Friday, July 30, 2021

Bleeding Fool

Bleeding Fool

Comics Legend Frank Miller Cancelled by the Safe Space Brigade

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:45 AM PDT

 

Following a public uproar over a decade old comic called ‘Holy Terror’, The Thought Bubble Comic Con has publicly cancelled Frank Miller off its program. The once the undisputed king of modern comics, Frank Miller has has a somewhat controversial career that includes being accused of misogyny for his popular Sin City series, and branded an “Islamophobe” for his Holy Terror graphic novel that was originally developed as a Batman versus Al-Qaeda terrorists in the wake of 9/11.

 

Once his appearance was officially announced for the November con, the salt flowed on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

In unrelated news, everyone of those complaining on Twitter feel it necessary to list their “preferred pronouns” in their Twitter bios. Could there be any correlation between those who virtue signal their preferred pronouns and easily triggered, emotionally immature, adult-children who require public safe spaces? We’ll let you decide. Predictably, the U.K. comics convention announced that it will no longer be hosting Frank Miller as a guest in response to backlash from attendees and other guests.

 

 

Apparently an indie publisher named ShortBox Comics, a Patreon supported webcomics publisher launched by Zainab Akhtar and chock full of titles of a certain Tumblr aesthetic, had been pressuring the convention for weeks to drop Miller, and it seems plausible that they’re the main reason for the public dust up. As expected, the preferred pronoun Twitterati gobbled it up.

 

 

What seems to be lost on these pearl-clutching “comic fans” are the comments that Frank Miller himself shared back when his ‘Holy Terror’ graphic novel came out at the San Diego Comic-Con International, saying, “I was raised Catholic and I could tell you a lot about the Spanish Inquisition but the mysteries of the Catholic Church elude me. And I could tell you a lot about Al-Qaeda, but the mysteries of Islam elude me too.” Does that sound “Islamophobic” to anyone? And after the critics accused the book of being anti-Islamic, Miller later walked back his promotions and years later confessed that he regretted Holy Terror, saying, “I don’t want to wipe out chapters of my own biography. But I’m not capable of that book again.”

 

Your apologies don’t matter Frank. They will never forgive you anyway.

 

 

Thankfully comic book publishers like Marvel, Dark Horse, DC, Oni Press, Legendary Comics, Last Gasp, Eclipse, and of course DC Comics have forgiven the legendary creator who may be best known for classic stories such as Daredevil: Born Again, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Sin City, and 300. In fact, DC Comics has continued to hire Frank Miller as recently as 2019 for a third sequel to his seminal Batman story, Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child. And the much respected San Diego Comic-Con inducted Miller into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame, after his previous 12 Eisner Awards. But even with an industry that still praises and hires him, these fragile babies can’t stomach the thought of being in the same room as a talent that once made Islamic terrorists the villains in his poorly received graphic novel over a decade ago.

 

 

On second thought, it’s clear that the Thought Bubble Festival doesn’t DESERVE Frank Miller.

 


This brave chap thanks you for your cancellation.

The post Comics Legend Frank Miller Cancelled by the Safe Space Brigade appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Transformers: The Movie Returning to Theaters for 35th Anniversary

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 04:15 PM PDT

 

This fall, Transformers: The Movie will be re-released in theaters. Fathom Events has partnered with Hasbro to bring the beloved animated feature back to the big screen in celebration of the film’s 35th anniversary this year. However, it will only be a two-night event. Those expecting to see the Autobots and Decepticons in a theater again will have a rather short window to do so.

 

The screenings will be held in theaters across the United States on Sunday, September 26 at noon and Tuesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. local time. In addition to the film, those who attend these special screenings will be treated to some brand-new exclusive content. Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt had this to say about it.

 

“Fathom is thrilled to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of Transformers: The Movie in partnership with Hasbro. It’s exciting to give the fans of this cult classic an opportunity to see this film on the big screen, the way it was meant to be seen.”

Directed by Nelson Shin, the animated movie takes place in the same continuity as the beloved 80s animated series. It features an A-list cast that includes Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Eric Idle (Monty Python), Robert Stack (The Untouchables) and even Citizen Kane director Orson Welles as the evil Unicron. Adam Biehl SVP & GM of Action Brands at Hasbro, Inc., had this to say.

 

“We look forward to bringing families and fans back to the theaters for this milestone Transformers anniversary. With thanks to our Fathom partners, Autobots and Decepticons of all ages will be treated to a one-of-a-kind movie experience celebrating this beloved animated film.”

 

Earlier this year, the movie was re-released in 4K with special steelbook packaging. Aside from that, the franchise is alive and well. Multiple animated shows are currently in the works, with the War for Cybertron trilogy getting ready to wrap up on Netflix. On the big screen side of things, Hasbro and Paramount recently announced Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which is currently filming. The movie will take the action to the 90s and bring Beast Wars into the mix. The studio has, or at least had at one point or another, several other projects related to the franchise in development as well. Tix for the Transformers: The Movie 35th anniversary screenings will be available later next month through FathomEvents.com.

The post Transformers: The Movie Returning to Theaters for 35th Anniversary appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

If You Can’t Beat ’em: Lucasfilm Hires Deepfaker Who Smoked Them

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 02:25 PM PDT

YouTube is an very weird world. Singing stars have been discovered, little kids have been transformed into celebrities simply by opening a box of toys, and now it appears that the deepfake video we reported on in December, has resulted in the creator being hired at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic. While this isn’t something that happens very often, it appears that one video released by YouTuber Shamook, in which he created a deepfake movie to improve Luke Skywalker’s image in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale, drew enough attention to secure him what can only be described as a dream job.

 

His deepfake took footage from The Mandalorian featuring a de-aged Mark Hamill and significantly improved the quality. The scenes were panned for appearing too phony and digital, and Shamook’s version fixes many of the flaws in the original material. Shamook developed the clip in just under four days and published it in December. It has since racked up over two million views.

 

YouTube Video

 

Anyone else think that the original version looked a WHOLE lot more like Sebastian Stan than Mark Hamill? There may be an unspoken reason for that, as we reported last December.

 

Shamook recently posted this on his channel:

“As some of you may already know, I joined ILM/Lucasfilm a few months ago and haven’t had the time to work on any new YouTube content. Now I’ve settled into my job, uploads should start increasing again. They’ll still be slow, but hopefully not months apart. Enjoy!”

 

IndieWire confirmed this after contacting ILM who stated, “[Industrial Light and Magic is] always on the lookout for talented artists and have in fact hired the artist that goes by the online persona ‘Shamook’. Over the past several years ILM has been investing in both machine learning and A.I. as a means to produce compelling visual effects work and it’s been terrific to see momentum building in this space as the technology advances.”

 

 

In recent years there has been a surge in the use of digital de-aging of celebrities, with varying levels of success. Similar to the technology that was used to create a digitally rendered version of Carrie Fisher and actor Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, de-aging is being used to allow an older actor to play a younger version of themselves without the need for another actor to be cast in the role. How successful the process turns out seems to sporadic and individual to each instance.

The post If You Can’t Beat ’em: Lucasfilm Hires Deepfaker Who Smoked Them appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Watch: Marvel Studios Drops a New ‘Shang-Chi’ Trailer

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 12:15 PM PDT

 

Now just over a month away from the premiere of the next big screen adventure from Marvel Studios, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the studio has unveiled a new teaser trailer for the film.

 

YouTube Video

 

Can we say beefcake?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters on September 3rd.

The post Watch: Marvel Studios Drops a New ‘Shang-Chi’ Trailer appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

John Romita Jr. Showcases Marvel’s ‘First Family’ Through the Ages

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 09:55 AM PDT

This year, Marvel Comics proudly celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Fantastic Four with a giant-sized issue worthy of the iconic super hero's team monumental legacy! Joining series writer Dan Slott will be legendary artist John Romita Jr., marking his highly-anticipated return to Marvel with this thrilling issue. In addition to drawing a story within this epic issue, Romita Jr.'s beloved style will also grace the issue in the form of an incredible wraparound cover. Highlighting Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny's transformation since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first created them, the artwork serves as both a celebration of Fantastic Four's journey and a teaser of the story inside: a showdown across Fantastic Four history against the master of time travel—Kang the Conqueror!

"I was lucky to begin my career with Marvel and now am extremely lucky to re-connect with Marvel. That's an enormous amount of good fortune. I sincerely thank all the folks up at Marvel, and Disney, who worked for this fortunate re-connection to happen.," Romita Jr. said. "To add to all this, and I hate to add a third section to my good fortune, is the opportunity to start off with a huge project, which is the 60th anniversary of the Fantastic Four! It is an honor and extreme privilege to be asked to work on this along with a friend and former collaborator, Dan Slott! Along with ink artist JP Mayer, I am looking forward to this being up for viewing in August!"

Home to concepts and characters that revolutionized comic book storytelling, the Fantastic Four have enjoyed one of the most memorable sagas in comic book history. Check out John Romita Jr.'s cover below along with some never-before-seen artwork and be there for one of their greatest adventures yet when FANTASIC FOUR #35 hits stands on September 1st.

 

 

 

The post John Romita Jr. Showcases Marvel's ‘First Family’ Through the Ages appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

How Hollywood Turned Captain America Into a Multinational Globalist

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 07:15 AM PDT

 

The Federalist spoke about Hollywood’s PC influence on the making of live action Captain America movies, which isn’t good. Though one has to wonder if the following still holds true:

 

Captain America is today one of the most popular superheroes. More importantly, he has been the embodiment of U.S. values and a symbol of American exceptionalism.

 

Certainly, Cap was an excellent creation from the Golden Age, and does symbolize a lot of these beliefs. But is he actually popular with modern far-liberals in this sense? Unfortunately, the answer is “no”, and based on the heavy-handed politics that were repeatedly forced into his solo stories within nearly 2 decades, it’s hard to say he’s popular when a lot of people who admire said values are discouraged from reading his books based on that repellent leftist approach. Like many other pamphlet comics on the market today, Cap’s series don’t sell any better than they do, and that says all you need to know about popularity.

 

Marvel Studios wisely decided to put him in the center of its cinematic universe. In 2011, the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" was released, and it became a starting point for the whole Avengers saga.

Yet because the ideological climate has changed, many of the political views Steve Rogers expressed in his first big picture seem from today's perspective almost hard-line conservative. For example, when Cap defeated Red Skull at the end of the movie, the supervillain looked at him and shouted: "You could have the power of the gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations. I have seen the future, Captain. There are no flags!"

Rogers replies "Not my future!" and flings his shield at Red Skull. Translated into political terms, the villain imagines, in the words of John Lennon, "there's no countries," a world without borders or national flags. On the contrary, Cap fights for the American flag.

If this isn't what it means to be a conservative and an American patriot, what is, really? Nevertheless, these days such dialogue seems strange, to say the least, if not entirely surreal.

 

That was at least a decade ago, and at the time in cinema, they were at least willing to recognize that patriotism sells, not wokeness. And that was what was considered commercial back then. Today, in the Obama-influenced era (some of the propaganda seen today certainly began during his administration), Hollywood has become emboldened to go the same route as the comics were already going when Joe Quesada became Marvel’s EIC, and now, they’re beginning to turn everything a lot less respectable of positivity along with patriotism. Let’s also consider that for a long time already, the comics medium made it taboo to explore topics like Islamic terrorism, unless they were going to whitewash the Religion of Peace, and blame America/Israel/goodness knows who else with sense for terrible things happening. And now:

 

Flash forward to 2021. In the first half of this year, Marvel Studios released three TV shows set in the MCU on the streaming service Disney Plus. Although one of them, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," is about Captain America, Rogers no longer appears in it. After the spectacular ending of his story arc in the "Avengers: Endgame," he decided to retire and leave his shield, along with everything it represents, to his buddy Sam Wilson, a superhero known as Falcon.

 

If the studio decided Steve was expendable, what does that say about their view of him as a character? That it’s very dim, and was bound to have been that way for a long time (and why should it be “spectacular” to see Cap cast away?). The following suggests they think the same of Falcon:

 

In that storyline, many people are dissatisfied with political elites and demand that humanity face this challenge together, united, as the "one world, one people." These voices are represented by the terrorist organization called "Flag Smashers" led by the young revolutionary Karli Morgenthau. Although Falcon fights them, he clearly and repeatedly states that agrees with their ideological demands and rejects only their violent methods.

 

 

So if they’re against the idea of a USA, the TV adaptation of Falcon agrees with that?!? Gee, and here, while Sam Wilson did have misgivings about white society when he debuted in 1969, he was otherwise a patriot himself, and didn’t condone anti-American criminals. In the TV show’s finale, when Falcon is arguing about this with a senator:

 

When the senator argues that Morgenthau was a dangerous terrorist, he disagrees. "These labels—'terrorists,' 'refugee,' 'thug'—they're often used to get around the question. Why?"

 

Which is basically watering down the seriousness of the topic. Maybe worse than Steve Rogers being shafted from the live action films and TV shows, is when Falcon is made out to look like he’s lenient on dangerous criminals and ideologues. This is why one should avoid much of the Marvel material now, so long as they’re owned by these contemptuous conglomerates. The propaganda pushed into the post-2000 comics has now made its way into the live action films and TV shows.

 

 

Originally published here.

The post How Hollywood Turned Captain America Into a Multinational Globalist appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Netflix Mandates Vaccines for All Actors and Crew Members

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 05:04 AM PDT

According to Deadline, Netflix is demanding vaccinations for everyone working in "Zone A" – the area of a set where performers congregate and come into close proximity with crew members. Netflix is said to be the first Hollywood company to require full COVID-19 vaccines for all actors working on the streaming service’s US films. All crew members who come into contact with them will also be obliged to get the vaccine.

 

The decision comes only days after the main Hollywood studios and labor unions signed an agreement last week that allows companies to need full immunizations as a condition of working on a film. The arrangement is in place until September 30.

 

 

Also according to Deadline, Netflix is attempting to limit exclusions to a minimum, including for medical, religious, or age reasons, and possibly in a few cases for series and films that are currently in development. 

 

Netflix’s decision comes at a time when vaccine regulations are gaining traction in Hollywood. Sean Penn reportedly refused to return to the set of his Starz series Gaslit unless the whole cast and staff had been vaccinated. Through his CORE organization, the actor promised to help with the effort for free. Meanwhile, even Trump hating actors like Michael Rapaport are beginning to think differently about the purpose and efficacy of the vaccines.

 

 

Netflix productions are currently being shot across the country, including in Georgia and California. It is unclear whether the business rule will apply to Netflix shows produced by other studios. Meanwhile, tech giants like Facebook and Google will require workers to be vaccinated. Unlike movie sets, can anyone explain why anyone would need to go into the office at Facebook other than maybe those managing the physical server farms.

 

Sigh. I’m sticking with “my body, my choice”.

The post Netflix Mandates Vaccines for All Actors and Crew Members appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

5 of the Best Mobile Gaming Experiences

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 03:00 AM PDT

 

It’s safe to say that mobile gaming has advanced a long way since the early days of Tetris and Snake on phones and pixelated, blocky creations on the original, battery-powered Gameboy. From sprawling RPG adventures to glitzy online casinos, it’s now possible to immerse yourself in some truly unique experiences while on the move.

 

#1 Explore an open world

Open world gaming used to be the reserve of powerful games consoles, and even they sometimes struggled with glitches and slowdown. However, nowadays, you can fit a whole world in your pocket. Sprawling open-world adventures like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3 are now available on the Nintendo Switch. Even Skyrim, one of the defining open-world games of all time, has been ported. Immersing yourself in these detailed worlds with their multitude of quests and hidden locations is mesmerizing, even more so when you’re sat on the bus or on a long car journey!

 

 

#2 Sample augmented reality

Augmented reality fuses the game world with our world, making for an experience that blends realities. AR is a new technology, but it’s well suited to mobile gaming. Pokémon Go is the most obvious example. Hunting Pokémon through real-life streets and parks had people hooked through the summer of 2016, but it’s still massively popular. Other games that offer the AR experience include Zombies, Run! and Brickscape.

 

#3 Visit an online casino

Few establishments can match the glitz and glamour of a high-end casino, making it all the more impressive that web designers have managed to transpose that luxury onto mobile devices. As a result, online casinos are more popular, better looking, and more exciting than they’ve ever been. Everything from slots to roulette and blackjack can be played on the move, usually using just a smartphone. Players can even compare casinos (and their welcome offers) using a casino directory like freeextrachips.com to ensure that they make the right choice.

 

 

#4 Dip into virtual reality

If you’ve had your fill of augmented reality and want to dive even deeper, the next natural step is virtual reality. This requires a little extra kit since you’ll need a virtual reality headset, but it’s nonetheless completely possible to take these experiences on the road. Virtual reality headsets range from the extremely cheap Google Cardboard to higher-end models. Games including Hidden Temple, VR Noir, and Vanguard V also offer an absorbing virtual reality experience on your smartphone.

 

 

#5 Play online multiplayer

This is commonplace on games consoles, but most players don’t realize that it’s also available on even entry-level smartphones. As long as you have a stable internet connection or a contract with a decent data allowance, nothing is stopping you from giving the online multiplier a try. Call of Duty: Mobile, Among Us, and, of course, the perennially popular Fortnite are all fully optimized for mobile. There’s something special about gaming online while on the move. Connecting to players worldwide feels even more significant when you aren’t shackled to a television screen, and the fiercely competitive nature of online gaming makes long car journeys fly by.

The post 5 of the Best Mobile Gaming Experiences appeared first on Bleeding Fool.
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