Green Lantern John Stewart

Green Lantern vol. 2, #87

"This black man lets it all hang out! I've got nothing to hide!"

In December 1971, John Stewart stepped onto the pages of comics and into comic book history. Created by Neil Adams and Denny O'Neill, Stewart became the first black superhero to appear in DC Comics. Click the link to listen to Adams discuss the creation of John Stewart.

Thanks to the popularity of the cartoons Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, John Stewart emerged from the unknown to become a generations' Green Lantern.

John Stewart continues to stay in the forefront in comics as well. In 2011 Stewart is joined by fellow Green Lantern Guy Gardner in the relaunch of Green Lantern Corps. The series is later replaced by Green Lantern: The Lost Army, which features Stewart as the sole lead.

An Elegant Locomotive for a More Civilized Age

Kotaku reports that a special Rapi:t train began service in Japan over the weekend to help promote Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The train runs between Kansai International Airport and Namba Station, located in Osaka. You can get a glimpse from the photos below that every part of the train received a Star Wars themed makeover. 

Transformers Unmasked

Since 1984, noble Autobot Optimus Prime has been standing against the archenemy Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. During that 30+ year span, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker have breathed life into these iconic characters. These two voice-acting legends were recently at Rhode Island Comic Con for a rare east coast appearance. Here is that panel, moderated by Kirk Bozigian, toy creator for Hasbro. We feel incredibly lucky to have seen these extraordinary actors in person. Hope you enjoy.

Google Play (Comic)Books

If Google Play Books isn't your go-to app for reading comics, their recent update may change your mind. In order to better keep up with comiXology, Google Play Books have made some serious upgrades that will make things easier for readers. Notable features include:

• Vertical scrolling (in landscape view)
• Personalized recommendations
• Better organization of volumes and issues

In fact, Google Play Books feels so confident you'll love their new format that they are offering over

40 free comics, including the first issues of The Walking Dead, Saga, Jem and the Holograms, Rat Queens, and the current volume of Batman, as well as Marvel’s new Star Wars Preview. This offer ends November 19. 

The new features will roll out over the next few days for Android users, with iOS expected to follow soon after.

First Look at Arrow/Flash Crossover

Here's a first-look at the upcoming Arrow / The Flash crossover. As you can see from the image above, the two-part event will introduce the Hawks (Ciara Renee, previously seen out of costume on The Flash and Falk Hentschel) who will go on to DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

The 'Flarrow' two-parter is scheduled to air in three weeks, first on The Flash's December 1 episode titled Legends of Today, then concluding the following evening on Arrow's episode called Legends of Yesterday. The two night event is meant to pit Team Flash and Team Arrow against immortal bad-guy Vandal Savage, who is slated to be the 'big bad' on Legends.

In addition to Hawkgirl and Hawkman, Rip Hunter (played by Arthur Darvill) is expected to make his first appearance during The Flash / Arrow crossover. The show runners are calling this year a 'true two-part story' opposed to two stand-alone, team-up stories.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow will debut January 2016 on the CW.

UPDATE: Official descriptions have been released.

THE FLASH/ARROW CROSSOVER – PART 1
THE FLASH
“Legends of Today” — (8:00-9:01:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

PART ONE OF THE EPIC CROSSOVER WITH “ARROW” — In its second major crossover event with “Arrow,” Vandal Savage (guest star Casper Crump) arrives in Central City and sets his sights on Kendra Saunders (guest star Ciara Renée). After Vandal attacks Kendra and Cisco (Carlos Valdes), they turn to Barry (Grant Gustin) for help. Realizing how dangerous Vandal is, Barry takes Kendra to Star City and asks Oliver and team to hide her until he can figure out how to stop Vandal. However, things quickly go from bad to worse when a man with wings AKA Hawkman (guest star Falk Hentschel) shows up and flies off with Kendra. Meanwhile, Harrison (Tom Cavanagh) develops a serum to make Barry run faster and asks Jay (guest star Teddy Sears) to test it out. Ralph Hemecker directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing (#208). Original airdate 12/1/2015.

THE FLASH/ARROW CROSSOVER – PART 2
ARROW
“Legends of Yesterday” — (8:00-9:01:59 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, V) (HDTV)

PART TWO OF THE EPIC CROSSOVER WITH “THE FLASH” — Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Barry Allen (guest star Grant Gustin) take Kendra Saunders (guest star Ciara Renée) and Carter Hall (guest star Falk Henstchel) to a remote location to keep them hidden from Vandal Savage (guest star Casper Crump) while they figure out how to defeat him. Malcolm (John Barrowman) arranges a meeting between Vandal, Green Arrow and The Flash that doesn’t go as planned. Meanwhile, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), Thea (Willa Holland), Diggle (David Ramsey) and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) work with Team Flash to come up with a weapon powerful enough to destroy Vandal Savage. Thor Freudenthal directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim and teleplay by Brian Ford Sullivan & Marc Guggenheim (#408). Original airdate 12/2/2015.

Election Day 2015

In all seriousness, U.S. Friends, be sure to get out and vote today. Vote because you can, not everyone is as fortunate to have a say in their government as you.

'Van Helsing' Coming to Syfy

There's a new generation of vampire hunter on the horizon. Next fall, Syfy will debut a reboot of Van Helsing, which is going into production January 2016. The series will center around Vanessa Helsing taking place of her famous father as 'humanity's last hope to lead an offensive to take back what has been lost.'

'The series (Van Helsing) is unique in exploring a world completely dominated by vampires, while the human characters have to learn the importance of working together to ensure their survival.' ~ Chad Oakes, Executive Producer

Set five years into our future, Vanessa has been resurrected, only to discover that vampires have taken over.

Maybe This Time There Will Be Instructions

Believe it or not, there's a Greatest American Hero reboot coming our way.

Fox has given the green-light to a pilot of the 1980s TV series that starred William Katt as the nerdy teacher who found the red pajamas, we mean suit, that gave him superpowers. The original show lasted three seasons and aired on ABC.

The reboot, being produced by the team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller (LEGO Movie), is described as 'the story of what happens when great power is not met with great responsibility.'

Peter Capaldi Confirmed for Series 10

Jenna Coleman may be handing in her keys to the TARDIS after this series, but the same can't be said for the Doctor himself. 

"Peter Capaldi is going nowhere," remarked series show-runner Steven Moffat in an interview with Variety. Continues Moffat, "It (Doctor Who) is definitely going to last five more years, I've seen the business plan. It's not going anywhere. And I think we can go past that. It's television's own legend. It will just keep going."

Doctor Who airs this Saturday at 9PM ET on BBC America with the new episode, The Zygon Inversion.

New 'Star Trek' Series in Development

Star Trek is once again poised to be on the small screen, thanks to CBS TV Studios. Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Sleepy Hollow), who will serve as executive producer, has been meeting with potential writers over the last few months.

The new series is set to debut January 2017 and will introduce new characters, while continuing the theme of 'seeking out new life and new civilizations.'

Maisie Williams Returning to 'Doctor Who'

Looks like we'll be seeing more of Me this season on Doctor Who. Series writer Sarah Dollard confirmed to the audience at MCM London Comic Con that Me (aka Ashildr) will be returning in the tenth episode of the series, titled Face the Raven.

Check out the details of Face the Raven below, as revealed in Stephen Moffat's Episode Guide (published on radiotimes.com) 

Written by Sarah Dollard
Directed by Justin Molotnikov
"There have always been rumours. Stories passed from traveller to traveller, mutterings about hidden streets, secret pockets of alien life right here on Earth."
Have you ever found yourself in a street you’ve never seen before? The next day, could you not find that street again? You weren’t dreaming. Your memory isn’t playing tricks. Like many lost souls throughout the ages, you have stumbled on an extraordinary secret - be grateful you survived it. The Doctor and Clara, with their old friend Rigsy, find themselves in a secret alien world, folded away among the streets of London. Not all of them will get out alive. One of the three intruders must face the raven...

Face the Raven will air Saturday, November 21 at 9PM ET/PT on BBC America. Until then, we have the return of Ingrid Oliver's Osgood to look forward to on this week's episode, The Zygon Invasion.

 

Check Out the First 4 Minutes of 'Ash vs. Evil Dead'

STARZ has released the first four minutes of Ash vs. Evil Dead before it premieres this Saturday (9PM ET/PT). Check it out and let us know what you think.

 

Saturday Evening Post Featuring DC Characters

Granada, Spain based artist Ruiz Burgos has created his own covers to The Saturday Evening Post. In a beautiful tribute, Burgos uses iconic DC Comics characters as his cover models.

Check out the series below, eight pieces in total. To see more of Burgos' work, check out his DeviantArt and Facebook pages. 

Clark Kent

Joker and Harley

Harvey "Two Face" Dent

Wonder Woman

Zatanna

Poison Ivy

Swamp Thing

Cat Woman

The Force Awakens

In case you missed it last night (or couldn't bear sitting though Monday Night Football), here is the newest trailer for The Force Awakes in all its glory. Enjoy.

Star Wars Movie Marathon Will Lead Up To The Force Awakens

Star Wars Fans, prepare to take a couple days off. Fandango has created a landing page for a Star Wars movie marathon, which will lead up the the release of The Force Awakens on December 18. 

Stay posted and we'll bring you more details once we know them. You can also sign up for email alerts through the Fandango website. 

The new trailer for The Force Awakens is scheduled to drop during, of all things, Monday Night Football on ESPN. The game starts at 8:15 ET / 5:15 PT, with the trailer scheduled to be shown at halftime.

Rhode Island Comic Con to Give Us the 'Hellboy' Reunion We Deserve

Doug Jones (Abe Sapien), Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Selma Blair (Liz Sherman)

Rhode Island Comic Con announced today that Selma Blair (Liz Sherman) will be a guest, rounding out the trio of stars from Hellboy making an appearance at this year's show. Hopes have been high since Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman, made it clear that he's the franchise's biggest fanboy. Said Perlman during his Reddit AMA last year, 

"It's definitely a part of the conversation that I have with Guillermo every time I see him. I, for one, would love to see how the Trilogy resolves itself. And I will fight for Hellboy 3 as long as my cold dead hands are not cold and dead."   

Here's hoping this convention appearance is a good sign, perhaps the first stop on a long trail of publicity appearances. At the very least, we implore the good people of Rhode Island to get some answers on where the project stands. We need Hellboy 3.

A Look at MTV's The Shannara Chronicles

 

 

From executive producers Jon Favreau, Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) comes The Shannara Chronicles, based on the fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. The story, set thousands of years after the great wars destroyed our civilization, follows Amberle (Poppy Drayton), an Elven Princess, half-human, half-elf, Wil (Austin Butler), and human Eretria (Ivana Banquero). The trio set upon a quest to stop a demon army from destroying the land. Shannara is the name of he Elven noble family. Many of the protagonists in the series (at least in the books) are desceneded from this family.

 

In addition to introducing the main protagonists, the trailer gives us a good look at Manu Bennett as the human Allanon and John Rhys-Davies as Elven King Eventine Elessedil. Coming to MTV January 5, 2016.

Paramount Vault

Great news, movie junkies! Paramount Pictures has introduced, Paramount Vault, a free channel on YouTube. Paramount has given us some classics like The Ten Commandments, Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Godfather. The bad news: you won't find those here.

Boasting over 100 films, the channel includes a range of genres, from drama (Hamlet) to scifi (Masters of the Universe); comedy (Flashback) to horror (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). While these movies aren't on the level of Clueless or Raiders of the Lost Ark, you can't beat free.

First up for us will be I Married a Monster From Outer Space, a scifi romp from 1958 whose tagline is The bride wore terror!

The Future of the New West

What is the future of the new west? ABBADON, a city drenched in sex, violence and intrigue. The writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Jonah Hex, Power Girl, Painkiller Jane) have turned the 2011 screenplay by Spencer Marstiller into a western thriller. Initially funded through Kickstarter, ABBADON, illustrated by Fabrizio Fiorentino (All Star Western), is brought to gritty life with the release of this trailer.

Not only does the trailer serve to conjure a "wild west" atmosphere, it also sets up an unsettling sense of mystery and danger surrounding the town and those that inhabit it. Without question, if you're a fan of All Star Western, then you should jump on this. However, if you're lukewarm about westerns, check out the creative talent involved; the writing team of Palmiotti and Gray should help tip your decision to pick up a copy. Produced by Adaptive Books, ABBADON will be released October 20. Pre-order yours at adaptivestudios.com.

Marvel Monday

In August we attended the Marvel Comics panel at Boston Comic Con. The talented panel included Humberto Ramos, Joe Quinones, Joshua Williamson, Frank Brunner, Erica Henderson, Frank Tieri, Phil Noto and Gerry Duggan. Take a listen to the writers and artists discuss their current projects, what's up next and killing puppies.

Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way

From L-R: Humberto Ramos, Joe Quinones, Joshua Williamson, Frank Brunner,
Erica Henderson, Frank Tieri.  Not shown: Phil Noto and Gerry Duggan

ComicConBox #5

We received our first ComicConBox today and the theme is Back to Old School. This month's box caught our interest because it was guaranteed to include a variant of Batman Adventures #12. What's so special about that? Glad you asked. This is the first comic appearance of Harley Quinn, first released September 1993. 

Now on to box. The first thing we pulled out was the Harley Quinn POP Vinyl. Would have preferred old-school Harley, like the theme of the box implies, but still it's a great addition.

DC Comics Funko POP Vinyl Figure Roller Derby Harley Quinn

Next we pulled out Street Fighter Pixel Bricks. The box contains insanely tiny Lego-like pieces and looks a bit daunting. A so-so inclusion but high on old-school points. 

Street Fighter Ken Pixel Bricks

Now the surprise highlight of the box: Pac-Man. A plushie tie-in to the 2013 game Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. Definitely old-school and definitely a great inclusion. Between this and Street Fighter, don't you want to hit the arcade?

Pac-Man Mini Plush

Scribblenaut Mini Figure. Admittedly, we have no clue what this is. We're assuming it's just a collectible tie-in for the game. Point deduction for being Superman. Let's face it, out of all the characters out there, we hoped for someone more interesting (Deadman, Black Manta). 

Scribblenauts Unmasked Series 3

Who isn't a sucker for a free tee? This one's a super cool mashup of Gun 'n Rose with Predator. Who thought of this? It works brilliantly. You're sure to see one of us wearing it at the next con.

Gun 'n Muscles

Wonder Woman by Greg Horn

Finally getting down the the really good stuff. The artwork included with this month's box is gorgeous. 

The first one we pulled out is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle piece by Rob Prior called Shell and Back (below). Rob has worked on Spawn, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fun fact: he can paint with both hands at the same time. Check out more of his work at robprior.com.

Bonus art is courtesy of Greg Horn. He provides us with an absolutely stunning Wonder Woman (right). Greg is currently working with Disney on the Marvel: War of Heroes video game for iTunes. Check out more of his work at greghornart.com.

Shell and Back by Rob Prior

Lastly, what we've been waiting for. The reason we bought this month's box. Batman Adventures #12 from September 1993. 

Credits

The Batman Adventures #12 Variant Comic

Writer: Kelley Puckett

Penciller: Mike Parobeck

Inker: Rick Burchett

Colorist: Rick Taylor

Letterer: Tim Harkins

Variant Cover Artist: Rick Burchett

Editor: Scott Peterson

While she had already made her debut on Batman: The Animated Series, this is the first appearance of Harley Quinn in a printed comic book. After this, Harley wouldn't become a mainstream character in the DC universe until Paul Dini's Batman: Harley Quinn in 1999. 

At $29.99 for a one-month subscription (more like $35 as shipping is charged on top of that), it was a great first Comic Con Box. Since it's filled with so much, the really great outweighs the mediocre. 

Final verdict: would we buy one again? Absolutely.