Comics Archives - Page 8 of 30

Separated at Birth: Scarlet Witch and Aerith Gainsborough?

I was psyched to see that io9 posted photos of Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch from the set of The Avengers 2. I have high hopes for Ms. Olsen, as she’s on her way to supplanting her evil sisters as the best Olsen sibling in Hollywood. The news that she was cast as the Scarlet Witch was especially exciting. While I didn’t expect her to wear the ridiculous medieval swimsuit from the ’70s and ’80s comics, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

Apparently the costume designer from The Avengers 2 dropped by Final Fantasy VII and jacked Aerith’s clothes. Look at the red top and ridiculous boots! I half-expect her to cast “Holy” during the movie’s climax in order to thwart Ultron. The Scarlet Witch costume looks like a mashup of (mostly) Aereith and (a sprinkle of) Tifa!

Elizabeth Olsen’s version of the Scarlet Witch looks just like Aerith Gainsborough…to me, anyway. When you have a chance, check out the pics and give it some thought. Do you see the resemblance between Avengers 2 Scarlet Witch and FFVII Aerith? Or did somebody slip me crazy pills?

Source

Coffee Talk #616: Heroes With Limited Vocabularies

The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer has me totally geeked out. One of the reasons I’m excited for the movie is Groot. He is the coolest talking tree in sci-fi and fantasy. Groot is way cooler than those lamers in The Lord of the Rings. As I mentioned in my story on the trailer, I was anxiously awaiting Groot to say his trademark phase, “I am Groot.” Since he didn’t, my anticipation for the next trailer has increased exponentially. The trailer also got me thinking about other heroes with limited vocabularies. There are so many great ones to choose from. I’m going to use today’s column to talk about some of my favorites and I’d love to hear about yours. Let’s start with…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the 2014 Oscar winners (and losers), hosting vape shop openings with charming models, or the Oklahoma City Thunder getting bitten by the injury bug, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Timmy From South Park: Timmy Burch made his debut in South Park season 4 and the world has been a better place ever since. Wheelchair-bound and mentally disabled, Timmy’s vocabulary is limited to his name. He has shown, time and time again, a broad range of emotions simply by saying, “Timmy!” Hell, he even fronted a kick-ass band called Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld. One of my favorite Timmy clips was when he was being chased by a dinosaur in prehistoric times. The palpable sense of fear he conveyed while limited to saying, “Timmy!” stopped me in my tracks and made me think, “Acting.”

Pikachu: The most popular Pokemon in the world has spent years entertaining millions of television watchers, moviegoers, and gamers while limited to saying three syllables. Purists of heroes with limited vocabulary argue that Pikachu has an unfair advantage over his contemporaries since he uses numerous permutations of pi, ka, and chu. Personally, I give him a pass on that technicality since he has saved the world on multiple occasions.

Groot: Of course I need to spend some time talking about Groot. At a glance, it’s easy to dismiss him as a large talking tree that’s merely a heavy hitter on the Guardians of the Galaxy’s roster. Yes, he can deal some heavy damage, but he’s more than just a bruiser. He’s Rocket Raccoon’s confidant and anchor. When Gamora wants to lower her guard and shed the burden of being the most dangerous woman in the universe, Groot is there for when she wants to be a girly girl. (That has never been shown in the comics, but I know it in my heart to be true.) In Guardians of the Galaxy #17, he hatched a plan with Maximus of the Inhumans, showing a deep knowledge of “quasi-dimensional superpositional engineering.” While there are numerous heroes with limited vocabularies, Groot is arguably the smartest and most educated.

Your Picks: Now it’s your turn to talk about heroes with limited vocabularies. Kindly use the comments section to talk about heroes from comic books, television, and movies that are limited to a handful of words. Can you think of one more heroic and legendary than Groot?!?

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer (I Am Groot!)

Even though it stars the talentless hack known as Batista (Drax the Destroyer), I’m rooting for Guardians of the Galaxy to succeed. I’m a fan of the Brian Michael Bendis comics and the movie has several enjoyable performers that compensate for Batista’s formidable sucktitude. The new trailer (embedded below), has me cautiously hopeful for the movie. Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please!). For now, I shall break down why I’m cautiously excited for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Gamora: Zoe Saldana is a sexy woman. Zoe Saldana in green body paint playing a universally feared assassin takes her sexiness to a new level. I want to see her slice, dice, and kick ass…while being an alluring shade of green.

Star Lord: I like Chris Pratt. I enjoyed his supporting roles in Moneyball and The Five-Year Engagement. Even though he’s the leading man in Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s surrounded by actors and actresses that are way more famous and accomplished. Since he’s liberated by being under the radar, I’m hoping that he’ll give a surprisingly strong performance as head honcho Peter Quill.

Groot: I kept waiting and waiting for an, “I am Groot!” utterance in the trailer. It never came. That just makes me want the second trailer more. Ha! A friend of mine was saying that Vin Diesel’s best roles are ones with a limited vocabulary. I’m hoping he can get as much mileage from “I am Groot!” as he did saying “Hogarth” in The Iron Giant.

Rocket: In a stroke of genius, Guardians of the Galaxy has one of the hottest leading men in Hollywood (Bradley Cooper) doing voiceover work…as a talking raccoon with a ton of attitude. That’s just funny. On a more serious note, this is the character that will probably make or break the movie for me. Rocket is a tough one to pull off. It would be really, really easy to get too comical with him. I’m anxious to see if the movie delivers the blend of attitude and heart that Bendis deftly portrayed in the comics.

Rhomann Dey: If you’re a comic-book purist then John C. Reilly doesn’t make any sense for this character. At all. That said, he’s frickin’ John C. Reilly! I am of the opinion that he should be in every movie.

While I’m excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, I don’t expect it to do as well as Marvel’s previous comic-book adaptations. These characters aren’t as well know as The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor. People that are unfamiliar with the comics will see a talking tree and a talking raccoon, which will lead to many WTF moments. It also has Batista, a person that’s terrible enough to keep away millions of moviegoers. Still, the trailer was fun and the source material is excellent. I’m hoping that Guardians of the Galaxy will rock.

How about you? What do you thing of the trailer? Any moments stand out for you? Any predictions on how Guardians of the Galaxy will do at the box office? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

Preacher Coming to AMC (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg)

AMC has announced that it’s producing a television adaptation of the outstanding Preacher comic book. Written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon, Preacher tells the tale of Jessie Custer, a Texas preacher suddenly imbued with a spiritual force that’s a threat to God. Meanwhile, the Almighty has abandoned heaven, leaving the afterlife in disarray. Custer makes it his mission to find God (literally), while forces — both good and evil — are out to stop him. Along the way, he encounters numerous colorful characters that make his adventure bizarre, twisted, dramatic, and all kinds of entertaining.

The AMC adaptation of Preacher will be written and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The two are known for their side-splitting comedies, including Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This is the End. They’re also big-time fans of the source material. Here’s a quote from the duo via IndieWire:

This is amazing! We’ve tried for seven years to work on Preacher and we’re so psyched AMC is finally letting us. It is our favorite comic of all time, and we’re going to do everything we can to do it right. Humperdoo!

As many of you regular RPadholics know, Preacher is also one of my all-time favorite comics. Ennis’ writing is superb throughout the series. His story is a unique mix of drama, humor, violence, and flat-out wackiness. I’ve always been impressed by how he deftly incorporated drastically different elements and made sense of it all. I mean, how do you use a stone-cold serious character like the Saint of Killers and a completely ridiculous fellow like Arseface in the same comic? On paper, you can’t, but Ennis pulled it of marvelously for one of the greatest comics ever made.

So yeah, as a fan of the source material and the Rogen/Goldberg duo, I am completely psyched for AMC’s Preacher. How about you? Do you think it will play on television? Any casting ideas? I vote for Colin Farrell as Cassidy! Please, please share your thoughts on AMC’s Preacher in the comments section.

Source via Shooter McGarvey

Coffee Talk #613: Best Super Bowl XLVIII Nerd Movie Trailer

Confession: I totally missed most of Super Bowl XLVIII. Part of it was because I was bummed about the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and part of it was because jet lag was totally kicking my ass. The thorough thrashing of the Denver Broncos performed by the Seattle Seahawks didn’t help keep me awake. That said, I did manage to catch the three Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailers: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Transformers: Age of Extinction. The trailers are embedded below for your viewing pleasure, followed by some commentary and a poll. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailers. Kindly comment and vote when you have a moment…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, adjusting (sadly) to life back in America, IHOP vs. Denny’s, or remembering your favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman movie, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Confession: I totally missed most of Super Bowl XLVIII. Part of it was because I was bummed about the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and part of it was because jet lag was totally kicking my ass. The thorough thrashing of the Denver Broncos performed by the Seattle Seahawks didn’t help keep me awake. That said, I did manage to catch the three Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailers: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Transformers: Age of Extinction. The trailers are embedded below for your viewing pleasure, followed by some commentary and a poll. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailers. Kindly comment and vote when you have a moment.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: This lengthy spot was full of fun bits and full of elements that have me worried. The CGI effects for Spider-Man and Electro were sweet. Andrew Garfield seems to be doing better with the role (liked him as Spider-Man, but thought he was too cool as Peter Parker). Having too many villains (Electro, Rhino, Green Goblin) worries me. Will the movie be too unfocused?

Then there’s the “spurned lover” aspect of Electro, seen in such movies as Batman Forever (Riddler), The Incredibles (Syndrome), and most recent Iron Man 3 (Aldrich Killian). That’s been done do death. Lastly, as a comic-book fanboy, I don’t really like Harry Osborn as the Green Goblin. That role will always be Norman Osborn to me.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier: This was easily my favorite Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailer. I’ve been high on this movie for months and this extended trailer just cements my fandom. The Winter Soldier is a great character and the trailer makes him look like a total bad ass. It was cool seeing more of 8-Mile’s Papa Doc as Falcon and seeing Scarlett Johansson is always an excellent thing.

While Chris Evans is a way better Captain America than I ever expected him to be, this movie is all about the villain. And really, aren’t the best superhero movies defined by their awesome villains? The trailer is full of acrobatic action, collateral damage (loved seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier crash into that building), and tense moments. I’m totally psyched for this movie.

Transformers: Age of Extinction: Ah, another Michael Bay disasterpiece. On the plus side, it has ~~Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch~~ Mark Wahlberg. Unfortunately, it has Optimus Prime riding around on Grimlock as if he were a trusted steed rather than a fierce Dinobot. Yeah…no.

Your Turn: Now it’s your turn to vote. Kindly pick your favorite Super Bowl XLVIII nerd movie trailer in the poll below and explain your choice in the comments section.

[poll id=”190″]

Coffee Talk #610: Most Wanted Nerd Movies of 2014

Now that we’ve discussed our favorite 2013 movies and our most wanted videogames of 2014, it’s time to talk about the most wanted nerd movies of 2014. On the plus side, 2013 had all sorts of movies for comics, fantasy, and sci-fi fans. Unfortunately, many of them were merely good and few of them caused true nerdgasms. On paper, 2014 looks promising. There are loads of comics, sci-fi, and fantasy films slated for release, packed with phenomenal casts and crews. Below is a list of nerd movies that I’m looking forward to. After you check it out, please share your most wanted nerd movies of 2014…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Chicago Bulls’ rebuilding phase, the best complement to peanut butter, or the triumphant return of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier — The trailer for this movie looks sick and I’m a huge fan of the comic-book version of the antagonist. With some luck, Winter Soldier could surpass Loki as Marvel’s coolest movie bad guy.

X-Men: Days of Future Past — The source material is awesome and Bryan Singer has shown skill at being respectful to the source while deftly adapting it to the big screen (let’s all pretend his Superman didn’t happen). Awesome mutants, menacing sentinels, and Peter Dinklage should make this a fun flick. That said, I am concerned that time hopping, alternate realities, and time stream alteration could make this one a mess.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 — The first movie was utterly charming and I’m hoping for more of the same in the sequel. Plus, dragons are awesome.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — I loved the first movie. It was smart, the acting was great, and the special effects were excellent. My concern here is that the director worked on Felicity. That show sucked.

Muppets Most Wanted — After years of being shelved, Jim Henson’s Muppets made a triumphant return in 2011. Accompanied by Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais, I’m hopeful that the Muppets will smash it once again.

The Knights of Badassdom — Peter Dinklage and Steve Zahn awesome. LARPing is hilarious. Put it all together and you should have a sweet nerd movie. As an added bonus, the movie was directed by a former G4tv coworker of mine.

Hercules — No, I’m not talking about the one starring the Twilight guy. I’m talking about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s movie. As a WWE mark, I need to support The Rock’s quest to become America’s best action hero.

Lucy — Scarlett Johansson as a drug mule turned superhero? I’m down! Actually, I’m down with most things Scarlett Johansson.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For — The first movie was stellar — arguably the best pure comic-book-to-movie adaptation ever made. The second movie brings back the scintillating Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Jaime King. I’m curious about recasting Miho with Jamie Chung, as well as Lady Gaga’s cameo. Creator Frank Miller is assisting Robert Rodriguez as director, so it should be another faithful adaptation.

Guardians of the Galaxy — I’m a bit torn about this movie. It’s a difficult book to translate to the silver screen. I mean, two of the main characters are a bad-ass raccoon and a repetitive tree. The source is lots of fun and I want the movie to kick ass…but it also stars WWE Batista. Part of me wants the world to see him as the utter fraud of an entertainer he is — that guy sucks at everything (except, perhaps, writing unintentional funny autobiographies).

Amazing Spider-Man 2 — The first movie was fun for me, but not great. I’m hoping that the cast and crew does a better job the second time around. The acting talent is immense and Spidey special effects are always fun. Will the gang have the stones to kill off Gwen Stacy?!? I’m anxious to find out.

RoboCop — The costume makes the titular character look like a Japanese sex toy. Let’s forget about that and look at the tremendous supporting cast: Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jay Baruchel, and more. That’s a crazy amount of talent!

Transformers: Age of Extinction — Yeah, these movies are pretty stupid (Michael Bay’s specialty), but the upcoming Transformers flick has two things going for it — Mark Wahlberg and (rumored) Dinobots! Me Grimlock wants to see this one (when it’s available digitally)!

Now it’s your turn. Kindly share your most wanted nerd movies of 2014 in the comments section (please!).

Paul Rudd is…Ant-Man

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Rudd has been cast as the titular character in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Rudd is famous for his comedic (and bromantic) performances in Anchorman, The 40-Year Old Virgin, I Love You Man, and more. Ant-Man is famous…well, he’s not really a famous Marvel superhero, is he? The casting is interesting; Ant-Man is an unusual character and it’s surprising that he’s getting his own movie, while it’s equally surprising that Rudd will don some spandex and play a superhero on the big screen. It’s so wacky that it just might work!

For those of you that haven’t been keeping up with news on the movie, Ant-Man will be directed by Edgar Wright. The English director is best known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the big-screen adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. While many comic-book fanboys expect a healthy dose of comedy, I’m hoping that the quirkiness behind the humor permeates Ant-Man.

So what are the chances of the following exchange happening in a future Avengers movie?

Ant-Man: Do you know how I know you’re gay?

Captain America: How?

Ant-Man: You had a little boy as a sidekick and crashed an airplane into some ice instead of making out with a hot British chick.

(It’s early morning and I have jet lag. I’ll come up with a much better joke later.)

My initial reaction is, “I don’t know about this one.” To me, Ant-Man (the Hank Pym version) is notable for two reasons — being one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe and being an abusive husband. I can’t see Rudd being a genius or a wife-beater, let alone both.

Anyway, please let me know what you think of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in the comments section. Are you intrigued by the casting? Or do you see him as too much of a comedian to play a superhero (even a tiny one)?

Ant-Man is slated for a July 2015 release.

Source

Gal Gadot Cast as Wonder Woman (Superman vs. Batman)

According to Deadline, the search for Wonder Woman is over. The ridiculously lovely Gal Gadot has been cast as Diana of the Amazons in Superman vs. Batman. Many of you are familiar with Gal Gadot from the Fast & Furious movies. She was also Miss Israel 2004 and served two years in the Israeli army. So yeah, she’s a stunning actress/model that kicks all kinds of ass. Gal Gadot makes sense as Wonder Woman, don’t you agree?

Of course some comic-book fanboys will be disappointed with the casting. Jaimie Alexander (Sif in the Thor movies) was rumored to be in the running for the Wonder Woman role. Alexander (not the daughter of Jason Alexander…despite what I tell people IRL) has already shown the ability to kick ass while looking beautiful on the big screen. That said, there are some moviegoers (like RPadholic N8R) that hate when an actor or actress plays multiple superhero roles. It can be disconcerting.

Personally, I’m jazzed about the Gal Gadot casting. She’s gorgeous and can beat me up. That’s just…hot. How about you? What do you think of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Superman vs. Batman? Excited? Disappointed? Ambivalent? Kindly share your thoughts on the Israeli beauty playing the Amazonian princess in the comments section.

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Stephen Colbert Attacks Muslim Ms. Marvel

Embedded below is a hilarious rant from Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) about the new Muslim Ms. Marvel. Inspired by the original Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers (now known as Captain Marvel), the new character is a 16-year girl from New Jersey named Kamala Khan. She is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants. Ms. Marvel is struggling to balance a life of adventuring with the wishes of her conservative Muslim parents.

Here are some choice quotes from Stephen Colbert on the Muslim Ms. Marvel:

This affront has taken me aback. A Muslim cannot be a superhero, for Pete’s sake, they’re on the no fly list.

It’s even more upsetting when you consider the original Ms Marvel. She was wholesome and all American, blonde, family values, with two bulging chest muscles, and clearly wearing her Sunday church panties.

This is nothing more than Sharia creep, plain and simple. First she’s a comic character, then she gets her own movie, then action figures, then the next thing you know, my kids are dressing up as her for Halloween and shouting, ‘Trick or treat! Death to Captain America!’

The clip also makes outstanding use of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While the satirical host’s rant is super-funny, it’s sad that I can picture the same sentiment being expressed in a serious tone on Fox News. Conservative news programs have blasted Northstar from the X-Men marrying another man. They have railed on Superman for viewing himself as a citizen of the world rather than an American citizen (though culturally, the Kryptonian is pure Kansas to me). A Muslim female getting the spotlight in the Marvel Universe? I have a feeling that the conservative press will have a field day with the Muslim Ms. Marvel.

Anyway, check out the clip below when you have a moment and let me know you think. Are you interested in Kamala Khan’s Muslim Ms. Marvel? Do you think she’ll be popular or will she be Darkhawk 2013? What do you think Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly will make of her? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

X-Men Days of Future Past Trailer (Bryan Singer)

Embedded below is the trailer for X-Men Days of Future Past. Somewhat based on the classic Chris Claremont X-Men storyline, the movie blends elements of Bryan Singer’s X-Men films and the more recent X-Men First Class. Singer is back in the director’s chair X-Men Days of Future Past and is joined by actors from all the previous films. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Halle Berry (Storm), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (young Professor X), and Michael Fassbender (young Magneto) are just some of the actors in the star-studded cast.

If you’re not familiar with the original story, it involves time travel, giant mutant-hunting robots, alternate futures, and timeline manipulation. It sounds confusing, but it boils down to a future X-Man going back into the past in order to avoid a horrific future. While the basic premise of the movie is the same, longtime X-Men fans will be able to spot several differences in the trailer alone. Character roles, team composition, and various interactions are some obvious, but understandable, differences. Naturally, any excuse to give Hugh Jackman more screen time is a good thing for attracting mainstream viewers. While comic-book fanboys will likely take umbrage to the Hollywood-influenced rewrites, general moviegoers aren’t likely to complain (or notice).

My excellent friend and fellow comics nerd Paul Semel is approaching the movie with caution. He loathed X-Men First Class and is afraid that X-Men Days of Future Past will have many of the elements he hated about that movie. I’m way more optimistic than he is on X-Men Days of Future Past’s potential. The source material (though altered) is great, the director is solid, and the cast is outstanding. The danger is that multiple time jumps and a large cast of characters will add up to a Giant-Sized X-Men mess, but I have faith in Bryan Singer.

How about you guys and gals? What do you think of the X-Men Days of Future Past trailer? Are you more excited for or afraid of the movie?