Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 15, 2010 in
Comic Books 
In the 1970s, Martin Goodman sold Marvel Comics, the company he had founded. He then promptly founded Atlas Comics with strong support for creators’ rights, hired comic heavyweights like Steve Ditko, created a stable of original characters, and … disappeared. But, channeling comic book characters, Atlas refuses to stay dead. Deadline reports that Goodman’s grandson Jason is relaunching the Atlas line, starting with two original characters: Phoenix and the Grim Ghost. Of note is the fact that the film and TV rights for all of Atlas’ characters are available — maybe this means we can stop rebooting Spiderman every ten years.
Read more…
Tags: Atlas Comics, Marvel Comics
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 14, 2010 in
Cinema,
Television 
We’ve heard for a while that Stephen King’s Dark Tower book series stands to be adapted into some kind of moving-picture media format, but it’s been up in the air in terms of the who and the how. Ron Howard, who’s now helming the project, recently told Deadline what he has in mind, and it’s a little crazy: a series that will span three movies and two seasons of a television show, using the same sets and actors. That’s right. He wants to begin the story with a film, then air a season of the television show immediately afterward, then release another film, then air another season of the show, then cap off the entire thing with another film. Howard hopes that reusing sets and actors between the media formats will help save money; beyond costs, he says that the movies can provide really epic moments while the television show would allow character and story nuances to shine through. If he can get the project off the ground, along with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, it might just be the Next Big Thing. Read more…
Tags: Dark Tower, Stephen King
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 14, 2010 in
Cinema,
Horror 
Bruce Campbell leveraged a long and successful career out of Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror film Evil Dead, but he’s hardly forgotten his roots, according to a recent interview with the LA Times. Campbell says that working on the Dead films was a long, grueling experience, and the advice he gives fledgling filmmakers is “get two other friends and be prepared to sink four years into your project.” Besides a lot of other interesting tidbits — Evil Dead’s production was funded by Detroit-area doctors and lawyers, for example — the coolest thing by far mentioned in this interview was Campbell’s desire to make an Expendables-style horror-comedy ensemble movie. He says it could happen in the next year or so, and that he wants horror greats like Robert Englund and Kane Hodder to be in it with him. There’s even a script! The only problem? “It just kind of blows right now.” That’s Bruce Campbell honesty for you. Read more…
Tags: bruce campbell, Evil Dead
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 13, 2010 in
Videogames 
It looks like even the folks behind the Iron Curtain couldn’t resist the appeal of an arcade. Dangerous Business highlights their visit to the Museum of Soviet Arcade Games with shots of the amazing arcade machines therein, from the undoubtedly thrilling “Torpedo Attack” (above) to the slightly more mundane “Traffic Sign Quiz” to the incomprehensible “Turnip Strength Tester” (below). What’s notable is that none of these machines seem particularly jovial — all hard edges and dull colors, the hardware equivalent of “programmer art.” Connal Hughes of Dangerous Business noticed it too, commenting that they “looked like they were designed with the same sense of fun that an engineer would use to construct a hospital waiting room.” Who would’ve known that Brutalist design could even produce these kinds of machines? I guess when things in your country are as bad as they were for the Soviets, you have to take what you can get. Read more…
Tags: Arcade Games, Retro Games, Russia
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 13, 2010 in
Star Trek 
The Star Trek reboot was one of the biggest cinema hits of 2009, for good reason — it was a great movie. Director J.J. Abrams did a lot of things right, and he’d like to keep that pattern going for the film’s sequel, according to a new interview with SFX Magazine. Fans have been clamoring for Klingons to be featured in the second film of the rebooted series, and Abrams says he isn’t deaf to those pleas, but it’s a matter of seeing what works in the lens of this slightly different film universe. He said that adding something that’s popular with fans to the franchise for the sake of likeability isn’t necessarily the best idea, but if it can work, they’ll do it. He also told fans not to worry — the tone of the first film should be carried over to the second, in terms of humor interspersed with the drama. Good news there. No evidence of gritty sequelitis found — put that needle away, Bones. Read more…
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Klingons, Star Trek
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 13, 2010 in
Hobbies and Collections,
Tech 
Hello Kitty has no mouth yet these kitty speakers can amp up your iPod: Available in white and pink each Hello Kitty Dock Speaker for iPod features two speakers and a remote control. Although the cool thing about this neko gizmo is that you can also control the sound caressing kitty’s ears to turn the volume up and down.
Tags: Apple, Hello Kitty, iPod, Japan
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 12, 2010 in
Animation 
Wanting too much of a good thing is a very American trait — we eat too much fast food, consume way too much oil to drive automobiles that are way too big and our tastes in entertainment slouch towards mental comfort food. If we like a TV show chances are that the creators will ignore their better instincts and run the show into the ground. Such was the case with Happy Days and thus the phrase “Jumping the Shark” was born. So this is clearly a uniquely American bad habit? Wrong! Anime is suffering from the very same sin of more and more of the same. Read more…
Tags: Anime, Bleach
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 12, 2010 in
Animation,
Hobbies and Collections 
Yes I know on the surface that this USB Oshaberi Talking Chopper seems like a typical superficial useless office toy — but the reality is that it’s highly educational linguistic device! This talking Tony Tony Chopper can not only blink his eyes and move his cheeks but he can also speak up to 70 lines (in japanese of course) from One Piece. Read more…
Tags: Anime, One Piece, USB device
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 11, 2010 in
Comic Books 
Gangsta is a new manga series that will be put out by Comic Bunch. This artwork is just a preview, but I love the look of the character designs which feels like a cross between samurai and a wild west film: Read more…
Tags: Japan, manga
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 11, 2010 in
Animation,
Hobbies and Collections 
It would look like this! Designer Satoshi Fumihara the genius behind the Japanese MTV series Golden Egg designed these funky Cubic Mouth Disney Key Cover which look cutting edge yet retain the cute qualities of Mickey and Mini. I’ve always admired how Disney has adapted to local culture in Japan by taking chances and this is always reflected in the merchandise — something which I wish Disney would do more often in the United States where the brand play it a bit too safe. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Japan, Mickey Mouse
