Tag: Stan Lee

SDCC 2019: ‘Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light’ Author, Co-Creators Talk Creating A Universe, Working With Stan, And More!

by Mikaela Maxwell

I’ve always been a huge reader, but as life shifts and changes, and commuting takes up more of my day, I found myself not making as much time for it. Then I discovered Audible, and it changed my world! In the couple of years since joining Audible I have listened to almost 50 different titles! A lot while commuting, but also while cleaning, gardening, getting ready in the AM… you get the picture. So naturally my interest was piqued when, shortly before commencing my first SDCC trip, I received an invitation to have an experience and do an interview with the creators of a new Audible Original, Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light!

Photo Credit: Audible

Not only was this an Audible project, but it was also one of the final collaborative projects from the illustrious Stan Lee, in a totally new universe, with totally new characters, created for a totally new format! Needless to say, my interest was extremely piqued. That being said I almost didn’t jump at this opportunity because I didn’t know if I was a good choice for the job. It’s not like it would be my first interview (I interviewed my face off at last years PAX West) but this project just felt so precious and special, and like it needed to be handled with such respect and skill. I wasn’t sure if I could do it justice. However with much support and encouragement from my Geekscape mentor (AKA Derek!), I decided to say yes to this amazing opportunity!

Photo Credit: Me

On Thursday, July 18th, the first Full day of SDCC, I was able to head into the A Trick of Light activation. This was a super neat experience, and I wish everyone was able to try it out. The activation allows you to experience excerpts from the story, narrated by the incredible Yara Shahidi, accompanied by captivating lighting sequences and effects. There are no characters or scenes laid out in front of you, you are required to create the image of the characters through your imagination, but the way light is used inside the activation creates an atmosphere that plunges you directly into the story alongside the characters.

Photo Credit: Audible

The activation kicks off by having you experience the storm that changes the life of one the main characters; through lights, and mirrors, and narration you feel immersed into this character’s experience. You are then lead into, as Ryan so eloquently described, a light labyrinth. Here you find yourself turning corners and coming to dead ends, where there is a cone of sound around you, allowing you to have a private-feeling experience of the narration, while being mesmerized by an accompanying lighting sequence. As you go to leave, you are lead down a hallway, accompanied by Stan Lee’s voice, and I doubt I was the only one to tear up at this point in the experience!

Photo Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Audible
Photo Credit: Audible
Photo Credit: Audible

Saturday hit and that meant it was time for the interview! This was meant to be a round table interview, which means that a group of interviewers sits down (in this case at a literally round table) with the people to be interviewed, and take turns asking questions. My expectation was this would be beneficially because other people would have really smart questions that I would get to hear the answers to, and that it would be extra stressful because I would be feeling self conscious in front of peers. I was very wrong.

As it turned out, during the time slot that I was there, it was myself and one other interviewer, Josias Arebalo with The Comic Syndicate, accompanied by co-creators Luke Lieberman and Ryan Silbert, as well as co-writer Kat Rosenfield. Turns out I needn’t have been nervous at all! Everyone was very nice, and the interview went off without a hitch. Together we asked a few good questions, and more importantly heard a lot of really great explanations about how this project was developed, the process of making it come to life, and how important and exciting it is to have developed it for the Audible platform.

Photo Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Audible

So please take a read and enjoy getting inside the head of these incredibly creative and talented humans!

Josias Arebalo: All right guys, we are here reporting from San Diego Comic-Con 2019. We’re here with some very special guests from Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light. Please feel free to introduce yourselves.

Luke Lieberman: Luke Lieberman. I’m one of the co-creators.

Kat Rosenfield: Kat Rosenfield, author.

Ryan Silbert: Ryan Silbert, co-creator.

JA: And we have another very special guest.

Mikaela Maxwell: I’m Mikaela Maxwell, I’m with Geekscape.

JA: If you guys could please just break down exactly what this experience is and how it came about. Start off with a little bit of everything, that way our listeners can get a better background.

KR: I think we should talk about the book first. This is an Audible Original. One of the most innovative, and one of the last collaborations that Stan [Lee] completed in his lifetime. It’s a totally immersive experience and it’s the story of, I’m gonna keep broad strokes here, two young people who have gifts and whose connection with each other is so powerful that it could save the world or it could destroy it.

JA: Awesome premise already! Since it is one of Stan’s last projects he was working on, how did it grow from there? How did it come about and what was the collaboration process?

LL: I met Stan in the year 2000 when I was a film student at NYU. At that point Stan was very excited about the Internet and what it could mean for us as a tool to communicate ideas, and for people to communicate with each other. Cut to about a decade and a half later, Stan was my mentor so I knew him throughout, but you cut to a decade a decade and a half later and he became much more keenly aware of how that tool was being misused and how the Internet had become a tool for division. Manipulating people’s perception and manipulating people, and how the anonymity of the Internet was causing us to dehumanize each other. This story is very much about finding real connections in a, you know, virtual space. The idea of A Trick Of Light is that all of these digital realities, virtual realities, augmented realities, and just what you see on your phone or on your screen every day, that’s not real. That’s A Trick Of Light.

RS: Just the brass tacks of it: this was a multi year process of working and world building, creating many characters and many story threads, and the foundations of what became Alliances. Then, once the choice was made to introduce the story through A Trick of Light, bringing it out as an Audible Original was something very exciting for all of us, especially Stan, because it allowed us to tell this story and introduce this universe in a really immersive way. These are characters developed for audio, and it allows you then to have a very personal connection and, co-authored with Kat here, it brings you inside the journey of Cameron, Nia, Juaquo and Zoll, and all of the other characters, in a way that really no other format allows. So that’s what was really special for us in terms of how we decided to release the project.

RS: Now in terms of where we’re sitting right now, we are at SDCC at what was a mind blowing experience for the three of us because we walked in here, and it is a completely dark room [with] basically a light labyrinth that brings you inside of the story in a way that I have never, ever, experienced. Truly I wish all the listeners could come step into Fourth Avenue and walk through the A Trick of Light installation because it is mind blowing!

KR: This activation really encapsulates perfectly how gripping it is to be told a story in audio. So many of the other spaces at Comic-Con rely on visual spectacle, in here it’s really just about the story; and it’s about the voice of Yara Shahidi, our incredible narrator.

JA: The writing process for this, how long did it take?

LL: As Ryan was saying, the world building started years ago. We were just building out characters and story threads, and when Stan decided that he wanted to introduce this universe through a long form narrative, then Audible became an opportunity. First of all for Stan I think just working the audio medium it was something he hadn’t done a million times and at that point in his career that got him excited.

RS: Yeah.

KR: He’d never done it, it was completely new!

LL: Right. Exactly. Finding a new storytelling medium for Stan Lee in his 90s…

MM: What an incredible opportunity!

LL: That’s when we took this this universe that was created, and the characters, and started to focus them into a single narrative, which is A Trick of Light, the story that introduces you to the characters in the universe.

RS: The foundations of the Alliances universe come from the question that Stan asks in the intro which is: ‘What is more real? The world we’re born into or the one we create for ourselves?’. You know as fans you wait your whole life to hear Stan ask that ‘what if’ question. Cause we’ve read all of that work, and to hear that it unlocked so many opportunities and potential, to develop Alliances, to introduce Cameron and Nia through Trick of Light. That question is is so meaningful to all three of us and Stan.

JA: How big is the space we are in right now? [For the A Trick of Light SDCC Activation]

LL: Well there is this room, which is where you’re first introduced to it, then there’s a hallway that takes you to a larger space, and then there’s a hallway with Stan’s audio that brings you out.

RS: For listeners [or readers] you walk in and it says here ‘The Great Beyond’, and that’s where you experience the beginnings of the journey of the story. Right, and you go into the great beyond…

LL: The great beyond lies within.

RS: ‘The great beyond lies within’, which is from the book. Each space is developed and each little experiences develop from a piece of the narrative. There are massive audio modules that allow you to focus in on Yara’s terrific performance and the terrific writing of Stan and Kat, and really walk out of this experience with a different understanding of the story in a way.

KR: I just want to add on, because we haven’t actually made this explicit yet, what you’re doing in this activation is that you’re experiencing our main character Cameron’s transformation from an ordinary person into something a little bit superhuman.

LL: Cameron 2.0.

KR: Yeah, Cameron 2.0.

JA: I know you’ve been working on the project for years, but for the activation in general how long did it take to put something like this together?

RS: We don’t know.

LL: We are the wrong people to ask!

RS: We create the world, there are geniuses here that create this world. I think what’s really moving about this installation, not only as people who have worked on the project for so many years, is Stan has such an amazing connection with fans. We’re sitting at this table because he built the fan community basically brick by brick prior to the 60s and then into the 60s with the Marvel Age. You know, through soapboxes and through his talks on campus, and then came connections, and then came the Internet. Prior to that was sending letters around from penpals, through the fan pages. Here it’s great because you get to experience the Stan Lee story with fans. Then on the way out Stan, is no longer with us, but he is present. As you exit the intro plays and it’s very very moving. For us during this part of the experience we really miss him, because this is what he really enjoyed so much, he was a long [time] mentor of Luke’s, and you know this is really special activation experience.

KR: He feels present in this moment, not just because you hear his voice as you leave this experience, but you just see how excited everyone is to share in this story, and we’re so excited, and it really just feels like he’s kind of here.

LL: Also actually when you leave and you’re hearing his voice it just remind me of how excited he was to work. This was a project he was excited about, and you sort of hear it. And Stan’s excitement is contagious, it’s infectious, and it gets all of his collaborators excited, it gets you motivated.

MM: So Alliances is a universe, does that mean there will be other things to come of this?

KR: Well for the moment we are very focused on the release of the Audible Original, we’ve been working on this for a long time and couldn’t talk about it for the longest time because it was all under cloak and dagger and it was super secretive. So you know, we’ll say that universes tend to expand and it would be a little weird if this one didn’t. But right now we’re very focused on A Trick of Light and just getting the fan community excited to be part of this journey and to get in with these characters.

MM: Do you think that this particular Audible Original could expand into VR or something? Because walking through this experience I could totally see sitting at home in like a VR world kind of experiencing the light and sound and stuff all at once.

KR: That is a cool idea.

RS: I think one of the things that’s so beautiful about audio is that, I believe and we all believe because we’re working in it, it is like the most immersive experience. There’s a lot of spectacle to virtual reality, but when it comes down to it 52% of your experience in a film, probably more but let’s just go with 52% percent, is the sound. You forget it because it becomes part of the story, it becomes part of the backdrop, but it is so important. So I think the most immersive way to experience the story would be through audio.

KR: I will say we we have a print edition coming out in September. So you know there’s a lot of raw material here that I think can function really well in any number of mediums.

LL: When we were talking about how [Stan] was excited about the opportunity to do something he hadn’t done before, which was an Audible story, one of the things that got him excited was the idea that his fans would collaborate with him and that they would visualize the story, and that they could be the [Jack] Kirby or the [Steve] Ditko and they would create their own versions of the characters. We didn’t really overly describe the characters because we wanted everyone to be able to sort of visualize their own version of Cameron and Juaquo and Nia… and Zoll… and Six [and another character that I could not make out on the audio]

KR: You just named off every single character!

RS: You just named off every character!

KR: We never talk about Barry, the old man.

LL: Yeah we really should, he is like one of my favourite characters.

MM: Just out of curiosity I feel like I’m noticing a trend of technology and humans kind of intermingling in a way that they haven’t previously, in comics and movies and stuff like that. Do you have any ideas on why that is, why that’s happening at this point in time.

KR: I think it’s happening in real life! [Said simultaneously with one of the guys, to peels of laughter from everybody]

KR: What this story is really reflective of is what it’s like to live right now, in a world where technology influences our lives, where it’s our primary medium for connecting with and communicating with each other. Sometimes it’s even our exclusive medium for knowing somebody. So I think that this story is another way, a different angle, to explore the anxieties and the questions and the concerns that arise from already living in an age where technology is so much a part of our lives. It’s already a part of our identities, you know, you shape this self online. So I think it flows very naturally from something that’s actually happening.

LL: We’re not experts in technology, we’re not scientists or anything, but we did a lot of research to just kind of see where things were at, and what was coming and what was around the corner, to sort of inform the storytelling.

RS: With A Trick of Light, as Luke was saying, we did do real world research, we went up to Cornell, Stanford, the Human Interaction Lab where the Oculus was created and were informed by a lot of the real [technology] that the fantastical was developed off of. But all of Stan’s stories, and I think this is why his stories tend to stand the test of time, they are mythologically based, they’re character based, but they also are set in a world that’s familiar to ours. With [Fantastic Four] or with the Hulk, these are amazing characters that can develop and be set in different kinds of context, but where they were set originally were and things that felt very real like: Spidey swings down Sixth Avenue, Hulk is dealing with the nuclear age. We hadn’t been to space at the point at which Reed Richards [of Fantastic Four] went up there [to space]; Kirby and Stan rendered that from their imagination. So great storytellers, I do think on trend, will notice and be able to set great stories and great characters inside of things that feel familiar to us. And I think that’s something that in this story Kat and Stan achieved.

JA: You know any goal starts with an idea. I’m gonna ask you guys and odd question, but it might be different for each of you as far as the answer goes. What was the most difficult thing about the project to get it to where it is now. Did you find a certain stage where it was like we’re not getting this, or part of the script, or was it more the technological aspects?

LL: The nice thing is that we have a very very experienced storyteller to kind of help. We had a Gandalf guiding us through the path, and it was a team sport. So you know, if you’re bumping up against something maybe Kat has a solution or maybe Ryan has an idea you can throw out. That I think was the benefit of the collaborative process.

KR: Yeah, I will say that when I came on board I expected it to be so much harder than it was. You know I’m coming from a background of writing novels and in my experience that’s always been a very lonely solitary thing. You spend two years just rattling around in your head trying to create something, it’s just you and hopefully you emerge at the end, back into the sun with a manuscript that’s in decent shape. Getting three more brains into the mix I thought would be difficult, you know, to kind of create that mesh. I was like oh my God how is this going to work are you going to be able to see the seems in this narrative where each person contributed something, but it’s not like that at all.

RS: The hardest thing that I bump up against is just getting creeped out every time a certain sequence happens in the Audible Original. I can’t help but hear it and be like ooh super spooky.

KR: What creeps you out?

RS: Well I don’t know, no spoilers here.

LL: Have you met Six? [All laughing]

KR: I have I lived inside his head. [laughing]

RS: Yeah. Creeps me out.

LL: Have you met Zoll?

RS: What do you mean, that happens on Sixth Avenue every day!

JA: For our listeners and audience can you let us know where we can find you, and if you are working on anything that we can get on board with?

LL: I have a mini series out now called Red Sonja: Birth of a She Devil. I also control the Red Sonja franchise so I’m sure you know everything else that’s being done on the publishing side for us!

To learn more about these crazy talented people you can find them on social media at:

Luke Lieberman: @TheRealRedSonja on Twitter

Kat Rosenfield: @KatRosenfield on both Twitter and Instagram

Ryan Silbert: @RyanSilbert on Twitter

And if you are looking for a new listen, or want to get in on the newest Stan Lee endeavour, I highly recommend heading over to Audible right now to get started on Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light!

Photo Credit: Audible

Geekscape 501: Goodbye Stan Lee… and Excelsior!

by Jonathan

Stan “The Man” Lee is gone. The Generalisimo himself was a large part of what we do here at Geekscape. He was our friend, our inspiration and at times our collaborator. I had wanted to do a Geekscape State of the Union podcast with you all for a while now if only to get all of my thoughts to you and let you know how I’m feeling and to gauge the pulse of what it is that we do around here. But now, 10 years after we met Stan and he renamed us Dickscape, I found it a fitting time to bring you into my thoughts, express my gratitude for all of you and give you some stories and thoughts on Stan Lee himself and how important he was to all of us. Excelsior and Geekscape Forever!

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Geekscape 483: The Filmmakers Of ‘The Concessionaires Must Die’!

by Jonathan

‘The Concessionaires Must Die!’ is an independent film years in the making! Just how many? Well, you’ll have to listen to the podcast for answers like that! Directed by longtime Geekscape friend America Young and starring previous Geekscape guests David Blue and Stan Lee, the film is best described as “Empire Records in a movie theater”! But it’s not as simple as that. A lot of love, sweat and tears went into putting this film together. To get the full story, I sat down with America, David, actress producer Zakareth Ruben and actor Cosby Siringi to talk about putting the film together, the highlights of shooting for two weeks in exotic Fresno, some of the hurdles in finishing the film and much, much more! Enjoy!

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Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con Partners with Entertainment Weekly!

by Courtney Dossett

Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con celebrates its 7th anniversary this year, and it seems like just yesterday that we were setting up the Geekscape booth at their very first outing! It’s been amazing watching them grow over the years, and we’re very happy to be a part of it.

Now Stan Lee and company have taken another big leap forward as Entertainment Weekly has been named as their Official Media Partner. What does this mean for con lovers? If you’re fortunate enough to be able to attend Los Angeles’ largest pop culture convention, your 3 day pass will include a one year subscription to Entertainment Weekly magazine, on top of all of the panels, photo-ops and autograph opportunities with celebrities from your favorite fandoms (maybe even the godfather of comics himself!). 

We’ve heard rumblings about some rumored unannounced guests and you’re going to want to get your passes now!

One day Stan and I will celebrate our birthday together.

The con runs October 27th-29th and passes are on sale now at stanleeslacomiccon.com, If you hurry, a 3-day pass is still only $70!

And for those who can’t attend the con (college, why you gotta get in the way of my nerdy dreams?), Entertainment Weekly will be covering convention news in their magazine as well as on their website. Announced guests at Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con this year include Stan Lee, Marc Silvestri, Camilla D’Errico, Terra Strong and Ming Chen… and it’s only going to get even bigger!

Are you planning to go to Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con? What are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below!

Cast Named For Disney XD’s ‘Big Hero 6’ TV Series

by Natalie Kipper

Disney XD gives us another reason to tune in with their upcoming animated TV series, Big Hero 6. Based on the similarly-named film, the show will kick off right after the events of the movie. We can not only expect Hiro to be fighting off baddies with his buddies, Wasabi, Fred, GoGo, Honey Lemon, and Baymax, but also taking on the challenges of attending college at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

The show was announced last March but the cast was just revealed today. Many of the film’s actors will reprise their role in the show, which is a pleasant surprise. From the original cast, there is Maya Rudolph (Aunt Cass), Jamie Chung (GoGo), Scott Adsit (Baymax), Alan Tudyk (Alistair Krei), Ryan Potter (Hiro), David Shaughnessy (Heathcliff), and Stan Lee (Fred’s dad). Wasabi and Fred will have new voices, Khary Payton and Brooks Wheelan respectively.

BIG HERO 6 - "Big Hero 6," an animated television series for kids, tweens and families based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' Academy Award-winning feature film inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, has begun production for a 2017 premiere on Disney XD platforms around the world. (Disney XD)

Additionally, voices of several new characters were named: Jennifer Lewis (Professor Granville), Andrew Scott (Obake), Andy Richter (Globby), Sean Giambrone (Richardson Mole), John Ross Bowie (Mei), Diedrich Bader (Bluff Dunder), Susan Sullivan (Fred’s mom), and Haley Tju (Karmi).

Big Hero 6 the series will premier sometime in 2017.

[via Oh My Disney]

Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo To Be Renamed ‘Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con’

by Bigyanks

Earlier today Stan Lee was honored by the city of Los Angeles. Recognizing him for his decades-longs contributions to the city’s entertainment industry. So the City of Los Angeles decided to give Stan The Man his very own day – “Stan Lee Day.” In recognition of this honor, “Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo,” will now officially be renamed “Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con.”

As part of the ceremony, Los Angeles Councilmember Curren D. Price will designate Friday, October 28 as “Stan Lee Day” in recognition of his substantial contributions to the City’s entertainment community and involvement, and in helping create Los Angeles Comic Con, held annually on Halloween weekend, as a world-class event celebrating the city’s comic book, pop culture and entertainment community.

Stan Lee has had a busy 2016 so far, earlier this week Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that Stan had already filmed his next 4 cameos for the MCU including a quick easter egg in the upcoming ‘Luke Cage’ for Netflix.

stan-lee

We here at Geekscape have always seen Stan Lee affectionately as our very own crazy Grunkle Stan, since back in the day when we used to be known as Dickscape. We also have always had close ties to Stan Lee doing various interviews and have been apart of Comikaze Expo since the very first one in 2011. Stan Lee even sent us his well wishes during Geekscape’s 400th episode extravaganza. We are looking forward to standing by his side for many more Expos to come so make sure you look for us this year.

‘Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con’ is Los Angeles’ biggest multi-media pop culture convention. Held annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the event assembles the most exciting and innovative in comics, video games, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and all things pop-culture. In 2015, the event attracted over 76,000 attendees from around the country for its fifth year in 2015. With a mission to salute L.A.’s unparalleled creative community engaged in the production of movies, television, comic books, video games and other forms of pop culture entertainment, Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con’s unique panels, autograph sessions and photo-ops give fans once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to truly interact with their favorite creators and major players in the entertainment industry.

‘Stan Lee Day’ will begin on the opening day of his ‘Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con’ on October 28.

Geekscape 426: Having A Comix Celebration With Michael Valentine!

by Jonathan

We first met filmmaker and comic book fan Michael Valentine several years ago at WonderCon when he told us about his film ‘Comix: Beyond The Comic Book Pages‘! We were excited for him to finish the documentary on the comic book industry so that we could see it for ourselves… and now he has! We talk to Michael on this latest Geekscape about his reasons for making the film, the challenges he faced and what it was like interviewing comic book legends like Stan Lee, Neal Adams and Frank Miller! If you’re a comic book fan, this episode (and Michael’s movie) is just for you!

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Stan Lee Presents: “No Hero Now” Music Video, Q&A with Director Jennie Kong and Producer Ramon Govea

by Eric Francisco

We’re counting down the days until Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo this week, where our own Jonathan London will be in attendance! (Say hi to him if you see him!) Ahead of the convention founded by Stan Lee himself, a new music video has just premiered on Lee’s World of Heroes YouTube channel, the main man’s geek lifestyle channel we’ve previously covered before.

This week, the up and coming artist Vy Nguyen debuted her music video “No Hero Now,” featuring Jason Chu. The music video/narrative short film follows a comic book-style assassin/superhero not unlike Black Canary on The CW’s Arrow as she rescues her Sifu (kung-fu master, if you didn’t grow up on Donnie Yen movies).

I briefly caught up with the video’s director, Jennie Kong and producer Ramon Govea of Black Mast Studios to talk about the video’s conception, creation, and ultimately the message it hopes to get out into the geek world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdA9txx1m7s

What was the primary design influence to the music video? Cinematically and story-wise? What did you find yourself most frequently referring to?

Jennie: I’ve been influenced by everything from video games to films and TV. I would say that I’ve been most excited to explore a complex female character who is bound to world of violence and betrayal so much, that she gravitates back to it even when she runs far away.  I grew up on strong female characters such as Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Beatrix Kiddo and Sydney Bristow, and I am so fascinated by Carrie Matheson at the moment – so I really wanted to bring a character as contradictory and interesting as those – to life.  Visually, the team on this shoot are big fans of Netflix’s Daredevil and the Captain America triology.

Ramon: Yes, I can’t count how many times we talked about Netflix’s Daredevil.

Credit: Stan Lee's World of Heroes
Credit: Stan Lee’s World of Heroes

Combining a serial narrative beginning with a music video is a novel idea. Why did you decide on this path and what influenced the decision?

Jennie: “No Hero Now” is ultimately contained within a music video format.  I’m a fan of “music video events” that give narrative the chance to breathe, and open up the audience to care about the characters and its world.  It’s a compliment that you do see the world built inside the video, that’s something I always work hard on.  There could be more stories told with the characters, we will see.

What was the most difficult part in shooting the film? What came surprisingly easy?

Ramon: Time and budget restraints were the biggest challenge for me.  There were moments when I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get everything that we needed because the clock was ticking and five unforeseen problems would pop up at the same time.  But the team had the experience and stamina to keep going until we got what we needed.  We had some real MVP’s on our team that I’ve worked with in the past.  The easiest part was probably getting everyone on board with the concept for the video.

Jennie: The actors really embraced the characters and so it made it easier for me to write for and direct them. They were a joy to work with.  Jessika was everything I needed in the portrayal of Rian, and Jack Yang’s Sifu was awesome.

Credit: Stan Lee's World of Heroes
Credit: Stan Lee’s World of Heroes

 

What kind of input did Stan Lee have, at all? What’s it like to have him involved?

Ramon: The Generalissimo was more than happy to support our vision for the project.  He really seems to enjoy watching the content going up on the World of Heroes channel, but in terms of development, he took a more laissez faire approach, giving us the freedom to create without any real expectations.  We were then able to present the final video to him when it was close to finish.

Jennie: Stan and his business partner Gill have always been supportive. It means a lot for us to have Stan introduce the video and invite his community to check out the premiere and also our panel at Comikaze.  Both love to joke around, so it’s a pleasure to work with them.

What are your biggest hopes for the property? What’s the highest you think this can go? Where would you want it to go?

Ramon: For Black Mast, the goal is really just to deliver a great video.  We had a lot of fun developing the idea and watching the story come to life.  We wanted the world to feel much bigger than what you’re seeing on screen, and we have toyed with the idea of expanding in ways that will allow us to further explore this world of assassins and super powers.  Right now all we can say is we will be making some related announcements soon.

Jennie: Would love to develop this and write this world out. For now, we’re happy to be releasing the extended music video first and taking it from there.

Vy Nguyen and Jason Chu. Credit: Stan Lee's World of Heroes
Vy Nguyen and Jason Chu. Credit: Stan Lee’s World of Heroes

The lead hero is an Asian-American woman, an image still absent in much of pop culture. Do you hope this helps you guys stand out?

Ramon: I don’t think our intention in casting Jessika was to make us stand out.  We really just wanted a protagonist that best served the song.  It’s such an anthem and when Jennie and I talked about the characters, I left it up to her to decide who they were and how they fit into the world.

Jennie: For the song, I wanted to stay true to the music video’s lyrics and when I met with Jessika, she truly embodied and understood what the character was about.  Casting is never easy but the actors were easy to choose for this project.  Jack Yang (the team’s leader in the story) and Jessika had also previously worked on a video game together, so it felt natural to shoot their scenes together, as a fallen mentor and a reluctant prodigy.

Stan Lee’s Comikaze takes place this week beginning October 30th until November 1st. On Sunday, Nov. 1, you can meet the cast and crew of “No Hero Now” at their panel at 12pm in room 511ABC.

 

 

Geekscape 386: The Comikaze 2015 Special With Regina Carpinelli!

by Jonathan

Comikaze 2015 is upon us… and we’re not ready for it! To help us prepare, Comikaze President and Founder Regina Carpinelli drops by the show to take us through the Comikaze schedule of events! What are the highlights? Who are the big names dropping by? And what panels can you not miss this year? Geekscape will be there all weekend, talking to creators, moderating panels and chilling at Booth #150 so listen up, make a plan for the weekend and we’ll see you at Comikaze 2015!

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Geekscape Exclusive: Free Tickets To The Premiere Of ‘COMIX: Beyond The Comic Book Pages’ In LA!

by Shane O'Hare

At the end of last year we told you all about the Kickstarter for the documentary COMIX: Beyond The Comic Book Pages. We now have some amazing news for you, our Geekscape fans!

The project is DONE, and it is premiering July 30th in LA at the Regent Theater. The creators of COMIX have reached out to us at Geekscape to offer you ‘scapists passes to the premiere!

That’s right! If you’re in the LA area, or are very series about getting to the Regent Theater on time, you can get your hands on a pair of tickets to the premiere!

All you need to do is email info@comixthemovie.com , give them your name and tell them you heard about it on Geekscape! That’s it! Hop on it now, as seating is limited and we don’t have that many passes available!

Be sure to check out their official website HERE! And be sure to peep our exclusive new poster as well!

https://vimeo.com/102490209

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

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

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Watch Alison Haislip Get Fired Up in “Right Now” Music Video From Never Let This Go!

by Eric Francisco

I had the biggest crush on Alison Haislip when she was on G4TV. She was probably the most fun, and the only one who I conceivably believed was actually passionate about the things she talked about. Gamers and viewers thought G4TV lacked cred, but right there on Attack of the Show! was someone who legit had it and they blew it by not using her nearly enough.

Despite the fact that I have never met her before, I’m still jealous of Banks Boutte (Match) who gets to fall in love with her in the brand new, super-powered music video “Right Now” from Never Let This Go.

You lucky bastard!

It’s a cute video with a superhero/X-Men slant, which explains why it has been uploaded on Stan Lee’s World of Heroes YouTube network. I like to think Stan Lee is secretly super into indie/pop punk and has been to Warped Tour once or twice.

I’ll think about Stan Lee crowd surfing as I add this song to my jogging playlist.

Stan Lee, Steve Wozniak Announce Silicon Valley Comic Con!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Well this is cool. It seems like California gets all of the best Comic Conventions.

This one is put together by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and his pal Stan Lee helped him announce it:

The convention aims to “celebrates the Age of the Geek by bringing together America’s two greatest superheroes: pop culture and technology.”

Here’s the announcement message from Woz:

Hi Everyone,

 

I’m excited to be launching Silicon Valley Comic Con today! I’m traveling and speaking so I can’t take lots of calls, so I wanted to post this memo for you.

 

I’m teaming up with friends to make this happen because I want to give Silicon Valley it’s very own kind of Comic Con where everyone can have fun enjoying what they love. Today we’re lucky to have so many kinds of entertainment, from movies, TV shows, web series, music, video games, social media and more, and the lines between entertainment and the technology we love so much in Silicon Valley are getting blurrier every day. We’re going to create a place where all these different kinds of interests can come together, and we can come together too.

 

There are lots of fans like me in San Francisco and the Valley, and I’m excited that now we’ll have a Comic Con with our very own flavor. When I was growing up, it was hard to be a geek. It definitely wasn’t cool, and that wasn’t easy. I’m happy things have changed because now people are able to be proud of being geeks and being different. Silicon Valley Comic Con will be an event where fans of all kinds can celebrate the Age of the Geek.

 

I’m going to be working with lots of great people to make this happen. I hope you watch the video my friend Stan Lee and I had fun making together, and I’ll be making more along the way. I’ve also got entertainment industry veteran John Alcantar on board to help us create our very own kind of Comic Con for Silicon Valley in 2016. John will help us pull the team together, and we’ll even be looking for help from volunteers to help create an event we can all be proud of. Stay tuned for more!

 

I hope I’ll see you in San Jose next year March 19-20. It’s going to be amazing!

 

Woz

Will you be attending?

Comikaze 2014: Stan Lee, POW! Entertainment & F84 Games Team Up To Present ‘Hero Command’

by Josh Jackson

At Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, you can pretty much do whatever you want when you have a convention named after you, so it’s fitting that the man himself took the stage to unveil his latest project.

Hero Command, a free to play mobile game that takes us into the world of super heroes, will give us the option between three characters to choose from. Jumping into the tights of either Captain Steamhammer, The Twins, or Seer, each hero will be tasked with taking down their arch nemesis, with unique abilities that have cooldown periods to prevent spamming. Is there a way to access those powers quicker? If only there was a way to exchange currency for the chance to use more attacks. Hmm…

New heroes, missions and worlds are scheduled to be periodically released after the game’s initial launch for iOS and Android devices, with a public beta that can be signed up for by emailing info@floor84studio.com. Are any true believers out there planning on heading to the app store to pick this up? Let us know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ukTT4pTd0

Crowdfund This: ‘COMIX: Beyond The Comic Book Pages’

by Shane O'Hare

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

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

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

Check out the trailer for COMIX below!

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

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

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

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

How Can You Help

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

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

Stan Lee’s Comikaze Is Almost Here, And Here’s What We’re Looking Forward To!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Stan Lee’s Comikaze is finally right around the corner (better get those tickets quickly, it’s TOMORROW)! A myriad of Geekscape writers will be in attendance at the expo, and of course we couldn’t be more excited to hang out with you at the Geekscape Booth (that’d be Booth #1110)!

As the 3-day event has something for all sorts of different tastes, we thought that we’d make a list of our own personal highlights from the schedule! Here are the panels that each of us are looking forward to at next weekend’s Comikaze 2014!

If you’re attending the expo, be sure to visit us at Booth #1110, where we’ll have tons of shirts available (including the awesome new baseball t’s) and also an EXCLUSIVE print celebrating the return on Jonathan’s Own Super Action Man. We’ll be there all weekend! Now read on!

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Kelsie Hernandez

It’s that Comikaze time of year again! And with each Comikaze, we get to see more awesome guests and more awesome panels to get excited for! Here are some of the panels that I’m looking forward to.

On Saturday morning, the iconic Adam West will be on the Hot Topic main stage to talk all things Batman, and help celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary! (10:30am – Hot Topic Main Stage)

Later on in the afternoon, Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman are bringing Hollywood Babble-On Smodcast live to Comikaze for Fatman on Batman: A tribute to Batman ’66! (1:30pm – Room 408AB)

Another one I’m looking forward to is Constantine: An Introduction, this gives Comikaze attendees a chance to meet the creators and get a sneak peak into the new series. (3:00pm – Hot Topic Main Stage)

On Sunday morning, there’s a spotlight panel on Jewel Staite, of Firefly and Stargate. (10:30am – Hot Topic Main Stage.

And shortly after, I might try to see the Comikaze Guest of Honor panel with John Barrowman, the star of Doctor Who, Arrow, Torchwood and so much more. (11:30am – 304ABC)

Juan Carlos Marquez

With Comikazee fast approaching, I find myself conflicted in trying to schedule my weekend in order to get in as much coverage as humanly possible. Right off the bat, it seems like the Hot Topic Main Stage will be the place to hang around all day Saturday–with the one and only Adam West kicking things off, followed by Rob Liefeld, and the folks behind NBC’s Constantine! Aside from the Main Stage action, I plan on checking out the Golden Age of Gaming panel in Room 301B and the Original Intellivision Game Designers Panel in Room 303AB. Of course, there’s no way I can miss our fearless leader in Geekscape’s Panel this Friday in Room 306AB at 6 P.M.

And since you lovely people will be there, stop by the Geekscape booth (#1110) and snag yourself some sweet Geekscape T-shirts and get an EXCLUSIVE Super Action Man print!

Jake Lopez

Comikaze is back and what better way to spend your Halloween then at the convention center celebrating all things geek! For those of you searching for a convention without the hassle or enormity of SDCC, Comikaze looks like the place to go. Honestly, looking over the programming schedule makes this year seem like one of the most laid-back stress-free conventions I’ve seen. And it’s not like there’s any shortage f sights to see. On Friday, panelists will screen a Batman Fan Film, “The Great Mistake of Dr. Miles”, which is of course followed by a Q&A with the creators in room 404AB at 4:00 PM. Afterwards, you should go check out Geekscape Live! in 306AB at 6:00 PM. *nudge nudge*

Saturday, I plan on hitting the sneak preview of the documentary “Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show”. I’m sure to find interviews with the likes of Damon Lindelof and Joss Whedon regarding television interesting. Afterward, I’m hoping to make it to the Dragon Ball Z – The Fall of Men panel in 304 ABC (1:00 PM). If you don’t know already, this particular DBZ installment is fan made and it looks fantastic. If for some reason I can’t make it to that, I plan at being in room 308AB at 1:30 PM for Spider-Man: The Animated Series 20th Anniversary. Need I say more?

On Sunday, one of the bigger panels will be taking place in 406AB at 10:00 AM with an early screening of “Gotham” episode 107. The screening is followed up by Executive Producer Danny Cannon.

I only wish I had more time to see some of the events Comikaze has to offer! The schedule is packed!

Derek Kraneveldt

I am so, so sad that I won’t be attending Comikaze this year. Last year’s convention weekend was by far one of the highlights of my year, both because of the chance to see all of my Geekscape friends and colleagues once more, but also because everything that Comikaze had to offer was beyond stellar.

This year, the guests are even better, the panel schedule has grown exponentially, and Geekscape is going live on the show floor. I’m almost debating jumping on a plane tomorrow and heading down, and here’s what I would be most interested in seeing:

Friday:

4:00 – 404AB – (BATMAN FAN FILM) THE GREAT MISTAKE OF DR. MILES

See the convention premier of 1960’s Batman fan film “The Great Mistake of Dr. Miles”, followed by Q&A and discussion with the cast and crew. The panel will conclude with a special announcement about the future of the project.

5:00 – 404AB – THE KAIJU KINGDOM LIVE PODCAST! – GODZILLA’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY/GAMERA’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Join a discussion about Godzilla 60th Anniversary and Gamera’s 50th Anniversary.

6:00 – 306AB – GEEKSCAPE LIVE! WITH SPECIAL GUESTS!

It’s freaking Geekscape, but LIVE. How the hell could I not show up to this?

Saturday:

9:00 – Hot Topic Main Stage – UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH STAN LEE, POWERED BY WEEV

Get intimate with Stan Lee and learn about all of the new projects he’s working on at POW! Entertainment.

10:30 – Hot Topic Main Stage – SPOTLIGHT: ADAM WEST

TV’s most prolific Batman joins us to talk all things Batman, and help celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary!

1:30 – 308AB – SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Spider-Man: The Animated Series introduced a whole generation to the famous web-slinger in the first of his adventures for TV that captured the true spirit of the original comic book.

2:30 – 308AB – RANDOM ENCOUNTERS’ VIDEO GAME MUSICALS

Watch your favorite games and series become Broadway show-stoppers, from an Arkham Asylum rock-opera to a Tim Burton-style Pac-Man musical! WARNING: This show contains catchy songs, nerdy humor and the dreaded Marshmallow Zone. Singalongs are welcome.

4:30 – Screening Room – THE ROOM

Join film-creator Tommy Wiseau at a special screening of his cult classic film!

Sunday

10:00 – 308AB – PUBLICIZING YOUR PROJECT

You’ve got a new comic, a new webseries, a new novel, a new TV show or movie? That’s great. But pretty meaningless if you and your friends are the only ones who know about it. How do you get the word out? Facebook and webpage, sure. That’s what everyone’s doing. What can you do to cut through the clutter and get your stuff actually seen, actually talked about, actually out there so people can see it, read it, watch it, buy it? People who have been getting projects seen dating back to “Star Wars” will give you advice on how you can do it for your project.

12:00 – 308AB – LION FORGE COMICS & IDW PUBLISHING: DIGITAL TO PRINT AND BEYOND!

Lion Forge Comics & IDW Publishing: Digital to Print and Beyond! Lion Forge Editor-In-Chief Shannon Eric Denton discusses Lion Forge titles Airwolf vs. Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Chavo Guerrero, Rampage Jackson, Andre the Giant, Care Bears, Saved By The Bell, Saber Riders & the Star Sheriffs, Punky Brewster and more! Join Shannon and the Lion Forge creative teams as they discuss these properties along with their recently announced print- partnership with IDW Publishing!

1:00 – 308AB – HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN NOVEL: FROM THE FIRST IDEA TO PUBLISHING AND WHAT YOU NEED TO SELL YOUR WORK TO TV AND FILM

Join the Winner Twins while they teach you how to create your own novel step by step, from building your universe to overcoming writer’s block to the different paths to publishing. The Winner Twins will be joined by bestselling author, and renowned actor, Richard Hatch, of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA fame, and Steven-Elliot Altman, author of such novels as DEPRIVERS and BATMAN: FEAR ITSELF.

I’m barely scratching the surface here. There is so much that I’d like to see at this year’s Comikaze, and that’s not even mentioning the show floor, where I’d be bound to spend far, far, far too much money on things that I love.

Also, I’m really, really going to miss Lawry’s Carvery!

Are you hitting up Comikaze this year? What are you most looking forward to? Sound out below!

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Geekscape 338: The Comikaze 2014 Preview Episode!

by Jonathan

Our friend and fellow geek Stephanie Pressman joins us on Geekscape to preview this weekend’s Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo! We’ll be there the whole weekend at the Geekscape booth so we preview some of the highlights and share our favorite convention experiences from cons past! Also, we talk about the awesomeness of the Age of Ultron trailer and relay just how awesome Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange is! It’s a great time to be a geek!

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Subscribe to Geekscape TV on YouTube!

‘Comic Book Artists: Next Generation’ Is A Documentary Worthy Of Your Time, Watch It Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

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

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

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

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

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Stan Lee’s Comikaze Approaches, And The Comic Book Guests Are Unreal!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Of all the cool things that I was able to do last year, going to Stan Lee’s Comikaze was definitely one of the highlights. Yep, San Diego Comic-Con was incredible, but due to its sheer size and massive attendance, it becomes nothing but a line convention at times, and beyond stressful at others.

Comikaze, on the other hand, is nothing but fun. It’s huge, but not unbearably so. Tons (and) tons of people go, but you still have the freedom to move around the well-spaced show floor and not feel like you’re in a tin of sardines. Panels (even popular ones) are actually attendable without waiting in line for 24 hours, and just like SDCC, the guests are stellar (oh, and don’t even get my started on the nearby Lawry’s Carvery).

I’m a comic book guy, so the guest list that I’m always the most excited about is definitely the comic book pros. This year’s comic book guest list is stacking up to be nothing less than stellar. Some of the highlights include:

Brian Michael Bendis
Rob Liefeld
John Romita Jr.
Joe Jusko
Len Wein
Jim Lee
Peter David
Kevin Smith
J. Scott Campbell
Greg Horn
Whilce Portacio

But that’s just a fraction of who’s attending, and again, that’s just comic book guests. Here’s the full list. Tickets for Comikaze are available now, but special VIP options are going fast!

We’ll be sharing our Comikaze plans soon, but for now, be sure to let us know who you’re excited to see!

Comikaze

Geekscape TV: Stan Lee Talks Marvel vs. DC And More!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Just over one week ago, Geekscape TV brought you Lou Ferrigno playing Flappy Bird, and now we’re back with a fantastic conversation with the man that moulded many of our childhood memories, Stan Lee.

A few days back, Jonathan sat down with Stan to film an interview for our new YouTube channel, GeekscapeTV. Geekscape TV is a serious reimagining of our old YouTube channel (it is a different channel, so be sure to subscribe to the new one), and one that we intend to fill to the brim with original, awesome content (like the first trailer for Hero of the Prophecy, the just-remastered HD cut of Gay By Dawn, a hilarious Miami Vice spoof, and so on).

The interview features plenty of great Marvel vs. DC banter, and Stan even reveals the secret to why the Marvel movies have been so successful!

Take a look at the full interview below, let us know what you think, and be sure to subscribe to GeekscapeTV for more!

Comikaze 2013: Talking ‘Miami Vice’ On The Lion Forge Panel!

by Jonathan

Here’s a clip from the Lion Forge Comics panel at the 2013 Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo in which my editor Shannon Denton and I talk a bit more about what’s coming up in our Miami Vice comic book series! Is it in continuity? What characters will be included? What’s being changed and what’s staying the same? And of course, will there be any sex? Rampage Jackson himself (who was sitting next to me during the panel) chimes in on that one!

Subscribe to the Geekscape podcast on iTunes!

And listen to the full conversation here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:24 — 10.8MB)

The Stan Lee’s Comikaze Panels We’re Most Looking Forward To!

by GeekscapeStaff

Stan Lee’s Comikaze is finally right around the corner (better get those tickets quickly)! A myriad of Geekscape writers will be in attendance at the expo, and of course we couldn’t be more excited to hang out with you at the Geekscape Booth (that’d be Booth #610)!

As the 3-day event has something for all sorts of different tastes, we thought that we’d make a list of our own personal highlights from the schedule! Here are the panels that each of us are looking forward to at next weekend’s Comikaze 2013!

If you’re attending the expo, be sure to visit us at Booth #610, where we’ll have tons of shirts available and some freebies (and lonely Shane O’Hare would love to talk to you)! We’ll be there all weekend! Now read on!

Juan Carlos Marquez

Any sci-fi-loving kid who grew up in the 80’s knew the drill on Saturdays; you started the morning flipping between CBS, NBC, and ABC, but then you tuned in to Channel 5 (KTLA) and watched the Family Film Festival with Tom Hatten. It was during this afternoon routine in which I was introduced to the glory of Godzilla. I fell in love with way the giant Japanese lizard monster tore apart miniature cities, yet helped defend the poorly-dubbed humans from the likes of Mothra, Rodan, and Mecha Godzilla.

Sunday’s panel, ‘Giant Kaiju Monsters Vs. Men in Suits Attack Japan (And Hollywood)!’ is an absolute can’t-miss for me, especially seeing that George Krstic is going to take part in the panel discussion (as well as our very own Jonathan London). I was a huge fan of Megas XLR and I can’t wait to hear his thoughts on what appears to be the renaissance of the giant monster movie genre.

Godzilla

The panel takes place on Sunday, November 3rd at 2:30 in room 306AB! Here’s the description:

Everyone loves Godzilla, Power Rangers, Ultra-Man, Rodan, Kamen Rider and Giant Robots! And recently, Hollywood has gotten in on the act with Kaiju and Giant Robot films like Pacific Rim and next summer’s Godzilla film. Are these Japanese mainstays the next big thing in American pop-culture (or is it just another Hollywood trend)? Join a panel of working Hollywood professionals for an in-depth discussion on the past, present, future and Americanization of Kaiju and Japanese Men in Suit properties. These properties have long since taken over Japan. Are we next!?!

Participants: Jonathan London (Host of Geekscape!), F.J. DeSanto (Frank Miller’s The Spirit, Cyborg 009, Insurgent), George Krstic (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Action Pack, Megas XLR), Robert Burnett (Free Enterprise, Femme Fatales), Tommy Yune (Robotech)

S.J. Borger

I’ve never been to Comikaze before, though I’ve lived in Los Angeles for years. The panels this year look amazing (especially the panels that our own awesome, glorious leader Jonathan London* is a part of).

The panels span an eclectic and wildly interesting set of topics—I could barely decide between some of them. That being, said, I narrowed it down from ‘all of them!’ since I couldn’t seem to find a handy TARDIS or a Time Turner anywhere.

My (current, to be updated at any time) list of must-see panels:

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Panel: because, well, the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special—and the mysterious ‘special guests.”  Such a tease, Comikaze, such a tease! – Friday, 4PM, Room 306AB.

The Nerdist Writer’s Panel: Comic Book Edition; I’m a fan of The Nerdist podcast and comic books, so this was basically a done deal. I hope Ben Blacker doesn’t think I’m stalking him, though, since I just realized I’m attending ALL of his panels if I can. – Saturday, 10:30AM, 304ABC.

Icon: Bruce Campbell. I shouldn’t even have to explain this. – Saturday, 1PM, Hot Topic Main Stage.

Blizzard Storytelling: From the corruption of Kerrigan to managing to (by the skin of their teeth) write in Panda Bears and Aliens as beings consistent with their world, Blizzard Entertainment is one of the foremost storytellers of our digital age.  I’m looking forward to insights from the minds behind the stories. – Saturday, 3PM, Room 306AB.

In Defense Of: A panel defending the truly ludicrous choices sometimes made in comics, gaming and film (the ones that made you cock your head and say ‘Wait, what? How? Why would you do that?’…for example, all of GI Joe: Retaliation). – Saturday, 4PM, Room 301A.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Enough said. Seriously, I’d watch Acker, Blacker, Paul F Tompkins, Marc Evan Jackson, Joshua Malina, Busy Philips and Mark Gagliardi read from the phone book. If they could find one, I guess. It’s not really a great saying, anymore, is it? So um…I’d watch them read from the ITunes user agreement. – Saturday, 5:30PM, Room 308AB.

That works better.

Writing Genre TV: A panel of writers from hit shows like The Walking Dead, Warehouse 13, Alphas, Justified and Once Upon a Time In Wonderland discuss what it’s like to work in genre TV. – Sunday, 3:30PM, Room 306AB.

Zombies! Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Too Alive To Ask! Zombie science, history, fiction and fact. Where else would I be on a Sunday? – Sunday, 4PM, Room 304ABC.

* I take cash or paypal, Jonathan.**

** You’ll take a pass to Comikaze is what you’ll take! – Jonathan

anyone have one of these that I can borrow?
anyone have one of these that I can borrow?

Shane O’Hare

This is my FIRST Comikaze convention. I’ve been a huge fan of the expo and organizaiton (DJing their Comic Con party didn’t have anything to with that praise :P) and have always wanted to go. This year, the planets aligned perfectly and I was able to get off work to join in on the fun!

This being my first trip to Comikaze I really want to check out the booths and the main floor, I love seeing how cons other than SDCC stack up. I also really can’t wait to get to work at our very own Geekscape booth (booth 610) as well!

The Pacific Rim (Friday, 2PM, Room 306AB) and Sharknado (Friday, 4:30, Hot Topic Main Stage) panels on day one are a must see. The Lion Forge panels (Saved By The Bell is Saturday, 11AM, Room 306AB, Knight Rider, Airwolf, Miami Vice & More on Sunday, 12PM, Room 301A) are also a must attend as all their newest books are top notch and I am super excited for all of them.

Come Sunday I find myself stuck in a conundrum. Do I stay at Comikaze or head on down to Anaheim and join the Mega 64 Boyz for their annual Gamedays meetup at Disneyland? Decisions…decisions.

Either way, I am very excited to be attending Comikaze, especially since it’s in LA! My sister better get the couch ready cause baby brudda is coming for a visit!

Kari Lane

This will be my second year attending Comikaze, and there are definitely a few panels/films that I’m really excited to see!

I’m looking forward to the Geek Girls: Sexism Within the Geek Subculture (Friday, 1:30PM, Room 301B) panel because it has been a fairly common discussion topic lately. The Adapting Sherlock Holmes (Friday, 3:30PM, Room 301B) panel sounds cool since I just recently started watching the show (yes, I’m a little behind on some shows because I generally don’t watch live TV and have to rely on Netflix.) The Dollar Baby Film Festival (Saturday, 9AM, Screening Room 411) on Saturday also sounds awesome because it will be short films based on Stephen King stories and I love good horror stories. There’s a Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Pilot (Saturday, 11:30AM, Room 308AB)I am really excited about because I saw their presentation at the Long Beach Comic Con and I’m stoked to see their final product. And, of course, Weird Al will be at Comikaze this year. I’ve seen him in concert at least three times and he never fails to entertain. 🙂 I’m also curious to see Sweethearts of the Galaxy (Sunday, 10AM, Room 304ABC) because I interviewed those two lovely ladies not so long ago and their show seems really fun. There’s also several horror panels I wouldn’t miss such as a Ghosts, Bigfoot and Beyond: Paranormal TV (Sunday, 1PM, Room 304ABC) because who doesn’t enjoy a little paranormal in their life?! And last, but not least, there will be a screening of Legend of the Red Reaper (Sunday, 2:30PM, Screening Room 411) which I have been hearing about for quite some time so I’m really looking forward to seeing it!

legend_of_the_red_reaper

Derek Kraneveldt

I absolutely cannot wait to get back down to Los Angeles and head to Comikaze! Of course I’m beyond excited to see all of my fellow writers again (and to meet some new ones too), and also participate in my very first 5K. The whole reason that I’m going down is for the expo however, and here’s what I’m most looking forward to:

It’s called Stan Lee’s Comikaze, so of course I need to meet Stan at some point. I picked up a copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (first appearance of the black suit) at SDCC, and I would love to have him sign it. That being said, getting a photo with Stan the Man would literally make my life, as I’ve idolized the guy since before I could speak! He did say good morning to me at SDCC, but I need more!

I was a big fan of Pacific Rim, so as Shane said up above, the From Robots to Monsters: A Look Into Pacific Rim and Godzilla (Friday, 2PM, Room 306AB) panel is a must see for me. I’m also looking forward to the Full Time Creative on a Part Time Schedule (Friday, 2:30PM, Room 301B) discussion should be an interesting one. Between a full-time day job and my work for Geekscape, I find a hard time doing any of the creative writing that I used to love doing. Maybe this panel will offer some tips on how to find the time?

Later that day, I’ll be headed to the Making A Comic Step-By-Step (Friday, 4PM, Room 304ABC). This should go hand-in-hand with the previous panel, as it’s something that I’ve been interest in for as long as I can remember, but have simply never found the time to do. I’ll also want to check out the Fangasm: The Interns Reunite (Friday, 7PM, Hot Topic Main Stage) as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the show (which ends tonight) and I’m sure that there’ll be plenty of laughs at the panel.

All that stuff, and that’s just the first day! I’m also looking forward to:

-The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? – (Saturday, 2PM, Room 304ABC).
–Inspector Spacetime: The Panel – (Saturday, 6PM, Room 304ABC)
-The Writer’s Journey: Breaking Into Comic Book and Hollywood Scriptwriting – (Sunday, 10AM, Room 306AB)
-Meet The Actor’s From ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ – (Sunday, 11:30AM, Room 306AB)
-So You Wanna Start A Podcast – (Sunday, 5PM, Room 308AB)

I’m sure that I’ll find even more to attend once I get to the expo, but these are the events that immediately stood out to me!

It's my mission to meet this guy.
It’s my mission to meet this guy.

Our very own Jonathan London will also be hosting (and participating in) a few of Comikaze’s most prestigious panels. You know you’ll want to be in attendance for those. The panels are:

– Icon: Edward James Olmos – (Friday, 5:30PM, Hot Topic Main Stage)

The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning, Academy Award-nominated legend talks to the Comikaze crowd about his many appearances in some of the biggest and most recognizable of film and television projects.

– Lion Forge Comics Presents: Saved By The Bell – (Saturday, 11AM, Room 306AB)

It’s time to return to Bayside High! Host Jonathan London will take you on a nostalgic look at the world of Saved by the Bell and he’s bringing along some special guests to help him out. Mr. Belding himself, Dennis Haskins, will be one board to reminisce on the iconic shows past history. Joining America’s favorite principal are writer Joelle Sellner and artist Chynna Clugston who’ll be helming Saved by the Bell’s future with an exclusive look into the new comic coming from Lion Forge Comics.

 

Participants: Jonathan London (Geekscape), Dennis Haskins (Saved By The Bell), Joelle Sellner (SBTB Comic, Jackie Chan Adventures, Teen Titans, Wonderous), Chynna Clagston (Blue Monday, Queen Bee), Adam Staffaroni (editor)

– Lion Forge Comics Presents Knight Rider, Airwolf, Miami Vice, and Much Much More! – (Sunday, 12PM, Room 301A)

Lion Forge Comics has been hard at work bringing you the best titles in comics and you have a chance to hear first-hand from its creative team about its plans for some of your favorite TV shows from the 80s and other  Lion Forge Projects. Also get an exclusive first look at our new project with writer Cullen Bunn (Sixth Gun & Deadpool). This is not your average boring publisher panel filled with press releases and boring home movies. Excitement, Adventure, Giveaways and more Surprises await you at the Lion Forge Comics panel!

 

Participants: Geoff Thorne (Leverage, Ben10), Brandon Easton (Thundercats, Shadowlaw), Jonathan London (Geekscape), David Gorden (Catalyst Prime: Accel, Catalyst Prime: Quincredible), Jason Johnson (Wetworks), Lorenzo Lizana (Rampage Jackson: Street Soldier), Carl Reed (Miami Vice)

– Giant Kaiju Monsters Vs. Men In Suits Attack Japan (And Hollywood)! – (Sunday, 2PM, Room 306AB)

Everyone loves Godzilla, Power Rangers, Ultra-Man, Rodan, Kamen Rider and Giant Robots! And recently, Hollywood has gotten in on the act with Kaiju and Giant Robot films like Pacific Rim and next summer’s Godzilla film. Are these Japanese mainstays the next big thing in American pop-culture (or is it just another Hollywood trend)? Join a panel of working Hollywood professionals for an in-depth discussion on the past, present, future and Americanization of Kaiju and Japanese Men in Suit properties. These properties have long since taken over Japan. Are we next!?!

 

Participants: Jonathan London (Host of Geekscape!), F.J. DeSanto (Frank Miller’s The Spirit, Cyborg 009, Insurgent), George Krstic (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Action Pack, Megas XLR), Robert Burnett (Free Enterprise, Femme Fatales), Tommy Yune (Robotech).

Now it’s your turn! Be sure to let us know what you’re excited to see at next week’s Comikaze! You can find the programming schedule here, and head here if you haven’t bought your tickets yet!

COMIKAZE_POW_LOGO_color (2)_0

Stan Lee’s Comikaze Partners With Diamond Distribution!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Stan Lee’s Comikaze has a new partner, and it’s definitely a big one: Diamond Comics Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise.

The alliance will focus on turbocharging the already staggering growth of the Comikaze expo, which will celebrate its third year this November. Geekscape pal and Comikaze founder / CEO Regina Carpinelli states that “My partners and I are committed to creating a unique, one-of-a-kind fan experience that will be enjoyed by all. Part of fulfilling that goal is to partner with industry giants. Diamond Comics is the one of the most precious gem in the pop culture world. We have no doubt that together we can achieve our prime objective to create one of the world’s largest, most diverse Pop Culture conventions.”

Really, it sounds like quite the partnership. I’ll be attending my first Comikaze this year (just one month to go), and I couldn’t be more excited! Take a look at the press release in full below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to the expo.

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels and related pop-culture products, announced today that it will partner with Comikaze Entertainment Inc. and Advanstar Communications in a strategic alliance that focuses on expanding the growth of Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo LA’s comic and pop culture convention.
 
To be held November 1-3, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo promises an incredible experience for fans of comics, gaming, horror, sci-fi, fantasy and anime. This year’s event will feature an amazing line-up of attractions from vendors and exhibitors, interactive contests, celebrity autograph signings, screenings, renowned panel sessions and gaming tournaments.
 
Diamond is a leader in the comic book specialty market and has exclusive arrangements with all major U.S. comics’ publishers. Diamond, with its unrivaled connections in the comic industry, plans to help attract thousands of new fans to Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, making the 2013 show an event for the history books. “We enjoy and support pop culture fandom as all of its exciting forms expand rapidly around the globe,” said John Parker, Vice President, Business Development from Diamond. “Even in a highly connected and socially digital world spanning from New York to Tokyo, Dubai to Toronto, Shanghai to Sao Paolo, Mumbai to Los Angeles, fans want to personally gather to interact with their favorite characters, experience the latest story developments, cosplay and perform, and purchase related merchandise. We are thrilled with our new Comikaze Expo alliance and look forward to contributing to the growth of their innovative Los Angeles event.”
 
“My partners and I are committed to creating a unique, one-of-a-kind fan experience that will be enjoyed by all,” said Regina Carpinelli, Founder and CEO, Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo. “Part of fulfilling that goal is to partner with industry giants. Diamond Comics is the one of the most precious gem in the pop culture world. We have no doubt that together we can achieve our prime objective to create one of the world’s largest, most diverse Pop Culture conventions.”
 
“Diamond is unique in the role they play uniting comics and fans everywhere,” added Chris DeMoulin, EVP Worldwide Customer Development at Advanstar. “Truly, Diamond is a fan’s best friend.”

stan-lees-comikaze_500_500

Geekscape Review: Syfy’s “Fangasm”

by S.J. Borger

Courtesy of Syfy Channel
Courtesy of Syfy Channel

The concept for SyFy’s newest reality series, Fangasm, is simple: Follow seven interns as they spend a summer working in Stan Lee’s ComiKaze Expo offices. If the title, Stan Lee’s involvement or the word ComiKaze didn’t clue you in, the seven interns are definitely members of the comic book fandom.

And they truly are. We quickly meet our interns—Andrew Divall, Sal Fringo, Kristin Hackett, Molly McIsaac, Paul Perkins, Mike Reed and Dani Snow as they arrive at the ComiKaze headquarters in Los Angeles after a very brief “geek background check”. The show is formatted like your typical reality show, with ‘confessional’ one-on-ones; backstory tidbits; challenges (handed out by Geekscape friend Regina Carpinelli, co-founder and CEO of Comikaze); and house drama.

The cast is cute in their fandom, but, while they are highly representative of the fan culture, they are not, necessarily, fully representative of the geek culture (where’s the board gaming?). They belong on the Venn diagram, sure, but they are not the totality, as evidenced by an early division among Marvel VS DC lines.

fan 4

Yes, That Just Happened

And maybe this challenge of trying to encompass everything that makes us geeks is inherent in the “identity crisis” that the show runs into in some segments. At times, it’s incredibly sincere, like when a cast member expresses his dream of meeting Star Trek’s George Takei (and just wait until the heartfelt ending). At its worst (and we did like the the show), Fangasm struggles to fit the cast into a story-driven reality format, as evidenced when the guys are tasked with lighting a gas grill. Are we being asked to relate to a show that makes fun of us?

Ultimately, does the production know what to do with its seven interns? We spent most of  our time wondering: is this a celebration of the geek? Or a one-hour long practical joke put together by the mean girls to show during the pep rally? Are we supposed to be contemptuous of them? Because it surely feels like that’s the show’s theme. For a culture that prides itself in being all inclusive, Fangasm spent a lot of time labeling its cast mates as “other”. Sorry, that we’re not The Jersey Shore.

A prime example is the girls-of-comics segment (put on during the National Geek Day celebration). It was mind-blowingly misogynistic, sexist, exploitive and insulting. The full thirty-seconds spent on “Supergirl” shaking her bikini-clad behind at the camera—why? What did that prove? If a cast member had been tasked with doing something like this, we could have explored our own geek crisis, to be accepted, but on our own terms.  But as onlookers, the cast was split along gender lines, with the boys asking for dollar bills and the girls looking horrified. The entire segment seemed there as some sort of ‘look, geeks can be hot, especially when they dress/dance like strippers!’ and McIsaac’s follow up concern to the dancing felt swept under the rug in the name of just having fun. Again, do we want our culture to be accepted by all just so they can re-appropriate it into something it was never intended to be? Are the cast members only present so they can be poked with sticks? Fangasm has to decide.

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo
Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo

But…ComiKaze! Stan Lee! George Takei!

In the end, the positives definitely outweigh the “concerns”, and the show does have a lot of fun moments (and the castmembers are all pretty likable, even “Macho Geek” Sal, who we get to know the least and is seen doing push ups twice during the show (is he our ‘Situation’?). And the internship at Comikaze definitely looks fun, a huge expo where all things geek, nerd and comic book are celebrated. And, again, there were many truly sweet moments in the show in which you really root for the cast members, especially in the last few minutes, when George Takei makes a special appearance.

The casts’ genuine appreciation for what they are doing—working with Stan Lee!—and their support of each other speaks to all the best things about the geekdom. The producers have done a great job of picking our representatives. The seven interns deserve every opportunity that this show will give them; and hopefully the show can appreciate them as much as they seem to appreciate each other.

Fangasm is produced by the creators of Jersey Shore, 495 Productions, with Executive Producers SallyAnn Salsano and Joel Zimmer. It premieres on the SyFy channel on Tuesday, September 24th at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Rating: 3/5

Stan Lee Conquers The Martians At This Year’s Comikaze Expo!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It looks as though exclusives for this year’s Comikaze Expo (November 1 – 3) are already coming down the pipeline, and this one is simply too cool to pass up.

Topps has revealed an exclusive Mars Attacks card that will debut at the convention, featuring none other than ‘The Man’ himself, Stan Lee. The image featured on the card is absolutely hilarious, and better yet, the card will be absolutely FREE.

Take a look at the limited-edition card below, and let us know if you’re headed to this year’s Comikaze! We’ll be there (of course), and we’ll definitely be picking up a few of these (though they are limited to 2500)! Prints of the fantastic art will also be available at the Topps booth, and they’ll be signed by artist Joe Jusko!

Stan_Strikes copy

Geekscape 297: The 2013 San Diego Comic Con Preview Episode!

by Jonathan

The 2013 San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner! We’re old veterans here at Geekscape, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less excited when Comic Con rolls around each year! To help us prep, 20 year SDCC veteran Matt Raub is in the studio breaking down the Must Dos and Must Avoids, as well as sharing some of his greatest, and worst, Comic Con memories! Also joining us is Nick Gregorio, longtime Geekscape friend but first time Comic Con attendee! Plus! Sci Fi master Marc Zicree calls in to give us an update on Space Command and give some great Comic Con advice and author Marcus Sakey calls in to geek out with us, talk about his new book ‘Brilliance’ and discuss his insane job hosting The Travel Channel’s ‘Hidden City’! See you in San Diego!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31:09 — 36.6MB)

Stan Lee’s ‘Annihilator’ Coming From Producer Barry Josephson!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Sure, its a character you’re probably not familiar with yet, but it’s Stan Lee!

 

Magic Storm Entertainment has revealed that Barry Josephson will produc Stan Lee’s Annihilator. Josephson has quite the filmography behind him, including Men in Black, The Fifth Element, The Professional, and many, many more. Magic Store Entertainment CEO Eric Mika is sounding very positive about the partnership, stating that “Barry is the perfect partner at every level to produce a film of this magnitude that targets a global market, including mainland China.”

 

The script has been written by Dan Gilroy (The Bourne Legacy, Real Steel).

 

Annihilator tells the story of a young Chinese expatriate, Ming, who must choose between remaining in prison or enlist in a secret US super soldier program.  The program uses targeted genetic enhancements from various animal species.  Ming chooses to undergo this nearly fatal procedure and through his extreme resolve, gained as a result of his family’s tradition of practicing Qijong and martial arts, he survives. Now, armed with remarkable abilities, he must confront a former rival with his own set of enhanced faculties. Our reluctant hero is forced not only to face his personal demons, but also to defeat the villain who will destroy everything that he knows and loves.

 

Little else is known about the project at this time; no director has been announced, nor have any cast members signed on. We’ll let you know when they do!

 

annihilator

 

And of course, we love Stan Lee around here…

 

Geekscape 275: Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo’s Regina Carpinelli and Lisa Foiles!

by Jonathan

Super Geekscape friend Regina Carpinelli, founder of Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, finally visits Geekscape to talk conventions and Magic the Gathering! Joining Reggie is Lisa Foiles, who many of you might remember from Nickelodeon’s ‘All That’, but who is also one of the best gamers we’ve ever had on the show! We talk the new Devil May Cry, JJ Abrams doing Star Wars and internet stalkers! Plus! Jon Schnepp calls in to talk about his new Kickstarter for ‘The Death of Superman Lives! What Happened?’ and we get his take on the Justice League movie!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:52 — 22.4MB)

Have A Heroic Holiday: Stan Lee Sings ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

No big news here, just Stan Lee being Stan Lee: the venerable character creator has just uploaded a wonderful version of The Twelve Days of Christmas featuring who else, but him!

The video comes care of Stan’s World of Heroes YouTube channel, which is chock-full of other hilariously entertaining goodies.

Check out the song below, and enjoy! Happy holidays!

Stan Lee Confirms That Dr. Strange Movie Is Indeed Happening!

by Shawn Madden

While Marvel Studios “Phase Two” has yet to begin, people are already wondering what exactly “Phase Three” will bring us. Both Doctor Strange and Black Panther have long been rumored to to be hitting the big screen eventually from Marvel Studios.

Now, in a recent interview Stan Lee says that you can definitely except to see Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme coming to the big screen and a Black Panther film IS indeed being developed. Could one of these be the secret film project that Joe Quesada is working on?

“Oh they are all being made into movies! I can tell you there will definitely be a Dr. Strange movie! They are working on Antman, which requires really small cameras! Black Panther is being developed, one of my favorites…the Inhumans…All the hero’s will eventually be made into movies.”

This isn’t the first time Stan The Man has talked about these project before. But in the past Lee only stated that these were being considered for adaptation. A Inhumans film was actually talked about by Kevin Feige in the past before any word of Guardians Of The Galaxy was announced. Could that be the cosmic movie of “Phase Three”?

Lee also spoke a small amount about his Executive Producing responsibilities, and stated that really doesn’t do anything.

“I have very little control. I don’t see the script, occasionally I will have lunch with the director or a star, like the guy making Antman,I don’t remember his name- I don’t remember names, or Robert Downey Jr., for Ironman and we talk about the characters.”

Lee went on to explain that the only time he actually has anything to do with the film is his cameos and just like us he’s a fan that gets excited to see these films for the first times at their premieres. When asked about how he felt about the movies:

“I love them! I feel like an actor! I can’t wait to be in the credits and also think that the Oscars should add a category for “best cameo”! But wait until you see my cameo is Ironman 3. It’s the best one so far!”

Source: District

Josh Trank Looking At Jack Kirby & Stan Lee Material As Inspiration For ‘Fantastic Four’

by Shawn Madden

One of Mark Millar’s project that he will oversee for Fox will be the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. Josh Trank has been attached to direct the upcoming film, and Millar has stated thats Trank’s Chronicle was his favorite superhero film last year, and is excited to see what the director will bring to the table.

“You can tell from Chronicle that it was a new way of looking at superheroes, and I think he’s going to apply that same slightly skewed way of looking at heroes to the Fantastic Four, but do it in a way that feels incredibly reverential to the Kirby and Lee stuff.”

Millar went on state that for the Fantastic Four to work properly it really has to be done with the Lee and Kirby prospective. While the current trend for comic movies is to give them a darker feel, don’t expect that one from Marvel’s fantastic family.

“I don’t think you could do Fantastic Four and try and make it grim and gritty.”

It appears that Millar and Trank are going after a different approach than the current trend of movies. I’m pretty excited to see what the two combined can come up with. And I know for one thing that I hope this means we will get the Mole Man, The Moloids and his creatures on the big screen.

Source: SFX via ComicBook.com