1:00 PM, Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Whenever a movie has anything that remotely looks like military tech, the producers turn to the actual military for help with gear that'll look the part. But when Marvel came a-calling with The Avengers, the Pentagon decided not to play ball with Joss Whedon and company. And their reasoning is priceless.
The DoD was totally on board with The Avengers until midway through production, when, according to U.S. Defense Department Hollywood liaison Phil Strub, it became confusing to the powers that be where, exactly, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division would fall in the current bureaucratic command structure:
"We couldn't reconcile the unreality of this international organization and our place in it. To whom did S.H.I.E.L.D. answer? Did we work for S.H.I.E.L.D.? We hit that roadblock and decided we couldn't do anything [with Avengers]."
According to Wired, Marvel tried to explain—with what must've been a straight face—that given the word "Homeland" in its title, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be part of the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense. If S.H.I.E.L.D. was a real organization. Which it is not. Because The Avengers is a work of fiction.
11:00 AM, Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
Bennis Sham pointed us to an interesting video released on IGN recently. As the title says, it's the Avengers... as a Boy Band!! Yep, you read that right. Earth's Mightiest Heroes seducing the ladies, not with their muscles, tights and super powers, but with their singing? Check it out below.
Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Hawkeye unite in a boy band parody that will seduce screaming fangirls everywhere! Watch as Stan Lee's favorites gyrate their way into your heart....and the top of the TRL charts.
6:00 PM, Sunday, April 29th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) says at least one school district in British Columbia, Canada won't allow the Dr. Seuss title "Yertle the Turtle" to be quoted because it's "too political." Here are the full details straight from the CBLDF:
According to one school district in British Columbia, Canadian teachers shouldn't be allowed to display a quote by Dr. Seuss. The Prince Rupert School District banned a quote from Seuss's classic Yertle the Turtle from classrooms after declaring that the quote violated a district policy against political speech in classrooms. Basically, the district declared the quote "too political."
A specific quote from the book, which was displayed in the classroom of an elementary school teacher in the district, brought about the ban:
I know up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here on the bottom, we too should have rights.
After receiving a complaint from the school district, the teacher met with acting director of instruction for the district, Dave Stigant. From the Canada's The Globe and Mail:
And while he conceded Tuesday that it might seem absurd to spend time reviewing quotes from, among others, Dr. Seuss and former Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker, Mr. Stigant said the review is necessary to protect students from an often-bitter dispute.
"It's a good use of my time if it serves the purpose of shielding the children from political messaging," Mr. Stigant said. "I don't consider it's taking a stand on the dispute. It's a matter of legality and living up to our obligation to children and their families."
Mr. Stignant further told The Globe and Mail that he didn't know the source of the quote when he met with the teacher. Joanna Larson, the president of the teacher's union in Prince Rupert noted the following on Twitter (via Huffington Post):
Teachers in Prince Rupert, BC could face discipline for displaying Dr. Seuss quote. Management "must insulate students from political messages"
Multiple sources cite that an ongoing labor dispute between the teachers and the school district played a role in the ban of the Seuss quote. A 2011 ruling by an arbitrator in the dispute prohibits political messages and political buttons in schools, which has led to the district sending notes to several teachers about their display materials. You can read more about the ban here and here.
Yertle the Turtle isn't the first Dr. Seuss book to be attacked, nor will it be the last. The book is also in good company when it comes to challenges. The ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedomrecently announced the most challenged books of 2011, a list that included the critically-acclaimed graphic novel The Color of Earth as the second-most challenged book. You can read CBLDF's coverage of the list here.
CBLDF is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week, which takes place September 30 - October 6, 2012. Banned Books Week is dedicated to "celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment." CBLDF is creating tools that retailers and librarians can use during this year's 30th Anniversary Banned Books Week Celebration to raise awareness of challenged and banned comics and graphic novels. To get a headstart on the festivities, please check out the CBLDF Rewards Zone, where we have items such as our "I Read Banned Comics" t-shirt available to help raise money for this important program. If you have a First Amendment emergency, call 1-800-99-CBLDF!
7:00 AM, Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
In a strange bit of corporate synergy, Marvel announced today that this Wednesday's episode of ABC's "General Hospital" will feature a crossover of sorts with Marvel's The Avengers.
"Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) attends a movie screening, along with Matt (Jason Cook) and Cameron (Braeden Walkes)," reads the official description. "...while contemplating his theory who killed Dr. Lisa Nikes."
A very similar advertising tactic was employed in 2009 when the release of James Cameron's Avatar was promoted on an episode of "Bones," making use of the film's star and series regular Joel David Moore. Of course, the Marvel Universe isn't a stranger to unlikely crossovers: Spider-Man visited the set of "Saturday Night Live" in 1978 in "Marvel Team-Up #74," Stephen Colbert appeared just a few years ago in the pages of "The Amazing Spider-Man" #573 and The Avengers themselves went to a David Letterman taping in issue #239. Marvel even crossed over with a soap opera before during a 2006 promotion with "Guiding Light."
"General Hospital" airs weekdays at 3:00pm ET/2:00pm PT on the ABC Television Network.
1:00 PM, Thursday, April 12th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Bob Kane and Bill Finger were responsible for creating Batman in 1939. Unless, that is, there's more to the origin of the Dark Knight than meets the eye.
The name Frank Foster II may not mean anything to you, but in 1932 he supposedly created and drew up sketches for a new hero—Batman! In the early '30s, Foster apparently worked along side famous comic creator Al Capp, thinking up new ideas. In a '70s interview, Foster claimed:
"...it seems to me that in those days, and even now, that most all of the strips were the heros of the day—such as, flying through the sky during the day and doing good deeds and so forth and so on—and I thought, well, why couldn't that be done at night? Have a good guy do stuff at night. So, I started working, just briefly, very briefly, not too seriously, with Al Capp, and cooking up a couple of ideas.
" ... one of the things was Batman ... "
In 1936, the Foster family moved to New York, home of DC comics, where, in addition to creating mural paintings and taking a number of odd jobs, Foster continued to dabble in comic ideas. This is where the story gets a bit hazy. According to Foster's grandson-in-law, there was a time when Foster did submit ideas to DC. There is, however, no concrete evidence, nor did Foster remember with whom at DC he spoke.
From there, the evidence provided as proof that Kane stole Foster's idea gets a bit flimsy. Bob Kane was asked to create a comic book character for DC at the 1939 World's Fair, and Foster was creating murals there at the time. We are meant to believe Foster and Kane could have become acquainted at that time, but there's no evidence that this happened.
The question remains, though—was Batman a stolen idea? Foster's son believes that "the possibility of two men in 5,000 years of history arriving at the same character who's a hero of the night, with the same name of Batman, at the same time, at the same place on the earth, is zero." We, however, would be remiss if we didn't point out that things get invented by different people at the same time almost constantly. The telephone, color photography, the thermometer and the microscope were all invented at nearly the same time.
1:00 PM, Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
The punishment for murder ranges from a few years in prison to the death penalty, depending on the state where the crime is committed. But what if there isn't a murder? What if instead someone wants to take an old poster of a horror movie with bloodshed, create a copy and pass it off as an original for sale on the Internet? What's the penalty for that?
It turns out 6 1/2 years in prison. That's how much jail time a Georgia man has received for forging horror movie posters and lobby cards and selling them on eBay.
Kerry Haggard, 47, was arrested in April 2011. According to the indictment, he devised a scheme to fraudulently sell these nostalgia items as authentic. Later details from the case indicated that he used a New York digital printing company to replicate posters for movies such as Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein, and earned about $1.3 million by selling these items at prices up to $5,000.
His big legal error turned out that he used the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the items. That, and perhaps the arrogant belief that his buyers would never attempt to get the items authenticated by experts.
In October, he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
On Monday, according to a report in a local Atlanta newspaper, a judge sentenced him to 78 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release, plus the forfeiture of $1.38 million.
1:00 PM, Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Former Judge Dredd artist Brett Ewins has been arraigned on charges of grievous bodily harm with intent.
The British illustrator, who has a history of mental illness, is alleged to have attacked police officers with a knife during an incident at his Ealing home.
Ewins inflicted minor injuries on one officer, who was investigating a noise complaint. The incident left the 56-year-old artist hospitalized, though he has since been discharged and appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court.
The judge ruled that Ewins is to be remanded into custody until a preliminary hearing on February 17, reports the Ealing Gazette.
An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is under way to examine the role that the officers played in the incident.
Ewins is best known for his work on 2000 AD's popular strips Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.
7:00 AM, Friday, January 20th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
Angie and Chad from the Screen Team take their parody act to Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" in this crazy video. Watch Batman and Catwoman dancing around in public with their take on the popular song. Lyrics can be found below, and here's the video:
Lyrics:
When i press start, Arkham City
I feel like the star, and that's one hot kitty
I'm wearing a cape, alter ego Bruce Wayne.
And i'll save the day.
This city is hell, but i got my
Explosive Gel, Remote Control Batarang
So bring on the gang, you know i can hang.
And Hugo is Strange.
And i fight like this...
Drop a smoke bomb and i'll own you.
Do a Cape Stun and i'll show you
All the moves like Batman, i got the moves like Batman.
I've got the na na na na na na na na moves like Batman.
Call in some bats and they'll swarm you.
I just kicked your ass, but i warned you.
Got the moves like Batman, i got the moves like Batman.
I've got the na na na na na na na na moves like Batman.
Sometimes i Slide, but i love to
Grapnel and Glide, Dive Bomb you.
I throw a Beat Down. Perform a Take Down.
That ass sure is round! (catwoman)
Oh! I got my Batclaw for the Joker.
Phone calls from Zsaaz couldn't be weirder.
I'll fight the Penguin, shove his umbrella in...
I'd **** Harley Quinn
And i fight like this...
Drop a smoke bomb and i'll own you.
Do a Cape Stun and i'll show you
All the moves like Batman, i got the moves like Batman.
I've got the na na na na na na na na moves like Batman.
Call in some bats and they'll swarm you.
I just kicked your ass, but i warned you.
Got the moves like Batman, i got the moves like Batman.
I've got the na na na na na na na na moves like Batman.
11:00 AM, Friday, January 13th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
A man disguised in an Incredible Hulk mask robbed a western New York bank this week. according to TV station WIVB.
Hamburg police are searching for the suspect who held up a Northwest Savings branch on Jan. 9 with a handgun rather than a display of rage and superhuman strength favored by the neon green comic book character.
A security camera photo released by cops shows the villain standing at the counter. He's a white man in his 20s wearing a brown jacket with a shearling collar, faded blue jeans and a long gold or silver chain, according to a statement.
The man dressed like Dr. Bruce Banner's radioactive alter ego ran from the bank on foot and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
There's been a spate of robberies recently by thieves masked to look like children's comic book heroes and cartoon characters, such as a man in Spider-man outfit who robbed a Maryland bank. A hooligan in a full-body Gumby costume had less success trying to rob a store, because a clerk didn't believe the thief was serious.
12:00 PM, Saturday, December 31st, 2011 - Posted by John Wilson
In a case of life imitating comics, attorneys for Marvel are trying to prove that Mutants aren't humans after all.
The guys at the Radiolab Podcast uncovered this story recently, and it sounds like something ripped right out of an issue of The Uncanny X-Men. However, before you head out and enroll at Xavier's Mutant Academy, understand that the whole Mutant vs. human debate in this story revolves around toys.
No, Marvel lawyers haven't found real Mutants running around in the wild. The truth of the story is slightly more mundane. It turns out that toys manufactured overseas and imported to the US are taxed, but different kinds of toys are taxed in different ways for some reason. One of the distinctions is for "dolls" which are defined as things that represent humans, while toys are non-humans, like robots and animals. Human dolls are taxed at a much higher rate (12%) than "toys" (6.8%). So, Marvel, trying to save some money, is currently in court arguing that its line-up of Mutant action figures aren't really humans and therefore should get the lower tax rate. Not quite as exciting as the thought of Wolverine and Storm taking on an army of Sentinels, eh?
While the legal wrangling has been going on for quite some time, it appears that the Marvel Superheroes RPG put this debate to bed ages ago. From the game's wiki:
"Each character had an origin, which put ceilings on a character's abilities and superpowers. The origins included: Altered Humans (normal people who acquired powers, such as Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four), High-Tech Wonders (normal people whose powers come from devices, e.g., Iron Man), Mutants (persons born with superpowers, such as the X-Men), Robots (created beings such as the Vision and Ultron), and Aliens (a blanket term used to cover non-humans, including extra-dimensional beings such as Thor and Hercules)."
Whenever a movie has anything that remotely looks like military tech, the producers turn to the actual military for help with gear that'll look the part. But when Marvel came a-calling with The Avengers, the Pentagon decided not to play ball with Joss Whedon and company. And their reasoning is priceless.
According to one school district in British Columbia, Canadian teachers shouldn't be allowed to display a quote by Dr. Seuss. The Prince Rupert School District banned a quote from Seuss's classic Yertle the Turtle from classrooms after declaring that the quote violated a district policy against political speech in classrooms. Basically, the district declared the quote "too political."
Multiple sources cite that an ongoing labor dispute between the teachers and the school district played a role in the ban of the Seuss quote. A 2011 ruling by an arbitrator in the dispute prohibits political messages and political buttons in schools, which has led to the district sending notes to several teachers about their display materials. You can read more about the ban 
In a strange bit of corporate synergy, Marvel announced today that this Wednesday's episode of ABC's "General Hospital" will feature a crossover of sorts with Marvel's The Avengers.
Bob Kane and Bill Finger were responsible for creating Batman in 1939. Unless, that is, there's more to the origin of the Dark Knight than meets the eye.
The punishment for murder ranges from a few years in prison to the death penalty, depending on the state where the crime is committed. But what if there isn't a murder? What if instead someone wants to take an old poster of a horror movie with bloodshed, create a copy and pass it off as an original for sale on the Internet? What's the penalty for that?
Former Judge Dredd artist Brett Ewins has been arraigned on charges of grievous bodily harm with intent.
A man disguised in an Incredible Hulk mask robbed a western New York bank this week. according to TV station WIVB. 
The guys at the Radiolab Podcast uncovered this story recently, and it sounds like something ripped right out of an issue of The Uncanny X-Men. However, before you head out and enroll at Xavier's Mutant Academy, understand that the whole Mutant vs. human debate in this story revolves around toys.
