Month: May 2016

Yamato 2202 Website Updated with Conceptual Art

Yamato2202By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Things have been stirring over at the Space Battleship Yamato 2202 ~ Soldiers of Love (宇宙戦艦ヤマト2202) official website. Since it’s debut approximately two months ago, there has been a slight update. Manga artist Makoto Kobayashi, best known for his manga series “What’s Michael?”, has been named as Assistant Director for the sequel series to Yamato 2199. Junichiro Tamamori (Yamato 2199) and Taui Ishizu are on board as mecha designers. Conceptual art from all three is available to be viewed on the website.
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What’s Next for CW’s The Flash & the Extended TV Universe?

vlcsnap-2016-05-24-23h23m50s260By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

*Spoiler Alert!

Out of all the DC extended universe properties that are playing on television right now, The Flash is on top. Season one dealt with a quiet threat when Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is not who he appears to be. Neither is Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears), the Flash from a parallel universe, at the start of season two. After many pauses in the broadcasting schedule of the series, one after episode seven “Gorilla Warfare,” another two episodes following (Christmas always causes hiccups in the television network’s scheduling front) and yet another in February, I wished I had The Flash’s ability to perform time jumps. Following this series requires an exercise in patience.

For many fans, they were rewarded in the finale where our Earth-1 Flash is being driven to the dark side. Zoom, this season’s greatest threat, goads our hero to kill. He wants Barry Allen to succumb to the hate and anger within, much like how Darth Vader wanted his son to turn to the Dark Side of the Force so both can rule the galaxy as father and son. I would not be surprised if down the road we see a return of this character (revealed to be Hunter Zolomon in “Versus Zoom”) but from a different dimension (Earth-5?) where he is the father of Barry. Until then, I do not think Zolomon’s fate is completely sealed. The Time Wraiths make an appearance to literally spirit him away to a fate during the episode’s climatic moments. His soul is sucked away like these wraiths are Dementors from Harry Potter, and what remains hints at a possible direction — where the Blackest Night series is alluded to. In the comics, Nekron is Death incarnate and his goal is to reanimate dead heroes in order to have them help void all emotion from the universe. The Black Flash, in a different story arc, is the Grim Reaper. He takes the souls of Speedsters away.

When considering the big fight and reveals made in this finale episode, series creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg are not ready to go down that route just yet. Even though parallels have been made throughout the series about how these alternate Earth’s version of the heroes are polar opposites, there are other conflicts that could take place to define season three.

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Cowabunga! NECA Announces SDCC 2016 TMNT Exclusives!

NECATurtlesSDCC1By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

NECA Toys is looking to make collectors’ heads spin with an announcement of their latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) sculpts. Due to make their debut at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), these TMNT figures are modeled after the smash 1989 Konami co-op arcade game. Figures are available in a 4-pack that when opened will recreate the look of the original arcade cabinets. The Turtle pack comes with Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael. The Foot Clan pack will contain Shredder and three of his Foot Soldiers, each Foot Soldier is painted a unique colour that reflects their in-game appearance.

NECATurtlesSDCC3

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How Does The Angry Birds Franchise Continue to Fly?

Angry Birds is hardly eggcellent even though it’s entertainment value is mildly chuckle-worthy.

angry-birds-posterBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Many species of flightless birds exist around the world, like the penguin and ostrich, and how they have managed to survive extinction is on how they learned to adapt. While others like the Dodo went extinct because they were fearless (more curious about the sailors who happened to hunt them instead of fleeing), sometimes having that bit of fear can go a long way. Either they can attack it head on or run away in terror. This analogy is slightly worked into the story in Angry Birds the Movie but the parable of historical times (like how the Americas was colonised and indigenous civilisation was destroyed) is missed.

This movie is more about finding acceptance amongst community. For Red (Jason Sudeikis), he has issues. They do not just stem from having a short fuse but also in how he behaves. Because he has big brows, he’s considered different and is teased for his unique features. Behind his back, he’s become a mockingbird. After an incident where he’s late at arriving at a birthday party (he’s an entertainer), he’s reprimanded and required to attend anger management therapy. By some miracle known as a plot, the misfits he meets at in this group eventually become his pals. When birds of a feather flock together, the inevitable happens,

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Sing Street is Not About Getting the Girl

sing-street-posterBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Sing Street is a wholesome and fun coming of age film where new student Conor Lalor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) needs to form a band so he can win the heart of Raphina (Lucy Boynton). This girl hangs out in front of a boarding home, waiting for a knight in shining armour to take her away, and who she’s dating now is hardly Lancelot.

Unlike musicals which I’ve come to adore in the past, namely Little Shop of Horrors about a nerd aspiring for success (and to win at love), and Grease about 50’s style romance, this tale explores the new wave post-punk sound which emerged mid-80’s. To explore the economic difficulties of the era, the story takes place in Dublin, Ireland.

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Details on Dark Horse Comic’s All Ages FCBD Sampler for Readers who Missed It

STK699267

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

It’s hard to believe two weeks have passed since Free Comic Book Day. I read everything I obtained, and in what I’ve reread several times is in what Dark Horse Comics has planned for continuing the saga in Legend of Korra and How to Train Your Dragon. The further misadventures of Plants vs Zombies is offered too.

No street dates have officially been announced for either yet, but I’m suspecting it should arrive late Summer. Since not everyone may have picked up this sampler, I thought I should offer a detailed look at what was missed.

The teaser offered in Korra is a prelude to the events from the series. Here, readers learn how Korra met her pet and protector, Naga. This tale is very heartwarming and adorable. Many years are not told to show their mutual growth before the episode, “Welcome to Republic City” takes place. If there’s ever a chance to show a cute side to these characters, I hope further misadventures of young Korra will be included in the upcoming comic book release.

This tale is penned by Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Die-hard fans will be familiar with his work in the graphic novel continuation of The Last Airbender. He receives full credit in the script in this tale. The youthful exuberance can be felt in this short story, and I hope he will be directly involved in the coming series this comic book company is producing. Heather Campbell illustrated and Vivian Ng coloured this tale, and reading this comic was like watching the animation all over again.

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