Kevin Smith is Pulling Back the Curtain at DC!

Seriously though, don't you love behind the scenes looks?  Well, it is even better when you're going behind the scenes at DC Collectibles.  And if you can't be there in person, at least super geek Kevin Smith will totally ask the right questions.   Check out the details below. 

They Forgot About Rachel Pollack

By Reboot

Earlier this week, Comixology launched a sale with DC Comics to introduce readers to DC’s new Young Animal imprint. The sale runs through September 12th. Comixology tweeted about it here. They have all 70 issues of Shade The Changing Man from the Vertigo run, as well as relevant issues of War That Time Forgot, War of the Gods, and Resurrection Man. The flagship title of Young Animal, however, is Doom Patrol. Comixology is offering 45 issues of the run on sale encompassing Grant Morrison’s run on the title. There was one glaring omission to this sale, and that was leaving out Rachel Pollack's run on Doom Patrol yet again, despite it being currently available on Comixology.

I know, other runs of the book are available on Comixology and were not included in the sale. I get that. However, Paul Kupperberg’s run, which was right before Grant Morrison’s, has its first issue available for free and the second issue half off. Rachel Pollack’s run takes place immediately after Grant Morrison’s run with many of the same characters and carries on the tone that Morrison brought to the book. And with her run combined with Morrison’s, they would still have less Doom Patrol comics on sale than Shade The Changing Man. So why are they doing this?

DC Comics has been participating, consciously or unconsciously, in trans erasure. Rachel Pollack is one of the only trans writers to ever freelance for the company. The only other trans woman who I'm aware of that has freelancer at DC Comics was Maddie Blaustein who passed away in 2008 at 48 years old.  Not a single one of either Maddie Blaustein or Rachel Pollack’s works have been reprinted by DC Comics. These works are now about twenty years old, and both writers created trans characters who have not been used since, with the exception of Coagula being brought back in a flashback to kill her off. I wrote about Coagula last year in more detail at ComicMix if you'd like to know more here.  

Though Rachel Pollack has worked on other comics at DC, the fact they were reviving Doom Patrol again and going for a tone that more closely resembles her own seemed to be a great opportunity for DC to bring her Doom Patrol work back in graphic novel form. They have made no indications they would do so. The absolute least they could have possibly done would be to put her work on sale along with Grant Morrison’s run to raise awareness and showcase her work. DC Comics and Comixology couldn't even do that. Rachel Pollack has been so forgotten by an industry that only fairly recently has been making bigger pushes for diversity. How can DC say they care about diversity while participating in trans erasure of their own comics and creators? It's insulting.  

On top of all of this, Rachel Pollack was diagnosed with Lymphoma back in 2015.  A GoFundMe campaign was launched at the time to help her cover the crippling medical costs that cancer brings. Having her work back in print could have potentially brought in a little extra money in royalties to cover some of those costs.

I'm so frustrated by this latest slight. I'm frustrated as a queer person witnessing this sort of treatment of someone else who's a part of the queer community. I’m frustrated as someone who had to go through back issue bins in multiple comic shops and use eBay just to read Rachel Pollack’s comic work. I'm frustrated because Rachel Pollack is an incredibly sweet, humble, and supportive member of the creative community and is not getting that support back from the comics community. I'm frustrated as a fan of Doom Patrol that some of the best issues of that series are not in print. I’m frustrated that an entire generation of queer comic readers have been denied a character like Coagula. I'm frustrated as a DC Comics fan who loves their work and many of the people that have or currently work for them and yet they forget about someone as important to queer comics history as Rachel Pollack.  There is no good reason for this to be happening. 

DC Comics let Rachel Pollack’s comics and her comics career fade into obscurity. And yes, I do understand that's happened to many creators. Recently, DC Comics has made some great efforts to raise the profiles of freelancers like Norm Breyfogle by reprinting many of his Batman stories after he suffered from a stroke. DC reached out to Tony Isabella and started to make things right by reprinting Black Lightning.  Those are both great things, and I'm glad they happened. 

DC Comics now needs to do better for Rachel Pollack. Not just for Rachel Pollack, but for every queer reader, and especially every trans reader being denied a part of their history in comics. Trans writers worked on comics decades ago and they created trans characters. More people need to know this, and it is DC Comics responsibility to help. They were once instrumental in giving trans creators a chance to tell their stories in comics. Please, DC Comics, take a stand and do what's right.


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!

Mezco Toyz Enter Their Own Candidate for President!

And she is a....well, definitely unique.  For all you Living Dead Dolls fans, here is your chance to be represented in government.  Not sure whether that government represents the living though.  For more details, check out the press release below.

Bat-Cow is in the House!!

Ok no joke, I swear this happened.  At Toy Fair, while at the DC Collectibles booth, I asked flat out "Where is my Bat-Cow plushie?!"   Seriously, I made a case for Bat-Cow, the most important and superior super-pet. 

Well, my voice has been heard!!!   Or I'm just super irritating.   Or they already had this planned and I just predicted it.  No matter what happened, THANKS DC!!!

For the details, check out the below press release.

Review: Kim and Kim #1

By Reboot

Black Mask Studios has been reinvigorating their line and putting out new creator-owned titles from diverse talent. One of those titles is Kim & Kim by writer Mags Visaggio and artist Eva Cabrera. I got the chance to read a copy of the first issue before it hits the shelves and here are my thoughts.

Idea Engine's Newest Comic Comes to Kickstarter!

By Reboot

Indie comic creator and writer Michael Sarrao is expanding his comics imprint, Idea Engine, with a new series titled SID: Special Intergalactic Detective Volume 1. I've previously backed his Kickstarters for his first volume of Unmasked as well as the Unmasked: Signal. When I heard that Michael was preparing a Kickstarter for his latest series, I reached out to him to see if he'd be interested in having [IGH] write up a review. In response, he generously showed me a peek of the first chapter of the graphic novel.

Breaking News: James Earl Jones is Officially Back as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy was asked which characters from the original Star Wars trilogy might give an appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. She confirmed not only would Darth Vader be involved in some capacity, but James Earl Jones would be back to provide his voice! 

Kennedy went on to say Vader will be sparingly used, but "at a key, strategic moment, he's going to loom large."  It was also revealed that Vader and main Rogue One big bad, Director Orson Krennic will hate each other. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be in theaters December 16, 2016.

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

Brand New Ghostbusters Theme Song By Fall Out Boy Ft. Missy Elliott Is Now Online

There's something strange in the internet, who you gonna call? Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott! Take a listen:

If you pre-order the Ghostbusters Original Motion Picture soundtrack today, June 23rd, through iTunes, Amazon, or GooglePlay, you will instantly receive this. Otherwise, you have to wait until the soundtrack is available on July 15th. 

What do you think of the song? 

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

Breaking News: Power Rangers Have Found Their Zordon

The cat's out of the bag. The new Zordon in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reboot will be played by none other than Bryan Cranston.

Earlier today, this tweet was sent from his account.

It was later confirmed on the official Power Rangers Movie instagram.  

He will be joining Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, Naomi Scott as Kimberly/The Pink Ranger, Becky G. as Trini/The Yellow Ranger, RK Cyler ias Billy/The Blue Ranger, Ludi Lin as Zack/The Black Ranger, and Dacre Montgomery as Jason/The Red Ranger.

Fun fact: This is not the first time Mr. Cranston has been a part of the Mighty Morphin legacy. Though it's uncredited, he provided the voices for Twinman and Snizard. 

Power Rangers is set to open in 2017. Go, Go Power Rangers! 


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

Ghostbusters Key Lime Slime Twinkies Review

For the release of the new Ghostbusters movie, Hostess Twinkies have created a limited edition Key Lime Slime Twinkie. When I saw they were in my grocery store, I had to try them.

As you can see, the Twinkie looks like the normal Twinkie, but you can see a little bit of the green through the cake.

Flip it over, and you can really see the green. To be honest, it doesn't look the most appealing, but it does look fun.

Dark Horse Launches Adult Coloring Book Program with Serenity and Avatar the Last Airbender

I'm trying really hard to control my excitement of this, but I can't! This is something Browncoats and Avatar: The Last Airbender fans (like me!) have been waiting for.

Since Avatar: TLA went off the air in 2008, fans have wanted more. We got the awful movie, which never should have been made, we've gotten to read about the continuing adventures of Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko in the graphic novels, and we got Korra. But you know fans, we always want more, and luckily, Dark Horse knows how to deliver.

I don't think I need to go into anything about the Serenity coloring book, because Browncoats, and Whedonites, and most of geekdom know the story of Firefly's stupid cancellation and its resurrection with Serenity. We've all been there. Dark Horse is now giving us more. Because we always want more. The press release states:

"Dark Horse proudly announces a brand-new adult coloring book program hitting bookshelves and coffee tables this fall.

Kicking off the coloring books line are Avatar: The Last Airbender and the fan-favorite Serenity series. Each adult coloring book features forty-five pages of original artwork created specifically to be colored on thick, heavyweight 10 x 10–inch pages at a $14.99 value price point!

Relive your favorite scenes from Avatar: The Last Airbender with this beautifully detailed coloring book. Filled with original black-and-white illustrations by artist Jed Henry and produced in collaboration with creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this book is sure to be a hit with the Avatar fanatic in your life.

Review: Guardians of the Louvre

 By Reboot

Recently, I got my hands on a copy of Guardians of the Louvre by acclaimed manga artist and storyteller Jiro Taniguchi. This English language edition of the graphic novel was released through NBM Publishing and is a part of their Louvre collection, a series consisting of over a half dozen graphic novels from other acclaimed artists commissioned by the Louvre itself. It's the kind of new and interesting approach to this graphic medium that deserves attention.

Guardians of the Louvre is my first outing in this collection. An important note to anyone wishing to try these graphic novels from NBM is they are all self contained. Each artist seems to have been given free reign to tell the kind of story they want. There is no order to read any of these books. If any of them stand out to you or seem interesting enough, don't be shy, give it a try. You can see the different titles available so far over at NBM's website.

Now to get into the specifics on this title. Jiro Taniguchi is an award winning manga artist with decades of work and experience behind him. Prior to my reading this graphic novel, I was unfamiliar with his work. Manga is an area in my comics reading that is not as well developed as I'd like it to be. My experience with manga doesn't go too far beyond titles like Akira, Sailor V, and 20th Century Boys. Now I can add Guardians of the Louvre to my still embarrassingly short list.

Chuck Palahniuk Teams Up with Dark Horse Books To Publish His First Ever Coloring Book For Adults

Bestselling author Chuck Palahniuk To Publish His First Ever Coloring Book For Adults with Dark Horse Books This Fall

With Illustrations by Acclaimed Comic Book Artists
Including Lee Bermejo, Duncan Fegredo, Joëlle Jones and More!

June 13, 2016: New York Times bestselling novelist and cultural trickster Chuck Palahniuk will publish Bait: Off-Color Stories for You to Color, his first ever coloring book for adults, this fall with Dark Horse Books. Bait will be both the coloring book debut and the second short story collection for Palahniuk, author of Lullaby andFight Club. The book will contain eight bizarre tales, illustrated in detailed black and white by Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer), Lee Bermejo (The Suiciders), Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy), and more. Each story is paired with pieces of colorable original art, nearly 50 in all. Dark Horse Books will publish Bait: Off-Color Stories for You to Color as a 8.5 x 11 inch hardcover album, with uncoated and white interior paper stock, accompanied by a cover illustrated and colored by Duncan Fegredo and designed by Nate Piekos.

Palahniuk’s short stories are provocative and not for the faint of heart. (His public readings are notorious for making audience members pass out.) Bait continues in that vein with stories about:

● A passenger on the Titanic who finds a surgical solution to the obstacle of "women and children first”
● A Hollywood star, whose fading brand faces a viral (and scatological) internet campaign
● An animal psychic who coaxes a statement from a fish that witnessed a political assassination
● Increasingly terrible birthday gifts that place a girl at the center of an extinction-level event

The stories will be illustrated by Lee Bermejo, Kirbi Fagan, Duncan Fegredo, Alise Gluškova, Joëlle Jones, Steve Morris, Tony Puryear and Marc Scheff. Palahniuk invites readers to collaborate on this unprecedented and unique hardcover edition: "Maybe between your colors, the artists’ designs, and my stories we can create something that endures. Something worth keeping. Let’s create a well-bound book that can sit on any shelf and be available for a new generation to discover and enjoy.”

Have You Registered Yet for NYCC?

In case you missed it, which means that you are living under a bridge somewhere, New York Comic Con is doing fan verification profiles this year.  This is part of their effort to stop the scalpers from gouging ticket prices and keeping fans out in the cold.  Will this work? It might.  Will it harm fans from getting tickets?  Possibly but no more than previous years.  What does that mean to you?  It means you need to register before you can buy a ticket.  It means anyone who wants to attend NYCC must register.

Injustice 2 Gameplay Trailer Arrives

The Injustice 2 Gameplay trailer has dropped and it looks so good! I can't wait to play Gorilla Grodd. Take a look and tell us what you think.

Injustice 2 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017.

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

Daisy Ridley and Anne Hathaway Join Barbra Streisand to Sing A Chorus Line

I was greeted this morning with this little gem in my Instagram feed. This is not a Tony-fever induced dream. Daisy Ridley teamed up with Anne Hathaway and the glorious Barbra Streisand, on Streisand's new album, to sing At the Ballet from A Chorus Line.

Streisand’s new album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, set to be released August 26th, will also feature duets with Hugh Jackman, Jamie Foxx, Seth MacFarlane, Chris Pine and more.

James Corden Gets Lin-Manuel Miranda and More for Broadway Carpool Karaoke

I just had a hilarious but stressful encounter with some of my relatives. This was sitcom-worthy. We've all had those. Usually when I need to work off this kind of stressed energy, I get in my car and drive around, belting show tunes. This time I didn't need to, thanks to The Late Late Show with James Corden. The Tony Awards are June 12th, so what better way to kick off Tonys week than with a Broadway Carpool Karaoke?

It starts off with James and the one and only, Lin-Manuel Miranda. They chat and sing a little Hamilton. James does a wicked "Guns and Ships." But it wouldn't be "Broadway" Carpool Karaoke if more people didn't join them.

Watch below and I dare you not to sing along:

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

Theater Review: Leonard Nimoy's Vincent

Wilderowens and I recently had the opportunity to see Leonard Nimoy’s Vincent at the Theatre at St. Clemens. You heard correctly. Spock wrote a play about the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh told to us though the eyes of his brother, Theo. 

Vincent is a one-man play, and when performing, it’s vital the actor has the ability to rely entirely on themselves to bring the play to life. There is no one else to play off of or take cues from. Unfortunately, James Briggs, who played Theo, was unable to do so. It's not that he was bad, but he was emotionally inconsistent. He told a good story but had difficulty conveying genuine emotion. Briggs did anger well, but when it came to anything else, he fell flat. There were struggles with sarcasm and asides, and this led to some of the humor of the play getting lost. 

Star Trek: Mission New York May Guest Announcements

Star Trek: Mission New York has promised Star Trek fans an experience, and they plan on delivering. The guest list is growing, and I think fans will be happy with this list. 

Adam and Julie Nimoy will each be talking about their films. Julie will discuss COPD: Highly Illogical - A Special tribute to Leonard Nimoy, and Adam will be discussing For the Love of Spock.

Next up is a Star Trek: Voyager block -  Joining the roster are Kate Mulgrew (Sunday only), Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Robert Beltran, and Robert Duncan McNeill.

We're going to follow this up with Robin Curtis (Lt. Saavik), Phil "The Bad Astronomer" Plait, and The Black Tribbles.

From Star Trek: Enterprise, we're getting John Billingsley, Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, and Anthony Montgomery.

Finally, we have two very exciting announcements. First, Rod Roddenberry will be discussing Trek Nation and keeping his father's legacy alive, and second, Walter Koenig aka the original Pavel Chekov! 

I know I've mentioned not being as exposed to Star Trek as Wilderowens, but I definitely grew up knowing the original Star Trek cast, so I am stoked (yeah, I said that) about Koenig's appearance. 

Who on this list are you most excited to see?

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

Strange Attractors Gets A Rebirth!

Out tomorrow is a reprinting of Charles Soule's Strange Attractors #1.  It was originally released as a graphic novel from Archaia but will now be a five issue comic series from Boom! Studios, including a new short story, Antithesis.

The story is a chaos math problem, wrapped up with a compelling character in Dr. Brownfield, that he uses to continually try and save the city.  When he realizes he needs help, he calls upon Heller Wilson, a young math grad student.  The story is conveyed through amazing art by Greg Scott as well as Complexity Maps by Robert Saywitz that are one of the most fantasical things I have ever seen.