star wars
Patton Oswalt’s ‘Star Wars’ pitch brought to life in video
Patton Oswalt’s hilarious eight-minute Star Wars filibuster for Parks and Recreation is already legendary, earning the adoration of nerds everywhere, and even spawning a movie poster. But if you have trouble comprehending his his frenetic vision for a Star Wars/Marvel Universe crossover, don’t worry: animator Isaac Moore has you covered.
Using Oswalt’s own words, and Amy Poehler’s occasional interruptions, Moore brings the pitch to life in appropriately quirky fashion, with a blend of movie stills, comic art, stock photography and lord only knows what else.
Comics, statues and Star Wars Shelf Porn from Greece
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn! Today’s shelves come from Chris Makro, a comic artist in Greece, who shows us his collection of both Greek and American comics, statues, artwork and more.
If you’d like to submit your own collection for all the world to see, check out the details and send it our way.
And now here’s Chris …
Say yes to the Empire, say no to May the 4th!
Although it might have seemed we were safe from another onslaught of political commercials until at least next spring, the Emperor’s Committee to Destroy May the 4th has released an attack ad that would make Karl Rove proud.
“Every year on May the 4th, citizens gather in celebration of Jedi, rebels and the power of the Force,” the narrator says solemnly. “The wear costumes, have parties and share pictures and greetings on their social networks. They say it’s fun, but what aren’t they telling you about May the 4th?”
A lot, it turns out. For starters, the rebels and Jedi are traitors, along with everyone who celebrates May the 4th. Oh, and wearing Jedi outfits is a crime under the Emperor’s Subversive Apparel Act, so cut that out (especially those embarrassing rat tails).
In case you’re foolish enough to disregard the warnings of the ad, StarWars.com has a guide to “How to Party Like an Ewok For May the 4th.”
Woodblock artist headlines eclectic ‘Star Wars’ event
We’ve seen all manner of creature and creation in the Star Wars universe, but this is something else.
Subversive woodblock print artist Sean Starwars is showing off a series of Star Wars woodblock prints at the Los Angeles art gallery Coagula Curatorial on May 4, which is both Free Comic Book Day and the unofficial Star Wars fan day “May the Fourth Be With You.” The artist, who legally changed his last name to “Starwars,” is a member of a group called the Outlaw Printmakers, and has taken his passion for George Lucas’ seminal creation and put it down on wood. He will be doing screen-printing live at the event. In addition to Starwars’ work, Coagula Curatorial will also be having Star Wars costume contests, games, screen-printing, puppets and even a comedy show.
Here’s more examples of Starwars’ woodblock prints:
Patton Oswalt’s ‘Star Wars’/Marvel pitch comes to life in poster
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than Patton Oswalt’s eight-minute improvised pitch on Parks and Recreation for a Star Wars/Marvel movie crossover, Entertainment Weekly has produced a mash-up poster for Stars Wars: Episode VII — The Gauntlet of Infinity, inspired by George Perez’s cover for The Infinity Gauntlet #1.
In this new version, Thanos naturally remains at the center, while Mephisto is replaced by Boba Fett — how different might have “One More Day” have been? — and Doctor Strange gives way to Luke Skywalker. There’s also a shot of an X-wing and the Blackbird (not a Quinjet!) in pursuit of Slave I, but that’s only for starters.
Patton Oswalt pitches insane ‘Star Wars’/Marvel crossover
Fresh from his turn as Penguin in CollegeHumor’s “Badman,” comedian and occasional comics writer Patton Oswalt pays a visit to Pawnee, Indiana, to pitch his idea for the ultimate Star Wars/Marvel Universe crossover.
Oswalt, who appears on Thursday’s episode of Parks and Recreation as a citizen who filibusters a city council vote, was asked by producers to ramble a while about the subject of his choice. What he delivered instead is a remarkable, and wholly improvised, eight-minute proposal for the plot of Star Wars: Episode VII that begins with the resurrection of Boba Fett before incorporating appearances by Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Daredevil, the X-Men, Mister Fantastic and the entire pantheon of Greek gods, and then ending in … exhaustion. Yes, it’s all done in one take.
Watch the full glorious scene below, and see what makes it to television when Parks & Rec airs Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Ryan Kelly offers a glimpse of his ‘Star Wars’ arc
In case you somehow overlooked the listing in Dark Horse’s July solicitations, Ryan Kelly is reteaming with frequent collaborator Brian Wood for a three-part arc on Star Wars, beginning with Issue 7. The duo previously worked together on Local, The New York Four and its sequel The New York Five, and arcs of Northlanders and DMZ.
Teasing his debut on Star Wars, which is set between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Kelly has previewed on Instagram his renditions of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.
Star Wars #7 arrives July 10.
Remembering Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino empowers Barry Allen in Showcase #4 (1956; inks by Joe Kubert)
As part of a career in superhero comics that reached back to their beginnings, Carmine Infantino was one of the pillars of the Silver Age, and not just because he was a big part of its formative moment. His sleek redesign of the Flash became the avatar for DC Comics’ resurgent superhero line, and his unique style helped define not just the Scarlet Speedster’s world, but eventually all of the company’s titles.
Grumpy Old Fan | Sequelizing the New 52
Someday I will run a landscaping company called Kneel Before Sod
Gather ‘round, kiddos, because we begin with another tale of Gen-X adolescence!
From 1977 through 1986, I grew from a snot-nosed third-grade punk into a snot-nosed (I had allergies) high-school senior, accompanied along the way by at least one big-budget sci-fi/fantasy movie milestone.* Specifically, right in the middle of the run were three sequels by which every self-respecting fan swears: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Superman II (released in the United States in 1981) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Each built on its predecessor using darker elements and/or more “mature” themes, because each had the sequel’s luxury of an established setting.
For Young Tom, though, the cumulative effect of these three movies was mind-expanding, if not mind-blowing. I’m not talking about Empire’s Big Reveal (echoed coincidentally in Khan) or the unsettling sight of a powerless Clark Kent. Instead, each catapulted the fevered suppositions of a junior-high imagination to higher levels of awareness. I went into the theater each time wondering will this be as good? and came out giddy at how much better each one was.
So what’s this have to do with comics? Read on …
WC13 | Dark Horse to adapt Lucas’ original ‘Star Wars’ draft
In what Lucasfilm and Dark Horse call “the biggest event in the history of Star Wars comics,” the publisher revealed over the weekend at WonderCon it will adapt George Lucas’ rough-draft original screenplay for the 1977 blockbuster.
Debuting in September, the eight-issue miniseries will be written by LucasBooks Executive Editor J.W. Rinzler and drawn by Mike Mayhew.
Lucas’ original version, called The Star Wars, featured elements that found their way, in substantially altered form, into ground-breaking movie franchise: “lazer swords,” Jedi Annikin Starkiller, General Luke Skywalker, an alien Han Solo, and evil Sith Knights.
“I’m not sure where I first read about The Star Wars—it was years and years ago — but the idea of Luke Skywalker being an older Jedi General, and Han Solo being a six-foot-tall lizard, turned my Star Wars fan brain on its side,” longtime Star Wars editor Randy Stradley said in a statement. “I always assumed this would be one of those stories that would be ‘lost to history,’ so getting to work on bringing it to life is kinda like a dream come true.”
‘Miranda Mercury’ writer Brandon Thomas shares his Shelf Porn
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, our weekly look into the home of a fan. Today’s shelves belong to Brandon Thomas, writer of Voltron and The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury. Brandon shares his collection of original art, statues, trade paperback and much more.
If you’d like to submit your own collection for all the world to see, check out the details and send it our way.
And now here is Brandon …
An Australian Man Cave to be proud of
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, where fans invite us into their homes to take a look at their collections. Today Jamie from Australia shares his “man cave,” which features action figures, comics, DVDs, more action figures and much more.
If you’d like to share your collection, you can find details on how to do so here.
And now let’s hear from Jamie …
Comics A.M. | Scrutinizing Marvel Unlimited and DC Comics apps
Marvel Unlimited
Digital comics | Although the Marvel Unlimited and DC Comics apps work very differently, Noel Murray has similar complaints about both: Specific titles are difficult to find, and the damn things keep crashing: “Frankly, while some of the other major comics apps have better search functions — Dark Horse’s, for example — none of the big companies have created the digital comics retailing equivalent of an Amazon or iTunes.” [Hero Complex]
Publishing | Drawn & Quarterly has announced its fall lineup, which includes Peter Bagge’s biography Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story. [Drawn & Quarterly]
Obama refers to ‘Jedi mind meld,’ sees nerd cred plummet [Updated]
You might criticize President Obama’s drone policy or question his stance on immigration, but his nerd credentials have always been beyond reproach. After all, this the commander-in-chief who collects Spider-Man and Conan comic books, does battle with a pint-sized wall-crawler in the White House, wields Lion-O’s Sword of Omens and flashes the Vulcan salute with Nichelle Nichols. However, what happened today now throws all of that into question.
The Wall Street Journal reports that in an impromptu briefing this morning about sequestration, Obama was asked about keeping Congressional leaders in a room until a solution could be worked out. His response was absolutely shocking: “I know that this has been some of the conventional wisdom that’s been floating around Washington that somehow, even though most people agree that I’m being reasonable, that most people agree I’m presenting a fair deal, the fact that they don’t take it means that I should somehow, you know, do a Jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what’s right.”
What Are You Reading? with Chris Smits
Happy Presidents Day weekend, America, and happy Sunday to everyone else. Welcome to a very presidential What Are You Reading?, which really isn’t that different than a regular one, but you can imagine every entry being written by Daniel Day-Lewis if you’d like.
Today our special guest is Chris Smits, publisher of Aw Yeah Comics Publishing! and blogger at Creator-Owned Comics. Aw Yeah Comics, of course, is the all-ages comics series being created by Art Baltazar and Franco, with help from folks like Mark Waid, Brad Meltzer, Jason Aaron and many others … including Chris. If you’d like to get your hands on the adventures of Awesome Bear, Daring Dog, Polar Cycle, Marquaid, Action Cat and more, then let me point you to their Kickstarter campaign, which has hit its goal but you can still get in on the fun (and the comics!)
And to see what Chris and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.