We are experimenting with a new format the next couple of weeks, let me know what you think!

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

Be sure to check-out the end where I tell you why I think DC is in the position to win over a lot of life long Marvel fans, including myself.

MARVEL

👌 Amazing Spider-Man #14
It’s all Regent all the time. Setting up for Dead No More? I don’t think so. Reading it because it’s Spider-Man and that’s it.

👎 Uncanny X-Men #8
While initially I was enjoying it, Uncanny X-Men has became my least favourite of the X-Men books. The Apocalypse Wars arc has lacked focus and this book, despite it’s strong characters, offers little to the narrative.

👌 Civil War II – X-Men #1
Solid book, plants seeds of the X-Men’s involvement in Civil War II. Much like last week’s Civil War II – Spider-Man, a good read but not necessary if you’re just trying to keep up with Civil War II.

👎 International Iron Man #4
How they can slap a Civil War II logo on this book is beyond me right now. At least with Invincible Iron Man (discussed a few weeks ago) it was just a little behind Civil War II, this book I have no idea where it even fits into the narrative. I could be swayed but I have a hard time seeing how this isn’t anything but extra money in the bank for Bendis.

👎 Civil War II #2
I don’t know if I’m just frustrated with how many damn books Marvel has released under the Civil War II title and how little has went on but honestly, this has me so down on Marvel. We have to be more than a dozen books in and I could summarize in a single sentence what has happened so far. Marvel wants your money and in my opinion is doing little to deserve it.

DC

👌 Batman #1
Fun, emotionally impactful story of Batman doing the impossible. The ending left me curious as to where this series is heading.

💪 Green Arrow #1
Surprisingly, this was my favourite of DC’s #1’s this week. Solid writing, stand out art, and jaw-dropping ending.

👌 Green Lanterns #1
My least favourite of the current Rebirth titles. There are a lot of cool elements and nothing that I can point to that is glaringly wrong with the book, it just isn’t clicking for me.

👌 Superman #1
This book is all about Superman and his super-powered son. I really like the father/son dynamic at play here and can’t wait to see where it is taken.

💪 Titans – Rebirth #1
I loved this book. I wish I was more in tuned with the DC Universe because I think that knowledge and appreciation would put this title on a whole other level. I was so emotionally tied into everything that happened throughout this issue. Such great stuff! If you haven’t got into Rebirth yet, this is the book to do it.

Book Of The Week

Titans Cover

Thought Bubble

Being a die hard Marvel fanboy all my life, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think by this fall, DC Comics is going to be my #1.

Right now, it feels like Marvel is taking their fan base for granted while DC is actively trying to please them. Anyone who loved Captain America: Civil War and goes to their local comic book store because Civil War II has peaked their interest is going to feel completely lost when they think they are expected to read nearly every title Marvel puts out each week to keep caught up with the event. There is no need for this, especially when none of the side books have done anything substantial to drive the story forward. Honestly, we have to be close to a dozen Civil War II related titles released and I can still summarize the story in a single sentence. Not to mention, after the dust settles on this arc, Marvel is going ahead with their own reboot or rebirth or whatever you’d like to call it, which further dwindles the value of the Civil War II run.

Historically, switching allegiances was a difficult thing to do, since if you want to read a certain character you are stuck with the company that owns it. However, Marvel has taken the spotlight off of their historically significant characters and started to shine the light on all-new versions of them. Sure, Marvel may own the characters I love, but I hardly see them nowadays, and when I do the character rarely resembles the one I grew up loving. There is a real opportunity to distance yourself from Marvel books and not miss out on anything.

While Marvel is in a slump, DC is delivering unbelievable value to fans. They aren’t doing anything fancy either; they are just trying to please comic book fans. Rebirth has been perfect in that it makes all the titles accessible to new readers, yet still offers bonuses to the publisher’s long-time fans by embracing the history of their properties (at least I think it does, I’m not in that camp). They price all their book and one low price, making them accessible to anyone. While DC is also introducing new iterations to their main characters, the changes feel much more complimentary than what Marvel is currently doing.

I don’t know the in’s and out’s of the comic book industry, I don’t know the numbers or even how much winning in comic books matters these days, maybe it doesn’t? I do know that comics mean a lot to me, and in my heart, for the first time in 26 years, DC has a chance to be #1.

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

A ton of ongoing reads, plus a couple of new ones. Let’s get into it!

Ongoing Reads

It feels like just last week we were talking about Amazing Spider-Man, oh wait, we were! This week #12 was released and Mary Jane is back and she’s working for Tony Stark. Iron Man and Spider-Man team up to battle Ghost. It was actually a lot of fun but the Spider-Man issue to read this week was hidden away in the Free Comic Book Day issue of Captain America! Google it, I won’t spoil it for you.

Are you reading Black Widow yet? You should be. Issue #3 came out this week and it continues to be one of my favourite ongoing comics. Waid and Samnee embrace and take advantage of the art form in a way few other creative teams can. Every issue of this book brings something new to the table and it’s always executed in masterful fashion.

I shouldn’t talk about X-Men. One week I love it, the next it bores me. Uncanny X-Men #7 is another meh offering in the Apocalypse Wars story arch. Like I said last week, this is a story you’ll want to wait for in trade.

New Reads

The Punisher (2016-) 001-000

The Punisher #1 (Volume 10 in case you were wondering). This issue feels like an extension of Marvel’s Daredevil. Punisher’s appearance is similar as is the situation he finds himself in. Not much to say about this book. The story is a typical, drug-dealing bad guys, even badder leaders, and the DEA… and lots and lots of violence. It’s nice to see Steve Dillon drawing the character again 😊

Renato Jones - The One Percent 001-000-047

I tried but I couldn’t get into Renato Jones – The One Percent #1. I thought this book was going to be a fun read but its bleak outlook on the world makes it hard to enjoy. If you like to hate on rich people there might be something for you here. I feel like I missed something because this is the kind of book I’d normally like but nothing about it sucked me in. It was just too ugly of a universe. Perhaps I’ll revisit it in trade if people say good things about the next few issues.

Next Time

• Black Panther #2 – I thought this came out last week but I was wrong
• All New X-Men #9 – After not enjoying X-Men this week, I should like it again next week
• THE FIX #2! 😁

Kingdom Come 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition comes out this week. If you haven’t read it, now’s your chance!

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

Ongoing Reads

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Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli conclude their Zodiac storyline in Amazing Spider-Man #11. Way back in our first weekly reads, I expressed my discontent with the state of Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe. A few weeks ago I admitted that Bendis’ Spider-Man series was growing on me, and now, after 11 issues, I’ll admit I’m finally starting to enjoy Amazing Spider-Man again. Is this book anything special? Not really. Is this the Peter Parker I grew up with? Nope. But is this a bad book? Nope. It isn’t. Once I let go of my expectations of what I wanted this book to be, and accepted what it is trying to be, I started to enjoy it again. Regent is the next villain on Spider-Man’s list (meh) but the Doctor Octopus storyline is developing, ever so slowly.

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What to say about Dark Knight III: The Master Race… Meh. I don’t think Dark Knight III is worth your money right now (which is $5.99 on Comixology currently!). Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to look at, but I just can’t engage with the story. It’s probably not as bad as I think it is but I wouldn’t recommend this to any of my friends, especially anyone without a decent knowledge of the DC Universe. Wait until the series wraps out then find out if it’s worth reading in trade.

New Reads

… Well, like I said week one, sometimes there won’t be much new and this is one of those weeks. I didn’t have a chance to check out any new books so I’ll take this as an opportunity to remind you to check out Dept. H! Its second issue is definitely the most anticipated book on my pull list!

Next Time

The Punisher #1… Anyone want to guess what iteration of The Punisher series this is?
Black Panther #2!
Black Widow #3!
Amazing Spider-Man #12! … Already?
Uncanny X-Men #7!
Holy crap!
I wanted to check out Renato Jones: The One% #1 but that might have to wait.

… Don’t worry DC fans, Rebirth is coming!

Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

Ongoing Reads

Power Man and Iron Fist continues to gather momentum with its third issue. Not much to say, this book is hilarious, easy to read, and Greene’s art pops off the page. This should be on your pull list. Extraordinary X-Men suffers a bit of a lull with its 9th issue as we watch the young, wannabe X-Men wander around different worlds. The art is awesome but the story lacks substance. I have a feeling Apocalypse Wars is going to be a run not worth reading until it comes out in trade. Captain Marvel continues to be a treat every month, if you haven’t been keeping up I assure you it’s worth it, otherwise be sure to check it out in trade!

New Reads

Dept. H #1
Dept. H #1

Dept. H is everything I want in a comic book. I could stare at Sharlene Kindt’s watercolors all day. The water, the sky, the flashback sequences, everything she does has its own unique flare. You aren’t going to find comic book art much better than this anywhere right now. Matt Kindt does an excellent job pacing the issue, by the end of it, the world and it’s character feel established but it never felt like things were being set up. Even with the science fiction elements of living in an underwater base, the story feels grounded in reality. It’s a good sign when you have these futuristic elements in play, that it is the characters that drive the narrative forward. I love this world and I love this book. Start reading this now guys, you won’t be disappointed.

Outcast Vol 1
Outcast Vol 1

Robert Kirkman’s Outcast was tough to get into. Honestly, if I would have picked this up issue by issue I don’t think I would have made it to #3. The first couple of issues were confusing. The art was at times was difficult to understand, the characters were slow to be introduced, and if it didn’t have Kirkman’s name on it I probably wouldn’t have continued… but it does and I did. The series gathered momentum the last half of the trade and concluded with a pretty cool world built and a semi-interesting cliffhanger. Am I dying to read more? No. Will I? Maybe. Anyone recommend it?

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Frontlines Requiem #1

I tried another space book this week, Frontlines Requiem #1. This book looks and feels like a classic science fiction novel. The story is basically your typical humans in a war against an alien race that is more powerful and advanced than them. The art is a little simple for my liking but I think that may be by design if they’re going for a classic sci-fi feel. The book’s artist, Gary Erskine, struggles to give his characters a strong sense of emotion but that’s only noticeable during the more political portions of the story. If you like science fiction, this doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but it does a good of being it. Can I even say that? I don’t know. I just did. 😊

Next Time

The Amazing Spider-Man #11
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4
And who knows what else!

I almost forgot; I tried reading Tokyo Ghost #6 without reading the first five. Big mistake. I knew I was in trouble when the first page of the issue was what seemed like a letter page worth of backstory. The concept sounds cool but if you want to read it I recommend starting at issue #1.

Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

Ongoing Reads

Power Rangers is incredible. Issue two came out a couple of weeks ago, and if you aren’t reading it, you are missing out. If our site hasn’t yet made you a fan of the franchise, this book will. Last week’s All New X-Men featured Doctor Strange. Paco Diaz Luque picks up art duties from Bagley (Bagley will be back for #9) and delivers the fanciful mystical art that you’d expect from a title with Strange it. The story itself is a bit weaker than previous offerings; it definitely felt like a filler issue before the title dives into Apocalypse Wars.

New Reads

Now, let’s dive into the only #1 I had a chance to check out.

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The Unbelievable Gwenpool

I was sceptical before reading this issue, for the most part, I had my review already written in my head; read this if you want more Deadpool, otherwise, just read Deadpool. Luckily, I read it anyways because I was pleasantly surprised.

As you’d expect from a Deadpool-esque book, there are plenty of pop culture references. Christopher Hastings never breaks the fourth wall directly; he frames it that Gwen Poole has been taken from her normal world (like ours) into the Marvel Universe, so she references that she is in a comic book but never addresses the audience directly.

The book’s art is what caught my eye initially; the cartoony look provides a nice contrast to the book’s violence. Speaking of violence, the book isn’t as violent as I imagined it would be. In fact, I left this book thinking it was more light hearted and easy going than it was violent. Well, except for the book’s shocking twist ending! You’ll have to read it to find out what it is 😉.

Is this book worth $4.99? Maybe? If you’re tight on cash maybe wait for the trade or just skip it, but if you’re curious about it, you will probably enjoy it.

Oh, before we go, anyone check out Faster Than Light? I checked out the TPB released last week but after two issues it wasn’t working for me. The art is unreal, though! If you like space, this is maybe worth checking out.

Next Time

Plenty to be excited about this week:
Power Man and Iron Fist #3
Captain Marvel #4
Extraordinary X-Men #9

Maybe I’ll give Tokyo Ghost #6 and Dept H #1 a try. I’ve heard good things 🙂

Longtime Geekscape friend Chris Mancini from The Comedy Film Nerds arrives on the show to talk about his new comic book ‘Long Ago And Far Away’, currently in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign! Fernando Pinto, who created the Geekscape logo, is the book’s artist so you should probably go check it out! While Chris is here we give our thoughts on Disney’s new ‘The Jungle Book’ and Richard Linklater’s ‘Everybody Wants Some’! Plus, the follow up to ‘Jurassic World’ gets a director and some news has surfaced on Sony and Marvel’s new Spider-Man film ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’! Enjoy!

Support Chris and Fernando’s Kickstarter right now!

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Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

Whoops, I made a mistake in posting this week so Weekend Reads is coming to you a bit later and a little barer (no pictures this time) than usual. Who knows, maybe you’ll like the format better?

… Ok, let’s be real here, we’re talking about books with pictures, us comic book readers like seeing the artwork so don’t worry, things will be back to normal next post. Well, as long as I don’t mess things up again. 😉

Let’s get into the reads!

Captain Marvel #3

I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve loved the new Captain Marvel series. Unfortunately, it took a bit of a step back in the third issue. The pacing felt super wacky. The issue always seemed scattered and felt like there was too much going on, but when it came to an end there were only a couple of key developments. The first two books in the series did an excellent job of showing how cool these characters on Captain Marvel’s team is, I especially liked Kawasaki, but in this issue all those awesome character moments have taken a back seat to a plot that I felt was needlessly confusing. I’m sure the series will pick up steam next issue, but this one fell flat.

Harrow County #10

Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook’s Harrow County was one of my favorite comics from last year. Sadly, it has been losing momentum with it’s two previous issues.

Previously, each issue had three distinct parts that were are all masterfully crafted.
1. The main story
2. The mini comic
3. Bunn’s short “ghost story”

While the mini comic was absent from the ninth issue it has returned in the tenth (while Bunn’s short story remains absent). For me, this short one-page strip at the end of the book was one of the weakest. I found it confusing, and still can’t figure out what actually happened to the main character in it.
As far as the main story goes, it seems we will be shifting our focus from Emmy (the main character of the first two story arcs) to Bernice (Emmy’s best friend). This setup issue puts everything in place to offer to setup for another exciting arc but it gives little extra to make it a must read right now. The story lacks that little magic touch that previous issues had (perhaps it’s the absence of the Haints?). The cliffhanger ending leaves me wanting more but the story itself doesn’t have enough going for me to continue to say this is a “must read.” I’m hopeful the series is going to pick up steam next issue but even if you’re a hardcore Harrow County fan, maybe wait a little longer to see if this arc is worth diving into.

Power Man and Iron Fist #2

Power Man and Iron Fist is a book is non-stop fun! If you’re looking for something that is heavy on laughs and doesn’t make you think too much, this is it! This book is one of my favorite ongoing series’ on the market right now. David Walker is killing it! As the title suggests, this book is built around the relationship between Power Man and Iron Fist, and Walker is hitting a home run on that front. Power Man begrudgingly goes along with Iron Fist using a new excuse every time to explain why is he still hanging with him while it’s obvious to the reader (and probably Danny) that deep down Luke Cage wants to be fighting crime. Power Man’s reluctance to become a team again and Iron Fist’s constant pursuit of it is something that never gets old. The dialog between Danny and Luke is laugh-out-loud funny on many occasions, as is the dialogue between most other characters in the book, especially Tombstone’s henchmen! I love the art style in this book; it fits the quirky dialogue perfectly. It’s very cartoony and may take some getting us to for some, but I can’t imagine any artist doing a better job than this.

That’s all for this week, check back in a few days for more awesome comic book talk! Until then, tweet us!

 

Back in September, a 12-page preview issue of Bloodworth hit ComiXology, and it seems as though everyone has been loving it so far, with fans noting that:

– “Daniel Corey’s incredible knack for world-building is on full display in BLOODWORTH. The sights, sounds, and characters are vibrant and intricate, and the story is brimming with possibilities!”

and

– “It’s good fun, and thought-­provoking for those who enjoy some modern tech-dystopian drama.”

Now, it’s time to turn Daniel’s dream alive, with a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book’s first full issue! The story sounds pretty damned cool, creepy, and surprisingly not too far fetched:

In the near future, people can upload their memories as a form of social networking, called “Thoughtshare.” Special Agent Brenda Bloodworth leads an FBI task force that can enter the memories that people don’t want to share, in order to solve crimes.

 

When Bloodworth falsely turns up in a memory that frames her for murder, she must leap the Chain of Thoughts that will lead her to a conspiracy that threatens to control minds on a worldwide scale.

Corey has previously written Image’s Moriarty and Red City, while Bloodworth will be drawn by Red City and Orphan Black‘s Chris Fenoglio. Design and lettering comes from Eisner nominated Dave Lanphear, and The Boys and Transmetropolitan‘s Darick Robertson will draw a variant cover for this first issue.

Instead of a huge goal, Corey and company have four smaller Kickstarter campaigns planned over the course of 2016, one for each of Bloodworth‘s planned four issues. Where will most of the funds be going? Well, that’s simple:

The majority of money raised by this campaign will be used to pay the artists. The artists have to put in many long hours of work: it can take as much as 1-2 days to finish the pencils, inks, colors and letters of 1 page of a comic book. The remaining monies raised will cover the print costs of reward tiers that include print copies.

We’re huge fans of Corey’s work here at Geekscape, and as such we’d love to see each issue of Bloodworth come to light. With 29 days to go in Bloodworth #1’s campaign, the book has already raised $1,555 of its $4,800 goal.

As always, there are some fantastic rewards available to backers, including digital and printed copies, metal trading cards, variant covers, USB drives, and much much more.

So take a look at the campaign video below, head here to back the project, and be sure to share so that we can help Bloodworth happen!

Note: Check out last week’s recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Wow. I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I’ll have to revise any past statement made regarding the best episode of this series because tonight’s episode is definitely the best this show has ever seen. There is so much here to unpack, and we’ll get though all of it together. I promise. Hold me…

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

We all knew Earth-2 would be arriving this week, but what we didn’t know is that we would have an introduction to the infinite earths. I joke about it a lot, and up until now, we’ve only had two earths confirmed. After tonight, it’s safe to say DC’s Infinite Earth’s has shown up in a big way. First, let’s take a look at what Garrick described as “Everything.”

Green Arrow

There’s a chance we’ll never see this version of the Green Arrow, but I doubt that. With the way DCTV is going, I’m sure we’ll see this Green Arrow someway or somehow. However, there are some important things to recognize here. First, that doesn’t look a whole like Oliver. I’ve previously written about Oliver’s son, Connor Hawke, taking up the mantle of the Green Arrow. Here, that looks to be the case.

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The metallic looking arm also looks a tad bit interesting. For all we know, this could be Oliver Queen, just at a future date.

Earth _ Flash

Back in the 90’s, DC had another Flash tv show that had good run. I’ve also previously written about this show before and it tying into The Flash we know today. Up until now, the only thing linking the two shows was the Trickster.

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What’s key here is the fact that in the 90’s television show, The Flash was played by the same actor playing Barry’s dad now in The Flash. Could we see his dad suit up one more time from another Earth to take on Zoom? We can dream.

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Supergirl

It was recently announced that The Flash and Supergirl would have a crossover next month, leaving many to speculate just how they would connect the two shows. Well, it looks like we have our answer.

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Supergirl is indeed taking place on another Earth, but is still connected to the Infinite Earths in the DC Universe. That just makes the crossover that much more exciting.

Grodd

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Grodd is currently being groomed to become an extremely formidable foe in the future. Here, it looks like Grodd has come into his own, and has embraced his position in Gorilla City.

Jonah Hex

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Legends of Tomorrow will be heading to the wild west at some point this season. Hex’s ‘Wanted’ poster hangs in Rip Hunter’s ship as well. Before we see any of that though, it appears we’ve been treated to a glimpse at what’s to come.

The Legion of Super Heroes

This was perhaps the biggest reveal this episode. Previous to this, there has been no mention of the Legion of Super Heroes. For those unfamiliar with them, the Legion of Super Heroes is comprised of young adults aiming to fight injustice and criminal activity on a galactic scale. Each member is given a ring that allows the wearer to fly, fly though an atmosphere, and fly in outer-space.

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Currently, the only non-member that uses the ring is, of course, Booster Gold. In the comics, Rip Hunter’s father is also Booster Gold. There has been no announcement of an appearance to be made by Gold, but may be one is incoming. After all, the Legends of Tomorrow can very well visit the 30th century, which is where the Legion of Super Heroes reside.

Infinite Earths

Lastly, I wanted to point out the bubbles seen while Barry, Cisco, and Harry are traveling to Earth 2. First off, those aren’t bubbles; They’re all individual Earths.

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You should also notice that each Earth is connected, meaning that everything and everyone in this universe is also connected.

Earth 2

When the gang shows up to Earth 2, they immediately notice the differences between the two Earths. Everything from people’s clothes, the cars they drive, the architecture, and even professions belonging to Earth 1 dopplegangers are wildly different. For example, Floyd Lawton, who previously died on Arrow as Deadshot, made an appearance in Earth 2 as Detective Iris West’s partner. We found this out while the criminal David Singh, who is the police captain in Earth 1, was being processed at CCPD. Another significant change was Joe West’s profession as a Jazz musician, something that suits him a little too well.

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However, if there’s one thing I’m really excited about, it’s Mayor Snart. I know I have no place to ask more of this show, but I would be eternally grateful if we could see Mayor Leonard Snart standing toe-to-toe with Zoom.

Barry and Iris eventually go to their Earth 2 home, where Barry gets a good look at where his doppleganger resides. In an emotional twist, Iris informs Barry that his mother called. Barry heads to the phone and we also get a look at some of most dialed numbers in the Allen residence.

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While those are indeed Leaguers, it’s impossible to say for certain that each of them live up to their alter-egos. And while we’re on that subject, did anyone notice that the Not-Justice-League mural was missing from the Earth 2 Central City Police Station?

The Flash 213

The Flash 213

Through Barry’s conversation with his mother, we also learned that civilian travel to Atlantis is indeed a thing. We’ve known about Atlantis for a while now because Jay Garrick already dropped that bomb a few episodes back, referencing that he has a bestie from Atlantis.

Deathstorm and Killer Frost

Ronnie Raymond returned, only not in a good way. Deathstorm, from Earth 2, aides Killer Frost in trying to find the “breacher” in Earth 2. After a couple of bouts with Barry, we quickly learn that Deathstorm is just as powerful as his Firestorm counterpart. What’s even more troubling is that we also learned the whereabouts of Martin Stein. According to Deathstorm, he hasn’t heard Stein’s voice in quite some time. This could mean that either Ronnie has learned to suppress Stein’s control entirely, or Stein died while trapped in Ronnie’s body. Either way, Earth 2 Ronnie wasn’t a nice guy.

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Killer Frost was the only villain not to be killed by Zoom in Earth 2. While she did play a good villain, Frost is extremely afraid of Zoom. She eventually escaped after Zoom left with Barry. Since Zoom was quick to kill Deathstorm, it’s entirely possible Iris and Harry convince Frost to tell them the whereabouts of Zoom and his prisoners.

Reverb and Vibe

Cisco met his doppleganger in Earth 2, and had some surprising results. Aside from Reverb being able to harness more power, Cisco was able to see what he could become.

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During the meeting, Reverb displayed some powers I’m sure Cisco wouldn’t mind using. Unfortunately, Reverb tried to take control from Zoom and paid the price in doing so.

Earth 2 Prison

The episode ends with Barry being trapped in Zoom’s prison. Barry wakes up to the sound of tapping on glass. This is coming from the adjacent cell next to Barry. It’s clear that whoever that is, their tapping is in morse code.

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If you’re wondering what this mysterious figure is saying, I’ll save you the trouble. The tapping translates to “Zoom is – ” The messenger is of course cut of by the arrival of Zoom. However, next week, this prisoner will will have a key role in revealing more about who or what Zoom is. It’s also entirely possible that this prisoner is a speedster himself. It would make sense that any other speedsters Zoom catches would be imprisoned here for a time while Zoom drains them of the speedforce. The mask is also very peculiar. We’re just going to have to wait and see, but if I had to guess, it’s someone we know under that mask.

Earth 1

Back on Earth 1, Adam Fells, a meta-human that has the ability to cause earthquakes, demands to fight The Flash. With Barry gone, Garrick must fill the void and become The Flash on Earth 1. The only problem is, Garrick doesn’t have his speed. Garrick finally levels with Caitlin and basically confesses that he became a velocity 6 addict on his Earth. Now, this is interesting because Garrick has maintained the story that Zoom stole his speed where in fact it was velocity 6 the whole time. On top of that, the effects of velocity 6 have been slowly killing Garrick as well. This change in story is a little suspicious, considering the possibility Garrick can be Zoom.

The Flash 213

Regardless, Garrick decides to hit the velocity serum again and fights Geomancer. The speedforce effects wear off, leaving Garrick vulnerable. Joe ends up saving him and Geomancer runs off to fight another day.

 

That’s all for this week! Did I miss something? Don’t be afraid to comment below! As always, thanks for reading!

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow

We’re back with another week of The Flash! The last two weeks, this episode included, have been steadily building up to something big. Tonight, we finally learned exactly what that is. Let’s get started!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Tar Pit

For the first time this season, we got an episode that starts with the particle accelerator blowing up. This week, we saw the birth of Tar Pit. Tar Pit is just as much of a menace in this show as he is in the comics, although, the same can’t be said about their origins.

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In the comics, Tar Pit is a career criminal in Keystone City. After ending up in Iron Heights, Joey Monteleone decides to do some meditating to get a handle on his anger. This lead to the discovery of Joey’s mutant ability. Yes, mutant. Through meditation, Monteleone was able to astral project himself and cause havoc in Iron Heights. One day, his projection got stuck in a vat of tar, thus, Tar Pit was born.

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Monteleone’s normal body went into coma while Tar Pit went forth throughout the world, continuing his criminal activity. In the show, he briefly took his comic book form, before being iced by Barry. While this episode didn’t focus too heavily on Tar Pit’s past, we do know he had a criminal history. It’s also safe to say we haven’t seen the last of him.

Harry Wells

Wow. Wells went on a pretty heavy guilt trip for most of tonight. After doing Zoom’s bidding and syphoning Barry’s Speedforce, Wells continued to show more and more that he had a heart. This was evidenced throughout the episode, and especially when Wells confessed that one day he would betray Barry. Well, after successfully syphoning Barry’s speed, and being inadvertently responsible for Iris’ hospital stay, Wells confessed to what he was up to.

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At first, the team didn’t take it well. The confession lead to a solid hook to Wells’ face. However, after deliberation, the team forgave Wells and are now primed to do some awesome things next week. But before we get into that, I would like to point out that Wells’ method of obtaining the speedforce worked out perfectly. Is it possible that his methods will lead to another Velocity – 9 drug that he developed earlier this season? I would think this has to be some sort of breakthrough. In any case, I am confident we’ll see Wells in speedster form this season.

West Family

After more than a few weeks, the West family drama seems to have been resolved. Wally is in the family fold and I think we can expect to see a lot more of Wally either this season or the next.

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I’m honestly not quite sure how I feel about Wally becoming a speedster. I’m fine with Garrick and the Quick family simply because they’ll eventually return to Earth 2, but it feels a little too soon for a Kid Flash. Still, seeing Barry and Wally interacting, especially with Barry saving Wally’s life for the first time, was a welcomed sight. There’s no doubt that Wally’s curiosity in the Flash will continue to build.

Next week, some of Team Flash journeys to Earth 2 in attempt to close the breaches and take the fight to Zoom. Without getting too heavy into spoilers, it’s safe to say we’ll run into some of the team’s dopplegangers in process. Check out the promo below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q4bpOhp-oQ

As always, thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of 2014. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

While it’s not bound to be winning any Emmy’s, I’ve been eating up everything that Heroes Reborn has to offer thus far, and I was beyond excited about the prospects of the series continuing.

Sadly (well, for me anyways), it looks like this will be the end for our Heroes, new and old, as NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt told THR that a second season has not even been discussed: “That was always the plan, unless Tim woke up one day and said, ‘Oh, I have another chapter to tell.’ But I think we’re coming to the end of the world, maybe. Stay tuned.”

THR pressed, noting that series creator Tim Kring has been vocal about continuing this universe, only for Greenblatt to reiterate that “He didn’t say that to me, so I haven’t heard that. As far as I know, there’s no more incarnations of Heroescoming.”

Colour me disappointed. Heroes Reborn isn’t even close to being the best superhero-oriented show on television, but I’ll be damned if I don’t love it anyways. Have you been enjoying the series thus far? What do you hope for its conclusion? Sound out below!

https://youtu.be/4FLHB2zB_cA

If you’ve been around here for a while, then you know we are huge fans of the upcoming documentary COMIX: Beyond The Pages. We’ve been following the production since it was just a sizzle reel on a tablet.

If YOU aren’t in the know, COMIX is a documentary covering one of the biggest industries us geeks love. Comic Books! The film is told from the perspective of some of the most important and prolific people in the industry! Check out the trailer below.

The film is about to hit theaters, and if you’re attending The Comikaze Expo this weekend you can see it FIRST! Full details below.

Only at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2015! FREE movie! See it before it hits theaters! Comix: Beyond The Comic Book Pages on Friday, October 30th from 5:30pm – 7pm in Room 411!! Directed by Michael Valentine, #ComixTheMovie tells the stories of the amazing world of the comic book industry through the eyes of creators, publishers, collectors and most importantly fans like yourselves! The documentary has exciting interviews with comic book greats such as Comikaze Expo’s host Stan Lee and legends like Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Mark Waid, Mike Richardson, and Marc Silvestri!

 

Saturday, October 31 at 2:30pm in Room 513 there will be a Q&A panel about the screening and more information about the theatrical tour this winter, so we want to see YOU FANS come out and support this amazing documentary! Read more at ComikazeExpo.com!

We’re super proud of Michael Valentine and super excited to see the end product, and you should be too! So be sure to find yourself in Room 411! And hit up The Geekscape Booth 150 for more info on the film!

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

We’re now just a few days away from Heroes Reborn‘s special double-length premiere, and NBC has just debuted a new promo that shows the aftermath of a world-changing event, and a future in which Claire Bennet is long dead.

Shit’s gonna get real.

Take a look at the promo below, and let us know what you hope to see in the event series!

https://youtu.be/FjsnE-YDbc4

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

We’re fast approaching Heroes Reborn‘s September 24th premiere date, and NBC has just debuted two cool new promos for the upcoming event series. Both feature a classic Mohinder voiceover that really bring me back to high school.

Take a look at the promos below, and let us know what you think!

There’s a game I like to play when I watch movies, called “What Broke My Suspension of Disbelief?” Sometimes it’s something big, like a Jaeger bashing a Kaiju with an entire ship, and sometimes it’s small, like the fly on that dude’s forehead in Troll 2. And don’t even get me started on the cannibalism in Fried Green Tomatoes (because I’ll be discussing that in a future article). Whatever causes it, it’s always entertaining to look back on a movie, be it good or utter garbage, and contemplate that one scene where the people writing the script just asked too much of you, their devoted audience.

With the current wave of superhero movies being made in the past decade or so, few things are as ridiculous as forcing two complete strangers to fall in love as they are being shot at by lasers and buildings are falling down around them. As the title implies, this article is FULL OF SPOILERS, so don’t read it unless you’ve seen pretty much all of the MCU films as well as most of the other recent superhero movies. Or you don’t care about having romantic subplots discussed.

My wife and I finally got around to seeing Ant-Man at the theater this past weekend, and something has been bugging me (heh) ever since: that kiss. I’m obviously no Puritan when it comes to my movie tastes; I watch stuff like Wolfcop and Dr. Giggles for Horror Movie Night on a weekly basis, and I did just watch a bunch of guys in superhero costumes punch each other silly.

So why does this 20-second portion of Ant-Man stick out so much to me? As the title here states, it’s completely unnecessary to the film, and a bit unrealistic to have occurring after a week of Hope Pym beating the tar out of Scott Lang in the basement and staring daggers at him and Hank. It’s unrealistic in a movie about a guy who invents a shrinking suit and has the ability to control ants – that’s saying something. Part of me realizes that their kiss was shoehorned in for the comedic relief with grumpy Dad (and to set things in motion for Ant-Man 2), but the rest of me is having trouble letting go and enjoying the rest of the movie. If they had just given a subtle hint that they were going to hook up in the next movie, I would be here writing about how amazing, witty and just plain FUN the script is. But nope, they had to turn The Wasp into a Battle Babe.

“What’s a Battle Babe,” you say? I thought you’d never ask! Battle Babes are strong female characters who are introduced as valuable allies in the beginning of a movie, only to be relegated to love interests or damsels in distress by the third act. The most damning part of the phenomenon is that I can’t think of any film where a male character goes through the same devolution (probably because that would be emasculating, and the majority of people consuming superhero and action movies are male). Concrete examples will paint the picture best, I think.

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Hope Pym (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man; as mentioned above, teaches Scott Lang to fight and control ants, helps coordinate the main heist and then pisses it all away by inexplicably falling for Scott Lang (who killed her old boyfriend Darren Cross just hours before). It’s like watching the Karate Kid lip-locking Mr. Miyagi for no reason after winning the All-Valley Karate Tournament.

"Marvel's Thor: The Dark World"..Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) ..Ph: Jay Maidment..© 2013 MVLFFLLC. TM & © 2013 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in Thor; she starts the movie as a freaking ASTROPHYSICIST and is not once seen using that massive intellect in either the first or second film to do anything but get into situations that require her godly boyfriend. Sif (Jaimie Alexander) is an even worse case/better example, as she spends Thor and Thor II kicking ass from one end of the Bifrost to the other and is written as a Thor clinger. Luckily, she pops up in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. free of romantic BS.

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Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was hinted that she and Cap had a bit of mutual attraction in The Winter Soldier, but luckily nothing came of it (thereby saving my favorite MCU movie from certain disaster). But as soon as the Avengers start partying in AoU, sparks fly between Natasha and Bruce Banner. It’s not even subtle, and sets up an interesting dramatic point about Natasha’s experiences as a child assassin, but forcing the relationship just to get there is an low point in an otherwise light summer blockbuster. It also dismantles most of the badassness Black Widow has cultivated in her preceding films. Once a lethal assassin, now just a lady without a baby…

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Sgt. Rita Rose Vrataski (Emily Blunt) in Edge of Tomorrow. Sargeant. SARGEANT. That right there denotes that she’s pretty tough and can kill Mimics with the best of them. She realizes Cage (Tom Cruise) is looping after each death, and trains him accordingly, only for him to fall in love with her and keep trying to get her to safety each loop. Rita does go down fighting, but still qualifies for the title since she’s sexualized almost from the get-go and you know from the first minute Cage meets her, she’s going to be the love interest.

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Evey (Natalie Portman, again!) in V for Vendetta. V spends half of the movie using her to help him kill his enemies, and then confesses his love for her before dying. I can’t believe how badly the Wachowskis screwed up Alan Moore’s original storyline by adding that. She was supposed to have been imprisoned and tortured by V to shape her into his successor, instead we got Lolita with Guy Fawkes masks.

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Elektra (Jennifer Garner) in Daredevil and Elektra. While I realize that Elektra and Daredevil were an on-again-off-again couple in the comics, the films really played her up like a girl with a crush, particularly in the self-titled sequel. You’re supposedly the great martial arts “treasure” and more or less throw it all away at the end of Elektra to smooch the father of the girl you saved. Because every warrior woman is just wasting time until she can put down the katanas and start a family.

Even the pictures I found from each film portray these women as sexy and/or weak. It’s sort of creepy.

Now, those are some of the worst offenders in recent memory, but there ARE ways to do it without making me roll my eyes. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in Captain America and especially Agent Carter kicks so much ass and while she does have feelings for Cap, it never gets in the way of her busting skulls. She finds herself in peril but never waits for some dude to save the day; she’s a proactive heroine. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) in Guardians of the Galaxy is ALMOST a Battle Slut, and will likely become one in the sequel, but I think James Gunn did a great job poking fun at the trope a bit and didn’t leave her waiting to be rescued by Peter Quill.

Maybe my problem with Battle Babes and all the unnecessary romance in comic book movies is that, for me, unconsummated affection works better than forcing strangers to fall in love while evading death. That comic book movies seem to utilize Battle Babes most of the time, doesn’t make me love the genre any less, but their prevalence in a film is an easy barometer for me to tell how good the adaption is.

So, what do you think? Am I crazy? Are Battle Babes anachronistic? Leave a comment!

Post script: I just realized that Batman does kind of get the Battle Babe treatment (thanks to Talia’s betrayal) in The Dark Knight Rises. So there’s one.

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

Today, NBC debuted a brand new poster for the series, which showcases much of the series’ new cast, while leaving out any of our alumni aside from Noah Bennet.

Weird. Where’s Hiro?

You can take a look at the poster below, and be sure to let us know whether or not you’re looking forward to Heroes return to television.

Reborn

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead, and we’d never, ever see what happened when Claire Bennet revealed herself to the world.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

During the insanity that is San Diego Comic-Con, NBC released the first full trailer for Heroes: Reborn, which answers some key questions, and raises a few of its own (mainly, “Where are the heroes?”).

Yep, Reborn is set five years after the finale, and it’s also in the same world where Claire revealed herself. This means that everyone knows of these super-human individuals, and naturally, everyone hates them.

We also see that the series looks to largely focus on Jack Coleman’s Noah Bennett, who looks beyond broken after what happened to his daughter, and no longer wears his trademark horn-rimmed glasses.

All in all, the series looks bad-ass, and I couldn’t be more excited to return to this world that I had long given up on. Whether the series can bring back the lustre of Heroes debut season, or will end up more like the atrocity that was season three, I cannot wait to see these old friends again.

Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Heroes: Reborn premieres on September 24th!

https://youtu.be/4FLHB2zB_cA

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

Today, NBC debuted a new teaser for the series, and while it doesn’t feature any actual footage, it certainly sets the tone for a somber drama.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait. I’m also fully expecting to be really disappointed in the reboot, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, won’t we?

Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know what you think! Heroes Reborn debuts this Fall!

https://youtu.be/7h5fpSgDf5s

The first of multiple TanoshiiCon episodes involves me interviewing Donna Swafford who produced the film Now Hiring. We talk about Clerks 2, Comic Books, Producing Indie Films and Texas’ Film Community.

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Briefly: Late last month we saw our first cast photo from NBC’s Heroes Reborn, and today we received word that another fan favourite character from the original series will reprise his role in the upcoming reboot.

Deadline has learned that Jimmy Jean-Louis will again portray The Haitian in the series. His character appeared in all four seasons of Heroes, and work alongside Jack Coleman’s Noah Bennett. The Haitian held the ability to erase memories, and it was a power that was used often in the original show.

Little (nothing) is known about the plot of Heroes Reborn at this point, but the Tim Kring produced series is slated to launch this Fall.

Are you looking forward to Heroes Reborn? Or did the final act of the original series turn you off this world forever? Sound out below!

Jimmy

Briefly: As a huge fan of Heroes initial four season run (yes, I watched it all the way through), I was beyond excited when NBC announced Heroes Reborn in February of last year. The first series ended with an infuriating cliffhanger, and after a resolution was promised via a film, and then via comic book, and then essentially never spoken about again, I thought that surely the universe of Heroes was simply dead.

And then Heroes Reborn was announced, and people like Jack Coleman and Masi Oka were confirmed to return, and I’ve pretty much been squealing with anticipation ever since.

Today, newcomer Zachary Levi tweeted out the first cast photo from the 13-episode series (minus Masi Oka), and the return of one of my favourite shows (at least during a few of my teenage years) feels all the more real. Take a look at the photo below, and be sure to let us know if you’re looking forward to Heroes Reborn!

Yep, it’s really happening.

Jason Inman, AKA Mr. DC, the host of ‘DC All Access’ arrives on Geekscape for the first time to prove without a doubt why Jonathan didn’t get the hosting job! While he’s on our home court, he dishes about the gig, getting free DC books, meeting Jim Lee and just how awesome the final season episode of ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ are going to be! We also talk the difference between the Marvel and DC cinematic universes and discover Thanos’ big secret! And just in time for Daredevil to hit on April 10th! Will David Ayer’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ open up the future for DC films and will Star Wars ‘Rogue One’ be the beginning of a Star Wars downturn for Disney? It’s all discussed… right here!

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Briefly: Originally announced back in February of 2014, NBC has debuted the very first teaser for their upcoming 13-episode reboot of Heroes, titled Heroes Reborn.

The teaser clearly features footage shot just for the teaser, as the series has not yet entered production. In the short video, we see returning star Jack Coleman, and new coming Zachary Levi… and some powers (duh).

Take a look at the teaser below, and let us know what you think! Heroes Reborn is set to premiere sometime in 2015!

http://youtu.be/C6zVQXpUe_0

Rarely does a group of creators come together that have as much passion for their product than the team behind COMIX: Beyond The Comic Book Pages.

Way back in April, I met with the creators of COMIX at WonderCon. There they showed me a clip of their upcoming Documentary.

I was instantly impressed, everything felt very candid and the little that I saw of interviews were great. It reminded me a lot of our own Doc of The Dead.

Check out the trailer for COMIX below!

COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages is an exciting new feature film documentary about the world of comic books told through the thoughts and images of the creators, artists, writers, collectors, store owners, independent publishers, and especially the passionate fans who have made it the phenomenon that it is today.

COMIX includes exclusive one-on-one interviews with icons from the comic book industry, like Stan Lee (Spiderman, X-Men, Fantastic Four), Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), Neal Adams (Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow), Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Superman, Justice League of America), Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Productions (Hellboy, Sin City, Goon, and Concrete), Marc Silvestri of Image Comics and Top Cow Productions (Tomb Raider, Hunter Killer, Witchblade), and Todd McFarlane (Spawn). COMIX also includes interviews with fans, many dressed in full costume, as they talk about their love for the characters and cosplay, at conventions like Comic-Con, Wizard World, and more.

The list of people involved with this project is amazing, and with a group of creators like this there is no reason for you to NOT help this Documentary.

Stan Lee (Spiderman, Fantastic Four)
Frank Miller (Sin City, 300)
Neal Adams (Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow)
Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Superman)
Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Productions (Hellboy, Sin City, Goon, Concrete)
Marc Silvestri of Top Cow Productions (Tomb Raider, Hunter Killer, Witchblade), Image Comics Co-Founder
Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Image Comics Co-Founder
Matt Hawkins of Top Cow Productions (Tomb Raider, Hunter Killer, Witchblade)
John Romita Jr. (Spiderman, Punisher)
Gareb Shamus (Wizard World, Wizard, Toy Fare)
Tone Rodriguez (Snake Pliskin, Violent Messiah)
Steve Niles (30 Days of Night)
Renae Geerlings of Top Cow Productions and Mane Entertainment
Doug Jones (Silver Surfer, Hellboy)
William O’Neil (Snake Pliskin, Chasis)
Christian Gossett (Red Star)
Joel Adams (Lils)
Amanda Conner (Vampirella)
Mike Choi (Witchblade)
Andy Park (Tomb Raider, God of War II)
Lee Dawson (Dark Horse Productions)
David Glanzer (Comic-Con)
Paul Grimshaw (House of Secrets comic book store)
Bill Liebowitz (Golden Apple Comics)

How Can You Help

Head on over to the official Kickstarter Page and donate donate donate! With just under two weeks left NOW is the time for you to jump on board.

While you’re there share the page, tweet the page and tell every geek you know about COMIX!

Briefly: We’re still recovering from a totally incredible New York Comic-Con (have you seen our Constantine interview?), and were  just fleshing out our plans for Comikaze in a couple of weeks (dat guest list) when we had to take a break to check out this fantastic new Comic Book documentary.

It’s called ‘Comic Book Artists: Next Generation’, and the AT&T U-Verse documentary just premiered earlier today. If you’re an AT&T subscriber, you can check it out on channels 300 & 1300HD, but if not (or you don’t want to watch it at a scheduled time) you can watch the doc in its entirety at this link.

In a small loft in Toronto, a group of 10 gifted comic book artists are crafting the next generation of superhero tales featuring Spider-Man, New Warriors, The Flash, Batman, and other classic characters. In this AT&T U-verse Buzz documentary, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at the life of modern-day comic book artists, featuring award-winning creators Ramon K. Perez (The Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-Men), Marcus To (New Warriors, Cyborg 009) and Francis Manapul (Detective Comics, The Flash). As each of these artists build their careers and juggle their personal life with an all-consuming artistic life, industry legends Stan Lee and Jim Lee share their advice and perspective on their own successes.

The documentary holds some fantastic clips from Stan Lee, Jim Lee, and everyone else involved, and it gives some absolutely incredible insight to the life of these amazing artists. Definitely, definitely, definitely give the doc a watch, and be sure to let us know what you think!

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Briefly: These were too awesome not to share.

Phenomenal artist and former CGHub editor Darren Rawlings (check out his DeviantArt here) has debuted an adorable series titled ‘Little Friends’, which depicts a myriad of our favourite comic book heroes and villains with some of their closest counterparts. Each piece (of course) has a fitting title that adds to the overall cuteness, and my only wish is that there were more than 30 pieces.

We’ve embedded the art below for your viewing please, but definitely check out Darren’s other work over at DeviantArt.

01 - Moon Knight and Batman

02 - Gladiator Superman and Hyperion

03 - Captain Canuck and Guardian

04 - DrPolaris and Magneto

a href=”https://www.geekscape.net/_wp_/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/05-Wasp-and-Bumblebee.jpg”>05 - Wasp and Bumblebee

06 - Boomerang and Captain Boomerang

07 - Ultron and Brainiac

08 - Green Lantern and Quasar

09 - Cheetah and Tigra

10 - Thor and Captian Marvel

11 - Captain America and Commander Steel

12 - Black Lightning and Electro

13 - SwampThing and Man-Thing

14 - MrFantastic and Elongated Man and Plastic Man

15 - Green Arrow and Hawkeye

16 - Grey Hulk and Grundy

17 - Ghost Rider and Atomic Skull

18 - Deadpool and Deathstroke

19 - Aquaman and Namor

20 - Catwoman and Black cat

21 - Clayface and Sandman

22 - Hawkman and Angel

23 - Booster Gold and Longshot

24 - Banshee and Silver Banshee

25 - DrFate and DrStrange

26 - Darkseid and Thanos

27 - Ant-man and Atom

28 - Martian Manhunter and Vision

29 - Flash and Quicksilver

30 - Mogo and Galactus

Pretty great, huh? I sure hope that more of these are coming down the pipeline.

This week Matt sat down with the team behind Hero Chest, a really cool idea that they’re trying to Kickstart. If you love comics or have had a desire to start reading them then you won’t want to miss this interview.

Donate to their Kickstarter and check out their website!

The intro music contains the song The Last Call by Mae on their debut album Destination Beautiful. 

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Briefly: I’ve arguably been enjoying Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us even more than the amazing second season of The Walking Dead.

The developer has just announced the release date for the final episode of their Fables adaptation, and I’m feeling pretty bittersweet about it. On one hand, it’s another episode and another chance to jump into this incredible world, and on the other hand, when will we get to play more?

Telltale hasn’t announced a second season of The Wolf Among Us, but as they’re calling this its ‘first’ season, I sure hope that they’re insinuating that more is on the way. Please, Telltale?

In any case, the episode will hit PSN, Mac, and Windows on July 8th, Xbox 360 on July 9th, and iOS on July 10th. You can take a look at the trailer for the episode, titled Cry Wolf below, and be sure to let us know what you hope to see in the finale!

The original Disney Infinity left a big impression on me, so much so that I considered it my game of show at last year’s E3. With the promise of multiple single player campaigns in the form of play sets combined with a nearly limitless level designing tool in the toy box, the possibilities seemed to echo the title. Much of these impressions carried over to the actual release, although my expectations fell short in certain areas, namely the same-ness of many of the characters, how bare bones some of the play sets felt and how the game initially promised to not need sequels while possibly replacing movie tie in games with Infinity content, (which was quickly proven wrong by the 3DS’s Olaf’s Adventure and the very game we’re talking about).

Still, the game had a ton of untapped potential that a sequel could capitalize on, especially because of Disney’s acquisition of giant properties like the Marvel universe. With that in mind, playing 2.0 was a top priority for me this year, both as a fan of the original and someone who was eager to see if Disney Interactive would adapt to the comic book universe or perish in a sea of broken promises and failure to improve. After an in depth playthrough of the game’s two play sets, I’m happy to say I’m leaning towards the former.

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To me, the biggest problem with Disney Infinity was that the campaign style play sets mostly felt like samples of what could be done in the toy box as opposed to fully fleshed out games, (aside from the Pirates set, most of what each was built from was ripped straight from Toy Box). With 2.0, this criticism has been fully addressed, giving us a huge open world city to explore as our favorite characters. The Avengers version of New York is promising to be more than twice as big as The Incredibles, with capsule toys, side quests and story missions still waiting to be found, all put into context by a full story penned by longtime Marvel scribe, Brian Michael Bendis. It’s a huge improvement from the opening and ending cutscene that greeted us at the end of the first game’s stories.

On top of that, the increased level cap of 20 allows us to unlock between 20 and 30 skills per character, which is a huge improvement compared to the original’s puzzling decision for level ups to mean absolutely nothing aside from unlocking new Toy Box parts. Making this even sweeter was how different each character felt. Firing off trick shots with Hawkeye, throwing down with Captain America, web slinging between buildings as Spider-Man or flying through the city at top speed with Iron Man felt distinctive, as opposed to many of the first game’s characters playing or feeling exactly the same. To top it off, the heroes each have a unique super move with varying in levels of awesomeness, (like Iron Man’s missile barrage vs Black Widow’s… invisibility turning? I know who I’m not playing as…)

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Even the original game’s characters are getting skill trees when they’re transferred into the new games, although theirs won’t be as robust as the new characters being brought in. Still, the fact that they’re getting upgraded at all is a great way to reward players who maxed out their figures despite their lackluster move sets. Plus, maybe some characters can be more fleshed out this time, specifically Anna and Elsa. The developers obviously knew very little about since they were developed before Frozen was released, so let’s hope they can be done justice the second time around.

Joining the heroes will be new power discs that were on display for the E3 demo. Aside from the Toy Box backgrounds, perks and weapons that came with the blind pack DLC of the original, Marvel’s version will also include sidekicks who fight at your side for a limited time, and costumes for specific characters. Ever get the feeling that you want to play as Captain America in his First Avenger gear? Or how about black suit Spidey? Ever wanted to fight side by side with The Winter Soldier after he blew us away in the latest Phase 2 film? Now’s your chance, with these discs that feel like a lot more than just fluff. My wallet is going to hurt.

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On the mission front, both the side and story missions felt more involved, forcing me to travel through more of the city to accomplish whatever the goal was. Whether it was racing on Nick Fury’s bike to escorting a scientist to key points in the city as symbiotes were viciously attacking us, these missions made the game feel like a full fledged experience. And while some of the bonus quests I played were still ridiculously easy, some of them presented a nice challenge, like the web slinging missions that I couldn’t get better than a bronze in.

If someone would have told me I was playing the new kid friendly Marvel game and not one that’s attached to a world building simulator, I would have completely bought it. But to think that a game where the single player content is more of the side dish to the Toy Box’s entree plays so well surpassed what I expected after playing the first game. I’m not sure if it’s a testament to Infinity’s developers or a knock at the other guys when web slinging feels more fun in this spinoff than it does in a core Spidey title. My only complaints are that there were some massive bugs, causing mission sensitive enemies to teleport across the map, and that traveling with non-flying or swinging characters felt like a chore. Having to drive as Black Widow when Thor can zip from one end of the map to another in minutes leaves an unbalanced feeling.

Both areas are said to still be in development, so let’s hope these get patched up come September.

http://youtu.be/W1P3b4YU8so

Whoa, Disney Infinity 2.0 hasn’t been announced for more than a month and we already have our second play set on its way!

Scheduled to launch day and date with the Marvel Super Heroes starter pack, (which comes bundled with an Avengers play set already), early buyers will also get the chance to swing through New York with Spider-Man, starring in his own adventure alongside some of his amazing friends.

Centered around a plot by The Green Goblin and Mysterio to harvest Venom’s symbiote, Venom clones are running rampant throughout the city, and it’s up to the web slinger to stop this latest attempt to take control of the city. Thankfully, he’s not the only one who has arrived to stop the threat, with Nova, Iron Fist, Nick Fury and Venom himself joining the fight, complete with their own figures to display when you’re not playing.

The Spider-Man play set will come bundled with the wall crawler and Nova, while the other three will be sold seperately, likely as individual characters and in a set. While details on pricing, bundles and future characters aren’t known yet, I’d be willing to bet that it would cost around $35 like the play sets for the previous games. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Goblin and Mysterio bundled with Avengers villain, Loki, at some point. After all, Randy, Syndrome and Davy Jones were all released for the first game, so it wouldn’t be too much of a shock.

If you wanted to know more about the upcoming play set, check out the trailer below and tell us if you’re planning on emptying your wallet for the Marvel and Disney mash up. Both Disney Infinity 2.0 and the Spider-Man play set are rumored to release on September 23rd.

http://youtu.be/clajnwqBNr4