by A.J. Focht

This last week at StarFest 2012 in Denver, I had a chance to sit down with some amazing comic writers including Tony Bedard. Bedard has been writing comics since the ‘90s and is the current writer on Blue Beetle and Green Lantern New Guardians.

A.J. Focht: How do you like working with Kyle Rayner in the Green Lantern New Guardians comic?

Tony Bedard: Credit where credits due, Geoff Johns had the idea to end the first issue by sending a ring of every color to Kyle. We were talking about what I wanted to do with this series, and he was the one at some point that said, ‘Why don’t you end the first issue with a ring of every color coming to him.’ It was the thing that broke open the whole story, and set up this great mystery that we’ve been trying to follow up ever since. We’re going to finish that off by issue twelve, let you know why that happened, and the significance of it.

A.J.: In New Guardians you use rings of most every color. Do you have any plans to do anything with the Black or White Lanterns in New Guardian?

TB: It’s not so much about White Lanterns, but there is a character, the Weaponer, that was in my Green Lantern Core run. He had picked up some of that white energy and put it in his shield and hammer. It’s become this morphing weapon so that whatever he is up against he can change that hammer to meet the situation. He’s going to be in issue #8. He was only going to be in for about one issue, but it has kind of snowballed into a thing where he’s going to stick around for a few more issues and play a big role.

A.J.: That’s good to hear. Since a lot was retconned during the change to the New 52, it was unclear what events from Blackest Night and Brightest Day have actually taken place.

TB: I’m still personally trying to figure out what had changed and what hasn’t. I would say generally that Green Lantern was not revised as much.

A.J.: Do you have any other projects, or are you just sticking with these two?

TB: These are the two right now. We’ve discussed a few other things, but they really haven’t got any traction yet. I’ve been plenty busy and quite happy with what I have right now. We have big plans for Green Lantern. Geoff always has a long term plan, and New Guardians is a big part of that, this whole third army thing that’s coming together. When you look back, you’ll be able to see a lot of what happens in New Guardians is building towards that. We’ve tried to keep the books separate so they each have their own identity, but the Green Lantern books will be intertwining a little bit here in the year to come.

A.J.: Your other book, Blue Beetle is a new take on an old hero. What’s it been like working with that book?

TB: When we started this [the New 52] we wanted to have a comic for everyone.

A.J.: Yeah, there are many niche comics.

TB: Yes. Well I use a lot of Spanglish in the comic, because I am of Puerto Rican decent that’s what it sounded like growing up. It surprised me the responses I got to that. The response from the Hispanic fans who read it was, ‘Yeah, that’s right’ But a lot of other folks who weren’t used to that were like, ‘Okay, we know he’s Mexican, don’t beat us over the head with it.’

A.J.: Do you have any plans to do a crossover with Blue Beetle?

TB: There’s a little crossover in Blue Beetle #9 and New Guardians #9. In Blue Beetle #9, Blue Beetle meets Kyle, and Red Lantern Bleez, and Orange Lantern Globulus on Earth. At the same time in New Guardians #9, the Reach who created Blue Beetles armor will actually be invading the Blue Lantern’s home world, trying to wipe them out and take their power battery. That story actually became so big that it was rolled into two issues. There is a mystery there too as to how Reach found the Blue Lantern home world, because it’s cloaked. Somebody tipped them off. A lot of that stuff, as you look around the lantern verse, happens to all the different cores. It could just be a coincidence, but you start to see a pattern.

A.J.: Do you have plans to expand the reach of Blue Beetle to reach other demographics?

TB: I think mostly we try to keep that as a personal book, to focus on that character. We do have the Green Lantern thing, and actually in issue #10 he is going to meet Booster Gold. But in a way that you would not expect, it’s not the happy meeting everyone will expect. It’s not the same relationship he had with Ted at all.

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by Blogbot

SuicideGirls have just unleashed a super cute new iPad app for those that like watching “birds” of the non-feathered kind. This field guide is intended to help “ornithological” enthusiasts correctly identify Suicidium Femella, whose markings and adornments tend to make them stand out from the crowd.

“The app is based on a vintage ‘bird’ watching field guide,” SG founder Missy explains. “It features beautiful illustrations of some of the Suicide Girls by the amazing Cameron Stewart, who also did the art for the SuicideGirls Comic. All the illustrations are available as prints fulfilled by Eyes on Walls. The encyclopedic text, which helps you identify the lovelies in the field, was created by the talented Caitlin Kiernan.”

SG’s featured include Radeo, Glitch, and über-geek Bob, who’s a huge fan of the new app. “It combines everything SG is about; showcasing wit, creativity, and community,” says Bob. “You can tell a lot of people put a lot of effort into making it from the design of the app, Cameron Stewart’s amazing art, down to the cute copy describing each girl. And it’s free so everyone can enjoy it and join in the SG fun!”

Getting down to the technical nitty gritty, which is what Bob’s really goot at, she explains: “Aside from the stylized catalog of wallpaper downloads, it’s the little things in the UI that make it really shine. The app’s dynamic controls allow the user to choose between a contents search interface or page flip one that works just like the real field guides it was modeled after. There’s so much to touch, click, scroll, and read that gives the app – and the girls it features – character and life. PLUS, the integration of a shopping cart brings the possibility of bringing that downloadable wallpaper to your actual wall in a quality, frame-able format. So often you see a free app review that starts with the words ‘just a’ – but this app isn’t ‘just’ anything, it’s just EVERYTHING.”

You can download SuicideGirls’ FREE Field Guide via iTunes.

by A.J. Focht

A new Dark Knight Rises trailer is out. This trailer seems to have fixed the problem with Bane’s voice. Although, now there are complaints about it sounding like it’s a separate audio track.

The Avengers has released internationally, but we still have a few days to wait until it comes to theatres here in America. Spoilers for the movie have been running high, despite many believing the international version is missing a few scenes. With only a few days till the movie hits, I am avoiding spoilers at all costs. While I can’t tell you what happens in the movie, I can tell you it has already pulled in $178 million overseas. I can also tell you that the positive response to Hulk in the movie is changing the tune of Marvel executives who thought his franchise was dead. With the increase of popularity, it now looks like a new Hulk movie might be coming in 2015.

Marvel has already changed the actor playing Hulk from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo, but what do they intend to do when other stars, like Robert Downey Jr, move on? Marvel Studios president Kevin Fiege addressed that issue at CinemaCon saying they would not reboot the series. He said:

‘I think Bond is a good example. Let’s put it this way: I hope Downey makes a lot of movies for us as Stark. If and when he doesn’t, and I’m still here making these movies, we don’t take him to Afghanistan and have him wounded again. I think we James Bond it’.

Director of Chronicle, Josh Trank, has been signed to develop the script for a Fantastic Four reboot. It is unknown whether he will also direct the movie and as of now it looks like it will be based on how the script turns out. If Trank makes this anything like Chronicle it might be more of a Dr. Doom movie and less of a Fantastic Four film, which I am more than okay with.

The Wolverine will be shooting in Japan and Australia this year, and is set for release on July 26, 2013. Fox is determined to get the most out of the rights to the X-Men and Marvel’s mutants while they have them. Now they are also talking about doing a New Mutants movie, although it is unclear if that will be in addition to a sequel for X-Men: First Class or if it will be the sequel.

Rumored Star Trek 2 spoilers have now been confirmed. If you wanted to see Star Trek 2 completely unspoiled, skip ahead now. Still here? Okay, but I warned you. First up, Leonard Nimoy will be back as Spock Prime. Not surprised yet? How about, the Klingons will be featured in the second movie. That’s not all, we have all been lied to. Benedict Cumberbatch will not be playing a new villain, but will be reprising the roll of Khan in the upcoming Star Trek film. There you have it, three spoilers no waiting.

Last week I mentioned that Peter Jackson was shooting The Hobbit at 48-frames per second (fps). Not everyone was as excited by the change as I was. At CinemaCon last week, fans were unimpressed by the fps change, some complaining it made the film look homemade. Jackson responded to the criticism saying it is something film goers will just come to except. I think he’s right; this is likely just a case of people complaining about change cause it is new and different, not necessarily worse.

Finally, science fiction is catching up with reality. Multiple billionaires including James Cameron and the people behind Google have unveiled plans for mining asteroids. This little bit of science fiction could become a very practical way to extract resources without taking them from the earth. With governments cutting space program budgets around the world, it is good to see someone at least trying to make headway into the final frontier.

by Tita Suicide

Vancouver experienced it’s first Fan Expo April 21st thru 22nd, giving local comic book fans, gamers, pop culture enthusiasts, and SuicideGirls the chance to experience a Comic Con first hand. In the past year, a whole new crop of VanCity SuicideGirls went pink, and they were stoked to join the other BCSG’s at our booth over the weekend.

It was such fun to see the look on everyone’s faces when R2D2 and Darth Vader arrived! The sight of Aadie, Alkaline, Ceres, Cruella, Femme, Harajuku, Peatrie, Rydell, and Yulia posing with their Star Wars heroes caused quite a stir.

The ensuing pictures illustrate the excitement, cosplay, fun, and silliness that went on at the Vancouver Convention Centre, inside the SuicideGirls booth, and at the #SGTAKESVANCITY after party.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to share in the fun!! Be sure to catch the SuicideGirls at the Philadelphia Comic Con May 31st, to June 3, 2012.

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by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)

[..]

by A.J. Focht

The Avengers is just over a week away, and the last batch of promotional material has hit. A new scene from the movie was released, as well as a behind the scenes video. Director Joss Whedon gave more insight to the movie and why you should see it during an interview with some collegiate newspapers this past week.

During an MTV interview with Samuel L. Jackson, the actor described his vision of a S.H.I.E.L.D movie. His casting leaves out Agent Coulson which has again given rise to the rumor that he will die in The Avengers, and even possibly be recreated as Vision. Whedon previously went as far to say they would change his background so he was created by Tony Stark. Could Coulson become Vision? Could Vision be Marvel’s secret unnamed movie for 2013? Guess we have to wait till May 4 to know for sure.

The Dark Knight Rises has been all but forgotten in the wake of excitement for The Avengers. Now, they plan to capitalize on that by releasing their trailer before The Avengers. Christopher Nolan is really pushing the IMAX release with over an hour of IMAX footage. A ‘reliable source’ at Cosmic Booknews who saw the first showing says it is better than The Dark Knight. In a similar vein, Tom Hardy recently compared Bane to the Joker to show why he was worthy to come after the Clown Prince.

While the superhero movies are fighting it out for the summer box office crown, Peter Jackson is using The Hobbit to advance film production everywhere. Jackson has shot the first half of The Hobbit: An Enexpected Journey at 48 fps (frames per second). Current industry standard is 24 fps. Because Hobbit is looking to be such a major movie event, many theaters will be forced to upgrade their equipment to show the film. This paves the way for other filmmakers, who will be able to shoot movies at 48 fps without fear of the theatres not having the equipment to show them.

Before Watchmen will hit comic stands everywhere in June. You don’t have to wait till then to get an idea of what’s in store however. Twenty-one illustrations and concept art pieces were leaked this past week. The leaked images include costume designs for most of the characters, including some you wouldn’t expect like Hooded Justice. There are also a few full page sketches.

Premiering on April 27th on EPIX is With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story. Just before its release, a sneak peek was let out to show fans what’s in store. The documentary covers the life of comic book legend, Generalissimo Stan Lee.

New photos have landed on the Ender’s Game production blog. The pics now include: Ender’s room, the neck implants, and a simulator. The Ender’s Game movie is scheduled for release in November 2013.

Would you like a new Star Trek series? Well whether you get one is apparently up to J.J. Abrams. The creator of Pushing Daisies, Brain Fuller, was really gung-ho about pitching the idea. Now Fuller says that if a Star Trek series were to happen, it would be after the next movie and Abrams would be in command. J.J. Abrams has apparently become ‘the guardian of Trek’ and nothing will happen without his input.

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)

[..]