Redfall is a near-perfect example of the state in which you should not release a game on any platform. While it may sound harsh to say that, the number of technical issues that plague Redfall makes such a statement justified. Between various bugs, lackluster visuals, and frequent stretches of boring gameplay; the game is simply not up to the par of quality that most gamers are used to seeing from developer Arkane Studios. Even the most diehard fan of their work will have to admit to themselves that this is not just not very good. It quite possibly may be the worst game they have released to date for Xbox Series consoles and PC.
Redfall takes the first-person action concept we’ve all seen before, from games like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, and applies it to vampires. The town of Redfall, MA falls victim to a legion of vampires after an experiment goes horribly wrong, plunging the town into chaos. You play as one of four characters that are trapped within the area and need to survive alongside others who have been cut off from the outside world, taking down vampires and their hysterical followers. The premise of the game sounds like it should work out very well, but it’s the execution of Redfall that turns everything into a giant mess.
The game is a technical cavalcade of errors. There are many problems that arise within Redfall, even if you’re playing for a short time. The visuals of the town you roam and everything within it look as if they’re polished-up models from past console generations, with frequent pop-in textures and massive bugs that appear as you traverse the game’s wide-open locations. There’s a lot of space to move around in, but everything around you feels desolate and empty, despite many buildings and obstacles to get around.
What makes this worse is how moving around to different locations within Redfall can become a chore as there’s no way to get around faster than on foot. You can use a fast travel feature to go to areas you’ve visited before, such as liberated safe houses and landmarks, but until you do so you’ll have to move around on foot. With so many vehicles in place around the town, you would think driving one of them would be possible to move around faster. But unfortunately, none of the ATVs or cars you see are drivable, making the chore of getting around all the more inconvenient.
But can you slay many vampires lurking around the area? Not as much as you might think. You’ll spend a lot of time getting from place to place in what appears to be an abandoned town, with forests and mountains that often feel just as empty. When you do finally run into groups of enemies to fight, the combat will be very messy. Your character has access to a number of weapons you can find and equip, as well as abilities you can unlock as you defeat enemies and complete quests while playing. Most enemies will be crazy humans that have grouped up and taken over locations, which often act as the fodder for stronger enemies you can find.
Vampires will be a bigger nuisance with their teleportation and abnormally strong melee attacks. You’ll have to not only drain their health with attacks but stab them with a weapon that is equipped with a stake to completely destroy them, otherwise they just regenerate their health and continue attacking. At first, this can be super annoying, but will eventually get easier as you find stronger weapons that do more damage and can stab vampires easily.
Getting into combat against vampires or large groups of enemies can become a big mess due to the game’s frequent bugs and glitches that randomly pop up at the worst of times. Hit detection from some enemies and their attacks often feel wacky, with some attacks landing on you from distances that look as if they should’ve missed completely. This happens often with vampires that jump around with their teleportation ability, as well as larger boss enemies that have big area-of-effect attacks that seems very unbalanced. With a little finesse, you can bring down almost any enemy and complete objectives, but it will be a struggle most of the time even after leveling up and opening up new abilities to use against them.
There are many activities and side quests to do in Redfall, there’s a large variety of activities that take you all around the town. But you will have a hard time enjoying them if you’re running into many of the issues mentioned before. Sometimes key locations or items you need to find to complete an objective will bug out and prevent you from finishing a quest, such as not being able to interact with something or pick up a key item on the ground. The same can happen to enemies you need to defeat, which can get caught in unreachable areas or disappear randomly and not be seen, despite being at their location. Problems like this should not happen in the frequency they do. It makes playing through Redfall a very frustrating experience that isn’t made easier, whether you play alone or with other people.
Speaking of which, you can team up with up to three other players via co-op online. Everyone can have their own character and builds to synergize in completing various quests. Co-op unfortunately does little to nothing in solving any of the problems inherently plaguing the game, so you’ll have to struggle through the same things with your allies. Some of the abilities you unlock for a character are better suited for having another person play with you, such as getting perks for reviving teammates or executing enemies near someone. It might be an issue finding others to play with if you don’t coordinate beforehand, but the options are there when the need arises.
Redfall in its current state is simply not a good game at all. It has way too many problems that need to be ironed out by patches that might come in future updates. The number of bugs and glitches that happen is embarrassing and makes playing through the main questline not worth the time investment. If you’re into first-person shooters like this, you have better options elsewhere to get your fix than what’s being offered here. You’re better off not even bothering with Redfall at the moment.
Have you gotten a chance to play through Redfall yet on any platform? What are your thoughts about the state of the game right now? Post a comment down below and let us know about it!
There is no doubt that comic books are a visual medium, but what gets lost in the shuffle is the art of writing. I’d be very comfortable in my retirement if I had a dime for every talented artist who launched a comic book that looked amazing but read like a bumper sticker written by a homeless guy high on paint fumes. You wouldn’t hire an artist who had minimal experience drawing comics and had only read one or two. Why do you think your story will be good if you’re a near-illiterate that’s only written what he was forced to in high school?
Don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway to write a comic book. Hell, you don’t even have to be Dean Koontz. But you should have a basic understanding of story structure and script format and read enough top-notch comic book classics to expect your comic to be any good. Let me tell you How to Get Your Comic Book Written.
Hiring a Writer:
If you’ve got lots of money and no time, consider hiring someone who can write. Some of the more talented artists should really give this a try. It doesn’t mean you have to share the rights necessarily. I know plenty of guys (myself included) that would be happy to crank out some scripts for a decent paycheck and free copies. Throw in a royalty payment on top of that? I’ll get you something nice. Here’s what you do:
Decide Your Budget:
Before you meet with any writers, decide your budget for the comic. Anything goes, but here are the basics:
1: Work for Hire: Straight-up pay to the writer, no rights, possible free copies, and royalties. Just like artists, the rate is dependent upon the time commitment. Pay more if you’re demanding and expect to go through many steps and rewrites. If not, pay less. You can pay a flat rate or by the page. Whatever you both agree upon.
2: Collaboration: You share the rights with the writer. Sometimes it’s an even split; sometimes, it’s a different split with some pay. It all depends upon what you agree with, but remember; in this scenario, you’re stuck with the writer in this project forever unless you include clauses in the contract that say otherwise.
Pros and Cons: A Work-for-hire is your employee, and you are the boss. Simple. You want a change; he makes it. You can discuss it, but in the end, it’s your call. Collaborators have to be more open to suggestions, but they are invested, so the pay is cheaper. It’s a trade-off. Depends upon the individuals in the deal. Choose wisely!
Photo by Pixabay
The Price:
The Federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25 an hour. If I work on a script for a 22-page comic, I should be able to get it done in about three days. If I work 8 hours a day, that’s 24 hours, times $7.25 would be $174. But in most states, the minimum wage is closer to 10-15. Let’s say $12.50; that would be $300.
When I worked for a specific name-brand comic book company with a major IP, my top rate was $175 per page. We didn’t usually get entire issue assignments, but if I did, I would’ve been paid $3,850 for a 22-page issue. I believe that was considered one of the highest rates for writers at the time, so I don’t imagine the superhero publishers paying more than that unless it was a big name (or especially now).
That’s kind of the range you’re dealing with. You may decide to pay more or less. If I’m not working and you seem like a good guy, but you’re poor— I might do you a solid and take a pay cut if I have nothing to do. If you show up to our meeting in a Rolls Royce and brag about your Rolex, I’m going to expect top dollar or more.
Auditioning a Writer:
Writers typically audition differently than an artist. With an artist, time is a factor. Can they make deadlines? What is their output rate vs. quality, and when do you want to see the comic in comic stores? With writers, there are other factors besides time. As a professional, I’d have zero problems knocking out a 22-page superhero comic in a day. It ain’t Shakespeare.
But a project that takes place in, say, 1935 in a small Midwestern town in Iowa requires a bit of research, and that would add to my time. Also, if you have a draft of a script that I have to fix instead of starting fresh, that will take longer as I struggle to figure out what you need vs. what you expect me to keep in the script.
Image by Dream AI
So the easiest way to audition a writer is to look at their past work. What have they written? Have they written anything in the genre you want your story to be set in? Something comparable would also be acceptable. Comedy/Horror is close enough to Horror or Horror/Sci-Fi.
Read his stuff. If you need more than that to convince you, ask for samples in the genre you want to publish. You also want to ignore bad art since you’re hiring a writer, not an artist. What you’re looking for is a flow to the dialogue.
You can also check references and talk to artists and publishers the writer has previously worked for. This isn’t always possible or easy, but local comic creators tend to be a small community if the guy is local. Red flags include being late, unprofessional, demanding, sloppy with their work, etc. Don’t go by one recommendation, even if you get it from someone you think is reliable. You need two sources to verify.
As far as doing an actual audition, you can, but I would only put a small amount of stock in the audition story as a whole. It should be three pages done within a day or two. Writers tend to craft a narrative, then polish and rework it over more than just three pages. An audition script will tell you whether they can follow a coherent script format, develop interesting ideas, and whether their dialogue sounds good. Don’t expect much of a plot or character development in three pages. The writer’s published and polished work is better to look at for that purpose.
Also, look at their background, what they do, and the projects they’ve worked on in the past. Credits are everything to a writer, even if many credits don’t necessarily prove he’s good. It proves he’s at least competent to get and finish jobs.
Art by Niightcafe AI
Meeting the Writer
Start with the money. Don’t dance around it. Negotiate if you want, but get that settled first. Money makes a project serious. Don’t launch into a long dissertation about your idea until the writer is on board. (Even then, it’s best to wait until the contract is signed to give all the details.)
Once the writer is on board with the amount of pay or potential pay, make it clear to the writer what will happen and how you’d like the process to work. He may have his own ideas, and that’s fine. Work it out. Strike a deal, sign a contract.
Outlining What You Expect:
We’ll go through how to do it, but the bare minimum you’ll need from the writer is the script for the comic book (including the length of the final product) and a blurb for the solicitation for that story. If your comic is continuing, you might need a recap of the previous issue. You also should make the writer aware of anything else you need for the book, such as his bio (you’ll probably need for the website), character outlines (which you might also use for a website), and anything else you might foresee in the issue and/or graphic novel.
Keep the door open to basic rewrites (less than 10% of the total script) and modify dialogue balloons based on the artwork. You can have an editor do that, but consulting with the writer is probably better.
Comic Script Format:
It’s crucial that everyone involved with the project use and knows the same comic book script format. You can look online and make your own decision, but personally, I don’t do things the Marvel way. The Marvel way is to outline the book, have the artist draw it, and then write the word balloons based on the visuals. I think it’s more important to have a complete script so the artist knows what the character is saying and the expressions can match. You can modify the dialogue further as the word balloons are being dropped into the artwork.
Full scripts map out each and every panel. Personally, I use a modified version of the screenplay format. Your mileage may vary with others, but the main takeaway is that the writer should decide how many panels go on a page and what’s in each panel.
Photo by Pixabay
The Breakdown:
So for a 22-page comic, you want to have about 5 panels per page. I say about because you also will probably need at least one splash page (the whole page is the panel), two to six pages where you have less than five panels, and perhaps one where you have more. So roughly 100 panels total. Here’s the format I use:
PAGE 1
You want to renumber panels on each new page because the artist will likely print out your script and hold up the individual pages on his board for reference as he draws. He may not draw the pages in order, and you want to facilitate the art process as much as possible.
BIG PANEL 1: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF SKYSCRAPER-DAY
Describe what’s in the panel. You may only have to repeat character designs if they change throughout the story. The action and movement from panel to panel are the most important to the description. A trick I use from the screenplay format is when a character appears for the first time, put his name IN CAPS. You also want an excellent description of the character the first time we see him as well. You can have the writer do this separately so that the artist can start doing test drawings of the characters while the script is being finished.
CHARACTER NAME
Here, I put dialogue just like in a screenplay.
Some formats are like the ones below.
CHARACTER: The character says something. You can add stage direction as you would in a screenplay, but that’s a visual that should probably be in the description. Remember, you won’t have an actor saying the lines; the artist has to do that through expression and, perhaps to some extent, the lettering. Whichever way you choose to write your dialogue, make sure you always keep it that way throughout the script once you start using it. You might put words in bold or in another font to emphasize words.
SOUND EFFECT: Kablammo! (or whatever)
NARRATION
This tells the letterer to put these words in a box
rather than dialogue coming from a character.*
*EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a special description box used to explain something additional in comics. For instance, it might say, “As we learned in Issue #4.”
PANEL 2: INT. OFFICE-DAY
Above, I’m using a screenplay technique that tells the artist the time of day and whether or not it’s inside or outside. More important in a screenplay, but it’s a quick shorthand that works for comics. INT=Interior EXT=Exterior.
PANEL 3: ANGLE ON DANNY AT HIS DESK: CREDITS
Usually, the credits on a comic hit on the first page or the last, along with the story’s title. Sometimes, publishers will save the entire inside cover for the credits, so you won’t need to make room. In this panel, it’s a good visual to have a desk since the lettering can cover the desk and not an essential or complicated piece of artwork.
PAGE 2
SPLASH PAGE!
This is all one big panel, and it should be reserved for a significant moment in the comic.
Photo by Pixabay
A Special Note for Screenwriters:
Screenwriters, if this is your first time tackling a comic book script, understand that you can use the screenplay format. Each panel, however, is like its own scene. So unlike a screenplay, which is primarily dialogue-driven, you must tell the artist what to draw in each panel. It’s much more descriptive-heavy than a screenplay. You also want to avoid too much dialogue in one panel, which takes away from the visuals if the word balloon is too large. It’s much more slow and tedious to write comics than scripts.
A Special Note for Prose Writers:
You have the opposite problem. While you’re used to writing many descriptions, you won’t be used to the format. The format is critical because the artist is literally building the comic based on that. Follow the format. You’re not going for a flow in the script but in the combined dialogue and visuals. You may find this format more jarring than you’re used to writing.
A Special Note for New Writers:
Did you read a bunch of classic comics, as I suggested? Not the crappy ones, but the outstanding ones? Have you read a book like Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud and a book on scripting comics and the comic book medium in general? You should do that before you read my quick and dirty way to jumpstart the process, but okay, let’s do this.
Image by Nightcafe AI
Beyond the Format
Assuming you’re following the format so the artist knows what to draw, there are other things you have to consider when writing your story.
Be aware of the Dialogue: Dialogue takes up space, so the more you have, the less room you have for visuals. You want to minimize the narration and dialogue as much as possible and let the visuals and action be part of the story. If you have a character saying more than three sentences in a row, splitting it over more than one panel is probably a good idea.
Understand the Narration: Don’t describe things in the narration the reader can see. The narration is there to relay information that’s either too complex to draw or to streamline the story to get to the exciting visuals the reader wants to see.
Action Takes Up Space: Action takes up a lot of space in comic books because you need to map out some of the punches and kicks or whatever. A lot of what you want to describe is the setup and then the end result of that action. Even a short struggle can take up two or three pages.
Between the Panels: As Scott McCloud explains in Understanding Comics, the action happens between the panels. When you see a panel of a guy picking up an axe and then a house and a word balloon of someone screaming, the implication is that a murder occurred between those panels. Playing with the time between those panels is crucial to scripting a comic book and keeping on top of the story’s pacing.
Action is Fast, Dialogue is Slow: When you have an action scene, there tends to be little or no dialogue, so readers will zip through those panels. When it gets dialogue-heavy, things slow down. This is going to impact your pacing, so be aware of it.
Sound Effects: Save them for the big moments or to emphasize something. You can overuse these. Depending on the artist, the visuals alone may convey the atmosphere, making sound effects redundant.
Movie Visuals are Similar: Comical scenes are light and airy, so the colors tend to be bright as well. Sinister moments tend to be dark and foreboding, so the visuals will tend to match them. Sometimes it depends upon the style of your artist. Washed-out colors can mean characters are in a world where everything isn’t so black and white (pardon the pun), whereas primary colors or simpler designs in the Simpsons and Mad Magazine means it will be a fun story.
Movement is implied: You can’t show actual movement in a comic, so use the between panels to convey it. It’s like you’re picking out the best frames in a film to convey the story. You may have to add dialogue or narration to sell a complicated sequence.
Sequences can also be implied: Once you understand how to use the suggested action between panels, other shortcuts can be used for different movements. It might be enough to show only two punches in a fight while implying that the battle lasted several minutes.
Double up on movements for everyone: Depending on how good your artist is, the size of the panel, and the number of characters, you will want to double and triple up on movement within panels. For instance, during a fight, a character might be punching while he bumps into a table, knocking over a vase, which he later uses to smash into an opponent’s face. In the same sequence, the villain takes a punch, rallies back, and then takes a vase to the face. If you don’t describe all that, you leave a vacuum that may be filled with the artist’s imagination. That might be better or completely upset the vibe you’re looking for. Redoing panels is a pain and very time-consuming, so make sure you describe everything necessary in a panel.
Using the Three-Act Structure: In screenplays, we use this structure for the movie.
The first act introduces the character and the problem, the second act heightens the situation as things get worse, and the third act is where things reach a climax, and the story resolves itself. In a 22-page story, the first act should be 2-3 pages, the second act should be about 6-7 pages, and the third act should be 11-12 pages.
Why is the third act the largest? Because that’s usually where all the action takes place. If you’re new at this, you may have to go back and cut some stuff out at the beginning or spread out the dialogue. For screenwriters, think of an issue of a comic as an episode of a TV show and a graphic novel (usually 48-64 pages or more) a movie or novel.
Image from Pixabay
The Tone
Much of the story’s tone rests on your artist and your ability to convey that tone to him. Feel free to nudge him in the right direction. I have a space zombie story on The Webcomic Factory, and the artist added these cool sepia tones to make it look like a 70s-era Creepy story. The Pineys has covers in the style of the old pulp magazines and books. Ensure your whole creative team is on board with the tone before you go into production.
Writing Process
As the writer is crafting your script, it’s a good idea to pay him in installments as he completes the task. You might start with a good faith deposit of 10% and then split the payments into thirds or fourths, whatever works for you.
Some writers may balk at this, but tell them it’s best that you monitor the process to make sure he’s not going off in some weird direction. Don’t grill him over the first three pages if it’s close, you’re going to do some editing, and he’ll probably polish it several times before it’s finished. Check-in to ensure he hasn’t gone insane or misinterpreted some of your instructions.
Editing
The editing starts when the first draft is done. Read it thoroughly. Then reread it. Understand something you like will eventually wear off in terms of its novelty, so don’t expect to be blown away every time you read it. If you like it, move forward.
You’ll probably have some minor changes here and there. Go through them with your writer. He may have very specific reasons for doing things his way, and let him state that if it’s the case. Otherwise, he may shrug and say, “That’s fine.” It often depends on whether or not your changes add anything, don’t change anything, or completely fly in the face of the tone, plot, and/or character development.
You should offer to let him make the changes, especially if the changes are a little complicated. Otherwise, make them yourself or let a professional editor handle this phase of the operation. Keep in mind that’s just another expense.
If the script requires a significant change (like a whole additional character or the removal of one), you might have to offer the writer some extra money for his time. It depends on how badly that might impact the script and his writing speed. Hopefully, you can get the script where you want it without too many rewrites. I’d say, if you’re going to redo more than 30%, pony up some extra pay.
Image from Pixabay
If the Script is a Total Bust
Sometimes things go horribly wrong in this process. Perhaps the writer misrepresented his skills to you or himself. Maybe you needed to communicate what you wanted clearly. Perhaps you gave him too many parameters, and/or your idea sucks. Maybe you just hired the wrong guy.
In any case, you have a decision to make. Publishers often insert a “kill fee” into their contracts. If a script goes off the rails halfway through, you might pull the rip chord and give the writer a kill fee. This fee is less than the total amount, assuming he didn’t complete the script. Usually, this is whatever you’ve paid him up until now, possibly slightly more if you feel it’s more your fault than his.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, you might give him another shot at the title. I’ve been stuck in rewriting Hell on more than one occasion, and it is not fun, but in that case, you must pay the full amount. This is especially true if the writer didn’t ask for an additional fee. (Sometimes, writers are very proud and are determined to make their clients happy.)
The last option is you’re going to have to start over with a new writer. These things happen, so there’s no need for drama. Try to keep it professional. Thank the writer for his time. He may even feel bad enough to refund your fee (haha, no). And just because it didn’t work out on this project doesn’t mean he’s a lousy writer or your idea isn’t good. It may just be the stars are not aligning creatively. Part company on friendly terms and move on. Better this than trying to get an artist to fix it for you.
The Story Goes Into Production
Once you’ve finalized the script, it’s time to give it to the artist to get started. If you’re planning a long-term working relationship with a writer, once he has a handle on the character (and the artist does), he’ll feed the artist’s pages through you as he writes them.
As the artist works on the pages, have the writer work on all the extra stuff you might need for the comic. Keep his number handy in case the artist has a question or issue. As an artist lays out a book, he might have to combine a sequence or extend another. If you’re really stuck, you may have some leeway with adding extra pages by putting them on the inside covers or back of the comic.
If the opposite happens and the artist draws one less page (very unlikely), fill the page up with something. Consider adding a pin-up or a splash page for the last panel or the credit page. You might even have the writer write something about the characters, their world, and what they do.
If you are the artist, maintain your contact with the writer. If you are the publisher/editor, make sure you’re in every discussion about the project. This is a typical practice at larger publishers as creatives sometimes go off the reservation and decide together to make a decision on a book they’re working on because they consider it “their” book. At one comic book company, I was forbidden to talk directly to my artist for that very reason.
Photo by Pixabay
Lettering
As a writer/publisher/editor, I’ve found lettering to be a good way to do a final bit of editing on the dialogue. Sometimes, the artist just doesn’t leave enough room, and I’m forced to move word balloons or just cut back on dialogue. Be aware. It can be a chore, but it can also be a refinement of your product. If you’re working with a professional letterer, he’ll have some tricks to work the dialogue into tight panels.
An artist that also does his own lettering is often a Godsend because he is often keenly aware of the dialogue-to-space ratio inside a comic book panel. If you’re lucky enough to find an artist like this, thank your lucky stars.
Conclusion
Like artists, writers provide essential talent in the comic book industry and can bring your comic book to the next level. Not thinking seriously about who is writing your comic is like paying thousands to have your car painted and then going to the cheapest mechanic you can find. While the artist will bring the fans in, writers keep them and get them to ask for more.
Then again, I’m a writer, so I’m kinda biased!
Check out our previous Comic-Con 101, where we looked at comic book publishing.
Mezco is returning to the Marvel comic book universe for the next addition to the One:12 Collective.
Model 8, better known as the Silver Centurion suit, debuted in Iron Man #200. It was sort of a big deal in the mid-1980s for a superhero to undergo a costume redesign. The suit’s first appearance occurred during a storyline that would eventually be used as the climax for the first Iron Man film.
Mezco has retained key features of the armor, including the pointy shoulders, while making the design a little more in tune with the suits we’ve seen in the Iron Man films. Thankfully, Mezco didn’t go too crazy, and the figure is still instantly recognizable as part of the comic series rather than the MCU.
Silver Centurion figure is priced at $125 and should ship between January and March of next year. Tony’s suit has loads of weapons system effects parts and a light-up arc reactor. In addition, the helmet can be removed and replaced with a classic 1980s Tony Stark portrait.
Iron Man’s Silver Centurion suit comes with the following features and accessories:
Two (2) head portraits
Hand-painted authentic detailing
Approximately 17cm tall
Six (6) interchangeable hands, including
One (1) pair of fists (L & R)
One (1) pair of posing hands (L & R)
One (1) pair of blasting/thruster hands (L & R)
Helmet
Armored suit
Light-up arc reactor
One (1) unibeam energy trail FX
One (1) impact FX (attaches to large unibeam FX)
Two (2) unibeam FX
Two (2) energy trail FX
Two (2) pulse blast FX
Two (2) energy blast FX
Two (2) repulsion ray FX
Two (2) rocket thruster FX
One (1) One:12 Collective display base with logo
One (1) One:12 Collective adjustable display post
Mezco’s previous One:12 Collective announcement finally brought the classic pulp magazine hero The Shadow into the mix. Unfortunately, the figure sold out fast. So, you’ll have to get on a waitlist to pick it up.
What do you think of Tony’s Silver Centurion? Let us know in the comments section below.
Richard Dreyfuss understands art. He does not mince words when The Academy tries to use arbitrary morality rules to limit who can win an Oscar, “They make me vomit.”
In PBS’s 5/5/2023 airing of Firing Line, the JAWS actor came out swinging at The Academy Awards’ diversity rules. When host Margaret Hoover asked him about the requirements movies needed to meet in order to win an Oscar, Dreyfuss’s passion mirrors many of us who make art, “This is an art form. It’s also a form of commerce, and it makes money, but it’s an art. No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is.”
As of 2020, according to Forbes, the Academy’s rules for the 2024/2025 Oscars were as follows:
1 lead or significant supporting actors from an under-represented ethnic/racial group
30% of the ensemble are from under-represented groups (women/POC/LGBTQ+/disabled)
Storyline/Theme focuses on the aforementioned underrepresented groups
2+ department heads from under-represented groups with at least one being from an under-represented ethnic group
6+ key roles (outside of dept heads) from under-represented groups
30% of the crew from under-represented groups
A number of ongoing paid apprenticeships for under-represented people
Training opportunities for skills development in the crew for under-represented people.
Multiple in-house senior executives must be from under-represented groups (which must include racial/ethnic groups)
The factors above are subsections of four primary criteria. A Best Picture nominee would need to achieve two of those four to be eligible to win the illustrious golden man.
In the interview, Richard Dreyfuss shares many views on society and politics that I’m afraid I have to disagree with. However, when it comes to objecting to taming art and making it fit arbitrary rules based on people’s immutable qualities, I’ll gladly back agree with him.
If a group of people were to make a brilliant film, why should to skin color, sex, or background of the crew or cast be judged instead of the work itself?
French production company Banijay Kids & Family have recently confirmed that a season seven of Totally Spies! is in works, with the new season having been acquired by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is set to air on Cartoon Network and later on Max in 2024.
The French and Canadian produced animated series aired in the US in November 2001, ending with 6 seasons with 156 episodes. The series was purposely inspired by the anime-style of Japan. It’s about three teenage girls Sam, Alex, and Clover who are also secret agents for the World Organization of Human Protection (WOOHP).
There will be 26 new episodes, each averaging 22 minutes long, as did the original series episodes. In the 7th season, the three girls have moved to a new city and take on a fresh crop of new villains. The series was originally set to air this year but was announced on March 4th, 2023 that it was to be pushed back to 2024, as well as announcing an official webtoon and audiobooks being in the works.
“With strong female leads and an aesthetic that has inspired a generation, Totally Spies! is an iconic show with a hugely passionate global fanbase, eager to join the agents on their latest adventures,” said CEO of Banijay Kids & Family and producer Benoit Di Sabatino. “The new series stays true to all the key elements that make the show so popular, but has been lovingly updated for a new audience, reflecting the modern challenges faced by both high-schoolers and spies alike!”
“We are thrilled to be bringing the much-awaited iconic spy trio Sam, Clover, and Alex to Max and Cartoon Network in EMEA,” added Aurelie Wack, Acquisitions& Co-productions Manager, Warner Bros. Discovery Kids & Family, EMEA. “We cannot wait to welcome Totally Spies!’ passionate fanbase to our platforms and introduce the girls to a brand new audience. With strong female leads and a diverse offering of modern themes, the France-produced hit Totally Spies! broadens our appeal and demonstrates our commitment to European content.”
You can watch all 6 seasons of Totally Spies! on the official Youtube channel, as well as the spinoff series The Amazing Spiez, which you can find through this video uploaded by the official channel of the series here. Each season has it’ own playlist. Here is all the openings of Totally Spies! from seasons 1-6:
It was also announced that a new video will also becoming out in 2024 for consoles and PC, with Banijay partnering up with game developer and publisher Microids. The Totally Spies! Video game will offer players the opportunity to step into the shoes of the three secret agents, Clover, Sam, and Alex. Together they muster and save the world from a new enemy. With thrilling missions and innovative game mechanics.
“We are seeing great momentum building for the Totally Spies! brand ahead of the much-anticipated return of the series next year. Microids’ expertise and passion for the world of video games, make it the perfect partner to recreate the universe for an authentic and captivating game for our fans,” said Annick Bizet, New Business and Strategic Alliances Director at Banijay Kids & Family.
CEO of Micriods Stéphane Longeard added, “Microids is committed to faithfully and innovatively adapting well-known IP and it is a real honour for us to work on the Totally Spies! license. Thanks to the skills of our studios and in-house teams, we will do everything we can to offer the community a game that meets its expectations.”
What do you think of al the new Totally Spies! content coming out next year? Are you looking forward to it? Let us know your thoughts!
The first season of Star Wars: Visions have fans a new look into a galaxy far, far away. Bringing together multiple animation studios to create short stories that highlight the essence of Star Wars and the key elements of its appeal was a genius idea that worked out very well. But does the second run recreate the success of the first season? Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 gives viewers more new stories that reinterpret what Star Wars was and is, but not always in a way that will appeal to everyone. There’s an astounding amount of creativity and beautiful visuals on display here, but some people might not connect with what they’re seeing. That doesn’t outright make the second season of the series bad, but just not everyone’s cup of Star Wars.
There’s a total of nine episodes in Volume 2 for Star Wars: Visions, each done by a different animation studio from around the world in their unique style of storytelling and visual presentation. This time, it’s not solely Japanese animation studios, but it works to the season’s advantage. Even before you get into the quality of the tales being told, the visuals of each short are some of the best the Star Wars franchise has seen.
While none of these stories are canonical to the main story of the Star Wars franchise, each story pulls upon different parts of the ingredients that made other popular Star Wars media connect with fans around the world. From the dynamic use of colors and cinematography to the clever use of music and dialogue spoken by characters we meet in each short, every studio for season 2 has something to show and explore with their love of Star Wars. You can really tell that the people behind these studios have a genuine affinity for a galaxy far, far away.
But while the artistry of each episode in Visions Volume 2 is clear, not every story will connect with viewers for one reason or another. Just like any piece of art or creation won’t generate a response from every person that views it, the same can be said for this new season of Star Wars: Visions. Episodes like Sith, In the Stars, and Journey to the Dark Head will have the action and emotion that some fans will love about Star Wars in various ways, while other episodes they probably won’t care too much for. The shorts for Screecher’s Reach, I Am Your Mother, and The Bandits of Golak play with and switch up ideas about the Jedi and Sith, along with how The Force is viewed by different people. But these episodes won’t have the same kind of pacing or excitement that some are accustomed to seeing in a Star Wars story.
This doesn’t make the stories bad, but you’ll have to put aside any preconceived notions about Star Wars and instead let yourself be immersed in the story the shorts present. It’s their unique take on what Star Wars is or can be. That isn’t always easy because how some of these stories may feel boring to watch at various points, but sticking with them to the ending will help you understand the vision each studio was aiming for. Sometimes it’s successful, other times it isn’t.
The best visuals of Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 are definitely from the shorts titled Sith, Journey to the Dark Head, and Aau’s Song. These three shorts not only have unique art styles from one but also put on display some truly gorgeous imagery that can stand as paintings or murals for any Star Wars fan. Sith is the story about a woman who faces the dark side inside herself and a Sith Lord, Journey to the Dark Head follows a young woman trying to help the Jedi in their battle against the Sith, and Aau’s Song focuses on a young girl’s connection to Kyber Crystals.
Whether the plot of each short is enjoyable to watch or not will be different for everyone, and yet each one is by far the best-looking of the bunch in Volume 2. Whether it’s presenting the force through the lens of painting on a canvas, seeing the galaxy through a plush-looking lens, or basking in the majesty of anime action; these look very good. More than likely, you won’t see the look of these characters or their part of the galaxy going away any time soon because of cosplay or fan appreciation.
Unfortunately, the weakest short in this volume of Star Wars: Visions is the one titled The Pit. The story follows a young man that is a prisoner of the Empire, who tries to help his people escape by trying to get help from nearby Imperial citizens. It’s an interesting take on a perspective from the common person under the rule of the Empire, but it doesn’t have the same momentum or visual finesse as the other shorts. Its conclusion hints at something related to the Jedi and how their world will change, but the lead-up to it might not be as good to follow.
Some people may feel that shorts like I Am Your Mother or Screecher’s Reach will be not as good, but those shorts at least have better action and a visual presentation that people will connect with. In addition, those two shorts have parts of Star Wars that are not as often explored in some of the canon movies and series, which will appeal to fans more.
While it’s not as good as the first season, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 still has some good things going for it. You’ll need to put aside some of what you know about Star Wars to fully accept what each of the shorts is getting into, especially when it’s so different from what we’re accustomed to seeing from a galaxy far, far away. Not every story in here will be a hit, at least not as much as the first season was able to land. But the artistry you see and the emphasis on great-looking visuals are still just as strong as it was before. Because the shorts don’t take a lot of time to watch, you can run through each episode in one sitting. More importantly, however, even with the shorts you might not like as much, none of it feels like a waste of time.
Are you a big fan of Star Wars: Visions and curious about Volume 2? What is your favorite short from the first season of the series? Tell us about it in the comments down below!
‘Shy’ is an action superhero manga written and illustrated by Bukimi Miki. It has been published since 2019 by the Japanese publisher Akita Shoten who serialized it in their ‘Weekly Shōnen Champion’ and licensed it to Yen Press for publication in the United States. Its popularity has led to an announcement of an anime adaptation.
“Superheroes aren’t just popular in Hollywood, as the anime industry also has its fair share of hero-focused shows. Soon, another one will join the fray as the superhero anime, SHY, will be released sometime this year,” Epic Stream reports. “Later this year, the manga’s anime adaptation will be released, and it might just be a must-watch for fans of shows like My Hero Academia.”
The Tokyo-based animation studio Eight Bit is producing the film and has tapped Masaomi Andō (Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle) as director. There have not been more updates since the announcement back in October 2022, but one cast member has been confirmed.
Actress and singer Shino Shimoji (Farming Life in Another World, Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal) will take on the role of Shy and her secret identity Teru Momijiyama.
You can watch the trailer for SHY below:
Wikipedia describes the synopsis as follows,
“The story follows Teru Momijiyama as the Japanese hero Shy as she fights alongside the heroes of the earth to ward off evil and keep world peace, all while learning to control her severe shyness and to deal with the fears and uncertainties that come with being a hero. She is accompanied by fellow hero colleagues: Stardust, Century, Lady Black, Mian Long, and her closest friend and mentor, Spirit.”
Shy had her superhero debut in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Champion in 2017 as a one-shot. Miki had previously entered the story Akita Shoten’s Next Champion contest in 2016 where it won the Newcomer’s Grand Prize.
Everything felt like it was coming to an end for the infamous Guardians of the Galaxy after many years of being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At least that’s how it felt in the marketing and various trailers for the latest outing of the galactic heroes. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the third entry of the saga following this team, but it doesn’t end up being dramatic for this lineup of heroes. There’s a lot of fun action, funny moments, and dark turns for each member of the group, but the movie winds up being a mellow parting of ways, rather than an eventful change for the Guardians we’ve come to know all these years. Luckily, the soundtrack is still top-notch and the vibes along the way are as great as ever.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 begins with the team out in space on the dead celestial planet Knowhere, as they help fix things up for everyone and establish their HQ. But a random attack from the powerful Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter) thrusts the team into conflict with a new foe called the High Evolutionary. Rocket is injured in the fight and the Guardians need to get a piece of data to help save their friend’s life, which puts them in direct conflict with the High Evolutionary and his deranged plans. Meanwhile, Rocket has a near-death experience that takes him back to his origins and his direct connection to the High Evolutionary, leading to a struggle against time that could lead to the death of a beloved friend.
While the stakes for the Guardians of the Galaxy are high in this third film, the way everything concludes feels like a subversion of expectations and a near lack of consequences. Many times in the film the story takes a turn that appears to be dire for different heroes, only for things to turn out just fine. Though it’s refreshing to see a much happier ending after a lot of conflicts, things are only somewhat bittersweet and steer away from really impacting the team in significant ways. When the action finally subsides, everyone is still able to walk away in some fashion and come back together with the rest of the group. For some, this will be good, while others will definitely feel the unwillingness to push boundaries in the same way the trailers said the movie would.
Despite that, everyone on the team gets moments to shine. Even characters like Groot who take a backseat to others still get a big action moment that lets them play a big role in everything going on with the story. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Pom Klementieff, Dave Batista, and Karen Gillan all return as their characters from previous films. Each of them is on their A-game in delivery and presence as the titular heroes, despite some of the plot being of less quality than the previous Guardians film. Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord has a great range of emotions and baggage to get into with everything that has happened for him from the previous Marvel films up to now, with some fallout from the last big Avengers movie being a big sticking point. Nebula, Mantis, and Drax all get more time to flex their muscles with scenes that showcase why people love them, with some great action sequences that do them justice in multiple ways.
From that group, Gamora is the only character that feels underserviced here, despite being given many scenes to interact with multiple characters. This version of Gamora isn’t the same we’ve come to know from the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy films, but instead the one we’ve met at the end of Avengers: End Game. So the romance that was built up between Star-Lord and Gamora is non-existent to her, leading to some awkward moments and funny exchanges. But as good as those moments are, we feel disconnected from Gamora in a pretty significant way, since it’s not the same person that we went on adventures with before.
At the same time, the movie doesn’t fully give time or a payoff to rebuilding this relationship between the two, only hinting at it becoming a thing once again by then end. For something that was such a big part of Star-Lord’s character and the dynamic of the Guardians of the Galaxy for more than two films, it’s a shame to see it come to this kind of conclusion that feels underwhelming. And with this possibly being the last film we get to see these two together, it would’ve been nice to see things unfold differently.
On the other side of this is the shallow inclusion of Adam Warlock. His appearance is a payoff from the ending of a previous Guardians film end credit scene, but what we get feels incredibly out of place and underwhelming. The buildup for the character finally showing up was done fairly well, especially since his race of people is connected to the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the man himself feels out of place. Will Poulter does his best to make the character interesting, but there’s not enough time to devote to really fleshing out his significance, at least not, in the same way, fans may have hoped his inevitable appearance would do so. Adam Warlock’s mother Ayesha, the leader of the Sovereign from the second film, makes an appearance working for the High Evolutionary. Their dynamic seems to be interesting at first but is cut short when some major things happen in the story. It’s nice to see her return one more time but it’s a shame she wasn’t more significant to the main plot or helping build up Adam Warlock more.But the bulk of the film focuses on Rocket Raccoon and his origins that are connected to the High Evolutionary. Rocket’s story is interesting and heartbreaking in multiple ways, putting on display why Rocket’s attitude was always harder and sharper towards those around him. But as good as ll of that is, the High Evolutionary ends up being a somewhat forgettable villain. Chukwudi Iwuji plays the character with a sense of sophistication and a god complex and comes off as incredibly evil once you see his attitude towards life and the communities he creates with his work in genetic manipulation.
But this villain ultimately turns into a screaming narcissist that gets moments that don’t always feel earned. He’s responsible for a lot of the pain Rocket has experienced throughout his life, including hurting him in ways that many thoughts were not possible, and yet doesn’t have the same presence as some of the MCU’s bigger villains. Chukwudi Iwuji does a good job with becoming the character, but the material he’s given just isn’t up to the task of making the High Evolutionary feel memorable or as big of a threat as we’ve seen up to this point.
The action in Guardians of the Galaxy movies is always fun and matched up to a great soundtrack. Luckily, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows suit with a new selection of music to pair up with the film’s bigger moments and make our heroes look good. The best action sequences are the ones where each member gets to show off their abilities and work together with other Guardians, which is done very well near the end of the film. But even in the mellow moments with each Guardian doing random tasks, the music that plays gives a vibe of listening to a good playlist or CD straight through.
Not every piece of music will hit well with everyone, but they match up very well to different points of the story as we see the group go through various things together. When the film comes to its end and we see where the group stands now, there’s a very nice callback to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which makes things come around full circle musically.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is not the best movie about the intergalactic team of heroes, but it’s a good film that will work for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy. It doesn’t feel connected to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any big way, outside of a few references from previous movies. That will definitely be disappointing to fans of the MCU, especially since the movie tries to present itself as an ending of sorts for this team. But if you just go along for the ride, you’ll be able to enjoy this last ride with this team for the Guardians of the Galaxy. It may not be as dramatic of an ending as we hoped, but not everything needs to end in a grim way to be good, sometimes things just come to an end in a more chill way. Whether that makes it a great conclusion or not will be different for everyone.
Are you going to be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 any time soon? Who is your favorite character from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and why? Post a comment down below and let us know!
‘Iria: Zeiram the Animation’ is a 1994 six-part sci-fi action anime from the Japanese animation studio Ashi Productions. Directed by Tetsurō Amino, the show has become a cult classic among fans and now they can enjoy it on Blu-ray.
Discotek Media announced that they would be giving the series a new home video release as the “Master Collection” which includes the entire series in the original Japanese and the English dub. Several special features will include interviews with creator Keita Amemiya and character designer Masakazu Katsura.
The planned release date is July 25th, 2023, but it is available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime website.
You can take a peek at the box set below:
Wikipedia describes the synopsis as follows,
“The story begins with Iria as an apprentice to her older brother, Gren, a veteran bounty hunter, and his partner Bob, who works for Ghomvak Security along with a somewhat loutish hunter named Fujikuro. During a rescue mission to a hijacked spaceship called the Karma, they discover that the hijacker is actually a seemingly indestructible alien called Zeiram that broke out of the cargo hold during transit and began to massacre the crew. Bob is critically wounded by Zeiram while evacuating the survivors, and Gren is lost while attempting to kill Zeiram by destroying the Karma. Returning to Myce, Iria finds herself targeted by assassins working for Tedan Tippedai, the corporation that owned the Karma, and discovers a covered-up plot to control Zeiram in order to use it as a weapon. Iria escapes with the help of Fujikuro and reunites with Bob, who never recovered from his injuries but had his mind downloaded into a computer program. Together they continue to investigate rumors that Zeiram has appeared on Myce, and try to find out what happened to Gren, who also seems to have survived the Karma’s destruction….”
A video game sequel followed the animated series. The 1995 ‘Hyper Iria,’ the action game was developed by TamTam and released for the Super Nintendo.
The anime serves as a prequel to the 1991 live action film ‘Zeiram’ by director Keita Amemiya.
The Ultimate Universe was a 2002 Marvel Comics campaign that retooled and rebranded many of the Avengers, X-Men, and others in a new dimension. Spearheaded by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, the universe would be a casualty in the 2015 Secret Wars event.
Marvel announced that a character from the Ultimate Universe will return for the four-part miniseries and cause havoc with Earth-616, which hosts the main universe.
“Next month, readers will witness a transformation of Marvel characters and storytelling that could only come from two of the industry’s greatest visionaries, writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch, in ULTIMATE INVASION #1,” Marvel said on their website. “The start of a redefining four-issue saga, ULTIMATE INVASION #1 will see the heroes of the Marvel Universe clash with one of the few survivors of the Ultimate Universe (which met its doom in 2015’s SECRET WARS), a confrontation that ends with the promise of something all-new and vastly different than anything that’s come before.”
The Ultimate Universe was the basis for the 2006 films ‘Ultimate Avengers’ and ‘Ultimate Avengers 2.’
“Fans can get their first look into this revolutionary new project this Saturday in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1. With a print run of nearly 500,000 copies, this issue will showcase a dramatic scene from ULTIMATE INVASION #1 where the Maker presents Miles Morales with an offer he may not be able to refuse, while the reunited Illuminati desperately tries to shut down the Maker’s attempt to reshape the Marvel Universe,” Marvel continued.
The comics focused on more “mature” origins for the characters but sometimes retconned themselves. For example, there were two origins for Tony Stark. The first was explored in ‘Ultimate Iron Man’ by sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card, who portrayed Stark as having a rare skin disease. This would be retconned into Stark having a similar origin to his mainstream counterpart, though with a brain tumor instead of an injured heart.
