Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Kevin Feige
Written and Directed by James Gunn
Based on Guardians of the Galaxy
by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista,
Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker,
Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki,
Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone,
and Kurt Russell

BEWARE!  SPOILERS BELOW!

The lovable bunch of a-holes are back in Vol. 2, the much anticipated sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy.

Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) leads and ends up expanding the team who have garnered a galactic reputation as true Guardians in the months since the last film.

So much so, that  Peter’s father, a comic book favorite Ego (The Living Planet) played by Kurt Russell sprouts up to reunite with his son.

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‘Superheroes Decoded’ (review) at Forces of Geek

Superheroes Decoded is a two-part documentary about the history of superheroes and comic books. Piggybacking on Brad Meltzer’s Decoded series title, this is in-depth look in to how American comic books and heroes have developed into a major money-maker for studios but also a reflection of over seventy-five years of pop culture.

Capped on each end by the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and the invention of a Pakistani Ms. Marvel in 2013 the just under three hour documentary has a lot packed in.

Interviews with creators Stan Lee, Iron Man director Jon Favreau, creators Brad Meltzer, Joe Quesada, Mark Waid, Dan DiDio, Nicola Scott, G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat are poised against non-comics people and celebrities George R.R. Martin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Clark Gregg, Anthony Mackie, T.J. Miller and many more to paint a historical perspective on comics and heroes.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With J.T. Krul, Writer of ‘Sand+Bone’ - at Forces of Geek

Comics writer J.T. Krul is best known for his work recently on Green Arrow and Teen Titans, but cut his chops at Aspen with Fathom and Soulfire. His latest book, Sand + Bone, from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s Adaptive Books, J.T. and artist Andrea Mutti tackle PTSD and an unexplained supernatural phenomenon.

Sean Hitcher has just returned from war. He didn’t die in Iraq, but part of him wishes that he did. He’s home now, back in the small Midwestern town he grew up in. But he is haunted by nightmarish visions of killing and carnage that seem to be the result of severe PTSD. But are they? Is there something he’s missing. …

As mysterious acts of violence spread throughout the town, Sean begins to wonder if there’s more going on than he originally thought. What terror did he experience on the battlefield, and what horrifying secret did he bring back with him?

J.T. took some time to discuss Sand + Bone, PTSD and working with Adaptive Books.

*   *   *   *   *

FOG!: Thanks for joining us to discuss Sand + Bone! First off, we can’t ignore the art on this book. How did you hook up with Andrea Mutti?

J.T. Krul: That was actually thanks to Jimmy and Justin. They’ve been working with Adaptive to develop their graphic novels, and as we started putting the project together, they recommended Andrea. His style works great with the tone and vibe of the story we are telling. It’s dark and brooding, with a lot of the mystery and the drama hidden in the shadows. And, Vladimir Popov really complements Andrea’s art perfectly, adding a sense of texture and grit in his colors.

[READ MORE AT FORCE OF GEEK]

‘Teen Titans: The Judas Contract’ (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

The classic Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans story, The Judas Contract has been updated and fit into the current DCAU by director Sam Liu. While there are some key elements to the story and an overall respect for the source material throughout, this is very much a 2017 DC Comics Animated movie.

The team differs from the original Titans, an additional time frame and a sinister vibe and double-cross from the movie’s villains Brother Blood (Gregg Henry) and Deathstroke (played by the late, great Miguel Ferrer) add another layer to the dense story of betrayal from inside the team. Our animated Titans are led by Starfire (Kari Wahlgren) and the red-Bat New 52 Nightwing (Sean Maher).Beast Boy (Brandon Soo Hoo) returns as a major star in this one as he faces off against his crush and newly initiated team member Terra / Tara Markov (Christina Ricci).

Noticeably absent, likely for Justice League reasons is Cyborg, but Raven (Taissa Farmiga) and Blue Beetle / Jamie Reyes (Jake T. Austin) round out the roster.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Previews Jonathan Coulton’s Upcoming Album and Graphic Novel, ‘Solid State’ AT FORCES OF GEEK

The music business has changed so much in the past few years that there is a huge gap between what was thought of as the studio album being replaced by lyric videos and viral sensations. What happens when you’re a former programmer that wants to create music instead of being a cubical code monkey in this environment?

You get the uncanny Jonathan Coulton, a man who’s career was quite literally forged by riding the crest of the internet wave like oh-so-many primates on the cover of the original T&C Surf Designs NES cartridge.

JoCo infamously indulged in a year long quest to make a “Thing a Week” in 2005, creating memorable geek singalong numbers “Shop Vac”, “Chiron Beta Prime”, “Tom Cruise Crazy” and of course “Mr. Fancy Pants”. Alright, you might not know these songs yet, but you can listen to them for free on his site along with the unofficial “Ikea” theme song (‘plywood, brushed steel; meatballs, tasty’).

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

‘Black Hammer Volume 1: Secret Origins’ TPB (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Jeff Lemire’s vision of a superhero universe, rooted deep in his indie roots comes to fruition today in the release of the first volume of Black Hammer (Dark Horse Comics).

Drawn with a Mignola-esque sensibility, the art by Dean Ormston (2000 AD, Sandman Mystery Theatre) drops you into this new universe that is as much Kirby as it is Lemire’s own Sweet Tooth.

Let us back up a couple of steps. Why should you read this book about a superhero team from another dimension trapped within a 10 mile radius of a simple farm house?

The answer is simple: This book is very good.

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‘T2 Trainspotting’ (review) - at FORCES OF GEEK

“Choose life.
Choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and hope that someone, somewhere cares.
Choose looking up old flames, wishing you’d done it all differently.
And choose watching history repeat itself.
Choose your future.”

Danny Boyle returns 20 years later to Edinburgh, Scotland for a sequel to the highly successful Trainspotting film about addiction and friendship.

The film reunites Renton (Ewen McGregor) with Simon aka Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), the betrayed Begbie (Robert Carlyle) and the smack-obsessed Spud (Ewen Bremner) to great effect, portraying the void felt by the absence and passage of time.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Ryan Ferrier Talks All Things ‘D4VE’ at FORCES OF GEEK

In December, we previewed D4VEocracy #1 from Ryan Ferrier and Valentin Roman.

In D4VE’s first 100 days, we decided to knock on Ryan’s door to figure out what exactly is going on in the post-human robot society without a real president. We had to go all the way to Canada to get the answers and the election results we deserve.

*  *  *  *  *

FOG!: Pretty crazy election cycle, amiright? What can D4VE bring to the Presidency that, let’s just say, the current US President does not have?

Ryan Ferrier: Crazy to say the least. I am Canadian, so I maybe shouldn’t comment. Okay, fine, y’all are fucked. I mean, you’ll fight and resist and it’ll be okay, but it’s gnarly and I’m sorry. What does D4VE have that the current one doesn’t? Easy, its empathy. Makes you wonder who the real robot is.

Over the last two volumes D4VE’s shown just how emotionally connected he is to his family, his planet, and his role in society. His intent to lead the last living population seems pretty fitting.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Geeky Reader: ‘The Official Making Of Big Trouble In Little China’ and ‘The Art Of Big Trouble In Little China’ (reviews) at FORCES OF GEEK

Written by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry
With Forewords by John Carpenter
With Afterwords by Kurt Russell and Eric Powell
Published by BOOM! Studios

“I’m a reasonable guy. But, I’ve just experienced some very unreasonable things”.

— Jack Burton

The story of Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan is one for the ages, and one who’s thirty year legacy owes a bit to it’s huge budget and legendary director John Carpenter’s overall vision. While it wasn’t the biggest hit at the box office, in fact it only made back $11 million of it’s astounding $25 million dollar budget, Big Trouble In Little China garnered a generation of loyal fans. Those fans regard the movie as a kung fu science fiction masterpiece destined for cable reruns and cult status.

In tandem, we’d like to present to you two books that take you deep below San Francisco and the furies that lay there. BOOM! Studios has released The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China as well as The Art Of Big Trouble In Little China to reveal on set special effects secrets and in depth interviews with Carpenter, Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall round out editions celebrating this cult classic.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee,
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith,
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers,
|Jared Stern, John Whittington
Story by Seth Grahame-Smith
Based on Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger,
Lego Construction Toys
Directed by Chris McKay
Starring Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis,
Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes

LEGO Batman is back and with even less parents than the last time!

That’s not exactly true, Batman (Will Arnett) has surrogate father Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) by his side and his trusty ward Robin (Michael Cera) this time around for a true Batman Family adventure.

Commissioner Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl (Rosario Dawson) rounds out the good guy cast.

Batman’s nemesis? Of course it is The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and a slew of familiar rogues.

Robot Chicken veteran Chris McKay directs this hilarious animated feature that bridges the gap between the animated LEGO DC Universe and 2014’s The LEGO Movie.

The LEGO Batman Movie, while obviously riding the success of the first film, also sets itself apart and is more than a sequel. Primarily basing itself in DC locations Gotham and The Phantom Zone, this is a decidedly DC Comics Batman movie. When rattling off a list of super villains in his cadre: Bane, Clayface, Two-Face, Riddler, The Joker is asked if he was making some of them up! Maybe he was, but this movie does introduce Condiment Man to LEGO canon, armed with both a Ketchup and a Mustard gun! OOOH, it stains!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Antony Johnston Discusses ‘The Coldest Winter’ on The Cosmic Treadmill at FORCES OF GEEK

New York Times bestselling author of comics and video games Antony Johnston (Wasteland, Dead Space, The Fuse, Daredevil) joins us today to talk about his latest graphic novel The Coldest Winter. This is the prequel graphic novel to the upcoming film, The Coldest City starring Charlize Theron (Lorraine Broughton) and James McAvoy (Percival) about MI6 agents in The Cold War.

The Coldest Winter is for fans of the action spy genre and a good murder mystery. Antony bravely sends agents behind the Iron Curtain with no certainty of returning and the loyalty of his characters and the mission is always at the forefront.

When you are a spy, you must always watch your back!

* * * * *

FOG!: Thanks for joining us to talk The Coldest Winter, Antony! Is it cold where you are right now?

Antony Johnston: I live in north-west England. It’s always cold here.

This is the volume that precedes The Coldest City (soon to be a major motion picture). Were the volumes meant to be released in this order?

That’s a bit of an odd question. If I’d wanted to tell the story of The Coldest Winter first, I would have written it first instead of The Coldest City. So yes, that was always the intention.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Best of 2016: Part Two at FORCES OF GEEK

Clay N Ferno

FOG! Contributor
@ClayNFerno • leaguepodcast.com • do617.com

Best Movies: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Deadpool, Star Trek Beyond
Best TV Shows: Supergirl, The Crown, Mr. Selfridge, Divorce, Luke Cage
Best Video Game: Star Wars: Battlefront
Best Songs: Sad13 – Get a Yes, Whitney – No Woman
Best Albums: Whitney: Light Upon the Lake

[AND MORE at FORCES OF GEEK!]

‘Patriot’s Day’ (movie review) at FORCES OF GEEK

April 15, 2013 is a day that will live in infamy for Bostonians and runners the world over.

On this day, three people lost their lives and 264 others were injured at the finish line of the world’s oldest marathon.

Days later, an MIT police officer by the name of Sean A. Collier was shot and killed in the line of duty as the bombers tried to steal his gun. Nearly a year later, Dennis Simmonds, a Boston Police Department officer died of complications from an ensuing firefight with the terrorists.

These cowardly acts continue to have an affect on the Boston community, and on the other side of it, the chant of “Boston Strong” made it to the lexicon as a symbol of resilience, strength, pride and inspiration in the face of adversity.

Director Peter Berg’s Patriot’s Day captures the city’s reaction to the bombing that spurred an unprecedented ‘shelter-in-place’ declaration as the murderers made more sinister plans and plotted their way to New York City for more destruction.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

‘D4VEocracy #1’ (advance review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Written by Ryan Ferrier 
Art/Cover by Valentin Ramon 
Published by IDW Publishing
In Stores January 25, 2017

The third arc of IDW’s D4VE starts in January, picking up when vacuum robot Roombo is assassinated and the world is left without a leader.

That’s where our hero D4VE steps in, hoping to fill in the roll as Earth’s (34RTH’s) savior once again.

From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, D4VE has seen it all, from aliens to time travel to a big black hole threatening everyone’s existence.

In post-vacuum America, can D4VE be the one that makes everything great again?

Time will certainly tell.

The last volume, D4VE2, exalted D4VE to the Secretary of D-Fense. In his off-time, he’s struggling to maintain with his robot ex-wife S4LLY and raise his son, the mouthy and sexually fluid 5COTTY on the weekends. What we have here is Just your typical robot broken home. Why, you may ask, are robots ruling everything? They’ve taken over and beaten the meat puppet humans in an uprising (but not without learning human’s baser instincts and dank meme slang.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With ‘Stumptown’ Artist Justin Greenwood at FORCES OF GEEK

Stumptown is your favorite Rockford Files private detective story in comics form that you may or may not be reading!

Greg Rucka puts leading tough gal Dexedrine Parios in danger every issue but she can get to the bottom of the jig when that jig is certainly up, or in this instance, the bottom of a very dank coffee cup. Volume 4 of Stumptown, The Case of The Cup of Joe, comes out in January but is available for pre-order today (Diamond code: SEP161833)

Artist Justin Greenwood joins us to talk about the mystery comic set in Stumptown aka Portland, Oregon, cat-shit coffee and ‘silent’ issues of comic books!

* * * * *

FOG!: The Case of the Cup of Joe was one of the funniest crime comics and of a lighter tone than the previous volumes. Was it fun to play with Portland’s barista and coffee culture obsession?

Justin Greenwood: Yeah, we had a lot of fun with it! I remember Greg telling us about the idea for building a case around some very valuable, sought-after coffee beans and you couldn’t help but chuckle at the premise.

 [READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

‘Allied’ (movie review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Written by Steven Knight
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard,
Jared Harris, Simon McBurney,
Matthew Goode, Lizzy Caplan

Robert Zemeckis Allied is a decent Nazi spy romance film that is not without its problems with pacing and story, but still has some great scenes and overall looks great.

From the dizzying ‘when is he going to touch ground’ of Brad Pitt’s opening paratrooper scene to another steamy desert sex scene, the movie sure is great to look at. With the gorgeous Marion Cotillard (Dark Knight Rises, Inception) dripping a satin sensuality and Pitt’s leading man charisma, the sexiness can blow the gasket off of an RAF Jeep.

To be honest, Allied is a bit of a slogger, resting most of the burden on pure star power.

The movie has it’s very own identity crisis, switching sides from being a romantic period piece to a Nazi-punching war flick with behind the enemy lines grenade-throwing action. Where Zemeckis and writer Steven Knight go wrong is in the focus of the thing.

Most, if not all, of the plot is revealed in the trailer, which sets ones’ expectations up for failure from the first scenes in French Morocco. Max (Pitt) is a Canadian Airman fighting for the RAF. He’s dropped into a desert reconnoiter with his inside man who gives him a weapon and a cover story, complete with fake wedding ring.

In Casablanca, he meets his cover, a beautiful Marianne (Marion Cotillard).

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With The Inimitable Paul Dini About ‘Jingle Belle: The Whole Package’ at FORCES OF GEEK

Paul Dini is a legend in television animation and the father of DC Comics’ Harley Quinn. Dini has a fondness for the holiday spirit, a yearn for the Yule, a sizzle for the season! His lesser known creation, the blonde spitfire and daughter of the Kringle, Jingle Belle, has had books released in issues by various outlets over the years, and most recently, IDW has collected the rebellious teenager’s tales into one big volume!

It will hardly fit in the Santa Sack at 340 pages! Jingle Belle: The Whole Package is available now, just in time for that Yankee Swap.

Paul joined us today over some mulled cider for some questions to give us the origin of Santa’s spawn, Jingle Belle.

* * * * *

FOG!: Paul, thanks so much for joining us! You are well known in the comics and superhero world for creating Harley Quinn and your work in animation. When did the first Jingle Belle comic come in to your head?

Paul Dini: In 1998 I was talking to Oni Press about doing some new original characters, and they gave me the chance to try out two ideas in Oni Double Feature. One was “Honor Rollers,” which was based on some guys I had known in boarding school, and the other was “Jingle Belle.”

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

‘Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders’ (Movie review) - at FORCES OF GEEK

Holy Cash Cow, Batman! Batman ’66 the Comic, The Toys, The Franchise…and now the Movie!

Which came first, Robin? The revisit or the reboot? What peril faces The Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder fifty years after the debut of the Batman television series? Of course, reuniting the original cast would be impossible, but somehow Adam West, Burt Ward and Catwoman Julie Newmar are able to return to the booths to voice their famous characters.

These cherished after-school versions of The Not-So-Dark-Knight (West) in satin gloves and his ward (Ward) are revisited in Warner Animation’s Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.

I’m on record in these very pages of being a huge DC Animation fan, with only a few misses over these past few years. My favorite stories are when they take risks. This one, was risky for a number of reasons but truly I think they pulled it off once again.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Picks The Can’t Miss ‘Halloween Comic Fest’ Titles! at FORCES OF GEEK

Free Comic Book Day actually comes twice a year, and tomorrow, October 29th, the day wraps itself in gauze and dabs black makeup around it’s eyes.

That’s right, Halloween Comic Fest 2016 is here, at your participating LCS. Be sure to find grab bags of goodies, some Smarties and other healthy tricks at your local comic book store and as always, buy something, even a little thing to help out the store. Lots of stores have their own costume contests and more. Be sure to check with your store to see if they are participating or if they may have something else fun in store for the whole family!

And remember, kids, just like the speed limit, obey your store’s limits for free comics. If you are in an urban area riddled with comic shops this may be your opportunity to hit up more than your regular shop to be able to ‘collect ’em all’!

We’ve made some selections of Halloween Comic Fest 2016 books, labeled in creepy categories that have never seen the light of day, until now! Perhaps they were meant to be hidden forever! Klaatu Barada Nikto!

BEST COMIC FOR THE WALKING DEAD FAN
Afterlife with Archie Season 2 (Archie Comics
)

ZOMG! I can’t believe BLANK got BLANKED with a BLANK on this week’s The Walking Dead!

Almost as much as I can’t believe Archie has been publishing a daring ZombieVerse Riverdale comic from artist Francesco Francavilla and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Zombie Jughead. That is all!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With DC Comics’ Team Arrow, Benjamin Percy, Juan Ferreyra & Nate Piekos at FORCES OF GEEK

With CW’s Arrow going into it’s fifth season and 100 episodes (how did that happen?) spawning a superhero revolution on TV with the Arrowverse, a new spike has been given to the Emerald Archer’s popularity.

DC’s Comics recent Rebirth initiative made comic stores great again and writer Benjamin Percy was able to give Ollie back his goatee and reunites castaway with Black Canary along with selling a ton of Green Arrow Rebirth #1s.

We talked pre-Rebirth and post-Rebirth with Ben and Rebirth #1 cover artist and co-writer Juan Ferreyra at the DC Comics booth at New York Comic Con last week as Mr. Queen and Black Canary face the Island Of Scars.

###

FOG!: Hey guys, it’s an honor to talk with you, I’m a big Green Arrow fan, and I’ve been reading what you’ve been doing since before Rebirth. My first question is, did you feel like Rebirth was a good opportunity to revisit some things, or did you feel like you weren’t done telling part of your (New 52) story?

Ben Percy: When I jumped into the New 52, and first pitched Green Arrow, I wanted to write Black Canary into it, I was told, “You can’t do that”. I said, “He’s gotta have a goatee,” and I couldn’t do that.

I was also trying to do the novelist thing, which is playing the long game, which you should never do in comics! Because, I could have been kicked out after a few issues. But early on, I was keeping Ollie away from his costume, away from his bow and arrow in an effort to really get to know him as a person. It felt kid of schizophrenic prior to that in the New 52.

I really wanted to build up the character, and I had in my mind a Rebirth revitalization of the character, anyway. I was going to move towards that moment when he truly became Green Arrow. It just got sped up a bit for me.

I did have another storyline involving The Outsiders that I was working towards. There were a lot of hints in there, about that, but its fine. We got rid of that, we just jumped right into the new era.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]