by Damon Martin

When director Christopher Nolan took over the ailing Batman franchise with 2005’s Batman Begins, expectations were exceptionally low after the one-time powerful film series had been reduced to a less than Adam West-worthy version in the final two ‘90s movies.

Nolan resurrected the bat with Batman Begins and raised the stakes even higher with 2008’s The Dark Knight, which is now seen as one of, if not the greatest, single comic book movie ever made. It was with baited breath then that comic book and movie fans alike anticipated the release of Nolan’s final film in the Batman trilogy, aptly titled The Dark Knight Rises.

The film was a guaranteed hit even before it was released in theaters today. The real question therefore was how much quality would be in Nolan’s film to go along with the quantity of tickets that would assuredly be sold.

A the point where the story picks up, our hero Bruce Wayne (played brilliantly by Christian Bale, who was the best Batman this side of Michael Keaton) has been retired for 8 years. Meanwhile Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) has managed to clean up Gotham City to a pristine level, and organized crime has been wiped off the map. Enter big, bad mercenary Bane (Tom Hardy), whose sole purpose in life is seemingly to create anarchy in a world ruled by an iron fist. Without giving away any kind of spoilers, the depths of this plot go much deeper than a madman hell bent on chaos (see The Joker in The Dark Knight for a lesson in that).

The dialogue and story in The Dark Knight Rises are once again superb. Nolan and his brother Jonathan have woven a tale that pays homage to both great cinema and the comic books the characters were based on. There are more than a few twists and turns, and while most take place in the final 30-minutes of the film, the set up that leads up to the final few scenes is brilliant.

Bale is a stalwart in his role as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire philanthropist, who has become a bit of a hermit since his caped alter-ego became vilified instead of celebrated. Anne Hathaway gives a strong performance as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, although her purr isn’t nearly as powerful as Michelle Pfeiffer’s as seen in1992’s Batman Returns. Still, Hathaway plays a coy and younger version of the classic cat burglar, and a much more modern Selina Kyle for those that read any modern Batman comic books.

The brutish and powerful Bane played by Tom Hardy is a far, far cry from the outstanding and commanding performance given by the late Heath Ledger in his portrayal as The Joker in the last Batman film, but these are two completely different characters. Bane is a hulking thug who uses his fists and fighting style to get his point across, rendering the muffled words that come out of his mask covered mouth almost irrelevant. Hardy should still be commended however for being the element that makes Batman look mortal, as he casts a rather large, muscular shadow over the Dark Knight. The real star in this film however is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays beat cop John Blake. Levitt shines in a cast full of stars with his quiet and calm demeanor. He unleashes a masterful performance when the buttons get pushed and the bombs start exploding.

If there is one complaint to be made in The Dark Knight Rises, it’s some classic comic book mistakes and plot holes that open up during some of the film’s lesser moments, but those are quickly cast aside thanks to a determined screenplay interlaced with quick, slashing dialogue and plotlines.

The Dark Knight Rises is the final cape and cowl movie from director Christopher Nolan, and while rumors have already begun to swirl that another filmmaker will soon take over the reigns of the powerful DC franchise, it really seems like a shame. Much like when Superman 2 ended and you felt a real sense of closure, the final moments of The Dark Knight Rises makes you believe this is just the way the Batman story was meant to end.

With this film, Nolan’s showed everybody once again that comic books aren’t just for kids and great filmmaking can also involve a superhero wearing a cape and a cowl. The Dark Knight Rises may not be on par with its predecessor, but in the pantheon of great film trilogies, this Batman story can be seen as one complete masterpiece with no failing parts tearing at the seems of a perfectly woven story.

by A.J. Focht

San Diego Comic Con 2012 was packed with so much news that we couldn’t fit it all in one place. Yesterday, I covered the news about the major movies coming from Marvel and DC. In this column, we’ll take a look at some other movies and the rest of the news from the nerd fest.

It was a few years ago at 2006 Comic Con when Edgar Wright first talked about doing an Ant-Man movie. While there still isn’t a date scheduled for it, Wright did come out during the Marvel movie news panel to show off a short teaser trailer. All of the copies of the teaser that made it online were promptly taken down, but the fans that saw it at Comic Con have been raving about it.

If they don’t get their skates on and hit a looming contractual deadline, Fox face losing the rights to Daredevil, a prospect that’s becoming all the more real now that David Slade is out of the picture and the project is director-less. However the studio is moving forward with a new Fantastic Four project before they lose control of those rights too. Josh Trank, director of Chronicle, is confirmed as the director for the upcoming Fantastic Four flick. Fox still has the Wolverine and First Class sequels to push out before they move on the Fantastic Four project however. We’re told there will be an entirely new cast, but it is unclear if the forthcoming Fantastic Four film will be a reboot or in the same continuity. It is confirmed that Jeremy Slater will be writing the next movie though.

Kick-Ass 2 has signed most of the cast from the original film. Christopher Mintz-Plasse confirmed that filming for Kick-Ass 2 will commence in September. There is no scheduled date for the film’s release as of now.

The CW’s The Arrow is turning out to be a much darker show than any superhero TV series before it. Calling The Arrow a superhero show might be a stretch as what we’re seeing in the previews makes him out to be quiet the anti-hero. This is the Green Arrow like you’ve never seen before. In the newest clip released by the CW, Green Arrow kills several of his captors to protect his identity.

Suck it, Wolverine! That’s the tagline of the new Deadpool video game being designed by High Moon Studios. The merc’ with a mouth is getting his own game where he’s going to kick a bunch of ass, make a ton of inappropriate jokes, and constantly break the fourth wall. The trailer for the game captures Deadpool’s unique sense of humor and has fans ready well ahead of the 2013 release.

DreamWorks animation is in talks with Classic Media to acquire several classic cartoon properties. Among the titles included in the $150 million dollar package are: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Voltron, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Waldo from ‘Where’s Waldo’, and Lone Ranger. If DreamWorks can make this deal happen, we will likely be seeing CGI remakes of all these titles in the coming years.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on October 14. Several of the cast were in attendance at SDCC for The Walking Dead panel, which featured clips from the upcoming season three as well as fan questions and answers. The full trailer, which was debuted at the panel, was released online, and there are some special surprises, including an appearance by the Governor.

To wrap things up, Karl Urban promised fans a sneak peak of Star Trek 2 during SDCC. He lived up to his promise, releasing a four minute video of him surfing while music plays. Only in the last ten seconds of the video is there some footage of a wrap from the Star Trek 2 set.

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Ur W33K 1N G33K: SD Comic Con 2012 Edition Part 1

by A.J. Focht

Last weekend was San Diego Comic Con, the premier nerd convention of the year. Both major comic companies were present as well as several movie studios, prominent actors, and nerd icons of all kinds. Everyone was eager to show off their newest projects.

New clips for The Dark Knight Rises were previewed at Comic Con. The first was a teaser of Morgan Freeman showing off a new vehicle, The Bat. The second clip establishes the movie takes place eight years after The Dark Knight in a conversation between Officer Blake and Commissioner Gordon. The Dark Knight Rises premiers in theaters July 20.

Batman is one of the most popular heroes in the world with one of the most iconic cars ever. This year at SDCC, each of the classic Batmobiles were on display. The Batmobiles were all lined up and a new documentary about the cars was previewed at the con. The Batmobile is a documentary that features Batmobiles throughout time and the Batmen that drove them.

A few weeks ago, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was rumored to be in talks for a DC movie. The Rock has now confirmed via Twitter that he is indeed in talks for a Lobo movie. While he is in talks, the Lobo movie might not be planned for a while.

The Man of Steel had a panel at Comic Con, helping shed some light on the rumors surrounding the project. A short clip was shown to the audience and it was met with positive reviews. There’s a new teaser poster on their Facebook page as well.

Iron Man 3 had a major presence at Comic Con. During the Iron Man 3 panel, Kevin Feage, Shane Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Don Cheadle were present to talk about the upcoming movie. They discussed both rumors and the movie story, without giving much of anything away. All of the Iron Man armor from the past movies, as well as the armor from the upcoming movie was on display as well. Men might not be the only ones putting on armor in Iron Man 3 however, the new rumor is Gwyneth Paltrow may be dawning the rescue armor this go around.

Marvel revealed the titles to their upcoming sequels at Comic Con, and it looks like Bucky is coming back since the title of the Captain America sequel is Captain America: Winter Soldier. Bucky was the original Winter Soldier so it seems likely he’s returning as a villain. While Bucky isn’t confirmed beyond the title, Falcon will make an appearance in the film. Anthony Mackie will be playing the part. Winter Soldier is scheduled to release April 14, 2014.

The Thor sequel is entitled, Thor: The Dark World. A few things are known about Thor at the moment. The movie will explore Thor and Jane’s relationship. Loki will not be the main villain in the film, and the current rumor mill points all signs to the Enchantress. With a new director on board, it’s set for theatres sometime in 2013.

Marvel officially confirmed they are filming Galactic Guardians after Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: Winter Soldier. They also revealed the cast of the Galactic Guardians team will include: Drax the Destoryer, Gamora, Groot, Star-Lord, and everyone’s favorite, Rocket Raccoon. Galactic Guardians is slated to start in theaters on August 1, 2014.

That’s the first half of Ur W33K 1N G33K’s Comic Con coverage. Check back in for the rest of the news from the convention.

by Blogbot

Here’s some of our favorite moments from Comic Con 2012. Tell us about yours in the comments section below.

“I love Comic Con so much. This year was my first time working the booth, so my favorite part was being able to meet so many girls and the fans! But the best part EVER was seeing Venom Suicide pole dance at the club after. She is soooo hot!” – LaneyChantal

“I had the moment of my life at Comic Con 2012. I met my hero, Morgan Spurlock – and I got to share a bed with Rambo! Also, we were lucky enough have Will Wheaton stop by our booth, and Cameron Stewart surprised us with a CCSD 2012 SG Exclusive Comic Drawing of all of us girls. It was just amazing!” – Ackley

“My favorite part was getting to see (and take pictures with) many different people in various costumes. I love to see what comic fans come up with. It was also fun to meet more SGs and instantly get along with them.” – Severen

“Being able to see Mark VIII from Iron Man 3 made me weak in the knees just a bit” – Tristyn

“The highlight of SDCC for me was meeting ‘Lenore’ creator Roman Dirge. He drew a quick sketch in the newest hardcover Lenore edition for me and we chatted about an upcoming movie. 
I also really enjoyed meeting the California Suicide Girls and having them sign my copy of the coffee table book.” – Thanatogenous

“Everything about ComicCon is so exciting and memorable. It’s the highlight of my year. It’s so hard to pick one thing as my favorite moment out of the five days of non-stop nerdsplosion of epicness. But, nothing beats the ‘con exclusive’ friendships that are formed and renewed while you’re geeking out together over booths, swag, and sneak-peek announcements. The SuicideGirl booth during SDCC is the best place to be in the world!” – Bob

“What better than meeting a bunch of beautiful girls and finding out that they are super nice and like to party as much as you? Nothing. Add a night of Andrew WK, sexy costumes and meeting some of the nicest fans into the equation, and it made for a win-win weekend!” – Brewin

“My highlight had to be when a guy dressed as Boba Fett dropped down on one knee and pretended to propose to me in front of a huge crowd. I almost passed out from excitement. That moment made the entire trip worth it!” – Phecda

“My favorite Comic Con 2012 moments were watching Bob Suicide rage at the Andrew WK/ SG party, hearing Sash Suicide squeal when she ran into Opie from Sons of Anarchy, seeing the look of excitement on Milloux Suicide’s face when she came face to face with her TV crush, talking to fans from all over the world, including Germany, England & Costa Rica, and the girl talk and gossip in the hotel with my fellow Suicide Girls. Nothing is bigger than SDCC and no one has more fun than the Suicide Girls ;)” – Tita

“My favorite comic con moment has to be the time I spend with all the girls, and catching Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men panel. – Lolana

“One of my favorite moments, or should I say hours, was at the DC booth. I was second in line for an Autograph by Scott Snyder (the New 52 Swamp Thing Batman). A very nice DC employee gave this obsessive fan girl a wristband for a later autograph session with Jim Lee (JLA, Infinite Crisis) and Geoff Johns (JLA, Green Lantern). Wristbands? I didn’t know anything about wristbands. He pulled one out of his pocket and put it on my arm. I drooled and contemplated hugging him. I now have several of the New 52 #1s double and triple signed by some of the most awesome people in the comic universe. Also, I acquired a variant cover of Lady Meachanika #3 (Aspen) and got it autographed by Joe Benitez – one of my favorite series that everybody should check out by the way. I thanked each one of them for all the awesome and can’t wait to come back next year.” – Elea

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to say hi. We loved meeting each and everyone of you, and really appreciate all the love and support. See you at Comic Con 2013 – we’re already country down the days.

In the meatime, we’ll leave you with this Mask & Cape interview featuring our friends Chubby Bunny and Yume Ninja of Bubble Punch who designed our fab cosplay outfits this year. Talking of which, what would you like to see us wearing next year…

[..]

by Blogbot

This year for Comic Con we’re cooking up an extra-special cosplay wardrobe, with a little help from clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel, pop-culture designers and event planners Bubble Punch, and our fave Sunset Strip geek emporium, Meltdown Comics.

Comic chic chicks Chubby Bunny and Yume Ninja of Bubble Punch have designed three different sexy cosplay themed outfits for our ladies to wear while they man our Comic-Con booth. Each of the outfits was made using basics available at your local American Apparel store.

Above is the third in our series of three cosplay videos. This one is a tutorial showing you how to recreate the Dalek costumes our ladies will be exterminating the competition in at Comic Con. Talking of competitions, we’ll be hosting a cosplay competition at a party at 4th & B on Friday July 13th, which will feature performances by Andrew W.K., Peanut Butter Wolf, Hottub, Alexander Spit, and Franki Chan.

You can also catch our ladies in their cosplay outfits at booth #1730 of Comic Con San Diego 2012. If you’re planning on attending the convention on more than one day, be sure to come back and visit us again, since our team of sexy booth girls will be cosplaying new outfits each day!

We’ll have a veritable army of Suicide Girls on hand at the booth, which will include Venom, Severen, Seizure, Brewin, Dice, Elea, Alicee, Phecda, Sash, Zell, Chad, Ridley, Sid, Buellher, Parish, Pandie, Tita, Atlas, Kemper, LaneyChantal, Bob, Spliff, Tristyn, Ackley, Bradley, Haydin, Rambo, Callioppe, Thanatogenous, Milloux, Radeo, Dali, Lolana, Dimples, Murphie, Katherine, and Rlei. So be sure to stop by, say hi, take some pix, pick up some merch, and get your SG books and comics signed.

See you in San Diego!
XOX

Images of Ackley Suicide as a Dalek by Milloux.

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Dirty Laundry: Cosplay 4 Comic Con

by Bob Suicide

It’s crunch time. You know, that crispy-coating that surrounds the ooey-gooey center that is the 5 geek-tastic days of ComicCon. These last few days leading up to the start of the convention involve making lists, checking them twice, re-checking them a third time, packing, hyperventilating into a bag, and obsessively refreshing that online check-in for your flight. Or, is that all just me?

Regardless of your preparation ritual, there’s something behind the scenes you may not know when you walk up to booth #1730 (a.k.a. the SuicideGirls’ booth) and that’s how much time and effort all of the Suicide Girls put into this exciting event.

So, here’s a list of the things the girls wanted to highlight to make sure you’re just as prepared as we are for next week!

Make Sure You’ve Got ALL Of Your Costume!

For each of the days, SuicideGirls will be wearing different outfits: Star Wars, Dr. Who, Battle Royale, and even a wild-card day where girls can dress up as whatever they choose. Some girls have even made up their very own superheros! Consequently there has been tons of glueing, sewing, and well, spandex-ing in preparation for each day.

No one wants to get to San Diego only to find out their perfectly crafted pair of N7 armor pants aren’t anywhere to be found in their suitcase. Well, someone might enjoy it – but that’s a whole different con. It’s really difficult to find anything in San Diego during convention time – even seemingly simple things like the bathroom or toothpaste! And if you do, there’s always a long line for it. So it’s best to make sure you’ve packed all the essentials before you get there. You don’t want to waste precious time that could be spent in the Hasbro line for an exclusive (MY PRECIOUS!) at the mall picking out replacement pants.

For bonus points: make sure your costume is Con-appropriate. SuicideGirls is all about teh sexy, but the con is all-ages and we know that zero-suit Samus doesn’t mean you can walk around without pants on. Keep the Con classy!

Pack Comfy Shoes

You’ve seen every booth babe in mile-high heels that make their legs look fantastic – but SGs aren’t booth babes. We’re hardcore fans who are at The Con for the long haul. As a result, even if our cosplay calls for it, we generally know better than to don anything with an incline. If you’ve got to dash from panel to panel, the only thing heels are good for is to defend yourself against the hoard between you and that front-row seat.

Protip: Don’t actually shank anyone with a high heel.

Bring Hand-Sanitizer

But don’t be Hayden Panettiere about it. It’s a large group of people from all over the universe; there’s bound to be some germs. And, if you haven’t heard, there’s a zombie outbreak going on! It’s better to be prepared and lightly lemon-scented, than undead during the five greatest days of the year. There’s a difference between protecting yourself from the H1Nerd1 that plagued Penny Arcade’s PAX not so long ago and hating the soft touch of your fellow nerds…SuicideGirls definitely love the personal touch! Be sure to stop by the booth and give us a hug and a high-five.

For bonus points: bring some deodorant too. Sometimes you’re out late at an event and up early to get in line for a panel. Q little stick can go a long way to freshen up the day.

Have Fun

I may joke about hyperventilating into a bag before ComicCon because of all the stress of prepping and planning, but it’s best to look at the upcoming days as part of the ComicCon adventure. Find fun ways to take the stress out of the preparation and make your to-do list into a ta-da list! Make a fun countdown, get together with your friends and have a pack and prep party where you help make sure everyone’s prepared whilst screening some geektastic movies. Or maybe, just take a couple moments to relax and breathe before the whirlwind (and your plane) touches down in San Diego.

by A.J. Focht

Step aside Doctor Strange, Marvel announced their next big secret project is Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel is expected to make it official this week at Comic Con. The Guardians of the Galaxy are an interstellar team that protects the galaxy. Originally sources were saying the release date would by May 15, 2014. But most recent reports say the release was pushed back a few months to August 1, 2014.

Marvel may have announced Guardians of the Galaxy, but that doesn’t mean they have given up on Ant-Man. Rumor is that Edgar Wright has directed a test reel that will be previewed at Comic Con. Next week, we’ll know if this is true or not, and we’ll know more about where the Ant-Man project really stands.

New concept art for Iron-Man 3 suggests that the Extremis storyline will be a major part of the movie. Extremis was a storyline in which Iron-Man makes himself into the weapon by fusing the suit into himself. Iron-Man 3 is scheduled for release May 3, 2013. Disney and Marvel have released the title previews for all their upcoming sequels, Hulk didn’t make the cut.

Just over a year ago, DC Comics announced their major comic reboot, The New 52. Now it is Marvel’s turn as they launch Marvel NOW – but don’t call it a reboot. Marvel is avidly fighting off the word, even though they will be launching several comic titles at #1 starting in October, often several each week. The main comic heroes are also going to be getting new costumes. So far Marvel has announced three comics: Uncanny Avengers, All New X-Men, and Avengers. But remember, it’s not a reboot. Marvel will also bring Jean Grey back via time travel.

Entertainment Weekly has released their Comic Con preview, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey took the cover. There were also several new preview pictures in the magazine. The film is released on December 14th this year.

The long awaited Ghostbusters sequel is still in the works. Ghostbusters 3 once again has a new writing staff. The project has been in process for quite a while now, and this is the third time I’ve heard about a new writing team, so who knows where the project really stands.

The writing and directing genius behind The Fifth Element Luc Besson is stepping back into the science fiction arena. Besson is working on an adventure about a time travelling secret agent. The internet is labeling the project as a cross between James Bond and Doctor Who which sounds about right.

While Community creator Dan Harmon won’t be on board next season, the full cast is confirmed as returning. The thirteen episode Community season is set to start on October 13.

Titan Magazine and Skybound have announced the launch of The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine. The publication will be based off the comic series, graphic novels, and the AMC television series. The first issues comes out on October 23rd, and will feature 100 pages of Walking Dead news, access, and scoops.