Denver Comic Con 2015 – Max Brooks

Panel Name: Avatar’s Max Brooks

Topic: Creator of World War Z spills his guts about his feelings on the movie, but focuses his time talking about Avatar Press and the new graphic novels he is coming out with (Harlem Hellfighters, Extinction Parade).

Featured Guest: Max Brooks

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Having met Max Brooks at last year’s DCC while getting my copy of World War Z signed, I knew going into this panel that at the very least, he was going to be interesting. I was in for quite a surprise. What I expected to be a pretty basic Q&A with some information about upcoming projects turned out to be a comedy routine that would span the length of his career. We start off with a bit of background but then get right into the good stuff, his feelings on the outcome of the WWZ movie. I hadn’t ever really given it any thought, but he has taken the most basic approach to how he has dealt with it. It is also the same approach he has to teach his children, and according to him, if you make a decision you have to live with the consequences. Having gone to see the movie himself, he was really pleased with the title but more so relieved because they hadn’t butchered his book, they completely ignored it. I wasn’t aware but perhaps the crowd already was, WWZ 2 is in the works and Brooks isn’t involved in any way.

According to Brooks, he was here due to one man: William Christensen of Avatar Press, a man who gives no shits as to whether your book is going to be a major seller. Instead, he is more interested in the expression of an idea and the quality of the product he puts out. Things like high-end paper stock and such are more important to him than to other publishers. Brooks described him as a shoemaker in a world of shoe factories, which, based on everything we heard, is exactly right. It’s nice to know that someone is out there who still cares about the subtleties of making a quality product. Brooks went to Christensen with an idea for a story called Extinction Parade. It’s a story about vampires in a world where there food chain is being taken from them due a zombie apocalypse and the silver-spoon (or whatever type of rich spoon a vampire would be fed from) vampires have to learn to come together as a species to solve this crisis. It’s about learning some hard truths as a species at the top of the food chain and I’m sure has plenty of metaphors that apply to us in today’s society.

He goes on to talk about another of his projects; a project that was released last year actually, called Harlem Hellfighters. Since this is the 100th anniversary of World War I, he talked about a unit that was able to survive all odds when everything was stacked against them. It was at this point in the panel that everyone realized that Brooks really missed out on his true calling, voice work. The man does some pretty good impressions; good enough that I wonder what it would be like to get this guy drunk and strike up a historical conversation.

The Harlem Hellfighters were an all-black squadron in WWI that, as Brooks describes it, were going out to fight for the freedom that they didn’t have for themselves and when they came back from the war, they were going to want that freedom for themselves. So the government set them up to fail at every opportunity. They weren’t even given guns so they had to forge documents in order to arm the squad. They were trying to hold the squad back so much that they even attempted to try and keep them from the war by sending them across seas to dig ditches. Then when that wasn’t sufficient, they were sent away to what was considered the ultimate insult (even by today’s standards); they were given to the French Army.

It was with the French army that this squad really began to shine, even going so far as to win the most prestigious award the French army has. This caused the American government to send a set of instructions for how the French army was supposed to treat them, which as anyone can imagine, was as terribly as possible. Brooks mentioned that it took a hundred years, but a member of the unit (Sgt. Henry Johnson, AKA “Black Death”) is finally being recognized for the Medal of Honor. Also as a teacher, if you adopt Harlem Hellfighters as a historical text for your classroom, he will get on Skype and answer any of your student’s questions.

The brief Q&A consisted of questions such as his research process, which consists of massive amounts of research. He goes very in depth with his research which he says has to go into even more detail when you have to see things such as graphic novels. I never gave it much thought as to how a black male, in the 1910, in Harlem would wear their hair. It is very specific, but he really takes the time to get the little details to match. He even mentions the idea of a laser weapon that was planned for WWZ that never panned out because it ultimately didn’t make much sense to use over a basic .22 rifle.

There were a few other questions asked including mine – which let me know that I am in fact the spitting image of American Sniper, Chris Kyle – and that there are many more WWZ short stories that haven’t made their way to the public. I hope I planted the seed that an ultimate edition of WWZ is something he should get working on.

“So did ya cringe?”

After the panel, I went up to the Avatar booth to get a book signed. I ended up getting both volumes of Extinction Parade, Harlem Hellfighters and a spare copy of the Zombie Survival Guide. I only wanted the Zombie Survival Guide signed but he didn’t give me a choice; “You paid for all for all of them, so I will sign all of them.” He is the most gracious of the celebrities that attend the con, he is more than happy to sign everything and take pictures. All of it for free. His inscriptions are all personal as all the other people in front of me had something unique written in their book. Hands down, this guy made my weekend at the con worth it. If you ever get the chance to meet him, I highly suggest you do so, and if you haven’t read any of his books, you need to get on that, too.

The Flash Review – “Rogue Time” S1E16

It is hard to follow up such an amazing episode like the one they had last week, but it had to be done. Unfortunately the follow up was not nearly as strong as the previous episode.  There weren’t a lot of great things this episode and it was mainly a lesson in responsibility for Barry.

Pros:

Cisco is Alive!:  Even though going back in time changed a great number of things, this is the one that I think most people, myself included, would have been angry about if it wasn’t corrected.

Barry realizes the truth about Wells: Things moved forward and backward simultaneously regarding Wells’ identity. Cisco no longer knows, which is good for his life, but now Barry knows. This was most likely done to start rounding out the season with a conclusion between these two.  Now that Barry has gotten so much more powerful, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for that showdown.

Lightning Psychosis: This was a hilarious description Barry use to explain why he acts the way he does to the people in his life not exactly “in the know.”  A convenient excuse, but it still funny nonetheless.

Cons:

Linda Park is gone and so is Iris: Barry somehow managed to lose both of the girls in this timeline. Linda was a given, but losing Iris as well is kind of lame. This obviously isn’t the end for them, but at least Barry hasn’t forgotten her reaction to discovering his identity as The Flash.  When the time is right, things should resume and will be presumably better going forward.

Too much was retconned: A pretty large number of plot details from last week were retconned and I don’t feel like it was for the better.  The only positive out of all this is the reversal of Cisco dying.

Cold and Heat Wave are still terribly acted: They are still terrible, and I don’t understand why nobody at the studio seems to notice it. I really can’t help but cringe every time these two are on the screen.

Flash has all this power and still acts like a bitch: So Barry was fast enough to run into the casino and snatch Lisa up in a bear trap, but he somehow managed to bitch out the second he found out about Cisco.  Lame!  He could have knocked her out and then pummeled Cold into the ground before either could blink.  I don’t understand why they ignore the power Flash has at his disposal.  He just traveled through time and it hasn’t done anything for his superhero self-esteem.

Easter Eggs

Flashbacks: So much was repeated from a different perspective.  It is interesting to see what the day was like after the small changes.

First Weather Wizard: This line is almost exactly the same from the pilot when Barry runs into the first Weather Wizard “I didn’t know there were more like me.”

The Santini Crime Family: Possibly a reference to the Rafael Santini crime family from the post-Crisis Batman books.

Cosmic treadmill: Time-travel Barry is on the treadmill!

The Golden Glider: Lisa Snart is finally here and there were a few references to The Golden Glider in this episode.  First the wig makes her look identical to the character from the comics.  Also, her gun firing gold couldn’t be any more on the nose.

Wells’ comment on wreaking havoc: That is exactly why the Reverse Flash is in this timeline to begin with. He realized that killing the Flash as a boy led to him never becoming the Reverse Flash so instead he tries to torture Barry in every way possible. Could be a taste of things to come.

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Hush Comics gives “Rouge Time” a B- .  Cisco is still alive, but the realm of time travel was otherwise poorly handled.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Dean Buscher.

The Flash Review – “Out of Time” S1E15

After a short break, The Flash came back stronger than ever. I can’t believe how many things they have decided to go forward with instead of making fans wait seasons for each little reveal. As for this episode, I think Martin Lawrence said it best. “Shit just got real” So many major things happened in what could possibly lead to one of the biggest events from comic books history.

Pros

The Flash has unknowingly realized the full extent of his speed: Barry Allen may not yet know it but when he gets overly emotional and runs really fast, he can travel through time accidentally. His ability to travel through time is actually only related to the speed but, in the comics, it was prefaced by his anger and sadness over not being able to save his mother. The show is a different situation, but tensions were understandably high and you could argue that it was the TV show way of representing that. This is what he has been training for all these episodes. I don’t think he can get much faster than time traveling speed, unless you consider running so fast he turns into a lightning bolt. The greatest thing about this episode is that it has left the future open for all sorts of possibilities.

Iris learns the truth, and it is only Season 1: They used a similar setup in Arrow of revealing Oliver’s identity in order to include more people on the team, but this show is much more similar to Smallville in many respects. It took 6 or so seasons for Lana to find out about Clark’s powers and in the very same episode Clark goes back in time and changes it all. I feel like the same thing will happen with the time-travel but it would be nice if they didn’t ret-con it. Barry deserves this, and it would add an interesting dynamic to the show.

We discover the true identity of Dr. Wells: Eobard Thawne (what a terrible name) also known as Professor Zoom or the Reverse Flash is second of the Reverse Flashes but is largely considered one of the greatest adversaries from the Flash rogue gallery. If the comics are any indication, his inclusion does not bode well for Iris in the future. It is nice that the fans get to know what is happening, but with the inclusion of time travel at the last minute, everything that happened this episode is suspect aside from the identity of Dr. Wells.

Things are progressing nicely: Usually shows drag on forever with slow reveals and plot advancements, but the lessons learned from Smallville have showed up in both The Flash and Arrow. This pleases me greatly and makes me very excited for the future of both series.

Gay Rights!!: It was very subtle, but I thought was an interesting inclusion. I wasn’t sure if they were going to broach the subject during the scene but I’m pleased with the way they handled it. With the Captain’s fiancé being shown this episode, The CW or creators of the show, made a subtle statement about where they stand on the rights to allow gay couples in this country.

Cons

Possibly no more Linda Park- We all know that she came to break it off when she showed up at the police station; Barry leaving her there while running off with Iris probably did nothing to help that. I like her character and it doesn’t hurt that she is smoking hot, but she is not destined to be with this Flash. Again, time travel makes this one of many possibilities, but I think it is safe to say she is on the way out.

Also possibly no more Cisco: While he got the Temple of Doom treatment, I can’t help but feel that we haven’t seen the last of Cisco Ramon. He hasn’t even been able to live up to the terrible persona of Vibe yet. He was killed and resurrected many times in the comic books and even was a Black Lantern for a spell. He is a popular character so his death may just be for the shock factor; however, it would be a shame to lose such a great character so early in the series.

The possibility of the episode not ever “existing “ in time: Once time travel enters the equation, all bets are off. Anything that happened in this episode is susceptible to getting ret-conned. That means the advancements along with the bad stuff.

Easter Eggs

This episode was a little light on the easter eggs, which is probably a result of so many revelations in the story.

Speed Mirage: The idea of using speed to approximate being in two places at once is referenced early in the episode as a potential explanation for Barry seeing himself…and then actually used by Zoom.

Wizards Wand: This is used by the Weather Wizard in the comics to control the weather, but it is used against him in this episode. Seems to me that a certain Hush writer did his research and called this all the way back in week one! It’s also pretty awesome that this particular Weather Wizard was portrayed by Spartacus‘ lead actor, Liam McIntyre.

The Walking Dead: “I will watch every episode of The Walking Dead with you.”

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Hush Comics gives “Out of Time” an A for progressing the story, making huge reveals, and in general, shit got cray.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Diyah Pera.

The Flash Review – “Crazy for You” S1E12

Every show is bound to have an episode with filler, but the great thing about The Flash is, even with this episode being filler, we still get some great reveals about the future along with some of the best Easter Eggs in the genre. This week’s villain was a bit of a letdown, but was used as the backdrop for some of the most important details this show will use to progress forward.

Pros:

The Firestorm Matrix is here: Firestorm is more than just a man with powers; Firestorm is actually a fusion of 2 beings, 1 dominant host and 1 corporeal entity. In the comics, Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond are fused together when caught in a mixture of TNT and a nuclear explosion. Many people have become part of the Firestorm matrix, including the introduction of Jason Rush from two episodes ago. This is straight from the comics and it is nice that they were able to work straight from the source instead of having to adapt it for the show.

Barry Allen is moving on: While we all know that he is destined to be with Iris in the end, it is nice to see him play the field a bit until that time. This opens the door for all sorts of interesting characters that could last longer than an episode. Already we have a spark between Barry and Caitlin and we were just introduced to Linda Park(which should lead to the inclusion of another very important character).

I love you Iris, but I love me more. Especially in my cool suit.

 

Gorilla Freaking Grodd: I made the prediction a few episodes that he was in the pipeline and I am so happy that the creators didn’t make us wait that long. The way they chose to include him is interesting though; I can’t tell if they are setting him up to be a major recurring villain or if it is such a masterpiece of CGI that they want to do the slow burn similar to Godzilla movies. The little bit that we already got to see is promising though. This show has already done great things with CGI and this appears to be taking that to the next level.

Barry is continuing to get faster: Just as Clark Kent developed powers throughout Smallville, Barry Allen is developing powers very quickly. He is using his powers in new ways and it is just a matter of time before we get some time travel or vibrating through walls/bullets. They have already alluded to it in this episode by having Barry be just fast enough to catch a bullet, I can’t wait until he realizes he has nothing to fear from guns.

Cons:

There wasn’t enough Caitlin Snow: She was a powerhouse in this episode, which is something that has been building up all season, and it still feels like we didn’t get enough. This is more of a minor gripe than a hit against the show. The creators finally seem to be revealing their plan for this character.

This week’s villain is a little bland: Peak-a-boo is an interesting enough character in terms of powers, but it felt like she was a sort of weekly throwaway with the treatment she got. Being a newer character with less of a backstory, it is not surprising that she didn’t get a quality backstory or even too many decent scenes. She was more of background filler because they had to have a villain for the episode.

Intense glares are scarier than we are.

 

Easter Eggs:

Linda Park: Her inclusion is very important because she is the future wife of future speedster Wally West. While the inclusion of Wally West should mean the death of Barry Allen, It would be interesting to see how they try to make this work, or for how long they might keep Barry Allen dead.

Let me make you jelly, Iris.

You’re not the only one who understands vibrations: Cisco Ramon is destined to become Vibe, arguably one of the worst superheroes ever created. In the comics, he is able to create sonic waves of considerable force. It is unclear if/when he will become this character and how the transition will happen, but this was an interesting nod to that future.

I guess I am faster than a speeding bullet: Just a fun jab at the friendly rivalry The Flash has with Superman over being the fastest man alive.

Cisco is wearing a Big Bang Theory t-shirt: It is funny because The Flash is the group’s favorite superhero on Big Bang, and they always try to dress up as him when there is a costume party.

Hush Comics gives ” Crazy for You” a B+ for more references to the future of Cisco, amping up screen time for Caitlin, and teasing more of Gorilla Grodd.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Katie Yu.

The Flash Review – “Revenge of the Rogues” S1E10

We are back in full swing from the holiday break and ready to start the midseason premieres of many of our favorite shows. The Flash is kind enough to give us not one, but two villains from his rouges list, not really answer any of the cliffhangers from the mid-season finale, and deliver multiple high and low points.

Pros:

Barry Allen is actively training to become faster: With the events of the Flashpoint Paradox ever looming on the horizon, the Barry we know today is a far cry from the fastest man alive who is able to outrun time itself. What makes this training so awesome is that unlike Smallville, where the manifestation of new powers was often due to puberty or some random stimuli, we see Barry actively and welcomingly trying to push the boundaries of what he is capable of. I can’t wait to see him vibrate through a wall or realize that he is impervious to bullets using the same technique.

We might finally see a real purpose for Caitlin Snow: Caitlin has largely been a useless character for the first half of the season, she isn’t as cool as Cisco nor is she as smart as Dr. Wells, so we are left with a character with a no real purpose. She isn’t even a potential love interest at this point. It was a nice change of pace to see her character get a larger part in a side story that can showcase a little more of her skills.

The Flash is revealed: The Red blur is a thing of the past and now the entire world will know about The Flash and what he is capable of. As with any superhero story, this is very important as it will undoubtedly bring more villains to the city, which is always a good thing because he has so many interesting villains to choose from.

The special effects remain as awesome as ever: As things progress there will always be the possibility that something will be poorly CGI’d or there will be something that won’t translate well from the comics. This has not been the case so far and based on how things have progressed, it won’t be a problem in the near future. I couldn’t ask for more with the way they’ve handled The Flash’s movement and powers overall.

Cons:

Captain Cold and Heat Wave perform some of the worst acting I’ve ever seen: I may be alone in this, but the performances of both Captain Cold and Heat Wave were cringe worthy at best. It is harder to say which was worse, the exceptionally terrible lack of personality from the wannabe Terminator…. I mean Captain Cold or the over-acted craziness of Heat Wave. It gave me genuine discomfort watching acting that was so terrible and forced. It is a real shame because the acting is usually top notch all around.

The situation between Iris and Barry was resolved terribly: I wasn’t expecting Iris to leave Eddie and be with Barry right away, but they made such a big deal about it last episode that sweeping it under the rug feels like a genuine disservice to the situation at hand. You can see the future Barry…….really? At least Barry’s relationship with Joe West is stronger than ever……they are now roomies.

Still no further clarification about Dr. Wells’ alternate agenda: It is obvious that he is trying to help Barry fulfill his destiny, but continuing to raise more questions with almost zero answers can be a little irritating. I know all will be answered in time but they made it such focal point of the mid-season finale and just like the Iris situation, left it poorly addressed.

Easter Eggs:

The Rathaways: We have no son … that statement will come back to bite them in the asses as soon as the next episode. These two were the people who purchased the painting for 25 million and their son will be the villain in next week’s episode. The Pied Piper will show up and while it’s unclear if the parents will be involved in the episode, but it’s an interesting way of foreshadowing the next episode as it could have easily been any pair of millionaires.

The Golden Glider: This episode ends with no introduction, but just a taste of yet another future member of the rouges gallery. Lisa Snart, also known as The Golden Glider, has a few different variations on her character so it will be interesting to see what they do with her as a villain. One of her variations is an astral form, but since Captain Cold is using a gun instead of supernatural powers, it’s safe to say that probably isn’t going to be how she is introduced.

Jason Rush and Mercury Labs: Jason Rush is actually the other half of Firestorm in the comics, so it will be interesting to see how his character develops. It is possible with the way they are manipulating things that he could be an unfortunate victim of that, but who knows. For now it seems he isn’t a part of the Firestorm matrix.

Space Ghost: In Barry Allen’s lost nerd survival kit, there are issues of “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” comics.

Predictions:

The true identity of Dr. Wells: At the mid-season finale, I was convinced that he could actually be Mirror Master, which would explain why he was in two places at once, but after looking at the suit in the very last scene, saw that it looked mechanical in nature. This would point to him actually being Professor Zoom, who got his powers from the suit itself. After this episode, I am pretty convinced that he is the actual Reverse-Flash as he was about to stand up and save Barry with super speed that he wouldn’t have had time to get from the suit. Both Zoom and Reverse-Flash wanted to make Barry a better Flash, so it will be interesting to see how they go forward with this character. Maybe they will blend the two villains into one.

Gorilla Grodd!!: He was briefly mentioned and actually shown last episode, but we have no mention of him this episode. I think we will definitely see him this season, though.

Hush Comics gives “Revenge of the Rogues” a B for a great return, but the acting held back the episode from its full potential.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment.  They are credited to Dean Buscher and Cate Cameron.

Best of E3 2014

The E3 conference is the biggest in video-gaming. All the top companies bring out their toys to show the world what they have up their sleeves. Usually this comes in the form of gameplay videos, early-stage rendering or simple announcements if the project is in its earliest developmental stages. With the news giants like GameSpot and IGN flooding content through their outlets, it can get a little overwhelming. To make things a bit easier, we’ve listed out the biggest news, accompanied by a brief summarization – in case you’re at work, or you don’t want to spend time sifting through the content. Enjoy!

The games

Far Cry 4

If this game is anything like Far Cry 3, then you have no excuse what so ever not to buy this. That game was amazing and this game has all that plus you get to ride around on elephants! The story seems a little too similar to the previous game in that they have a villain that seems a little too similar to Vas from Far Cry 3. This game is going to be on older systems but it should look absolutely amazing on next gen consoles.

Mortal Kombat X

The wait for the next project from Netherealm studios is over. There were rumors that it might be Injustice 2 but after comments made by Keifer Sutherland regarding voice over work he did for a new Mortal Kombat game. A few days before the event, Ed Boon tweeted pictures of an X and asked fans what it could be talking about. This game will have new characters along with returning characters and the story will span 25 years into the future directly following the end of the last game. New characters such as Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, will be joining the cast including a villain that is supposed to be a surprise.

Batman: Arkham Knight

The conclusion to the Arkham Trilogy is finally here and is going to be exclusively for next gen systems. While WB Montreal was busy creating the piece of crap that was Arkham Origins, Rocksteady was using the extra development time to polish this game to perfection. This time around the game world will be fully fleshed out and we will be given the ability to drive the Batmobile.

LEGO Batman 3

Batman goes into outer space in order to stop Brainiac from using the power of the lantern rings to shrink the Earth. there will be 150 unique characters to unlock from both the hero and villain side.

Dead Island 2

This sequel takes place in sunny California after the infection from the island spreads to the mainland. Newly crafted weapons and character classes are really all you can expect from this sequel

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Trailer

The remakes of Ruby and Sapphire for newer consoles with a possible Delta Emerald in the works

Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End

The final game in the Uncharted series has Nathan Drake coming out of retirement to do one last job. the trailer shows Drake waking up in a hostile environment much like the previews for the last two games. If they get the same people to write for this game that did The Last of Us, then this should be an amazing game coupled with next gen graphics.

Project Spark

Project Spark is a game in which players can create their own video game using tools such as Kinect and SmartGlass.

Assassin’s Creed Unity trailer and Collector’s Edition

Assassin’s Creed players are blessed with not one, but two games this year. Unity will be for the people who have bought next-gen systems only. This years model will have graphical as well as game play updates. This time around players will be given a parkour up and parkour down button to help navigate all terrain as quickly as possible. This iteration is said to focus more on the multiplayer aspect in the story and not just the head to head matches. Players will get a new time period in the French Revolution to run through as well as a new character.

Assassin’s Creed: Comet, the current gen Assassin’s Creed

This new version of Assassins Creed is for people that haven’t yet made the jump to next-gen. It is supposed to be a sequel to AC3 and AC4 and taking place in New York will also feature ships as a part of the story. This seems like a cheap cash in and essentially a rehash of last years AC4. Seeing as details have been a little scarce, I’m not sure how much content besides the story will actually be fresh, but i suppose it is nice that they are still thinking of all of the fans this year. It may be the last year that they do so.

LittleBigPlanet 3

Seems like more of the same only this time around there are three new characters besides sackboy. The content creation is even greater and the worlds will be even more detailed than before. If you have been a fan of the last two iterations than you will most likely enjoy this game as well.

No Man’s Sky

This is an MMO that people need to look up and watch the trailer for themselves, there is no good way of explaining things verbally. Even the developers have a hard time explaining things. It seems like it may be an interesting game to play

Alien: Isolation

Set 15 years after the first Alien movie, you set out as Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley to uncover the disappearance of her mother. This seems like a mix between Dead Space and The Last of Us with the survival horror requiring you to scavenge just to stay alive. Seems like it could be interesting but the Alien franchise hasn’t had a great track record as far as games go.

Sunset: Overdrive

A contaminated energy drink has transformed most of the population into a multitude of toxic mutants. Using unconventional weapons and the ability to run along walls you will fight these mutants and save the city.

The Crew

Ubisofts big MMO racer that has people in different locales around the country racing to take over a gang.

Forza Horizon 2

Another MMO from the makers of one of the most popular race car games since Gran Turismo. Definitely looks better than The Crew but who knows.

Disney Infinity Marvel Heroes

This is a game for kids that is cashing in on the poplularity of the Marvel movies and the Disney infinity series. I don’t think any adult will genuinely enjoy playing this but this is a great one for the kids.

Evolve

A 4v1 game that pits four players against one player who controls a monster that has special powers to hunt down the hunters themselves. This seems an awful lot like Left 4 Dead with a twist.

The Evil Within

Play as a cop that witnesses something supernatural while investigating the scene of a murder. This seems like another survival horror game in a year full of them.

Super Smash Bros.

The sequel to melee and brawl, this time around they add new characters and gameplay mechanics. With the current fanbase being so large and dedicated plus the lack of any major games on the Wii U, this is sure to be a hit Nintendo desperately needs

Homefront 2

Jump into a united states that has been occupied by North Korea for 4 years. This is a living breathing city that changes based on actions you take. I’ve always wanted a game that played like Red Dawn and now it seems we are finally getting it. I just hope it does the story justice.

Kingdom Hearts III

This is the third game in the series and Sora will be on a new adventure with the cast of Disney. This has been a highly anticipated game and I’m sure it will be awesome just like the last two games.

Sonic Boom

This is a prequel to the sonic story created in the television show. This is also the first time that players will get to control sticks, one the new characters created in the show.

Mass Effect 4 (Trilogy coming to PS4)

Not much has been said about the game other than the fact that it has been announced. The developers of the game have stated that they didnt even like calling it Mass Effect 4 during the early stages as it implied being after the third game. This was basically an announcement that it exists and nothing more really, it should however be amazing based solely on the screens they have released.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Another entry into the battlefront series, this promises to be bigger than the last games we had. With the advances in tech since we last got a game and the major shift to online play, this game has the potential to be something quite spectacular.

Inside (from the developers of Limbo)

Not really sure what to make of this game. Graphically it is 3d and much better looking than limbo as well as having a different atmosphere. I enjoyed Limbo and I’m sure i will check this out, but I have no idea what to expect.

Scalebound

Until I see some gameplay footage, this looks like a mix of DMC and Lost Planet while simultaneously being a ripoff of both. This game does look cool but I will reserve judgement until I see some actual gameplay footage.

Crackdown

The next game in the series is finally here and it looks better than ever. If you haven’t played the first two then you owe it to yourself to check those out. This seems to be focused more on multiplayer but that is just what i gathered from the trailer.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

This picks up right after the first game and comic book series and shows the real transformation of Lara Croft into the badass we know today. If they take as much care with this as they did with the last game, this should be mind-blowing. I can’t wait for this game.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

This is a sequel to the Guardian of Light, this time around there are 4 players as opposed to 2. I didn’t think the first one sold well enough to make a sequel but apparently it did.

Legend of Zelda Wii U

This was the biggest reveal in the show for Nintendo and they didn’t disappoint. This was a major reveal for them and I’m sure that they wont disappoint with this one. Nintendo really needs a game of this caliber on their system.

Yoshi’s Wooly World Wii U

This is another Yoshi game only this time around the catch is you use balls of yarn. I don’t particularly care for things like this and it seems like a lazy first-party game from Nintendo.

Devil’s Third Wii U

This is from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and looks similar to most hack and slash games. Not much was released about this game other than the developer.

Star Fox Wii U

Yet another first party cash in from Nintendo. Since these are the only games people seem to care about on these systems, they are the only ones that developers put any energy into making decent. Because of this, it is pretty much guaranteed this game will at least be decent. This has been a good E3 for Wii U owners and should be a good next few years as well.

Metal Gear Solid 5

This game is going to be one of the greatest games of this generation. After the great yet lackluster experience that was Ground Zeros, we will finally get the true sequel to Metal Gear 4. I cannot wait for this and I can guarantee this will push the limits of any system it is on.

Destiny

The next big thing from Bungie, the makers of Halo, this game promises to be the next big FPS for all systems. People have been waiting to see what is next from the makers of such a historic franchise and this looks very promising.

Abzu

From one of the Developers of Flower and Journey, two critically acclaimed titles, Abzu is the debut project of a new studio. If the other titles are anything to go by, this should be an amazing experience.

Grim Fandango

This is a remastering of the 1998 game that netted a 9.4 score from IGN. If you haven’t played this game yet, this will be the perfect opportunity to check it out.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

The future of the United States always seems so grim in these games. A virus has been released during Black Friday and the country is in shambles. A special unit is dispatched to deal with the fallout. I had heard this was supposed to be an MMO style game but I see no mention of that anymore. Perhaps you can seamlessly join missions with friends instead.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

This is a tactical assault game that has players in a 5v5 match in a completely open environment. The Environment is completely destructible which should open the matches up to complete freedom. This is a game that people should watch the trailer for, it is one of the best ways to describe how this game plays.

GTA 5

The PS4 re-release of one of the biggest games from last year. This looks like an amazing graphical update but I’m sure that the developers have more in mind than just that. The online is supposed to sync up with your account from the last gen so you don’t need to restart from scratch.

Valiant Heroes: The Great War

A World War 1 puzzle game from Ubisoft. I didn’t see much information but based on the price, this looks like a downloadable title.

The Last of Us PS4

If for some reason you haven’t played what was considered one of the greatest games of the last generation, then this is the perfect opportunity to give this game a try. The gameplay and story are nothing short of a masterpiece and you really owe it to yourself to try this game.

Battlefield: Hardline & COD… both rebooting franchise

These are both the obligatory yearly sequels that each franchise wants to put out and then charge another 60 dollars at purchase time to get you for a whole year of DLC. I will probably check out both but I am not sure how excited I am for either.

 

Other Announcements

YouTube to PS4

Twitch PS4

Ratchet and Clank: The movie

Halo: Master Chief Collection

Gamecube adapter for the Wii U

PlayStation TV

PlayStation Now

inFamous: Second Son DLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denver Comic Con 2014 – Arrow Actors

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Panel Name: Arrow Actors

Topic: Q&A with the stars of The CW’s Arrow

Featured Guests: Stephen Amell (Green Arrow), Caity Lotz (Black Canary)

We arrived a few minutes late due to the overlap of the Batman 75th anniversary panel, but were pleasantly surprised to find the place filled to the brim with people. This is selfish of me but the more fans of this show there are, the longer it will be on air. I am hoping for a strong ten years like we got out of Smallville and I wish the same for the upcoming Flash show. By the time we arrived, the moderator had started a few questions of his own and I made it just in time for the audience to start asking questions. On a very basic level, I learned that these two people are totally awesome and in a different life, Stephen and I might have been best friends.

There were tons of questions about the show, which is great, but I am surprised that there weren’t any questions asked about his time on Hung or any of the other popular shows he was on. There was no way that I was going to get a question answered because the line to ask questions was almost out the door on both sides of the room. We did learn that DC is very open to allowing them to use name and places from the universe and that will be a pretty big deal going further into the show. Stephen also divulged that he prefers a recurve bow to a compound, as he considers compounds to be cheating, and that he preferred the pain on his face to the mask he currently wears. The panel was filled with fan questions like these, and while I could fill up a page alone with the answers to these questions, I would tell you to check out the YouTube video that Stephen posted on his Facebook account.

I didn’t get the opportunity to ask a question of either of them during the panel, after a combined wait time of an hour and a half, I was able to get the autograph of both actors and ask each a question or two. I can confirm that they are both genuinely nice people and are truly appreciative of their fans, which made talking to them all the more awesome. Caity all but confirms, quite coyly I might add, that we haven’t seen the last of Black Canary and Stephen assures us that SPOILER!! we haven’t seen the last of Oliver’s child that Moira pushed away. I can’t wait to see if they bring in Connor Hawke next season and I think this was a question that generally surprised Stephen so I don’t think he has been asked it yet. I also go the chance to ask Stephen about his charities and the video he did for BatKid. Check out the YouTube video for this and also take some time to look into the vineyards he has as well as the breast cancer charities he supports. Overall, this was an awesome experience and knowing that the actors of the show are such nice people, it will make watching next season that much better for me. I also hope that we see this version of the Arrow in the upcoming Justice League movie.

Denver Comic Con 2014 – The Oatmeal

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Panel Name: The Oatmeal

Topic:  The Inception of The Oatmeal, Michael Inman’s start, Jizz Castles

Featured Guests:  Michael Inman (creator of The Oatmeal)

 

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at the start of this panel, and I felt the exact same way when it was all said and done. This was one of the funniest experiences I’ve ever had at a panel in the last three years. What started out as a history lesson about Michael and his website, accompanied by awesome drawings, slowly lead into science lessons about some of the more interesting creatures in the animal kingdom.

I actually had a deep appreciation for the way Michael got his start in the business, as I had a similar experience a year or so ago myself. Waking up and realizing that he wasn’t happy with what he was doing, he decided to make a change. He got his first start founding a a website for online dating that included cat pictures, which eventually led to the creation of the book How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You.

During his presentation, we were told all about different aspects of the website such as his dislike for making money from ads to making sure he includes bonus material in his books so people have an incentive to purchase. He also talked about how the simplicity of his drawings are what makes them funny and how the more detailed you get, the less funny something becomes.

From this point forward, the panel consisted of a science lesson about things like the Red Velvet Mite, how shitty it is to be a Male Angler Fish, Penis Fencing, Mallard Ducks and the Mantis Shrimp. The accompanying pictures were absolutely hilarious and only added to the stories he was telling. This, however, pales in comparison to watching the ladies there in charge of sign language for the hearing impaired. Certain parts of the panel actually had people paying more attention to the two ladies up front than the guest of honor – so much so that it was even mentioned during the Q&A. If you ever wondered how to say jizz-castle in sign language, than this was the panel for you. It almost left me in tears, it was so funny.

The Q&A went just about how I expected but nothing meaningful was really asked. We did learn about a charity Michael took part in in town and how he would love to run a marathon for his charities here as well but Coloradoans are too cheetah-like for him. This panel was amazing and will make my future reading of the website even better after having gotten a glimpse into the mind of the man behind these tales.

“Jizz Castle”

“Respect My Craft” – Max Brooks

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

 

Click on the link to take you to all of our Denver Comic Con 2014 “Respect My Craft” articles

 

Name: Max Brooks

Profession: Writer

Notable Work: World War Z, Zombie Survival Guide, Harlem Hellfighters

“One time I was doing some radio press in Utah and this lady called up and she said, ‘I’m living in a trailer with my four kids and now I’m afraid of zombies and I don’t know what to do!’ And I said, ‘Lady, if you’re living in a trailer with four kids, you’ve got bigger problems. Don’t worry about the zombies.'” –Max Brooks

 

Max Brooks was born May 22, 1972 to Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. He graduated from American University’s film school in 1994, after having also attended Pitzer College as a History major and spending a semester at the University of the Virgin Islands. Mel Brooks is a name that should sound instantly familiar to anyone who has watched older comedies. He was an actor/producer in such films as The Producers, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Anne Bancroft was a name that I didn’t recognize immediately but after looking at her work, realized just how big she was. Anne Bancroft played Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, a role for which she won a Golden Globe for best actress, and a film that is preserved in the national registry for its cultural significance. You could say that their son had quite a bit to live up to.

In his early years, Max worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live, and according to interviews, had written the manuscript for The Zombie Survival Guide even before working there. It was during his time at SNL that he met a book publisher that was willing to put the book out there and get it published. What initially was touted as comedy book slowly but surely started to be seen for what it actually is. With sales that were initially slow, Max decided to do a few interviews and lectures to prove that this book was the real deal and that it wasn’t making fun of its core audience. After people started realizing that this book was amazing, it shot up The New York Times Best Sellers list and eventually selling over a million copies while being the publishers most requested back cataloged book.

After the success of his first book, he followed up with World War Z, which was met with high praise. World War Z was immensely popular and spent weeks of the Best Sellers list. The novel remains one of my favorites of all-time, and it’s just as socially conscious as it is entertaining. From the Middle Eastern relationships to American non-interventionism, the underlining political tones were all on-point. These books made Brooks not only an acclaimed writer, but the new spokesman for the undead.

This book was so popular, in fact, that it was picked up for a movie adaptation. After these two successes, they were followed up by a graphic novel that was a follow up to the Survival Guide, called The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Max Brooks wasn’t content to just be a writer, he has also acted in TV show such as Roseanne and 7th Heaven. He also has a career in voicing animation and has done voice over work for various cartoons such as Batman Beyond and Justice League. He has been handed the torch for the undead (even though Romero is still writing books), even representing zombies in the Deadliest Warrior special, “Vampires vs. Zombies.” Spoiler, zombies win.

Latest work is the Harlem Hellfighters (review to come), a fictionalized account of an all-African American military squad during the First World War. They were set up to fail and ended up being some of the most decorated soldiers of the war. This is where his degree in History really shines, because he is able to take stories that actually happened and show the world the true bravery of this unit. Even though some of the people will be renamed as not to upset the families, everyone in the story is either real or based on a real person.

One of the most interesting things about Max Brooks is that he is dyslexic and yet still managed to write one of the most popular zombie novels of all time. While a kid in elementary school, he was initially frustrated that he had such a hard time reading, but it was his love for history that actually saved him and allowed him to push past it.

 

None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it all belongs to their respective properties (NY Times, Spike TV, Broadway Books). Join us tomorrow as we continue our countdown to Denver Comic Con with comic book artist, Colleen Doran, famous for Sandman, Wonder Woman and more.

“Respect My Craft” – Stephen Amell

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

Name: Stephen Amell

Profession: Actor

Notable Work: Arrow (2012-present), Hung (2011), Private Practice (2012)

“We’re making a kick ass show. We will continue to make a kick ass show. And I will continue to interact and provide interesting content for our fans. Because I love our fans. If every once and a while, some dickweed wants to pull a headline out of thin air to generate page views, then that’s the price we pay.” – Stephen Amell

 

The quote you see above is from an angry Stephen Amell in response to a member of the media “leaking” fabricated rumors that Amell was in talks to be a part of the Justice League movie, announced for 2016. You see, that kick ass show that Amell was referring to is Arrow, one of the hottest television shows out right now – and possibly the best live-action superhero show ever on the small screen. I’m actually sitting here writing this article as I re-watch the Season 3 finale of Arrow. I realize that, even though this is really Stephen Amell’s breakout role – his presence on it has been a contributing factor to why it is so phenomenal.

The Canadian sensation has stayed humble through the transition into stardom. It hasn’t been an instant rise to fame for Amell; it took nearly a decade-long career to get casted as Oliver Queen in Arrow. Like many actors without a pedigree, he got his start with small roles in popular television shows. The first of which was Showtime’s Queen as Folk, where he played a spin instructor. Spin class, for those who don’t know, is a gym class where a group of people vigorously ride stationary bikes to the tempo of music. Vigorously. Ironically enough, Amell was actually a spin instructor in real life prior to breaking into the business – which he had been training for since taking acting classes in high school.

Amell expanded his repertoire when he was cast on the gay super-natural soap opera, Dante’s Cove, home to some pretty risqué dude-on-dude scenes – Amell excluded, sorry ladies and/or fellas, if you’re into that. He proved early on that he is comfortable with his sexuality, playing a gay prostitute in the third season of HBO’s Hung, a role that he apparently didn’t tell even his parents about (probably because he didn’t have this awesome video to break the news with). Aside from playing Arrow, his role of Jason has been his longest-running. His openness to trying roles like this led to a slew of other opportunities, from CSI and NCIS to the award-winning Canadian shows like Heartland, Rent-A-Goalie and ReGenesis. Amell also played Brady the Werewolf in The Vampire Diaries. The CW, the channel that hosts both TVD and Arrow, likes to keep their actors in the family, which led to his audition – and prompt casting – for the part of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow.

If you’re going to choose a character to get type-casted as, a billionaire crime-fighter isn’t the worst. Green Arrow has been a dark horse favorite among DC Comics characters – which is great, considering he is often in the shell of Batman (oddly enough, Arrow will be competing with FOX’s Gotham drama based on the Dark Knight). Nothing comes easy to Queen, and it shows through the stream of flashbacks to the island Queen was stranded on.  This is such an impressive feat for Amell, who must portray both a character living a current-day double life, and a character in progression – a guy who goes from entitled douche to unlikely hero.

The dreaded Salmon Ladder. Stephen Amell does his own stunts, thank you very much.

Now, Stephen Amell doesn’t just play a hero on television; he’s kind of one in real life. Most people by now have heard of Batkid, but just in case you haven’t, I will give a little background. Miles was a kid who had battled leukemia and was in remission. His one wish was to save the city of Gotham with Batman. The entire city of San Francisco was transformed in Gotham City and Batkid went around foiling the nefarious plots of many of Batman’s greatest foes. In what could be considered the greatest nod to Batkids work, Stephen posted a video on his Facebook as Oliver Queen with Diggle and Felicity. He is talking to his partners about how there is absolutely no criminals to fight thanks to the heroics of Batkid and thanks to him he gets to go out and enjoy dinner for a night.

It goes further than that. He has one of the best Facebook pages known to man, which he frequently uses to interact with fans and post hilarious memes making fun and promoting the show. Amell also found time to voice the Arrow version of the Green Arrow (regular version played by Alan Tudyk) character in the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game. Aside from posting memes, Amell uses social networking as a platform for the various cancer research causes that he believes in, stemming from his mother’s diagnosis with breast cancer. To name a few: he recently auctioned an autographed Arrow statue away (going for over $25K on eBay at time of writing) for a cancer patient, he attends fundraiser balls in the name of awareness (Boobyball and Fuck Cancer, to name a couple).

How he manages to juggle being the hardest working actor in television with his wife, former America’s Next Top Model contestant, Cassandra Jean, and their baby girl, Mavi, is anybody’s guess. Plus, he’s now an expert archer, or at least what he told us at his panel at Emerald City Comic Con, he has the form of an expert archer. The humanitarian aspect he brings to the table, coupled with his work ethic – and workout ethic, sets him apart from the rest of the industry. How lucky we are to have Amell spearhead the superhero television revolution. Oliver Queen should take notes.

None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it all belongs to their respective properties (DC Comics). Join us tomorrow as we continue our countdown to Denver Comic Con with the voice actor that raised a generation, Jim Cummings.