Tag: SDCC 2014

R.L. Stine And Scholastic Have Great Plans For ‘Goosebumps’ This Month!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Goosebumps was an absolutely massive part of my childhood. I still recall researching and looking forward to every new book release, and ordering whenever possible from my school’s monthly Scholastic Book Order.

As you probably know (and as we totally covered back at SDCC), a Goosebumps feature film is finally set to release in August of next year. To celebrate, and because it’s totally October, “R.L. Stine will host his third Scholastic social media takeover on Thursday, October 30. And to further bewitch fans, Scholastic will unleash a revamped Goosebumps website, social media pages and brand-new book as well as host a special event featuring R.L. Stine at The Scholastic Store in Manhattan, and more!”

I’m down.

Here’s what’s happening:

– On October 30 from 2-3:30pm EST, R.L. Stine will be “trick or tweeting” with fans through social media in a can’t-miss live chat. Stine will share jokes, trivia, videos and images, plus answer questions from participants, who will also have a chance to win collectible Goosebumps prizes. Creatures from coast-to-coast can join in the conversation by using #31DaysofGoosebumps to post on the Scholastic accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram, or via the Goosebumps Facebook page and newly-launched Goosebumps Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram feeds. It’s sure to be a scream!

 

Additional ways for fans to get Goosebumps:

-Online: Fans can visit the interactive new mobile-friendly Goosebumps website, www.scholastic.com/goosebumps, to play engaging games and activities such as “Monster Blood” and “Which Monster Are You?”; check-out the author events calendar and news spotlight; discuss all things Goosebumps in a community forum; and review a full list of books and TV episodes, so they’ll be sure never to miss a new title or show!

 

-In New York City: R.L. Stine himself will treat kids and families to a Halloween-themed afternoon, as he reads and signs some of the best-loved Goosebumps books at The Scholastic Store on Saturday, October 18, at 2pm EST!
With a new book: Young monsters can sink their teeth into “12 Screams of Christmas,” a special edition book and the latest title in the Goosebumps: Most Wanted series that follows the brand’s most infamous characters!
Through iTunes and Netflix: Families can now catch all 74 edge-of-your-seat Goosebumps episodes on iTunes and Netflix, this Halloween and anytime!

 

-On TV: Kids can tune-in to the Goosebumps TV series for ghastly laughs on The Hub Network!

 

And things will get even spookier in Times Square, when R.L.Stine and Scholastic Media President Deborah Forte ring the bell for the close of the NASDAQ stock market on Halloween, Friday, October 31, at 4pm EST.

I can’t wait to see more from the Goosebumps film, an I think I’m probably overdue for a Netflix binge. Are you looking forward to the film? Sound out below!

USA’s ‘Dig’ Pushed To 2015

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: USA’s great-looking new event series, Dig, will not premiere this Fall as it was originally scheduled to.

Middle-Eastern conflict has caused numerous production issues for the six-episode (to start) series, which was originally slated to film in Jerusalem for its entirety, but was later moved to Croatia.

The series “tells the story of Peter (Isaacs), an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem who, while investigating a murder of a female archeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2000 years in the making that threatens to change the course of history.”

SJ had the awesome opportunity to sit down with the cast and producers back at SDCC, and it’s safe to say that we’re damned excited for the premiere… sometime next year.

Are you down for Dig? Or does the name Tim Kring make your toes curl (and not in a good way)? Sound out below!

http://youtu.be/K0XqWYdErrU

Thrilling Adventure Hour and Night Vale Save the, Well, Everything

by S.J. Borger
Thrilling Adventure Hour & Night Vale Cross Over Marquee at SDCC. Photos by Bigwhitebazooka courtesy of Ladykiller
Thrilling Adventure Hour & Night Vale Cross Over Marquee at SDCC.
Photos by Bigwhitebazooka courtesy of Ladykiller

Thrilling Adventure Hour returned to Comic Con last month in a cross over show with Welcome to Night Vale, an event of such magnitude that they last time they tried it (in Seattle, in March), the recording equipment literally could. not. even.

Performing to a packed house at the Spreckles Theatre in San Diego, the show followed Sparks Nevada, Marshal of Mars (Marc Even Jackson), Crouch (Mark Gagliardi) and the usual Sparks Nevada: Marshall of Mars crew as they travel through space and time to save the moon–allowing for the “Marshal of Mars” and the Night Vale worlds to collide.

Done in three acts (with an intermission!) the first act opens with Wil Wheaton–as the omniscient narrator/god-like being–and quickly segues into “Marshal on Mars”, with Sparks Nevada (Marc Evan Jackson) and Croach (Mark Gagliardi) dealing with the subversively silly criminal element (this time it’s James Urbaniak as a good-guy shoe salesman turned bad and his two robot outlaws). Things go from bad to worse when Pemily Stallwark (Molly Quinn), now Marshal of the Moon, shows up needing help to save Earth’s lunar satellite. An introduction of a timey-wimey-super-duper-don’t-think-about-it-too-hard device allows people to travel across space, time, and apparently dimensions, and Croach is zapped to Night Vale.

Thrilling Adventure Hour and Night vale cast and guest stars at SDCC 2014. Photos by Bigwhitebazooka courtesy of Ladykiller
Thrilling Adventure Hour and Night Vale cast and guest stars at SDCC 2014. Photos by Bigwhitebazooka courtesy of Ladykiller

Act II begins like a typical Night Vale episode. Cecil (Cecil Baldwin) begins with the news that there is a new Destroy-the-Moon initiative. The citizens of Night Vale, Cecil tells us, have tried throwing objects at the Moon and will shortly escalate to yelling insults at it. Also, a strange, overly literal being has been going around town demanding that people cease their plans to destroy the moon. Cecil, the Mayor Dana Cardinal (Jasika Nicole), Carlos the Scientist (Dylan Marron) and Steve Carlsberg (Hal Lublin) end up getting zapped back to Mars with Croach. And thus ends Act II.

Act III (after a fairly interminable intermission) has the combined casts banding together to save the moon with some (extremely convenient) time-zapping, a few deaths (!!!), a few more resurrections, and heartfelt professions of love, friendships and respect between various pairs. There’s also some discussion about paradoxes and the general head-ache-inducing vagaries of time (and dimension!) travel.

Night Vale
Cecil (Cecil Baldwin), Mayor Dana Cardinal (Jasika Nicole), and Carlos the Scientist (Dylan Marron) at the SDCC cross-over Thrilling Adventure Hour/Welcome to Night Vale performance.
Photos by Bigwhitebazooka courtesy of Ladykiller

While maybe not the most coherently plotted Sparks Nevada episode (Night Vale tends to eschew plots completely, so it wins by comparison), the combined cast elevated the show; and the audience, eager and ecstatic at the combining of the two fan-favorite shows, did not let a joke slip by them. The verbal sparring between Baldwin, Sparks and Gagliardi is quite possibly some of the best comedic repartee we’ve heard in awhile, and the 30-second half written/half-improv’d competing cries-of-alarm between Carlsberg and Felton (Craig Cackowski) brought the house down.

All in all, the cross over was extremely successful in bringing together the two worlds; it was funny, irreverent, touching and, well, everything we’ve come to expect from both shows.

The episode won’t be aired for awhile, but you can catch up on all the most recent episodes of Thrilling Adventure Hour here and Night Vale here while you wait!

SDCC 2014: ‘Sunset Overdrive’ Infects Our Hearts

by jake108

From the start of the presentation, Sunset Overdrive was a game steered toward a direction where players could be who they wanted to be in a post-apocalyptic world where rules didn’t exist.

After a new energy drink infects all who attend said energy drink’s release party thrown by the fictional company Fizzco, the protagonist goes from being a garbage man to, well, you know:

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The world is inhabited by different variations of monsters, each with their own tactical advantage and yearn for your death. The only thing they desire more than killing you is more of Overcharge Delirium XT, the Fizzco energy drink that started this whole mess. Players will be able to set traps using this energy drink to distract enemies and string together awesome combos. The game plays like a cross between your fun arcade shooter and Jet Set Radio. It would seem that players who stay on the move, and have proficient acrobatic skills, will have an easier time staying alive.

Sunset Overdrive Banner

Aside from the monsters, Sunset Overdrive’s world is also inhabited by “Scabs.” These are the guys who, rather than band together with other survivors, would rather steal from other groups. Speaking of other groups, players will also run into other bands of survivors, each with their own comedic origin story as to how they survived the initial outbreak.

First, we have the Fargarths, who at the time of the outbreak, were role-playing in their own little world. Second, we have the Troop Bushido. These guys are composed of boy scouts who fled to a Japanese samurai museum you see below.

sunsettroop

Online play will feature 8-player cooperative modes that will allow you to gain XP that can be used for both multiplayer and single player abilities. With each mission, the mode culminates into a “Night Defense” gametype in which you and your peers protect an objective from hordes of enemies.

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Sunset Overdrive is due for an October 28th release date in North America, and October 30th everywhere else on the Xbox One!

SDCC 2014: Geekscape Interviews Kristen Nedopak

by S.J. Borger

Most of us know Kristen Nedopak from The Skyrim Parodies, or as the host of ThinkHero TV, or the weekly series onScienceFiction.com. Or maybe as the Producer/Writer of Pucker, a series of irreverent indie comedy shorts. But last year Kristen decided she needed more to do, and founded The Geekie Awards, an award show for geeks, by geeks,  and she sat down with us last week at Comic Com to discuss her newest endeavor.

Kristin Nedopak at the 2013 Geekie Awards.
Photo by Joe Lester

Q. What led you to create the Geekie Awards?

A. Actually, the best ideas come from things that don’t exist, right? And I’m a creator, I make Sci-Fi/Fantasy stuff, and coming to Comic Con–and I always say this to people–coming to Comic Con, you’re a geek, and you love everything here, but in the outside world, people don’t always take that seriously. They’re like, ‘What’s that costume? What are you doing?’ You know, I’ll go out in cosplay and people will look at me like I have three heads. And in the entertainment industry, we know that these multi-million dollars movie chains like Marvel, they’re huge, but the average everyday person is still like ‘Oh, it’s just fun, everyday entertainment. If something is going to win an Oscar, it’s going to be this drama.’ And I had been talking to agents and going to festivals–because I write and direct my own stuff–and I just kept getting this feedback, that it was such a weird niche, it was too geeky, they weren’t into that. And I would be getting awards, or nominated for awards, but it would only be for costume design. So, I was talking to my publicist, and I said, ‘they’re not really looking at the stories.’ And if this was a geek award, it would be about the story. And that’s kind of how I came up with it. I just, I wished there was something for geeks. And my publicist said, ‘Why don’t you make it?’ and that’s how the idea formed. Of course, it was a lot more work after that.

Q. And how long did it take, from idea to actual show?

A. Well, the show is in its second year, but it was around for a few years before, in development, sort of kicking it around. Trying to get a team involved.

Q. How many entries did you get for each? 

A. We had about 450 entries this year. Last year was about 250. So we basically doubled. Our top categories our Web Series and Podcasts, they’re huge, there’s a lot of material to go through. We’re still trying to reach the video game industry. But all of the entries, they all need to be seen. There’s such talent here.

(l-r) Stan Lee, Kristin Nedopak and Seth Green at the 2013 Geekie Awards
(l-r) Stan Lee, Kristen Nedopak and Seth Green at the 2013 Geekie Awards
Photo by Joe Lester

Q. You mentioned video games. Do you find a lot of resistance in that industry to these awards?

A. Well, I work in entertainment, but video games is kind of its own beast. I wouldn’t say there’s resistance from people in the industry as much as the developers were so burnt out trying to get into the industry that they just felt, ‘oh, this is another show that I’m not going to get into, and it’s just another thing that I don’t know if I have the confidence to do.’ And a lot of the feedback I got was like that. So we really worked hard to encourage those people to enter. And I think once they found out it was indie games, it made them feel like, ‘ok, this is for indie games, I’m not going to go up against Blizzard or Activision.’ It’s not about having millions and millions of dollars, it’s about making a really cool game. That was probably the biggest challenge.

Table-top games, now, they loved it!

Q. The Geekie Awards have a lot of categories…

A. I know! And we only have so much time on the show, and a lot of people ask me, ‘how do you fit all those podcasts or all those webseries into one category?’ But that’s what we do, we really try to give the award to the piece that is the best, of the best, of the best, of its category. We don’t do Best Actor or Best Screenplay, because we’re looking at them as a whole. But we do honors, so after the show we’ll hand out honors to things, like, if the music was exceptional, or if a film was the best sci-fi film, it’ll get an honor. So we do try to make everyone feel like they were awesome.

It’s one of those things, that if you’re good, you’re good, and people are going to see it.

Q. Let’s take podcasts, as an example. Podcasts can run the gamut from a talk show, to a radio play, to a game show. How do you pick the ‘best’ from such radically different formats?

A. That’s pretty much the most asked questions I get from my judges, especially a new judge. They come on board and they say ‘I don’t know how to do this, they’re all so different.’ And we tell them, don’t judge this by comparing it to anything else. Judge it individually. I have a scoring system, so it will be about, how is the production quality, how are the hosts, how is the voice over? And they take all of those pieces into consideration, and then it becomes the best of the best. And you’ll see, with the nominees, that it’s a really good mix. A lot of times, especially with the podcasts, it comes down to the entertainment value. Was I having fun? Was I entertained? Did I learn anything new?

For the films and series, it’s definitely about production and story. And if you’re good, you’re gonna get up there.

Last year, one of the nominees was a gameshow podcast, and it was so random, and they loved it, and that guy ended up using the nomination to get is show booked on a bigger channel. So it’s one of those things, that if you’re good, you’re good, and people are going to see it.

Kristin Nedopak hosting the 2013 Geekie Awards - Photo By Joe Lester
Kristen Nedopak hosting the 2013 Geekie Awards
Photo By Joe Lester

You can catch The Geekie Awards 2014 nominees here and the live show on August 17th, 2014 at the Avalon Hollywood. You can still purchase tickets here, or if Hollywood is just to far to get to (looking at you, South Bay), you can watch the live stream, including the live band pre-show, on the website.

Watch the promo below, and let us know if you’ll be tuning in and what you think in the comments!

SDCC 2014: Geekscape Interviews Jenna Busch

by S.J. Borger

We met with  the prolific Jenna Busch at her booth at Comic Con last week, where we got to talk with her about Star Wars, comics, Pern, cosplay and women in pop-culture.

Jenna is the co-host of “Cocktails with Stan” with Stan Lee, a co-host of Most Craved for CraveOnline, and a writer for Zap2it,  After Buzz TV, Fanhattan, Screen Crave, Inside Horror, Huffington Post, AOL, Popeater, Newsarama, JoBlo, Blastr, UGO, IGN, Moviefone, SheKnows, Coming Soon, Screen Junkies, Famous Monsters and Geek Week and Inside Horror. She is also a comic book writer and recently had two stories published in the comic anthology, “Womanthology.”

Earlier this year, Jenna founded Legion of Leia, which encourages and supports girls in their love of pop culture, comics, and sci-fi, both as fans and as future creators.

So clearly, we had some questions!

A sneak peak of Jenna Busch's Cupcake
A sneak peak of Jenna Busch’s Cupcake Quarterly photo shoot.

Q: So, what’s on your schedule for this Comic Con?

A: I am doing so many things. I’m doing on-camera interviews for GeekNation, they’ve been very silly and fun. I’ve interviewed Sam Whitworth, Kelly Hu, Chloe Dykstra and Colin Ferguson. And I’m signing my pin-up magazine, Cupcake Quarterly, and I was on the Most Dangerous Women of Comic Con panel, which talked about women in pop culture. I also moderated Jane Espenson’s and Brad Bell’s Husbands panel, and the Eflquest Panel.

Q. Were you always a geek and then parlayed that into a career?

A. I have been a geek since the very beginning. Really, honestly, with the X-Men comics. I wanted to be Storm because I wanted a snow day. And then Princess Leia, and fantasy novels. Especially Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels. I got into writing and covering the geek world because of friend of mine, Chris, had started the site UGO, and he asked me to interview Jack Nicholson, which isn’t something you say ‘no’ to. And it all ballooned from there.

Q. What do you think the next hurdle for women in pop culture is going to be?

A. I still think it’s the way a lot of characters are drawn. It still seems that a strong woman character is a character that acts like a man. Now, I am all about sword fighting and punching people–I’ve broken noses in the past–and I appreciate that. I think it’s awesome.  But I also think that, if we devalue the feminine, than we’re basically saying that the feminine isn’t as important–which is something we talked about on the Husband’s panel as well. I think the most important thing is having a well-rounded character, not just having somebody kick ass.

And it’s interesting, because when I started doing this, I was one of the only women who covered geek. I worked with reporters who were all men, all wonderful, never had a problem with any of them. And even as a kid, I never had a problem, maybe because I grew up on a block with all boys, and they were totally fine. They were like, ‘hey, look, we have a Leia.” I guess I’m known well enough now that nobody really asks me to defend my geekdom, because I am just ridiculously geeky. But I do find that if someone disagrees with me online, the first thing I get are rape threats, ‘this is what you look like’ insults, death threats, you know, that sort of thing.

Q. Do you find, as a woman, that appearance is still the first thing you’re judged on?

A. Absolutely. It’s the first thing that happens. I’m not saying I don’t want to be called pretty, because really, that’s nice. But the first compliment you get is that. And then it’s, ‘you’re smart’, or ‘I love your writing.’ Although, as we’re talking, I’m sitting here signing my pin-up magazine. So there’s nothing wrong with sexuality, I’ve done three pin-up magazines, there’s nothing wrong with that, I love them. I would just like something to be valued above that.

If you dress a certain way, someone’s going to look at you a certain way. That’s just the way it is. So I’m going to dress any damn way I want.

Q. It’s very hard to maintain an ability to be sexual and sensual without being sexualized. How do you deal with that?

A. It’s a difficult thing. Adrianne Curry and I were discussing this on the panel, and part of the reason that I profiled her for Legion of Leia, is because I think it’s really important to own your sexuality. And eventually it will become unacceptable to treat anyone a certain way.

I mean, if you ask any woman to look at a comic book, you can tell the difference between; this chick is sexual, she owns her sexuality, whether overt or not; and you can tell the difference between that, and looking at a drawing that someone did just to create a object for sex. Even if you can’t put your finger on what the difference is, every single person knows it and its intention.

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Q. Let’s talk about Cosplay, which is a hot button topic in regards to women, pop culture, and sexual awareness.

A. I love it.  One year for Halloween my whole costume was ‘sexy in red.’ Because, once again, I don’t think there’s a problem with any of it. So, say I decide to cosplay Sexy Robin, you still don’t get to grope me on the floor, and at the end of the day, that costume is my interpretation of Robin, so who’s to judge that?

I mean, it’s a weird thing to navigate. If you dress a certain way, someone’s going to look at you a certain way. That’s just the way it is. So I’m going to dress any damn way I want. And trying to make a divide between ‘real’ girl geeks and the ‘sexy cosplay’ girls doesn’t help. You can’t win anything that way. And in the end, you defend your sisters. And that’s really, really important. Because we’re not getting anywhere if we don’t.

Q. So what did you think about the Marvel announcement about a woman Thor?

A. I think it’s really cool, that we’re part of that story line. I think that’s really great. However, I don’t like that they used it as a marketing technique. I understand why, but when they put it out on The View, it bothered me because, I knew what the intention was–though people get into comics for all different reasons, and maybe somebody who had never been interested in comics before saw that on The View and thought, ‘Hey, that looks interesting.’ But the fact that it was only on The View points to a ‘this targets women’ mindset.

It also bothers me because we know it’s not going to be a permanent change. And it’s not her name, and I know retconning happens all the time, but it wasn’t Freya or Sif, it was Thor. That being said, the character design looks awesome.

Headshot 3

Q. You founded Legion of Leia. What started that? What do you hope to achieve with it?

With Legion of Leia, the whole point was that I wanted to do something positive, instead of just complaining. I wanted to do something that would support women in sci-fi, so we do a profile every week with celebrities, non-celebrities. Right now we’re doing a focus on character design, and eventually we’d like to be able to fund young women’s projects.  And I’m hoping that all the celebrities we’ve profiled might become mentors further down the line.

I just did a signing for it, and a woman came up to me with her, like, 11-year-old son. And she told me, ‘I brought my son over because I want him to have positive female role models too.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to cry now, and that’s going to be fine!’

It partially came out of the Star Wars casting. One new woman, but tons of men. And I wrote on my blog that my niece is going to have one woman to look up to. And my nephew will have tons of male role models. Now since then, there have been a lot of women added to that cast. I don’t know if they gender-swapped Gwendolyn Christie’s character in reaction to fans saying there needed to be more women or not. But the fact that the rumor is out there, says something good to me. I think its wonderful that they’re doing it, that they’re adding more people in.

And then I was having lunch with my friend, and I was talking about this picture I had of me dressed as Leia as a kid. And she said ‘Oh, I have the same thing.’ And I wondered how many of our friends had dressed up a Leia as kids? So on May 4th, which is Star Wars day, we asked everyone to change their profile picture to Leia. And we had so many people participate. It was thousands and thousands of people, celebrities like Jane Epsenson, Adrianne Curry, everyone did it, and we thought, ‘Oh, this is way bigger than we thought it was.’ So we set up a website, and a Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, everything. And all of these people are responding to it. Jane [Epsenson] had a profile, Clare Kramer. We’re hoping Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Walking Dead and all things cool, will do one. So a lot of people are starting to respond to it.

The other thing that sparked it, is that I had two comics that I wrote get published in an anthology, and I was at a booth a few years ago showing the book, all excited because it was the first time I’d been published in printed form, and this little girl came over and asked me if she could hug me. And her mom explained that the little girl had always wanted to make comic books but she didn’t think girls could do that. And it sparked something, because I want little girls to know that girls can do something like this.

Q. So what would you say to a young woman, right now, who was looking at getting into this business? What can they do to prepare themselves?

A. I think they need to read as much as possible. From everybody. Women creators, men creators. They need to look at different art and find their style.  And then ignore it when people tell them no. Because they will get kickback. And you’ll get kickback as guy too, but you’ll get a little extra kickback as girl. But just keep pushing and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it.

It would be great if we could get to a place where we’d just refer to someone as an astronaut, not a female astronaut–unless the story was somehow specifically about her being a woman. That we talk about a writer, not a female writer, or a chef, not a female chef.  But the more we’re out there, the more people see women in these fields–eventually it becomes accepted.

You can find Jenna on Twitter or follow her on her Blog.

SDCC 2014: Geekscape Interviews Jane Espenson

by S.J. Borger

Fan favorite writer and producer Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Torchwood, Once Upon A Time) took some time out of her hectic Comic Con schedule to sit down and chat with Geekscape about her show, Husbands.

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(l-r) Brad Bell and Sean Hemeon as Cheeks and Brady in “Husbands.”

Espenson co-created Husbands with Brad Bell  in 2011, solely for distribution on digital platforms such as Blip, YouTube and Roku. Husbands follows Cheeks (Bell) and Brady Kelly (Sean Hemeon) as a gay couple who drunkenly tie the knot in Vegas to celebrate the federal amendment for marriage equality, and stay married for fear that a divorce would devastate both the same-sex marriage cause and their careers.

The show quickly built up a large fan base, and for their second season, Epsenson and Bell ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, reaching 120% of their goal. The third season, and the upcoming fourth season, were  produced in partnership with CW Seed.

Husbands is known for its send-up of sitcom tropes, its brilliant humor (which often is layered over biting social commentary), and its intelligent and sharp comedic style. Guest stars on the show are another draw; Joss Whedon appears in every episode in season two as Wes; other guest stars include Jon Cryer, Mekhi Phifer, Felicia Day, Amber Benson, Emma Caulfield, Dichon Lachman, Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Seth Green and Michael Hogan and Beth Grant as Brady’s parents.

So we were very excited to sit down and talk about the show, how it started, and where it’s going with Jane Espenson herself.

Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson

 

Q: So, did you work with Brad prior to Husbands? How did the show come to be?

A: This is the first thing we’ve done together, other than a little stage play we worked on together. He had developed the character of Cheeks online, on YouTube, and had a number of videos up there that I found and fell in love with, and I finally reached out to him over Twitter, and we became lunch friends. We started talking about what we could do together.

He had the idea of doing an online comedy, and he had an idea of him and Alessandra [Torresani]  as young actors in LA, and I was like, ‘What’s more current events-y? What’s more, going on in LA? What’s a show you can only do now?’ and he said, “what if it’s a show about newlyweds?’ and I  said ‘Yes, that show will exist in five years, and it will be on NBC, and it will be called Husbands.”  And we were like, ‘Let’s just make it oursleves!’

Right away it was clear that this was something we were going to make ourselves, we weren’t going to go out and pitch it, we had a very clear vision for it. And that night, he did the first pass on the script that become our first story. And we filmed that, and we put it out there, and it got so much positive reception and made it so clear that there was an audience. So, we used that as part of a Kickstarter campaign for season two, and then the third and fourth stories were all through the CW Seed. And they’ve been amazing. It’s really the best way, I think, if you want creative control. We also realized how valuable it is to have good input from someone who has objectivity on the series, so we have readings and producers read the scripts, for the feedback.

Q. So the first episodes were really short, only two or three minutes each. Why did you decide to go with that format?

A. It was one sitcom length story, we just released it a scene at a time. In later seasons we released it an act at a time. But it’s the same number of scenes, and they add up to standard sitcom length.

Q. Did you know beforehand that you were going to release just short scenes? 

A. We knew beforehand, because at the time no one would click on anything that was longer than three minutes. It was just how people used YouTube then. So we were like, let’s just make sure no scene is longer than two-and-a-half pages. And we were very strict about that. We’ve loosened up on that a little because we are releasing things of a longer length, but it’s still a standard sitcom length story.

Q. Did keeping the scenes so short affect the way you approached the writing?

A. A little bit, just because you had to be very draconian with yourself. You couldn’t indulge in a three page run of puns, it was like, no, this scene has to end now. So in that sense it tightened our writing up. But we both have very good instincts, about when a scene is over. If you look at our scripts now, it’s rare that a scene goes over three pages. We had a big exception, with the first scene of “I Dream of Cleaning” episode, was a really long scene, but it was really broken up into what we call French Scenes, where somebody exits and a new scene starts. So if you look at it that way, we still kept ourselves very strict. The scenes were still quite short.

Q. So the Kickstarter was very successful. What was it like using Crowd sourcing for your funding?

A. We knew it was going to be a certain amount of work. Tania del Rio, who’s an artist who works with us, she designs our T-shirts and our poster, and one of the stories in our comic book, she ran the Kickstarter campaign. Like, she ran the shipping, which is one of the bigger jobs. We already had content, since we had season one, so a lot of our work–those two difficult things–what do you present, and how do you get the rewards out–were already done. So we just sat back and watch the numbers roll. It was amazing. We knew, in just a few hours, that we were going to make our goal. I just kept texting Brad in the middle of the night ‘We just got $500 more dollars!”

But then it’s a little nerve wracking, because any one can take their money back. So we had one big donor, and for awhile, if he had backed out, we wouldn’t have made our goal. But once we had the cushion, then we started breathing.

Q. You have quite the list of guest stars in Husbands…

A. Yes. Jon Cryer, we were very happy to work in Jon Cryer. And Joss Whedon coming is as Wes was amazing. And there was Amy Acker, Michael Hogan…

Q. Including quite a few that also are on Thrilling Adventure Hour…

A. (laughs) That’s true. Nathan Fillion, Michael Hogan….I think Michael Hogan did Thrilling Adventure Hour because I recommended him, because I knew what a great sport he’d been on Husbands. I’d worked with him on Battlestar [Galactica], but with Husbands I got to hang out with Michael a lot more. Battlestar was in Vancouver, and I didn’t get up there much, so I never really hung out with Michael. Being here, on our set, what a fun guy Michael Hogan is. I would work with him anytime, any day. He’s a great guy. So different than Colonel Tigh.

I mean, I knew good people that I wanted to reach out to. And then to have all of them respond so positively to the material…and then to meet new people, like John Cryer, who Brad and I didn’t know, or Mikhi Phifer, who is just really, really great. And that was something that we wanted to do, we really wanted to have this be a part of the civil rights movement, and we wanted Brady to have a baseball friend.

Q. One of the things the series has been getting a lot of buzz about is the deftly it handles the social issues while still remaining a sitcom. Do you find that difficult?

A. That is all Brad. He is a very political animal, and a very socio-political animal. And he’s always got stuff, on any topic, and you’ll say ‘what about this? I haven’t really thought about this yet.’ and he’ll say, ‘oh, I have.’ He’s very well reasoned, and he has opinion that are the next opinion. He doesn’t go with the crowd, he’s always the guy going ‘Well, yeah, but…’

So when we all thought it was great that we have these very masculine men being written into these shows on TV,  Brad was going ‘Why is masculine being better? What’s wrong with femininity?’ And just like that, your eyes open. And in example after example after example, your eyes get opened. Like, if you say ‘Isn’t it great that so-and-so came out of the closet? Isn’t it great they’re getting all this recognition?’ And Brad’s saying ‘Not everybody had a choice to come out. Where’s the recognition for the people that were always out? That didn’t have a choice?’ And it’s really made the show something special. And Cheek’s moments, where he talks about that, are the most-watched part of our show.

Watch the Husbands trailer below and let us know what you think! Did we ask Jane all the right questions? What did you want to know?

SDCC 2014: Syfy’s Defiance: Spoilers and Secrets

by S.J. Borger

Geekscape sat down with the executive producer, and series creator, Kevin Murphy, and Defiance cast members Grant Bowler (Nolan), Julie Benz (Amanda Rosewater), Stephanie Leonidas (Irisa), Tony Curran (Datak Tarr), Jaime Murray (Stahma Tarr), Jesse Rath (Alak Tarr) at Comic Con last week to talk about the show’s second season.

Spoiler Warning: There are some in the article below.

 

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO -- "Defiance Press Room/Panel" -- Pictured: (l-r) Julie Benz, Grant Bowler, Stephanie Leonidas, Jesse Rath, Jaime Murray, Tony Curran, and Executive Producer Kevin Murphy -- (Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/Syfy)
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO — “Defiance Press Room/Panel” — Pictured: (l-r) Julie Benz, Grant Bowler, Stephanie Leonidas, Jesse Rath, Jaime Murray, Tony Curran, and Executive Producer Kevin Murphy — (Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/Syfy)

So the big news everyone was talking about is, of course, that Mia Kirshner’s Kenya is returning to the show mid-season. After her seeming murder by Stahma Tarr (Jaime Murray) at the end of last seasons, Kenya’s fate as been surrounded in mystery. While the details of her return are fuzzy, she will be back, returning in the Aug. 7 episode.

Meanwhile, the Tarr family drama will continue, with Datak running into more legal troubles.

“I think that, in the end, Stahma loves Datak. But in season one, she was trying to control events subtly, from within the strictures of her society. I think in season two Stahma is starting to get used to being an active, outward part of the town, and the business.” said Murray. “But in the end, her and Datak have been through too much, and are too entwined emotionally, to ever leave each other.”

Season two, which skipped forward nine months from the season one finale, has certainly shaken up the show, adding new characters and unraveling the lives of others.

“Amanda is really going through a lot.” said Benz, now a brunette, in keeping with her character’s darkening story line. “Losing Kenya and the mayorship was a big blow. She’s using drugs, there’s the whole device implanted in the brain issue. She’s gone a lot darker and has a lot of issues she has to deal with.”

Amanda Rosewater isn’t the only character dealing with dramatically changed circumstances.

“We definitely shook up the world of Defiance as much as we could.” said Murphy. “And for season three, it’s going to be even more of an upset.”

Defiance still has not been confirmed for a third season as of yet, however Murphy has said it will cover the Pale Wars and what happened to each person during that time.

Check out the Comic Con exclusive season two trailer here and let us know what you think in the comments!

SDCC 2014: “The Last Ship” on the Navy, Michael Bay and the Apocalypse

by S.J. Borger

TNT’s new hit drama, The Last Ship, was at Comic Con to talk about the show, what to expect in the last half of season one, and where the show will go in the just announced 13-episode season 2.

Geekscape had a chance to speak with the cast and creators of the Micheal Bay produced virus-killing-the-world-apocalyptic series. With us were executive producers Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane, and cast members Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), Adam Baldwin (Firefly),  Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans), Charles Parnell (Fringe), and Travis Van Winkle (Happy Endings).

Ship press room
(l-r) Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle and Adam Baldwin at The Last Ship’s press room at SDCC.

Loosely based on the book of the same name by William Brinkley (or, as Dane said “we share a name and a title, and that’s about it”), The Last Ship follows Captain Tom Chandler (Dane) as the captain of the U.S.S. Nathan James, Dr. Rachel Scott (Mitra), who may have the cure; XO Mike Slattery (Baldwin), who’s loyalty to Chandler is tested by the decisions the Captain must make; Lt. Danny Green, the leader of the Naval Mountain Warfare Unit; Lt. Kara Foster (Marissa Neitling, Leverage) a combat officer in the CIC; and Command Master Chief Russell Jeter (Parnell), who leads the ship’s enlisted men and woman as they struggle to find  a cure for a deadly virus that is decimating earth’s population.

“In this world, 100 people die every day. So we’ve got this ticking clock occurring in the show.” said Dane. “It’s apocalypse now. It’s still unfolding.”

Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra and Adam Baldwin in TNT's The Last Ship.

Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra and Adam Baldwin in TNT’s The Last Ship.

The show has a very close working relationship with the US Navy, including shooting the majority of shipboard scenes on actual in-use Navy vessels. In order to work with the Navy’s schedule, show creators had to write the entire first season so that almost all shipboard scenes could be shot during a tight three-week window provided by the Navy.

“It was a little insane. We had no idea what we were doing, or where it fell into the season as a whole sometimes.” said Baldwin with a laugh. “We’d go from episode 3, scene 4, to episode 9, scene 8. It could get a little confusing. But being able to work on the actual ship, was incredible.”

In addition to shooting on Navy ships, the show has US Navy advisers both in the writer’s room and on set, and a number of the extras in the show are actual Navy personnel. To thank the Navy for all of their support, the cast and crew flew out to Washington D.C. for a special premiere of the pilot for the US Navy early this summer.

“Some times, they had a completely different reaction then non-military audiences.” said Van Winkle. “In the scene where I kiss Kara, most audiences were like, ‘whatever,’ but the Navy guys just blew up. ‘Cause they knew what a big deal it was.”

Kane elaborated: “I think the best moment I had so far was when we were in Washington D.C., and young Navy woman came over to me, and thanked me–and the show–for the moment with Christina’s character, [LTJG Granderson], for showing a same-sex relationship in the Navy with such honesty, and for having that in the show.”

(l-r) Travis Van Winkle, Adam Baldwin, Eric Dane and Christina Elmore on TNT’s “The Last Ship.”

As for what fans can expect in the rest of season one and going into season two?

“Slattery and Chandler definitely are going to continue to have some issues.” said Baldwin. “It’s the nature of the situation and the XO and CO relationship.”

“I think fans are going to be absolutely shocked by how season one ends.” said Steinberg. “Season two is going to build but also take us in some different directions.”

“Episode nine is the big musical episode.” said Van Winkle.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get anyone else to confirm this.

Watch the Comic Con exclusive trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments!

SDCC 2014: Konami Tips The Scales With ‘YuGiOh’ And Pendulum Summoning

by Josh Jackson

At Comic Con, Konami’s booth was a giant celebration of all things YuGiOh. Everywhere you looked, all of the best cards, characters, and even a con exclusive Kaiba themed play mat were on display for new and old players to see. But the main focus wasn’t on the past, but on the future of the game, starting with the newest game mechanic, Pendulum Summoning.

Debuting with YuGiOh: Arc-V, the new anime series that saw its debut back in April, the 2014 starter deck was the first chance that North Americans got to try out the new monster type. Having only been released recently, the card game experts at the booth had numerous tables set up for the demonstrations as to how these monster turned spell cards have the potential to completely change the way the game is played.

The most immediately noticeable change is the color of the card. With its orange top half and its green bottom, color schemes that are typically reserved for effect monsters and spell cards respectively, this visual difference further illustrates the hybrid nature of these new cards. Featuring attack, defense and spell effects, duelists have the choice of playing them like normal monsters, or using them in one of the two new Pendulum Zones. While placed on these spaces, players can use its spell effect once per turn until the card is destroyed. Essentially becoming a Continuous Spell Card, it avoids many of the counters that are designed to stop these effects , since the new cards aren’t classified as any existing spell. Not only that, but when they do get destroyed by an attack or monster effect, they go face up on top of your Extra Deck, keeping them out of the graveyard. Why does it matter? That’s where their real power comes in.

Pendulum Monsters each have a value that can differ depending on which one of the two zones they’re placed on. Now, once one monster is placed on each side, their respective values come into play, potentially allowing a Pendulum Summon. What that means is that any Pendulum Monster that is between the levels of the two cards’ values can be special summoned to the field from your hand or Extra Deck on that turn. For example, if one monster has a scale value of one and the other is six, you can potentially fill your field with level two through five beasts, all while the potential spell effects of the two monsters on the scales can still be used. The best part? Each summon is a standalone move, so to my understanding, cards like Solemn Judgment, which negates the activation of a card before destroying it, would only affect one summon. The rest are free to win you the game.

Of course, this is with the best case scenario in mind. While the mechanic is still in its infancy, if Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning are any indication, then it’s safe to say that this new generation will add tons of support cards that will make us forget that these other summon types ever existed. But until then, the future looks exciting for the next stage in the popular card game’s evolution.

We hope to have some more detailed, hands on impressions with Pendulum Monsters, including a full breakdown of the Starter Deck, in the near future. Until then, stick with Geekscape.net for the rest of your Comic Con news!

Eon’s Elite Reintroduce The Best Of ‘Skylanders’ To ‘Trap Team’

by Josh Jackson

San Diego Comic Con played host to the latest Skylanders panel, featuring new details on the upcoming Trap Team. A questions that’s been asked since E3 is, if Trap Team won’t have any new Lightcore figures, (variants that would light up and feature different poses), but is planning to release about 50 new figures, how will they fill up that huge number? Will, it looks like we might have got our answer, thanks to Eon’s Elite.

Essentially reprints of select characters from the original game, Spyro’s Adventure, complete with the same poses as the figures that started it all, Eon’s Elite will consist of eight figures, each designed with metallic paint, a gold base, and a 3D background, which looks a lot like a themed screen behind the character. This premium line is likely to add even more incentive for collectors and gamers alike to open their wallets. Gotta buy ‘me all!

When in game, these variants will earn upgraded and grow three times as fast as regular characters, making them easier to level up again if you already maxed out the standard versions. Or you could just take advantage of the boosts they offer and plow through the enemies of Skylands! While Spyro and Chop Chop are the only two revealed so far, it’s almost a sure thing that fan favorites like Stealth Elf and Cynder will make the cut.

Love it or hate it, Skylanders continues to find ways to entice the kids, (and the kids at heart), to want to keep on collecting. But with current figures ranging between $9.99 and $15.99 at retail, even at the low end, a full Trap Team set will cost $500 on top of the game. Between this, Amiibos, and Disney Infinity 2.0 appealing to the Marvel fan in us, this is shaping up to be a very expensive holiday season.

Does anyone else plan in picking these up? While you mull that over, check out our E3 impressions of the game here, then check back for our first look at some of the new Trap Master characters that were on display.

‘Disney Infinity 2.0’ Gets Evil With Its Villains Pack!

by Josh Jackson

In the latest of many trailers for the upcoming game, (including the Guardians of the Galaxy and Gravity Falls Power Disc reveals), Loki, Ronan The Accuser and Green Goblin have been revealed as the latest playable characters coming to Disney Infinity 2.0.

Using Loki’s magic, Ronan’s superior combat skills and Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs will now be possible in the game’s Toy Box mode, showing that heroes aren’t the only ones who get the spotlight. While it’s assumed that each character will be usable in their respective Play Sets as well, don’t expect Green Goblin to show up in Knowhere, or Loki invading Ultimate Spidey’s universe. As mentioned in the past, only certain heroes will be able to cross sets after certain collectables are retrieved, but at least we’ll get the chance to wreck havoc on the world. Just not all of it.

This should come as no surprise to fans of the first game, considering a villains pack consisting of Davy Jones, Randy and Syndrome was released when the game released. However, they were implemented a little sloppily, allowing Syndrome to fight himself during story missions with no mention of how it’s even possible. Hopefully, there will be some kind of recognition of this improbable scenario when the bad guys are plugged in. The small touches go a long way.

Are the villains coming home with you when the inevitable triple pack releases, or are the many figures already on the way too much off your wallet to take without them? Disney Infinity 2.0 will release as a standalone title, a Disney starter pack, a Marvel starter pack and a Playstation exclusive collectors edition on September 23rd.

SDCC 2014: Here’s A Five Minute Sneak Peak Of The Upcoming ‘Simpsons’ And ‘Family Guy’ Crossover Special!

by Josh Jackson

In the next few months, the much hyped Simpsons and Family Guy crossover will be unleashed on the world. To hold fans over, the crowd at Comic Con was treated to a five minute clip of what we can expect from this animated sitcom mash up. Weren’t at Comic Con? Well, since then, the clip had been all over YouTube for the public’s viewing pleasures. The results? Well… See for yourself!

http://youtu.be/-7YzXMzZ1bU

As expected, there were laughs to be had, but the clip felt a little hit or miss for me, While there were some definite laugh out loud moments, (Ralph in the school bus, the Bob’s Burgers cameo and the jab at The Cleveland Show amongst them), hearing a rape joke in Springfield was just too jarring for me. It may fit Family Guy‘s style of shock humor, but it doesn’t fit with Bart in the scene. Oh, and by the way, is anyone else over the chicken fights? Even with Homer being involved?

Will the special live up to the expectations it’s set through about a year of hype? What did you think of the clip? The special is scheduled for September 28th.

SDCC 2014: Could ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’ Be The Xbox One’s Best Game?

by jake108

It’s been over a decade since the first Halo title released onto the original Xbox entertainment system. Since then, gamers have enjoyed multiple Halo titles and multiplayer experiences. Perhaps the most popular experience was, and has always been, Halo 2.  So when 343i announced there would be an anniversary edition of Halo 2, the hearts of gamers were filled. However, 343i wasn’t done. Halo: The Master Chief Collection will feature Halo’s 1-4, in HD, and each with their own respective multiplayer experiences.

halomcc5

So, four games, one disc, one experience. Where do you even start? Well, from the beginning, it has been 343i’s goal to create a unified Halo experience. This will include a new user interface menu system in which gamers new and old will have little trouble accessing their favorite title and mission. From the start, each Halo will have all story missions unlocked, allowing gamers to go straight to their favorite mission in any game.

halomcc

Furthermore, gamers will be able to launch playlists that deal with campaign missions, as well as the standard multiplayer gametype. This means that you and I will be able to enter a playlist that includes missions that deal with heavy vehicles and weapons that span across all four titles. Maybe you want to just play the Arbiter’s missions straight through the end of the game. There’s a playlist for that. Speaking of the Arbiter, 343i has also put terminals into Halo 2′s campaign. The terminals will feature a side story from the Arbiter’s point of view.

halomcc1

As far as multiplayer goes, gamers will be able to vote on which Halo map they want to play on, each representing their respective experiences. If you should just want to play Halo 2 multiplayer matches, a playlist will be there. The collection will feature over 100 maps, and even include all PC maps that console gamers never saw. All mutliplayer matches will also be hosted on dedicated servers.

halomcc4

Perhaps the most stunning piece of news coming out of this collection are the new cutscenes designed by Blur studios. Blur, the same studio who was behind the Halo Wars cutscenes, has done an excellent job at recreating cutscenes from Halo 2.

Last, but not least, the collection will also feature Halo: Nightfall, a new series from Executive Producer Ridley Scott.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be released November 11th on the Xbox One!

SDCC 2014: ‘Forza Horizon 2’s Cars And Culture Are Breathtaking!

by jake108

The Xbox One is steadily increasing its gaming library. One of the most stellar games to come out of E3 2014 and SDCC 14 is Forza Horizon 2. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Froza? Stellar? Didn’t they have a release last year?” Let me be the first to tell you that Forza Horizon 2 is the racing game for you and I.

forza5

Stemming from concepts and attributes from the first iteration, Forza Horizon 2 sets itself apart from competitors, and even the standard Forza series, by focusing on car culture rather than racing. For starters, Forza Horizon 2 seems to want to appeal to both sides of the car-lovers’ spectrum. For me, someone who only has a slight interest in cars, was dazzled by the amount of customization, freedom, beauty, and connection Forza Horizon 2 provides.

forza4

The game’s environment is inspired by European towns and villas, which is yours to explore. The accessible map in the game is three times larger than the original Forza Horizon. Players will be able to take their cars and participate in races, community events, and car showcases. There will also be up to 200 cars in the game, each coming from different makes and models. You can expect everything from off-roading vehicles to classic American muscle cars. The game will also feature 700 events that total to around 100 hours of playtime, and trust me, there’ll be lots of playtime.

forza3

Graphically, Forza Horizon 2 has decided to focus on light and the way light interacts with the environment and cars that fill the world. Presented in 1080p, Forza Horizon 2 looked stunning. This iteration is also the first to feature rain and dynamic skies that will change as you play. It only adds to an experience that seems to be soon filled with life. Gamers will be able to create 1000-member car clubs, host car meets, and compete against other clubs. Players will also be able to level up by driving skillfully. This means near-misses, drifting, etc. From there, drivers will be able to spend skill points on whatever they see fit.

Drivatars make a comeback and will function in a very similar fashion as they did in last year’s Forza iteration.

Look for Forza Horizon 2 this September 30th on the Xbox One and Xbox 360!

http://youtu.be/AX7r61fyltc

SDCC 2014: ‘Escape Dead Island’ Steals The Show!

by jake108

One of my favorite titles out of SDCC was Escape Dead Island. This wasn’t my favorite necessarily because of graphic capability or even gameplay. Escape Dead Island features something that video games today sometimes forget about: Story.

To start, Escape Dead Island takes place six months after the initial events we’re all aware of. The island has been quarantined by the government, sparking a a plethora of conspiracy theories and discussions around the world. The game will feature new characters and a new protagonist, named Cliff. To say Cliff has daddy issues would be putting it lightly. In order to prove to his father he is worthy of inheriting the family company and money, Cliff takes a couple of friends out to sea to expose what the government is hiding on the original island. Luck would have it that Cliff and friends land on a neighboring island that also happens to be the source of the outbreak.

escapedead

The majority of the demo I played took me through essential tools, stealth, and gameplay mechanics. In all, I probably spent about 15-20 minutes adjusting to the controls and the way the game is played. More on that later. After a series of weird occurrences, such as phones ringing in an abandoned factory as well as large shipping containers falling from the sky, the protagonist then wakes up where the story started, only to realize everything that was shown up to this point was a sort of dream.

The twist was great and reminiscent of LOST. After, I had a chance to ask whether or not this style of storytelling would continue, only to find out that these dreams and disorientation become much worse for poor Cliff.

escpaedeadisland3

As far as the gameplay goes, stealth is used much more than the other titles. The zombies in the game are attracted to noise, which forces the player to crouch around objects, create distractions, and move quickly form cover to cover. Some weapons and zombies make a return to this title, but they will not necessarily be back in the same capacity that we all know. There will also be new zombies unique to the game. Each gadget and weapon will feature upgrades that will allow Cliff to be more proficient down the line.

http://youtu.be/0vdi69wEAuM

Escape Dead Island is set to release this fall on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows!

SDCC 2014: Our First Impressions On Square-Enix’s Free-To-Play ‘Nosgoth’!

by jake108

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I had a chance to sit down and play a little game called Nosgoth. To put it simply, the game pits humans and vampires against each other in a player vs. player environment. Coming out of Square Enix, Nosgoth is a planned free-to-play title that is currently in beta. We also took a look at it back at E3, and we’re happy to say that the game is coming together nicely.

nosgoth2

Now, like every game that pits _____ vs. _____, replayability and repetition becomes an issue. From the few rounds I played, I found each session to be far different from the last. Part of the reasoning behind this are the abilities that are incorporated into the game. Some of the abilities include the standard grenade toss and such, but a limitation on said abilities employs a sense of strategy.

The art style and different player models also help Nosgoth create its own image. There are a variety of classes that players can choose from. Unfortunately for me, playing with a band of randoms did not make for great team strategy. Still, the door is open for team communication and domination.

nosgoth3

While I was only able to play one map, the session made a lasting impression, part of the reason being that in each of the rounds, there was not one set meeting place between each team in which combat would ensue. For players that yearn for team-based combat, this should come as refreshing news. Perhaps the most telling aspect of this game are how weapons and upgrades work. In fact, there are no upgrades, but rather “side-grades.” This decision was made in an effort to create a fair free-to-play environment. The same goes for weapons. No one weapon is better than the other!

Nosgoth is free to play now, and from my first impressions, I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

SDCC 2014: 20th Century Fox Shows Off ‘The Maze Runner’, ‘The Book Of Life’, ‘Agent 47’, And More!

by pandazack

Hey guys, Zack here! I decided to do some writing this Con so I am here to tell you all about the 20th Century Fox Panel. On Friday, Hall H had no line, so I was able to get right in to this particular panel. Which in my oppinion, was a total sleeper hit. All of the movies are ones that we know about already. There wasn’t any lame/headscratching King Kong remakes to be had here. Just kick ass footage. The panel started with an introduction from moderator Ralph Garman.

The Maze Runner

The first clip opens with the booming sound of gears clanking and whirling. The image of a stream of light can be seen. We then realize that we are on a lift being pulled up. Thomas (Dylan O Brien) lunges up into frame, gagging and wheezing. He realizes he is in a lift shooting upwards. As he gets to the top, light can be seen, the music intensifies and so did my pulse. This was an amazing way to open and we get a chance to witness this jarring moment with our protagonist as he ends up in this giant field called The Glade with a bunch of kids called Runners. My wife read these Maze Runner books by James Dashner last year. She says the Maze Runner is the best of all of them even though they are typical “YA books”. This opening scene really had me going guys. They showed a trailer and another clip but I was already sold. Director Wes Ball also showed some concept art for a future film in the franchise if it takes off. I really hope it does. The cast was comprised of mostly young actors I didnt know. Except for Kaya Scodelario (Effie from the BBC show Skins). Here’s the trailer:

The Book of Life

Let it be known, I have been excited about this film since the first trailer debuted earlier this year. I love anything Guillermo Del Toro produces in any capacity. So the fact that he speaks so highly of this film, actually means something. He isn’t like your typical exec producer who says “This movie is great” and runs away with a bag of money like a thief in the night. Every word that comes from Guillermo drips with love and a sort of fan boy nature that is addicting.

My personal hero.
My personal hero.

Garman glowingly introduced the panel to a ravenous Hall H. Director Jorge Gutierrez, producer Guillermo del Toro, Christina Applegate, Ron Pearlman and Channing Tatum. The panel had a few things to say about the making of the film before we were treated to some amazing footage.

Everyone loves this dude. Probably because he's super charming/hillarious
Everyone loves this dude. Probably because he’s super charming/hillarious

The first clip focuses on Manollo (Diego Luna) our mariachi protagonist. He stands in the middle of a bullfighting ring with his guitar. The music he plays is something beautiful and melancholy. He then proceeds to serenade his love Maria (Zoe Saldana) with the song Creep by Radiohead. This clip is so gut-wrenching and sweet at the same time that I literally had chills. They next showed a new trailer showing some new footage. All of it looked breathtaking.

After the footage was shown, director Jorge Gutierez said that being from Tijuana, popular music in America found it’s way down to him and he embraced it openly. As those words left his mouth, a music contributor to the film came out on the stage. And this contributor was none other than Biz mother flippin Markie. He was met with immediate cheers from Hall H as he belted out “Just a Friend” with the help of Channing Tatum. A moment that will forever be in my mind.  Forever for it’s pure awesome-ness.  After that, Ralph Garman opened up questions to the floor.

There were two standout moments from the Q&A portion of this presentation. The first was from a teenager who asked a question to Channing how it feels to be in a role that isn’t for his good looks or muscles. The second was Jorge’s answer regarding why he wanted to make a movie about Dia De Los Muertos. He responded by saying Day of the Dead has always been his favorite holiday. He even got married on Dia de Los Muertos because his best friend had passed away and he wanted him to still be his best man. That literally made me cry. I am tearing up as I’m writing this. Jorge seems like an exteremely passionate filmmaker and it shows in all the loving details of this film. No wonder Guillermo loves him so much.

http://youtu.be/NBw5YScs8iQ

Agent 47

After The Book of Life, we were treated to the trailer debut of the new Hitman film staring Rupert Friend (Homeland). Rupert was away shooting that film and wasn’t able to make it but he did manage to send a nice little recorded message. The footage opens with Agent 47 in an interrogation room. A man stands on the otherside of the table with a loaded sniper rifle pointed right at our Agent. 47 explains how he’s basically totally ok with this scenario. He then kicks the table up which pulls the guns trigger and he in a bad ass slo mo kind of way uses the bullet to shoot off his hand cuffs. We then cut to beautiful locations like Singapore and Berlin. A large scale car chase goes down. S.W.A.T. team looking guys all in black harpoon Agent 47’s car from all directions and zip line in as he starts to take them out one by one. This was probably my favorite scene from the trailer. There was a lot of kick ass stuff and Zachary Quinto so you can sign me up for this one. Also, bravo to the filmmakers of this one for having the balls to shoot in such beautiful lush places that normally don’t get play on film.  Once Agent 47 was over, “Lets Be Cops” took the stage.

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Zachary Quinto in the house!

Lets Be Cops

This movie looks hilarious. The panel had Rob Rigel, Keegan-Michael Key, Nina Dobrev, and Daman Wayans Jr. Jake Johnson wasn’t able to make it due to shooting Jurassic World, but he had filmed a hilarious video for Hall H. The footage was mostly stuff you’ve seen in the trailer with a few extra curse words. However, it was all brilliant comedy. They also showed a scene of Wayans Jr. and Johnson’s fake cops meeting the valiant straight laced cop played by Rigel. In the clip, they respond to a break in at an Ace Hardware. The fake cops have fake guns and they even make fake gun cocking noises as they are next to their actual cop brethren. I don’t want to give the rest of the scene away, but lets just say it involves a large naked human. That’s all. It was refreshing to see Rigel play a non douche bag character, as he’s such a charismatic actor and I love that he is finally playing against type. Suffice it to say, I am seeing this movie opening day. It looks like it has a great blend of action and comedy.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

This panel was moderated by Mark Millar (why did we have to lose Garman?) He opened with how special Hall H to him because of how popular Kick-Ass became after it debuted there years ago. He explained how director Matthew Vaughn was in the hospital and couldn’t make it, but Vaughn recorded a special message for the audience. It opened with Vaughn in a Kick-Ass mask talking about how special it is that his new movie is in Hall H and that he got the chance to work with one of his heroes. The particular hero he was referring to was actually standing right next to him as the camera panned over to show Mark Hamill in a Hit Girl wig. Hamill had his Jedi beard going and mentioned that he had it for a “little space opera art house film you’ve never heard of”. Once they were done introducing the film, we were introduced to the world of the Kingsman.

I'd like to introduce to you my man crush, Colin Firth.
I’d like to introduce to you my man crush, Colin Firth.

The opening scene takes place in a snowy mountaintop cabin inhabited by several armed guards and a man tied to a chair. It’s revealed that this man is Mark Hamill, playing basically a Brittish doctor of some kind in his Joker voice (better than it sounds). As these dudes are interogating Hamill, they are interupted by a knock at the door. Then we are treated to a bevy of awesome gun fights and fisticuffs as the knock at the door belongs to a secret agent (very James Bond esque). This guy manages to kill every one and is about to untie Hamill when another knock at the door can be heard. The secret agent goes towards the door and is sliced in half by a girl with sword legs (completely crazy). She hastily covers up all of the dead bodies and opens the door for Sam F’in Jackson. If you’ve seen any of the trailers for this film, you know Jackson was a strange lisp thing going on. I feel like it really works well in this scene so I am excited to see how it works in the film.

We also got another scene of Colin Firth and his protege talking in a pub. They are rudely interupted by some hooligan dudes who Colin Firth kicks the shit out of using only his hands and a very tactical umbrella. I really want you to see the movie so I won’t spoil exactly how this marvelous fight goes. I will say that some of the music cues were super cheesy. I hope it’s just temp score because it takes away from the performances.

The thing I loved about the footage is that this is an old school kind of spy movie. Like a bat shit crazy Connery James Bond with some Brittish Avengers in there for good measure. If you have enjoyed any other Vaughn’s other films, I’m sure this one won’t dissapoint.

Sure this wasn’t a Saturday Hall H panel with all sorts of surprises. It was just a really amazing panel full of great moments. No punches were pulled during this one folks. If I were you, I would be on the look out for all of these films.

So what do you think? Are you excited for any of these ones?

SDCC 2014: Geekscape Interviews The Cast And Crew Of ‘Vikings’

by Shane O'Hare

The wonderful world of Comic Con has just passed us by, but the effects from the convention will stay with us forever.

One of the huge presences at this years SDCC was History Channels Vikings. An amazing combination of Drama and History. Season 3 is already started principle filming and what we learned at the press roundtable really makes us excited.

First up was Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and Rollo (Clive Standen)

Ragnar and Rollo!

What can we expect from Season 3?

Travis: Paris is a huge part in the upcoming season, we’ve done the England thing, setting up the farm. Ragnar wants to get back to raiding.

Is there anything specific that you are excited about in the new season?

Travis: I’m glad a lot of the family stuff is out of the way, he was all about exploring and got caught up in the family stuff back home. Now he gets to get back to what he loves to do.

Are you surprised by the reaction from the fans? And have the writers written anything for you that has totally shocked you?

Travis: Yeah surprised I guess, but we have a great team at the helm so I guess it’s no surprised the show does pretty well. We haven’t read the last four scripts, so we don’t have any idea whats going to happen in Paris. I’m surprised I haven’t been killed yet.

Clive: We’ve seen some of the concept art, they’re still building Paris, its incredible.  It’s so different from what we’ve seen before and its impressive. Paris is all about the architecture, the castles and structures are impenetrable but Ragnar and his team have managed to get inside. So we get to tell the story of the first raid on Paris. We’ve done our research on it, but Michael hasn’t really told us what to expect.

Has the relationship between you two squared away and will be actually be able to see you together more.

Travis: Yeah we’re together more, but once again the women cause us grief.

Clive: I think what draws us together, and a mutual respect, is that Pagan Christianity thing. There is unrest in the camp with some people not liking the Christians being involved in anything and keeping our Pagan ways. And I think the brothers being brought up the same way, so they have the same beliefs, they have that as a common interest and I think Rollo finds a way of having the Brother’s back. He doesn’t have to share that much with words and they can read eachothers minds.

Travis: And like I said, we go back to the raiding this year more so than all the drama. We’ll be back together on the boat.

When you are on the boat, are you actually on the ocean?

Travis: Yes, and no. We’re on a lot of lakes and in the sea and rivers. Have we shot in the ocean this year?

Clive: No, we filmed on a lake, but we get up on the Irish sea to when we need to get that great landscape behind us. But obviously a lot of raiding is down estuary so we can narrow it down. We haven’t had to break out the gimbal, its a big hydraulic boat that goes up and down like a ride, but we haven’t had to get it out from the garage yet.

Audiences of today, most people would have no idea of the concept of “roughing it”, but there is something about stories like yours where you exist in a world where everything is a struggle.

Travis:  I think the appeal is the relationships, the same kinds of relationships go on between people. Yeah it is a struggle, its such a different life, we’re all used to this life. Its intriguing to people, a kind of escapism.

Clive: Ragnar has a line at the beginning of season 1 where he says “All things begin and end with stories”, and thats what I love about our show. It really is going back to the basic of storytelling, not just in a drama TV series, but actually the vikings are telling stories. There is no television, there is no Facebook, there is no way of sharing than sitting be the fire and telling stories. The first time something it was told it was a story about a snake, but seven generations down the line its a story about a giant serpent that bites it tail and wraps itself around the world. That fascinates me, the Chinese whispers of things, the hearsay and how legends are created.

What is it like going home after living in the world of The Vikings, and going back into the world of The Vikings.

Travis: I’ve got a pretty good groove going. We’ve got a great crew. It’s the same crew so nothing changes, we’re all really close and the sets are always there.

Clive: Well I’ve got three children to go home too, so I have to somehow leave Rollo at the door. I got into acting to draw attention away from myself, instead of drawing it towards myself. Rollo gives me that perfect chance to do that. I look in my mirror and I don’t recognize myself, its nice to remove all the war paint at the end of the day and step back into the role of Clive at the end of the day.

Travis, when you sat down Alex gave you a little water over the head. Is that retaliation to something you did?

Travis: Hahah, that’s just bad parenting on my part. I’ll get him back, I just thought that was really rude. ALEX! That was really rude!  I’ve got a good practical joke coming up. I’ll get him back.

Are you guys involved in the creative process at all? As your characters develop do you ever think “He’d act a certain way in this situation or wouldn’t really act this way”.

Travis: No, not really. Michael writes so well, and he’s seen how we act in scenes and really picks up on it, and writes the characters in a certain way. He’s a very talented man.

Clive: Well its a really funny thing. You get some actors that say “My character wouldn’t do that”, and thats bullshit. The writers told you have to do that, and you have to find a way to do that. There is always a way, and that keeps you on your toes as an actor. In a long running series where you don’t see the scripts right away you have to be able to react.

Next we sat down with Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) and Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha)

Lagertha and Bjorn

Can you tell us what the water over Travis’s head meant?

Alex: I promise I’m not a total dick, you don’t understand. Thats just the relationship we have. Haha. I just realized it must be tough for you (Katheryn) with all of us.

So tell us about Season 3.

Katheryn: Season 3 is bigger and better than the last two. You’ve heard the rumors about Paris, and you will be seeing a lot of new characters coming on board. With the existing characters, their dynamic has changed. For example Lagertha and Bjorn’s relationship has changed, as Mother and Son. You will see every character have their own arcs, ups and downs, all within ten episodes. That is the genius of Michael Hirst’s writing.

How has your relationship changed with Ragnar, with the two wives?

Katheryn: Thats a good question. I think…it’s really hard for a husband to see his exwife come into power in her own right and not need her anymore. You’ll have to ask Travis, it has to be challenging. Do they still have that love for each other? Maybe. We do touch upon it in this Season. You’ll see Lagertha change, she’s now an Earl and her status brings a lot of new challenges and struggles. It’s really fun to play and it’s great to watch. She’s a free woman, she can do what she wants and be with who she wants.

Alex: Even her son!

Katheryn: Hahahah, this isn’t game of thrones!

Alex: Hahahah. Well as we were saying earlier, historically, and we really pride ourselves in be as historically accurate as possible. Which is tough, because there is little to go off, obviously some little things have to change. Bjorn, in this Season, you really see him become a man. Before it was a coming of age story, now he’s his own man. She shares the same respect with his Mother and Father now, and they share the same respect with him. They’re more companions if anything. In terms of the rivalry, back then, they were more like friends or like a brother. Close companions. Which is tough because Bjorn is going to want to have his own power soon.

Katheryn: And in history, Bjorn is more famous than Ragnar is.

Alex: Yeah! There is a lot of that being touched on, but at the same time he’s smart. He has a powerful Mother and Father and he is learning as much as possible from them.

You liking the new hair?

Alex: Yeah! I’m really loving it.

Katheryn: You’re rocking it! One of my favorite things is the transformation process when you come on set. When I come on set, we start with the hair. I get the braids and it takes about 30 minutes, and they are absolutely amazing in terms of telling a story. A lot of her personality is told through stuff like her hair.

Alex: Our makeup and wardrobe department is really amazing. I really hope they get recognized for their effort.

Katheryn: What is interesting about this show, compared to others, is there is no records of how the Vikings or the Scandinavians looked. We don’t really know how they looked, or how they spoke. So you have to, and I also really hope it gets recognized for the creative effort that goes into it. A lot of other shows have a reference of how everything looked. Like say a show from the 60’s, or say a fantasy show where they don’t have to conform to anything at all. It’s really fun to see how they bring it all out even down to everyday life.

Do you find yourself learning new things from episode to episode?

Katheryn: *Long phrase in another language*. That was old Norse, I just learned that. Hahahah, I loved it. It’s really challenging, but it’s so fun. We’ll be invading France soon so there will be other languages in there as well. Lagertha is really evolving as a character, you will really see her in a different light this Season. We only get the scripts from episode to episode so I am still dissecting it myself.

You say the characters have changed over the Seasons, especially from the writers points of view, how has your approach to expressing the characters have changed? 

Katheryn: It’s a TV show, we don’t have it all figured out. You can discover new sides of your characters personality. We only get two episodes (scripts) at a time, so I have no idea where Lagertha is going to go. Right now we’re shooting 5 and 6, so where she is going to end up in the finale? I don’t know. Which is amazing, cause in life you don’t know where the future will bring. You can see Lagertha is in a different place now. But because it is a TV show, you can explore different layers to the character, and have the freedom to do it for a longer story line. This doesn’t feel like a TV show, it feels like a movie. It’s not formulaic.

You’ve guys have been on really specific journey, and in a weird way the History Channel has been going on a new journey. How have they changed since the start of the show?

Alex: They took a big risk, and they put themselves out there and are really becoming a very credible channel. Before when you asked someone if they wanted to watch the History Channel they’d just be liked “What?!”. This is their first quote unquote “drama”, and I am blown away by how much they’ve put into this. The huge risk they took with it, and I am so proud to be apart of it.

Katheryn: Yeah, and I can’t say this show should be on any other network. If it was on another channel, it would probably be watered down, or prettied up, or too many cooks in the kitchen. They really trust the people they hired in Ireland. And, the Female viewers of the network have skyrocketed.

Alex: It goes to show that when you give your writer creative freedom and trust that they’ll do their job. So many other studios are riding the backs of the writers, and they don’t get the chance to do what they want to do.

Katheryn: What you may not know, is that Michael Hirst writes every episode by himself. He starts in November and writes everything by himself. He’s really comforting to know that your characters are in great hands.

Next up we sat down with the shows writer, Michael Hirst

Michael Hirst

Unfortunately, my recording from this interview didn’t turn out, so I can’t go into the same level of detail as I did with the others.

What Michael did put emphasis on was how important the attack on Paris would be, and having Ragnar start to settle outside Scandinavia. He said how important being historically accurate was to him as a Writer and he put a lot of effort to be as close as possible with the little source material they had. The pride he has for his show is incredible.

Final Thoughts

History is really coming strong with the third Season. They obviously have a great team working on the show and have consistently put out an amazing narrative. I cannot wait to see the show return 2015.

Photo Credit: Stanley Wong

SDCC 2014: There Is Going To Be A ‘Goosebumps’ Movie!

by Kari Lane

One of the panels I made sure to attend at Comic-Con was Sony Pictures Entertainment, simply because they were going to talk about the new Goosebumps movie. What?! A Goosebumps movie! I am so there! I have read almost every book in the series, loved them, and still have my original copies.

Goosebumps, if you are not aware, is a highly successful (over 400 million books sold worldwide) children’s book series by R.L. Stine that were published in the 90s. The stories feature young protagonists who encounter scary monsters/creatures/situations then have to use their wits and imagination to conquer their fears or overcome evil. The stories often feature a twist ending so you could say they are Twilight Zone horror stories for kids.

There was a television series based on the books that came out in the mid 90s that did pretty well, but personally, I did not care for it. Though the books have humor, I felt the series was cheesy but not in a good way. At first I was a little skeptical of the idea of a film, but after the panel, I am looking forward to watching it!

The panel started with a video introduction by R.L. Stine himself! Instead of the film being based on one particular book in the series, it focuses on the life of R.L. Stine (in a fictional way). The plot of the film, as explained by Rob Letterman, the film’s director, is “What if all of R.L. Stine’s creatures got loose?” Who could possibly play the part of the famous writer? Well, it is going to be none other than Jack Black.

Goosebumps3
A cartoon version of R.L. Stine with some of his monsters
 
 

They actually just finished filming two days before the panel and were able to show us a teaser trailer for the film (with only super basic FX). It looked really cool! It had action, humor, creepiness and the quality looked good. Following the trailer, Jack Black and Rob Letterman answered questions from the audience. Based on the questions, fans of Goosebumps are VERY attached to the series. One kid asked Jack Black if he has read all of the books in the series to which he replied that he had “read quite a few but not all.” Then Black joked that there are a lot of books in the series and to give him some time to finish them all. Black also commented on how he enjoys the series because as an adult they are a quick read.

goosebumps4
Jack Black talking about the film
 
 

Will this be a movie for kids? How scary did they make it? They did not “want to undercut the scares, so there will be some real tension and some humor”, said Letterman. Both Letterman and Black commented on how they have kids of their own and they wanted to make the film for kids and adults alike.

Goosebumps1
Reacting to a giant monster
 
 

Which stories will be represented in the film? Letterman said that they “…figured out the ones that were appropriate for the story they were telling.” Black and Letterman somewhat hinted at which monsters will be in the movie but they wanted to leave it a surprise. One person asked how many monsters are in film and it was funny that they could not recall exactly how many. Speaking of the monsters, some will be pure CGI, some are all makeup/practical FX and some are a hybrid of both.

Goosebump3
A funny moment in the teaser trailer where the monsters where told it was over and to go away
 
 

Letterman and Black both said Night of the Living Dummy was their favorite in the series and, at the end of the panel, Slappy himself came out on stage! It looks like Slappy is going to be a major villain in the film and apparently he is like R.L. Stine’s alter ego.  Slappy took over the panel by ushering in a bunch of monsters that dragged Jack Black away. It was a fitting ending for such a panel.

goosebumps5
Jack Black talking to Slappy
 
 
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Right before Jack Black was taken away by the monsters! There were so many of them that they covered the stage!
 
 
 
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Beware of Slappy!
 
 

Goosebumps the film is scheduled to come out August 5th, 2015, and I know I will be checking it out!

SDCC 2014: Watch The Insane First Trailer For ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’m not overly familiar with the Mad Max series, but after seeing the first trailer for next year’s Mad Max: Fury Road, that’s something that I need to change fast.

Though the film features an entirely new cast, and though the last Mad Max film came five years before I was born in 1985, Fury Road will not act as a complete reboot, and will instead be set following the events of 1981’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.

In the film, “Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.”

The trailer is gorgeous, action packed, and it instantly excited even a Mad Max virgin like myself. You can take a look at the near 3-minute trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Mad Max: Fury Road hits theatres on May 15, 2015!

“Mad Max: Fury Road”—the fourth in the franchise’s history—stars Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) in the title role, alongside Oscar winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “Prometheus”) as the Imperator, Furiosa. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Nux; Hugh Keays-Byrne (“Mad Max”, “Sleeping Beauty”) as Immortan Joe; and Nathan Jones (“Conan the Barbarian”) as Rictus Erectus. Collectively known as The Wives, Zoë Kravitz (“Divergent”) plays Toast, Riley Keough (“Magic Mike”) is Capable, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) is Splendid. They are joined by supermodel Abbey Lee as The Dag and Courtney Eaton as Fragile, both of whom are making heir big screen debuts. Also featured in the movie are Josh Helman as Slit, Jennifer Hagan as Miss Giddy, and singer/songwriter/performer iOTA as Coma-Doof Warrior. The cast is rounded out by well-known Australian actors John Howard and Richard Carter, supermodel Megan Gale, Angus Sampson, Joy Smithers, Gillian Jones, Melissa Jaffer and Melita Jurisic.

SDCC 2014: McFarlane Toys Annouces Building Sets; We’re Going To Go Broke!

by Derek Kraneveldt

I still remember my very first McFarlane Toy. I was a wee lad of maybe seven or eight years old, and once day my dad came home with an incredible Spawn figure that held more detail than any other figure I’d ever owned. I was a huge Spawn fan at the time (much to the dismay of my mother), and I can still recall staying up way too late watching the animated series with my father.

It took me some time to realize why this first figure wasn’t infinitely posable, but once I did, I set it in its base and marvelled at its intricacies and wondered how a figure like this could have been so perfectly pulled out of the comic book. Then a year or so later I received a Violator figure and it scared the hell out of me to the point where it had to be put away at night.

I can't wait to see stop-motion created with these.
I can’t wait to see stop-motion created with these.

I still have that Spawn figure displayed on my desk. That being said, I haven’t purchased anything resembling a toy in years, but later this year I’m afraid I’ll be going flat broke, both on Nintendo’s Amiibo’s (which I finally saw in person at SDCC), and then on the just-announced McFarlane Building Sets, which take the idea of a Lego style buildable, customizable playset, except that once it’s built, it no longer looks like a pile of bricks.

I had peeked a few images of the cool-looking building sets, but once I saw these The Walking Dead sets in person and had the awesome opportunity of listening to McFarlane passionately talking about the idea and how he came up with then, I knew that he had an absolute winner, and I knew that I’d be shelling out a lot of money on it.

Tower

As with all McFarlane Toys, the detail in each and every one of these pieces and hand-painted figures is impossible. On getting into the building toy business, Todd stated that “it’s the same reason why 20 years ago I got into the action figure business. They [toy companies] keep leaving gaps for guys like me, and the gap here is art. They’ve got the functionality down, but 20 years ago when I walked down that aisle, I asked a simple question and it was why can’t they just look cooler? That started my company. Just I don’t understand why that can’t look cooler. It’s just plastic, it doesn’t have any intelligence, it’ll go into whatever shape you put it in. Why they choose to not put it into realistic and highly detailed shapes? I don’t know, go ask them after we finish this conversation. We’ve won a lot of awards for our realistic sports figures, and the question that you guys from the media keep asking me is “Todd, how do you keep making your sports figures so realistic” but that’s the wrong question. The question should be “how for 40 years could they not?”

That was a mind-blowing, and incredibly powerful thing to hear. Just about as mind-blowing as these figures, which when assembled, look phenomenal and not-at-all like they came out of a building block set.

Chopper 

As mentioned, the McFarlane Building Sets will begin with products based on AMC’s The Walking Dead, though McFarlane said that they are actively exploring other IP’s as well. The first sets will launch this Fall, and be a Toys R’ Us exclusive until 2015, after which the floodgates will open and they’ll go international too.

I cannot wait to get my hands on all of these.

Floor

Walkers

A little blurry, but what a nice guy!
A little blurry, but what a nice guy!

USA Brings “Dig” to SDCC

by S.J. Borger

Dig, the new USA series from Tim Kring (Heroes) and Gideon Raff (Homeland), investigates a mystery surrounding an archaeologist that has its roots in a conspiracy dating back 2000 years. The cast and showrunners will be at SDCC to discuss the show, offering sneak peeks and details as what we can expect when the show premieres in the Fall.

USA Network's DIG

The panel will be on Thursday, July 24th, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Indigo Ballroom, and will feature  Alison Sudol (Emma),  Kring (creator and executive producer), Carol Barbee (DIG writer) and SJ Clarkson (DIG pilot director). Other possible attendees are Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Anne Heche (Hung), Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and executive producer Raff.

Dig follows Isaacs as FBI Agent Peter Connolly, who is stationed in Jerusalem and begins investigating the mystery around Emma (Sudol) and probably running up against stonewalling bureaucrats, impatient bosses and international intrigue. Heche plays Lynn Monahan, head of the Jerusalem FBI Office. The trailer looks pretty intriguing.

http://youtu.be/EunzMGCBY8A

Let us know what you think about the new show in the comments!

 

SDCC 2014: The ‘Adventure Time ConQuest’ Returns To San Diego!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: This was a very cool event that I learned about far too late last year, so I’m really looking forward to earning my medal this time around!

Cart0on Network is bringing the Adventure Time ConQuest back to San Diego for its third year in a row, and this year Lumpy Space Princess enlists Con-goers’ help to find a perfect date in exchange for a collectible OMG medallion!

Last year, the event was essentially a scavenger hunt that took fans all over the place, so I’d expect something similar this time around. Here are all the details:

Lumpy Space Princess is on the verge of a dating disaster, and it’s up to Comic-Con 2014 attendees to help her avoid it! Cartoon Network Enterprises, the licensing and merchandising arm of the television network, today unveiled plans for the 2014Adventure Time ConQuest, which will take place during Comic-Con® International: San Diego. 2014 marks the third consecutive year that the network has held the ConQuest experience for Adventure Time fans, which has become a fan-favorite activity that leads fans throughout the convention to check out the latest licensed products based on the brand. This year’s epic quest will once again dole out secret text-messaged clues to participants that will guide them on their journey across the convention floor in an attempt to find a suitable bachelor for Lumpy Space Princess to take to the Princess Day Ball.

 

To participate in the Adventure Time ConQuest, fans must visit any of the 11 participating partner booths and locations listed below or head to the Cartoon Network booth (#3735) and look for signage to begin their journey. Along the way, they’ll also receive incentives, premiums and rebates for some of their favorite Adventure Time products featured throughout the con. The following is an alphabetical list of participating partners in this year’s ConQuest:

 

§  Abrams (Booth #1216) will have copies of its New York Times Best-Selling book Adventure Time Encyclopaedia, as well as its recently-released Adventure Time: A Totally Math Poster Collection with 25 copies signed by illustrator Tony Millionaire, plus calendars. Fans can also catch a sneak peek of the upcoming Adventure Time: Art of Ooo, available this October. ConQuesters will receive an additional 20% discount on the poster book, and anyone who purchases anyAdventure Time merchandise will receive a free 2015 Adventure Time mini-calendar, while supplies last.

 

§  BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM! (Booth #2229) will feature the latest issues of its top-selling Adventure Time comic book series and related mini-series, highlighted by the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover of the mathematical collection of “Marceline and the Scream Queens” and the recently-launched “Adventure Time: Banana Guard Academy” written byAdventure Time writer Kent Osborne.

 

§  Entertainment Earth (Booth #2343) will highlight its BMO Tin Tote Gift Set Convention Exclusive that includes a colorful metal tin tote, 10-ounce insulated stainless steel container and mini journal inside the tote that will take you away to the Land of Ooo.

 

§  Huckleberry (Booth #3449) will showcase and sell its adorable BMO Chara-Cover phone case at its booth, with ConQuest participants receiving 10% off the purchase of the case.

 

§  Jazwares (Toynk Booth #3551) will feature its Adventure Time toy line and highlight the 12” BMO plush Convention Exclusive at the Toynk booth.

 

§  Little Orbit (The New Children’s Museum) will offer fans a chance to play its upcoming Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom video game for the very first time before its release this fall on Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft X360, Nintendo 3DS, and PC Steam. Additionally, The New Children’s Museum location will be the terminal stop on the ConQuest and fans who finish the quest will redeem their OMG medallion there. Just look for the giant inflatable Finn head!

 

§  Mimoco (Booth #5245) will feature its full line of popular Adventure Time x MIMOBOT USB flash drives, including Finn, Jake, and new BMO. ConQuesters can get 10% off their Adventure Time MIMOBOT purchase instantly!

 

§  Penguin Group (Booth #4612) will showcase its line of MAD LIBS®, activity books, journals and much more based onAdventure Time, and will be giving away free buttons exclusively to ConQuest participants! Plus, anyone who purchases any three MAD LIBS® products will get a free Adventure Time/MAD LIBS® tote bag!

 

§  Rubie’s Costume Company (Booth #3649), maker of Adventure Time costumes and select accessories, will feature its one-size-fits-all Finn hat at its booth, and ConQuest participants can pick it up for a cool 40% off the purchase price.

 

§  USAopoly (Booth #1017), maker of the hit MONOPOLY®: Adventure Time™ Collector’s Edition andMemory Challenge: Adventure Time Edition, will preview its all-new Munchkin® Adventure Time, which will launch this August, and ConQuest participants can pick up a free Munchkin® Adventure Time game card at the booth!

 

§  WeLoveFine (Booth #5647) will offer up a wide assortment of its fan-favorite Adventure Time apparel, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, dresses and leggings. ConQuest participants get a deal at $25 for one or $40 for two shirts.

 

All Adventure Time fans are encouraged to participate in the quest and claim their reward, which will be available for a limited time while supplies last each day. Also, for uber ConQuesters who have completed the quest and earned their Jake and Ice King medallions in 2012 and 2013, bring those with you to The New Children’s Museum redemption center to earn a triple threat reward.

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SDCC 2014: Enter To Win A Limited Edition ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Peavey Guitar!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: This is so cool.

Diamond Comic Distributors has just announced an awesome contest for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con attendees. It’s a Peavey Limited Edition 2014 Comic-Con Eastman/Laird Rockmaster guitar, and it features some amazing glow-in-the-dark artwork on it.

100 of the guitars will be available for sale at the Action Figure Express booth (#3345), but at Diamond’s booth (#2401) you can enter to win one for yourself.

Check the release below for all the details, and be sure to let us know if you’ll be entering to win this one, and don’t forget to come visit us at booth #3919!

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Peavey Electronics® and Diamond Comic Distributors have teamed up at the Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) to give away a Limited Edition 2014 Comic-Con Eastman/Laird Rockmaster® Glow-in-the-Dark TMNT Guitar from Peavey.

 

Attendees can enter to win exclusively at the Diamond PREVIEWSworld Booth #2401 starting July 23 until July 27.

 

The Peavey Limited Edition 2014 Comic-Con Eastman/Laird Rockmaster® guitar features officially licensed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles® “Glow-in-the-dark” artwork by TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. In 1983, these two friends and comic book writers created what would become an iconic brand of pizza-eating, skateboarding, crime-fighting mutant reptiles.

 

The Rockmaster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle guitar has a high gloss finish on a basswood body, providing excellent balance, playability and tone. With a maple neck and rosewood fret board for fast rhythm and lead playing, plus sealed tuner gears and an adjustable bridge to keep your guitar in tune longer, this guitar is ready to rock. It also comes with a cable, strap and picks.

 

This Limited Edition custom guitar is available exclusively from Action Figure Express who will have the guitars on display and available to purchase for $275 at their booth #3345 during SDCC. Only 100 Glow-In-The-Dark TMNT Peavey guitars are available for sale, with each one individually hand numbered.

 

“This is the type of one-of-a-kind collectible that TMNT fans will be clamoring for at SDCC,” said Diamond Brand Manager Erique Watson. “Old-school Eastman & Laird art, the awesome glow in the dark feature, custom collectible packaging, and only 100 guitars available make them absolutely amazing. Seriously, when the convention floor opens, I suspect there’ll be a mad dash for this exclusive!”

SDCC 2014: Nickelodeon Blows Up At Comic Con!

by Shane O'Hare

With Comic Con only 10 days away, the excite/hype train is just leaving the station. A long time exhibitor at the convention is the awesome folks at Nickelodeon, and this year they plan to bring it big.

Their booth (#4113, just near Geekscape!) this year is a whopping 1,800 square feet and promises to be one of the big ones.

We’re going to showcase our hit animated shows through an innovative booth design, fan activations, talent-driven panels and more. Our 1800-square-foot booth (#4113), inspired by the excitement and imagination streaming out of our Burbank Animation Studio, features a bold spiraling collage showcasing beloved hits like Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Invader Zim, SpongeBob SquarePants and more, extending down to the floor from the ceiling of the convention center.

 

Nickelodeon’s booth will also feature fan activations that include a voice-record room where fans can lend their own vocal talents to select scenes from their favorite Nick TV shows; a GIF Booth; a fan-art competition; and autograph signings with Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Sean Astin (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Janet Varney (The Legend of Korra) and more.

The network will also present four panels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Sanjay and Craig; The Legend of Korra; and Nickelodeon’s New Animation Pipeline, which will give fans a sneak preview of the network’s new series,Breadwinners, Bad Seeds (working title) and Pig Goat Banana Cricket.

Sounds like it is going to be a doozy of a booth, and a must see for any cartoon fan. Makes me miss the old Sci Fi channel booth.

They’re also bringing the big guns as far as talent, artists, voice actors and directors abound this year.

The Legend of Korra’s Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (co-creators/executive producers); Janet Varney (Korra); David Faustino (Mako); Seychelle Gabrielle (Asami Sato); Mindy Sterling (Lin Beifong) and John Michael Higgins (Varrick).

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Seth Green (Leonardo); Sean Astin (Raphael); Greg Cipes (Michelangelo); Rob Paulsen (Donatello); Josh Peck (Casey Jones); Mae Whitman (April O’Neil); Kelly Hu (Karai); Ciro Nieli (executive producer) and Brandon Auman (executive producer).

 

Sanjay and Craig’s Jim Dirschberger and Jay Howell (co-creators/executive producers); Maulik Pancholy (Sanjay); Chris Hardwick (Craig); Matt Jones (Hector); Tony Hale (Mr. Noodman); John DiMaggio (Penny) and Nika Futterman (Belle Pepper).

 

SpongeBob SquarePants’ Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants).

 

Breadwinners’ Steve Borst and Gary “Doodles” Di Raffaele (creators/executive producers).

 

Bad Seeds’ (working title) C.H. Greenblatt (creator).

 

Pig Goat Banana Cricket’s J. Ryan and Dave Cooper (co-creators) and David Stacks (executive producer).

 

SDCC 2014: History Channel ‘Vikings’ Return To San Diego!

by Shane O'Hare

As San Diego Comic Con is only 11 days away, the press releases are a flowin! One of the most exciting returns this year is the cast and crew from The History Channels AMAZING drama Vikings. So if you’re gonna be around for SDCC, check these events out!

HISTORY’s VIKINGS Panel: Friday, July 25 from 4:45 – 5:45 p.m., Room 6A
VIKINGS returns to SDCC fresh from the season three set. Travis Fimmel (Ragnar), Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Clive Standen (Rollo) and Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) along with Michael Hirst (writer/creator) and Julian Hobbs (VP Scripted & Non-Fiction Development & Programming, HISTORY) will reveal an exclusive sneak peek of the new season. Don’t miss out – come join them and find out what the gods have in store for season three!

 

“On the Set with VIKINGS”: Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26. Location: 450 2nd Avenue
Cast Autograph Signing on Friday, July 25 from 1 – 2 p.m. at 450 2nd Avenue
Fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at VIKINGS and have a starring role in their own custom video that can be shared on social media. From the moment fans enter the “back-lot” they will be treated as cast members. Upon entering, guests will create a character profile and choose a weapon of choice. Next, they will meet with hair and make-up artists to become transformed into a fierce Viking and be placed into three scenes complete with Vikingsships, battles, axes and villages. When fans have completed the experience they will have a :30 video to share via Twitter, Facebook or Vine.

 

Travis Fimmel (Ragnar), Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Clive Standen (Rollo) and Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) will make an appearance on Friday, July 25 from 1 – 2 p.m. at 450 2nd Ave. to sign autographs and take photos with fans.

 

VIKINGS Comic Book – Creator & Story by Michael Hirst, Written by Joe Brusha & Ralph Tedesco, Artwork by Giuliano Piccinnino with Cover Art by Anthony Spray
Custom, limited edition VIKINGS comic book will be given to select fans who visit the “On the Set” activation on 450 2nd Avenue. In this exclusive comic book for SDCC, the character Floki entertains the Vikings with a humorous tale of Thor, Loki and other gods.

Geekscape @ SDCC: The Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon Returns With MC Lars, MC Frontalot, And More!

by Derek Kraneveldt

With just sixteen days to go until preview night, San Diego Comic Con 2014 is fast approaching!

All of us here at Geekscape couldn’t be more excited to attend the show once again (after attending my first SDCC last year, I’ve actually been counting down the days since the moment I stepped back into Canada). We’ll have tons of coverage coming your way, lots of cool stuff to show off (you have seen Hero of the Prophecy, right?), a multitude of guest signings and appearances, an amazing party for you to attend, and way, way more (as if that wasn’t enough). It’s set to be our biggest year at the convention ever, so be sure to visit us at booth #3919 (same spot as last year, baby), and read on for all the details about the fourth annual Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon!

The fourth annual Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon hits The Merrow on July 25th, and is presented by Tiny Nightmare Productions, Geekscape, Devil’s Playground Burlesque, and Eat.Geek.Play.

This year’s showcase will feature Nerdcore Hip Hop Legends MC Frontalot, MC Lars, Schaffer the Dark Lord and Dr. Awkward as well as a five­piece geek rock band, Chamber Band. Live “Star Girls” Burlesque performances from Devil’s Playground Burlesque with Courtney Cruz as Storm Trooper and Mia Vixen as the Red Guard from Star Wars.

Tickets are available now for a cool $25 here. Be sure to pick them up soon, as they’re going fast. You can take a look at the poster for the show below, and if you need a refresher on each artist, just keep scrolling. We hope to see you at the show, and be sure to look out for our full SDCC schedule in the coming weeks!

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MC Frontalot, known as the “Godfather of Nerdcore” will be co­headlining the show with MC Lars this year. MC Frontalot, called alternately the movement’s godfather ), leads the charge, performing for thousands around the country and at prominent geek gatherings such as Comic­Con, the Penny Arcade Expo and BlizzCon. He’s been featured in Newsweek, CNN, The New York Times, Spin, Wired, Blender, XXL, XLR8R, The London Daily Telegraph, NPR, G4TV, Esquire, Playboy, CMJ, The Guardian (UK), The Wall Street Journal, and scores of city papers nationally and internationally. He has released five studio albums, Nerdcore Rising (Sept 2005), Secrets From The Future (Apr 2007), Final Boss (Nov 2008), Zero Day (Apr 2010), and Solved (Aug, 2011). His sixth, Question Bedtime, is due in September 2014. The documentary feature, Nerdcore Rising: The Movie, which focuses on Front’s live band and the Nerdcore phenomenon in general, debuted at the South By Southwest Film Festival in 2008, and is currently available on Netflix and Hulu.

MC Lars, who is co­headlining this year, is known for his post­punk laptop rap. Lars has been fusing literary themes with high energy beats and touring nonstop since 2003. During his to return to San Diego he will debut some new songs for the first time in America, which will be featured on his kickstarter supported, upcoming album, “the Zombie Dinosaur LP”.

Schaffer the Dark Lord, is a NYC­based rapper and comedian Schaffer the Darklord (STD) has known for his commanding stage presence and brainy, rapid­fire rhymes to skewer such topics as hedonistic substance abuse, sexual compulsion, gender identity, urban anxiety and obsessive cat­enthusiasts. With five full­length albums under his belt and experience touring the nation with such acts as MC Chris, MC Frontalot and MC Lars. STD’s music and live show are equal parts Bill Hicks, Beastie Boys, Prince, Ozzy Osbourne and Darth Vader. He’s made multiple appearances on the Science Channel television program “Oddities,” and when he’s not on the road, he serves as emcee for countless NYC burlesque shows and produces/co­hosts his podcast, “The Epic Piecast.” His latest record “Sick Passenger,” a concept album set during a mysterious therapy session, was released in October 2013 to glowing praise from his cult­like fan base and critics alike. Schaffer the Darklord continues to write, record and perform with great frequency and has no intention of giving up until his masochist rock­n­roll lifestyle destroys him.

Dr. Awkward, is a local San Diegan who has been touring across the country as a nerdcore hip hop artist for the past six years and was on the road with MC Chris last summer. This summer “Doc Awk” joins his friends on stage at this year’s Nerd­a­Thon

Chamber Band, is a full band hailing from New York City, known for their witty and comical songs about love, heartbreak and dragons. The five­piece band plays songs within the nerd­centric realm of awesomeness, of course.