Action Packed And Wacky – Review Of The Fearless Defenders #1

The Fearless Defenders, written by Cullen Bunn with art by Will Sliney, wants to pack a lot of cinematic punch into its 23 pages. Fast moving, the action takes the reader quickly through character establishing scenes on the cliffs of Asgard, a smuggling vessel in the North Atlantic, and an archeological dig set in the middle of a national forest, barely pausing for breath along the way. The protagonists are introduced in large point font with witty subtitling in a style reminiscent of a 70s action flick. They battle air pirates, zombie vikings and their own feelings for one another, tossing off witty lines with an ample amount of ass kicking.

So, this should be a slam dunk, right?

Beware the siren song of judgement and spoilers, after the jump!

How About A Little DC For VD?

Over at The Mary Sue they’ve posted a gallery of DC New 52 themed Valentine’s Day Cards so you can wear your geek on your sleeve as you profess your love to that special girl or guy that you may or may not be stalking. For example:

“I get a side-kick out of you”? Really? We here at the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office think these can be improved so that you can say what you really feel.

New and improved and totally within Fair Use boundaries, after the jump.

The Cycle Of Abuse – Review Of Hit-Girl #5

[Ed. note – Attention any vigilantes whose crime fetish is knocking out rampant spoiler bombs: I have a taser, a panic room, and a crate of whiskey. Do your worst.]
I have to admit that, although I was a big fan of Mark Millar’s Wanted, when the original Kick-Ass dropped back dropped back in 2008, I didn’t scramble to read it. In fact, it took renting the movie version, or possibly stumbling across it on cable, I don’t know – I drink, what can I say, and Chloë Moretz’s star turn as Hit-Girl, to really draw me in. Sure, the put upon nerd who turns vigilante thing had been done to death, but the little girl who just wanted to please her dad to the point of psychosis? That was new. That wasn’t a sulky teenager with a vainglorious mom like Silk Spectre, involved in the family business because it was expected. This was a young child who’d developed an amazing – and terrifying – skill set. Hit-Girl worshiped her father and he seemed to love the hell out of her right back, with both parties oblivious – in this story about serving justice to criminals – that dad was a perpetrator of systematic, pervasive child abuse.

Don’t believe me? Read Hit-Girl #5.

We Have A Lot To Talk About – New Walking Dead Trailer

I can barely contain my excitement: this new promo for The Walking Dead television show has Rick and The Governor finally squaring off. As The Governor puts it to Rick, “We have a lot to talk about.”

I am now at the point where I am looking forward more to February 3rd because it’ll mean it’s a week before The Walking Dead returns and not because it’s the Superbowl. Not that I really watch that for anything other than the commercials these days anyway. Stupid, suck ass Tom Brady. Anywho, speaking of commercials, here’s the trailer:

The Walking Dead return to television on AMC, February 10.

Via AMCTV.com

Get Well, Stan – Stan Lee Will Miss Amazing Arizona Comic Con Due To Illness

The Amazing Arizona Comic Convention has sadly announced the following:

We here at Amazing Arizona Comic Con regret to announce that we have been informed by Mr. Stan Lee’s representatives that he is physically unable to travel and appear for this weekend’s events due to illness. Fortunately, we have a full weekend of great programming, over hundred of comic creators coming to the convention, and nearly 300 exhibitors on the main floor. Further headline guest Jim Lee, the Best Selling comic artist of all time, will be on hand at the event to meet with attendees, sign FREE autographs, and share in the spirit of comics and pop culture. Amazing Arizona Comic Con apologizes for the inconvenience and wishes Mr. Stan Lee a speedy recovery.

For those attendees who purchased Stan Lee Photo Ops or Stan Lee Packages, you may contact INFO@AmazingArizonaComicCon.com to inquire about refund eligibility. Please contact us no later than Friday, January 25, 2013 for more information. Amazing Arizona Comic Con reserves the right to process and issue refunds for eligible and qualified attendees, which will be dispersed from February 18 through 28.

Oh no! Stan!

Stan, get lots of bed rest and clear liquids! We here at the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office also wish you a speedy recovery. We are confident that your mutant power is immortality and that you will be up and around the convention circuit in no time. If all else fails, we hear that gamma radiation is good for toughening a guy up. Get well soon, sir.

Via Bleeding Cool.

Couldn’t Make It To Sundance? That’s Ok, Sundance Brings Some Of The Festival Home To You

The 2013 Sundance Film Festival began last Thursday out in Park City, Utah. It has been notable so far for the critical buzz that has been generated around director John Krokidas’s Kill Your Darlings, in which Harry Potter‘s Daniel Radcliffe takes on the role of a young, love struck Allen Ginsberg, who is in love with classmate Lucien Carr, played by Dane DeHaan. We also got potential spoiler news on the next Amazing Spider-Man movie when Krokidas introduced DeHaan from his cast to the screening audience as “the Green Goblin” and DeHaan, who is definitely set to play Harry Osborn, didn’t deny it.

Also, for those of us who couldn’t get out to Utah for the festival, the folks at Sundance have posted their short film program to a YouTube channel. The films range from a PSA spoof on the dangers of catnip for your cat to end of the world/apocalypse/zombie scenarios to a Greek tragedy enacted by Belgian roosters. Yes. I typed that correctly. You have to watch it to believe it.

Check out some of the featured short films after the jump.

Brain Bleach – Gary Busey Says “Pray For The Best. Prepare For The Worst. Here Come The Hobbits.”

Gary Busey has put the word out: he is interested in anyone who may have “had past life regressions and been a hobbit in a past life” to let him know, because he would like to discuss Hobbitism ^TM with you. He is under the impression that the males and females can’t tell each other apart…until they get a chance to hook up and do a package check, “which must make it exciting for them!”. Also, hobbits really enjoy using dead cockroaches for all game playing, jewelry, and hair accessory needs. I had no idea.

Check out Gary’s other deep, hobbit-y musings, after the jump.

Boot To The Head – Will You Be Watching “King Of The Nerds”?

While cruising the internet this afternoon I was reminded by the fine folks over at Comics Alliance that a new program called King Of The Nerds will be debuting next week. Other than giving Booger continued employment opportunities, the premise appears to be sticking a handful of self proclaimed nerds in a house together and then force them various nerd themed challenges for the pleasure of reality TV viewers. Contestants seem to run the gamut of nerd types, from the bookish accountant type to the full on elf ear wearing, orc-ish speaking sorts.

I’m not sure there’s enough whiskey in the world to get me to watch this program, but check out the trailer for yourself after the jump.

Winning Friends And Influencing People – “Superior Spider-Man” Fired…Don’t Get Excited Yet.

Marvel is throwing another comic book teaser our way, this one somewhat less mysterious than yesterday’s XX promo, but still ambiguous enough to make us wonder…

…how can “that old Parker luck” (as Comic Book Resources called it) run out so fast when Peter Parker isn’t even driving the bus anymore? I mean, look at those faces teased up on that image: OctoSpidey seems to have pissed off the whole of The Avengers and gotten himself fired. That’s fast work, faster than my Uncle Louie can get himself drunk, disorderly and tasered at GED Prom Night Zumba at the Learning Annex.

In any event, the “Fired” teaser also points to a new arc that will see Ryan Stegman departure. Humberto Ramos will be joining writer Dan Slott, as penciler. Fans of big-eyed, lanky looking manga type characters, rejoice.

Superior Spider-Man drops at your LCS this Wednesday, January 9. Slott and Ramos’s new arc begins in April 2013.

One Person Really Can Make A Difference – Every Stan Lee Marvel Movie Appearance. Ever.

We noted with enthusiasm the observance of Stan Lee’s birthday shortly before the start of the new year. In honor of this momentous occasion, the folks over at I Heart Chaos found a video by YouTube user rogerio16juni1998 that is a montage of all Stan’s appearances in Marvel movies since 1989’s The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. My favorite moment in the video is probably at 2:39, where Stan arrives as himself at the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm…and finds he’s not on the guest list.

Here’s to more Stan Lee cameos this year in Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, as well as next year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Excelsior!