As the most recent addition to the summer movie season, J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 was heralded by critics and fans alike to be the greatest movie of the year - a vision of what films once were and could be again. Sadly, the film fell far short of this expectation, resulting in a disjointed and cliched effort by Abrams, the film’s writer and director, to mimic the moments of classic, coming-of-age films from the 1980s.
Spoilers ahead.
Super 8 is the story of a group of friends in the summer of 1979 who witness a horrific train crash while making a zombie film. When strange occurrences become more frequent in their small, steel town in Ohio, the group leads their own investigation of the crash while attempting to complete their movie.
Dear Fanboy Comics Readers:
Fanboy Comics is proud to announce that its trademark podcast, The Fanboy Scoop - Week In Review, will join Krypton Radio’s on-air broadcasts.
Brought to you by the uber geeks of Fanboy Comics (FBC), The Fanboy Scoop - Week In Review brings fans the most exciting geek news from the week compiled from the daily e-newsletter, The Fanboy Scoop. Hosts Bryant Dillon, Barbra Dillon, Sam Rhodes, and Drew Siragusa join an assortment of special guests to discuss five top stories, ranging from the DC universe reboot to the latest script leaks for The Hunger Games film. No geek genre is off limits, and everyone’s geek cred is at stake in this high-octane podcast!
Previous guests have included actor Samm Levine from Inglourious Basterds and Freaks and Geeks, Robert J. Peterson from CC2K.us (The Nexus of Pop-Culture Fandom), and Andrew Allen from video game website Padinga.com.
The End. A Web Series.
The robots have taken over and there are only a few survivors left.
(The End. is a post-apocalyptic buddy comedy.)
Catch a new episode on the Fanboy Comics website every Friday!
Starring: Bryan Mayer and Justinh Avery
Directed by Peter Harmon
Written by Bryan Mayer
Director of Photography: Rick Bickerstaff
Edited by Jason Marsh
Sound Design and Sound Editing by Ian Becker
Produced by Bryan Mayer
Co-Produced by Justinh Avery, Peter Harmon, Ian Becker, Rick Bickerstaff, and Jason Marsh
I have never read any of Richelle Mead’s novels, of which she has many, but I had the extreme pleasure of being able to review the first and second issues of the comic adaptation of her Dark Swan series, called Storm Born. I was blown away! Mead is best known for her supernatural novels including the Georgina Kincaid Succubus series and Vampire Academy, the latter of which is Young Adult material. With overt sexual situations and violence, Storm Born, however, is less friendly for younger audiences. Mature readers should definitely check this series out, as issue #1 released on the first of this month and is available for order at most comic stores.
Richelle Mead’s Storm Born, from Sea Lion Books, is an exciting, supernatural romp through modern day America. Adapted from her Dark Swan novel series by herself and Grant Alter, the story seems like an updated response to Lucas’ male-centric, Indiana Jones stories, but with a healthy dose of paranormal mystery. We follow Eugenie Markham, a freelance Shaman who makes a living sending various creatures attempting to inhabit our world back to the occult realm, called the Otherworld. Equipped with knowledge of magic, several enchanted weapons, and a wicked sense of humor, she travels the southwest battling spirits, elemental creatures, powerful fairy-like beasts called Gentry, and anything else that crosses her path. Though I’ve only read the first two issues of what will be an eight-issue series, eventually collected into two graphic novels, I am already completely invested in the world that Mead has created.
Dear Fanboy Comics Readers:
The Fanboy Comics Staff is excited to announce a comic book release party for Storm Born, written by Richelle Mead and published by Sea Lion Books! The event will take place ONLINE on Wednesday, June 8th, and will run all day.
As part of the festivities, the creative team behind the comic book, including David Dabel (President), Derek Ruiz (V.P.), Dave Hamann (artist), and Grant Alter (comic writer), will be talking about the brand new release of Storm Born and answering fan questions. The guests will start answering questions at 12:00 p.m. (Central Daylight Time).
As if that wasn't fun enough, the release party will also include a contest for copies of Storm Born: Volume 1 signed by the entire creative team! Attendees who RSVP will receive 25 entries into the prize portion of the contest, as long as you participate in the event.
If you are interested in attending, CLICK HERE to RSVP through the Bitten by Books website.
Stay tuned to the Fanboy Comics website for more information and reviews of the Storm Born graphic novel!
The summer of comic book movies is off and running, as evidenced by the release of X-Men: First Class, the much-anticipated X-Men prequel. The Fanboy Comics Staff had a chance to see the film on Friday night and, after much deliberation, ... thought that it was OK.
Don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed my movie-going experience; I was entertained by the film and, more specifically, by the (mostly) phenomenal performances of the cast members. I would even go so far as to say that my enjoyment of this film was on par with my first viewing of X-Men in 2000. But, and that is a very emphatic “but,” the film was riddled with issues in writing, continuity, and direction. The more that I think about the film, the more problems that arise in my mind.
Spoilers ahead.
The following is an interview with Ani Pandit, Fanboy Comics' Resident Steven Spielberg Specialist! In the following interview, Pandit reviews the recent release of trailers for the Spielberg projects Super 8, Terra Nova, and The Adventures of Tintin.
This interview was conducted on Saturday, May 21, 2011.
The End. A Web Series.
The robots have taken over and there are only a few survivors left.
(The End. is a post-apocalyptic buddy comedy.)
Catch a new episode on the Fanboy Comics website every Friday!
Starring: Bryan Mayer and Justinh Avery
Directed by Peter Harmon
Written by Bryan Mayer
Director of Photography: Rick Bickerstaff
Edited by Jason Marsh
Sound Design and Sound Editing by Ian Becker
Produced by Bryan Mayer
Co-Produced by Justinh Avery, Peter Harmon, Ian Becker, Rick Bickerstaff, and Jason Marsh
The following is an interview with executive director and producer Wendi Mirabella and co-producer Lotti Pharriss Knowles from the Vampire-Con Film Festival of 2011. The annual film festival has found a home at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles, CA, for the past three years and seeks to bring vampire fans of all genres together for a few nights of film festivities. This year’s events will feature classic vampire films from the ‘70s and ‘80s on June 3rd and 4th. For more information regarding Vampire-Con, visit the website, www.vampire-con.com.
This interview was conducted on Tuesday, May 31, 2011.
CLICK HERE FOR THE AUDIO INTERVIEW
FBC is gearing up for the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con and on our list of "stuff we HAVE to check out" is Aron Warner's comic series release, Pariah. Government created, hyper-intelligent teenagers fleeing a frame-job terrorism charge? Yes, PLEASE! Check out all the nitty gritty below, and, if you're heading to SDCC, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Pariah!!!
FROM THE MIND OF OSCAR-WINNING FILM PRODUCER ARON WARNER A NEW GENERATION OF SUPER-TEENS ARE INTRODUCED AT COMIC-CON 2011
Sea Lion Books Unites Warner, Eisner-Nominated Illustrator Brett Weldele and Writer Philip Gellat to Bring A Unique Group of Beyond-Intelligent Teen Fugitives to the Comic Book World This July.
Los Angeles, CA – May 25, 2011 – They’re not super powered, they’re just super smart. The teen protagonists who lead us through the world of Pariah, a twelve-book graphic novel series from the mind of Oscar-winning film producer Aron Warner and published by Sea Lion Books, are the next generation of heroes in the comic book world. Eisner-nominated illustrator Brett Weldele (The Surrogates) will bring the stories to life in ink, and Philip Gelatt will pen the scripts set in Warner’s world for the twelve books. As buzz builds about this unlikely collaboration and the unique story of Pariah, the series will premiere at San Diego Comic Con on July 20 – 24th.