In which, the guys discuss a topic very near and dear to Andrew’s heart: what is it that sums up the existence of Superman. Dude is actually on the east coast for this one and the energy in the room is palpable. The quintessential argument on the table is whether or not Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel, in which Superman breaks Zod’s neck, is an accurate interpretation of who Superman is and should be.
Starting off this week’s Around the Web is something I am super excited about. Fox has confirmed that there will be a new Alien movie and it will be directed by Neill Blomkamp! For those who remember, a few months ago, Blomkamp had posted some amazing concept art with the regrettable caption that it looked like the project was off. It’s thought that this was due in large part to the lackluster performance of Prometheus, the semi-Alien prequel. I am super excited for this news as I was really disappointed that Blomkamp’s previous announcement had indicated that there would be no Alien project with him. Also, given his success with other, less conventional science fiction stories like District 9, I’m exceptionally optimistic that this will be a stellar film. Let’s face it, there is no possible way on Earth, or any other planet, that it could be worse than Alien3 .
I want this soooooo bad!
This might have been the best news I’ve heard all 2015.
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most badass motherf!@#ers in pop culture–just ask him! (I would personally ask just because I want to hear him say motherf!@#er.) Recently, Mr. Jackson told MTV that he couldn’t figure out why DC has been unable to energize it’s fans as much as Marvel has. I’m a huge Batman fan and I like 95% of Man of Steel, but I have to admit that I agree with Sam on this one. Marvel has done an overall better job at making their cinematic universe accessible to the masses. They take place in the same cities we live in and their heroes are flawed and more relate-able, on a personal level. This is of course one of the time honored arguments in the Marvel Vs. DC debate, but at least when it comes to movies, Marvel is winning this one.
Motherf!@#er!
Now on to a front that DC has definitely had the lead in for quite some time: television. Fox has announced that they will be creating a pilot for Lucifer. A spin off of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Lucifer follows the ruler of hell after he abandons his post and decides to move to Los Angeles. While many people have been particularly hard on Fox’s current DC based show Gotham (which personally I quite enjoy), there is hope for this one as there is an all-star production team on board, including veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Californication writer Tom Kapinos. I’m not exactly sure what made DC choose this particular story, especially given the rough start that their other supernatural show, Constantine, has had. Whatever the case may be, I will certainly give the show a try and do my best to judge it on it’s own merits.
There is something fitting about Lucifer moving to LA. I mean it’s basically hell on Earth already. 😉
Filed under Around the Web, Comics, Movies, Television, Weekly
The biggest news by far this week came out Wednesday with HBO announcing they would be starting a streaming service. I, like many people, have been getting more and more annoyed with the idiotic cost of cable TV, but continue to pay for it because it’s the only way to get HBO and get my Game of Thrones fix. Now that HBO is going to making their content available for $15 a month, I’ll be ditching cable. And while I don’t think this will be the end of cable TV as we know it, it definitely is stirring the pot a little bit.
HBO says they’re trying to reach the 10 million homes that don’t have cable, but I think all they’re going to do is increase that number.
Also on Wednesday, DC announced its film line up through 2020. While this lineup is on par with what Marvel has done so far, it does strike me as a little ambitious. DC’s track record for movies has been a bit more mixed than Marvel’s. Admittedly The Dark Knight Trilogy did very well, but Man of Steel wasn’t quite as strong, and Green Lantern was a complete box office disaster. On a positive note, the line up itself looks like good choices, with the exception of Suicide Squad. I love quirky Harley Quinn as much as the next person, but I’m just not sure that’s going to work on the big screen. Hopefully I’m wrong, though.
I’m also looking forward to Jason Momoa as Aquaman. That guy is a total badass.
Finally, NYCC has over taken San Diego as the largest comic book convention in America, at least as far as attendance is concerned. ReedPOP is reporting that 151,000 people attended NYCC over all four days. Last year the con was limited to 133,000 people, but the organizers were able to increase this number by selling more single day tickets to Thursday and Friday. Even with this increased number, the general feeling was that the convention didn’t feel nearly as much like bedlam as it had the last couple years, especially on Saturday. And while it may now boast a larger attendance that San Diego, NYCC still lacks some the big movie and TV announcements that fans have come to expect at SDCC.
I’m curious to see what San Diego does in response.
Filed under Around the Web, Weekly
In which Andrew and Tracy discuss their favorite origin stories, and what makes a good origin story. Origin stories aren’t limited to comic books, and we’ve got some good ones to talk about. Also, there is some random bantering back and forth. Tracy accidentally spoils Game of Thrones Season 4, and Andrew promises to edit it out. We wrap up by telling Therefore I Geek’s own origin story, in celebration of our first anniversary.
Podcast Links:
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
Filed under Podcast
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