Sunday Links for February 12th

This week has been one filled with ups and downs.  While prepping for a week filled with awesome events, Wysefyre and I found out that Whitney Houston passed away.  We just want to thank Ms. Houston for her contributions to the music industry.  Our thoughts are with her family and friends.

Friends fight this week as Tony Moore filed lawsuit against Robert Kirkman over ownership of The Walking Dead.  This isn't the time they have fought in court, so it is especially sad to see them back here.
(via iFanboy)

GeekGirlCon 2012 has dates!  The hit of 2011, GeekGirlCon 2012 will be August 11-12 in Seattle, WA.  Start planning to go now!
(via GeekGirlCon)

A call for help has been issued to geeks!  There is now an online petition asking for people to boycott Marvel until they recognize Jack Kirby's rights as a creator and make recompense to his heirs.  A few fans are supporting this, including one that will be boycotting Avengers in solidarity.  However, I doubt there will be enough boycotting to make a difference to Marvel.
(via Robot 6, Comic Alliance)

Make sure that you enter our contest to win a Conan #1 and Conan poster, both signed by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan!  It's a great issue from Dark Horse Comics!
(via [insertgeekhere])

Until next week.....


Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

NYCC '11: The Walking Dead & Season Premiere

The Dead have returned and Grateful they are not.  In the wake of New York Comic Con we also have a brand new season of AMC’s The Walking Dead to celebrate.  This weekend I got to see the cast, writers and effects artists all talk about the new season, and also got to watch the premiere last night along with the rest of America.  I’ll give you the rundown of what went on at the panel, including some insight into the future of the series, then we’ll also take a look at the first episode of season two.

The panel started out with show & book writer Robert Kirkman and producer Gale Anne Hurd.  They talked a bit about how well the first season was received by fans both new and old, and Robert talked about how writing for the series has opened up some opportunities for more or different development of the characters and story.  One thing that was said last year before the series aired was that the main story from the book would be followed very closely and be used as a roadmap for the series, but some of Mr. Kirkman’s comments this weekend sounded as if he was distancing himself from those comments.  It’s clear that they are still loosely following the book’s plot, but he did comment on how much fun it has been to rethink situations and how the group would react.

The panel also included the show's makeup and zombie effect wizard Greg Nicotero who talked about his process for creating the zombies for the show.  He talked about how they have a group of actors that they reuse as zombies and just use the prosthetics and makeup to make them different for each episode.  He also described how he sees people in his day to day life who would make great zombies and he has to resist the urge to say it out loud.  Kirkman and Hurd both gave high praise to the effects for the new season and from what we’ve already seen the show may be well on their way to their second effects Emmy.

The cast, writer, producer and effects artist of The Walking Dead at NYCC 2011

Next they brought the cast on stage.  In attendance was Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Lauren Cohan (Maggie), Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes) & Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon).  There was a lot of talk about how it’s been to work together and what is coming for their characters, but by far the person who stole the show was 12 year old Chandler Riggs.  Chandler talked about how much he’d learned during the first season and how he looked forward to playing a much more active role in the second season.  He talked about how this season will see Carl transition from a scared young boy, to someone who is trying to find their place in the terrifying new world they live in.  He was also very complimentary of his fellow cast-mates; he was regularly thanking them and saying how great they were to work with.  While every answer he gave was met with “oohs” and “awws” from the crowd, he also would respond to that with more heartfelt sincerity.  The panel moderator, Chris Hardwick, noted that Chandler was also probably the most eloquent of the speakers there.  It was also fun to note that throughout the panel while other cast members were talking, Chandler and Norman (Daryl) were talking and taking pictures with their phones.  It was a very funny interaction to see and showed a real companionship between the two.

The only real companionship you can have with a 12 year old.

The other news that came from the cast was the introduction of new cast member Lauren Cohan, who will be playing Maggie.  Without giving too many spoilers, it has already been said that the second season will focus on “The Farm”, which is where we’ll meet Maggie.  It was also hinted that this season would be a very exciting one for Glenn, fans of the book gave lots of hollers at this.  She said that joining the cast has been like “jumping into a tornado”, but has been a great experience.

Lauren Cohan: She's really excited to be on the show, or...
practicing her zombie face.

So, we got to hear lots about the new season and all of that got me real psyched up for the premiere last Sunday.  Episode 201 was a special 90 minute premiere that picked up pretty much right after last season.  Now I won’t give any spoilers, but I will give my impressions as a fan.  This episode rocked!  It had everything that was promised and then some.  The thing about the book that was always the most appealing was that it wasn’t about zombies, but about people living in a dangerous world where society has collapsed.  This episode was strongly focusing on each member of the group’s ability to cope and survive.

Andrea and Shane were probably the two people most affected by the events of the first season and they’ve already started to make some major decisions based on what they’ve been through.  There’s a lot to look forward to this season, with new characters and more tales of survival.  Considering how the story has continued to branch out from the book, even I can’t be sure what will happen next.  I’ll be right there along with the rest of the fans wondering who will be the next to go and when the next zombie will attack.  


I’ll leave you with one last comment from the panel, it’s actually a question I’ve heard at every Walking Dead panel I’ve been to.  When will we see Michone?  Well, fans of the book ought to know that staying in continuity would mean we still have a ways to go, but Robert Kirkman did hint that we may at least hear something from her later this season.  Keep your swords sharp and make sure your zombie escape plans are ready, it’s going to be another wild ride.

The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 10pm ET on AMC.





Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

Halloween Premiere Weekend: Werewolves and Zombies and Internet Sensations, Oh My!

Last weekend was a great time for some geek-tastic TV premieres.  The Syfy channel premiered Red: Werewolf Hunter and AMC finally premiered the Walking Dead series.  Any card-carrying nerd can tell you why these two premieres have been hotly anticipated since their initial announcements, but if you have been under a rock or failed your official Nerd-License Exam (keep trying, you can do it!), I'll tell you why.  First, Felicia Day.  The Guild writer and star has been on fire over the past few years, with her own show and prominent guest spots on hit shows like Fox's House and Lie to Me.  Second, The Walking F'ing Dead.  The multi-Eisner award winning comic series by Robert Kirkman being made into a live-action series by the station that brought us Breaking Bad & Mad Men?  No brainer.  So, lets get down to the details.  How did each of these shows live up to the hype?  Read on...

Red: Werewolf Hunter

All of the camp, none of the guilt!

Couresty of SyFy

This is a Syfy Original Film...

Normally that'd be enough to end any credible review, but in this case we have a unique exception.  Sure, Syfy has a long-standing reputation of quality films like Sharktopus & Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, but we won't let their record (and apparent sea-creature fetish) taint our judgment. The main attraction for this gem is its red-headed star, Felicia Day.  As I've mentioned, Felicia has recently been putting out an impressive collection of work, but this film is different for a few reasons.  First, it's a leap into the world of science-fiction action, which is not necessarily new to her, but definitely out of her niche of awkward comedy.  Second, she's taking the lead in a full length (for TV) feature.  Her most note-worthy roles are in web-based short episodes, and I mentioned her guest spot on House; however, we all know that all the sick person ever gets to do is fall over, then convulse after a wrong-guess diagnosis.

The plot of the film is a spin on the Red Riding Hood tale, and promises to be the first in a line of fairy-tale exploitation films from Syfy.  It starts with Red (Day) introducing her fiance to her family and eventually their family tradition of hunting werewolves.  What starts out as a fun weekend with the folks turns hairy (sorry) when Red's man gets himself snacked on by a werewolf and begins to manifest his own transformation.  From there it becomes a Romeo & Juliet tale of love versus family loyalty.

Any movie that starts with "Syfy Original" is going to have some issues with writing, but despite that, the cast was able to deliver some decent performances and some memorable moments.  I particularly enjoyed Rosemary Dunsmore's performance as the rifle packing Grandmother.  All-in-all the movie lived up to the hype by delivering a fun experience.  The IGH crew actually had a lot of fun playing our own little Riff-Trax session while watching.  Let's face it, we all watch the awful Syfy channel movies anyway, at least this time we can say it was to support Felicia (my love!).  So in closing, I'd give Red: Werewolf Hunter an IGH rating of 7 lycanthropes.

The Walking Dead

In a perfect world all apocalypses would look like this.

Courtesy of AMC

To start, I'm a huge fan of the Walking Dead comic series.  I first picked it up when they were around issue #50 and I've been a steady reader ever since.  If you haven't looked at it yet you owe it to yourself to pick up the first trade.  Robert Kirkman's epic "horror movie that never ends" has set the new standard in horror/suspense books and garnered an immense fan following as a result.

The story begins with our protagonist, Sheriff Rick, waking from a gunshot-induced coma in an abandoned hospital.  Confusion turns to cold-blooded panic when he finds he's not alone in the world, but instead there are hordes of walking undead dying to invite him to dinner (I really can't help it!  Sorry!). After meeting some warm bodies, Rick sets off to search for his missing family, and from here the series will lead us through the story of Rick and the many survivors he meets along the way.

The series is being directed by Frank Darabont, who also brought us classics like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.  It's obvious from the first episode that he has studied the source material and has a deep respect for Robert Kirkman's original vision.  So many scenes were ripped right from the book and the direction and acting made it seem completely natural.  I was fortunate enough to be at the Walking Dead AMC panel at San Diego Comic Con and got a first-hand account of how Robert and Frank have been working together.  The collaboration has clearly paid off big time.  We all know the pitfalls of comic book adaptation, especially to a TV series, but what the Walking Dead has pulled off is nothing short of perfection.  I personally cannot wait to see how the rest of the series plays out, and how far they'll get this season.

When it comes to living up to hype, this show not only lives up to, but surpasses expectations.  I would, with confidence, give AMC's The Walking Dead the patented IGH rating of 18.9 head shots.

I hope you've enjoyed these shows as much as I did.  I also hope you enjoy my review.  Let us know what you thought on the comments, or send a tweet our way @IGHInsider.

Mata atode aimashou!