An Interview With Cosplayer Miss Torii

Hi Readers

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Miss Torii! What can I say about Miss Torii?  Besides being an amazingly cool person she’s also an awesome cosplayer, so an interview was a no brainer. Let’s find out some more about Miss Torii.

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I started cosplaying about 3 years ago. It all started because a local horror convention was happening in my area. I decided to dress up just for fun. I noticed a lot of people dressed up and started talking to them. They asked me what other cons I cosplay at. This was the first time I heard of the word cosplay. The more I talked to other cosplayers, the more cosplay interested me. I didn’t know there was a word for it. Finally others who shared what i loved to do.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

My inspirations come from comics (MARVEL/DC) that I read and collect. I also get ideas from Disney movies that I have watched since I was little girl and recent Disney shows that I have watched with my daughter.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

I think it all depends on the character I’m cosplaying. Most of my cosplays are either from thrift stores or I sew my own. If I buy them from the thrift store, I have to alter them to fit the character. The most difficult part of sewing some of my cosplays is that there is no pattern. I like to do my own rendition of character I like. So just depending on the ncharacter either I will make it from scratch or I have to alter certain clothes to fit the character.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

Gwenpool has to be my favourite and the most fun!

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

Amazing!!!!! Seeing everyone dressed up and seeing their cosplays always amazes me. I love being around that atmosphere! Plus meeting others who love what you do is awesome too!

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

I just attended Comicpalooza. Any conventions that are in Texas are the ones I attend. I want to attend Alamo City Comic Con, Omnicon, Realms Con. Hopefully you will see me at some of those!

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

I would make a HULKBUSTER cosplay just to do it!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

Just have fun! There is no right way to cosplay! Try not to get caught up with negativity in the cosplay community….example cosplay bullying, fat shaming, slut shaming, are just a few. I have been a target for some of these. It happens to a lot of cosplayers and a lot give up because of hateful comments. My advice is to ignore it, have fun, and remember why you wanted to cosplay. Go out there and have fun!

9) Where can we find you online?

• Facebook – MissTorii
• Instagram –M1ss_Torii
• Twitter – @misstorii956

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There you go readers Miss Torii! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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Constantine Is BACK! Could We Be In Line For A Tv Series Return?

Constantine fans rejoice! The show is back, although sadly it’s not back for a second series, with the news that CW have acquired the show and are showing it for FREE (yes free) on CW Seed, this had sparked a frenzy of rumors that the show could be coming back.

Now don’t get me wrong I love El Rey, they are constantly putting shows out there of top quality that may not have got picked up elsewhere, they are also the home of the number one wrestling promotion right now Lucha Underground. That’s why I trusted them 100% or that was until the pulled the plug on Constantine. I don’t understand the reasons for it, but needless to say I went into a Firefly like state of denial before finally coming to terms with the shows demise quite recently.

So why have CW picked up the show? Well they already have an impressive array of shows in Supergirl, Riverdale, Frequency, Beauty And The Beast and oh yeah most importantly Arrow, to name but a few. yes I know I left out Vampire Diaries, The Flash, The Originals, Legends Of Tomorrow and The 100. I feel that this was less about the chance of reviving the show but more about stocking up on it’s DC heavy content.

It makes sense for CW to get the rights to the show after all it owns most if not all of the other DC television adaptations. Plus what’s more within the DC Universe there are frequent crossovers, so when you’re watching Arrow and John Constantine makes an appearance you know he’s the number one badass in exorcism and the demonic black arts.

Could the fact the show has been picked up, mean we could be in for a long awaited and much hoped for second series? Well in reality sadly not, as the cast and crew were released from their contracts once negotiations to try and save the show had failed. Although with the news that the Dark Justice League is set to be animated rather than live action, there may be a tiny sliver of hope.

Constantine, however, did pop up in Arrow’s fourth season when he was brought in by Oli to try and resolve the Sara Lance Lazarus Pit problem. Let’s face it he stole the show in that one episode and CW you would be mad not to pick this series up, then again you didn’t renew The Secret Circle so I’m not holding out any hope.

Just incase you miss our favourite exorcist, here’s the official trailer from the show below

Arrow Fans Rejoice! Diggle Is Returning Without The *Magneto* Helmet!

Arrow fans, rejoice John ‘Diggle’ is returning for Arrow Season 5, not only that but he’ll be returning minus the highly controversial Magneto styled helmet. I for one think Diggle is pure badass, he’s the muscle behind Team Arrow and has anyone ever considered the possibility of David Ramsey as the next James Bond or Jason Bourne? I for one could see it. However for all of Diggles’ toughness and dependability, there was one thing that I could not take seriously, THAT HELMET! Now don’t get me wrong if you’re a badass supervillan aka Magneto you can wear purple and a silly helmet and still strike fear into people because you are a pure combination of awesomeness and evilness, but for Digs, sadly even though he is one tough guy, not even him could pull that look off.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you got a young family and you’re fighting some seriously bad people to save your city on a daily basis, you’ll need some form of protection. But not that, come on DC get original, get some inspriation from somewhere, if you’re gunna take some inspiration, don’t take it from arguably one of the greatest villans from the Marvel Universe of all time. That’s like Marvel ripping off The Penguin *finds The Owl online* oooooooh right!

So what will this new helmet look like? Will it be a Doctor Doom inspired mask? Well all we can say is that we don’t know BUT it will be designed by none other than the lovable sidekick of The Flash, Cisco Ramon aka Vibe. You know that means? ARROW-FLASH crossover YAY!!!

This was confirmed by Ramsey at fan event Heroes & Villains Fan Fest 2016, when answering questions from the crowd he responded by saying ‘Season 5, you will see a Cisco-created new mask for Diggle.’

I for one am psyched about this news for three reasons. 1)Diggle is back 2)The Silly helmet is gone 3)Arrow-Flash crossover.

What do you think? Are you glad that the helmet is gone, Diggle is back and we’re getting another crossover episode? Let us know!

Nicolas Winding Refn Interested in Directing a Batgirl Movie

Nicolas Winding Refn, director of the recently released The Neon Demon, has expressed an eagerness to direct a Batgirl movie.

Refn’s The Neon Demon, which has encountered some very mixed reviews, is his first movie with a female lead. This isn’t for a lack of trying though – Refn also expressed interest in directing a Wonder Woman movie. Obviously, this didn’t pan out (Warner Bros. and DC’s Wonder Woman due out next year has Patty Jenkins directing) – but now Refn has brought up another DC superheroine.

Refn told Business Insider in a recent interview;

“God, I would love to make one [a superhero movie], it would probably be great fun, I just don’t know when it’s going to happen. I very much enjoy my freedom creatively, but I also would love to make one of those big Hollywood films that costs a lot of money and has a lot of people running around with cell phones and all that insanity.”

When asked what hero he’d like to work with, he thought for a moment (“What ones are left?”) before continuing on “You know the one I want to do? I want to make Batgirl. Let’s get Warner working on it.”

Refn has shown with The Neon Demon that he can make a dark, beautifully visual movie with an interesting lead protagonist – it’s the story of a young girl (Elle Fanning –  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Super 8, Malificent) as she succumbs to her career in the fashion world of Los Angeles. It’s described as a gory thriller show – so perhaps not something Warner Bros. would be interested in to keep it’s PG-13 rating with it’s movies. But, at the very least, it would be visually interesting.

Perhaps one day we’ll see Batgirl hit the big screen – she’s already rumoured to be part of the Harley Quinn standalone project, slated to star and be produced by Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, . Robbie would be reprising the role as the anti-heroine after her debut in Suicide Squad, due for release this summer.

But whether Barbara Gordon, or any of the Batgirls will ever have a stand-alone, or if Refn would be crowned director, is something we’ll just have to wait and see about.

Comic Creators You Should Follow On Twitter

Ever wonder what your favourite comic book creators are really like beyond the pages? Do you have questions about their creative processes ? Twitter is the best to find your answers!

These are some of the creators I follow.

The frist creator I believe you should be following is Greg Capullo (@GregCapullo). Greg has just recently finished a five-year run drawing Batman For DC. Greg first and foremost is hilarious. Fair warning if you can’t take a joke or are easily offended this account is not for you to follow. If you think you can troll Greg, you are wrong he is a master troll slayer. Besides the entertainment factor, Greg interacts a lot with his fans and regularly shows art progress for his current projects. I met Greg at the Fanexpo Canada convention fours years ago (plan on meeting him again this Sept at Fanexpo Canada) and I have to say he is one of the nicest and coolest creators in the business.

Todd Nauck (@ToddNauck) is another comic book artist who has worked for Marvel And DC, as well as Image. Todd will do a periscope broadcast of him drawing while interacting with viewers as best he can. He will also usually do a Q&A with the viewers after he is finished drawing. The coolest thing is when Todd goes to a convention he holds a contest on Twitter. Todd will post commissions he does for fans on Twitter and to enter you just retweet one or all of the sketches he posts during the three or four days of the convention. Once Todd is back from the convention, he uses a random number generator to determine the winner. The prize is an original head sketch of a character of your choice personalised to you. For more specific details check the link in his bio.

Ryan Stegman (@RyanStegman) is a Marvel comic book artist who is currently drawing Uncanny Avengers. Ryan a daily sketch warm up usually every morning from Monday to Friday. About an hour, before he broadcasts on periscope, he sends out a tweet asking for character suggestion. Once the broadcast is over, Ryan puts the sketch up for sale on his site and is usually gone in a matter of minutes.

Jim Zub (@JimZub) Is a comic book writer who has worked for Marvel (currently writing Thunderbolts. get it if you can ) and has two creator owned books through Image (Skullkickers available in trade paperback and Wayward available in trade paperback and currently ongoing. Also recommend getting it). Jim interacts quite a lot with fans and has a website full of priceless advice for becoming a professional writer in the comic book industry, as well as some business and networking information.

These are just a few of the creators I follow. The chances are high your favourite comic book creator is on Twitter; it seems to be the preferred social media platform. Give them a Google or Twitter search to find out.

My article output will be slowed down for a little bit in the coming week or so. I will be moving my family to a better living situation, and Canada Day is right around the corner.

I do have some articles and ideas in the works. I plan on reviewing All-Star Batman #1 by Scott Snyder, John Romita Jr,  Jock, Sean Murphy and Kill or be Killed #1 by Ed Brubaker And Sean Philips shortly after their respected releases in August. These two books, in my opinion, are going to be the biggest releases for the mainstream and creator-owned markets this summer.

 

Marvel & DC Vs Everyone Else

With  superhero movies dominating the box office, and their comics now in the forefront of mainstream media are there any alternatives to spandex, super strength and speed?

Many people’s first comic was a superhero comic. Whether it was a Marvel comic like Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, X-force or Avengers, or a DC comic like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League, Wonder Woman or Green Arrow. Chances are we all started out with one of those titles.

Depending on the time in your life you discovered comics you may or may not feel that the current state of superhero comics in 2016 is a bit stagnate and somewhat frustrating. In the past five years, alone Marvel and DC have rebooted and relaunched their universes numerous times. Countless #1 issues have been appearing on comic shop shelves, which for the most part is to increase sales and to attract new readers.

With superhero movies making big money at the box office this makes sense from a business standpoint. The thing is that rebooting an entire universe messes with some 30-75 years of history depending on the character. This contradicting information can confuse new readers as well as longtime fans, and unfortunately, can anger them to the point of uttering death threats. (Sigh…which is a topic for another article)

The significant events that Marvel and DC have every summer have been criticised as a cash grab. Many Events required you to buy books outside of the main storyline to get the full story. Thankfully recently that has started to change.

That being all said there is a certain predictability to superhero stories. We know when a Character is “killed” off they are never really dead for long. The many crossovers with other books in the universe, with minimal new characters created, makes for a not so bright future for superhero comics.

What I believe we should consider and support are creator-owned comic books. Creator-owned comics are original ideas and intellectual property owned by the creative team. The creators do not answer to a corporate overseer, they have complete control and say in their creation.

Image Comics is a publisher that releases 100% creator-owned comics. In the past four or five years, Image Comics popularity and sales have grown significantly. Thanks to comics like The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman Tony Moore and Charlie Adler, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark and East of West by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta. Many of these creators made their name with their work at Marvel and DC, which helped them sell their projects at Image.

Comics publisher IDW has the comic book rights some of the 80’s and 90’s biggest tv shows and movies such as Transformers, G.I Joe, Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and My Little Pony. They have also brought back older ones like Godzilla, Star Trek and the Rocketeer. IDW even had the 10th season of X-Files before its recent return to tv back  in January.

Other smaller publishers like Boom Studios, Comix Tribe, Oni Press, and many others offer original comic properties. While it may seem like a risk to invest in non-superhero comics, it’s worth it for the variety available today. You also have countless free webcomics and Kickstarter campaigns from amateurs and professionals.

Don’t get me wrong I still pick up a few superhero titles; I’m not saying there aren’t any good superhero titles at all, just not nearly as many as there used to be. So if you find yourself like me lacking a choice in mainstream comics take a chance with creator-owned comics. When you support them, the creators get the money directly allowing them to help themselves and continue to create great content. Many creators have had some awful experiences with Marvel and or DC so supporting their dreams, in turn, gives you new, exciting comics to read.

It would be great to see creator-owned comics surpass Marvel and DC in sales. Hopefully, that day is soon the odds are in their favour.

 

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow Season 2 News!!

With the departure of Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) (sob!) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee), our lovable time travelling misfit crew of  Legends will need replacements.

Good news first! Word has it that one of these replacements will be Vixen, that lady granted a very special bond with animals via the magical Tantu Totem, supposedly created by  the African Trickster God, Anansi the Spider.

Vixen aka Mari McCabe has already made a live action appearance in the Arrowverse, helping Ollie (Stephen Amell) and Team Arrow to save his son but here is where the bad news bit comes in. Megalyn Echikunwoke, the actress whose role this has been since the inception of the animated CW Seed series, is not available to play Vixen for Legends. Her career has taken off, and she just plain will not have the time to be a Legends regular. She will be able to continue with her voiceover for the animated series. Rumor has it that she may even be able to make a guest appearance or two on any of the CW’s Arrowverse shows.

However, and this is important, Vixen will NOT be recast for Legends. The role will instead involve an older Vixen, who may or may not be related to Mari McCabe. The infinite possibilities of time travel means that there could be a Vixen team up at some point.

At this point the role has not yet been cast. Stay tuned to Skatronixxx.com for news relating to Vixen, and other possible characters for the upcoming Legends season. In the meantime, who do you think should be cast as the older Vixen? What other DC characters would you like to see either as guest appearances or regulars?

Just in case you missed this badass woman on Arrow….

 

‘DC Animation’ To Tackle ‘Justice League Dark’ Next

DC Animations much-anticipated DVD/Blu-Ray release of Batman: The Killing Joke, offers up fans an “exclusive sneak peek at the next DC Universe Original Movie.” And its going to get dark.

Sources close to Comicbook.com brought attention to a listing courtesy of the BBFC, which reveals bonus features on The Killing Joke includes “A Sneak Peek at Justice League Dark.“

Fans of the dark and macabre corner of the DC universe will be familiar with the title that sees mystic wielders like John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and Swamp Thing deal with supernatural entities that The Justice League proper can’t.

A live action adaptation of Justice League Dark has long been in the works at Warner Bros. with Guillermo del Toro attached. But the Director step down late last year in order to produce the project alongside Oscar winner Scott Rudin, who was keen to push the project through with shooting possibly taking place this year.

Reports regarding the planned movie have been scarce since then however, with many believing that the rescheduling of DC’s Extended Universe in light of Dawn of Justice’s less than stellar performance at the box office. May have nixed Warner Bros. planned creation of a Dark Universe – of which Justice League Dark would be its headliner – in favour of more popular characters such as Harley Quinn and Batman receiving their own solo movies.

If this is the case, an animated film would be a great way to give fans of Justice League Dark comics something to look forward. While introducing these characters to a new audience with the prospect of a live action adaptation further down the line, should demand grow for it.

Batman: The Killing Joke will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray & DVD on August 2, with a Digital format premiering before then on July 26.

Until then enjoy the Trailer below:

For all your Film News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

‘Superman’ To Appear In ‘Supergirl’ Season 2

Supergirls move to CW has ushered in a new era for the Daughter of Krypton. Not only will Kara & Co. feature more predominantly in Arrow-verse’s annual crossover event, but CW has now been allowed to introduce their own version of DC’s poster boy , Superman.

“Greg [Berlanti], Ali [Adler] and I are beyond thrilled to welcome Clark Kent and his slightly-more-famous alter ego to the world of Supergirl“, revealed executive producer Andrew Kriesberg. “Superman will be appearing in the first two episodes of the new season and we cannot wait to see who next dons the red cape!“

Although Supergirl fans have seen Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) cousin crop up in the pilot episode – albeit draped in shadow – and exchange words of wisdom via email from time-to-time. This will be the first time that Clark Kent will be introduced on screen as casting is currently underway to find CW’s Man of Steel.

With the network previously confirming that Supergirl will appear alongside Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow in the mega-crossover this year. It remains to be seen whether or not Superman will play a part or featured predominantly further down the line.

Supergirl Season 2 will premier on CW this fall.

For all your TV News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Justice League Movie Title Officially Revealed.

After many rumors surrounding the title of the Justice League movie, Geoff Johns took to twitter to clear any misconceptions, and confirmed that the Justice League movie will simply be called Justice League. 

Clearing up any misconceptions — the Justice League movie is called "Justice League". @BenAffleck @GalGadot @ZackSnyder Happy Friday!

— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) June 4, 2016

Geoff Johns is the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics, and the newly appointed co-chief of the DC films alongside Jon Berg.

Justice League is currently filming in London and is expected to roll into theaters on November 17 2017.