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Review--They Live: Collector's Edition (Blu-Ray)

10/31/2012

 
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by Brian LeTendre

One of the highlights of this year’s New York Comic Con for me was getting to chat with the folks over at the Shout! Factory booth. This was their first time at NYCC, and one of the things that they were spreading the word about is their new Scream Factory line of horror movie re-releases.

The Scream Factory line is targeting some cult classic horror movies for both Blu-Ray and DVD re-release, and they are throwing in tons of extras as well. Classics like Halloween II & III, Terror Train and The Funhouse have already been released, and other 80s gems The Nest and Deadly Blessing are on the way in the coming months.


At NYCC, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early Blu-Ray copy of one of my favorite movies of all time, They Live, which is being released on both Blu-Ray and DVD on November 6th. 

They Live: Collector’s Edition is the definitive edition of John Carpenter’s 1988 masterpiece. For those of you who haven’t seen it (and shame on you if you haven’t), the movie follows Roddy Piper’s character Nada, a drifter who stumbles onto the fact the ruling class of America (and pretty much the world) is actually a race of aliens. In addition to some great themes about consumerism and some great visual storytelling, They Live is also well known for containing the greatest fight scene of all time between Roddy Piper and Keith David.

Any fan of Carpenter of of horror in general knows this movie is awesome, so let’s talk about the collector’s edition itself.

First, the presentation. For the Blu-Ray transfer of the movie alone, this edition is worth the $30 asking price. It’s absolutely beautiful. I paused the movie five or six times along the way just to admire how good this version looks. The sound is excellent as well. This is as pristine a version of They Live as you’ll likely ever see.

The real test of a collector’s edition are the bonus features though, and there’s some great stuff here in Shout! Factory’s edition. You get the original audio commentary from John Carpenter and Roddy Piper, the original “making of” documentary and the original trailers and TV spots for the movie. 


Those are all great, but Shout! Factory took the extras to another level with brand new interviews with John Carpenter, Keith David and Meg Foster. There’s also a great documentary about the look and sound of They Live with the Director of Photography (Gary B. Kibbe), the Stunt Coordinator (Jeff Imada) and the Co-Composer (Alan Howarth), which was my favorite of the special features. Listening to Gary Kibbe talk about shooting in anamorphic format will give you a whole new appreciation for the film.

But that’s not all! There’s also new footage of the fake TV commercials in the movie that were pieced together for the first time. It’s not a ton of footage, but it’s cool to see the commercials by themselves, as opposed to the quick cuts you get in the movie.

If I have one complaint about the collector’s edition, it’s the absence of a new Roddy Piper interview. I’m not sure why that didn’t come together, but it’s a shame they couldn't make that happen.

Don’t let that deter you though--this is an amazing collector’s edition. I’m sure the DVD version looks good as well, but if you have a Blu Ray player, this is a no-brainer. Go out and get it on November 6th, or pre-order it for almost $10 cheaper at the Shout! Factory website now.


Check out the trailer below, as well as a clip from the Keith David interview where he discusses the epic fight sequence.

5 out of 5 Take a Looks

Rhode Island Comic Con Still A Go!!!

10/30/2012

 
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Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, we have word that the Rhode Island Comic Con is still on.

"The RHODE ISLAND CON is STILL taking place. They have been lucky the storms did NOT affect their area and the airlines have
stated there will be no problems with transportation that late in the week. 

For more information visit www.ricomiccon.com
 

'Courting the King in Yellow' Is Now Available On Drive Thru Fiction!

10/29/2012

 
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by Brian LeTendre

IT"S HERE! 

Courting the King in Yellow is now available on Drive Thru Fiction! A Halloween horror story involving elder beings, cultists and shady corporations, Courting the King in Yellow is my homage to the horror stories and movies I grew up with. Robert W. Chambers, H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker and John Carpenter are all influences that horror fans will see in this tale of terror. 

Courting the King in Yellow is available in multiple formats--PDF, Epub (for Nook and most other eReaders) and Mobi (Kindle). When you buy the book, you get all three formats, so you can read it on whatever device you'd like. 

Best of all, Courting the King in Yellow is only $4.99 for a limited time right now! 

You can get it right here. You can also check out a free preview on the product page as well.

To whet your appetite, here's the back cover copy: 

When Melotte Pharmaceutical moved into the struggling city of Springfield, residents saw it as a godsend. But while the city’s fortunes appear to be turning around, something sinister is brewing within its homeless population. 

Four newfound friends stumble onto a horrific plan for the city, and their lives will never be the same again. Because on Halloween night, a new horror will be coming to Springfield, and they are the only ones who can stop it. 

And here's a quick teaser trailer I made for the book:
 
Hope you enjoy the book, and thanks for the support!

Lazerman Kickstarter In Final Days...

10/28/2012

 
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The month is almost over and our friends at HB Comics are kinda close to reaching their goal but need a real good push!

The Kickstarter Project is to raise funds for the first 'Lazerman' trade paperback 'This Man, This Lazer!' collection. If you donate to this project there are a bunch of great incentives at different levels, but if you are a freind on Facebook, you have been seeing some extra goodies being added.

For information please go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hbcomics/lazerman-this-man-this-lazer-trade-paperback/posts/337441 and get involved.

Stephen King And Dennis Calero Bring Us 'Little Green God Of Agony'

10/27/2012

 
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Legendary horror writer Stephen King and well-known comic artist Dennis Calero (Doctor Solar, X-Men Noir) have teamed up for a webcomic based on one of King's short stories.

Little Green God of Agony is a thrice weekly comic that will run for eight weeks on Stephen King.com. Here's the official synopsis:

Katherine "Kat" MacDonald is an RN hired to care for wealthy client, Andrew Newsome, who has gone from doctor to doctor trying to find a quick cure for his lingering pain to no avail. She is convinced that he would overcome the injuries he sustained in an airplane crash but he is unwilling to endure the pain of physical therapy. In desperation, Newsome has hired a healer, Reverend Rideout, who promises to "expel" his pain.

So, if you're looking for some free Halloween horror, head over to King's official site and check out the first six pages of Little Green God of Agony.

Inkwell Awards Announces...

10/26/2012

 
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Press Release

The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit advocacy group devoted to promoting and educating about the art form of comic book inking is now celebrating its sixth season. Bob Almond, founder and director of the organization announced this week a year’s worth of activities, events and accomplishments all designed to celebrate the talents of artists of ink and the contribution they make to an industry rich in tradition.

The organization begins their season with the acceptance by creator Brian Pulido to the position of an Inkwell Awards ambassador. Almond commented "Brian is a multi-talented creator with impressive credits as a writer, publisher and filmmaker. As President of Chaos Comics, he created the iconic characters Lady Death and Evil Ernie. But what is most impressive to me is his ongoing philanthropic efforts in the community with both the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative, of which he is on the Board of Directors. I've met him and found Brian to be a gracious and caring individual that we'd be honored to have among us and added to an already prestigious ambassador line-up. We sincerely appreciate and thank him for agreeing to support and represent us."

  The 2013 season begins in November with two new convention appearances. On November 3-4, members of the organization will appear at the inaugural Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence. The second stop will be at Albany Comic Con on November 11th. In Albany, Special Ambassador and Hall of Fame namesake Joe Sinnott will join the group to celebrate the release of the 2nd Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge book. The first book, set to be an annual educational collection of notable ink artists, premiered last winter and was met with much success and demand. The 2nd issue of the book which will be offered for a $15 donation will feature a front cover portrait of 'Joltin' Joe' by artist Josef Rubinstein and a back cover by Joe, J. David Spurlock and Jose Villarrubia. Joe's son, Mark Sinnott writes the introduction and writer Daniel Best an Afterword. Challenge participants include Rubenstein, Spurlock, Terry Austin, Jose Marzan, Jr., Bob Wiacek, Mark McKenna, Neil Vokes, Scott Koblish and many more! 

Almond announced also that, in November the organization will kick off the third “Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge” event. If November wasn’t busy enough, the advocacy group will also start forming the 2013 Nomination Committee for the annual awards, celebrated at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC in June. This committee will choose nominees for the first five ballot categories from American comic book interior work published in 2012. A new feature to the final ballot this season is a separate Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Nomination Committee who will internally choose two recipients of this lifetime-achievement award. 

The Inkwell Awards’ proudest philanthropic program, The Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund, with the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art is awarded in the Spring. “After serving as an Inkwell Ambassador for one year, it was such a devastating loss to the community when the legendary Joe Kubert passed away this year after all of his contributions and innovations to the medium, including the school that bears his name. By continuing our fund, it allows us to continue our supportive relationship with his family in honor of him and to artist Dave Simons from whom it was named after.” Almond commented.


It's Morphin Time Rhode Island!

10/25/2012

 
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On November 3rd and 4th, The Rhode Island Comic Con will be celebrating all things geek; sci fi, comic books and some incredible media guests.

Among the crew of the Battlestar Galactica and some real diverse TV celebrities will be a few of TV's most beloved heroes...The Power Rangers.

Meet Jason David Frank (Tommy), David Yost (Billy) and Walter Jones (Zack) Saturday and Sunday at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

For more information on other guests just go to www.ricomiccon.com


Joe Caramagna Launches Kickstarter For The Further Travels Of Wyatt Earp

10/24/2012

 
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Our good buddy Joe Caramagna--letterer extraordinaire, writer of young readers' novels, and all-around great guy--has a new creator-owned project! The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp aims to tell the tales of what happened to the legendary gunman after he left Tombstone.

The Kickstarter for this five-issue digital series kicks off today, and there are some great incentives. Among them is a print copy of the first couple chapters, and the opportunity for Joe to letter your creator-owned comic.

Head over to the official Kickstarter page for more info. You can also follow the production of the book over at getyourmustacheon.tumblr.com. And stay tuned for this Friday's episode of Secret Identity, which features an interview with Joe about the project!
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The Iron Man 3 Trailer Is Here And It Looks Awesome

10/23/2012

 

Tim Seeley Working With Strong Girls

10/22/2012

 
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by Matman

One of the cool interviews you'll be hearing in the near future is one I did with writer / artist Tim Seeley from New York Comic Con. In the interview you'll hear how cool and humble guy he is and definitely proves he's one of the good guys working in comics. 

But are you reading the cool work he's putting out month after month?

Hack/Slash - I was someone who picked up on Hack/Slash very late but have 'sort of' caught up collecting back issues and recently picking up Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume One. The series follows Cassie Hack and her monstrous partner Vlad as they investigate and try to bring down serial killers and assorted crazies. If you loved 80's horror movies and immature locker room chat, than Hack/Slash is the book you need to be reading.

Witchblade - A few months ago Tim took over the writing chores on this long running series and not only turned Sara Pezzini's life upside down but he moved her to Chicago. The book may have changed locales, but the book has gotten stronger and more accessible for newer readers.
 

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