Earlier this morning I wrote about Brian Reed playfully tweeting, "Face it, Tigger, you hit the jackpot!" in regards to Disney's acquisition of Marvel. It's a great comment that combines Peter Parker's (Spider-Man) first meeting with Mary Jane Watson with Winnie the Pooh. IPH has brought Reed's comment to life in an awesome illustration. Check it out!
Leave a Comment
Disney buying Marvel is one of the most enormous deals in nerd history. It's just huge! With repercussions in games, movies, television, cartoons, comics, cereal, Underoos , and more, this deal touches practically every facet of geek culture. If it's huge for people like you and me, can you imagine what's going through the minds of Marvel creators? Here are some choice Twitter posts from some of Marvel's merriest:
Joe Quesada (Marvel EIC): G' morning, Marvel U! Welcome to this moment in history. Everyone relax, this is incredible news and all is well in the Marvel U.
Joe Quesada: Everybody take a deep breath, all your favorite comics remain unchanged and Tom Brevoort remains grouchy.
Frank Tieri: (Punisher Noir, Wolverine): Yeah, Disney's gonna love me.
Warren Ellis: (Thunderbolts, G.I. Joe: Resolute): Why is everyone at Marvel making quacking noises today? It's horrible.
Warren Ellis: so I got this phone call from Joe Quesada and it was just the sound of him rubbing himself with money and now I am confused
Brian Reed: (New Avenger: Illuminati, Mercenaries 2): "Face it, Tigger, you hit the jackpot!" #disneybuysmarvel
Brian Reed: All joking aside, the whole Disney/Marvel thing is pretty crazy exciting.
Like I said before, the deal is enormous. I can't wait to find out what other comic-book writers and artists are thinking. Check back for another update later today! And also, excelsior!!! And also (also), Disney should let Wolverine and Quasar appear in Kingdom Hearts 3!
Production Manager Scott Klauder of Sideshow Collectibles gives G4tv a tour of their massive Comic-Con booth. You’ll see figures, masks, weapons and props from movies such as Iron Man, Alien vs. Predator, Lord of the Rings, Hell Boy, Star Wars and much more.
Plus, dig this sneak peek at a character and collectible from James Cameron’s upcoming, much hyped film Avatar. Pretty darn cool…
I guess you could say that it was a decent weekend for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Overcoming loads of skepticism and mixed early reviews (the film was not officially screened to critics), the film pulled in a cool $56.2 million this weekend.
Was this hugely unexpected? Nope. While people generally got the idea about what kind of film they were facing with its Super Bowl trailer over 6 months ago, it still contained the right ingredients from the Hollywood formula for a fun, mindless summer box-office hit. Indeed, that is exactly what we got. Is that a bad thing? Nope.
Should we dare to isolate what drew people to G.I. Joe, we could list factors such as nostalgia, style, and lack of real competition. (Unless you knew someone obsessed with TV cooking pioneers who was desperate to see Julie & Julia.) However, it seems that the film may have also been successful, if anything, in turning a new generation of children on to the G.I. Joe. franchise. While I'm not sure if that claim is substantively true, I remember that as I walked in a toy aisle the other day, passing the 4 inch scale G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra figures (at $7.99 a piece! WTF is that about?), the aisle was already occupied with by a young boy and his Dad. What were they looking for? G.I. Joe's!
This got me thinking: Did the kid remember that Cobra Commander first appeared in 1982 as a free mail-away offer with five "Flag Points?" Did he remember Zartan used to change colors in the sun and was originally released in 1984 in a vehicle set with the "Chameleon Swamp Skier?" Surely he would have some kind of memory of being jealous of that one lucky a**hole friend whose parents got him the gigantic U.S.S. Flagg playset in 1985 only to get the Cobra Terror Drome next year? Of course not! And I'm sure back in the those days, someone being nostalgic about the original incarnation of Joe's in the 60's would be in disbelief that someone of my generation would have no memory of the rough, black-bearded original figure and his "kung-fu grip." (It may be a generational thing, but IMO, those were glorified Ken dolls in Army gear. Sorry, just calling it as I see it.)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra director, Stephen Sommers has posted some concept art on his blog that might be of interest to fans. We are at a point where the film is set to open in just three short days, some critics have already seen it (giving it surprisingly favorable reviews), and we should be past speculation about the look of certain characters. Yet, yesterday, we have just gotten our first official look at key character, Destro. Sure, the character (played by former Dr. Who, Christopher Eccleston) has been all over the place, shown maskless while wearing nice suits in just about every trailer we have seen for many months. However, what has been kept under wraps, was images of what Eccleston would look like in the signature metal mask that makes arms dealer, James McCullen into the sinister "Destro."
Destro was originally introduced in the 1983 wave of the "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" line of toys. As a figure on the toy pegs, he stood out from the crowd with a shiny, artistic, almost alien-like, chrome metal dome (well, it wasn't really chrome) in which you could actually view your reflection. The reinvention of the character for the upcoming film seems to depict something similar, as the mask contains well-crafted (albeit menacing) facial features that conform to even the grooves in the ears. This is actually contradictory to the red herring that was the current Rise of Cobra Destro action figure, which seemed to give us the impression that Destro's mask would be more of a "Man in the Iron Mask" design of a worn (and presumably centuries-old) iron mask that has been passed down from generations of Destro's family. (Which, as far as we know, is still the canonical story behind the mask.)
A little more info than you wanted to know about Destro's mask? Too bad! You've already read it.
Recent comic book videogame offerings, while awesome, aren't exactly the kid-friendliest.
Leave it to THQ to fullfill the need of providing a new generation the "Saturday Morning" introduction to our beloved heroes. The Marvel Super Hero Squad phenomenon, if you're not aware, started with a toy line (they all look like marshmellows!) turned into a TV series and has now come to consoles in the form of Marvel Super Hero Squad. Nerd parents everywhere looking to pass the torch in a completely G-rated way, here's a look from the gameplay trailer released from Comic-Con.
One the hottest selling items of Comic-Con '09 was "The Dark Defender" Dexter action figure from figure designer Bif Bang Pow! Did you grab a look and/or actual figure or bobblehead of the upcoming new season yet?
If not, here's Bif Bang Pow!'s CEO Jason Lenzi with what you missed from Showtime's hit show Dexter at the Con.
Comic-Con is fully on here at the G4 offices, and while we have a monster team tearing through the San Diego Convention Center and milking every ounce of coverage from the show, it’s a different kind of crazy back here. It’s mainly a ghost town since a good chunk of the team is away. Need a stapler? (I always wanted a red stapler.) Want that awesome Kubrick that’s in the cubical a few down from yours? (Totally mine now.) Been eyeing up a co-workers mouse? (It’s gone.) Don’t feel like walking all the way down the hall to go to the bathroom? (Thanks Sterling!) Being on the home team sometimes has its advantages.
But in all seriousness, while there’s a lot going down at Comic-Con in coverage gathering, it takes quite a bit behind the scenes to make sure the content coming from the show gets up on the site, or in one of our shows. And to be honest, for 95% of the major events that have happened in my last 14 years covering video games I’ve personally been on the road team at a show, so I’ve never seen what actually happens back on a home team. And it’s f$%&ing crazy.
Could something that looks so uninspired and over-the-top actually be GOOD? Possibly.
In case you have been living under a rock since at least its hugely-hyped Superbowl trailer earlier this year, you are probably well aware that there is a live-action adaptation of G.I. Joe set to bow pretty soon called G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The film, which is set to kick off the last push of the summer movie season on August 7, appears to look like it was born of an unholy alchemy of John Woo films and Van Damme's craptacular Street Fighter. While there are surely legions of cynics who are anxious to stamp the film with a giant "FAIL," it just may have fooled us all.
Ain't It Cool News guru, Harry Knowles was able to catch an early screening, and he actually seemed to like what he saw.
On Seriousness:
"I was expecting this movie to be far more jokey, tons of cheese and really serious eye-rolling while groaning. Instead, what I got was a fairly straight adaptation of the script, which I always thought would work as a serviceable all-ages GI JOE movie. Although, this is a bit more violent than I was expecting. Blades can cut, death does happen in this universe, but it isn’t anything out of whack with the rating. I don’t believe there’s any foul language – and all flirtation is kept in very good tastes (ahem, BAY!)"
I wasn't expecting the film to be a couple jokes a minute, but this is actually big surprise. While those of us outside of the circles are not familiar with the script, it seems that it could have easily fell victim to cornball, tongue-in-cheek performances and direction. Apparently, it has not.
On The Much-Maligned "Accelerator Suits":
For those of you who were stuck at fourth of July cookouts and drunken get-togethers, some 44,000 anime fans, including G4’s own Courtney Kraft, descended on the Los Angeles Convention Center to partake in the 2009 Anime Expo.
So if you were unable to attend this year’s event, and you want to find out everything you could ever want to know about it, including valuable cosplay tips, what moment had thousands of girls screaming with joy, and what major figures in the anime world were on hand, then be sure to read Courtney’s feature piece about her experience. (If you want to dress up as your favorite anime character while you read the article, no one will hold it against you.)
Also, if a bunch of amusing, descriptive and informative words isn’t your thing, be sure to check out our picture gallery of the event.
Enjoy!
It is being reported that Dreamworks is developing a feature film centered on the classic toy, the View-Master. Yes, the item that has been marketed to children for generations, that resembled a pair of red binoculars with the orange switch on the side, which allowed kids to view a series of images in the form of disc-shaped slide photos -- THAT View-Master.
Writer/Producer, Brad Caleb Kane (Fringe) has been brought in by the studio to pen the script for the project. Kane recently Tweeted some details on the project (the post would later be deleted), implying that the project would "resemble 1980s Amblin movies such as The Goonies and Young Sherlock."
We've been hearing about some crazy, surreal movie projects in the last year or so, whether it be Ridley Scott's supposed adaptation of the board game, Monopoly, the rumored Ouija Board project, or even the proposed film about bubble-gum comic strip character, Bazooka Joe. At some point, the whole "WTF?" factor of Hollywood's oddball projects has to start wearing thin on an incredulous public. It could be viewed as Hollywood running on dry fumes in the creative ideas department, OR you could approach it optimistically, in that they are at least trying to veer in a different direction from the conventional (albeit with films that sound like glorified 90 minute commercials for products that have been in existence for over 50 years.)
It seems that the long-rumored live-action Masters of the Universe project is moving forward. Now referred to simply as Grayskull, Warner Bros. has cleared the air a bit on exactly what they are cooking up. While not much is known about writer/director Evan Daugherty, other than a thin-resume, Warner has brought him on board to pen the screenplay after making the right connections in a low-profile screenwriting contest. With John Stevenson (Kung-Fu Panda) on board to direct, it will be interesting to see what this (seemingly unlikely) creative team has in store for He-Man and the gang.
Masters of the Universe, is (of course) a hugely popular toy and cartoon franchise from the 1980's. Starting with a basic toy line in 1982, the story followed He-Man, a "Conan-like" warrior on an alien planet called Eternia, that is mixed with sorcery and technology. It soon evolved into a cartoon series in which He-Man was the alter-ego of a "Clark Kent-like" young Prince named Adam. Imbued with the magic of the mystical Castle Grayskull, whenever trouble was afoot, Adam would simply raise his famous power sword and utter words that were ubiquitous during the 80's: "By the power of Grayskull!--I have the power!" After which, he would turn into the mega-powerful He-Man and pretty much destroy anything or anyone in his path. His trusty steed Battle Cat, and pals such as weapons expert Man-At-Arms, would-be romantic interest Teela, miniature floating wizard Orko, and a plethora of others, will likely be on board to help him dominate the evil forces of the villainous Skeletor with extreme prejudice.
The Hollywood Reporter provided a brief description of the adaptation:
"Warners sees the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic."
The summer movie season is quickly approaching! There's no better indication of this than to witness the pure power and ubiquity of merchandising! This weekend, toys from upcoming early summer blockbusters Star Trek and Terminator Salvation have hit toy aisles hard. Always being a sucker for action figures, (as does any REAL man), I felt a sense of "journalistic duty" (odd, since I don't consider myself a journalist) to at least pick one up and offer my thoughts to fellow movie fans/geeks. While both films have lines of larger, 6" figures, I will be covering a figure from the 3 3/4" line.
Call him "Spocklar" or "Sylock," today, we cover the action figure rendition of Zachary Quinto's depiction of the iconic Spock. Although, this could probably be perceived as a review of the line in its entirety. (So Spock better represent!)
I'm not sure if this was the result of gross incompetence or just someone's idea of a cruel joke. What appears to be some kind of Wolverine pool toy has turned into an opportunity to get to know X-Man, Wolverine's "Origin" all too well.
Let's see if we can help them out with some sales slogans:
...Oh, you get the idea.
While "The Times They are a Changin'" may have been the song that sums up the hippie generation, the song that sums up the 80s generation is certainly "The Touch" from Stan Bush. If you're in the right age window, you remember exactly where you were* when Optimus Prime fought his final battle with the Decepticons in Transformers: The Movie, that animated robot classic from the 1980s.
Well guess what, nostalgia hounds, "The Touch," that soaring heroic, cheese metal ballad that accompanies Optimus' last battle, will be available at some point on Guitar Hero and it's going to be free!
From an email sent from Bush himself to Transformers' fan site seibertron.com:
"I've been holding off announcing this, but "The Touch" is going to be in Guitar Hero! Activision will be releasing it as a free download. I'll contact Activision this week to find out the release date and let you know."
Soon, you too, will be wailing: "You got the touch... you got the poweeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrr... yeah!"
ADVERTISEMENT
949,171 Views | 01:38 | 21 Comments
26,001 Views | 02:12
10,144 Views | 07:06
4,432 Views | 08:35
2,661 Views | 04:02
Stay connected to The Feed 24/7. Follow us on Twitter and never miss another story.
Start Following
