New From The Creator Of Cowboy Bebop: Space Dandy!

They call him Dandy, Space Dandy. He captures aliens for money, is obsessed with boobies, and hangs out with a talking cat. He is also the latest project from Shinichiro Watanabe, creator of Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, and The Animatrix. Space Dandy has the potential to be really awesome…or really goofy. I liked Cowboy Bebop specifically because it tended toward the dark and away from the goofy. Guess we’ll have to see.

Space Dandy debuts tonight on Adult Swim at 11:30pm. Set your DVRs accordingly.

Via io9.

Hey, True Believers – Stan The Man Introduces New Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer

Happy New Year, everyone! While I am still in the midst of composing my list of favorite, and least favorite, comics for 2013, I wanted to share with you the brand new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that was released last night while the rest of us were getting shitfaced celebrating. In this one, Stan Lee, possibly fresh from his 91st birthday, gives us True Believers a quick intro. Then, we get another shot of the Rhino’s armor and lots of looks at Jamie Foxx’s Electro, in various action poses. Also, we see Spidey do what he does best when up to his neck in danger from his enemies – sling quips (and webs!).

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be released in the US on May 2, 2014.

Brain Bleach: Spider-Man Takes On Batman And Robin In A MMA Match. Seriously.

So, apparently there is a mixed martial arts league in the United Kingdom that formed last summer to search for the “UK’s Hardest Man”. Per MixedMartialArts.com :

The event is a single-elimination tournament held over a period of some weeks, with modified MMA rules:
•No weight division.
•Contest is held on a 12×12 mat, with no ring or cage enclosure.
•1st round is ten minutes duration.
•There is a one minute time limit on the ground.
•Standing guillotines are prohibited.
•6 oz amateur MMA gloves are worn.
•Winner of the tournament gets £3000 (aprox US $4,500)

The bouts will be held at Southampton, England’s Exile Gym, a respected MMA facility.

Which is all well and good, but the most recent fight the league uploaded to its Facebook page is Spider-Man…taking on Batman and Robin. Yes, sounds like a very serious competition indeed.

Check it out, after the jump.

He’s Seen Christmases You People Wouldn’t Believe – Blade Runner Holiday Special

Good morning! Happy Christmas, for those of you that subscribe. For the rest of you, I hope you are at least getting the day off to get up to whatever debauchery you get up to on the days you typically take off. Me? I’m at my mother’s. My day has/will consist of an hour and half train ride, quiche, the opening of presents, the installation of a new TV, roast beast, and another hour and a half train ride back to the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office. Then I will start drinking. I hope your day will be at least as exciting as mine.

One thing we will also have today, that I am sharing with you all, is this spoof by the Nerdist Channel of a Blade Runner Holiday Special, in the spirit of the Star Wars Christmas Special. Go grab yourself a cup of whatever libation you use to start your day (I suggest whiskey, because I always suggest whiskey), pull up a chair and enjoy!

Small Offering Of Gifts Before The Fat Man Arrives

As I type this, NORAD tells me that Santa is rounding the edges of Senegal. Rob is off visiting his parents in Central Florida. I hear he narrowly survived a trip to a local Walmart. Narrowly. Did you know that Super Walmarts have a whole grocery store section? Did you know those grocery stores sell produce? Kumquats, for example. Rob learned this today. His parents also learned not to take him to a Super Walmart that sells kumquats because, in the fatigue hysteria that follows him after air travel, Rob will run around the produce section shrieking, “Look, Ma! Kumquats!” until he causes all the other Rascal Scooter bound patrons to begin to reach for their nitroglycerin pills and Jitterbugs, with their big red 911 button. So, basically, once. I hear that he and his family are out riding around “looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood”, but I think that’s code for “finding proper sedation”.

This leaves me to tell you that this…

…is the end of our broadcast day. As you can see it’s a small take this week, as there were not many releases. But, there are a couple interesting things there. The Doctor Who Special 2013 is out, just in time for the Doctor Who Christmas episode tomorrow. Kieron Gillen and Adam Kubert’s Origin II, the next chapter in the the Wolverine backstory is out. Avengers: Rogue Planet #1 from Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic and Justice League #26 from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis round out the take.

I had thought to put up a review of Origin II #1 up tonight, but, after reading the issue, I want to give it at least another issue to see where it’s going to go. I’m in the camp that was underwhelmed by Paul Jenkins’s much hyped Origin. I get that the character is wildly popular and will move a lot of units, regardless of the what story they actually come up with, and I’m sure Marvel is happy to capitalize on that, but with every new marketing opportunity story, you run the risk of over exposure. However, Gillen is a very talented writer, who has done great things with B list titles like Journey Into Mystery, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Issue #1 is not a bad read and Kubert’s art is solid, so, go ahead and grab the issue if you were interested in the series, but on the fence.

Anyway, even with that one issue down, you all know the rest of the drill. Before we can review them, we have to read the rest of them. Merry Christmas to those of you that are celebrating tomorrow. I’m off to give myself a hangover in preparation for the upcoming day’s festivities.

Something For Everyone – Review Of Grimm #8

Comic series that are adaptations of other properties can be hit or miss. One of the first comic books I remember getting as a kid was the four issue mini-series based on Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I read the shit out of those books. On the other hand, I’ve been reading the comic adaptation of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books and been somewhat less enraptured. Now, you can make the argument that there is about a 30 year age difference between those reading experiences. However, I think it might come down to the fact that I hadn’t seen Raiders yet when I got those comics, whereas I had read all of the Dresden books before I read the adaptations. So, while the Dresden adaptation isn’t bad per se, it just visually doesn’t match up to how I have already played those scenes out in my head when I read the stories the first time. Still a perfectly good comic book series, just I’m probably not the designated audience.^*

^*This is also the part where I somewhat shamefacedly admit to enjoying the comic adaptation of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, which is vampire mommy porn of the first order. Never read any of the actual novels; don’t ever intend to. However, if I had read them, I’d imagine I’d have similar dissonance issues as I do with Dresden.

Which brings me to the comic series based on the NBC TV series Grimm, published by Dynamite Comics. The television show is in its third season. How successfully does its comic fare?

Harlan Ellison Is Not A Fan Of “Saving Mr. Banks”

Harlan Ellison, Angry Man. Est. 1934

I’ve not seen the movie, but Ellison’s rant kind of makes me want to now. He feels that movie is nothing but propaganda that burnishes “Uncle Walt”‘s image and serve as Oscar bait. As an author with quite fervent feelings himself over how his own work is used, he sympathizes with Travers and disapproves of how she comes off in the movie – even going so far as to say that one particular pivotal scene never happened and that half the movie is made up. The movie struck a raw nerve in the man, who has never been shy about speaking his mind on a good day. Check it out after the jump.

International The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer Has Some Previously Unseen Footage

Greetings from the snowbound headquarters of The Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office! While we spend the day digging out, please enjoy this new international trailer of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There are some differences from the US version, notably Gwen almost outing Peter Parker’s identity at 1:44 and a good look at the Rhino’s armor at 0:54. Meanwhile, I’m going to try an convince Rob that you can’t clear snow from an icy sidewalk by pouring lighter fluid on snow to light it on fire. You need at least one beefy hobo for that lighter fluid, so that the flames can get some traction in a solid fat source to keep the fire burning longer and melt more snow over a larger surface area. I’m pretty sure that won’t violate the condo agreement, right?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will open on May 2, 2014.

Matters, Nothing Really, To Me – Star Wars/Bohemian Rhapsody Mash Up

The opening shot of this Star Wars and Bohemian Rhapsody mash up reads, “A long time ago in a karaoke bar far, far away…” and that is about right. Bohemian Rhapsody: Star Wars Edition is a labor of love from the Arizona geek community. It is exactly what you think might happen if a bunch of cosplayers got a little too drunk at the San Diego Hyatt bar after the SDCC Saturday night Masquerade and got busy with a camera and Pro Tools. And we are all the better for it. Ok, Sexy Boba Fett at 1:29 and Sexy Vader at 1:45 are kind of disturbing, but that’s why I’m never far from a bottle of whisky and a shot glass. But, there’s more to enjoy here than to cringe over and it’s always great to see what kind of cool projects a fandom can produce. Enjoy!

According to the fine folks over at io9:

The Students and Faculty of the Digital Video Program at University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona, produced this video with the help of their cosplayer performers. Stephen Panagiotis, Jamall Richards, and Paul DeNigris wrote the new lyrics, and Adam Newton provided the vocals. Hit the closed caption button to follow along with the lyrics.

Ok – laptop, closed captioned lyrics, bottle of whisky. I have my plan for the evening. I hope Rob understands…

Brain Bleach – Santa The Hutt

I’m just going to leave this here:

Yeah.

So, anyway, that not enough Star Wars Christmas cheer for you? There’s more, after the jump.