Andrew Garfield returns as Spiderman on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Andrew Garfield was, to me, by far the best Spiderman, so obviously I was very upset when I learned that he would no longer be the web slinging, cocky hero he so artfully portrayed. But it seems he is not yet ready to hang up the Spidey suite just yet.

Last night on Jimmy Kimmel live, the wonderful Mr. Garfield, while promoting his new movie, pulled off a few more stunts for the people, showing that he deserves and is the best Spiderman out there.

During the interview on Jimmy Kimmel, the hero was asked when the suit was last worn. “It was last night,” responded Garfield, “No two nights ago, while brushing my teeth. Just a ritual, keeping the flame burning as long as I possibly can.” ^_^

We Interview Blood & Gourd Writer Jenz Lund

 Jenz Lund

It is National Pumpkin Day today. What better way to celebrate it than an interview with a writer whose comic is about human eating pumpkins?

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Jenz Lund via social media and email and had a chance to read and review Blood & Gourd #1 & #2. As far as Indie horror comics go, it’s been one of my favourite series in the genre. Jenz and the entire creative team on Blood & Gourd are now celebrating the release of issue #1 on the industries biggest digital comics platform Comixology. Blood & Gourd #1 is co-written with D.H Shultis, penciled Dave Acosta, Inked by Juan Albarran, coloured by Fran Gamboa and lettered by JC Ruiz. The cover is by  Juanan Ramirez.

Blood & Gourd Summary:

It’s Devil’s Night in Olympia, WA- and out at Henderson Farms, the festivities are reaching a crescendo. Young and old have gathered to pick their own pumpkin, drink hot apple cider, and partake in the usual pumpkin farm fare. However, something has awakened from deep within the fertile soil. After years of abuse and humiliation, the pumpkins… are ready to pick us. You can beg! You can plead! You can scream! But these Hell’s lanterns are lit only with the burning desire to watch. You. Die!

Jenz Lund took the time to talk to me about the process of creating  Blood & Gourd and their recent milestone.

 

How did blood and Gourd come together regarding the story and the creative team?

D.H. (Shultis) and I are life-long horror fans. We were getting bored with contemporary horror films. There was too much bleakness and dreariness. If it wasn’t torture-porn, then it was a goddamn remake. We got tired of listening to each other complain about it, so we started writing our own script. We wanted to write something fun and colourful. We set out to capture the excitement we had as kids watching movies like The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Creeps, Creepshow and Gremlins. We spent a few years working on the script, then about three years ago, we started shopping it around. Making a movie wasn’t going to happen, so we decided to make a comic instead. Dave Acosta, who had previously worked for Dynamite(Entertainment), put us in touch with other industry professionals, and in about a year’s time, we had our first issue.

Many people don’t realise how hard it is creating a comic then haveing to get the word out and sell it once it’s done. Was the process for Blood & Gourd #1 to become a comic what you expected it to be?

It was a lot harder than we expected it to be. First, you need an artist with a good work ethic — there’s an old saying that goes: You may get the first five pages, but will you get the LAST five pages? — and second, you want them to be interested enough to not just ‘phone it in’. Next, you hire an inker, a flatter, a colorist, a letterer, and then get whoever knows what they’re doing to proof it. Lucky for us, the feedback was pretty positive even before the comic was finished. We did what we set out to do, and that was a huge morale boost after working on the project for a year straight. I’d say the biggest surprise is the lack of exposure and cost of production. We’ve had to hustle and sell our asses off, and even that has its limitations. We’re making progress, though. The fans (we call them stem-heads) make it all worthwhile. Most people who read the comic tell us to keep making it, and that’s what matters most.

You mentioned that Blood & Gourd was originally intended to be a movie. Out of all the mediums to choose from to tell your story what made you decide to go with comic books?

We wanted to show something fresh, fun, and colourful. That connection to EC Comics (and just horror comics in general) made our decision pretty simple.

Issue #1 of Blood and Gourd is going to be released on Comixology just before Halloween. Did you go through the Comixology Submit method or did you have a contact at comixology that helped you out?

We had to go through the submission process, and that took a few months. In fact, they told us we wouldn’t have our comic ready by Halloween. We’re guessing the pumpkin gods intervened, because about a week ago we received confirmation about an October 26th release date. Signs and wonders.

For those interested or concerned about submitting a comic to comixology, how was easy or hard was the process?

It wasn’t a difficult process; there’s just no guarantee you’ll be accepted. Some people wait half a year to find out. We’re hoping this opens a lot more doors to us. Especially across the sea. The cost of shipping overseas is brutal to a small business.

What does the future look like for the Blood & Gourd series?

Well, a lot of what happens next will come down to sales. We’re very excited about the script for Issue #3, but it won’t be made unless we’re successful with #2. Hopefully, sales go well enough to keep us churning out comics. We may also be in the early stages of a Blood & Gourd film. We’ll keep you posted!

That’s awesome to hear! Do you have any other projects in the works?

D.H. and I have a pretty epic sci-fi story we’ve been writing, off and on, for the past few years. He also has a sci-fi solo project in the works. I’ve been working on Traces of Gnomes. It’s about gnomes on cats fighting trolls on rats during the Black Death. We’ll see if I can actually pull off a children’s story!

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If you are curious about Blood & Gourd, check out my review of issue # 1 here and issue 2 here.

If you are already sold on the concept of Blood & Gourd, you can purchase print versions of issues #1 and #2 here

You can purchase the digital versions of both issues here

For those who just want the digital version of issue #1 on Comixology click here

 

 

Preview Of Action Lab Danger Zone’s Cougar And Cub #1

Action Lab Entertainment is preparing for some potentially excellent comics for the first quarter of  2017. While I can’t wait for Spencer & Locke #1 coming out in March Cougar and Cub #1, certainly has an interesting premise as well.  What Happens When A Superhero Has Sex With Their Sidekick? 

 

Regular Cover

 

 

Writer(s): Nick Marino, Rosie Knight

Artist Name(s): Daniel Arruda Massa
Cover Artist(s): Daniel Arruda Massa
Cover B – Love Is Gross variant cover (limited to 1500)
Cover C – Golden Age Flashback variant cover (limited to 1000)

Wealthy heiress Minerva Manx is the courageous Cougar, Megaville’s premier crime fighter. Billy Bobtail is Cub, Cougar’s loyal partner and a senior at the Sidekick Academy. A slow night on the prowl results in an exchange of passion between our heroes as one of Cougar’s rogues watches from the shadows!

The one night stand between Cougar and Cub causes a downward spiral as the supervillains in Megaville leap to exploit the situation. Can Minerva and Billy mend their partnership and fend off the ferocious attacks of their enemies? Or will our champions let a night of indiscretion end their crimefighting careers?

But that’s not all! Each issue sends you on a trip through time with our Flashback Backups, revealing secrets of the past through Cougar’s exciting adventures from the golden age through the present.

Writer Nick Marino shares his excitement of working on this new title: “I’m so thrilled to share Cougar and Cub with readers. This is one twisted tail (hehe) that I never dreamed would see print like this. Daniel Arruda Massa’s art is on a whole other level, channelling incredible influences from animation, underground comix, and classic superhero stories. Rosie Knight’s backups are delicious bites of metafiction, mixing the past with the present in unexpected and exciting ways. I can promise you one thing: you’ve never read a comic book like this before!”

Danger Zone publisher Jason Martin adds, “We’re excited and delighted to have creators Marino and Arruda Massa back at Action Lab, with another whip-smart and cleverly-skewed take on familiar tropes to follow up their last breakout effort, Holy F*ck (and Holy F*cked)!! As you’ll see, Cougar and Cub takes you to the less charted regions in the land of capes and cowls, and firmly into the Danger Zone!”

Plumb the depths of passion with our Love Is Gross variant, or take a trip to the golden age with our Flashback Backup variant cover!

 

B Cover

 

 

 

C Cover

 

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $3.99 (reg.), $4.99 (var.)

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COUGAR AND CUB #1 is due out on January 4, 2017.

Gotham S3E6 Mad City:Follow the White Rabbit

It looks like all hell is really about to break lose on Gotham. In the opening scene, a newly married couple head into their limousine only to find out the driver is the psychotic Mad Hatter.

Penguin is jubilant beyond belief in his manor, it seems he has found love. Not so surprisingly to me at least its the one and only Ed Nygma or the future Riddler.

Gordon and Valerie are talking and she asks to talk to Lee about Alice’s blood. As soon as she leaves the Mad Hatter’s white Rabbit tells Jim to follow him. Loving how truly Alice in Wonderland flows through  this season, though it isn’t really a surprise. Jim is forced to choose between saving a little boy and the married couple and no surprise, he chooses the little boy.

Lee and her Fiance are getting an engagement party from his father Carmine Falcone.Penguin goes to tell Nygma about his feelings but can’t bring himself to do it. Barnes is at the scene of the crime without his cane, and this surprises Bullock. They find the White Rabbit and realize Tetch is involved in all of this.

Jim is at the location Tetch told him to go to and he sees a terrible collage of the Hatter’s design. Tetch calls him and tells him to look through a “looking glass” and watches as Tetch has his Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum take Valerie away.

Babs and Tabitha are talking, we find out Butch is in a safe house. Jim comes into talk to Babs and ask where Tetch is but he only learns that she told Tetch everything. We see Tetch has also taken Lee and Jim is going to have to choose who he saves.

Barnes is feeling the side effects of Alice’s blood when Bullock tells him they have found Gordon. Gordon arrives at Tetch’s next round and must choose between a pediatrician and a news man, Jim refuses to kill anyone as the cops come in full force, the two men are electrocuted to death.

Penguin is visiting a school as a duty of his mayor-ship, when he finds a young boy who he helps out in his sick way. Penguin invites Ed to dinner and his good buddy accepts. Jim tells Barnes all about what Tetch is doing. Lee and Valerie are locked up in her house and talk about Jim and Alice Tetch’s blood but Lee  won’t have it.

Barnes sends out the cops as Jim talks to the White Rabbit and gets his final clue, its time for a Tea Party. Lee’s fiance storms in and Jim realizes he is the only who can help him. Valerie asks Lee why she came back to Gotham and while Lee breaks her chain, Valerie almost remains stuck. Jim arrives at the Tea Party with guns pointed at him, what could possibly happen next?

Gordon is told to put his gun on a tray and enjoy the party. Tetch tells the story of he and Alice as Mario Falcone sneaks into his own house. Tetch aims to figure out who Jim loves more so he can kill her. Mario Falcone appears but is soon locked up,  as Jim tears the Hatter apart with the truth about Alice. Tetch puts his gun against Jim’s head but can’t bring himself to shoot him.

Jim tells Tetch to shoot Lee and in doing so he shoots Valerie, I really hope she isn’t going to die. Jim, Lee, and Mario get Valerie to the hospital and Jim waits sorrowfully hoping Valerie is fine. Penguin waits at the manor practicing what he will say to Nygma. Nygma is buying a bottle of wine, when he is approached by a woman who looks strikingly like Kristin Kringle the one who Nygma loved.

She tells him a riddle and sparks fly, clearly she is going to cause chaos.Bullock and Jim talk and Bullock wishes Jim had come to talk to him. Jim sits with Lee and waits for Valerie to get out of surgery.

The next episode looks even crazier than this one and I can’t wait for Red Queen next week. I really am enjoying this season’s story lines.

 

 

 

Tim Miller Leaves Production of “Deadpool” Sequel

Since it’s release on Valentines Day 2016, Deadpool is the super hero movie that’s delighted all comic book fans. Despite it’s low budget and R-Rating, Deadpool successfully reigned in over $782 million worldwide and broke numerous box office records, including becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of 2016, the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (when un-adjusted for inflation), and the highest-grossing X-Men film. It’s a hell of an achievement for a movie that began production in 2004 and kept being placed in Production Hell.

So it’s understandable that fans were shocked and upset when Tim Miller, director of this highly overachieving movie, announced he’d be leaving the production on Deadpool 2.

Tim Miller cited his reasons for leaving as creative differences with leading man Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, Buried, R.I.P.D). This split was said to be a very mutual and amicable split between the two, but of course this comes to a massive blow to fans of the original hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking, R-Rated fest that was Deadpool.

Fans have been quick to share their reactions across Twitter;

Including Guardian’s of the Galaxy director James Gunn;

However, Deadpool fans should remain optimistic. While Tim Miller may no longer be directing, Ryan Reynolds is still very much on board production-wise, as he was last time. He loves and understands the character extremely well, and clearly has a lot of passion for the movies he’s creating for Deadpool. Hopefully soon, he will find a director who he agrees with on the direction of Wade Wilson’s story, and there will be crisp high-five’s all around.

Deadpool 2 is currently in production, and on schedule for release in 2018 at this time.

James Gunn Wants a Nebula solo movie as much as we do!

James Gunn has had quite a week this week. Not only has he delighted fans with an awesome new poster and a cool sneak peek at the eagerly awaited Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2, but he also stated on Twitter that he’d be up for doing a Nebula solo project in the future. The film maker, who regularly communicates with fans via social media, agreed with a comment made on Twitter by a fan who said Nebula was his favourite character and should have her own movie.

I have a few favorites myself, but I agree that Nebula should lead her own film – it's something I've thought about from the beginning. https://t.co/lyPAA6Hyxw

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 16, 2016

But before you start pre-ordering your Nebula movie t-shirt and tweeting Karen Gillan messages off congratulations (though she did reply to his tweet supporting the idea!), this may be easier said than done. The GotG franchise is very much built on an ensemble, and Marvel hasn’t yet made any moves to give the characters solo projects. Also, Marvel has their movie calendar filled up until 2020, so unless Nebula becomes a massive break out success in vol 2, it’s unlikely she’ll pull a Spider-Man and get her own film snuck in before then.

However, it’s not entirely hopeless. We do know that Nebula will have a significant role in GotG vol 2, which is great news, as in my opinion she was hideously underused in the first film! Also, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has suggested that Nebula will be round for a while. “If people know the comic lore, Nebula has a lot of varying different roles to play over the course of a lot of different titles in the comics,” he said. “We have somebody like Karen, and you have a look that is so weird and so great. I think that’s something we’d all like to see again.” It’s not yet confirmed if former Doctor Who star Karen Gillan has been cast in Avengers: Infinity War, but certainly it’s what the fans are hoping for.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 is released in the UK on 28th April and 5th May in the USA

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Legendary Artist And Preacher Co-Creator Steve Dillon Has Passed Away

Sorrowful news today as writer Warren Ellis has confirmed on Twitter that Steve Dillion has died. No details yet as to the cause of death.

Steve Dillion was the artist and co-creator of the hit Vertigo series Preacher with writer and frequent collaborator writer Garth Ennis. Preacher has recently been adapted to a TV show by AMC.

Steve Dillon began his career In the 1980s.His first professional comic book work came at age 16, drawing the lead story for the debut issue of Hulk Weekly for Marvel UK. He then went on to work for British comic book magazines Warrior, Doctor Who Magazine, and 2000 AD. In 1988, Dillon co-created a new comics magazine titled Deadline, which ran for seven years. His breakthrough into US comics came through a collaboration with none other than Garth Ennis on Vertigo Comics  John Constantine series Hellblazer.

Dillion also had iconic runs with Garth Ennis on the Punisher together they shaped what we know to be the punisher today. Dillion has returned the Punisher several times with different writers such as Jason Arron and was currently before his death working with writer/artist Becky Cloonan (All-New Punisher which has been an excellent run).

This is a big loss for the family and friends of Steve Dillion, our condolences go out to them in this difficult time.

Steve Dillion was a legend in the comic book industry who’s art will be remembered and deeply missed for years to come.

Will update this article as more information becomes available.

OMGunn! Guardians of the Galaxy Poster is Here!

James Gunn thinks it’s our birthday! Not only has he released a sneaky peek at GotG vol 2, but minutes later, he bestowed upon us a first look at the new poster. It’s brilliant. Obviously.

Don’t miss baby Groot popping out behind Star Lord’s leg.

Thank you, James Gunn. You have spoiled us!

James Gunn Releases Sneak Peek for Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2

James Gunn has spent months answering fans pleas for a GotG vol 2 trailer, and…. well, we still haven’t got one! But Gunn did take to Facebook to treat us with a sneak preview of the upcoming sequel, which stars Chris Pratt, Zoë Saldana and Vin Diesel.

The preview doesn’t disappoint and will whet fans’ appetites just enough, until the trailer is released (hopefully before Christmas!)

Guardians of the Galaxy will be out in cinemas 28th April in the U.K. (5th May in the USA)

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Who will Thanos Kill in Avengers: Infinity War?

Online geek news site ComicBookMovie.com has written an interesting opinion piece about the six characters most likely to be killed off in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War movies. Even though the first film isn’t due for release until 2018, there is a lot of speculation about who will make it out of the war alive.

If you’re interested in who the good people at CBM think will meet a premature end at the hands of giant purple villain Thanos (Josh Brolin), you can read all about it here. Over at Skatronixxx towers, I decided to have a bit of a ponder on the question too… and on some I totally agree, but some our opinions differ.

Place your bets, please!

1.Captain America aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans)

This almost seems like a forgone conclusion at this point. In the real world, we know that Chris Evans‘s contract with MCU has just about come to an end, and the man behind the shield may want to move on to pastures new. In the comics, Captain America has died before, and indeed, many fans were expecting to see Steve Rogers expire in the Civil War movie. So Cap dying towards the end of the movie would not be totally unexpected, and would pave the way for Falcon to pick up the mantle.

2. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr)/War Machine (Don Cheadle)

Now, there was some debate in our house about this one… War Machine was critically injured in Civil War, essentially making him a sitting duck when Thanos comes to town. I think he might be killed off early on, causing rage in the Avengers camp. Plus, Thanos just killed him in the comics, so it’s a real possibility. However, my partner raised a good point… Robert Downey Jr will have the same contract expiry as Chris Evans, so his tenure in the MCU could be coming to an end, making him a prime candidate for execution. My thought is, would MCU kill off two characters with the iron suits? I don’t feel like they would, and if one was to go, my money would be on War Machine, but maybe they’re in the mood for a shake up…?

3. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)

Apologies in advance to Jeremy Renner, but this one is a bit of wishful thinking for a lot of MCU fans. Hawkeye has been a bit of a dull character, and (as may people have commented) they’ve now introduced his lovely family and given him a bit of story. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN THAT YOU CANNOT HAVE NICE THINGS?! His death would spark rage in Black Widow (who won’t die because the internet wants to see her solo movie) and would have a tragic human angle as a husband/father would be lost. Also, there is literally zero talk of a Hawkeye solo outing, so he’d be an easy and dramatic kill – possibly to pave the way for the final battle.

4. Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)

Now this is a bit of an odd choice for me. I’ve based it on the fact that a) I don’t think all the lady characters will make it through the movies unscathed; b) Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Gamora and Captain Marvel will probably survive due to potential future movies; and c) they could always bring her back via Tahiti (it’s a magical place) if they wanted to. Maria’s been a bit quiet since The Winter Soldier movie, but Cobie Smulders is confirmed to be returning for Infinity War, so I think Ms Hill could make the list of Thanos’s casualties, possibly in a dramatic scene taking out a S.H.I.E.L.D office

5. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)

This is a bit of a wild card, and would possibly make a good cliffhanger for the end of Part 1. As we know, the Hulk is super powerful, so a being that could kill the Hulk would be a scary prospect for the ever-expanding band of superheroes. Again, this would be a huge blow for Black Widow (honestly, I’m not anti-Black Widow, I just think there’s more interesting women they could be featuring for solo projects…) so perhaps bumping off Barton AND Banner would be overkill (pun totally intended!) but possibly necessary to have a big finish to lead into part 2.

At this point, I realise I’ve killed off nearly all the original Avengers. This was not intentional, though would be an interesting play, MCU…

6. Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) 

I think the big blue guy is going to be the last fatality at Thanos’s hand, and I think he’s going to take the purple fella with him. In the comics, Drax and Thanos have got history – in fact, Drax died at one point attacking Thanos (oops!). In the movie Guardians of the Galaxy it was established that Drax would not rest until he had got vengeance for the murder of his family, and that they could not rest in piece until Thanos was defeated. A hero’s sacrifice is often required in these stories, and Drax seems like the most likely candidate for this. Sorry man, I’ll be sad to see you go!

Do you agree? Disagree? Have you got any better ideas? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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