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14 Dec 18:32

Rosalina Amiibo Will be Exclusive to Target

by Steven Bogos

The Rosalina target exclusive means that four of the wave 3 amiibos will be exclusives to different stores.

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20 Nov 18:53

'American Horror Story: Freak Show' Review: "Test of Strength"

by Britt Hayes

Welcome to another episode of ‘Soap Opera: Freak Show,’ in which we’ve (hopefully) reached peak melodrama. Although Jessica Lange’s Elsa subdues herself somewhat in “Test of Strength,” allowing for more theatrical performances from the father/son bonding of Michael Chiklis’ Dell and Evan Peters’ Jimmy, there’s still way too much heightened drama and not enough of that horror that the show’s title promises. And where’s all the bonkers weirdness that we’ve come to love from Ryan Murphy and Co.? This season has worked itself into a woefully boring rut.

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13 Oct 17:31

The Settlement Received By Jack Kirby’s Estate From Marvel And Disney For Not Going To The Supreme Court

by Rich Johnston

At the New York Comic Con, one of the oft-discussed stories was the settlement between the estate of the late Jack Kirby, co-creator of the Hulk, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Captain America, X-Men, Silver Surfer and so much, represented by Marc Toberoff, and Marvel Comics, now owned by Disney.

The suit, if successful, would have redefined work-for-hire and creator-owned definitions under US Law, and would have had wide-reaching consequences across the entertainment and media industries.

Some were angry that the case didn’t go forward, with the benefits that could have accrued for many. Others were entirely dismissive of the case’s chances and were surprised that Marvel chose to settle. And others pointed out that it was the case Marvel – and especially Disney – could not have won, in the eyes of the public at least.

But the details of the settlement were kept private. Until I found the right person, with looser lips, to ask. And I was surprised by the answer.

Possibly, worried he may have said too much, my very well-connected source defined the settlement as “eight figures. Mid eight figures.” Which leads me to believe we could be looking from anywhere between $30 million to $50 million, either way the largest single sum settlement that any comic book creator’s estate has ever received for such a legal settlement in history.

The deal also ensures that Jack Kirby will receive full named credit on upcoming movies based, or partly based, on his work.

The Settlement Received By Jack Kirby’s Estate From Marvel And Disney For Not Going To The Supreme Court

23 Jun 21:00

How to do the Supernatural MCU, part 2

by Coby Criste
As MCU Showrunner Kevin Feige said the other day, and as I started off Part 1 of "How to do the Supernatural MCU", the Marvel Universe is broken into several different areas: you've got your Street-Level Stuff (which they'll be covering with Daredevil and the other Netflix shows), you've got your High-Level Billionaire Stuff (Iron Man, Avengers), you've got your Cosmic Stuff (ThorGotG), and you've got your Supernatural Stuff.

Well, as of a few days ago, Marvel hired Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) to rewrite the script for the upcoming Dr. Strange movie; which will, according to Feige, be "our entry point into that other realm [the Supernatural], which has dozens of characters and storylines all of its own".



We all know the best superhero movies are loosely based on semi-recent comicbook runs (Captain America: The Winter Soldier being the most recent example of this). The problem is, Dr. Strange doesn't really have a good recent run to base itself on. So, Mr. Spaihts, if you're looking for inspiration in the comics, I urge to look no further than a couple of recent Annuals: Thunderbolts and Uncanny Avengers. I covered Thunderbolts last time--here, I'll talk about Uncanny Avengers Annual #1.


Uncanny Avengers Annual #1 is a hilarious meta-comic filled with Mojoworld hijinks and a kind of self-critique not seen in a comicbook since Warren Ellis's Nextwave. It starts off in Mojoworld, where Mojo is answering to a board about why his latest show, "Devil Dinosaur's Power Pack Force Antique Roadshow", didn't work. The board members' comments could just as easily be applied to any recent TV show or mainstream comic run.

But all that meta-analysis doesn't really apply to "How to do the Supernatural MCU". What does apply is Mojo's pitch for a new show:


Manphibian, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Blade, and Satana: The Avengers of the Supernatural! If you want to explore the "dozens of characters and storylines" of the Supernatural MCU, this is the team to do it with!

Unfortunately for "How to do the Supernatural MCU" (not for the comic, as the tongue-in-cheek commentary works brilliantly here), the board members muck up Mojo's pitch by adding Wolverine, some actual Avengers, maybe zombies, jocks, geeks, and rockers, and asking him to aim for a sci-fi, horror, super hero mash-up. So then we get to see all of those things, and--in the comic--it is amazing. I honestly can't believe Marvel actually published so relevant and hilarious a comic.

We see the Avengers sunbathing, Scarlet Witch's bedroom, and Wolverine and Thor having a drinking contest, while Mojo narrates. Then Ghost Rider busts on the seen, here to make the "self-appointed guardians of man" "suffer for [their] hubris!" The sober Captain America tells Sunfire to grab Ghost Rider and take him away, but Doctor Strange will have none of it!


The comic only gets sillier from there, with Doctor Strange and Satana hypnotizing the Uncanny Avengers into acting out "Martian Transylvania Super Hero Mutant Monster Hunter High School". Until Ghost Rider loses his stuff and makes Mojoworld feel the Stare of Penance.


The Supernatural Avengers and the Uncanny Avengers then team up to take Ghost Rider down. Epic brawls ensue, until Rogue absorbs the Spirit of Vengeance from Ghost Rider.


But she can't handle it, so she gives it back to Johnny Blaze. And then it's over. "A bunch of heroes fought each other, then teamed up to fight a greater threat, and then they defeated the threat and... it just ends". We'll leave it for the critics to decipher.. 


And that is one way to do the Supernatural MCU. This tongue-in-cheek meta-stuff works better on the comic pages, but a combination of W.A.N.D. from the Thunderbolts Annual and Doctor Strange's Supernatural Avengers teaming up to take out an epic threat like Ghost Rider would make the perfect movie! Although, without the Mojoworld stuff, please. That would probably piss off a lot of Strange fans.