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There’s An Indiegogo For Elvira’s Awesome ’90s Comic Books

Mike Phalin
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There’s An Indiegogo For Elvira’s Awesome ’90s Comic Books

The 1990s was the greatest decade for comic books. Although the ’70s had pushed the envelope for parody, violence, and social topics, the ’90s made comic book characters true multimedia juggernauts.
We got so many new comic publishers and characters. The competition was stern. It pushed the big guys to take chances with their characters, and it paid off. I do not doubt that you could ask anyone to name a big comic event from that decade, and they’d be able to name at least one.
The Maxx, Spawn, X-Men, WildC.A.T.s, Marvel’s 2099, Infinity War, Death of Superman, ShadowHawk, Faust, and so on. Great stories, great characters, and great artwork. The pull list I had with my local comic shop was insane. Trying to justify a $100 monthly comic book bill to my folks wasn’t easy.
Now thanks to crowdfunding, more defunct comic series from the past are being resurrected. One such line is ‘Elvira Mistress of the Dark.’ Yes, that Elvira. The buxom gothic beauty with the Valley accent.
Elvira had her own series that spanned 166 issues. It was published by Claypool Comics starting in 1993. Sadly, the shop in my town never stocked Claypool stuff. After almost 30 years of being without a unified collection of her comic book adventures, Dynamite Entertainment gives us the chance to own such an omnibus.
The Indiegogo for ‘Elvira Mistress of the Dark’ is currently active and already blasted past the original funding goal of $6,666. Thanks to the support, Dynamite is offering a huge number of extras and multiple tiers and perks:

Turn back the clock to 1993…Bill Clinton was President, the Blue Jays won the World Series, and Jurassic Park ruled the box office.  A young horror host (why barely out of puberty I believe) named Elvira ruled late night television and became the Queen of Halloween.  An independent comic book company began working with the Mistress of the Dark delivering some brilliantly funny and frisky comic stories.  Creators from every corner of the industry contributed to her growing lore with stories and art celebrating the “sassy lassie with the classy chassis” including comic legends like Kurt Busiek, Paul Dini, Neil Vokes, Fred Hembeck, Dave Cockrum, and a host of others!
The Elvira Mistress of the Dark Classic Years Omnibus is the first volume kicking off reprinting the highly sought-after tales originally published by Claypool Comics. In these beloved adventures Elvira must contend with teen werewolves, killer clowns, aliens, a high school reunion, pro wrestling, and more! Plus, special Halloween, Christmas, and Easter stories. The book is available in paperback or hardcover and covers 26 issues, rounding out to a massive 600-page tome. And for a special surprise Dynamite is sneaking in extra bonuses amounting to .666 of an issue. That’s right gals and ghouls, 26.666 comics in one massive book! Spooky!

Yes, please. The comics stay true to Elvira’s tongue-in-cheek style. There’s lots of sexy sarcasm and titillation. Thanks to Superhero Hype, they gave us a look at several pages from the original comic:

Dynamite Entertainment

Dynamite Entertainment
Are you going to pledge? What other obscure comics from the past like to see have a resurgence? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Superhero Hype]

Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’ Pinned Down Penn Jillette

Mike Phalin
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Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’ Pinned Down Penn Jillette

When news first broke about a ‘Borderlands’ movie, I was excited. Polish up the character models and get some great animators in there, and you’d have a fun CGI flick. Then I read it was live-action. Then I read Eli Roth was directing it. Then I read the screenwriter was the guy behind ‘Identity Thief,’ ‘The Hangover Part II,’ and ‘Superhero Movie.’
OK, Craig Mazin did pen the HBO’s ‘Chernobyl’ series. Though, the draw of that series was more about the atmosphere and the reality of the disaster than the dialog. Sometimes you win some.
Regardless of how pensive we are over the people steering the ship, the adaptation of the Gearbox Software game series is happening. There is good news to be had, too.
Penn Jillette, the magician who hates BS, is joining the movie’s cast. According to an interview covered by SlashFilm, Jillette has a minor appearance in the film. The long and short of his scene is not going to be a secret, “Jillette will be playing a preacher overseeing a wedding, and there’s a fight scene that interrupts the nuptials. After the action is done, he ends up in a ‘space paddywagon’ with Kevin Hart’s character Roland.”
If you were hoping for more of Jillette in ‘Borderlands,’ you can check out the third game. Penn and Teller had brief cameos in ‘Borderlands 3’ via a boss battle. Both magicians got physical cameos, while Penn also got to voice his character. Spoilers ahead if you haven’t played the sequel from Gearbox Software:

The casting for this adaptation has been a bit interesting. Jamie Lee Curtis is playing Dr. Tannis. Cate Blanchett will be Lilith. Jack Black will be voicing Clap Trap. Why? Dunno. Why not use the original voice actor Jim Foronda?
Knowing Roth, this film may not be entirely recognizable to fans of the series. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. ‘Borderlands’ characters and stories work best in a medium that isn’t constrained by the physical world. What the ‘Hostel’ director does with the IP could be something unique but totally distant from what we’re used to.
What are your opinions on the upcoming ‘Borderlands’ big-screen adaptation? Do you think the casting choices will work, knowing the characters from the games? Or will this end up like ‘The Green Inferno’ and lead to unintentional laughs?
[Source: SlashFilm]

Margot Robbie Pushing For A Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy DCEU Team-Up

Jacob Airey
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Margot Robbie Pushing For A Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy DCEU Team-Up

First appearing in the 1992 ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ episode “Joker’s Favor,” Harley Quinn has become a pop culture icon, not just as a foil for the Joker or as Batman rogue, but on her own merits. Expanding from a cartoon character the psychiatrist-turned-psycho has made appearances in video games, TV shows, but more specifically into the live-action films ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey’ where she is played by ‘I, Tonya’ actress Margot Robbie.
Almost synonymous with Harley Quinn is her sometimes best friend, sometimes romantic partner Poison Ivy, another foe of the Caped Crusader. They first tag-teamed against the Dark Knight in the ‘Batman: TAS’ episode “Harley and Ivy.” Since that time, their relationship has been turbulent and has been expanded upon in the comic books and such shows as the HBO Max series “Harley Quinn.”
However, one voice is hoping to change that. Margot Robbie recently told Den of Geek that she is openly advocating for Harley and Ivy to appear together in the DC Extended Universe film franchise.
“Trust me, I chew their ear off about it all the time,” the ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ access said. “They must be sick of hearing it, but I’m like, ‘Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy. Come on, let’s do it.’ I’m very keen to see a Harley-Poison Ivy relationship on screen. It’d be so fun. So I’ll keep pestering them. Don’t worry.”
While a tag-team action film or romantic comedy involving the two might be appealing to many fans, the DCEU seems to be going through a turbulent time following the release of Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League.’
Robbie herself admitted as such, explaining in a previous interview that for the upcoming sequel ‘The Suicide Squad,’ Harley Quinn will be a very different version than what was seen previously.
“It’s interesting, depending on who’s writing her or who’s directing her,” she said. “People want to explore different aspects of the character, which is great for me because I want to explore every aspect of her. The three different movies—Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and now The Suicide Squad—have been their own adventures, kind of like when you pick up a comic book. Depending on who your author is, it’s a different adventure.”
Only time will tell if Batman will go up against two of the most Femme Fatales in Gotham City, or if Harley and Ivy’s relationship will be explored further in other outlets.

‘Stillwater’ Director Discusses Matt Damon Transformation Into A “Roughneck” Father In New Thriller

Jacob Airey
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‘Stillwater’ Director Discusses Matt Damon Transformation Into A “Roughneck” Father In New Thriller

Matt Damon is no stranger to thrillers. From ‘The Incredible Mr. Ripley’ to ‘The Departed,’ he has often stepped into roles that are never quite what they seem.
Now he is stepping into the role of Bill Baker, an oilrig “roughneck” worker and concerned father who travels to France to help his Allison, played by Abigail Breslin, who has been arrested by the French authorities after being accused of murder in the upcoming film ‘Stillwater.’
The movie’s co-writer and director Tom McCarthy recently sat down with EW to discuss the plot and what audiences can expect.
“He’s a guy that’s had a difficult life, he’s struggled, but he sort of tried to make amends and do what’s right, I think, when we meet him,” McCarthy said, describing Baker’s relationship with his daughter as “fractured.”
“Matt and I started going [to Oklahoma] early on to get a taste of the place and the people and spending time with roughnecks, in particular,” he explains. “They really opened up their lives to us, and their worlds and their families. They were incredibly instrumental in helping us shape the story.”
“It’s a beautiful film shot in a beautiful place, and I think [Focus Features] felt strongly that people should see it in movie theaters, and I was in agreement with that,” he said. “I’m in no rush — the movie will play as well this year as it would have last year.”
McCarthy said that ‘Stillwater’ was supposed to be released last fall, but production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he says that helped them not rush the film.
“We shut down and put it down, revisited it, shut it down again, and then opened it up about a month ago,” he continued. “Whenever you can get away from a film like that, and you approach it with fresh eyes, you have the ability to make positive changes to it. I think we made a number of changes to it, which really impacted the movie, but it feels done. It feels baked now.”
‘Stillwater’ is slated to hit theaters in July Damon, Breslin, Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud, and Deanna Dunagan starring.

Game Dev Opens Up About Working On ’12 Minutes’ With Daisy Ridley and James McAvoy

Jacob Airey
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Game Dev Opens Up About Working On ’12 Minutes’ With Daisy Ridley and James McAvoy

‘Chaos Walking’ actress Daisy Ridley has become a household name after her appearances in the Disney LucasFilm Star Wars sequel trilogy. Since then, she has appeared in several films, television, but has also done voice acting for a variety of video games including the upcoming independent game ’12 Minutes’ from Annapurna Interactive. She voices the wife of the main character, being joined by ‘X-Men: First Class’ actor James McAvoy as the main character with ‘Spider-Man’ actor Willem Dafoe as the main villain.
’12 Minutes’ developer Luis Antonio described the game as being similar to the film ‘Groundhog Day,’ where you play a husband who is caught in a loop trying to save his wife from an intruder. Every time you die, you can use the knowledge from the previous round to find new ways to stop the stranger from harming the protagonists.
In an interview with SyFy Wire, Antonio discussed the game as well as what it was like working with British actors Ridley and McAvoy, whom he forced to don American accents.
“Sometimes we’re doing scenes and they would question the motivations because I thought more about the gameplay elements,” Antonio admits. “But James would be like, ‘Why would I be doing this? It’s true for me to be doing this because I want the player to know this, but the character doesn’t think this way.’ So, we would deconstruct, realize the motivations and then bring them back in and it would naturally enrich the character. They would become more realistic and you’d care more about them.”
He goes on to explain that this was the first time that Ridley used an American accent, but that she grew, along with McAvoy, to get emotionally engaged with the characters they were voicing.
“Like if James’ character is stressed out, it has to come through in the shaking of his voice,” he explained. “Or if the wife is smiling, there’s no facial expression, so you have to feel the smile through the way she opens her mouth. There was workshopping to figure out how to really convey this, and then we wrote extensively the story of all the characters for when we were in the recording sessions.”
Antonio added that he hopes that ’12 Minutes’ will attract new gamers or people who have never gamed before, as it provided around five to six hours of gameplay.
Here is a sneak peak for ’12 Minutes:’

Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol Coming To Nintendo Switch!

Mike Phalin
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Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol Coming To Nintendo Switch!

Friday night. Blockbuster. ‘Zombies At My Neighbors’ and a giant box of Whoppers. That is a childhood memory of mine. My buddy Eric and I would always rent that LucasArts game. It was 1993, and we both finally got Super Nintendo systems after years of begging our parents.
We spent hours playing and failing at the game. There was also a lot of shouting because one of us would go off in the wrong direction. This would lead to a lot of frustration and thrown Whoppers.
Now ‘ZAMN’ and its sequel ‘Ghoul Patrol’ are on their way to Nintendo’s Switch! What a time to be alive!
These games are being released under the ‘Lucasfilm Classic Games’ banner. Odd that they’re not using the classic LucasArts logo instead. Could this mean we’ll be seeing more LucasArts console games coming to the Switch?
‘ZAMN’ was a run-n-gun game focusing on horror and sci-fi movies of the past 50 years. You could choose between Zeke and Julie in either single or two-player modes. The object was to run around the maze-like map and rescue your neighbors before they were devoured or killed by aliens, zombies, werewolves, mummies, etc. It was fun, challenging, and had some great art as far as the character designs went.
‘Ghoul Patrol’ was a sequel, kinda. It did have the same main characters, but the game didn’t start out being related to ‘ZAMN’ at all. It shows if you’ve ever played the game. It’s still fun, but ‘Ghoul Patrol’ just can’t match the original.

Nintendo Everything covered the story and posted the trailer.
The cult classic Zombies Ate My Neighbors and its sequel make their long awaited return in Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol! Play these classics from the golden age of 16-bit gaming with new enhancements and never before seen museum features.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Hey, where’s that scary music coming from? Yikes! It’s Zombies Ate My Neighbors, where you appear in every demented horror flick ever to make you hurl ju-jubes.
What are Zeke and Julie, our two wholesome teenage stars doing in a 16-bit game like this?! Trying to save the nice neighbors, cheerleaders and babies from a fate worse than polyester!
Who could put this SLICE of suburbia in such a goose-pimply hysteria? Zombies, relentless Chainsaw Maniacs, Mummies, Evil Dolls that just won’t die, Lizard Men, Blobs, Vampires, Giant Ants, Martians and more.
Will these crazy kids survive the night? Find your way through 55 horror-filled levels like a grocery store gone bad, a shopping mall awry, a mysterious island and your own back yard. Don’t miss “Weird Kids on the Block”, “Mars Needs Cheerleaders” and “Dances With Werewolves”.
You can fend off the freaks with a virtual candy counter of weapons like uzi squirt guns, exploding soda pop, bazookas, weed wackers and ancient artifacts. Also grab power ups-o-rama like secret potions and bobo clown decoys. Does this game ever end?!
Ghoul Patrol
Zeke and Julie, our intrepid teenagers, visit the Ghosts and Ghouls exhibit at the city library, where they find an old treasure chest containing an ancient spirit book. Naturally, they cannot resist reading it. Suddenly, a horrific snaggle-toothed spirit emerges.
Now, this snarling phantom and his dastardly minions are infesting Metropolis and slithering their way into the history books, where they plan to rewrite history with their spooky ways. Only you have the power to go back in time to de-spook and encyclopedia and zombified historic dudes.
Terminate, with prejudice, using crossbows, ping-pong ball machine guns, Martian “Heatseeker” guns, and more.
Vaporize garbage can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants!
Only our two heroes have the power to get the mighty beastly spirit back into his book and stop the madness. Ghoul Patrol to the rescue!
Key Features

  • – Save Feature: Quickly save your progress in either game and continue your adventure wherever and whenever you want
    – Museum Features: Watch a video interview with one of the original Zombies’ developers or explore numerous galleries containing game art, previously unreleased concept images and marketing assets
    – Soundtrack: Listen to the entire soundtrack for both games in the included music players
    – 2 Player Mode: Play the game with two player local co-op
    – Achievements: Track your game progress with a set of achievements covering both games

Sadly there’s no online two-player co-op. This would have probably taken more work than it was worth, though. There is a quicksave feature but no rewind. That feature would be quite useful in ZAMN. Sometimes it’s easy to get turned around in the mazes, and one of your neighbors meets an untimely death.
Oh, well. At least it’s an official release and comes with extras like the soundtrack and an interview with game designer Mike Ebert.
What are your memories of playing either of these two games? Let us know in the comments.

Alan Moore Announces Fantasy Novel Series

Jacob Airey
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Alan Moore Announces Fantasy Novel Series

‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ author Alan Moore announced that he is writing a five-volume fantasy epic series ‘Long London’ along with ‘Illuminations,’ a collection of short stories.
The UK publishing house Bloomsbury, responsible for the ‘Harry Potter’ series, has signed a six-figure deal with the ‘V For Vendetta’ writer for his “groundbreaking” series and “momentous” collection.
“I’m bursting with fiction, bursting with prose,” Moore told the Guardian. “I couldn’t be happier with the new home that I’ve found at Bloomsbury: a near-legendary independent publisher with a spectacular list and a fierce commitment to expanding the empire of the word.”
He added, “I have a feeling this will be a very productive partnership.”
Bloomsbury editor-in-chief Paul Baggaley expressed his enthusiasm for working with the ‘Swamp Thing’ writer.
“Alan Moore is simply a legend and it has been such a pleasure to listen to him talk about his ambitious Long London series as well as discovering the range of his shorter fiction,” he said. “These projects have set Bloomsbury alight.”
Moore retired from comic books recently after working on such projects as ‘From Hell,’ ‘Watchmen,’ and ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.’
According to its synopsis, “Long London is a series about “a sometimes-accessible shadow city that is beyond time.” This is a hugely inventive, atmospheric, mythical world of murder, magic and madness. It is a quintet of novels that sweeps across the 20th century, starting in the shell-shocked and unravelled London of 1949, and following the populations of writers, criminals, artists, and magicians through that familiar city and a version of London just beyond our knowledge.”
Likewise, ‘Illuminations’ is “an astonishing, rich and broad collection of short stories, each featuring some kind of illumination or realization. From ghosts and otherworldly creatures to the four horsemen of the apocalypse to the Boltzmann brains fashioning the universe at the big bang, Alan Moore’s Illuminations is a series of beguiling and elegantly crafted tales that reveal the full power of imagination and magic.”

Build-A-Bear Makes Confusing New Outfit Announcement For Animal Crossing Plush Releasing on May 11th

Kambrea 'Geeky Sparkles' Pratt
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Build-A-Bear Makes Confusing New Outfit Announcement For Animal Crossing Plush Releasing on May 11th

Build-A- Bear has announced that they will be releasing new outfits for their Animal Crossing Tom Nook and Isabelle plush. The new outfits will launch on May 11th at 10AM CST/ or 11 AM EST.

However, they way it reads, implies you only can get the new outfits (and winter sounds) if you buy the plush again.

I’m hoping that you can buy the outfits separately or buy the new versions if you would prefer.

Apparently, I’m not the only one confused here.

 

 

Apparently a preview was posted by someone a couple of days ago:

Fans were already upset that the two “big reveal” plush were just Tom Nook and Isabelle, and if you have to buy them again to get their outfits, they are not going to be too happy again.

Looking in the fine print it seems to say that one can only purchase in bundles.

“While supplies last. Bundle styles limited to 1 per Guest. The Animal Crossing™: New Horizons collection can only be purchased as bundles. Items cannot be purchased unstuffed, cannot be modified and cannot be combined with any other promotional offers or discounts. Due to extremely high demand and limited quantities, you may be put in our virtual waiting room to purchase the Animal Crossing™: New Horizons collection. Please allow 7 business days for order processing. Available online only at buildabear.com. Prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.”

I’m not buying the plush again just to get the new outfits. It the outfits aren’t made available separately Build-A-Bear is going to have another PR fiasco on their hands.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Venom 2 Trailer Gives Us a Good Look at Carnage!

Thom 'Kneon' Pratt
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Venom 2 Trailer Gives Us a Good Look at Carnage!

The first teaser trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has dropped, and it gives us a good look at the live-action iteration of Spider-Man baddie Carnage (aka Cletus Kasady, played by Woody Harrelson.)

Carnage looks fantastic! Almost like he’s… made of meat?!

Venom: Let There Be Carnage releases on September 24, 2021, pushed back from October 2020 due to the pandemic.

Directed by Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage stars Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Sean Delaney and Larry Olubamiwo. The film also features a number of newcomers, including Naomie Harris, Stephen Graham, Sean Delaney and Larry Olubamiwo.

[Hat Tip: CBR]

Dave McKean Talks His New Comic Book ‘Raptor’

Jacob Airey
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Dave McKean Talks His New Comic Book ‘Raptor’

Dark Horse Entertainment has picked up comic book writer and illustrator Dave McKean’s new  ‘Raptor: A Sokol Graphic Novel.’ It follows several fan-favorites including DC Comics ‘Black Orchid,’ as well as covers for ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘The Sandman,’ but also illustrating the Batman story ‘ Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth,’ who he worked with writer Grant Morrison.
According to the official synopsis, “Raptor flickers between two worlds and two conflicted souls: Sokol wanders a feudal fantastical landscape hunting monsters for those that can pay, and Arthur, a writer of supernatural tales in 19th Century Wales, mourning the passing of his young wife and dabbling in the supernatural in the vain hope of seeing her again. They both exist in the twilight between truth and lies, life and death, reality and the imagination.”
Dave McKean recently sat down with Comics Beat to discuss ‘Raptor,’ and his process in writing it.
“It had a circuitous beginning,” he said describing coming up with the concept. “I was asked to do a short story for an established character, I thought immediately of a longer story, but though it was suitable, actually it was too personal an idea to hand over to someone else’s world, so I spent a frantic week reworking it, developing my own lead character, and placing it in a world that I felt much more at home with.”
McKean continued, “I wanted to do something that was inspired by the contemporary nature and travel literature I’ve been reading, something that would express my love of the natural world, and something that would live in this realm between reality and the imagination. My character is trapped between those two worlds, the state of human and bird, or reality and fantasy, of civilised life and raw animal instinct. I have several other GN projects in pieces in my notebooks, whichever one crystalizes into a solid story and script first ends up being the next one on my drawing board.”
The ‘Black Dog’ illustrator discussed why it follows two different narratives.
“I like this conversation across the line of creator and creation, artwork and audience,” McKean explained. “I think it’s a world and character with which I could explore many ideas. I wanted to plant a few seeds of who he is, what he is, where he’s come from and where he’s going, but leave a lot unsaid so I can maybe fill in pieces of the puzzle in future stories.”
Raptor: A Sokol Graphic Novel will be in comic shops on July 7, 2021 and in bookstores on July 20, 2021.

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