a banner year for the cinematic enjoyment of a one Mr. Kyle Anderson (i.e. me). I’d been to movies before, of course, but the year I turned 12 became the first year when I managed to convince my parents and friends to go see pretty much every blockbuster release I could: Twister, Mission: Impossible, Dragonheart at the drive-in, Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s The Quest (look, I was 12), and of course Independence Day. But buried in that summer was a superhero movie. What?! You guys, remember The Phantom? I do. And I thought it was the shit.

Of course, it didn’t take too long for me to realize The Phantom was a pile of pants, but 12-year-old me, a comic book lover of the highest order who was stuck in a period of time when superhero movies were either stupid (Blankman…remember that?) or were Batman Forever (which I will fight anyone who says it’s stupid). This was also the period of time that spawned movies like The Shadow—movies based on other 1940s heroes, be it from comic strips or radio plays. A little too late to be counted, and a year before the death knell of the ’90s comic book movie boom (Batman & Robin) came The Phantom, a movie that could have been something special…but wasn’t.

Directed by Simon Wincer (if you responded “who?” then you are not alone), the man who’d recently gave the world Free Willy and Operation Dumbo Drop, The Phantom on paper had everything cool going for it — a known hero property, a cool 1930s or 1940s setting with cars and costumes and what not, a suave leading man in Billy Zane (even though Bruce Campbell had a chance to play the role), and high-flying action. And I admit, to my sensibilities at the time, it was the ultimate in cool. I knew enough about the character of the Phantom from reruns of Defenders of the Earth and the dark future-set Phantom 2040 to be invested, there weren’t any other superhero movies that year for me to care about.

The story starts in the 16th Century where a young boy witnesses the death of his father at the hands of the evil Kabai Sengh and his brotherhood of pirates. The boy jumps overboard and washes up on a remote south Pacific island where he is taken in by the local tribe, given a skull ring, and taught to be the purple body-suited hero the Phantom, known alternately as “The Ghost Who Walks” and “The Man Who Never Dies,” the former being maybe the dumbest title of all time. He’s called these, though, because the Phantom is a title passed on from generation to generation every time the previous one is killed, in the never-ending fight against injustice. Cut to 1938 where Kit Walker (Zane) is the 21st Phantom and on the trail of the Sengh Brotherhood as they look for the Skulls of Touganda, a trio of skulls made of precious medal and gems that have intense destructive powers when put together.

The thief in question is Quill (James Remar), a member of the Brotherhood and the man who killed Kit’s father, the 20th Phantom (Patrick McGoohan). His father, by the way, keeps visiting Kit in visions. Or maybe he’s an actual ghost who walks. I dunno, man; it’s a pretty weird movie. Anyway, Quill is working for a megalomaniac industrialist named Xander Drax (Treat Williams) who makes sure we remember his name begins and ends with an X. Kit travels to New York City to investigate and meets his ex-girlfriend from college, Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson), whose uncle owns the big newspaper which is investigating Drax also. You get it so far? Diana is still pretty mad at Kit for leaving her, even though “Hey I have to go be an island-based superhero” seems like it’d be a pretty good excuse.

The movie basically becomes a globe-trotting adventure with Drax and his cronies (including a femme fatale played by a young Catherine Zeta-Jones) one step ahead of the Phantom and Diana. Oh, also the Phantom has a white horse named Hero and a wolf named Devil, because why wouldn’t he? In the ’30s, kids just needed to see cool stuff in the comics. They eventually all meet with the still-alive Kabai Sengh (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Drax endeavors to find the final Skull…but maybe the dude with the Skull ring knows where it is.

I think, if you can’t tell from the above, one of the major problems with the movie is just how complicated the story is. I’m having a hard time remembering half of what happens and I probably watched this 30 times as a kid. The other main problem is how dag-blamed hokey everything is, which is not helped at all by the scene-chewing marvel that is Treat Williams. He is the exact kind of moustache-twirling world-dominator you’d expect, and he goes insane, literally cackling in the highest of pitches at the end of the movie. Zane does a good enough job, and fills out the Lycra suit well enough, but his chemistry with Swanson is very bland and there needs to be sparky banter between the two for it to work.

But looking back, it’s easy to see why I liked it 20 years ago; it’s got everything I thought was cool and the visuals were very impressive. It’s not as a good a period-set superhero movie movie as 1991’s The Rocketeer or even 1994’s The Shadow, which also didn’t get a sequel, but I think in the mid-90s, it was the lack of taking the property seriously that was the trouble. Not that The Phantom needed to be dark and grim—far from it—but it felt like most of the people involved just rolled their eyes and said “Oh, I’ve got to be in this movie,” or they just decided the movie was silly and so acted that same way. Despite all of that, though, I’ll always have a fondness for this colorful, boring turd.

Images: Paramount Pictures

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He writes the weekly look at weird or obscure films in Schlock & Awe. Follow him on Twitter!