If you are a Mortal Kombatfan, you know that things get real bloody, real fast.
Lewis Tan (Into the Badlands) shared a photo from the set of the movie on Twitter where he appears battered and bloody from filming a previous scene. "Only the finale left on this vigorous yet edifying journey, I’ll wear the battle wounds (some fake some real) with pride," he wrote. "I am beyond excited to share this film with you all."
Tan's tweet confirms that the film is nearly done filming, which means it will enter the post-production stage soon. However, Tan was tight-lipped about any other details surrounding the film, including which mysterious character he will be playing.
The new Mortal Kombat film will serve as a reboot to Mortal Kombat (1995) and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).The franchise also spawned two TV series: Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and Mortal Kombat: Conquest.
Produced by James Wan, featuring the directorial debut of Simon McQuoid and starring Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Jessica McNamee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Josh Lawson, Sisi Stringer Elissa Cadwell and Tadanobu Asano, Mortal Kombat is expected to be in theaters March 5, 2021.
Earlier this week, DC Comics removed artwork promoting Frank Miller's upcoming one-shot, The Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, following criticism from pro-Beijing supporters who believed Rafael Grampá's variant cover symbolized support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The decision to delete the posts then resulted in backlash from pro-democracy supporters, including those in the U.S.
Now the variant cover has returned, this time on the streets of Hong Kong. At least one pro-democracy protester was spotted holding the Golden Child artwork on Nov. 28, during a march against the Hong Kong Police Force's use of tear gas.
More references to the graphic novel appeared on Sunday. During the Dec. 1 march, held by the Hong Kong people in gratitude to the United States for passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, graffiti reading "The Future is Young" was spotted -- a line taken directly from the background of the variant cover.
Grampá's artwork depicts Batwoman, masked and dressed in black, throwing a Molotov cocktail. This is a common aesthetic for Hong Kong protesters. Some CCP proponents have gone so far as to interpret the title of the one-shot, The Golden Child, as being a subtle allusion to the yellow umbrellas and ribbons, which are also symbols of the pro-democracy movement.
It is unclear how widespread the Golden Child cover actually is as a symbol in Hong Kong. The majority of protesters on the frontlines are young adults and have, over the last six months, adopted a variety of pop culture figures to symbolize the ongoing movement, including characters from graphic novels such Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta.
DC Comics has not removed the variant cover from the upcoming graphic novel; it was simply deleted from promotional posts on social media. However, complaints from readers arose over the publisher's willingness to comply with the demands of pro-Beijing supporters in and around China, at a time when U.S companies such as the NBA, Delta Airlines and even Disney have shifted attention to the financial relationship between the United States and China -- a relationship that has seemingly resulted in the indirect importation of China's censorship policies.
The identity of the aforementioned enemy is unknown, but The Mandalorian has amassed plenty of them since the show's debut. Most notably, he has run afoul of the entire Bounty Hunter's Guild, when he stole back "The Asset" -- the oft-called Baby Yoda -- whom he had recovered on behalf of the client who hired him.
That client -- so far simply known appropriately enough as The Client -- would certainly be amongst The Mandalorian's newfound foes. As would Greef Carga, leader of the Guild who enlisted some of The Mandalorian's colleagues to take him down, after he violated the Bounty Hunter's Code stealing back a bounty. Killing his fellow bounty hunter IG-11 in pursuit of The Asset undoubtedly turned a lot of his fellow Guild members against him, as well.
None of these enemies are really unexpected, though. Could The Mandalorian end up going against Cara Dune, a key ally in his recent liberation of a Sorgan farming village? Or perhaps one of his fellow Mandalorians? Does the unthinkable happen, and The Child fall into the hands of another who turns the infant's Jedi-like powers against him?
The Mandalorian comes face-to-face with an unexpected enemy.
Airs December 27
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. A new episode arrives each Friday on Disney+.
Writer John Allison and artist Max Sarin, the creative forces behind the Eisner Award-winning series Giant Days, have once again teamed up for a new BOOM! Studios series entitled Wicked Things. The new series will also feature work from Giant Days alums Whitney Cogar and Jim Campbell.
"Nineteen-year-old Charlotte 'Lottie' Grote has her whole life ahead of her; headed straight to university and a future as a real detective—until she’s framed for murder!" read the description for Wicked Things. "Given the choice between going to jail basically forever or joining the police, Lottie decides to hit the beat, all while trying to find the real murderer."
Charlotte Grote is a character that has appeared in many of Allison's comics, including Scary Go Round, Bad Machinery and Murder She Writes. Allison called Wicked Things "a tale I’ve been waiting years to tell." He went on to praise Max Sarin and the rest of the Giant Days team.
Giant Days initially began as a webcomic series written and drawn by Allison. The series was picked up by BOOM! Studios and began releasing in 2015. The first six issues of Giant Days were drawn by Lissa Treiman with Max Sarin providing art on most subsequent issues.
Wicked Things will be a six-issue limited series and is set to release in March 2020.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Pt. 2," the midseason finale ofThe FlashSeason 6.
In "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Pt. 2," the midseason finale of The Flash Season 6, Barry defeated Bloodwork in the battle for Central City. However, Dr. Ramsey Rosso didn't go out without a fight, and he revealed his final form in the process.
Over the course of the episode, Rosso revealed his grand plan. He wanted to use STAR Labs' particle accelerator to disperse his blood across Central City and turn all its citizens into his own personal zombie army, thereby giving them "eternal life." He used his control over Barry to try and achieve this end, but he didn't count on his connection working two ways. Barry was able to plant some subtle suggestions in Rosso's mind, which allowed him to reveal Bloodwork's grand plan to Team Flash.
Once Iris and Cisco realized what Rosso wanted, they were able to counteract it. They recruited Allegra Garcia, Iris' Central City Citizen intern, who is a metahuman with the ability to generate UV light. Even though Rosso was successful in launching the particle accelerator, she used her powers to nullify the effect of his blood. The subsequent blast cured the infected victims, instead of infecting even more people.
The explosion gave Rosso time to flee, but he wasn't fast enough to outrun the Flash. Barry confronted Rosso, who went berserk with rage. His powers flowed through him, transforming him into a monstrous red hulk with a skull for a face. His new look echoed the character's look from the comics, with a few tweaks like fangs and bulbous skin protrusions.
Even though Barry was cured, he still had a connection to Rosso. He used that to do what Rosso had done to him in "Part 1": he projected an image of Rosso's mother, who expressed her profound disappointment in how he reacted to her death. The moment caused Rosso to revert back to his human form. Once Rosso's guard was down, Barry rushed him over to the Pipeline and locked him in an anti-metahuman cell.
With that, the Flash saved Central City once again -- and perhaps for the last time. After all, he is due to sacrifice his life in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," next week's major Arrowverse crossover. Knowing this, he spoke to his friends and his family and told them goodbye. As they counted down the minutes, the sky turned red, a sure sign that "Crisis" has officially begun.
Airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW, The Flash stars Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Nicolet and Hartley Sawyer.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwill bring the "Skywalker Saga" to a close, adding an extra level of significance to each actor's final scene. Daisy Ridley's was no exception.
In an interview with GQ United Kingdom, Ridley opened up about the final scene that she shot on set, calling it "sad." “The scene was me being very sad,” she said. “Let’s just say it was not hard to be upset in that scene.”
Ridley remembered that she was in tears after director J.J. Abrams called cut. “I did this embarrassing speech that I can’t remember. It was so sad,” she remarked.
The Rise of Skywalker will see Ridley's Rey and the rest of the Resistance make one final stand against the First Order and a resurfaced Emperor Palpatine.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.
Chopper is a reindeer who has gained the abilities of a human after consuming a Devil Fruit. After spending most of life at Drum Island, Chopper finally joined up with Monkey D. Luffy on his journey to become the King of the Pirates. As a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Chopper is easily one of the most important people in the One Piece series.
He serves the role of a doctor on Luffy's ship, which automatically makes him essential to the crew's survival in the New World. Here are 10 weird things that you probably didn't know about Tony Tony Chopper.
10 He Hasn't Only Been A Straw Hat Pirate
Chopper joined the Straw Hat pirates after Luffy and crew liberated Drum Island and in the process, saved Chopper as well. Upon joining the Straw Hat Pirates, Chopper has served as their doctor. Interestingly enough, the Straw Hat Pirates isn't the only crew that Chopper has been a part of.
During that Davy Back Fight, Chopper was forced to temporarily join the Foxy Pirates, and it fell to the rest of the crew to win him back. While Chopper was eventually saved, he did become a member of Foxy's crew for a short while.
9 His Bounty Is Very Low
Despite being one of the strongest and most dangerous members of the Straw Hat Pirates, Chopper isn't considered to be a threat by the World Government in any way. In the eyes of the world, Chopper is seen as a mere pet of the Straw Hat Pirates, which is why his bounty is extremely low when compared to the other members.
Prior to the time-skip, Chopper had a bounty of 50 berries on his head. Two years later, this number has been bumped up to 100 berries, which is still nowhere near the amount that he deserves.
8 He Has Two Voice Actors
Surprisingly, Chopper has been voiced by two different people in the One Piece series. From his introduction in episode 83 to episode 253, Chopper was voiced by Ikue Otani. Post episode 253, Kazue Ikura took on the job of voicing Chopper. However, this job was temporary as Ikura voiced Chopper just for 9 episodes in the anime.
Following One Piece episode 263, Chopper was once again voiced by Ikue Otani, who resumed her job and has been the voice actor of Tony Tony Chopper ever since.
7 His Devil Fruit Type Is Unique
Chopper is one of the four Devil Fruit users in the Straw Hat Pirates, the other three being Brook, Nico Robin, and Monkey D. Luffy. Other than Chopper all the other Devil Fruit users on the Straw Hat ship are Paramecia types, which makes Chopper unique.
Instead of Paramecia, Chopper is a Zoan type Devil Fruit user, wielding the powers of the Hito Hito no Mi (Human Human Fruit). This Devil Fruit is responsible for giving Chopper his human-like appearance and abilities.
6 His Epithet Is Not At All Threatening
Much like every other Straw Hat, Chopper has his own epithet as well, and just like his bounty, it isn't something that invokes fear among his enemies. While others have some fearsome epithets, such as 'Black Leg', or 'Pirate Hunter', Chopper is renowned as the 'Cotton Candy Lover'.
As evident, this is because of his love for cotton candy, and partially because Chopper isn't seen as a threat by the world anyway. As mentioned above, Chopper holds the status of the pet of the Straw Hat Pirates.
5 He's A Grand Line Recruit
Chopper joined the Straw Hat Pirates at Drum Island, and in the process, became the first person from Grand Line to join their crew (after Vivi, who left the crew). Interestingly enough, Chopper being born at Drum Island also makes him the first member of the crew to be born in the Grand Line.
Chopper was followed by Nico Robin, who joined the Straw Hat pirates shortly afterward at Alabasta after the fall of the Shichibukai Crocodile.
4 Chopper's Dream Is To Be A Doctor
Despite being a reindeer, Chopper aims to be the best doctor in the world and be able to cure any disease. Thanks to being a user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Chopper has essentially become a human.
He's studied medicine under Dr. Kureha, one of the most proficient doctors in the world of One Piece and in process, he's become an adept doctor himself. During the time-skip, Chopper learned more about medicine at the Torino Kingdom, because of which he can serve the crew better than ever before.
3 Chopper's Power Shouldn't Be Underestimated
Despite not being one of the crew's main fighters, Chopper is a well-versed fighter. His Devil Fruit gives him the ability to use different 'points', each of which focuses on a human strength, except the Monster Point, which turns him into an enormous giant with magnificent power.
When using this ability, Chopper has displayed enough strength to completely destroy even the likes of CP-9 members in a single hit. Evidently, he's not someone to be underestimated, even though his bounty says otherwise.
2 Chopper Can Be Brave
Along with Usopp, Chopper could be seen as a coward when it comes to engaging threats or going to an unknown island. Despite his fear of the unknown, Chopper is very brave when push comes to shove. At Whole Cake Island, he held off Big Mom, a Yonko of the Sea, by throwing his life on the line for the crew.
This is further backed by Eiichiro Oda, who, upon creating Chopper, wanted him to be someone who is both cute and fearless at the same time. Needless to say that he's quite rightly succeeded at doing so.
1 He's The Youngest Crew Member
At 15 years old, Chopper became the youngest known member of the Straw Hat Pirates, which is rather impressive. After the time-skip, Chopper is 17 years old, and he's achieved a lot for someone of his age already, being both knowledgeable, and strong.
While Chopper is the youngest crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Brook is the oldest, at 90 years old, and he joined the crew at the age of 88. Interestingly enough, according to Eiichiro Oda, if the Straw Hat Pirates were a family, then Chopper would be the youngest son.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Punisher 2099 #1 by Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson, Matt Horak, Eoin Marron, Rachelle Rosenberg & VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
The new 2099 future is largely lacking superheroes. It’s been revealed that at some point in this timeline, a villainous version of Doctor Doom decided to take action against the superheroes of Earth during a Civil War. Largely wiping them out and removing the memories of them from the minds of humanity, Doom apparently achieved a near-total victory over his old enemies. Almost nothing remains of them in any real form.
There have been few hints of the heroes, although some of them have survived in at least some form. A cult has grown around a particularly bloodthirsty version of Thor, while the Fantastic Four’s robot Herbie has become corrupted by his loneliness and separation from the team. But one revelation from Punisher 2099 suggests the potential fate of one hero was just as bad -- or even worse -- than that of Uatu, the Watcher.
Jake Gallows and Hector Tago are introduced as members of the Private Eye, the police force for Nueva York. A particularly brutal version of the law, they utilize advanced technology and weaponry to try and keep (their version of) the peace. Among their many tools is an advanced computer system that allows them to replay their previous actions. Essentially an advanced version of a body-cam, the footage can then be seen by any other party from around the world. The system is named Vision, which might just be another part of their general aesthetic of all-seeing eyes. But that name also comes with a certain amount of history in the Marvel Universe.
During the Heroic Age, Vision was one of the most powerful heroes and a dedicated member of the Avengers. Born from Ultron’s attempts to create a perfect being he could merge his conscious with, Vision ended up turning on his creator and becoming a hero in his own right. He even eventually ended up with a daughter in the form of Viv, who serves as a founding member of the current incarnation of the Champions. But if this is future Vision is indeed connected to that hero, then there doesn't appear to be much left of him.
Vision is one of the most advanced robotic beings in the present day, which means Doom could have easily seen the use and potential in keeping at least some semblance of him around. There’s even a chance that the Private Eye’s Vision system is derived from the programming that used to be behind Visions' mind. It would even explain the green and yellow color scheme of the device when it’s activated -- primary colors associated with Vision and most of his designs over the years.
Although there’s no definitive proof yet that Vision has indeed been transformed by Doctor Doom, it would be a fitting act for the villain to take. It would also make Vision one of the last of the heroes of the present day, potentially even giving the heroes a former ally to call upon if they ever actually rise up against Doom’s rule. But it remains to be seen how much, if any, of Visions' original mind is left in that AI if it ever was indeed connected to him. It is described by Gallows as an altruistic AI, which might suggest the remnants of something good somewhere in its code. That would make perfect sense if it was the last vestiges of an Avenger.
Mena Massoud, the titular star of Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin, revealed that he has been unable to get any auditions for any new roles since the film's release.
“I’m kind of tired of staying quiet about it,” he told The Daily Beast. “I want people to know that it’s not always dandelions and roses when you’re doing something like Aladdin. ‘He must have made millions. He must be getting all these offers.’ It’s none of those things. I haven’t had a single audition since Aladdin came out.”
“It’s wild to a lot of people,” he continued. “People have these ideas in their head. It’s like, I'm sitting here being like, OK, Aladdin just hit $1 billion. Can I at least get an audition? Like I’m not expecting you to be like, here’s Batman. But can I just get in the room? Like, can you just give me a chance? So it’s not always what you think.”
As Massoud noted, Aladdin went on to gross over $1 billion, becoming one of the most successful films of the year. Massoud beat out 2,000 other for the role, but has been unable to translate that success to other projects.
Massoud can be seen next in Hulu's Reprisal. He auditioned for that role after Aladdin wrapped and before the film was released.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Aladdin stars Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Will Smith as Genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as the Sultan of Agrabah, Billy Magnussen Prince Anders, and Frank Welker and Alan Tudyk as the voices of Abu and Iago, respectively. Aladdin is available now on digital and Blu-ray.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Purgatory," the latest episode of Arrow Season 8.
In "Purgatory," the latest episode of Arrow, a series of events altered the future as Mia Smoak, William Clayton-Queen and Connor Hawke know it.
Perhaps the most violent example of this happened to Roy Harper, aka Arsenal. While Oliver and Laurel were personally transported to Lian Yu by the Monitor, Roy had to travel via plane with Dinah Drake and Rene Ramirez. As they approached the island, they were attacked; a missile shot the plane down, resulting in an explosive crash. Roy was thrown from the plane and pinned by debris. Diggle and Connor were forced to amputate his arm to free him, irrevocably changing his life.
When William and Mia encountered Roy for the first time in 2040, he was intact, with both arms fully functional and accounted for. This means the path Roy was on has changed, as he can no longer fire a bow without a prosthetic, and the fallout from this is sure to be massive. There is simply no way for the events of Season 7's flash-forwards to unfold as William remembers it.
Further, Lyla's transformation into Harbinger has altered another key piece of Connor's past. As Lyla, Diggle and Connor scourged the jungle for plane crash survivors, he revealed something important about Lyla and Diggle's future: "I was beyond proud to be the son of the two super-spies that co-founded Knightwatch."
However, that changed when Lyla became Harbinger. When she appeared to Oliver and Mia wearing her new costume, Oliver called out her name. "Not anymore," she informed him. "I'm now a harbinger of things to come." This suggests Lyla -- the wife of John Diggle and mother to JJ and Connor -- has ceased to exist. In turn, Lyla Michaels is no longer around to co-found Knightwatch. Perhaps the organization will still be formed, but it may now be without Lyla's help.
Additionally, Oliver asked Diggle for a favor on behalf of his children. "When this is over, track down Felicity and just tell her that I don't want Mia and William kept separated," he said. "I think that they deserve to grow up with each other."
"I'll tell her," Diggle replied. If he carries through on this promise, he will forever change the route of the Queen children. As revealed last season, William was raised by his maternal grandparents, while Felicity raised Mia in secret. Should Felicity listen to Diggle, she would alter their childhoods in a fundamental way, changing their dynamic as it has appeared on the series so far.
Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow's final season stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.
It's our yearly Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar! Every day until Christmas Eve, you can click on the current day's Advent Calendar post and it will show the Advent Calendar with the door for that given day opened and you can see what the "treat" for that day will be! You can click here to see the previous Advent Calendar entries. This year, the theme is a Totally Tubular 80s Christmas! Each day will be a Christmas comic book story from the 1980s, possibly ones that have a specific 1980s bent to it (depends on whether I can come up with 24 of them).
The drawing for this year's Advent Calendar, of Miami Vice Santa Claus giving out 80s presents, like a Rubik's Cube and a Sony Walkman, to four superheroes with the most-80s costumes around, is by Nick Perks.
Each day, a door on the calendar will be opened (once opened, the door will feature a panel from the featured story)...
Here's the story for Day 3, Christmas 1989's "Home for the Holidays" from "Adventures of Superman" #462, by Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert.
The issue opened with Superman helping make sure that a building is built on time and so a group of construction workers get their holiday bonuses. He leaves them as they're singing Christmas carols on the top of the building.
He goes to the Daily Planet. At this point in Clark Kent's history, he is just about to leave the Daily Planet for an editor job at Newstime (the "Superman" writers of this time wanted to address how all of these people were supposedly so good at their jobs and yet never advanced beyond them. It was a nice touch to see Clark Kent get a promotion). Everyone blows him off on his last day, but it turned out to be a ruse and they threw him a going away party.
Clark went to find the Planet's Chief Intern, Alice, to thank her for putting the party together and shockingly finds her in a storeroom...that she has been LIVING in!
Perry White has Alice move in with him and then Perry writes the greatest editorial about the perils of homeless ever and cures the homeless problem all by himself (or something like that).
Superman flies home, where he sees that Lana Lang is spending Christmas with the Kents. They all celebrate that they have someone to share the holiday with...
It's a very well told story by a dynamite creative team.
DOES ANYTHING IN THIS COMIC SCREAM 'TOTALLY TUBULAR 80s'?
1989 was the same time that Phil Collins cured homelessness with his hit song, "Another Day in Paradise," so I think this was definitely of the 1980s. The fashion was definitely quite 1980s and the whole "Greedy developer making luxury condos and pushing people into homelessness" was an 1980s plot.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Purgatory," the latest episode of Arrow Season 8.
Harbinger has arrived. In "Purgatory," the latest episode of Arrow, Lyla Michaels underwent a transformation that turned her into her counterpart from the comics. Along the way, she also revealed how she came to work with the Monitor and what her early tasks for him involved.
"Mar Novu made it clear that silence was a requirement of the mission," she explained to John Diggle, her husband, when he demanded to know her connection to the Monitor. "We couldn't risk interfering with the journeys of the other players... He didn't give me details. He just told me that when the time comes, I would know what to do."
"You remember that IED that took out my unit in Afghanistan?" she asked, referring to a story she told Laurel Lance in the season's second episode.
"I remember that. Of course I do," Diggle replied. "You were the only survivor. Took you years to stop having nightmares about that blast."
"Mar Novu -- when he first came to me, he told me he rescued me that day because I have a greater purpose," she said. "A grown man in costume prophesizing the apocalypse? I thought it was a joke, but then he came to me again and he showed me us, our future, just wiped away -- gone, as if it never existed... We would work together to find heroes strong enough to face this crisis. He told me it was the only way I could protect our family."
From there, she instructed Diggle and the rest of Team Arrow on how to build a weapon for the Monitor. William Clayton-Queen was critical to the building process, while everyone else protected him and the project. As he brought it to completion, he realized it could only be unlocked with a certain DNA sequence: Lyla's.
"Does this mean you're the weapon?" Diggle realized, then added, "I understand why you have to do this."
When she held the device, it began to flash with light. With a whir, it emanated a flash so bright the others had to cover their eyes. Lyla's eyes went wide as it powered down. Diggle stepped forward, concerned, and asked, "Lyla, are you alright?"
"I have to go," she replied simply. She stepped away from him and a portal opened before her. With a cursory glance behind her, she stepped forward and disappeared for the rest of the episode.
She reappeared to Oliver and Mia at the end of the episode, when the sky suddenly went red and crackled with thunder. This time, she wore the blue and silver costume of Harbinger. "Lyla?" Oliver inquired, only for her to reply, "Not anymore. I'm now a harbinger of things to come. And yes, the crisis has begun."
In Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's Crisis on Infinite Earths maxiseries, Lyla was saved by the Monitor as a child and imbued with immense powers. The comic book event saw her summoning the heroes he required to protect the cosmic tuning forks, though she was later possessed by a Shadow Demon. This allowed the Anti-Monitor to corrupt her into killing the Monitor.
Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow's final season stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.
Other than sharing a publisher, there's not much that links One Piece, Eiichiro Oda's pirate adventure series, to Food Wars!, Yūto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki and Yuki Morisaki's culinary comedy. And yet a year before the latter manga ended its seven-year run in July, fans of both series were rewarded with an unexpected crossover: Shokugeki no Sanji, a crossover tale starring the only logical, connective tissue between the two properties -- One Piece's chain-smoking cook, Sanji.
The 35-page one-shot, pitched by the Food Wars! creators, was published in the July 23rd edition of Weekly Shonen Jump in 2018 to coincide with the 21st anniversary of Oda's hugely popular series. Now, on the back of its success, it seems that an anime adaptation of the story may well be in the works -- and it's all thanks to Oda himself. An interview with Tsukuda from Shonen Jump that surfaced online last October revealed that "fan reaction to the chapter was strong," and the One Piece creator was absolutely one of those fans.
"When we saw Oda Sensei at the New Year's Party, he told us he was really happy with it. And that was when he said, 'We're making an anime version of it.' Now the two editors of the series are in a bind since the companies working on the two projects are totally different.
"[Laughs] Now everyone on the editorial side is greatly perplexed, trying to figure out what to do about it. On the other hand, Oda Sensei is just like, 'So what? You are going to do it.'"
That's the man behind one of the world's biggest-selling comics dropping the mic, there.
In case this little slice of crossover fun passed you by, here's what you need to know about the story. Shokugeki no Sanji is essentially a professionally-created, affectionate piece of fan fiction from the Food Wars! team. Rather than transplant One Piece characters into the world of Food Wars!, the story instead filters Oda's creation through a Food Wars! lens.
Set before the high-kicking chef joined Luffy's Straw Hat crew, the story returns to Sanji's days working as the Sous Chef at the Beratie restaurant, a fish-shaped establishment that floats near the start of the Grand Line. While patrons are happily lapping up the menu, a plus-size woman loudly complains from her table that the food served aboard the "derelict barge" is "an insult to gourmet taste everywhere." The woman is Savarin, a gourmand whose scathing reviews have "spelled doom" for famous restaurants everywhere.
Spotting Sanji skulking around the corners of the dining hall, she mistakes his suit for the garb of a waiter and demands that he fetch her the Head Chef, Zeff. Sanji, noticing that she hasn't actually touched anything on her plate, turns on his signature charm to persuade her to stay. This is when Patty and Carne -- who One Piece fans will recognize as two of the Beratie's cooks -- emerge from the kitchen wielding giant cutlery, barking at Sanji to simply let her leave so they can wash their hands of her.
As a joke, Savarin suggests that Sanji prepare one final dish for her to decide her fateful verdict on the Beratie. He, of course, accepts with relish, preparing her a flambéed Tomahawk lobster. Not only does she instantly fall in love with the dish, but the Strip-Strip Devil Fruit it's laced with melts the weight right off of her -- if only temporarily.
Satisfied with his work and having saved the restaurant from a disastrous review from an unfair critic, Sanji humbly accepts the plaudits from the rest of the staff and patrons. Just then, a hat-adorned skull-and-crossbones flag comes into view on the horizon -- beckoning him to bigger and better things.
As the narrative itself is just frothy, throwaway fun (if not somewhat problematic where body politics are concerned), the most appetizing part of the crossover lies in seeing Saeki's take on Sanji, especially given the big difference between his and Oda's styles; The latter's is recognizable for its rounder, goofier qualities, while Saeki's is closer to the meticulously detailed, slickly-composed character designs of Death Note and Bakuman's Takeshi Obata. As is the hook of Food Wars!, it's also fun to see the One Piece chef star in one of Saeki's action-packed cooking sequences too.
This isn't the first time One Piece has been intertwined with a food-based series, either; 2013's Dream 9, the "Super Collaboration Special," brought One Piece's Luffy, Dragon Ball Z's Goku and Toriko's titular gourmet hunter together for a two-part TV special based around a Food Tournament with delicious prizes for the taking. The characters of One Piece have also more recently been used for a series of Nissin Cup Noodle commercials in Japan, which place them in a high-school setting and use a dreamy, romanticized art style.
Clearly, the appetite for One Piece crossovers and alternate universe stories continues to be insatiable.
Shokugeki no Sanji is available in English from Viz Media.
The first trailer for what is expected to be Daniel Craig's last turn as iconic super spy James Bond has arrived, and though it's a bit light on story details, the initial glimpse of No Time To Die does offer up new information about the twenty-fifth installment in the long-running franchise.
Not only do we see Craig's Bond come up against Rami Malek's new villain, Safin, he also meets his potential replacement -- a new 00 agent played by Lashana Lynch. Lynch's as-yet unnamed spy makes it clear from the start that she sees 007 as a relic, past his prime and only good for getting in her way.
No Time to Die follows Craig's Bond, who has left active service. However, when his friend Felix Leiter -- a CIA officer played by Jeffrey Wring -- enlists his help in locating a missing scientist, 007 once again finds himself in the middle of a dangerous adventure, as it soon becomes clear this is no ordinary case of abduction. Production on the film wrapped in late October.
Directed and co-written by Cary Fukunaga, No Time to Die stars Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen and Rami Malek. It is scheduled for release on April 8, 2020.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian, now streaming on Disney+.
Before Disney+ launched, The Mandalorian appeared to be a window into the Star Warscriminal underworld. However, the first few episodes have revealed a story more along the lines of Lone Wolf and Cub, as the titular Mandalorian isn't just on a bounty hunt -- he's protecting an infant, and that infant may just be one of the most important, most elusive and cutest beings in the Star Wars universe. Not only does Baby Yoda have audiences captivated, but it has fans asking questions that Star Wars has never properly addressed before.
The Mandalorian is protecting an unnamed infant that is the same species as Yoda. As there isn't much anyone knows for certain about Yoda's species, the tiny creature is even more intriguing to fans: Where did it come from and why does everyone want this baby so badly? Let's break down what we know so far about Baby Yoda and take a look at the various theories about the origins of this mystery child.
For starters, the Mandalorian is tasked with returning the baby to a man credited only as "The Client," played by Werner Herzog. The Client appears to be an Imperial holdout, wearing the Empire's sigil and surrounding himself with stormtroopers. It's safe to say he has evil intentions, especially since he is prepared to pay for the bounty dead or alive. Why exactly does he want it? Perhaps it's precisely because Yoda's species is so elusive.
There are only three canon appearances of this kind of creature: Yoda himself, a character named Yaddle, who was an extra in The Phantom Menace, and the baby from The Mandalorian known only as the Child. Aside from the physical similarities of the species, fans know very little about them -- specifically because Star Wars has never explained any of it. The second episode of The Mandalorian reveals that the Child is actually Force-sensitive, lifting a large alien off the ground with a wave of its little hand. This suggests that all members of the species could be Force-sensitive at birth, which provides some insight into the Client's motivation.
Throughout the Star Wars films, the Empire is fixated on Force-sensitive beings. Once the Empire turns on the Jedi, Force-sensitive people all over the galaxy are hunted down, captured and killed. Now, while The Mandalorian takes place after Return of the Jedi (and after the Empire is destroyed), could the Client still want to kill baby Yoda? It's possible, but what is more likely is that he wants to experiment on it. A possible explanation is that the Imperial remnants want to know how and why this baby is so strong in the Force. Maybe its powers can be extracted and applied to others, which brings us to another major theory: Unless its Yoda and Yaddle's secret lovechild, baby Yoda could be a clone.
In the episode, "Chapter 3: The Sin," the Mandalorian finds the Child in the laboratory of the Client's associate, Dr. Pershing. Pershing is a scientist who sports a Kamino emblem on his jacket. Fans might remember this emblem, as it is the same that one that the clones wear in Attack of the Clones. This explains a fair bit about the bounty: perhaps Pershing and the Client want to clone the Child, or maybe the kid is already a clone, and they want to get it back in Imperial hands for shady scientific purposes. Of course, this leads to another major question. If it is a clone, who is it a clone of? Yoda, or someone else?
Another theory -- one that sounds insane but is quite possible -- is that the Child is actually Yoda himself. It could be a clone and, sure, that technically makes it Yoda, but we're being quite literal here. It could actually be a baby Yoda through... time travel. Wait, before you roll your eyes and click away, there is actual, definitive evidence of time travel in Star Wars. The animated series, Star Wars Rebels does quite a bit to flesh out the universe, but the Season 4 episode, "A World Between Worlds," features some next-level changes to the franchise. Spoilers for that episode ahead: Protagonist Ezra Bridger discovers another dimension that connects different points in time and space using the Force. Yes, really.
People can enter this dimension at one point in time and exit at another. This is exactly what happens to fan-favorite character, Ahsoka Tano, as Ezra pulls her out of a losing fight with Darth Vader to the present day when Ezra first enters the World Between Worlds. More casual Star Warsfans have no idea that this exists and it probably won't show up in The Mandalorian. That said, Rebels is official Star Warscanon, which means that it is perfectly possible for time travel to factor into baby Yoda's origins, however much if a long-shot it is.
Of course, the simplest explanation is that the Child might just be an infant within the same species, but that somehow explains even less about it. Does this species have a home planet? Do they even reproduce? There's even a precedent in Star Wars for the Force to create life, like Anakin Skywalker's mysterious force "conception." So, could Yodas just be manifested into existence?
While it's fun to ask all of these questions and speculate endlessly, it's worth noting that the fun of all this might lie in the mystery. After all, not everything needs to be revealed; not every aspect of Star Wars (or any fiction, for that matter)requires an explanation, definition... or an entire prequel trilogy. In a way, one of the most satisfying routes that showrunner Jon Favreau can take is to explain nothing at all. One thing is for certain though, by introducing the Child, The Mandalorian is confronting fans with Star Wars' long-unanswered questions.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. A new episode arrives each Friday.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Force #2 by Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Dean White, VC's Joe Caramagna and Tom Muller, on sale now.
The events of X-Force have pushed some of the mutants on Krakoa into more dangerous situations, including Wolverine, who is forced on a mission of revenge after Charles Xavier is shot down by a group of assassins. Along the way, he must work with an ally he made in Wolverine & the X-Men: Quentin Quire.
However, their relationship in X-Force #2 doesn't reflect the growth they underwent in that series.Instead, the pair bicker as they did at the beginning of their time together -- erasing the growth of their relationship.
After the assassination of Charles Xavier, the united mutants on the island try to figure out what to do next. While Jean Grey and Beast try to figure out how to bring Xavier back to life and Sage and Cecilia Reyes focus on the autopsy of the assassins, Wolverine decides to target the group that sent the assassins after them in the first place. Initially, he trys to track them down alone but soon ends up being followed, leading to anassist from none other than Quentin Quire, aka Kid Omega.
Taking the attack on Xavier as an insult to all telepaths, Quire works alongside Wolverine as they make their way through the assailants' base. The whole time, both characters needle and mock each other. Quire is immediately insulting about Logan and his abilities, and casually violent with the humans they encounter in a way that even Wolverine isn't. He's even relentlessly turned back to his old mutant superiority ideals, something Wolverine is overtly not a fan of.
Generally, the pair come off as completely dismissive of one another and their ideals. It makes sense for Quire -- who has always been something of a jerk towards even his fellow mutants -- to be antagonistic, but having him be so purely against Wolverine kind of misses the point of their last interactions.
Wolverine & the X-Men gave Quentin Quire his first real chance to become a better person. Initially in the series, he was the same petulant and anarchic psychic that he was when he caused the riot at Xavier's. But even when the rest of the heroes in the Marvel Universe called for his detainment, Wolverine -- then the new headmaster for the Jean Grey Institute For Higher Learning -- insisted that he get the chance to try and rescue the young man from himself and, over the course of Wolverine & the X-Men, Logan was slowly able to do just that. Quire even started to open up to the ideals Logan was trying to preach to him.
By the time Quire graduated at the end of the series, he'd made peace with his fellow students; he started dating Idie and made peace with other heroes like Captain America. It's even revealed that in the future, a Quire who'd become a defender of the galaxy as the new incarnation of the Phoenix made sure to keep the Jean Grey School running by introducing a host of new students from across the galaxy. The development of the character was a primary thematic core of the comic and it crafted a strong bond between the two characters.
That's why it's just so disappointing to see Quire and Wolverine not working on closer terms in X-Force #2. It's like their relationship was knocked back to step one. Quire can -- and should -- continue to needle Wolverine. That's what he does to everyone. But without at least a sense of respect towards their previous relationship, it pushes Quire's important character development back only a few years after it happened.
Daisy Ridley will return as Rey one last time in this month's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, ending a journey that began with 2015's The Force Awakens and helped reintroduce the iconic franchise to an entirely new generation.
Ridley had been cast by filmmaker J.J. Abrams for the 2015 film, and the director warned her that accepting the role of the aspiring Jedi Knight would fundamentally change her life forever due to the enormity of the franchise and its passionate fanbase.
"Understand the scale," recalled Ridley in an interview with GQ in regards to Abrams' warning upon her casting. "This is not a role in a movie. This is a religion for people. It changes things on a level that is inconceivable.”
The runaway success of The Force Awakens, becoming the franchise's first installment to earn over $2 billion at the worldwide box office, made Ridley an overnight international superstar. Since then, Ridley has reprised the role in 2017's The Last Jedi and will help close out the "Skywalker Saga" in the eagerly anticipated Episode IX, as Rey prepares for a final confrontation against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League #37, by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
The Justice League has been waging a desperate battle against Apex Predator Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom. The supervillains have worked for months to awaken Perpetua, the Mother of the Multiverse, and restore her to her full powers. Now, planets, and entire universes, have been destroyed in the wake of the celestial being, and with the cosmic scales tipped toward doom, the League must push them in the favor of justice if there is any hope of saving reality.
Unfortunately, the heroes aren't close to a win yet. While the Legion of Doom has assembled a dangerous army, some members of the League are still scattered. Most of the superheroes are battling on the frontlines, but Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, the Monitor and the World Forger are still trapped on the edge of the universe. Hawkgirl is the only hope the League has of defeating Perpetua, but she is too far away to use the powers contained inside her wings. But, finally, in Justice League #37, the League comes back together. However, it comes at the cost of one of their own.
Although the Anti-Monitor had first chosen to side with justice and the League, the supervillain betrayed his two brothers (the Monitor and the World Forger) to once again fight alongside their Mother. Hawkgirl and her son are now at the mercy of the Anti-Monitor, but John Stewart's surprise arrival is enough to free the Monitor and the World Forger from the supervillain's hold. Realizing he is now outnumbered, the Anti-Monitor asks for help from Perpetua, who is several universes away. But still, she hears him, and she sends help... in the form of a planet, hurled directly at the superheroes.
With their powers too weak, the Monitor and the World Forger are unable to open a portal that would allow them to escape and join the fight alongside the rest of the League. However, the World Forger sees an opportunity: He can help the others depart if he stays behind. With his powerful cosmic hammer, the Forger can strike at the oncoming planet with a blow that will open a gateway for a few seconds.
The others object, but the Forger explains that, in his short stint as a member of the League, the heroes have taught him the value of life, and the necessary cost of victory. With a firm grasp on his signature weapon, the World Forger heroically stands his ground and strikes at the planet coming for them. As predicted, the explosion opens a portal through which the others can escape -- but the Forger is, presumably, no more.
The World Forger may not be a long-standing Justice League member, but he did join the team before the start of the Justice/Doom War. His power helped make a world of difference, and now his sacrifice may be what, ultimately, leads the League to victory.
The Baby Yoda phenomenon has taken the world by storm, trickling down to the world of celebrity chefs.
Guy Fieri, the famed Food Network host and chef, tweeted a Baby Yoda picture, which gave The Mandalorian character Fieri's distinctive look, down to the goatee and backward sunglasses.
"Guy Fieri, I am. For America's greatest Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives I look," he wrote on the tweet.
Fieri is known as the flamboyant host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy's Grocery Games on the Food Network. He has been one of the faces of the network for years, traveling across the country to find and explore new flavors.
Fieri is only the latest celebrity to take to the internet to show their affection for the character. Countless memes, gifs, tweets and Instagram posts have captured the endearing Baby Yoda from various moments from the Disney+ series. From Baby Yoda eating soup to the comparison to the characters from the '80s movie Gremlins, Baby Yoda is really enjoying a moment of fame in popular culture.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. It is now available to stream on Disney+.
This Wednesday is rich with comic spoils. DC Comics gives readers one last primer before the end of Tom King’s historic run as the writer of the Dark Knight’s flagship title, and Image Comics launches a new thrilling (and terrifying) science fiction series from the co-creator of Girls and The Sword.
Marvel Comics’ amazing “Dawn of X” initiative keeps getting weirder and weirder as a group of strange intruders invade the Savage Land. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Hellfire Club may have more nefarious aspirations than originally thought (big surprise, right?). And the Spirit of Vengeance gets a crazy update set 80 years in the future.
5 Batman #84
By: Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles, and Mikel Janin
“City of Bane” Part 10 is something of a recap. In what can only be described as a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria of horrific events played in reverse, Batman #84 feels like one big emotional primer.
Thomas Wayne cannot catch a break, no matter what reality he tries to live a life within. Writer Tom King has a very unique flow to serialized storytelling. Some issues released feel like 22 page non-sequiturs. But once you step back and see how it fits into the bigger picture, it become apparent that King along with Jorge Fornes (and a handful of other amazing artists) are crafting something truly unique.
It’s a brave new world for office drone Meria. Sure her life is filled with dealing with traffic and making sure her cat has been fed in the morning, but what looms over everyone around her is terrifying. A virus has plagued Anchorage, Alaska (and presumably the rest of the world), killing the vast majority of anyone who contracts it.
However, those who survive develop telekinetic abilities along with a deep social stigma. Smart, engaging, and filled with loving homages to great works of science fiction, writer/artist Jonathan Luna and newcomer scribe Lauren Keely have built a wonderful launch pad to a wild new series.
3 Ghost Rider 2099 #1
By: Ed Brisson, Damian Couceiro, Dono Sanchez-Almara, VC’s Joe Caramagno, Valerio Giangiordano, and Frank D’Armata
Are you hankering for futuristic motorcycle gangs with members named Zero and Werewolf? Do you long for the days of William Gibson-esque cyberspace hacking sequences rendered in three dimensional speculative Internet pastiche like a mid-nineties Keanu Reeves action film? Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Terminator was imbued with the Spirit of Vengeance? Well Ghost Rider 2099 #1 has you covered… within a matter of a few pages, no less.
Writer Ed Brisson (New Mutants) and artist Damian Couceiro (X-Force) have reunited for a wild, science fiction action comic that blends the ethereal hellscape behind the character Ghost Rider and a cyberpunk, dystopian aesthetic.
2 Marauders #3
By: Gerry Duggan, Michele Bandini, Elisabetta D’Amico, Federico Blee, VC’s Cory Petit, Tom Muller, Matthew Wilson, and Russell Dauterman
During this whole “Dawn of X” initiative, there are some returning characters who are wonderful blasts from the past we are extremely excited to see again. But there are characters who have long been pushed to the far edges of comic book consciousness their return comes as something of a shock.
The recent resurrection of the villain Shinobi Shaw kind of falls into the latter in the fantastic Marauders #3. Those Shaw boys used to get up to some nasty stuff, didn’t they? Well, some things never change. Without revealing too much, the recently reestablished Hellfire Club may pose more of a problem than originally thought.
1 X-Men #3
By: Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, Rain Beredo, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller
A group of armed intruders have shut down the gateway to The Savage Land, for reasons unknown. While the immediate reasoning would be to think these might be members of the same militant anti-mutant group of Reavers, the truth is far stranger.
Writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Leinil Francis Yu have given Xavier’s new utopia a whole new reason to be wary of humankind. Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Sebastian Shaw face the intruders head on (with a little help from so old friends) only to be faced with a dire ecological revelation that puts the X-Men in a precarious situation (but when are they not in precarious situations?).
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