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The Clockwork Princess Manga is out!

Cristina Bogdan
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The Clockwork Princess Manga is out!

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For the Cassandra Clare fans this news will bring lots of joy, considering the success of her best-selling series of book, The Mortal Instruments and the prequel The Infernal Devices. According to the press release the third instalment in the series, featuring the well-known characters of the books is going to be released soon, the publishing date already having passed, July the 22nd of this year. At only 7,99 £ it seems like quite a bargain. Here’s what we can expect from it:

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the thrilling conclusion to the number one New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy, a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments. See Cassandra Clare’s characters brought to life in this breathtakingly beautiful manga adaptation. A net of shadows tightens around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy them. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray. When Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever. Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in this breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

The first two titles: Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince are also available for purchase, something that I am sure many of the book’s fans will be happy to learn.

Has Dwayne Johnson revealed the DC hero he is set to play?

Becca Harper
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Has Dwayne Johnson revealed the DC hero he is set to play?

 

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has waxed lyrical about wanting to play a DC character for sometime now, resulting in a whirlwind of rumours to spread across the internet, speculating just which character he could portray. A few suggestions included Lobo, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Black Adam, Darkseid, I even read one article naming him as Lex Luthor. A couple have since been ruled out, but where does that leave us?

In an interview with Total Film Johnson confirms that we are to expect an announcement soon…probably at San-Diego Comic Con. He goes on to say that he has been talking to DC for years trying to figure out the best fit for what he can bring and that it definitely isn’t Green Lantern. “He was a character I wanted to play, but there was already a version of Green Lantern…” (wait, does that mean we’ll be seeing Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern again?) What he does confirm is the character has the power of Superman and, after a little deliberation, his final clue is this “Just say the word”

That word has got to be SHAZAM! who, up until the new 52, was named Captain Marvel. It fits the clues perfectly plus last month a list of upcoming Warner Bros. films leaked stating SHAZAM! for release in 2016. For those who might not know Captain Marvel is Billy Baston, a young boy who is granted the power to transform into a grown man with superman like powers. He does this by saying just one word SHAZAM!

The interview in full is below for your perusal and just a little reminder that none of this has been confirmed by the Warner Bros./DC camp, so keep your eyes peeled for the official announcement.

Intoxicate to Reconquer the Apocalypse with new Afterfall game to be released 24th July

David Rose
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Intoxicate to Reconquer the Apocalypse with new Afterfall game to be released 24th July

Afterfall Resurrection is to be released on Steam Early Access, with the taster to the first episode being released on 24th July. After a three year wait, Intoxicate Studios has finally released the sequel to its interesting Post-Apocalyptic, survival horror game Afterfall: InSanity. While this new series of instalments will retain the oppressive, psychologically scarring setting of its predecessor, the gameplay will be vastly different, dispensing with its emphasis on survival horror and instead creating a story driven RPG/shooter hybrid. This move towards a full on RPG is a move far closer to the Fallout/STALKER roots of the original game.

Afterfall takes place in a world that’s ruined after a massive man made apocalypse, where the deployment of nuclear arms was merely the first step. The horrors beyond that lead to the majority of the world’s inhabitants being wiped out in an instant, leaving those who were lucky enough to hide in the sanctuary of large cities. Those survivors quickly ran out of resources however and were forced to brave this broken world, filled with dangerous mutants and the residual dangers of the old world. Playing the enigmatic Reaper, the player is driven initially to seek vengeance for the death of his parents. However, past this hunt for vengeance, the faction warfare the Reaper is unwilling to get involved lies something deeper, something he doesn’t want to get involved with, but could possibly redeem humanity itself.

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Unlike the original game, Reconquest is to be released in individual episodes, the first of which to be released on Steam’s Early Access for €6.99/ $6.99 (which generally translates on Steam to roughly £5). This currently has about an hour’s worth of content, but will by the end aim to be a four hour experience, with more episodes to be released down the line, although both Intoxicate and the Nicolas Entertainment Group have been tight lipped about precisely how many there will be.

There’s a lot to be excited about here, especially seeing a non-Telltale company make episodic games. The last attempt at an episodic shooter was the Scourge Project games, which eventually abandoned the episodic gimmick for its own sequel Scourge: Outbreak. The use of both Early Access and an episodic gimmick would hopefully create the utopian idea of an episodic game; that gameplay and story chunks will be released at a regular enough pace so that one continuous story can be told. There’s a lot of potential in the format, and if Afterfall Reconquest can provide what they promise, it could be a very unique gem in the saturated Action-RPG/Shooter market.

Ron Marz set to write new John Carter Warlord of Mars from Dynamite

Andy Haigh
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Ron Marz set to write new John Carter Warlord of Mars from Dynamite

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John Carter: Warlord of Mars is set to return from Dynamite later this year following the publisher and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc coming to a somewhat surprising agreement first announced earlier this year over a complicated rights dispute relating to several of Burroughs properties.

Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote several science fiction/fantasy novels featuring John Carter a displaced Earthman who finds himself on Barsoom, better known as Mars. Carter has numerous adventures on Barsoom and enthrals princess Dejah Thoris in the process.

The new agreement will allow the publisher to feature elements that have not appeared in previous comic interpretations. Writer Ron Marz, known for an acclaimed long run on Witchblade, will be writing the new series along with art from Abhishek Malsuni and Neeraj Menon.

Marz had this to say about the news,

“This is literally a job I’ve been wanting to do since I was twelve years old. I was just the right age when I discovered John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, and the wonder of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars. It fired my imagination like almost nothing else. So to finally get a chance to write these characters, to visit that world, is a dream come true for me.”

Dynamite Publisher Nick Barrucci had this to say,

“We are incredibly excited about Ron coming on board for this project. When we originally launched the Warlord of Mars series in 2010, Ron and I ran into each other at a comic convention, and Ron grabbed me by the shoulders and said something to the effect of, ‘How can you launch a John Carter series and not call me to write it?’ It wasn’t a question. It was a statement! As we looked at the potential creators for this series, we instinctively remembered Ron’s passion for the mythos. He is simply the perfect fit. Add in the fantastic art by Abhishek Malsuni and Neeraj Menon, this series will take John Carter to new heights.”

John Carter first appeared in 1912 as the lead character in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first novel, serialized as Under The Moons Of Mars in the pulp magazine, The All-Story, it was later published as a complete novel retitled A Princess of Mars, the first of several novels featuring the character. The new John Carter:Warlord of Mars is set to appear in November.

New details on upcoming Fight Club ‘sequel’ comic from Dark Horse

Andy Haigh
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New details on upcoming Fight Club ‘sequel’ comic from Dark Horse

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Writer Chuck Palahnuik has just announced more details about the proposed Fight Club 2 comic he first mentioned last year.

The comic, set to appear from Dark Horse in 2015, will be a follow up to the story that was adapted for the 1999 film directed by David Fincher that became a cult hit. Fight Club told the story of an unnamed insomniac narrator, his violent id come to life in the form of Tyler Durden, and an underground society built on bare-knuckle fighting and spreading anarchy.

The comic, which will have Cameron Stewart on art duties, will be set a decade after the ending of the original story, where the protagonist is married to equally problematic Marla Singer and now has a 9-year-old son named Junior, though the narrator is failing his son in the same way his dad failed him. The story will also feature Project Mayhem which Junior is somehow tangled up in.

Palahnuik has also given this rather cryptic statement regarding Tyler Durden,

“Tyler is something that maybe has been around for centuries and is not just this aberration that’s popped into his mind.”

Dark Horse Editor in Chief, Scott Allie, along with artist Cameron Stewart, cover artist David Mack, director David Fincher, Random House editor Gerry Howard, moderator Rick Kleffel and Palahniuk himself are set to appear on a panel Saturday night at San Diego Comic Con named ‘FIGHT CLUB: From Page To Screen and Beyond.”

J.J. Abrams Casually Unveils X-Wing In Video From Star Wars: Episode VII Set

Becca Harper
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J.J. Abrams Casually Unveils X-Wing In Video From Star Wars: Episode VII Set

J.J. Abrams presents his plea for your support in the Star Wars: Force for Change campaign, a UNICEF charitable initiative dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. He does all this whilst the camera pans out to reveal him standing next to a full size X-Wing, I know, right…eek. This is the first official look at the rebel spacecraft and it comes complete with pilot (orange flight suit included) and a little comedy element in the form of a mouse droid.

Once you get over the excitement and listen, it turns out Abrams is also offering quite a nifty prize. The chance for you and a friend to visit the set of Episode VII and be in it, and if that wasn’t enough they are also offering the chance of winning a private screening of the film, in your home town with 20 of your friends. Visit omaze.com to enter.

Star Wars: Episode VII is directed by J.J. Abrams and alongside Harrison Ford stars Lupita Nyong’o’, Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow along with the original stars of the Saga  – Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker. The first in the new trilogy is set for worldwide release in 18th December 2015.

D&D Adds Rules for LGBT Characters

RyeZuul
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D&D Adds Rules for LGBT Characters

Version 5 of the fantasy tabletop game’s basic rules officially launched this month. Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), one of the cornerstones of modern RPGs and unspoken influence on geek culture and fiction, has, for the first time, explicitly embraced the questions of sexuality, biological sex and gender identity. While these themes have certainly never been banned from discussion by fans, the new elements now set up the opportunity for greater awareness an exploration of the issues through shared fiction. Thankfully, the rules themselves aren’t preachy and they do tie-in to the actual game in a very open-ended way.

Scienticians have proven that any number of dragons might be gay.
Scienticians have hypothesised that any number of dragons might be gay. Original source.

The pertinent part of the character creation section states: “Think about how your character does or does not conform to the broader culture’s expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behaviour. For example, a male drow cleric defies the traditional gender divisions of drow society, which could be a reason for your character to have to leave that society.

“You don’t need to be confined to binary notions of sex and gender – you could play as a female character who presents herself as a man, a man who feels trapped in a female body, or a bearded female dwarf who hates being mistaken for a male. Likewise, your character’s sexual orientation is for you to decide.”

“The elf god Corellon Latherian is often seen as androgynous or hermaphroditic… and some elves in the multiverse are made in Corellon’s image.”

I’m sure there’ll be those complaining that either this reminds them that alternate sexualities and genders exist, and there’ll be those complaining that having hermaphrodites in a fantasy setting is oppression against intersex people in real life. My opinion will be that it’s actually a good step for a major creative brand to take. Fair play to them.

The Geek Pride Comic Blog – 20/07/2014

Ben Fee
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The Geek Pride Comic Blog – 20/07/2014

We’re back to normal this week with an especially sweary edition of the GP Comic Blog. Enjoy!

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BF: My shocking discovery this week has been SUICIDE SQUAD, thanks equally to some of you guys for recommending it and also to Comixology for doing a 69p/issue sale! It. Is. Amay-may. Absolutely loving all of it in a completely retro “team comic” kind of way which I thought I’d grown out of.

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CT: 3 things for me. Number one was the superb Hellblazer Volume 1. Similar to your investigation of Suicide Squad I got it largely off the back of its discussion here. So ’80s, so good.

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CT: Second was Blue Estate which was weird and kind of good and I basically got it cos they’re making a PS4 game out of it that I saw a trailer for. It’s kinda fun but the art is odd.

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CT: Finally I grabbed Penny Arcade’s Lookouts 6 issue series for cheap on Comixology which is very very good fantasy in a pretty cool setting.

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AH: I think I gave you like 5000 words last time so I shall just say Brian Keene’s The Last Zombie from Antarctic Press, one of the best horror comics I’ve read, far better than The Walking Dead. I went there.
CT: That has got to be some damn fine comic to lay down challenge to TWD
AH: Here’s my analysis, also check out my website if you haven’t already.

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MO: Mother.Fucking.Saga. Don’t fucking question me , you need it in your lives. THE best Image comic of the last 5 years. Also had a lovely romp through Cy Dethan’s Harlan Falk . It’s ace and the only reason you shouldn’t read it is if you don’t like thinking about things .
CT: I’ve been meaning to get saga for freaking ages now, it’s just been sitting in my Amazon wishlight.
CT: And sometimes even in my Amazon wishlist
AH: I picked up volumes 1 to 3 a bit ago. I think saying Saga is great is a bit like saying the Sun is a bit hot, it seems redundant so I’ve never mentioned it.
BH: I motherfucking love Saga, I’ve read over and over again and it still fascinates me.
AH: Everyone’s swearing, potty mouth is contagious apparently.

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AH: I think the new Vampirella is worthy of praise too, Nancy A Collins is writing it and it’s rather good and by that I mean it’s got a great pulpy horror vibe to it which is exactly what it should be like. A modern take on the original if you will which is rather fitting since it’s the characters 45th anniversary I believe.

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LMS: Oh and on the topic of “shit we read this week”, the multiple Guardians of the Galaxy comics, despite being a shameless cash-in on the much-behyped movie, are actually pretty good. Galaxy’s Most Wanted, Rocket Raccoon and Legendary Star-Lord are the new titles, in addition to the obvious Guardians of the Galaxy.
BF: I read the shameless cash-ins, well two of them – couldn’t bring myself to purchase two Rocket Raccoon spin-offs in one week so went with the Skottie Young one because his art is sex. It was ok, preferred the Sam Humphries-penned Star Lord. Definitely a cut above the usual blood-from-a-stone material we usually get this close to a big release.

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LMS: Also, I just read a new Image offering called Wildfire, which takes a look at the implications -both good and bad- of GM crops. Given that this is something I have never given even a micro-shit about (except that now I can one day retire to a turducken farm, yay) I found it genuinely interesting and really learned some stuff. So, yeah.
BF: Turducken is the most poorly-named food ever devised. Might as well call them shitbirds

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AH: On the earlier point I should also mention The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefvre and Frederic Lemercier which is just stunning both on a techical level on a narrative/ visual level. It should be in schools. Kids would learn a lot about war, more than reading biased texts. Also Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli for its approach towards narrative dichotomy reflecting the warring state of emotions.

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AH: The Nightbreed comics from Boom! are really rather good and definitely supports the idea of a mooted TV series. It’s especially good for fans who can remember seeing the film, albeit in its butchered state, as Shuna, Peloquin and Lylesburg all feature and the way the narrative structure works in the latest issue is really well done and also really re-enforces the idea that the Nightbreed aren’t the monsters in the story. Which is what baffled the studio when the film was released hence them cutting it to pieces.

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AH: Greg Rucka’s Lazarus continues to be one of the best dystopian tales and I’ll be surprised if there aren’t a few Forever Carlyle’s popping up at cons as the character is so well done and comics needs well written multi-layered female characters, I avoid the use of the term “strong female character” because it’s awful, you don’t have strong male characters.

Ben Fee; Callum Tyndall; Andy Haigh; Mike Orvis; Laura Maier Swainston; Becca Harper

Queen’s Guard Surprise Tourists with the Game of Thrones Theme

Becca Harper
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Queen’s Guard Surprise Tourists with the Game of Thrones Theme

The Game of Thrones theme tune is one of the most covered tunes on the internet, seriously goats have done it, dogs, there is a dubstep version and a ska version; so you would think it was getting a little overdone…nah I’m kidding, it’s all good.

But if you want a truly regal version then whom better to perform that than Her Majesty’s Guard. The bearskin wearing, red coat guards gave the tourists a treat during the traditional Changing of the Guard.

Farewell, James Garner!

Cristina Bogdan
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Farewell, James Garner!

It seems we have to say good bye to yet another movie legend. This time is James Garner, who was found dead in his home earlier today. The 86 year old actor was one of the most prolific leading men in Hollywood, his acting career spanning decades and crossing over from one genre to another.

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He was perhaps best known for his work on The Rockford Files (incidentally, the first series I’ve ever seen him in), but he has had roles in Maverick – being the first to play Bret Maverick – as well as in a plethora of iconic series and movies: Chicago Hope, 8 Simple Rules, First Monday, Space Cowboys, Barbarians at the Gate, and for the more romantic of us, he is perhaps best remembered for his role in The Notebook.

Not just an actor, James Garner has also won two Purple Hearts for his actions in the Korean Wars and has been involved in numerous humanitarian causes as well as being a volunteer for Save the Children.

He will definitely be  missed by all those that have followed his career and that he’s enchanted both on and off screen, with his acting skills and charming personality, respectively.

Rest in peace, Mr. Garner!

 

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