Thursday, July 31, 2014

Music: Megaman X Theme



Another awesome video game music cover by Youtuber Epic Keyboard Guy.


Music: What Happens at Comic Con



What it’s really like to be at San Diego Comic Con, put into song.


Short Film: The Trail's End



The Trail's End puts a futuristic twist on the legend of Bonnie and Clyde.  It's highly polished with high-end visual effects.
"On the final day of his life, an android has an unexpected encounter that alters the course of his existence. THE TRAIL'S END is a short film written and directed by David Rosenbaum that explores a re-telling of a classic; Bonnie and Clyde...or rather the prologue. It highlights the moment that the two meet and how their journey together begins. Sometimes the end, is just the beginning."


Dioramas: Palm-sized Railways


Palm-sized Railway Dioramas by Japanese model artist Akihiro Morohoshi

Simply building model railroads wasn't enough for Akihiro Morohoshi.  After years of creating more traditional models, Morohoshi decided to put a fresh twist on his traditional miniature models by embedding them into everyday objects.  He sets scenes of imaginary worlds on top of Pringle chip cans, across electric guitars, and inside matchboxes.


Sculpture: Batman Cowl Designs

Batman Cowl by Frank Iero

Batman Cowl by Frank Iero

These exhibits were on display as part of the "Cape/Cowl/Create" exhibition which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Batman and the release of the Batman: Arkham Knight.  The exhibit will continue by touring the U.S. following the con.


Posters: Jeff Langevin


Fan Art Posters by Oregon-based Jeff Langevin
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$15


Posters: Retro Sci-fi Metroid

Retro Sci-fi Metroid Poster by Jeff Langevin

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$15


Posters: The Last of Us Silhouettes

The Last of Us Poster Set: Joel & Ellie - Created by Michael Rogers
Available for sale at his Etsy Shop for $20.

The Last of Us Posters by Michael Rogers
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$20


Posters: Rocket

Rocket Raccoon by Thomas Softley

"Rocket" by Tom Softley
Guardians of the Galaxy fan art


Posters: Weapon of Choice

Weapon of Choice by Karl Tagle

Guardians of the Galaxy fan art


Posters: Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park Movie Posters by Leonardo Paciarotti

Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$16.64 - $66.56


Artist: James Zapata


Illustrations by James Zapata


Artist: Cuba Lee


Illustrations by Cuba Lee


Mash-Up: Crossover Kong


Prints and t-shirts available for purchase from RedBubble.

Artist Baz has taken some of the most popular franchises in geek culture and given them the Donkey Kong treatment.


Link Round-Up: July 31, 2014


Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$17 - $36


Infographic: The Lifespan of All of the Doctor Who Doctors, By Screentime

The Ambush at Sheridan Springs: How Gary Gygax Lost Control of Dungeons & Dragons. 

Concerning Hobbits, On-Screen and Off: Why Jackson and Tolkien Can Peacefully Co-exist


Deaths in the Iliad is an infographic by Laura Jenkinson presenting every death in Homer's Iliad. In her book of poetry Memorial Alice Oswald did something similar, writing about all 213 named men who die in the epic poem. You can read excerpts of the poem and listen to her read these excerpts at the Poetry Archive (1, 2).

Do you ever think about where some of the common UI Symbols we interact with on a daily basis come from? The Power Button, Bluetooth or @ symbol? More here: Origins of Common UI symbols.


Comic Round-Up: July 31, 2014


"Hellboy" Pencils by Keu Cha, Inks by Vic LLamas, Colors by Sean Ellery


Interview: Comic Artist Brett Booth Talks Diversity In Comic Books

6 Reason you must check out Titan's Doctor Who comics

7 Awesome Cosmic Comics: With Guardians of the Galaxy hitting theaters this Friday, never has the spotlight on Marvel's cosmic characters been stronger. Characters like Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord are becoming household names, and causal Marvel fans are realizing that the Marvel Universe has more to offer than just straight-up superhero stories.

Cynthia Rose reviews the U.K. exhibition “Comics Unmasked.”


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Video: Potterhood Trailer


"Potterhood Trailer" from Slate

Richard Linklater might be the first to make a coming-of-age movie by shooting a single actor over a twelve-year period. But even as he was shooting his ambitious Boyhood, audiences around the world were breathlessly watching a different boy sprout up, fill out, drop his voice, fall in love, and endure a veritable parade of misguided father figures on the big screen. That boy of course was Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe. Over ten years and eight films, we saw him grow from an innocent kid, into a gawky adolescent, and finally into a brave man. It seems only fitting that he should get his own Boyhood, so here’s the Potterhood parody trailer to help remedy that.


Video: LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy



Sean Willets & Forrest Whaley has recreated the trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in LEGO.  It's a shot-perfect recreation, with little touches like having Admiral Ackbar in the background in one scene, and other non-Guardians minifigs walking around. He even animates the mouths!


Video: Legend of Dark Link



Our friends at the Warp Zone like the Legend of Zelda games almost as much as we do. This week, the Warp Zone guys took on one of the greatest mysteries from Zelda, the origin of Dark Link. Turns out, Dark Link isn’t such a bad guy, and regular Link is kind of a baby.


Short Film: Black Sugar



When a group of bored teenagers decide to try a new drug, they expect they'll see a fun fun hallucinations.  Instead, they find themselves plunged into a world of unimaginable horrors where hallucinations can kill.  Black Sugar is a trippy blend of coming-of-age film and Lovecraftian horror that sure to please your inner-goth.  The cherry on top is that, thanks to the filmmakers' use of physical effects over computer graphics, the whole project exudes an eighties film vibe that is going to tickle all the thirty-somethings out there who up watching Nightmare on Elm Street every Halloween like I did.

Artist: James Paick

James Paick

Illustrations by James Paick


Artist: Xu Xinmin


Illustrations by Xu Xinmin


Comic Round-Up: July 30, 2014

Terry Moore showing a more meditative Hulk


News: Batman co-creator Bob Kane's comics go to auction

Badass Digest breaks down Why Marvel’s New Darth Vader Comic Could Be The Most Interesting Star Wars Comic Ever

The comics of Comic-Con: Much more than superheroes

Here's Why Comic Con 2014 Was Actually Great For Comics

In this edition of Adventures Of A Comic Newbie, Amanda tackles some of the more confusing terminology in comic books: the format words (dun dun duuuunnnnn). What is a “trade”, and how is it different from a “graphic novel” (if it is at all)? What is the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book?

On the eve of Comic-Con, Maggie Thompson reminisced about the show’s early days.

So Who Comic-Conquered San Diego?

Walter Simonson returns to Norse mythology with the stunning Ragnarök #1


Link Round-Up: July 30, 2014


"Winter Batman" by Alberto Camara



Sci-Fi Round-Up: July 30, 2014



Infographic: Mapping Climate Change on Tatooine Over 110 Galactic Years

Interview: Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on Guardians of the Galaxy.

Interview: The Sunday Times interviews Peter Capaldi, star of Doctor Who.

Interview: Wired interviews Mike Buonaiuto, director of Credence.

7 reasons we can’t wait for Star Wars: Episode VII

15 Sci-Fi Books That Predicted the Future, chosen by Mashable.

The 100 Best Science Fiction Movies, as chosen by the Daily Grail.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Music Video: Zelda




Video: Stan Lee's New Heroes


"Stan Lee's New Heroes" by Key and Peele

The comedic duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele released a preview from their upcoming fourth season of Key & Peele at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 titled “Stan Lee’s New Heroes.” The comedy sketch features Stan Lee, played by Peele, walking into the Marvel offices and pitching a new series of comic book superheroes. Unfortunately, Lee’s superhero ideas all fail due to the characters being inspired by strange people and events from his real life: “Hey, Where am I Man,” “The Gray Chaser,” and more. Season four of Key & Peele is scheduled to premiere September 24th, 2014 on Comedy Central.


Video: Book Report




Music: Wholock!



Wholock! The Doctor and Sherlock finally cross paths! And hey, if you were going to mashup Doctor Who and Sherlock, you may as well make it a musical.
"Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes finally track each other down. The Doctor wants a new companion, Sherlock wants a another assistant... and so begin the Adventures of Wholock, the greatest detective duo in the galaxy!"

Short Film: Lights Out



"Lights Out" proves that more is less is more when it comes to horror films. The simple film tells the story of a girl turning out the lights as she goes to bed.

If you get spooked out being home alone, I suggest you not watch this highly effective short.

You can read an interview with director David F. Sandberg.


Posters: Video Game Minimalism

Video Game Minimalist Art Prints by Joseph Harrold

Video Game Minimalist Art Prints by Joseph Harrold
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$20
[ Previously:  Video Game Minimalist Art Prints (Part 1) ]


Posters: Video Game Minimalism

Video Game Minimalist Art Prints by Joseph Harrold

Video Game Minimalist Art Prints by Joseph Harrold
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$20


Posters: Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley by Ape Meets Girl

"Diagon Alley" by Ape Meets Girl
Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$18.99 - $64.99


Posters: The Last Greenseer

Game of Thrones: The Last Greenseer by Kittrose



Posters: AfterShock

AfterShock: The Info Illustration Gallery by Nick Caldwell


Artist Nick Caldwell has been working on a possible look into the future of the BioShock series…in outer space!


Posters: Bioshock: Would You Kindly

Bioshock: Would You Kindly by Dylan West

"Bioshock: Would You Kindly" by Dylan West
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$18


Posters: Orphan Black


Prints available for purchase from Society6.
"Started this a while ago but just quickly finished up before I lost inspiration, but YOOOOO this show is SOOO good! In my top 3 for sure! WOW! All the fan art gahh I have so many ideas!!"

Artist: Wang Rui


Illustrations by Wang Rui


Artist: Simon Weaner


Illustrations by Canada-based Simon Weaner


Illustration: True Courage

The Legend of Zelda: True Courage

"You wanna know something embarrassing? When I was a kid, Zelda boss battles used to scare me. It took a long time before I saw the fun in the challenge of the fight.

Sometimes though it’s the little acts of courage that make all the difference. Because standing up against King Dodongo taught me how to stand up against the other big scary fears of my life."

Fresh Take: Pixel Interpretations



Game sprites were never meant to literally represent characters.  Game designers were just doing the best they could.   In this project, illustrator Scott Johnson demonstrates what happens when you try to interpret game sprites literally.  The end results are a total horror show.


Fresh Take: Space Invaders



Batman, Superman, and all your other favorite heroes are joining the invading hordes of aliens dancing left to right as they slowly descend upon the Earth.  The Invaders were created by artist Sayon Chatterjee for the marketing firm And Then.
"So while interning at Andthen a couple of years back I was fascinated by retro 8-bit games, especially Space Invaders.  So I tried to re-imagine them with some color and created a series of iconic characters.

It was a challenge to make the characters easily recognisable because of the limited pixels I got to play with, so i took some liberty and changed a few aspects of the pixels.
At last these were the ones which made the cut."

Humor: Every Nerd Convention



Illustrator Julia Lepetit and writer Andrew Bridgman posted this amusing comic over at Dorkly as a followup to their recent “17 More People You See At Every Nerd Convention” comic. Both are based on a similar 2011 Dorkly comic.


Link Round-Up: July 29, 2014


"Giant vs Witch" by Ireland-based Nick Grey

Are movies getting way longer than they used to be? The data: Nope

The complexities of copyright and fair use – what’s an artist to do?

Greek Myth Comix Presents Homer’s Iliad & Odyssey In Graphic Form

The Museum of Science Fiction presents a gallery of artwork from Omni Magazine

The Peak considers Our new relationship with art

Propaganda Posters From The Dawn Of Star Wars ' Galactic Empire

Den of Geek points out all of A Song Of Ice And Fire’s geeky in-jokes

What does color smell like? Well, that depends…


Comic Round-Up: July 29, 2014


Via: Reddit


Interview: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples of Saga on raising Hazel: " I think we’ve grown up in a sort of culture where a lot of our storytelling is controlled by a big corporation – that means we can’t let these characters die, we have to keep them alive. And that’s just a terrible way for fiction to approach things."

Interview: Kieron Gillen & Salvador Larroca talk Star Wars: Darth Vader
 
Interview: Lee Milewski on The Somber Crown, the Fantasy Genre, and Kickstarters


10 comic book characters who would NOT translate well to film

Color Design in Today’s Top Comics

Sculpting Stories with Scott McCloud

Six Tips for First-Time Comic Book Shoppers

Why Saga Continues To Be The Best


Monday, July 28, 2014

Quick Pic: Power-washed

street_art nerdery comics art power_wash_porn



Posters: Gaming Room

Controllers by Javier Laspiur


Although they’ve only been around in their modern form for several decades, video games have evolved tremendously and gone from niche subculture to mainstream acceptance. Perhaps one of the most telling indicators of this change can be seen (and felt) through the controllers used by gamers to control their digital avatars. To document this growth, photographer Javier Laspiur captured some of video game culture’s most iconic controllers. Everything from the Atari 2600 to Sony’s PS Vita are included with some sure to send many among us into a nostalgic time warp.


Posters: Gaming Room


"Gaming Room" Poster Series by France-based Vincent Petitot


Posters: Star Lord

Star Lord (Variant) by Francesco Francavilla

Limited edition prints sold by Mondo at SDCC 2014.
Guardians of the Galaxy fan art


Posters: Drax & Gamora

Drax by Phantom City Creative

Drax & Gamora Posters by Phantom City Creative and Vance Kelly
Limited edition prints sold by Mondo at SDCC 2014.
Guardians of the Galaxy fan art


Posters: Age of Ultron


Avengers: Age of Ultron SDCC Promo Poster

As has become the tradition at Comic-Con in San Diego,  Marvel Studios released concept art as posters for its next summer tentpole.  This magnificent hand-drawn Avengers: Age of Ultron poster features Ultron and his army of robots rumbling with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision, who can be seen flying in the background.


Posters: 2001: A Space Odyssey


"2001: A Space Odyssey" by Stockholm-based Kilian Eng

24” X 36” 6 color screen prints with metallic inks, editions of 15. Glow in the dark layer featured on the red variant. Private commission.


Posters: Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell by Kilian Eng

"Ghost in the Shell" by Stockholm-based Kilian Eng
Limited edition screen prints sold at the Mondo's booth during SDCC 2014.


Artist: Paul Chadeisson


Illustration by Paul Chadeisson


Artist: Geoffroy Thoorens


Illustrations by Geoffroy Thoorens


Comic Round-Up: July 28, 2014

BATGIRL Lobby Card by Francesco Francavilla


Interview: Take Care Of Yourself: Batman Mastermind Scott Snyder On The Psychology Of Heroes, Villains And Writers.

Interview: Unapologetically Strong: Mark Waid & Terry Dodson Talk "Star Wars: Princess Leia: "Princess Leia is, of course, one of the most famous characters in science fiction, and very arguably the most famous female character. She's iconic, recognizable, and quotable. Leia is a character with a lot of implied depth that the Star Wars movies didn’t fully explore."

News: The 2014 Eisner Awards have been announced!  It was a good night for Saga.

News: Original Superman Comic to Sell on Ebay in August
 
Daily Finance invests in 7 Less-Known but Very Valuable Comic Books

The Horrible Truth About Spiderman's Anatomy

Lessons From Behind The Counter at a comic book store, from NPR.


Resources: Catan Anytime

Catan Anytime

Friday, Microsoft released a free browser-based version of of the tabletop game Settlers of Catan called "Catan Anytime."  The games was created with the latest HTML 5 web standards to maintain cross-platform interoperability as part of Microsoft's Rethink "experiences."

The game supports four-player, turn-based asynchronous gameplay, and it simplifies the experience with auto-trade and auto-roll features, along with the ability to track games via email.

On the Windows Blog, Internet Explorer group product manager Justin Garrett explained that "Catan Anytime is not meant to replace the board game experience.  We wanted to adapt the essence of Catan to the best of today's mass market game mechanics. The digital version is meant to plug the game seamlessly into our daily lives and grow the way people can experience it."

Microsoft plans to release a fuller version of the game, which will offer complete parity with the tabletop version, in August during Gamescom.

Source: Windows Blog


Link Round-Up: July 28, 2014



10 Steps to Make Your Creations Real: The thing about fandom is that on some level, we all wish we be a part of what we love: We want to write a hit novel because we love to read; we want to draw a comic book because we love to draw; we want to be a filmmaker because we love to watch movies. But making fantasy a reality is never as easy as the dreaming part.

Comic-Con 2014: Sideshow Collectibles’ 20 years of genre artistry

The folks at ThinkGeek put so much effort into their April Fool's Day prank products every year that often times they end up turning them into a reality. Remember the Star Wars Tauntan sleeping bag ?, that started life as a prank. And of all the wonderful products ThinkGeek pretended to announce on April 1 this year, the Back to the Future Flux Capacitor car charger is the one to get the IRL nod.


For Love or Money: recap of Creating Personal & Professional Art SDCC ’14 panel

How artist Brynn Metheney uses reference photos from Pinterest in creature designs.

Jason Blum—producer of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, The Purge, The Bay, and Oculus—participated in an interesting interview at SXSW Film 2014 about his model of producing high-quality low-budget horror films for wide release. The video is almost an hour long, but worth watching if you're interested in contemporary mainstream horror.

Where Do Eureka Moments Come From?


Gaming Round-Up: July 28, 2014

Gordon Freeman by Daryl Mandryk

"The Freeman" Half-Life Fan Art by Daryl Mandryk

The Business Insider remembers Best Video Game Easter Eggs Ever

Don’t demonize video games for violence implores the Sun-Time's Mary Flanagan.

Eurogamer delves into the origins of Minesweeper with the original developers.

Game Headlines picks the Top 10 Video Games Weapons

Gameranx explains Why The Term "Girl Gamer" Still Isn’t Helping 

Friday, July 25, 2014

Music Video: Hollow Bodies


"Hollow Bodies" Directed by Markus Hofko from The Bow

This new music video for Hollow Bodies was created in collaboration with director Markus Hofko (Who's directed tracks for Flying Lotus and Débruit), and was executed as a public performance piece in tune to the music. The track is from the awesome 'Deassemble Reassemble' EP.
"Official music video for the track "Hollow Bodies" from Magical Mistakes' EP "Decompose / Reassemble""


Music Video: Jaxx's Twerking Bot



Twerking is a phenomenon that peaked when the word entered the Oxford English Dictionary last August, but it hasn't disappeared quite yet. Prolonging the moment (or perhaps hastening the decline, depending on your perspective) of the act of "danc[ing] to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance" is featured in the bizarre new video for Basement Jaxx's "Never Say Never," a six-minute dance epic featuring vocals from ETML.
"Official music video for Basement Jaxx 'Never Say Never', from new album Junto out 25th Aug."

Music Video: Sonic 2 Epic Keyboard



An awesome cover of the Chemical Plant Zone theme from Sonic 2 by Youtuber Epic Keyboard Guy. 


Music Video: ROCKSMITH Audrey



Watch as 10-year-old Audrey gets a score of 97% performing Slayer’s War Ensemble on Rocksmith 2014.  Also, be sure to watch her little sister scream her lungs out to accompany her. Probably makes you feel like a total pansy, though, huh? Yeah, me too.
"Audrey (10 years old) plays Guitar - War Ensemble - Slayer on ROCKSMITH2014. I last played this in Jan. I couldn't pass without X back then but was glad to get a GOLD PICK this time! Also, CRAZY KATE!!!!! She surprised me with her SCREAMSSSS!!!Thanks for watching!!"


Music Video: Zelda 2 Acapella



YouTube entertainer Max “Smooth McGroove” Gleason has created a multitrack a capella cover of the “Temple” theme song from Nintendo’s 1987 video game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.  Here is the the original version of the song.


Music Video: Halo 3 Theme



I'm really impressed with what a good echo chamber this stairwell turned out be. Who needs million dollar recording studios when you can just have the staircase in the back of the building works just as well?
"The stairwell was begging me to sing the Halo theme."


Video: Mary Poppins Quits



Mary Poppins sings, dances, and performs magical feats, all while raising a banker's brats for a bare US$7.25 an hour.  That can get to you over time, but Mary still keeps a smile on her face as she explains why she is quitting her job.  Kristen Bell stars in this latest video from Funny or Die.


Video: 8-Bit Avengers



CineFix has released a new episode of 8-Bit Cinema that retells the 2012 Marvel superhero film The Avengers in the form of an 8-bit animated video game.  Black Widow escapes the Hulk in the obligatory level-scrolling monster chase, and Loki legitimately looks like a Mega Man villain, and—oh, just watch it. The video was written and animated by David Dutton of Dutton Films with music by Henry Dutton.
"CineFix presents THE AVENGERS, retold via old-school 8-bit (and a little 16 bit ;) game tech. No quarters or controllers required!"

Video: Thug Notes on Dune



The spice must flo!  Thug Notes' latest lesson explains Frank Hebert's science fiction epic, providing a short attention-span summary of a convoluted read.  We especially love how he calls the Bene Gesserits "fine bitties."


Video: Everything From Your Childhood



“Literally Everything Else From Your Childhood: The Movie” is an amusing video from The Wil Wheaton Project that mocks Hollywood’s habit of mining of childhood nostalgia by positing that everything else not already used should be in their own movie. Suggested entries include the likes of the character Eddie “Donkeylips” C. Gelfen from Salute Your Shorts and Tamagotchi digital pets as well as more general childhood concepts like chickenpox.
Hollywood is riding the nostalgia train to pandertown, and after TMNT, GI Joe, Battleship, and the upcoming Candyland (!?) movie, we at the Wil Wheaton Project believe it’s finally time for the most pandering nostalgia film of all time: Literally Everything Else From Your Childhood: The Movie!

Short Film: Killing Time


"Killing Time" directed by Elliot Farinaro from Far Side Films

Ellis and Rose, two bandits during an apocalypse, have been forced to relive the day of Rose’s death over and over, and unless Ellis can travel back in time and get them out of the loop, there will be no fate other than death.
"The government has been shutdown for nearly five years and Ellis and Rose, two bandits trying to survive, have been forced to relive the day of Rose's assassination over and over again. Unless Ellis can travel back in time and get them out of the loop, there will be no fate other than death."

KickStarter: Mars Awaits


Prints available for purchase from KickStarter. US$20

Mars Awaits is a beautifully illustrated calendar featuring thirteen pieces of art from self-described "space and science fiction artist" Douglas Shrock.  Each illustration imagines a scientifically plausible step towards colonizing the Red Planet.
"Mars Awaits! Each piece of artwork shows one step in the colonization of Mars, and depicts the bravery, excitement and joy there of."

Event: World Maker Faire

The 5th Annual World Maker Faire New York

The 5th Annual World Maker Faire New York, an exhibition of creativity and invention and a celebration of the maker movement, will be held September 20 and 21, 2014 at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York.  Makers who wish to participate in the festivities need only respond to the Call for Makers.  Tickets are available online, but there many ways to get involved in the event. 


Artist: Igor Vitkovskiy


Illustrations by Igor Vitkovskiy


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