Tag Archives: Green Lantern

WonderCon: Talking with Cosplay Fans (Day 2)

00:01 – Rocketeer talks about loving jet packs as a kid and who he thinks would make a great Rocketeer if the franchise was rebooted
01:28 – Bad Girl (No More Heroes) likes that her character is a psycho despite her cute dress and mentions getting photobombed by Big Bird
04:12 – Knights Who Say Ni (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) sends a special St. Patrick’s Day message to all
05:35 – Zombie Snow wants to do special effects makeup and shares her influences
07:30 – Vulcan Zombie Red Shirt is another fun mashup and introduces a term to me: “bi-fi” (Stars Wars AND Star Trek fan)
09:29 – Chowder is known for eating and talks about running in the rain to avoid messing up his makeup is a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro
11:30 – Joker would actually prefer to be Flash
13:05 – A steampunk fan caught my attention with a creature on her shoulder and talks about the convention scene in her neck of the woods.
15:03 – Spade Slick is much less known figure but still shows up at WonderCon
16:51 – Soranik Natu (Green Lantern) would love to see more of the Green Lantern Corps talks about meeting a man with a green lantern wedding band
19:25 – The Mad Masker and Samara (Mass Effect) are very impressive. The Mad Masker talks about the most complicated mask she’s made
23:03 – Batman likes his character because he is relate-able and is trying his hardest to stay away from trailers. Batgirl talks about photobombing and tackling someone, on accident of course. Check out his site: http://batmandeathwish.com/
25:13 – I try to get find gold every day and this was probably it for day 2. A gender bender Batgirl gets lots of folks to take his picture. He owns it and knows that’s what people like. I had a problem with the recording so some of this fabulous interview gets cut 🙁
27:50 – Rick Grimes (Walking Dead) was kind of to talk to me after being harassed by another cosplay fan for various poses.
29:47 – The Riddler loves the intelligence of his character (and also the neurosis aspect). He’s a big fan of Jim Lee and particularly loves the way he makes the Justice League look
32:02 – Ang (Avatar the Last Airbender) loves his characters development and talks about getting some spotlight with the music composer of The Legend of Korra
33:51 – Super Skrull really made me laugh and you can see how much I lose control of the camera. Check out his Facebook page
36:00 – An avid convention fan talks about his love for comics and creators
37:46 – Jar Jar Binks stays in character. I don’t even know what happened here

2011 Comikaze: Talking with Cosplay Fans

Yup. We did it again. Another intimate look at cosplay fans. Check out the clips below and discover who showed up at the 2011 Comikaze.

00:00 Nerfpunk (Nerf + Steampunk mashup) talks about supporting Comikaze because it’s for the geeks, by the geeks. Check her out on the web and on twitter: @MakeUpBySiryn
02:11 A psychology student cosplays Link (Legend of Zelda)
03:13 A sheriff cosplays Pyramid head and explains he loves the character’s darkness.
05:29 A 6th grade student teacher cosplays a deku from Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time) and says “no comment” when asked how to solve the education system’s problems
08:01 Ariel (Little Mermaid), cosplayed by a visual effects artist that worked on Arthur Christmas, talks about the use of 3D in movies giving her a headache. Check her out on Facebook
10:51 A TSA agent cosplays Joel Robinson (Mystery Science Theater 3000) says she likes Comikaze because it goes back to the roots of comics. If you’re a friend, add her on Facebook
14:07 Amazing Spider-Man talks reboots, the moral values of Peter Parker, the spark on kids’ face. He’ll be joining the military in a couple of years.
16:18 We weren’t able to get inside the Mark Hamill panel for Sushi Girl, but did talk to some people waiting in line. The first talks about his thoughts on Comikaze as the first convention he’s ever been to. He mentions seeing Stan Lee in person being quite a treat. I ask his buddy about Star Wars who tells me which episode is his favorite and shares thoughts about George Lucas’ revisions.
20:47 This guy was one of my favorites of this convention. I’m so glad I stumbled across this fellow. This Snow Trooper (Episode V) also talks about George Lucas’ changes, using the help of 501st.com to make his costume, and his German origins. I became instantly fascinated with his background and learned he was a marketing student who loves how friendly people are in Califorina but hates the speed limits on freeways.
24:46 A fan briefly explains why he loves the Joker. We weren’t able to talk with him more due to the line moving into the hall
25:02 A fan does a mashup of Simpsons and Dragon Ball Z to create: Hegeta (Homer + Vegeta). He offers a suggestion of how the Simpsons should end the show and talks about why the Dragon Ball Z movie was a flop and how they could make a reboot better.
29:28 We knew there would be plenty of Elvira fans since this was her last convention appearance. I caught up with one fan who explains why she loves Elvira, meeting Elvira, and if anyone else can fill Elvira’s shoes. I asked about her personal life and she explained she’s an assistant editor for a film trailer house, Ignition Creative. Check out her deviantart profile here
32:28 A fan cosplays Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony in all of Equestria, talks about putting her blood and sweat into making her costume. Follow her on twitter: @mkpresson. When I ask her about the craziest thing she’s seen, she points to a guy just to her left who turns out to be playing a character from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride.

00:00 A very chatty, original costume, cosplay fan talks about his custom work, making moccasins, and being a Hawaiian cowboy. Check out his pizza businss on Facebook
03:49 The green man we chatted with earlier ends up in a battle/dance with another full body suit guy. Hilarity ensues.
05:04 Guy Gardner (Green Lantern) loves being a total douche and says he’d reboot the Star Wars movies.
06:50 Steampunk peacock. Check out her steampunk group here and follow her on twitter: @saintchimo
08:51 Girls and Corpses representative has trouble convincing me why people have a corpse fetish
10:39 A pool boy cosplays a Tusken Raider
12:52 Phantom of the Opera talks about being dragged into conventions by her daughter
14:25 Another fan takes method acting very seriously and doesn’t get out of character as Rorschach (Watchmen)
15:07 A college student cosplays Allen Walker. She wants to be a costume designer and we think she’s onto a good start
17:05 The Red Shirt Army from Star Trek. Check out their youtube channel here and follow them on twitter: @inprovence
19:50 A steampunk couple does it right. It’s always nice to see couples get into the spirit of things together and really invest some considerable time and effort into their costumes
23:23 A fan cosplays Speed Racer and talks about his first car. Follow him on twitter: @jaysethan and check out his site
26:19 This fan cosplays Gem (Tron Legacy) and really pulls it off. She works for the Disney Channel as a satellite operator. Follow her on twitter: @annisse
28:57 This guy helps demonstrate why its fun to ask what people do for a living. He’s an optician that cosplays Cyclops.
30:59 I really love watching childhood favorites come to life. This guy obviously put serious money and time into his Predator costume. He does IT work for an elementary school.
32:25 A young industrial design student traveled all the way from Atlanta and cosplays Rydia (Final Fantasy IV). I love that the cute Anya photobombs in the beginning of the video. Follow her on twitter: @mnikalee

00:00 Costume contest: includes Spy Versus Spy, Anya (Gears of War), Rydia (Final Fantasy IV), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Predator, Deadpool, Jurassic Park, Squirrel Girl, Jedi Bob’s Big Boy, Henchman (Venture Brothers), Black Widow, Cloud (Final Fantasy VII), Dr. Doom, Cobra Commander, Joker, Belle (Beauty and the Beast), the same Poison Ivy from the Anime Expo (@megturney), Wonder Woman, Gem, Putty (Power Rangers), Master Chief (Halo), Lloyd Dobler, Pyramid Head, Rainbow Dash, Catwoman, Rogue (X-Men), Cyberman
13:20 Anya (Gears of War) talks about why she loves the game and Comikaze and says what she’ll buy if she wins the $500
14:46 Putty (Power Rangers)
15:53 Squirrel Girl turns out to be a real character in the Marvel World! I also love how animated she is! Add her on Facebook if you’re a friend and follow her on tumblr
19:24 Winners of the costume contest are announced
24:45 Jurassic Park couple
26:22 A gender bender cosplay fan talks about his character being known for being a slut. I can’t make out the name of the character. If you recognize the character, comment below!

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

The Green Lantern: The Animated Series debuted this weekend.  For those who are unfamiliar with the Tales of the Green Lantern, here’s a short snap shot – fearless test pilot Hal Jordan is chosen by the ring of a dying Green Lantern to be the first human inducted in to the Green Lantern Corps.  The Corps is comprised of beings throughout the universe that are chosen because they have the ability to overcome great fear.  They maintain order in their sector of the galaxy, in short, intergalactic cops.  The Guardians of the Universe are their “bosses” who are the oldest beings in creation, and have designed the GL Ring to be the most powerful weapon in the universe.  It allows its bearer to create anything that their mind can will in to existence.

Here’s the short of what happened in the hour long pilot episode; Hal (voiced by Josh keaton) is testing a jet for Ferris Aircraft when an earthquake happens, he loses the jet to save a train.  Carol Ferris gets mad at him, he promises to make it up to her with a dinner date, but then his ring calls him to OA.  Hal transforms in to Green Lantern and is space bound.  He’s being reprimanded by the Guardian council when a GL Ring flies in, it’s the ring of a now dead Frontier Lantern.  Who are they?  The Guardians give a quick explanation and dismiss the hearing.  Ganthet shows Kilowog (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) and Hal this experimental spaceship that’s got artificial intelligence and a power battery.  Hal and Kilowog then “borrow” the ship and go in search of what killed the Frontier Lantern.

They discover that there are Red Lanterns and they combat them while saving Shyir Rev (voiced by Kurtwood Smith), another Frontier Lantern, from certain death.  Returning the wounded Shyir to his home planet they’ve accidentally led the Red Lanterns to this peaceful colony planet.  The Red Lantern leader, Atrocitus (voiced by Jonathan Adams), sends down a probe that will destroy the planet unless the inhabitants hand of the Green Lanterns.  A valiant fight is fought that ends with *SPOILER* Shyir’s death and Kilowog saving the inhabitants.

The AI ship along piloted by Hal and Kilowog have a captured Red Lantern named Razer.  They set out to find more Red Lanterns in the cosmos.

The good; the fight scenes were great, once they started going.  This being mainly a kids’ cartoon, it got a lot more violent that I thought it would.  Much like The Clone Wars of late, so that was surprisingly unexpected.  The sound effects are great and the use of constructs really complimented the excellent sound.  Having Kurtwood Smith voice a GL was a nice treat, almost casting against type for me, but it worked.

Shyir’s death caught me by complete surprise, I mean – it’s a cartoon for kids, they would find a way out, but nope, they didn’t.  And what’s more, they brought in Kilowog’s backstory, which you’d only know from reading the comics.  That was a great emotional moment coupled with a nod to the comics, wonderful.

The action – once the fighting and combat started, they had some nice sequences.

The bad; Hal goes in to space way too quickly, and it seems like the whole series will be space bound.  Which I’m not too keen on.  The whole relate-ability to a character will be gone.  It should be about Hal trying to balance his day job with his romantic interest in Carol coupled with space emergencies and Coast City dangers.

This is just the pilot episode, but it looks like we’re losing the who secret identity thing, which to me is a kid’s fantasy, to be completely passed as having no impact in anything, while actually saving the world.  With the Green Lantern you not only have that but you also have the will to create anything you can imagine, which is essential for growing kids where they play in their imagination almost everyday.

From a production standpoint I see why they went in to space though, space is easy to animate, and when they land in a “combat zone” it’s usually rocks and desert like.  For some reason the animation still looked flat to me, overly simple and not detailed.  Which makes me think that Hal will spend all his time as GL in space fights.

One more thing, and this is way too nitpicky, but they really really simplified Hal’s hair.  Much like Superman, Hal has a certain hair style.  Which makes me think that they’re going for a medium between the comics and Ryan Reynolds

Overall, I will have to give this a couple more episodes before an official verdict is rendered.  But for now, I’m leaning toward passing on this series.  It needs to decide what it wants to be.  Go all the way like Justice League Unlimited with the serious aspects or go for tongue and cheek the way of Batman: The Brave and The Bold.

 

 

 

 

Long Beach Comic Convention Hosts Inaugural Masquerade Ball

The Long Beach Comic Convention held its inaugural Masquerade Ball hosted by Mike Shields. Contestants showcased well crafted costumes in an effort to impress a small panel of judges. There were numerous awards given for different categories. Costumes included:

  • Gothic Toy Box
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Devilman
  • Indiana Jones
  • Monarch Henchman
  • Captain America
  • Green Lantern
  • Halo Spartan – Benedict Choy
  • Bellatrix Lestrange
  • Dark Phoenix & Deadpool – Amanda & Greg
  • Princess Eilonwy – Amy Brown
  • Kick-Ass
  • Steamfunk (Steampunk + 70’s Funk mashup)
  • Velociraptor – Rene Carmel
  • Wonder Woman
  • Chekov, Sulu, Dr. MCcoy
Mike Shields did a fantastic job of keeping the crowd entertained and the show moving. We look forward to seeing him continuing this event as a tradition at the Long Beach Comic Convention.
Here is footage of the show

 

 

Try Restarting If It Doesn’t Work

Doomsday is coming August 31st, 2011 to the DC Universe!  It’s the end of the universe as we know it!  Sorry this isn’t the character named Doomsday, but this is a reboot of many of the franchises out there.  How many you ask?  Try 52 brand spanking new series!  Okay so many of them are from the same franchise like Batman (Batman, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, and Batman and Robin just to name a few).  But you do have a name like Jim Lee as co-publisher!  Likewise some folks get new shiny costumes!

Yes those are blue tights on the bottom, not red.

But what does this really mean though I’m not quite certain.  Does this destroy 70 years worth of lore and streamlined to newer folks, or perhaps a different way of retelling a story without having to dig through priceless comic books that can’t be opened to retain its sell value?  I can’t help but reflect what Marvel tried around mid 90s by rebooting various comics like the Fantastic 4 and the Avengers after Onslaught.. the idea was scrapped of course and any mention of it was considered an alternative reality.  Perhaps the same may occur if it doesn’t do well and we’ll consider it Earth 3 or something.

Rebooting isn’t technically anything new, folks die one day and then resurrect the next time following (Jason Todd comes to mind), but a whole universe is another story!  Some may find some form of success like the “Ultimate” series from Marvel, others may not.  Smallville seemed successful (to some extent, but that was TV).  It does raise questions about the current storyline that exist right now, do they continue or just a dream and filler for the reboot.  Is Dick Grayson back to being Robin or does he continue on as Nightwing?  Which Green Lantern is coming back first, Hal Jordan or John Stewart or do they both represent different sectors of the Green Lantern corp?  In the end I can’t help but think of a computer when something goes wrong, the first question that comes to mind from any technician was, did you try restarting?  Was it really broke in the first place? Guess time will tell.

 

For more information go to DC’s 52 Page