ICYMI: Marvel “What If” Novels Announced, Sci-Fi Painting Sets Sales Record, and More

Here are the biggest stories for Friday, June 23, 2023.

A Frazetta painting sells for $6 million, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star praises collaboration. Plus Marvel’s ‘What If?’ novels bring new tales, Grammys take hardest A.I. stance. Meanwhile you can buy a best-selling Star Trek book for 50% off, watch the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 opener for free, and Star Trek’s Joanne Linville dies.

We can’t always cover everything. So here’s everything you missed this morning. In Case You Missed It (ICYMI).

Warning: May contain spoilers!

1. Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom Sells for Record $6 Million at Heritage | BleedingCool

Dark Kingdom, a painting by Frank Frazetta from 1976, broke the previous record for original comic book or fantasy art set in 2019 when it sold at Heritage Auctions for a whopping $6 million. Frazetta is the OG fantasy painter from the 1970s.

Frazetta was inducted into the comic book industry’s Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and was awarded a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention. The guy is lagit.

The painting gained wider notoriety as the album cover for Molly Hatchet’s 1979 single “Flirtin’ With Disaster”. It was first used as the illustration for Karl Edward Wagner’s 1976 book “Dark Crusade”. Some of his other paintings have sold for millions.

“A Princess of Mars” sold for $1.2 million in 2020, “Death Dealer 6” sold for $1.79 million in 2018, and “At the Earth’s Core” snagged $1,075,500 in 2016. All of these paintings are by Frank Frazetta. The auction price exceeds the previous record held by Frazetta’s Egyptian Queen, which went for $5.4 million at Heritage in 2019.”

2. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Star Praises On-Set Collaboration | Comic Book

The first Transformers film since Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, has received conflicting reviews. Even though the movie is a soft reboot, the actors and visuals have drawn criticism for their variances. Elana’s actor, Dominique Fishback, acknowledged collaboration on set and said she made decisions based on her inner child’s desire to watch movies. She said she’s “an actor that loves to talk about character,” according to Fishback, and the director agreed to give him character notes. Which is cool. They may not have gotten into the movie but it shows he respects actors.

3. Marvel’s ‘What If?’ Novels Will Bring New Tales of Loki, Scarlet Witch, Venom, and More | Gizmodo

Marvel’s “What If…” series will feature three new novels by acclaimed authors, featuring iconic Marvel heroes Loki, Valkyrie, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and Venom. The series reimagines the origins of iconic Marvel heroes and allows readers to discover what can happen when the fabric of reality is altered. The books are marketed as “adult” books, with the first book, “What If… Loki Was Worthy?”, set to release on March 12, 2024. The series is marketed as “adult” books, rather than YA. Loki Was Worthy?”, follows Loki as he saves Asgard from Tony Stark’s revenge. However, Loki’s fate is rewritten, and he finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and the “Buffalo Bills.”

As he struggles to fulfill his brother’s last request, the consequences of his fatal prank return to haunt him. Iron Man vows revenge on those who consider themselves gods, forging Asgard’s own weaponry into a lethal suit of armor to protect Earth from the unpredictable alien power. Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?

These books are some of my favorites, so it’s great to see the series return.

4. Samuel L. Jackson Calls ‘Captain Marvel’ Haters Incels | Heroic Hollywood

Captain Marvel is a controversial film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with fans criticizing Brie Larson for her claims about Carol Danvers’ power and not smiling enough on posters. Samuel L. Jackson, who has a close relationship with Larson since their starring together in Kong: Skull Island is not having it. Jackson defended his co-star recently, calling the haters “incel dudes who hate strong women.” Despite the film’s success, Larson has faced hate from certain sections of the internet. He encourages her to continue her feminist beliefs. Despite the hate, Larson’s role in Captain Marvel is expected to lead her to a bright future.

5. The Grammys Just Took the Hardest A.I. Stance in All of Entertainment | Indiewire

The Recording Academy has ruled that AI cannot win a Grammy, as only humans can be submitted for, nominated for, or win music’s highest honor. The Academy believes that AI is going to play a part in the process of making music and not award an AI or a Grammy to a computer. However, AI can still be used as a tool for the artists behind them. The Academy’s AI rules allow songwriters and producers to use the tech similarly to synthesizers or sampling. The AI Grimes collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd could win a Grammy, but it would be eligible for whoever wrote the song, created the track, and the music.

The current rules around AI are the standard “for this year,” but the future of AI in music and entertainment depends on the tastemakers and professionals. The Academy hopes that the Recording Academy will lead the charge in creating legislation that can regulate AI’s use.

Protecting creative arts from artificial intelligence is crucial for the future. This should also be the Academy awards stance on AI as well.

6. Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 2 Opener Free on YouTube | Gizmodo

We already talked about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season being released on YouTube for free.

Now they’ve added the first episode of season two. The Paramount+ exclusive series celebrates season two’s release, featuring the premiere episode “The Broken Circle,” attracting new fans and subscribers. The series follows Captain Pike and Spock’s crew before James T. Kirk’s became the captain of the Enterprise.

7. Basic math is used to hit back against Marvel Studios’ claims about ‘Secret Invasion’s AI opening credits | We Got This Covered

The AI-generated opening sequence for Secret Invasion caused a significant upset among viewers, but it was claimed to not cost any jobs. The sequence involved a dedicated team focusing on atmosphere, visuals, and sound, as well as finding space for the cast and production team. However, a Twitter user found that a previous MCU Disney Plus show, Ms. Marvel, had more than eight people credited for the opening sequence, which is more than a fifth of the number in Secret Invasion.

The studio has maintained that no jobs were lost, but math is math. There is controversy surrounding the use of AI in such a reckless way. Some fans argue that VFX artists aren’t credited properly in films, and the fact that the names were dropped may not be fishy. But its weird. The backlash from fans may make Marvel reconsider using AI again.

8. George Lucas Just Couldn’t Stop Changing Han Solo And Greedo’s Face-Off In Star Wars: A New Hope | Slashfilm

George Lucas’ 1977 sci-fi epic “Star Wars” became a popular film, with its massive cult assigning importance to background details during filming. In the late 1990s, Lucas remastered and recut the film, releasing it in theaters with new special effects and visual tweaks. The 1997 “Star Wars: The Special Edition” was met with enthusiasm and chagrin, leading to the controversial “Han shot first” meme.

The Special Edition changes have become the most available, standard cut of the film, with each change more baffling than the last. The controversy continues to be a source of controversy, with multiple cuts of the “Han shot first” scene, each with its own unique twist. Slashfilm does a great job breaking down all the changes.

9. Joanne Linville: First woman to play a Romulan commander in Star Trek Dies | Independent

Joanne Linville has died aged 93. She played the commander of a Romulan vessel in Star Trek, bringing romance to Leonard Nimoy’s emotionally detached Spock. She was the first female Romulan in the series and stirred trouble between Spock and his captain, James T Kirk. Linville’s character, who has pointy ears like Spock’s, tries to entice him into siding with his Romulan cousins by using flattery. However, she is betrayed by the Federation and is beamed back aboard the Enterprise. Linville was asked to reprise her role in a 1993 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but was unavailable to appear.

10. Sci-fi magazine overwhelmed by hundreds of AI-generated stories | New Scientist

Clarkesworld, a science fiction magazine, has closed story submissions due to a surge of AI-generated pieces. The issue stems from people promoting AI language models like ChatGPT for profit, despite the poor quality of the AI stories. The magazine’s founding editor, Neil Clarke, believes the problem has been created Get-Rich-Quick schemes around using artificial intelligence tools. The magazine has received 700 legitimate submissions and 500 machine-generated ones, with the rate of increase indicating that AI-generated stories will soon dominate.

Cool Stuff: . The Star Trek Book New Edition Hardcover $13.89 -50% (List Price: $27.99) | Amazon

Here’s the official description of the best-selling book

Re-engage! The new edition of The Star Trek Book takes readers even further into one of the greatest science fiction universes ever created. This unique, insightful, and comprehensive examination of an enduring, much loved franchise features every era of Star Trek in one volume, from the pioneering 1960s TV series to the latest movies and streaming shows, including Star Trek: Beyond, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Short Trek.

Written by Star Trek experts, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics, and incisive, specially curated essays that unlock the mysteries of the ever-expanding Star Trek Universe. From new and legendary heroes such as James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and Michael Burnham to iconic villains like Khan, Q, and the Borg, to fascinating alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, and Ferengi, this book explores the central characters, technology, civilizations, and events that have shaped the complex, epic story of Star Trek.

Resistance is futile. This is the (star) trek of a lifetime you don’t want to miss!

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Quote of the Day

“I kept dreaming of a world, I thought I’d never see. And then one day… I got in.” – Flynn – Tron: Uprising

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