Author Archives: David W

About David W

David is a native Californian and founder of We Unite - Entertainment. He has a longstanding interest in technology, culture and the future. He holds a Technology and Operation Management degree from Cal Poly Pomona. David is an avid fan of photography, video games and comics. In his spare time, he makes frequent trips to Noodle King in Alhambra for their beef stew noodles.

Game of Thrones: You Win or You Die

HBO has just released a 22 minute special revisiting the stunning events of Season 1, introducing the major players and a sneak peak at Season 2.

The second season of the American fantasy TV series Game of Thrones is scheduled to begin airing in the U.S. on HBO on 1 April 2012. Like the first season, it will consist of ten episodes. It will approximately cover the subject matter of A Clash of Kings, the second book of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, of which the series is an adaptation.

For more information visit the official site.

Peter Laird’s Response to the Alien Ninja Turtles

Look’s like we got an official response from Peter Laird, whose best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman, in regards to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originating from outer space.

I have had several requests from TMNT fans during this past week to comment on the idea of the Turtles being “reimagined” as aliens for the upcoming TMNT movie to be produced by Michael Bay. A few people — who don’t seem to understand that I am no longer in control of the property — want me to stop this, somehow. Obviously, I can’t do that, even if I wanted to.

But I would actually encourage TMNT fans to swallow the “chill pill” Mr. Bay recently suggested they take, and wait and see what might come out of this seemingly ill-conceived plan. It’s possible that with enough truly creative brainpower applied to this idea, it might actually work. I’m not saying it’s probable, or even somewhat likely… but it IS possible.

However, as I have pondered this further, I have realized that in one way it IS truly a genius notion. Let me explain…

Over the years, I have made no secret of my distaste for what I consider to be the weak, facile, creatively bankrupt idea which can be summed up like this:

If FOUR Ninja Turtles are good, then FIVE (or more) Ninja Turtles MUST be better!

It was in large part this brain-dead notion that led to the creation of the execrable “Venus de Milo” character in the blessedly short-lived live action TV series  “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation”. And I can’t tell you how many times we got mail in the early years of the Turtles from people who thought it was simply an amazing idea to do a “fifth Turtle”, and how many times those same people suggested that this fifth Turtle be named “Picasso”. And many times, the brilliant idea to explain this extra Turtle was that, instead of there being just four pet shop turtles in that glass bowl in the origin story, there were really FIVE.

Sigh.

I’ll admit — I have played with the idea of more Turtles myself, a few times. There was the character of “Kirby”, the “fifth Turtle” that Kevin Eastman and I came up with for one of the several movie ideas which never came to fruition. And I created the “Super Turtles” in Volume 4 of the TMNT comics published by Mirage… and they eventually appeared in one episode of the 4Kids animated TMNT TV series.
But…

… in both those instances, I was careful to make these Turtles not just MORE  of the same, i.e. just extra TMNT. In both of the above cases, the extra Turtles were from other dimensions… and the Super Turtles, especially, were VERY different from the Ninja Turtles. I don’t remember all the details of the work we did on that “Kirby the Fifth Turtle” thing, but I DO remember being adamant that if we were going to agree to the idea of a “fifth Turtle”, it would have to be something other than the harebrained “there was an extra Turtle in the bowl, etc.” idea.

Is that too fine a line? Yeah, maybe… but to my way of thinking, anyway, it is a CLEAR line.

Anyway, to get back to the “TMNT are aliens” thing — the reason I say it could be a “genius” idea is that — for the first time — someone has come up with a way to have as many freakin’ Turtles as they want. I mean, if the TMNT are actually members of an alien race, there could be a whole PLANET of them!
Joy. — PL

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Photos of Day 3 of WonderCon

The final set of photos are now up!  Which costume was your favorite?

Day 2 Photos of WonderCon

As promised Day 2 photos, so many things to see!  Day 3 photos coming soon!

Photos and Highlights from WonderCon Day 1

March 16th, 2012: WonderCon Day 1.

Despite the weather, it did not stop fans from coming out to the Anaheim Convention Center!  There was things to do, various objects to buy and people to see.

Here a couple highlights of the day and photos (listed in no particular order):

  • Meeting old friends and making new ones.
  • Various panels ranging from movie and tv previews and teasers to workshops on for scriptwriting and more.
  • Meet and greet your favorite celebrities, artist or writers and getting their autograph or work.
  • Game of Thrones Head on a Pike. It’s more exciting then it sounds, but getting your head photoshopped on a pike is pretty awesome!
  • Swag! Ranging from solving trivia to playing a multiplayer game of Kid Icarus on the Nintendo 3DS
  • Exclusive World Premier of Superman vs the Elites (which comes out on June 12, 2012).
  • Great costumes (despite the rain)!  There was even a Khaleesi from Game of Thrones with heart eating action!

We got more photos on the way!

Michael Bay’s Bombshell: Ninja Turtles are Aliens

Platinum Dunes, Michael Bay’s company, is producing the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie on December 25, 2013. The kicker however is that the pizza-loving heroes in a half-shell will be even more than simply teenage mutant ninja turtles when they return to the big screen next year.

According to Bay, who was speaking at the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront in New York last week, said that the Turtles are really aliens!

The internet is, of course, angry!  What do you think?

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WonderCon is Quickly Approaching

WonderCon in Anaheim, CA: March 16-18, 2012!  It’s vastly approaching and we for one plan to be there!

Registration is still open for the following with the following prices:

3-DAY BADGE:
Adult 3-Day: $40.00 Advance/$50.00 Onsite
Junior/Senior 3-Day: $20.00 Advance/$25.00 Onsite

1-DAY BADGE:
Friday OR Saturday Only:
Adult 1-Day: $20.00 Advance/$25.00 Onsite
Junior/Senior 1-Day: $10.00 Advance/$13.00 Onsite

Sunday:
Adult: $10.00 Advance/$15.00 Onsite
Junior/Senior: $5.00 Advance/$7.00 Onsite

WonderCon autograph list also includes the following:

  • Dino Andrade
  • Sno E. Blac
  • Bobby Clark
  • Creatures At Large
  • Elvira, Inc
  • Lou Ferrigno
  • Ernie “Hardware Wars” Fosselius
  • Tanya Lemani George
  • Marilyn Ghigliotti
  • Richard Hatch
  • Virginia Hey
  • Honky Tonk Man
  • Ilya Salkind Company
  • Herbert Jefferson Jr
  • Mitzi Kapture
  • Jim Kelly
  • Margaret Kerry
  • Donna Loren
  • Peter Mayhew
  • Mister Lobo
  • Cindy Morgan
  • Kristian Nairn
  • Marli Renfro
  • John Saxon
  • John Stanley
  • Shannon Sylva
  • Strephon Taylor
  • Larry Thomas
  • Virgil
  • Bob Wall
  • Chris Warner
  • Tom Wyrsch
  • Celeste Yarnall

This list doesn’t even include the Special Guest Lists!

WonderCon, one of the country’s best comics and pop culture conventions, moves to Anaheim, CA and the beautiful Anaheim Convention Center for 2012. Taking place the weekend of March 16-18 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), WonderCon is coming off its best year ever, with over 49,000 attendees in its 25th annual event in San Francisco in 2011.

For more information go to WonderCon Homepage

Avengers Trailer 2 is Out!

Avengers assemble!  Looks like we got a new teaser with more Hulk action!  Take a look below for the latest trailer.

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

Official page

Super Mario Bros Crossover 2.0 Released

Super Mario Bros. Crossover is a fan game that recreates the original Super Mario Bros. and allows you to play it as characters from other games all on your browser!  With the latest version users can now play as Luigi and Bass from the Mega Man series.  On top of this, they have also updated the game to have multiple graphical options (SMB3, SNES, Gameboy, or a mixture). Take a look at the trailer below to get a better idea of what this is about and follow the source for the game!

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Before Watchmen Announced

DC Entertainment just announced new stories that will be written for the Watchmen Universe titled Before Watchmen.  As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will show who they were before the original Watchmen.  For those who don’t know or need a mini refresher, Watchmen are a graphic novel that was published by DC comics during 1986 and 1987 and was created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins. It chronicles a group of crime fighters and their personal development and struggles as they investigate into the murder of a government sponsored superhero as they pull out of retirement.

“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

Before Watchmen will be collective banner for all seven titles from DC Comics which will include the following:

  • RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
  • MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
  • COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
  • DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
  • NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
  • OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
  • SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner

Each week, a new issue will be released, and will feature a two-page back-up story called Curse of the Crimson Corsair, written by original series editor Len Wein and with art by original series colorist John Higgins. There will also be a single issue, Before Watchmen: Epilogue, featuring the work of various writers and artists, and a Crimson Corsair story by Wein and Higgins.

DC is taking a big and quite bold risk, and has put some of the best talent to work on this project.  There are already arguments to be made why this could fail or might be a big mistake, or bring a new dimension to an already awesome story.  Time will tell how this will shape up.

Alan Moore response hasn’t been happy to say the least and was quoted as saying, “As far as I know, there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to Moby-Dick.”

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