Monthly Archives: June 2019
Why We Love Superhero Movies
Much has been said about the public’s deep, ongoing fascination with superhero movies. And rightfully so: At the time of this writing, Avengers: Endgame is tracking to generate more than 2.75 billion dollars globally. They’re seen by most as a necessary escape from the grim realities, unrelenting politics and social drama of today, and in turn, by some folks as a modern replacement for Greek and Roman mythologies. A true cynic would characterize them as toy commercials for adult men, barely worthy of deeper examination.
Personally, I’ve always been interested in the second interpretation, but would go one step further to say that superheroes, and even the gods and monsters that they’re based on, actually exist as modern parables. They illustrate various aspects of the human condition in a way that (not unlike the aforementioned mythologies many of us are still familiar with today) appeals to a broad segment of the population.
Magic: The Gathering SDCC 2019 Exclusive Cards Feature Gods and Dragons
Magic: The Gathering has revealed its San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Dragon's Endgame, a five-pack that celebrates the recent War of the Spark expansion with Eternal Gods and the Dragon-God Nicol Bolas.
As reported by io9, the five-pack includes four God-Eternals - Rhonas, Bontu, Kefnet, and Oketra, and the Dragon-God Nicol Bolas. Dragon's Endgame is also presented in special edition packaging the includes a double-sided sleeve an a box that is able to display each of the cards.
The five cards feature exclusive artwork by Adam Paquette and are presented with a striking shadow presentation that gives each card a unique and artistic look.
Black Widow Movie Villain May Be Taskmaster
Spy photos from the set of Black Widow -- a project neither Marvel Studios nor Disney have yet to officially confirm is even filming, even though it clearly is -- reveal a nefarious-looking character who appears to be the villainous Taskmaster.
The images -- which we won't link to here but can be easily found on social media -- reveal a masked, male character wearing blue and metallic grey armor with what appears to be a hood and a backpack of some sort (maybe a jet-pack?).
Update: Astral Chain NOT Planned As First Game in a Trilogy After All
Update 6/27: It turns out reports that Astral Chain was planned to be the first game in a trilogy were caused by a mistranslation in an interview with game director Takahisa Taura. Taura clarified on Twitter that he said he is simply thinking about how Astral Chain could be expanded into a trilogy if the first game sells well, not that the first game is already planned to set up two more.
It's a subtle but important distinction to make, as the implication of this game being only the first of three is that the story it tells might leave things hanging. Taura's tweet did, however, reconfirm the initial reports that no additional content is planned for Astral Chain.
Locke & Key’s Joe Hill Launches Horror Imprint at DC
DC may have recently announced the end of the long-running Vertigo imprint, but fans needn't worry about a sudden lack of mature readers-focused horror comics. Today DC announced a new horror imprint called Hill House Comics, spearheaded by Locke & Key and NOS4A2 creator Joe Hill.
Entertainment Weekly broke the news, revealing that the initial Hill House Comics lineup will consist of five series. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an early glimpse at covers for all five titles:
Dr. Disrespect’s Twitch Ban Has Been Lifted
The popular Twitch streamer Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm has been reinstated after a two-week ban.
Beahm's channel, which currently has just under 3.5 Million followers on Twitch (several thousand of them being paid subscribers), was initially banned during E3 2019, when Beahm repeatedly entered convention center restrooms while broadcasting live to his Twitch channel.
In addition to this being against the law in California, it's also a violation of Twitch's community guidelines, which states "Sharing content that violates another's reasonable expectation of privacy" (like they're using the restroom) as a valid reason for banning a user. Beahm also had his E3 badge revoked by the ESA, according to a report from Kotaku.
Terraria Coming to Switch This Week
Terraria is finally making its way to Nintendo Switch with a release date unexpectedly set for June 27 - that's tomorrow!
A Terraria forum post announcing the date said that the initial release will be digital only, but that a physical retail version would eventually follow. Developer Re-Logic explained that "since the game is ready, we figured we would just get it into your hands as soon as possible."
Marvel’s Kevin Feige Responds to Gay Controversy in Avengers: Endgame
While doing press for Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige responded to the gay controversy in Avengers: Endgame. And we’re not talking about how the movie showed characters sporting a glowing rainbow glove knowing full well they were wearing Pride apparel before June!
Feige responded to a question from io9 about how the LGBTQ+ community was disappointed with how Marvel debuted the first ever gay character in an MCU movie. But before we get to what the Marvel mastermind said, we should point out who we're talking about, as it was a character who was easy to miss. We’re referring to the man in the group therapy scene with Steve Rogers who talks about his date with another man that ended in tears. There have been a few different sticking points with this from both queer fans and allies.
Tom Holland Details His Nixed Into the Spider-Verse Cameo
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has revealed what his cut cameo from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was going to be.
Speaking with the UK outlet JOE, Holland revealed "At one point I was supposed to be in it. There was going to be another Peter Parker. There was like a scene in a train station or something, it was gonna be like an Easter egg. I was gonna walk through the background and say like 'Hey, kid' or something. Never happened.” To this, he added: "Heartbroken.”
EXCLUSIVE: Tom Holland was meant to cameo in the excellent Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - here's what would have been in his cut scene... pic.twitter.com/R6nUx6XeNT
How Marvel’s War of the Realms Changes Thor Forever
Marvel's latest crossover event has changed the god of thunder forever.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for War of the Realms #6!
Thor has been through a real rough patch lately. He lost the ability to wield Mjolnir in 2014's Original Sin, followed by his left arm. These defeats lead to Jane Foster taking up the hammer and the mantle of Thor. And even though the Odinson recently reclaimed that mantle, Mjolnir itself was destroyed in the heart of the sun, leaving Thor to settle for an armory of lesser hammers instead.