Marvel announced in a press release that Storm will be getting a brand new series. Written by the legendary Ann Nocenti and drawn by the Mumbai-based acclaimed artist, Sid Kotian, the series celebrates its debut with some iconic cover art from none other than the legendary Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.
The artwork sees Storm in her Immortal X-Men and X-Men Red version of the character, the woman who’s leading mutantkind as both a figurehead and ruler. She’s also got some glimmering gold that she’s wearing in this variant cover that matches the lightning sparking out of her fingertips as seen below.
The limited series will be a flashback to Storm’s early days, in an untold story about her “punk” phase. It’ll also see younger Storm take on a new threat that awakens a part of her omega-level abilities in a first-reveal. This unlocked potential will see the mutant make a critical decision that stays with her and connects to the current timeline. Like any good flashback, the experience will shed light on Storm today in both her relationships and a decision she has to make.
Artgerm is a cover artist with one of the biggest reputations in the industry. His work is highly coveted not only by Marvel and DC but also, in the games industry. As I’m sure any fans of Marvel Snap have come to realize in those Artgerm variant cards featured in the game.
Nocenti is known for co-creating iconic Marvel characters such as Longshot, Mojo, and Typhoid Mary. She was also the editor of Chris Claremont’s runs on New Mutants and Uncanny X-Men. Kotian, meanwhile, is one of the most groundbreaking artists and was part of the first wave of new Indian artists hitting the comic scene, with works at Webtoons and just about every major comic publisher.
After the epic conclusion to Jason Aaron’s historical Avengers run, writer Jed MacKay and Marvel Stormbreaker artist C.F. Villa will take on the rebooted Avengers storyline for an epic 60th-anniversary run.
This new team of The Avengers will feature Captain Marvel as the team leader, and will also include Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. Seeing a foreboding premonition of The Tribulation Events, the knowledge of these major disasters to come will create grand-scale upheaval throughout the universe.
Originally featured in MacKay’s one-shot: TIMELESS, the series follows Kang the Conquerer’s ‘Missing moment’. An event that put him into conflict with the Twilight Court, led by the mysterious Myrddin. This new series will test the team’s trust in one another and more importantly, see if they can resolve the first of the Tribulation Event: The Fall of The Impossible City! The description of the first conflict is detailed below. Courtesy of Marvel’s most recent press release:
The Star. The Icon. The Witch. The Construct. The God. The Engineer. The King. The world is ever in peril, and a new team of Avengers mobilizes to meet any dangers that dare threaten the planet. But when Terminus attacks, a new and insidious danger rears its head: one that the Avengers know all too well, and one that comes to them in the most dangerous of guises – that of a friend.
AVENGERS #1
Written by JED MACKAY
Art by C.F. VILLA
Cover by STUART IMMONEN
On Sale 5/17
Come June the God of Mischief has his chaotic sights set on the Marvel Universe once more as he takes the lead in a brand-new solo series! Loki is a four-issue limited series with art by the fantastic Germán Peralta (Black Panther, Maestro) and featuring Dan Watters (Sword of Azrael, Arkham City) making his Marvel Comics writer debut.
It’s a new day for Loki but his past deeds aren’t about to just disappear. A collection of ancient Norse weapons forged by the God of Stories is gonna make some mischief for this trickster god when they wind up scattered throughout the nine realms. Visit scenic Nidavellir, Kree space, and of course Earth while Loki tracks these instruments of chaos down before they fall into villainous hands. On his scavenger hunt Loki will clash with iconic Marvel villains, stir up the Avengers, and be forced to come face to face with his true dark self.
“It’s hard to say what a delight it is to be making my Marvel debut, even more so to be doing it with the God of Stories himself- taking him all the way around the Marvel Universe and back again,” Watters shared. “I can’t wait for all to see the beauty Germán’s art is breathing into this tale we have to tell you, full of magic, danger – and if Loki can’t help himself (he can’t) – quite a smidge of mischief.”
“Loki is one of the most interesting characters, not only in comics, but also in mythology, and his ambiguity in all aspects of his life makes him a very interesting character for an artist,” Peralta said. “I always say that I really enjoy drawing villains, but Loki has everything. It was ‘love at first sight’ when I read the script. Dan is amazing, and I’m sure he’s having a lot of fun with it too. I can’t wait to draw Loki’s expressions, since there are always double intentions with him, and it’s going to be very entertaining to play with that, as well as everything related to his universe. Having the opportunity to draw Loki is undoubtedly a beautiful way to start the year. It’s going to be a road full of challenges, but I’m sure it’s going to be a great journey.”
Here’s a taste of Rod Reis’ interpretation of some of Loki’s most memorable forms.
Welcome back to week two of The Last of Us. In terms of the distance traveled this episode, the party goes about a half mile. In terms of character development, they’ve gone leaps and bounds. Let’s get right into it.
We open with another flashback to 2003, and the early days of the infection. In Jakarta, the military comes and plucks Ibu Ratna away from her lunch table and hustles her off to a lab, dropping her in front of a microscope. The mycology professor quickly identifies the sample as cordyceps but asks why the slide was treated with chlorazol. The general replies that it’s the protocol for slides from human specimens. Dr. Ratna is puzzled since everyone knows that cordyceps can’t survive in humans. (I mean, we all watched that 1968 talk show last week, right?)
The general takes her to an autopsy room, after putting her in a full hazmat suit. On the table is the body of a woman, who suddenly started attacking her co-workers at the flour factory and then got shot after attacking the police. She slices open the bite mark on her leg, and instead of blood and muscle, there are strands of fungus. She looks in her mouth and pulls out more fungal threads from her throat. And the tendrils are moving on their own. They try to reach for the doctor while she holds them with forceps. That’s enough for her, and she smartly gets out of the room.
The general brings her a cup of tea in the debrief room, which Dr. Ratna sips with a shaky hand. The general tells her that the dead woman bit five others, all of whom were held for observation and then had to be executed after they started to turn violent. He tells her they need a vaccine or a cure. The doctor shakes her head. She’s studied this her entire life. There is no vaccine. There is no medicine. The general asks what can be done. She has a one-word response. “Bomb.” Bomb the city, bomb everything, the only way to kill it is to burn it. Now, she says as she wipes away a tear, please take her home. She’d like to be with her family.
If the framework of the show is going to include a flashback to the before times at the start of each week, I’m all for it. Christine Hakim plays the professor and does a great job as her bewilderment turns to curiosity, then terror, and then utter dread at the finality and seriousness of the situation.
Back in present-day Boston, Ellie wakes up from her night of stabbing guards to find Tess and Joel watching over her. Joel is ready to cut her loose, not believing that her infection is contained, but Tess seems more ready to believe her. Ellie says that the fact she hasn’t turned into a monster yet should be enough proof. She also tells them that Marlene was going to send her out west to the firefly base, where there are doctors working on a cure. Joel rolls his eyes. It’s a myth, one that he’s heard a hundred times. He’s ready to head back into the Quarantined Zone, but Tess convinces him that their best bet is still to get her to the statehouse and trade her for the car from the Fireflies. (Besides, there’s that whole killing a guard thing.) Joel reluctantly agrees, and they set off through downtown Boston.
Normally, it’d be an easy ten-minute walk through Boston Commons to get to the statehouse, but the route is blocked by ruined buildings, covered with impressive-looking mushrooms, and rubble. Plus, you know, all the zombies. They need to get to a nearby hotel to scout out a safe path.
On the way, Ellie and Tess get very chatty. Ellie says she got bit while exploring an old mall in the QZ. Tess scolds her. Oh, the one that’s barricaded off because it’s not safe? Yeah, that’s the one. She says she went in by herself but that seems like a lie to me, based on how she looks down when answering. Ellie has a lot of questions. She thought that the streets of Boston would be crawling with packs of the infected. Nah, Joel says, it’s not that bad. There aren’t superinfected ones that explode spores on you? Nah, just stories. How about the ones with split open heads that see in the dark like bats? They pointedly don’t answer that one, saying that they should get a move on.
Some quick kudos to Bella Ramsey. She’s giving a great performance where her toughness and sarcasm cover up her fear, but it still leaves room for some innocent kid moments. She stares at the bomb craters in the streets of Boston (Apparently they tried firebombing the fungus like the doctor suggested to contain the spread. It worked in Boston, but not everywhere) She admires the views from the top of the hotel and she gets to have some playful scenes where she dings the concierge bell at the check-in desk and breaks out some really bad accents. (At least until the concierge skeleton flops out from behind the desk.)
The view from the hotel isn’t promising. The path they were going to take was choked with the infected. Previously they were deep in the buildings, but now their numbers have grown. They’ll have to take the other route, through the top floor of the museum and over the roofs.
This is our first look at the infected, and even from a distance, they look quite frightening. They are a mass of bodies, lying on the ground, twitching and writhing. Tess helpfully explains that they’re connected by the cordyceps fungus. The fungus has tendrils that can run through the earth for a mile, acting like a tripwire. So stepping on a root can alert the infected blocks away and send them racing towards you. The infected can last anywhere from a few days to up to twenty years, so best not to wake them.
The museum door is covered with fungal blossoms, which gives our party pause. Joel notes that they’re all dried out, which means that any infected inside should be dead. Should be… They take out their flashlights and carefully head inside. Ellie finds a freshly dead body, which means that maybe the infected aren’t all gone. Tess tries to reassure herself by saying that maybe he was attacked outside and came in to die. Sure, let’s go with that.
The museum sequence is a great exercise in tension, with every creak magnified. The building is literally falling apart after decades of neglect, and the ceiling collapses behind them just as they get to the top floor. And then they start to hear some clicks…
The Last Of Us
The clicks mean the infected are up there with them. Joel hides them behind a display case, quietly whispering to Ellie that the infected can’t see, but they can hear. Which… I’m not sure if that’s how fungi work, but ok. I’m not going to question the logic right now. The infected shambles past them until it whirls around and screams at them, giving us our first up-close look at the monsters. And they look amazing. Sharp teeth, and heads covered in mushroom-like spores, they are truly frightening and very difficult to kill.
There are two up there with them and Joel fires round upon round into them and they still keep coming. Apparently, only direct headshots can stop them, and even then it’s best to double or triple-tap. It is a very tense and exciting action sequence, with two of these monsters proving to be more than a match for our trio who barely manage to kill them. Ellie has gotten bit, again, which she shrugs off. If it had to happen to anyone, right? Tess has twisted her ankle but is ok to keep going.
They finally reach the statehouse, but instead of a welcome wagon of fireflies, they find that everyone is dead. One of the bodies lies in a pool of cordyceps shoots, leading Joel to guess that one of them got infected and then started to attack the others, who then fought back until everyone was dead. Tess desperately searches for a radio or a map or anything that might help her find out where the base is out west. Joel tells her to knock it off. They should head home. Tess screams at him. That’s not her home, and she isn’t going back. She’s staying here.
Ellie figures it out first. Tess got bit in the fight. She shows off the nasty bite mark she has on her neck, one that’s already spreading out. (Guess that’s why the posters for this show only have Joel and Ellie on them.) Ellie unwraps her arm, and her injury is almost healed. Maybe Ellie is right after all, maybe she is the key to a cure. Tess begs Joel to keep going and take Ellie to their contacts, Bill and Frank. They’ll help.
There are screams in the distance as that horde of infected that was lying in the street is alerted to their presence by the tendrils and starts running for them. Tess starts dumping fuel cans over. She’ll keep them from following. Joel drags a screaming Ellie out of the building. As the infected charge in, Tess struggles with her lighter until it finally catches. she drops it into the fuel, blowing up the state house and letting the others escape. Goodbye, Anna Torv. You were great as Tess, taking a character that could’ve simply been a hard bitter woman with a heart of gold and made her fully developed and three-dimensional. You will be missed. Hopefully, there is a flashback scene for you in a future episode.
Craig Mazin really knows how to ratchet up the tension and how to make the claustrophobia of enclosed spaces work. I do have a couple of questions about the mechanics of how the cordyceps is spread. Is it strictly through bites? Is it through the spores? Joel was fighting off a mushroom man in the museum, and it was right on top of him screaming into his throat. Wouldn’t that spread the infection? Especially since at the end, one of the infected kisses Tess with his throat-tendril-spores and they seemed quite eager to get inside her. Maybe this is clearer if you’re familiar with the game, which I am not.
Still, that’s a minor thing to be addressed. I’m sure Pedro Pascal’s plot armor will keep him safe for a few episodes.
Overall a very tense, and very solid episode. Next week promises us Nick Offerman, who looks to be playing a survivalist in the Ron Swanson mode. This seems a bit on the nose, but I am here for it.
Rating 4/5
Line of the Week:
Ellie: Can I have a gun?
Tess & Joel: Absolutely not.
Ellie: Fine. I’ll just throw my fucking sandwich at them.
Writer Benjamin Percy is expected to write a Wolverine and Ghostwriter crossover this summer, kicking off in Weapons of Vengeance Alpha. This team-up, along with the Guardians of The Galaxy’s former artist, Geoff Shaw sees Wolverine and Johnny Blaze catch up after having met for the first time years ago, back when Wolverine just started as an X-Man and Johnny was still learning the ins and outs of his transformation.
Set in the present day where both men are now on the run for different reasons, these two anti-heroes collide when their journey sees them come to a head against an old foe: a branch of the Weapon Plus organization. Atop of that, after Ghostrider Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Alpha, there’ll be even more cross-overs between the two. First, in Ghost Rider #17 and then in Wolverine #36 all before concluding with Ghost Rider/Wolverine Weapons of Vengeance Omega.
“Wolverine is metal. Ghost Rider is metal. Together their adamantium and chrome weigh in as HEAVY METAL!” Percy explained in a Marvel Press release. “You know how Metallica and Iron Maiden have toured together, shredded out songs, wailed on music videos? This is a little like that. I write the sheet music that Geoff Shaw brings to pyrotechnic, guitar-smashing life. You’re in for a head-banging good time, I promise. This story – WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE — not only unites Logan and Johnny in the present, but also tells the story of their first (never before seen!) first meeting. Here are the quick and dirty liner notes: When Wolverine investigates the possibility of a new Weapons Plus program—one that experiments and specializes in the arsenal of Hell—he finds himself conscripted as a weapon of vengeance. And the only one capable of stopping him is Johnny @#$%& Blaze. Rev your engines, pop your claws.”
GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA #1
It seems that Marvel has every intention of continuing the universe set with Spider-Man 2099: Exodus. The company has just celebrated its 30th anniversary regarding the first-ever 2099 series, but by all means, surprisingly seems to be interested in moving forward with more stories.
Kicking off this new era of corporate-futuristic dystopia this May, writer Steve Orlando returns with Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis, a follow-up five-issue series that will follow Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O’Hara). Joining Orlando this time will be artist Justin Mason, known for his recent eye-catching work in Spider-Punk.
Taking a page out of Maximum Carnage, for this new storyline of Spider-Man 2099, Nueva York must battle a futuristic new Carnage; luckily, with the help of a group of 2099 superheroes, with Punisher 2099, Daredevil 2099, and Blade 2099, who are all planning to make an appearance. But does this dystopia even want to be saved? Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis will answer this question with weekly releases all throughout May.
“It’s great to be back to 2099 – and not just build on EXODUS but also the past three incredible decades of pioneering, innovative cyberpunk work done in the world of 2099,” Orlando said in Marvel’s most recent press release. “When we last saw Spider-Man 2099, he was decimating the black card elite and upending social order to help the neighborhood. Help everyday people. But even he didn’t expect how his actions would spark an outburst of vengeance and blood — with a monster at its head. I’m so excited to be back and to be working with Justin Mason! Together, we’ve got even more 2099 classics coming your way, along with new debuts, of course! Earth-2099 is set for Carnage like none it’s ever seen.”
You can check out all 5 carnage revealed covers below.
Illustrated is a puzzle game that was created in collaboration with famous artists all over the world. This amazing, soothing experience debuted on Friday, Jan. 13th on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Illustrated is a brand new game from developer BorderLeap – the creators of titles like Drop Flip, Alpha Omega, and Apple Arcade smash hit Patterned.
If you’re into jigsaw and word puzzles as well as beautiful artwork then Illustrated is the game for you. With creative gameplay that takes the user from a concept sketch to a fully finished work of art, Illustrated also provides the player with context in the form of stories that tell the artists’ process. As the player progresses through their puzzle they are treated to the reveal of these concealed words. Complete the puzzle and you’ll see the full picture and story all at once.
Developer Borderleap’s engaging, hypnotic puzzle game – Illustrated – highlights one of the world’s most renowned artists: Vincent Van Gogh. In conjunction with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the game will focus on art from different eras in Van Gogh’s life.
Each puzzle is created using a story that serves as both a clue to solving it and a peek into the historic impressionist’s work and life. It’s left for the player to read these stories and decipher the clues in order to unearth the spectacular Van Gogh they have been paired with.
Each set of paintings is organized on a timeline that explores Van Gogh’s life. As expected, his early works are showcased in the gallery entitled “Van Gogh’s Early Years” which highlights the man as a young artist. From there you can advance to “Van Gogh in Paris” a gallery that focuses on him growing steadily into his signature style. And, don’t despair, more galleries are coming in 2023 – coincidentally also marking the 50th anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum.
The Van Gogh Museum galleries are just one of the many puzzles in Illustrated that bring to the forefront more than 20 contemporary artists’ work and stories exclusively on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
The UK-Based Gaming Website By Gamers For Gamers, or BGFG, has made a surprising purchase today for long-time games media aggregate site: N4G. According to a report by GamesIndustry.biz, the move follows purchases for other entertainment-based websites operated by Hava Media, such as FilmWatch, TechSpy, and AnimeShinbun.
While playing host to an array of gaming-industry voices, many independent and start-up websites have used N4G to aggregate their pieces, including even us here at The Workprint. The gaming aggregate has been around for over 15 years and could use a freshen-up, especially in regard to its content moderation, which BGFG is apparently seeking to do with UX fixes and performance enhancements. They’re likewise, working with N4G’s community manager Christopher Goodno to get the website up-to-speed.
“When the opportunity came up to buy N4G, we couldn’t say no,” said Andrew Kirkcaldy, CEO at BGFG. “This has long been a fantastic, thriving community and we are confident we can work closely with the great team in place there to help fully realize its potential.”
“We started N4G over 15 years ago with one simple goal, to create the most up-to-date news portal for gamers,” added N4G co-founder, Vegard Aure, “For almost two decades the site has been the home to one of the most vibrant and active online gaming communities, and we look forward to seeing the N4G community continue to thrive as part of the BGFG family going forward.”
Last year, BGFG acquired the gaming website VideoGamer. They also own and operate WePC, and PC Guide and are based out of Manchester.
Immigrant stories in American media tend to follow certain tropes designed to make us feel good about our melting-pot country, in a Horatio Alger kind of way. You know how it goes: poor in materials but rich in spirit, the underdog climbs the rungs of meritocracy to triumph. Either that or you get doom-and-gloom “issues” tales about how the system is broken.
“Welcome to Chippendales” throws those tropes out the window. It kind of has to since it’s based on the stranger-than-fiction true story, Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. In the book, Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who went from a gas station employee to Hugh Hefner-esque entrepreneur by catering to the female gaze. But no matter how high he climbs, his insecurity keeps him from recognizing how good he’s got it, ultimately leading to his downfall.
Welcome to Chippendales — “Four Geniuses” – Episode 102 — As Chippendales takes flight, Steve assembles his dream team—including a shy accountant who may be more than just a business hire. Tony (Kevin Mylrea), Bruce (Max Teboul), Danny (Daxton Bloomquist), Richie (Michael Graceffa) and CJ (Justin Wilson), shown. (Photo by: Erin Simkin/Hulu)
The whole thing has the feel of a Shakespearean tragedy – the rise and fall of a great businessman – and Kumail Nanjiani brings Banerjee to life through a complex and nuanced performance. One moment, he’s the earnest striver, willing to do whatever it takes to become a success. The next, the affable every man. The next, he’s stewing in insecurity, and raging at those he’s jealous of, giving off a rather incel-ish vibe, or perhaps the aura of an awkward nerd who hates the good-looking star athlete for being everything he can never be.
In fact, it’s the contrast between Nanjiani’s “nice guy” affect during the good times and the dangerously brittle anger during the bad ones that make his performance work so well. If you’ve watched any documentaries or footage of the real Banerjee, you’ll find a rather awkward, soft-spoken guy trying too hard to be cool. One that you’d probably dismiss without a second thought. You’d never imagine could be either the gazillionaire capitalizing on ’80s sleaze. Or that he’d become a ruthless criminal who would kill his own golden goose for the sake of his pride.
Welcome to Chippendales — “February 31st” – Episode 106 — As Steve’s financial woes mount, Nick offers a lifeline in the form of a proposal that would take Chippendales global. A printing error has disastrous consequences for Steve. Cheryl (Jen Cohn), Steve (Kumail Nanjiani) and Irene (Annaleigh Ashford), shown. (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/Hulu)Though Banerjee ultimately falls into the “bad guy” camp, the show does a good job of exploring how he ended up there. Some of it was from the external pressures of capitalism that, as a brown-skinned man with an accent, he knew were against him. Instead of trying to change anything, he tried to beat it at its own game… to be whiter than a white man, in a way. To lean into racism by discriminating against Black employees and patrons alike, knowing it’s the white clientele who have the power to make him a success. To show off the white man’s markers of success, like the Rolex watch he has his tailor shorten his sleeves to display. To change his name from “Somen” to “Steve” in the first place.
And some of Banerjee’s downfall came from his own fatal mix of pride and insecurity. Nick De Noia, the arrogant choreographer Banerjee hired to spruce up the male-stripping show, quickly becomes known as the face of Chippendales (he’s even called Mr. Chippendales on national TV). De Noia (played by Murray Bartlett in an appropriately swaggering performance) is everything Banerjee is not: charming, well spoken, classically handsome. Oh, and white. (And a closeted gay man… but hey, a gay white man is still a white man). Had Banerjee listened to his better angels, he might have let De Noia parade around as the company’s public face while driving operations and raking in the cash behind the scenes.
But for Banerjee, it’s not enough to be a success – he has to look it before the entire world. And his inability to do so (which isn’t helped by De Noia’s infuriating hubris and bullying tendencies) eventually causes him to lose everything.
Welcome to Chippendales — “Velveeta” – Episode 103 — While Steve is away in India, Nick cooks up his next creative triumph. But when Steve returns home, he has other plans for the show. Danny (Daxton Bloomquist), Steve (Kumail Nanjiani), Ray (Robin de Jesus) and Denise (Juliette Lewis), shown. (Photo by: Erin Simkin/Hulu)
Nanjiani stated in an interview on NPR that he was initially reluctant to take on the role of Banerjee because he didn’t want to portray a brown man as a bad guy. It’s an understandable sentiment in our not-so-enlightened times; it’s too easy for some people to jump from “this one brown man did a bad thing” to “all brown men are bad” or “see, I told you we can’t trust those people.”
He ultimately took the role because he wanted to play a complex character. Even one that ultimately did bad things. He also, recently lamented how there was a lack of villain roles for non-white actors, as putting people of color on pedestals is not the solution to racial inequality in the entertainment or any industry.
Much can be said about the slick production and tense pacing of “Welcome to Chippendales,” which can be a slow burn if you’re looking for plot alone but almost feels too short if you’re examining the deeper layers of Banerjee’s character. But it’s really Nanjiani’s performance that makes the show work. Since his dark turn in the “Twilight Zone” episode “The Comedian,” it’s been obvious that he’s a great dramatic actor (in fact, I’d say he’s a better dramatic actor than a comedian), and “Welcome to Chippendales” allows him to showcase that talent in a fantastic (if disturbing) manner.
All 8 episodes of “Welcome to Chippendales” are available for binge-watching on Hulu.
Welcome to Chippendales — A sprawling true-crime saga, “Welcome to Chippendales” tells the outrageous story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire—and let nothing stand in his way in the process. Steve (Kumail Nanjiani), Ray (Robin de Jesus), Otis (Quentin Plair), Denise (Juliette Lewis), Nick (Murray Bartlett), Irene (Annaleigh Ashford), Paul (Dan Stevens) and Dorothy (Nicola Peltz Beckham), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
A Co-Op Tower Defense set in a world called Voodoo, this new tower defense game sees four souls given a chance to gain freedom away from a mysterious Puppet Master, who instills their essence into Voodolls. Published by SideRift, and from what we’ve seen, a whole lot of silly fun, Tate Multimedia has announced that the closed beta will be opening up for multiplayer from January 19th, 10 am PST to 23rd of January 10 am PST.
Voodolls is a simple but fun concept: players are in hell and a puppet master is their hope of getting out. Join with several friends to do tower defense battles, where wave-upon-wave of creeps descend, and players must design their towers strategically to prevent enemies of hell from destroying the master. Set across 12 planetoid stages, the game will feature three difficulty modes and an endless mode: for those who really love tower defenses.
“Voodolls will be the first third-party we publish at Tate Multimedia, and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” says Magda Schwarzer, Head of Marketing at Tate Multimedia. “It’s fantastic to be able to work alongside a talented studio of young creatives who are living out their collective dream right now. This is exactly the kind of developer we want to work with moving forward.”
At launch, Voodolls will include:
Synergy between action, exploration and strategic Tower Defence mechanics, including an array of traps and defences to hold back the hordes of hell.
Round planets – stylised and unique worlds each themed by the four seasons.
Team of four characters, each with unique abilities, weapons, and battle tactics.
Solo or online co-op up to four players – Defend the Puppet Master alongside three friends in full campaign co-op or tackle the task alone in solo play!
Story-based campaign – Peel back the layers of mystery to uncover the secrets of the puppet master & the dolls.
Three camera angles – Face your foes in immersive first-person mode or take a step back in third-person. Make tactical choices from above in the strategy camera mode: three modes, and three different approaches in one game.
Extensive replayability.
Many types of enemies to take on.
Plenty of deadly traps to defend the Puppet master from the hordes of hell.
Voodolls will launch on Steam this April. Those interested in taking on the Closed Beta can sign up here.
A bold take on an alien origins story, Area 51: The Helix Project is one of those passion projects from a team that’s breaking grounds regarding what’s possible within the comic medium. We had the wonderful pleasure of speaking about this project a month ago, which by all accounts, is a fantastic comic series that blends some seriously talented and visceral action sequences with a story that balances edgy and hardboiled science fiction.
The story synopsis is as follows, taken from PocketWatch Press’ latest press release:
“A child of two worlds is forced to excavate the trauma of his past when a mysterious unknown places his father’s death into question. Tortured by the loss and driven to uncover the circumstances surrounding the murder of his father after having exposed his alien physiology to save a child’s life, Kent is dragged into the jaws of a Cold War genetics conspiracy; what’s left of him is forced to face a twisted ghost from its past as it plunges a dagger into everything he’s come to know about himself, and ultimately, what it means to be human.”
“This must be what it feels like to send your first born child out into the world,” said Trevor Fernandes-Lenkiewicz (He/Him). “This story was born from a place of not knowing who I was in a world that tried to force feed a life to me. I had the fleeting dream of writing comic books despite a trajectory toward stability and a well-respected career in molecular biology research, so naturally a story formed around a young man looking to figure out who he was too—independent of all the voices that tried to command his sense of self. Kent’s journey eventually took on a life of its own, and somehow, his growth taught me more about myself than I ever could’ve learned without him. Having the opportunity to end his story, to experience his struggle coming to grips with who he was, and further, who he wanted to become changed my life too. For that opportunity, for the readers that allowed me to get to this point by connecting with him—and with myself by default—I am grateful beyond words.”
“It’s not every time you find a creative partnership that has this type of synergy and open mindedness. It’s what pushes you to provoke what you think art is,” said Samuel Iwunze (He/Him). “Working on this book with Trevor has shown me that this possibility is not lost. I’ve learned a lot in my short stay on this marvelously written comic. I haven’t made art as wild, dynamic and emotional as this before, and thanks to what I’ve learned from Trevor, from everyone involved, I can say the possibilities became endless.”
I saw the promo materials for Velma come out from San Diego Comic-Con last summer where they promised a totes dark and edgy take on the Scooby gang. I then saw the trailer, which was just one leaden joke after another falling flat, but still, I pressed on. And watched the two episodes that HBO Max released yesterday.
It couldn’t be as bad as all that, could it?
I am here to tell you that, yes, it was. It is only January, but I am hard-pressed to imagine a worse, more disappointing show coming out this year.
The overarching premise of Velma is how our beloved Scooby gang first got together and started solving mysteries. Velma (voiced by the showrunner, Mindy Kaling) is a judgy, sarcastic teenager, traumatized by the disappearance of her mother. Daphne (Constance Wu), is a mean girl and Velma’s ex-BFF who now sells drugs so she can get enough money to hire a private investigator to find out who her real parents are. Norville, aka Shaggy (Sam Richardson), is Thelma’s only friend with a huge crush on her and he gets routinely ignored and belittled by her. And Fred (Glenn Howerton), is now a mediocre rich white boy, who is basically a huge jerk with a baby dick… Which is an actual plot point in episode 2.
Now, I am hardly someone who thinks that the Scooby-Doo cartoons of the 1960’s is some sacred text that can never be altered or updated or made fun of. Heck, practically every animated show out there has made jokes about Scooby-Doo, like Venture Bros., Family Guy, and Robot Chicken. So please, make all the jokes you want. The problem with Velma is that every character is unpleasant and awful, and worst of all, not funny in the slightest.
It starts with the scripts. The opening scenes of the pilot are just full of self-referential, meta “jokes” that aren’t really jokes. Velma starts off by talking about origin stories. “Sure, normally, origin stories are about tall, handsome guys struggling with the burden of being handed even more power. And if they’re about girls, they’re usually like ‘Hey, what made this hot chick go crazy?'”
First off, that does not describe the typical comic book origin story at all. If you made a joke about how “a nerdy incel has all his power fantasies come true,” that would at least be somewhat accurate. “Hot girl goes crazy” really only describes Harley Quinn, and this show should never, ever, ever compare itself to the much better adult animation show on HBO Max.
The next scene takes place in the girls locker room, where Daphne is showering with her hot girl friends. “Have you ever noticed,” she asks her friends, “how pilot episodes of TV shows always have more gratuitous sex and nudity than the rest of the series?” This isn’t a joke. This is a show doing a cliche and expecting a cookie because they realized it was a cliche, but not actually doing anything satiric with it. It’s an excuse to have naked teen girls fight in the shower.
And it just goes on like this. There are a dozen places where Velma and company comment on the cliches of modern television, but don’t actually make a joke about it. When they do attempt jokes, they’re all mean-spirited and sarcastic put downs, with tons of fat jokes about Velma and even more jokes, calling Daphne a bitch.
It’s just really obvious elbow-in-the-ribs attempts at humor. Like when Norville (Shaggy) surmises that the murder that kicks off the show had something to do with drugs, “Which I hate!” he says and then stares straight into the camera for five seconds (GET IT? BECAUSE EVERYONE THINKS SHAGGY IS A STONER! AHAHAHAHAHAH!!).
I wanted to add a note about the racial makeup of the show. Much has been written (or more accurately, shouted on YouTube) about how the show went “woke” by making Velma southeast Asian and Daphne Chinese and Norville/Shaggy black. This is utter nonsense, and frankly, the absolute least of the issues with the show. The bigger issues are about how terrible the jokes are and how much they lean into anti-“woke” humor. For example, Velma insists she just an unfiltered truth-teller, “just like every comic before hashtag MeToo!” Because stupid girls killed comedy by not wanting to be harassed, AMIRIGHT?Nudge, nudge!
There’s a germ of a good idea in this show, where Velma is guilt-ridden about her mother’s disappearance. See, her junior investigative skills led her to find her Christmas presents early, so her mom went out to get her a gift to open on Christmas morning but never returned. As a result, now when she tries to solve a mystery, she hallucinates ghosts and monsters trying to kill her. This would be a good idea, except it’s immediately neutered by a dumb meta comment by Fred. “Wow, after hearing that I not only feel emotionally hooked, I understand the stakes of your journey.” It’s neutered further by the dad telling Velma that Mom didn’t disappear, she just left them because she hated them. Great character work, everyone.
It’s really a shame, because this has an excellent voice cast. In addition to the leads, there’s Wanda Sykes and Jane Lynch playing Daphne’s adoptive parents, Russell Peters as Velma’s lawyer dad, plus Nicole Byers and Melissa Fumero. They’re all just completely wasted here.
One thing that especially bugs me about this whole thing is just the whole strategic direction of HBO Max. Last summer, WB Discovery just straight up deleted a Scooby-Doo movie – Scoob! Holiday Haunt, a sequel to Scoob! (2019) one of the first ever films on HBO Max. This was part of the tax-break, cost-cutting purge that new CEO David Zaslav embarked on when the companies merged. Yet the sequel to the charming movie (even featuring Tracey Morgan as Captain Caveman) got cancelled, but this awful piece of IP garbage got a full promotional push. Never mind all the other animated shows HBO Max axed in the last year to make way for this misbegotten dreck.
So please, I am begging you, don’t even give this a hate watch. Algorithms don’t care WHY you watched. Make it as clear as possible that WBD made a terrible mistake and should delete this from all the servers.
Welcome to The Workprint’s weekly recaps of The Last of Us, HBO’s adaptation of the best-selling and award-winning video game about the last remnants of humanity trying to survive a global pandemic.
I should start off by saying that I have never played The Last of Us. I am aware that people are extremely passionate about it. However, the last console I owned was a PS2 and I primarily used that to play God of War and Guitar Hero. So please be aware I am not going to compare this show to the game in any way. I am solely judging it based on its merits as a TV show.
And those merits are outstanding.
This is a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The tension ratchets so high that I had to pause the show at times so I could let out a breath. There are eight episodes left to go, but based on the pilot, this could be one of the best shows of the year.
Let’s dive into it! Spoilers ahead!
Episode 1 Recap: Lost In The Darkness
We start off with a prologue set in 1968. Two doctors are on a panel show discussing the potential for a future pandemic (In case the graphic was not enough to clue you in that it’s the sixties, the doctors smoke while on TV. It’s good for your circulation!). The first doctor comments that due to global travel, there are no such thing as regional illnesses anymore. Why, a virus from Madagascar could be in the US in a matter of weeks! Imagine!
The second doctor says it’s not viruses that bother him, it’s fungi. Fungi are the source of hallucinogenic drugs, like LSD. And certain fungi can even become parasites, taking over the bodies of ants and controlling their hosts, eating their brains until they’re practically zombies, but maintaining the body so the fungus can reproduce and infect more. Now, this can’t happen in a body with an internal temperature above 94 degrees, but if the earth got just a few degrees warmer, the fungus could mutate so it could survive in a warmer environment…
But what are the odds of that ever happening?
Cut to 2003. Pedro Pascal is Joel Miller, a single dad who runs a contractor business with his brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in Austin, TX. He has a sweet teenage daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), who worries about him working too much and forgetting to buy groceries – like pancake mix so she can make him his birthday breakfast.
But the day starts to go very odd. Police cars and helicopters seem to be a constant presence. The news in the background is telling of strange outbreaks of violence. When Sarah goes to a watch store to get her dad’s watch fixed as a birthday present, the store owner’s wife abruptly tosses her out to close four hours early. When Sarah goes to check in on her neighbors – the Adlers, who are taking care of their infirm Nana – Nana starts to twitch when no one is watching her.
Now, obviously, this has extra resonance after the last few years we’ve all been through. The show is clearly drawing parallels. The endless sirens going through the background. Stores closing without warning. Neighbors acting strangely. These are very conscious choices to ground a fantastic scenario in our shared experiences.
Things come to a head that night. After Sarah falls asleep, Joel leaves to go bail his brother out of jail. He got in a bar fight defending a waitress who got attacked by some random patron. When Sarah wakes up later that night, she finds the Adlers’ dog pawing at her door. When she takes him back to their house, the dog gets scared and runs away. And with good reason! Nana has suddenly sprung out of her wheelchair and started to eat her daughter and son in law. The previously infirm Nana now chases Sarah out of the house where, thankfully, Joel has returned with Tommy just in time to kill Nana with a pipe wrench.
This sequence is incredibly harrowing, with tension building every moment. Their previously quiet street erupts into chaos as the Millers try to get out of town. The Adlers are staggering into the street, Joel is screaming at neighbors to get inside and lock their doors, the radio has gone dead, and the army has blockaded the freeway. Panic sets in, as people flood into the streets, and then planes start to fall from the sky. The explosion causes their car to crash. Sarah has a sprained or broken ankle and can’t run.
Tommy gets separated, so Joel has to carry Sarah away. They get chased through town by another infected zombie person, and he looks about ready to eat another meal when a soldier shoots him down. Joel is relieved until the soldier gets orders on the radio and then points his gun at Joel and his daughter. Obviously, the army has orders not to let anyone out of the containment area and use any means necessary.
Joel pleads for his daughter and tries to dodge the bullets, rolling down a hill. The soldier stands over him about to finish him off, when a shot is fired and he goes down. Tommy caught up in time to save Joel, but poor Sarah was not so lucky, She dies in Joel’s arms, while he sobs.
Show runner Craig Mazin has a lot of experience in dramatizing disasters. He helmed the excellent Chernobyl series on HBO a few years ago and this strikes a similar vein. The panic and fear is visceral, the lack of good information creating even more terror. The first half hour is just tension building and building until the dam bursts.
Twenty years have now gone by. Boston is in ruins, overgrown with vines (and presumably fungus), except for a walled off section where the last remaining uninfected humans live. A young boy staggers out of the forest into the city, where he’s taken into custody by soldiers. The nice soldier lady questions him while her colleague scans him. When his scanner pings red, the nice soldier lady tells him they’re going to give him some medicine and then get him some of his favorite food and all the toys he could want. And considering how run down and hardscrabble Boston looks, it’s a safe bet that red isn’t a good color and the medicine is going to cure him the same way that injecting bleach will cure Covid. It’s a numbing scene, and a good indication of what humanity has come to in the last two decades of dealing with this plague.
Boston, and presumably the entire country, is now under control of FEDRA. FEDRA troops roam the streets, keeping order and enforcing the harsh curfews and executing anyone who goes outside the quarantine zone (And you complained about wearing a mask at the grocery store, huh?)
Joel Miller is here, scraping by and earning food rations by doing jobs assigned by FEDRA. Jobs like burning infected corpses, like that of the young boy from the last scene. And infection happens fast. According to one of the charts on the wall, the infection starts in your head after 15 minutes, spreads to your torso after a couple hours and completely consumes you within a day, turning you into a fungal zombie.
Joel is desperate to get out of Boston. He last heard from his brother, Tommy, three weeks ago and has to go find him. He was last seen in Wyoming, and Joel needs to scrounge a working car to get out there and find him.
Joel earns extra by selling drugs on the side and other black market items, including to bent FEDRA soldiers who need his pills to dull their pains and stay awake. His main buyer has agreed to sell him an old shell of a car. Tess, his partner and fellow smuggler, is trying to get him a battery. The only problem is, her supplier, Richard, took their money, double crossed her, and found another buyer, namely the local Firefly chapter.
The Fireflies are a terrorist group who are chafing at the military dictatorship. They’re hitting targets all over Boston. Marlene, their leader, needs the car battery to get some very precious cargo out of the city, namely a young girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
Ellie has been chained up in the Firefly safe house while the rebels perform daily tests on her without explanation. Ellie is eager to get out. Marlene explains to her that she will, but that she has a greater purpose that she can never tell anyone about. But once they get their battery, they can get out of town.
Tess and Joel track down Richard to the Firefly house, but they arrive too late. Richard’s battery was no good, and when the Fireflies tried to get their money back a fire fight erupted. There are bodies everywhere and Richard is dead. Marlene is seriously injured, and she has no choice but to entrust Ellie to Joel and Tess. Get her to the old statehouse, the other Fireflies will take it from there, and Joel can get a car to get to Wyoming. Joel agrees, reluctantly.
They sneak out through the smuggler tunnels to get outside the wall. They are almost free when they get caught by the soldier Joel’s been selling drugs to. They try and barter for their freedom, but the soldier is pissed. He warned Joel to stay off the streets earlier because of the increased sweeps, yet here he is. He forces the trio to their knees so he can scan them for infections. Joel and Tess are clean, but as he starts to scan Ellie, she stabs him. In the chaos, Tess sees the scanner.
It’s red. Ellie is infected.
Ellie insists she’s not sick. She’s been infected for three weeks, yet the fungus hasn’t claimed her. Which makes it clear why the Fireflies were so interested in her. If she’s been able to hold off infection for three weeks, she might be the key to stopping it.
The soldier isn’t so impressed. He grabs his rifle and aims at Joel. This causes Joel to flash back to his daughter getting gunned down twenty years earlier. He lunges, catching him off guard, and beats him severely and possibly killing him. Joel, Tess, and Ellie head off into the night, headed for the statehouse.
So, in 80 minutes, The Last Of Us has shown us the apocalypse and set into motion the events that could save it. Pretty good for a pilot episode. This does a marvelous job of giving us exposition without overwhelming us with an info dump. Scenes pay off in unexpected and terrifying ways. The shots of the young boy’s shoes as he comes out of the woods are echoed when the same feet and shoes are thrown into a pyre.
We’ve already planted the seeds (spores? Ok, sorry) of Pedro Pascal being another surrogate father figure, reluctantly helping a young and important charge find their way. (It’s going to be tough when this show and the Mandalorian overlap in six weeks). And I am hooked. If the game is even half as intriguing and exciting as this, it’s no wonder it’s considered a classic. I am eagerly awaiting more in the weeks to come.
Good news today for fans of delicious and twisted horror series. Syfy has just confirmed that they renewed not one but two different shows. First off is Chucky, which is getting a third season. Equally important is the confirmation of a second season for the delightful Reginald the Vampire, which we covered here at The Workprint.
As for reasons for the renewal, that’s quite simple – both shows have been massive hits. Chucky ranked as a top 10 drama in the 18-49 year old demographic; while Reginald the Vampire ranked as the number 2 drama in the same demographic in the Wednesday 10 PM timeslot. Here’s quotes from both series about the positive news:
“The cast and crew of ‘Chucky’ would like to thank fans and critics alike for their overwhelming response to season two, which we’re delighted to announce has now spurred the official greenlight on season three. This news has made Chucky very happy. Thank Damballa for that because otherwise Chucky would have been frankly impossible to deal with. Many thanks also to our partners at SYFY, USA and UCP for helping us keep Chucky busy. See you in 2023 for what Chucky himself promises will be his scariest season ever,” said executive producer Don Mancini.
“The only thing better than getting the opportunity to make a season of television with SYFY is to get the opportunity to do it again,” said executive producer Harley Peyton. “All of us – cast and crew, writers, producers, and — can hardly wait.”
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — “Reginald Andres Beyond the Thunderdome” Episode 110 — Pictured: Julian Richings as Logan — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Be sure and watch the trailers for both shows. And stay tuned to The Workprint for more epic entertainment you need to watch in 2023.
What is abuse anyway? The word conjures up certain cliched scenes and images from pop culture, but it can be subtler and more insidious than physical assault or verbal violence. Many in abusive relationships won’t recognize them as such until time and reflection gives them clarity. That’s the case for the intentionally unnamed narrator of award-winning playwright Kati Schwartz‘s audio play Bad People, which features a full cast of voice actors directed by Meredith Lucio.
Kati Schwartz
Presented as a confessional podcast with the narrator (Amanda Nicholas) telling her #MeToo story, Bad People takes the audience through various moments in the narrator’s life through flashbacks, often accompanied by sound effects.
We start by learning that the narrator has been iced out by her entire group of friends in Los Angeles and is just now coming to terms with what happened. Over the course of the play, which is a little over an hour long, the narrator explores the ups and downs and unwinding of her relationship with a powerful and famous man about a dozen years her senior.
At the word “relationship,” most assume some sort of romantic entanglement. But that’s not the case here. The narrator is gay, and her relationship with the man is a platonic, though intensely emotional, friendship. Most #MeToo stories that made headlines following the explosive Harvey Weinstein reports in 2017 spoke of abuse that was sexual in nature. Bad People explores how it can manifest in a non-sexual way, through emotional manipulation, grooming, and social control.
It also takes the listener (or reader, for those who pick up the text version) through the aftermath of the abusive relationship – the narrator’s winding journey through profound grief, close self examination, and finally healing. The story isn’t a straightforward one about a saintly and an evil abuser; it delves deeper to explore the narrator’s own complicity and isn’t always a flattering portrait. By exploring these elements, Bad People reveals some uncomfortable truths and offers insight into how those who consider themselves rational people can still be taken advantage of by the powerful and the charismatic.
Despite its weighty subject matter, Bad People is not all doom and gloom. The narrator’s dark humor and snarky tone – plus some fun references to The Lord of the Rings – makes the audio play an entertaining listen. The conversational style of the writing makes the narrator instantly relatable. Truly, she feels like a real person, and that’s probably because there’s truth behind the story (the play is Schwartz’s own #MeToo story).
Bad People is available as an audiobook on Audible and iTunes, and the script is available in e-book and paperback on Amazon.
For more information on Schwartz’ work, visit her site.
This April, you will get the chance to read about the thrilling mission that turned Groot into one of the galaxy’s greatest defenders in an all-new, four-part limited series. The beloved Guardian will headline his very own solo series that will reveal his never-before-told origin and tell the beginnings of his galactic adventures.
Before he was a Guardian of the Galaxy, young Groot lived a life of tranquility in his serene home world. But when monstrous invaders attack his planet, Groot must accept his heroic destiny! But will this destiny lead him to come to blows with a young Kree soldier by the name of Mar-Vell?
In regards to his return to the Groot, Abnett said:
“I am Groot! No, that’s not right… I am delighted to be back WITH Groot for this series that will explore his early life and adventures, reveal some secrets of his home and his people, introduce some fantastic new characters, reveal a couple of big secrets… and also guest star some VERY unexpected Marvel characters. So it’s back to the future for a blast from the past…. no, that’s not right either… If you like Marvel Cosmic, you’re going to LOVE this.”
“I’m thrilled to be working along with Dan on this origin story of Groot!” Couceiro added. “Groot is a super fun character to work with, he’s cute but also brave and a warrior so there is a lot to play with, and Dan came up with a crazy epic story full of action and fun that I think readers will enjoy a lot!”
The series will hit stands just in time for the next era of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Kev Walker, that will kick off after a mysterious threat, known as Grootfall, sends the intergalactic heroes to never-before-seen reaches of the Marvel cosmos.
While details about Grootfall have yet to be explained, fans can be assured that it’ll strike at the very heart of the Guardians and usher in a tragic fate for everyone’s favorite tree-like alien. Marvel promises that 2023 is shaping up to be a defining year for Groot and both series will complement each other in surprising ways!
Groot Issue 1, Cover by Lee Garbett
GROOT #1 (OF 4)
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art by DAMIAN COUCEIRO
Cover by LEE GARBETT
Marvel comics will feature 4 comic titles for free comic book day, each with promising ranges for anyone who’d like to start reading comics. The comics will serve as lead-ins, essentially issue 0s, for much of the company’s biggest story arcs of the year and will also host comics that’ll serve as spotlights for new creators and diverse characters.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: AVENGERS/X-MEN #1 [GOLD TITLE] Written by GERRY DUGGAN & JONATHAN HICKMAN Art by JOSHUA CASSARA, JAVIER GARRÓN & VALERIO SCHITI Cover by JAVIER GARRÓNThis one features a pair of all-new stories that set the stage for the next evolution in mutant adventures, Fall of X! First, X-Men masterminds Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara give fans a peek at the drama to come at this year’s Hellfire Gala and reveal the surprising fate of Captain Krakoa. Then, superstar artist Javier Garrón joins Duggan for a story that features the rise of Stark Sentinels and lays the groundwork for an uncanny new team book launching later this year. Plus meet Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti at the crossroads of science and magic with a sneak peek at their upcoming mystery project!
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1 [GOLD TITLE] Written by ZEB WELLS, AL EWING & MORE Art by PATRICK GLEASON, CAFU & MORE Cover by PATRICK GLEASON
Spider-Man/Venom will web-sling readers into the exciting developments currently taking place in the world of Amazing Spider-Man and Venom! First, see Zeb Wells and Patrick Gleason unleash the full fury of Peter Parker’s new spidey suit and reveal the exciting plans for one of Spider-Man’s fiercest foes. Then witness a symbiote experiment gone horribly wrong and the creation of a terrifying new enemy for Venom in a story by writer Al Ewing and new Venom artist CAFU. Plus a surprising preview of new Marvel saga just on the horizon by two of Marvel’s top creators!
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: MARVEL’S VOICES #1
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: MARVEL’S VOICES #1 [SILVER TITLE] Written by JOHN JENNINGS, NYLA INNUKSUK, SABIR PIRZADA, ALYSSA WONG & CODY ZIGLAR Art by PARIS ALLEYNE, NATASHA DONOVAN, ERIC KODA, STEPHEN BYRNE, DIÓGENES NEVES & EDER MESSIAS Cover by CHRIS ALLEN
Marvel’s Voices #1 invites readers to the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed Marvel’s Voices series, which spotlights creators and characters across Marvel’s diverse and ever-evolving universe. The book will include a range of stories from previous Marvel’s Voices issues that star Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage, Wave, and more! Plus a brand-new Ironheart adventure by writer John Jennings and Paris Alleyne that debuts her deadly new nemesis, KHEM!
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: SPIDEY & HIS AMAZING FRIENDS #1
Swing into adventure with Spidey, Ghost-Spider, and Miles as they face off against Green Goblin, Doc Ock and more in this spectacular special. Filled with easy-to-read comic stories based on the hit Disney Junior show, this book is perfect for the youngest readers aged 5-7. Young fans will even be able to test their wall-crawling skills with thrilling interactive activity pages! Kids will love this not-to-be-missed comic: the perfect primer for the newest generation of Spider-Fans!
Killer dolls have a long and glorious history in pop culture and horror. Chucky from Child’s Play, Annabelle, even Krusty from that episode of Treehouse of Horror on The Simpsons. True doll-heads can even point to Robert, the world’s most haunted doll, currently residing in Key West.
And we can now add the delightful, hilarious, and terrifying M3GAN to the mix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nNXDT1ckW0
M3GAN is an acronym, standing for Model 3 Generative Android. It’s designed by Gemma (Allison Williams), a brilliant and scruple-free robotics engineer, to be the ultimate playmate and companion. When her sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, she suddenly winds up as the guardian of her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). Clueless as how to care for or even talk to a grieving child, Gemma has the brilliant idea to beta test her android on Cady.
I’m sure you can guess that things don’t go exactly as planned.
See, M3GAN is a learning android and now that she has bonded with Cady, it’s her mission to protect her from harm. That includes the physical harm that would come from bullies and mean neighbor dogs and the emotional harm that would come from being separated for even a few minutes. And M3GAN gets very proactive in her threat assessments.
The film is very smart about the relationship between Cady and M3GAN, gradually ramping up the dependency. At first, Gemma is thrilled to have the help. M3GAN reminds Cady to flush and wash her hands. She plays with her and even comforts her when she thinks about her dead parents, until M3GAN starts to wonder why they need Gemma around at all.
The screenplay is by Akela Cooper with story credit by James Wan. They previously worked together on the deliriously deranged (in the best way) horror film Malignant. That movie ended with a sentient tumor going on a murderous rampage. While this doesn’t get to those lofty heights, it is more overtly funny.
There are a number of laugh-out-loud lines. In my favorite, Cady asks M3GAN if the bully who got killed is really in a better place like Aunt Gemma said. M3GAN scoffs. “No.” Besides, if heaven did exist, why would a jerk like him be there? (She makes a good point.)
There are also a number of interesting threads running through here, like what responsibility we have to our creations, how screens are becoming de facto parents, and the ethics of robotics. But don’t worry! None of that gets in the way of a movie where a robot girl murders people with a paper cutter and pesticide spray, all while looking extremely stylish. This film does not forget why you came to see it.
This film would not work nearly as well if it weren’t anchored by the performances of the leads. Williams is great as Gemma, trying hard to take care of her unexpected charge while barely containing her resentment at being put in this position. And McGraw is wonderful as Cady, effectively going from grief to joy to shock as the situation demands.
M3GAN is a rollicking fun time at the movies, and a terrific way to kick off the new year. See it in a packed house with your friends and have a blast.
As we reported back in October, Captain America Cold War will take place just after Sam and Steve have gone their separate ways with the shield from the resulting conclusions of of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, along with Tochi Onyebuchi and R.B. Silva’s Captain America: Symbol of Truth. This April, the two will cross over again in an event that’ll push their beliefs, and arguably, their friendship to the brink of the edge.
Captain America: Cold War will take a page out of the MCU and focus in on being an espionage thriller. The series will investigate what’s truly going on in regard to the mysterious Outer Circle, which is sort of like a real-life Illuminati on steroids given that this is the Marvel universe (where everyone is a secret Skrull or spy). Cold War will also look at the organization’s connection to Steve Rogers, along with feature a shocking return of Ian Rogers, the former adopted son of Steve also known as, Nomad. To make matters more complicated, Sam Wilson’s conflict with Wakanda and the White Wolf (the adoptive brother of T’Challa) comes to a head, while Bucky’s going about as a new New Revolution seeking to take down the outer circle from within.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY #11 [Cold War Prelude] Written by COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING Art and Cover by CARMEN CARNERO On Sale 4/5
Don’t miss CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY #11, a thrilling COLD WAR prelude issue! Captain America and the new Invaders may be free from M.O.D.O.C.’s mind control, but they are not yet guaranteed their lives. With the battle nearly won, the Outer Circle have arrived on the ground to collect their prize. It’s up to Steve Rogers to wrestle victory from the Power and finally end the Outer Circle’s invasion of Manhattan — but choices made at this critical point will alter Steve’s understanding of friendship and the stakes of his fight against the Outer Circle for good.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR ALPHA #1 Written by COLLIN KELLY, JACKSON LANZING & TOCHI ONYEBUCHI Art by CARLOS MAGNO Cover by PATRICK GLEASON On Sale 4/12
Then Kelly, Lanzing, and Onyebuchi team up with artist Carlos Magno to begin the revolution in CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR ALPHA #1! Bucky Barnes is the Outer Circle’s New Revolution, and he has enacted his deadliest move yet — an alliance with Sam Wilson’s nemesis, the White Wolf. When Steve Rogers’ adopted son, Ian, A.K.A. Nomad, is abducted by someone Steve thought was a friend, he suspects Bucky’s hand at work and calls upon the people who know Ian best — Sam Wilson, Sharon Carter and Misty Knight — to help him get to the bottom of the attack. Has Bucky finally gone too far? Why has Nomad been taken, and what does it have to do with a portal to Dimension Z opening over a secret battleground in Alaska?
CAPTAIN AMERICA: SYMBOL OF TRUTH #12 Written by TOCHI ONYEBUCHI Art and Cover by R.B. SILVA On Sale 4/26
In CAPTAIN AMERICA: SYMBOL OF TRUTH #12, Part two of COLD WAR, White Wolf has used the power granted him by Bucky Barnes to take control of Dimension Z and unleash its creatures onto the Captains America. Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers are prepared to fight their way through the onslaught, but the Outer Circle has more stakes in this fight than our heroes realize. Can Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers agree on their priorities before they fall to this new threat? And what exactly does Bucky Barnes intend to do to Ian Rogers?
A Boy’s Own Story, by Edmund White, is widely regarded as a classic work both as a coming-of-age novel and as a landmark piece in gay literature. It tells the autobiographical story of an unnamed narrator growing up gay in the midwest in the fifties while dealing with the weight of the divorce of his parents. Finding solace in works of art, what follows is a character’s journey fumbling away through life and early sexual encounters, then into adulthood. This new graphic novel adaptation, written by Brian Alessandro and Michael Carroll, with illustrations by Igor Karash, is a classic in its own right.
One of the immediate things of notice in this graphic novel is the writing style. It’s evocative and deliberately invoking Proust as a nod to the narrator’s favorite author. The smell of a Parisian cab driver’s cigar starts the story, sending him back into memories of the past. The smell of his father’s cigars. A life that once was and the reminisce of former days.
Similarly, the artwork featured here is glorious. The watercolors evoke the impressionists that the narrator loves to go and see with his mother. With impressionism being the perfect vehicle for a book based on memories. There are images that are sometimes hazy, sometimes vivid. The narrator often appears as a background character in these memories, wandering through to comment on the actions of his past as they become reflected in his present.
The story is episodic, as memories are, jumping from past to present. First, the narrator observes himself as a young teen, vacationing at his father’s lakeside cottage and taking his first fumbling sexual experiences with the son of family friends.
It then looks at how his father and he could only bond over their shared love of classical music. How his early experiences at boarding school shaped his affairs and desires into adulthood. Especially, in regards to how his closeted youth lead him to a life in New York to be part of the Stonewall riots.
Like memories, the vignettes can meander, but what seem like false starts often lead to ripples in the future. The boys the narrator crushes on in the past affect his partners in the present, which in turn are affected by the memories of his father.
The Take
Part wistful, part rueful, A Boy’s Own Story is a beautifully told tale. The prose and paintings work together to create a vivid impression of a young man, however hazy the particulars of memory can be.
The latest infinity comic available on the unlimited app, Crescent & IO sees the young Agents of Atlas hero, Dan Bi, seek a chance to make a name for herself. Written by Dylan Park, with art by Jodi NIshijima, and colors by Irma Kniivila, this infinity comic is a double issue drop with #33 and #34 that’s actually, really good as both a story about kids getting better at the superhero routine.
A fun, parental-like story of a young 10-year-old hero and her 4,354-year-old guardian “half-moon” bear spirit, this two-issue arc develops as there’s a nice balance of action, conflict, growth, and artwork.
Issue one begins with TV and Ice Cream, the situation devolves into a battle against the one and only, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Because who wouldn’t want to see a fun fight sequence between a Spirit Bear battling a Red T-Rex? Similarly, the artwork by Jodi Nishijima is sublime, as are the colors that Irma Kniivila provides which makes it feel very… how do you say, daoist, in terms of its creative usage of combat.
Surprisingly, issue 2 takes us on a journey to the Pan-Asian school for the unusually gifted, where we learn a good deal about Marvel’s young Asian superheroes. There are some new faces and abilities quickly introduced, along with some irksome, kind of cocky bullies. In this one, a simple teasing gesture leads to a certain escalation involving an ancient artifact. With problems left behind when kids get too reckless playing with things, they’re not supposed to touch.
Overall, these two issues are actually quite good and are most definitely worth the read if you’re a reader that likes stories about young kid superheroes seeking to find their place in this big-old superhero world.
The latest Spider-Verse Unlimited series is in this morning and it’s a treat. Written by the amazing writing talent of TV, Film, and Marvel Wastelander’s Hawkeye, J. Holtham, and featuring gorgeous acrobatic art by Nathan Stockman, this Gwen Stacy story sees our favorite Ghost-Spidey try to balance her life between two universes.
Part 1 features a Bodega Bandit battle… though, only, sort of. As it’s more of a conflict of Gwen trying to get back to a university class on time in Earth 616. The colors in this vertical comic flow effortlessly onto the next chapters of the story, and the acrobatic art is incredibly epic, where Gwen flips and Thwips like a Spider-Person on a mission to get things done.
The story ultimately reaches a head when we see that there are in fact evil twin variants between both universes. Where this Bodega Bandit is a little tougher than it seems.
Francois Chau as Louis, Tiffany Smith as Dr. Sandra, Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison (Photo by Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Dammit, Jim, Ben’s a doctor, not a doctor! As in someone with a doctorate, rather than a medical doctor. In the tradition of the original Quantum Leap, whichever higher power is leaping Ben around sure has a twisted sense of humor. In dropping him in the body of a first-year resident in 1994 Seattle, the algorithm or God or whoever could’ve had him appear in the locker room after delivering a baby in the street… but where’s the fun in that?
After witnessing the miracle of life first-hand (literally), Ben returns to the hospital and learns from Addison that he’s here to save the lives of three patients… who haven’t been admitted yet. That soon changes as the victims of a commuter train crash flood the ER. Cue lots of rushing around with gurneys and barking of medical orders and actual paging. Ben even gets to yell “CLEAR!”
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Tiffany Smith as Dr. Sandra (Photo by Ron Batzdorff / NBC)
Say what you like about ER, but that series knew how to put on a drama, and in “Paging Dr. Song,” the 10th episode in the new Quantum Leap‘s inaugural season, the show gives us a worthy homage. There’s high stakes — a 17-year-old girl is in critical condition and might die because of a risky new anesthetic that Big Pharma has pushed onto the hospital’s board of director. There’s a finicky operation — a man is so worried about his wife that he can’t stay calm even though one slip by his doctor could kill him. And of course there’s interpersonal conflict — an older man is diagnosed with a brain tumor but refuses treatment because he feels he has nothing to live for… and of course his estranged daughter is the friend of the doctor Ben leaped into.
Caitlin Bassett as Addison, Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song (Photo by Ron Batzdorff / NBC)
Ben’s mission is to save all three of these people, but it’s not just a matter of using some futuristic or esoteric knowledge that the original timeline didn’t have. Though Addison feeds him plenty of information, it isn’t enough when the people around him have agency of their own.
Having recently rewatched a lot of the original Quantum Leap, I did find it striking how many episodes were resolved with some form of “Sam’s genius ex machina,” where Sam solves the problem by pulling some random skill or piece of knowledge out of his enormous brain (or by magically learning a new skill that the original person in the timeline didn’t possess… looking at you, flying trapeze episode!). The new show has so far avoided that, which gives each episode more tension than the original and often makes the resolution more satisfying.
I really appreciated how the three disparate individuals Ben was meant to save ended up tying together, and how the medical drama captured the excitement of ER. And though the team back at Quantum Leap headquarters is still trying to solve the sci-fi mystery behind why Ben leaped in the first place, both Ben and Addison are fully dedicated to the situation at hand (I’m still feeling burned by some of those earlier episodes where they — and the show as a result — seemed distracted by the mystery, but I’m really like the balance of these latest episodes).
Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, Georgina Reilly as Janis Calavicci (Photo by Ron Batzdorff / NBC)
The show seems to be slowing down its reveals around the “why did Ben leap” part, which in my opinion, is a good thing. In the 6- to 10-episode streaming era, where every episode drops a giant bombshell, it’s nice to experience a slow burn. Getting to stew in a tiny clue each week makes the mystery feel bigger in comparison to when the answers came too quickly… and perhaps felt too easy as a result.
All in all, “Paging Dr. Song” was another solid episode, and worthy of any good medical drama.
Jennifer Walters has had her hands full lately. What, with reopening her law practice, kicking ass in court, beating up a pair of new villains, and even taking some time out to fuel a budding romance, there’s a lot to like about Jennifer Walter’s latest story run by writer Rainbow Rowell.
Come this April, with She-Hulk #12, Jenn’s steady-going superhero life is about to get shaken up even more by a new archnemesis called The Scoundrel! This new adversary is going to prove a match for She-Hulk and their showdown will have all the fans talking!
This double-sized issue reunites Rowell with artist Andrés Genolet, whose pairing can be remembered for their fantastic collaboration on the latest run of Runaways. This landmark issue is also bringing with it bonus stories.
“Every issue that I get to write She-Hulk is a delight — but I’m especially honored to escort her to her 175th issue,” Rowell said in a Marvel press release. “One of things we’ve focused on is building up Jen’s narrative support structure… Giving her friends, colleagues, a love interest and her very own antagonists. The Scoundrel is an adversary tailor-made for Jennifer Walters. A lot of things come easily for Jen. Nothing about the Scoundrel is easy.”
Check out Jen Bartel’s latest gorgeous cover below.
An Australian way to kick it into the new year, Koala Man is a lot of fun and the next great series to check out on Hulu. Part Family Guy and part The Simpsons, mixed with every superhero trope in existence, the show is about a Koala-themed average Joe and father turned superhero, and the misadventures he falls into while keeping evil away from his small town of Dapto.
What works best about Koala Man is how the series features a lot of heart. It has a run-time of about 30 minutes, all filled with action potential given the many enemies and strange monsters threatening the town. Most importantly, the series focuses in on the small town hero tropes of everyday man against impossible situations is a low-budget Batman type of parody. The show is essentially answering the ‘What If’ question of what would it be like to see Homer Simpson as a Superhero, if Springfield was based in Australia.
The family structure even follows the same tropes. You have the supportive but possibly regretful wife, Vicky (Sarah Snook); the daughter who wants to be a popular influencer, Alison (Demi Lardner); the uncool and shrimpy son Liam (Michael Cusack); then of course, Kevin as Koala Man (Also, Cusack).
The first-ever Australian superhero based TV series, Koala Man is left in great hands by being executive produced by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, who are both the writers behind Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. The series is created by Michael Cusack, who’s a beloved Youtube and Newgrounds animator actually from Australia, known for Smiling Friends and Yolo: Crystal Fantasy. Though what makes Koala Man pretty righteous watch is how grounded Cusack has shaped this world regarding his hometown and the people in Australia.
The first episode plays on the importance of putting the bins on the outside on garbage day. Which may seem like a simple annoyance, until the episode dutifully drags it out onto a metaphor for something much bigger. This, along with, the tall poppy syndrome where a person feels the need to bring a fellow Australian down a peg when they get too hoity-toity, kind of showcases just what type of comedy the series aims to be. It also just focuses on a simple premise of a working class Australian dad who just… wants to do a pretty basic right thing. Who then, surreptitiously, gets dragged into a larger conflict along the way almost every day.
If that weren’t enough to check it out, then how about the fact that the series is also pulling major stars such as Jermaine Clement and Hugo Weaving. As a treat for what’s essentially the series version of ‘Adam West in Family Guy’, Koala Man has also, somehow, was able to pull in Hugh Jackman… who is easily the most lovable Australian in existence with the exception of Chris Hemsworth.
What I think I notice best about the series, is just how much heart went into making it. It’s sort of pleasant, polite, yet also, very trope-filled parodies of the nuclear family and the superhero genre. Just like the early Simpsons episodes it features a family who just seeks to be normal but is set in a world that’s anything but…
Which is a pretty standard testament to the times.
Marvel Comics has just announced the release of a new Guardians of The Galaxy #1. Implied to be coming via the ‘Grootfall’ related message left at New York Comic Con last year, the series will be written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art by Kev Walker (Predator). The comic will be available in stores on April 12th, 2023, one month before the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5th, 2023.
This creative team, known for their work on Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, will take readers on an intergalactic journey through uncharted territories of deep space, as the Guardians of the Galaxy explore new planets and encounter brand-new alien species. All to learn untold truths in a very… well, honestly, Star Trek’ian type of way.
The Guardians will be faced with a powerful threat known as Grootfall which will force them to undertake a mission that will test the limits of their family bonds. Teased at yesterday, Marco Checchetto’s cover for the first issue gives fans a glimpse of the inspired new designs for the core cast of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Nebula, and Mantis.
The description of the series is that one year ago, the Guardians of the Galaxy were finished… destroyed, by one of their own. Since then, the remaining members have been trying to outrun their tragedy as they travel through a lawless corner of the galaxy. Though can the team rediscover their heroism and humanity in this dark and unforgiving place and will they be able to rebuild their found family of misfits to ever again feel whole?
“Welcome to a whole new era for the Guardians of the Galaxy, riding like mad through an endless alien dust storm of sun-soaked tragedy, intense violence, and deeply dysfunctional heroes,” Lanzing said in a Marvel press release. “The optimistic peacekeepers that defeated the reborn Olympian Gods and overcame ‘The Last Annihilation’ have fallen about as far as they possibly could – and now Peter Quill and what remains of his found family will have to fight like hell in a new western-fueled frontier to find a scrap of forgiveness. After all, the Guardians are a fire – and a fire only ends one way.”
“Sharing the reins with us is the amazing Kev Walker, our partner from Captain America & the Winter Soldier Special #1. His unique blend of realism and wild imagination brings the alien frontier of the Manifold Territories to windswept life like no one else could,” Kelly added. “Together, we’re guiding the Guardians on a new trail – one that will make them look inwards, even as they face the threats over the next horizon. Grab your element gun, True Believers – it’s time to go for a brand new ride.”
“I honestly can’t believe I’m finally getting a chance to work on Guardians,” Walker said. “I’ve been wanting to draw these characters for a long time, (I have some of the first Guardians of the Galaxy comics in my collection). I came close when I did Annihilation: Nova years ago, but never envisaged I’d be doing this kind of all-encompassing relaunch. Pushing existing characters in a new direction is always a daunting challenge, but working with Jackson, Colin and Matt has been a lot of fun and I think we’re producing something a very different to what’s has gone before.”
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
Written by COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING
Art by KEV WALKER
Colors by MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Grootfall Teaser Variant Cover by KEV WALKER
On Sale 4/12
Sometimes it’s impossible to know what to watch on streaming services. Not just on Netflix, but frankly, all of them. There are so many options and it’s often beyond challenging to separate the wheat from the chaff without actually watching the shows themselves.
This is my meandering way of getting around to why it took me so long to start watching Wednesday on Netflix. Even though I’m a pretty diehard fan of The Addams Family, I feared this serial comedy horror wouldn’t live up to my very high expectations. Instead, we not only got one of the best new series on Netflix but also a loving tribute to a one-of-a-kind kooky family.
Now, the first thing that matters in any adaptation of The Addams Family is how well it balances the creepy, gothic elements with the family humor. Such as how Wednesday constantly tortures her brother Pugsley, but in a somehow, loving way. While I may have initially worried Tim Burton would skew that balance, I’m happy to report Wednesday effortlessly sails through what could have been bumpy waters.
Honestly, it’s shocking in retrospect that Burton hasn’t directed anything Addams-related prior to this. As any fan of Burton can attest, he knows how to handle dark content with a deft hand, and is pretty skilled at injecting surprising humor into his productions.
The next important element is the cast itself. It’s always tricky watching anybody take on the role of Gomez, who was so perfectly portrayed by the late great Raul Julia. I was actually pretty concerned when I recognized Luis Guzmán in that role, but found that other than being a somewhat heavier Addams patriarch, he did all the right things. He lovingly prayed at the altar of his wife, Morticia, traded zestful stories of his youth, and much more besides. As for Morticia herself, I thought Catherine Zeta-Jones was brilliantly cast. She has all the right curves, is witty, and just a little bit sinister.
The only real disappointments for me were Lurch and Pugsley. In fairness, Lurch barely got enough screen time to really make a mark but I still missed his disgruntled moans and grunts. While Isaac Ordonez got the whole ‘long suffering brother’ part down, he failed to convey other noteworthy aspects of his character. Pugsley is more than just a whipping boy. He’s sneaky, obsessed with explosives, and always up to no good. Alas, this Pugsley left me wanting much more. Thankfully, the other character this show got amazingly right was the titular one, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams.
I admit to not being familiar with Jenna Ortega before this show. I did some research and wasn’t surprised to discover her earlier career was mostly on Disney and candy-coated fare. What did surprise me was that recently she’s made a bit of a jump into horror, with her role in the most recent Scream, and obviously, Wednesday itself. Put simply, Ortega has gone from not being remotely on my radar to a young actress whose career I’m eager to watch unfold.
Not only does she expertly convey the scorn and gothic intensity of the character, but she delivers each cutting line with surgical precision. She’s equal parts hilarious and terrifying, and she builds well on the foundation laid by Christina Ricci. She’s a bit more hard-edged and less willing to listen to the advice her parents offer her. Ortega takes the character in darker directions than even I expected and surprises with impressive ability. Put simply, this Wednesday receives visions of the future and past. A useful skill for a budding young wannabe detective who’s tasked with stopping a deranged killer.
Before I go too much further, I need to touch on a couple of other surprising performances. No Addams Family would be complete without Uncle Fester. And while we only get Fester for one episode, what an episode it was! I wasn’t sure how well Fred Armisen would portray the zany uncle, but I shouldn’t have fretted. His performance lies somewhere between Christopher Lloyd’s bombastic Fester and the goofy animated version by Nick Kroll. I was constantly laughing as he used his electrical powers and talked about his less-than-legal antics.
But what truly impressed me was Thing. I don’t know how a bodiless hand can convey things like dejection and frustration, but somehow Thing makes it work. This version is a bit more Frankenstein’s Monster than I expected, but he’s full of personality. He picks locks, gives fashion advice, and serves as an invaluable assistant to Wednesday. At one point late in the season I even feared for his supernatural life and found myself close to tears.
The crux of the series is about Wednesday leaving her regular school and being sent to a supernatural boarding school by her parents. There was an incident involving a pool, some bullies, and a couple of bags of piranhas, so Gomez and Morticia felt their daughter might do better around similarly unique children. She’s sent (against her will) to Nevermore, founded by the poet Edgar Allen Poe.
It’s a school by and for self-styled Outcasts. For the most part, they’re all different varieties of supernatural creatures. The four main groups are Fangs (vampires), Furs (werewolves), Scales (sirens), and Stoners (gorgons), but there are others as well. There are also, a couple of students with telekinetic and telepathic powers, as well as a shapeshifter.
You’d think this was the perfect environment for one young Wednesday Addams, but the perpetual rain cloud hates the idea of being forced to do things like join a social group or make friends.
I got a mix of Legaciesand Harry Potter energy from Nevermore, and it was populated by some fun new characters all wearing what I call preppy Beetlejuice uniforms. One is Wednesday’s eternally cheerful half-werewolf roomie, Enid. She’s everything the Addams girl isn’t. Cheerful, brightly colored, and full of jubilant energy. To say they aren’t fast friends is an understatement.
There’s also the popular and vindictive Siren, Bianca, as well as her ex-boyfriend Xavier Thorpe. I’m not entirely sure what variety of creature he’s supposed to be. He seems to have the ability to bring drawings to life, but he also gets visions of the future, and his father is a well-renowned psychic.
Then there’s Eugene, another question mark who loves bees. He’s a giant, lovable nerd, and he reminds me a lot of the boy that helped Wednesday escape summer camp in Addams Family Values. One of my absolute favorite characters was Principal Weems, played by the one and only Gwendoline Christie. She’s a dedicated professional trying her best to keep Nevermore running while also placating the Normie (think Muggles) town of Jericho.
Oh, and did I mention Ricci joins the cast as Marilyn Thornhill? She’s a basic human, but she teaches the Nevermore students about exotic plants. Put together, the cast helps ground the series, as well as offering plenty of hurdles for Wednesday to bash her way through.
The show also incorporates interesting lore into the mix. We learn about how Gomez Addams might have murdered a boy when he attended Nevermore with Morticia. Not to mention the town of Jericho was apparently founded by a murderous Pilgrim named Joseph Crackstone. Wednesday meets a ghostly ancestor named Goody Addams, also played by Ortega.
On top of all this, the show delves into what “normal” truly is, while helping Wednesday realize what matters to her and how she wants to evolve into something new. The young gothic starlet even juggles two potential suitors, one Normie and one Outcast.
Best of all, the show keeps you guessing who the mastermind behind the chaos is up until the final episode. Throw in plenty of murders to investigate, shocking acts of violence, and amazing laughs, and you have a hell of a season one.
Honestly, even if you’re not a fan of The Addams Family, you should still check Wednesday out. It’s well-written and has great actors and stunning sets. If that’s not enough, there’s plenty of mayhem, murder, and monsters to enjoy. Or maybe just watch it for the dark joy of Wednesday Addams playing Paint It Black on her cello. Most importantly, just give the show a shot. Though I find it beyond perplexing to hear the rumors Netflix isn’t committed to giving it a second season, I suspect young Wednesday Addams will find a way to survive regardless. Two snaps for this brilliantly conceived and executed new show.
Kakao Games and Nine Ark Inc. are excited to announce the official launch of Eversoul, the highly anticipated mobile RPG. Players can immerse themselves in a world of Souls and embark on a quest to save their world from invaders.
Eversoul features engaging lore and story, and players can collect a variety of unique Souls with their own skill sets and spirit-imbued artifacts. The game also incorporates interactive story content and a relationship system, allowing players to form close bonds and even romance their Souls to enhance their performance in battle.
In addition to traditional RPG elements, Eversoul also offers dungeon crawling and PvP arena content for players who enjoy intense action. The Town serves as the hub area where players can send their Souls on part-time jobs to gather EXP and resources, and an idle offline mode allows Souls to continue tasks even when players are not actively playing. There is also a town-decorating mode for players to get creative and design their own mesmerizing towns.
Since being showcased at various major offline events in 2022, Eversoul has garnered a large following and received over 1.5 million pre-registrations globally. Players can now join the adventure and start collecting and fighting their way to save the world of Souls.
THE ARK -- Episode 101 -- Pictured: Christie Burke as Sharon Garnet -- (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)
SYFY has released a new trailer for their newest series The Ark. Created by Dean Devlin, the story takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race.
The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies, and a loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.
The series stars Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read and Ryan Adams. Dean Devlin (“Independence Day,” “Stargate”) and Jonathan Glassner (“Stargate SG-1”) are co-showrunners and executive producers alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English of Balkanic Media and Steve Lee serve as producers.
You can check out the freshly released trailer above, along with some photos from the pilot episode below.
THE ARK — Episode 101 — Pictured: Christie Burke as Sharon Garnet — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)THE ARK — Episode 101 — Pictured: Christie Burke as Sharon Garnet — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)THE ARK — Episode 101 — Pictured: Christie Burke as Sharon Garnet — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)THE ARK — Episode 101 — Pictured: (l-r) Dominik Cicak as Harrison Beckner, Richard Fleeshman as Lt. James Brice, Reece Ritchie as Lt. Spencer Lane — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)
Marvel Comics has announced an epic finale to see off their Hulk Planet run written by Donny Cates and drawn by Ryan Ottley. Thus far, Bruce Banner has fled to the farthest reaches of space… discovering for himself, a new home on a planet inhabited by Hulk-like creatures. Living under the heat of a gamma star, these creatures have thrived under their Gamma energy, where Banner is worshipped, and the raging menace could finally find inner peace.
But In Hulk #14, that peace ends. Fans will witness the emergence of Titan, an alternate personality and the deadliest Hulk in Marvel Comics history. This formidable foe refuses to be suppressed any longer and Bruce Banner will pay a steep price for believing that he was ever in control, as Bruce struggles to save the planet and himself from the wrath of Titan. More importantly, Banner must finally come to terms with his own actions, including the harm he has inflicted on the Hulk.
“It’s been so much fun to finally tackle working on the HULK. And being able to write the last four issues of this arc and bring some story elements to fruition was such a challenge but I’ve enjoyed it the whole way,” Ottley said in a Marvel press release. “Drawing comics is what I’m used to; writing is a whole different animal, but doing both jobs was great and makes me want to do it more often! Feels sad to wrap up the arc and move on, but it’s definitely one of my favorite comic experiences. Hulk will always be one of my favorite Marvel heroes. And now with Titan added to the rogues gallery, hopefully we’ll see him again someday in all his fury and glory!”
Within the remaining fragments of the Mind Palace, Bruce must come to terms with the fact that once this part of the Hulk has been unleashed, it can never be contained again. It will be a test of both Bruce’s and the Hulk’s strength as they try to regain control and prevent the destruction of Hulk Planet.
Developer Borderleap’s engaging, hypnotic puzzle game – Illustrated – highlights one of the world’s most renowned artists: Vincent Van Gogh. In conjunction with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the game will focus on art from different eras in Van Gogh’s life.
Each puzzle is created using a story that serves as both a clue to solving it and a peek into the historic impressionist’s work and life. It’s left for the player to read these stories and decipher the clues in order to unearth the spectacular Van Gogh they have been paired with.
Welcome to Chippendales — “February 31st” – Episode 106 — As Steve’s financial woes mount, Nick offers a lifeline in the form of a proposal that would take Chippendales global. A printing error has disastrous consequences for Steve. Cheryl (Jen Cohn), Steve (Kumail Nanjiani) and Irene (Annaleigh Ashford), shown. (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/Hulu)Though Banerjee ultimately falls into the “bad guy” camp, the show does a good job of exploring how he ended up there. Some of it was from the external pressures of capitalism that, as a brown-skinned man with an accent, he knew were against him. Instead of trying to change anything, he tried to beat it at its own game… to be whiter than a white man, in a way. To lean into racism by discriminating against Black employees and patrons alike, knowing it’s the white clientele who have the power to make him a success. To show off the white man’s markers of success, like the Rolex watch he has his tailor shorten his sleeves to display. To change his name from “Somen” to “Steve” in the first place.
