Lulworth Cove

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he Ice Storm

Slight SPOILER ALERT on this one guys, so go pop in your Criterion Blu-rays of The Ice Storm real quick before reading on. The titular storm in this flick may not be that dramatic from a visual standpoint, but it is downright malicious. This storm had the gall to down a power line right next to a train track in the precise window of time that baby Elijah Wood decided to have himself a sit. That’s no accident. That’s Mother Nature actin’ like a straight-up sociopath. At least the polar vortex has a benign scientific explanation behind it, according to the fifteen seconds of Googling I just did.

Frozen

You said it, the title of this movie! Everything gets frozen in this thing. Fountains, walkways, people. Literally every step you take post-Hurricane Elsa puts you at risk of slipping and cracking your head open. Your last sight – cold, grey sky. And that’s if, and only if, you don’t get disembowled by a frost giant. Way worse than a polar vortex.

Josh Lane’s Hero-Glyphs are Amun Ra-wesome

You won’t need to consult the Rosetta Stone to decode the awesomeness behind this series of superhero-inspired hieroglyphic designs from artist Josh Lane. From X-Men to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Spider-Man and more, Lane has taken some of our most iconic heroes and given them a pitch perfect period makeover that would be worthy of any comic book collecting pharaoh. In case you want to turn your bedroom into a pop culture-filled sarcophagus, then they’re on sale too. Canopic jars, bags, and boards for your internal organs are sold separately.

Which is your favorite? Who would you like to see Lane give the Hero-Glyph treatment to next? Let us know in the comments below

Marvel Re-launches THE HULK with All-New #1 in April

As part of Marvel’s second phase of its “Marvel NOW!” initiative, the publisher is launching an all-new iteration of the Green Goliath with April’s adjective-less Hulk #1. Writer Mark Waid returns after writing the previous run of the character, while the previous series, The Indestructible Hulk, will end its run with March’s issue #20. This new series will be a follow up to Waid’s run with artists Leinil Francis Yu and Walter Simonson, among others, which was one of the most celebrated runs in the character’s recent history. This time, Waid will be joined by artist Mark Bagley, best known for his one hundred-plus issue run with Brian Bendis on Ultimate Spider-Man. In the previous run of the book, Bruce Banner made a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. in which the agency promised to help fund his experiments, and in turn, they would aim his angrier alter-ego at the appropriate bad guys whenever he showed his ugly face. Banner was now the strongest and smartest weapon on the planet. It was a win-win situation for all involved, but how long does something good and mutually beneficial like that last in comics?

Speaking with Comic Book Resources about the new series, Waid said, “perhaps (Banner’s) motives for re-engaging his scientific mind weren’t the purest. How much of his rededication has to do with genuinely wanting to help the world — and how much has to do with his own ego? There’s a real comeuppance for Bruce in issue #20 and it sets the stage for the new launch.” Waid also hints that we can see Bruce Banner and the Hulk split into two separate individuals once again, as he has several times in the past; “Banner and Hulk will be divided in a way we’ve never seen before on a long-term basis, and those who are eager to see the Hulk once more be his ‘own’ character will be very pleased, I think.” The Hulk has been drawn several ways too over the decades, and artist Mark Bagley is looking to incorporate some of them into his version of the big guy. “Yeah, there’s the dumb, savage Hulk. There’s the articulate Hulk. There’s the Joe Fixit type, and this is a real specific iteration face-wise. From the way I’m reading things he’s sort of leashed to a certain degree, but he’s enough aware of what’s going on that he’s very close to getting out of control. Basically he’s a huge guy on steroids in the room and you don’t know when something’s explosive going to happen.” The cover for the new first issue teases “Who Shot Bruce Banner?,” but somehow, I think this new series will be about more than the big guy taking a bullet. We’ll find out in April when Hulk #1 hits the stands.

Clark Gregg Talks About Tonight’s Episode of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and the Secret of Coulson’s Return

It’s the “White Whale” of Joss Wedon‘s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. How the hell did Coulson come back after taking Loki’s spear in the chest? Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson himself, or as I like to call him, Fury Jr., makes some very interesting points and promises about tonight’s mid-season return episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Guide sat down with Gregg and got the full skinny on what the scoop on the big reveal is: As a fanboy, I thought, How are they going to do this? They’ve been keeping this for 10 episodes. We know that there’s something bogus about the magical place concept. He can’t even say Tahiti without turning into a robot. Is he a robot? How did they bring him back? Is he some kind of Life Model Decoy, as all the Marvel fans think? Is he the Vision? There’s all these theories. How do you do this for real and really pay it off? At the same time, you don’t want them to go, Well, I guess that’s the finale of the show. There’s really no need to continue after this. The bullet was in the chamber, now it’s completely blown. When I read the script, I was blown away because it’s completely satisfying to me as a fanboy, and, as probably the biggest fanboy in Phil Coulson in the Marvel Universe, because it’s not a tease, it’s: here’s what happened! At the same time, what they’ve crafted not only opens up enough questions that are at the existential core of Phil Coulson and his relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., but really set the direction for the back end of the season and the future of the series. I was very, very impressed with what they delivered here. TV Guide also asked if Coulson’s time in Tahiti would be presented in a series of flashbacks. I wouldn’t call them flashbacks. That doesn’t seem like a term that does them justice. We know that these people (Centipede) are ruthless. We’ve already seen them kill many people. The one thing this Clairvoyant person wants is the one thing they can’t see. The only thing the Clairvoyant doesn’t know is this: there’s a blank spot. They have technology that can reveal those memories, and it’s not a pleasant experience for Coulson. Yet, if he can endure it, there is a possibility that he can get the truth, although to even go down that road endangers all the secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D. How will is all fall out? Is he a LMD (Life Model Decoy), will he become the Vision? Was it just magic? Did Thor take Coulson to Asgard? Was the Cosmic Cube used to revive him? Does S.H.I.E.L.D. even really know what happened to him? What do you think?

“Shared Universes” Poised to Take Over Hollywood

If you’re old enough, you may recall a time when movies were made, released, enjoyed, and that was it. Yes youngins’, believe it or not there was a time where not every film spurred a sequel or jump-started a franchise. For better or worse those days are gone, and as The Hollywood Reporter predicts, this year will be the year of the “shared universe.” No longer satisfied with million dollar earning franchises, Hollywood is looking to link even more films together, turning millions into billions at the box office. Basically, it’s “Marvel envy,” plain and simple. Theirs is the blueprint every studio is hoping to emulate. Beginning with Iron Man in 2008 through to the billion dollar earning Avengers, Marvel has dominated the box office. How are other studios to compete? By manufacturing their own multi-film-spanning universes. First up, THR points to Sony‘s recent hiring of five writers – Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon and Drew Goddard – to craft their shared Spider-Man universe. Since Spidey’s the only major superhero Sony has their entire universe must revolve around him and his villains. Luckily, their rebooted Amazing Spider-Man franchise is off to a strong start, but are characters like Venom and the Sinister Six enough to support a whole string of films? That’s certainly debatable. FOX has a similar problem, but thankfully for them they’ve got a whole stable of popular, familiar – and most importantly – bankable characters in the X-Men. Already FOX has seen success with their X-Men films, having overall more hits than busts. And with the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past linking their two generations of mutants, the potential for even more X-films is increased. On top of the X-Men, Simon Kinberg is working to bring the Fantastic Four into the fold as well, giving FOX a shared universe of superheroes that could possibly rival Disney and Marvel. Bringing up the rear is Warner Bros.’ and their DC properties. Desperately playing catch up, the Man of Steel sequel, Batman vs. Superman, is to be the starting point for their own shared universe. Sure, you could argue they’re behind the pack because of their extremely successful Dark Knight trilogy – and you’d be right – but this does find them having to introduce a lot of characters very quickly. All in one movie, it seems. On the non-superhero side of things, Universal and Lucasfilm are also playing the shared universe game. All right, the Disney-owned Lucasfilm was already operating under the shared universe model, but with more films planned, like spinoffs that won’t follow the episodic formula of the Star Wars films, their galaxy is only growing. And where other companies have superheroes and sci-fi legends, Universal has monsters. Beginning with a new Mummy reboot from Kurtzman and Orci a whole new shared universe of classic Hollywood monsters is on its way – Dracula, the Wolf-Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, all of them. Sooner than later I’m expecting a shared universe of Jane Austen films where Elizabeth and Jane Bennet team up with Emma Woodhouse to find true love for Fanny Price or something. Are you ready for the onslaught of “shared universes”? Which do you believe will be most successful?