Caption: Hugh Hefner’s childhood monster fanzine via Blastr
Above Image: “Shudder” monster fanzine created by 15-year old Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in 1941 via Devlin Thompson’s Photos.
Why is the TARDIS in 3D? Where’s the most remote Wifi hotspot in the world? Why did Hunger Games 2 cost twice as much as the first one? Was Captain Jack Sparrow almost the Doctor?
Cover Reveal
We don’t normally do cover reveals on this site, but Jay Noel is doing something special. Check it out.
Dragonfly Warrior
Synopsis:
The Mechanica Wars: Savage Machines Are Afoot…
At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro’s bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him.
Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the Dragonfly Warrior, and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns. He is called upon to somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness.
About:
Dragonfly Warrior is a steampunk adventure like no other. It’s a dynamic mix of Asian and European mythology, the Wild West, martial arts, traditional fantasy, and high powered steam action that will keep you turning the pages.
Author Bio:
After doing some freelance writing and editing for more than a dozen years, Jay decided to stop procrastinating and pursue his dream of being a novelist. He’s been blogging for over eight years, and even had a comedy podcast syndicated all over the internet. All of that was fun, but all the steampunk-inspired stories in his head just wouldn’t leave him alone. Jay spends his days working in medical sales, but he can be found toiling over his laptop late at night when all is quiet. He draws inspiration from all over: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, Douglas Adams, and Isaac Asimov. And Jay loves cookies.
Jay Noel’s website: www.jaynoel.com, Facebook, Twitter
Find out in this week’s 10 geekiest bits of the Internet.
Links
10. Marvel Studios’ Thanos Payoff is Still “Years” Away (via Comic Book Resources)
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige addresses cinematic plans for the Mad Titan, comparing the character to “the end boss in a video game.”
9. Moffat promises “best ever entrance into the TARDIS” for 50th(via Blogtor Who)
Discussing the 3D elements of The Day of the Doctor, Moffat says they were in his “mind from the start” and that its unique dimension will offer, “the best ever entrance into the TARDIS”.
8. Disney CEO Rejects Producer’s Desire To Delay STAR WARS EPISODE VII To 2016 (via Comic Book Movie)
According to several reports, there’s turmoil behind the scenes of the next Star Wars movie. Besides Michael Arndt’s Star Wars: Episode VII script getting a rewrite by director J.J. Abrams and Raiders of the Lost Arkwriter Lawrence Kasdan it looks like they’re fighting Disney to get the release date moved. Mickey Mouse isn’t budging though.
According to those close to the project, producer Kathleen Kennedy and most of the film’s creative team have asked Disney to push the release to 2016, but studio CEO Robert Iger is adamant that Episode VII — perhaps the franchise’s most anticipated installment since 1999’s The Phantom Menace — not budge. Besides having to contend with Iger about the film’s release, Kennedy might also be battling the film’s director, J.J. Abrams over casting. Some sources say Abrams…
7. Marvel Finally Assembles All the AVENGERS ’50th Anniversary’ Variants Into One Image (via Newsarama)
6. J. Jonah Jameson Writes A Viral Editorial Against ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ (via ScienceFiction.com)
October 30, 2013
An Editorial from Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson
Last night, I walked out of the 6-train at 96th Street, only to be greeted by a freshly painted graffiti tag of a large red spider painted on a wooden construction fence.
Generally, I ignore the “modern art” of the masses. I must be far too uncivilized to appreciate the subtle nuances of the work. But in this case, the meaning was not open to interpretation.
Do the young people of this city really want to turn the mysterious creature known as Spider-Man into some kind of modern-day Robin Hood?
It has been three months since the terrorist attack at Oscorp Tower in Midtown Manhattan. Three months since a man who had changed into a seven-foot tall lizard battled against another man in a red and blue unitard who could crawl up walls. Three months since the city was introduced to a new status quo, one that will adversely affect the entire planet. It has been three months, and we know nothing more about the man called Spider-Man than we did on that terrible night.
This masked, web-slinging vigilante has refused to identify himself. He has given no public statements. He has refused to be interviewed by the police. He has repeatedly refused requests from the media, including from this paper, to provide some assurance to the people of this city that he means us no harm.
Who appointed him as the new sheriff in town? I didn’t. Did you?
What gives him the moral, much less legal, authority to decide who deserves punishment and how that punishment should be doled out?
Heroes do not need to promote their actions, but they also do not hide from the people they help. Until Spider-Man tells us more about himself, he is no hero. I dare him to prove me wrong.
5. Steven Moffat considered Johnny Depp as the Doctor (via Zap2it)
While speaking to SFX magazine about “Doctor Who’s” 50th anniversary, Moffat explains the decision to bring John Hurt on board as a dark Doctor for the special episode. “Why not a mayfly Doctor, who exists for one show only?” he wonders. “I’d often thought about that. Would it be weird in the run of the series to have the 45th Doctor turn up and be played by Johnny Depp or someone? Would that be a cool thing to do?”
4. ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Exclusive: Floating Bodies Turn Up In ‘F.Z.Z.T.’
(via Huffington Post)
We didn’t have a new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we have gotten an official synopsis for the next episode “FZZT.” It reads, “When floating bodies turn up, Coulson and the Agents of SHIELD must hunt down an elusive killer. No one is safe — not even the team.” “F.Z.Z.T.” airs Tuesday, November 5. Make sure you read our discussion of the Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in case you missed it.
3. Bryan Singer breaks down everything in the Days of Future Past trailer!(via io9, /Film)
We had a poll yesterday about the X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer and now get an in-depth analysis by the director Bryan Singer thanks to Empire.
Here are his quotes on the trailer:
It’s [Patrick Stewart’s] eyeball! It’s him asking, ‘what’s the last thing you remember?’ It’s a line from the movie, but in a way he’s also asking the audience. We’re about to go back into a familiar world – what’s the last thing you remember?’
The grey in the hair is something I took from X-Men Days Of Future Past, it’s a look in the comic. I liked it, even though he hasn’t really aged physically it’s something that shows how tough things have gotten in the future, and brought that out in him and given him a little more world-weariness.
She’s one of the last surviving X-Men in this post-apocalyptic world. She’s part of that with Wolverine and Charles and Magneto; they’re some of the last folk standing from the original X-Men. They’re at the spearhead of this mission, this last chance at saving the world. This is their only hope, their mission into time. Can you actually go back and affect time? Can you go back and change things or will time correct itself? Will history fight you back and is your destiny pre-determined or can you change it?”
They’re not really fresh recruits. They’re more refugees that are living day to day in this hideously ruined world. They don’t have much hope in the future. They’re on the run and they join forces with the remaining X-Men to try to do this one last attempt at fixing the world.
Although it’s Kitty who goes back in time in the comics, Singer decided that in the movies, Logan would be sent back because his fast-healing power would make him the only one capable of surviving the procedure. As he explained in an earlier interview:
She’s the prime facilitator – it’s her power that enables that to happen. But it’s Wolverine who has the strength and the stamina to be able to go back on this journey.
Fassbender knew that he would be, well, not sharing the frame with Ian McKellen, but sharing the movie with Ian McKellen, so where on First Class he tried to be as different as possible from McKellen, because that was a very different character, he now knows as an actor he’d have to bring his performance slightly closer to Ian’s because he’s heading in that direction.
It’s an abstract scene, without giving away its origin and how it happens. It’s a trippy scene, it has a bit of ’70s style in it and the entire scene involved a lot of interesting practical photography using mirrors and other things. It was fun to shoot, and it was great to get the two actors together.
2. The Geek’s Guide to Travel Infographic (via blog.aussie.com)
1. Why Lionsgate Spent Nearly Twice As Much On The ‘Hunger Games‘ Sequel(via Business Insider)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the second installment of “the girl on fire” cost Lionsgate an estimated $130 million, a big bump from the $78 million of the first film.
Here’s the breakdown of why the budget is higher via THR:
- $10 million+ on added visual effects
- ~$10 million+: Jennifer Lawrence’s paycheck (she was paid $500,000 + bonuses for the first film)
- $30 million: the combination of filming in more locations / more scenes than the first film. Production was also five days longer for the sequel.
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is on track for a huge $185 million weekend as it looks to break box-office records.
Reviews
I’m still catching up on my TV, so no reviews this week. But feel free to discuss anything you watched in the comments!
What did you think of this week’s links? Did you watch any TV or movies and want to share what you thought?
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