NOC Recaps The Legend of Korra: There’s Magic in the Air (Bending)
Episode One: “A Breath of Fresh Air”
Two weeks have passed since Avatar Korra’s amazing triumph against UnaVaatu during Harmonic Convergence. The portals between the Spirit World and the human one have remained open all this time, with at least one annoying side effect: giant Spirit Vines have been growing all over Republic City, taking over entire buildings and displacing many people from their homes. Korra has yet to figure out how to deal with the vines, so her approval ratings are down to a dismal 8%, with even President Raiko distancing himself from her. Our poor teenage Avatar is questioning whether her victory was a victory at all.
On Air Temple Island, however, things are on the up-and-up. Uncle Bumi, after chasing Bum-Ju off a cliff, has discovered he can now… airbend!?!?
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The Third Season of The Legend of Korra Delivers
by Marc Bernardin | Originally posted at The Hollywood Reporter
If your only exposure to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender came by way of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 feature film adaptation, then I am truly sorry. I can see how that limp, bland take on creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s blisteringly entertaining animated series would steer you away from ever checking out the source material. And that’s a shame, because Avatar — a story about a world where certain people can “bend” the four elements to their will and a young Airbender named Aang who is destined to be the Avatar, who alone can restore balance to a pre-industrial civilization that’s out of whack — is everything an animated series can be. Avatar: The Last Airbender is like a cross between Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Stand By Me if it was animated by Hayao Miyazaki.
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The Only Way to Enjoy a Michael Bay ‘Transformers’
So there’s a new Transformers movie coming out today.
There are two ways to react to these things: IRATE FANRAGE or blissful ignorance.
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Legend of The Dark Knight: More with Michael Uslan
In Part One of our conversation with Michael Uslan, the Batman movie uber-producer recounted his decades-long journey to bring a “dark and serious” version of the Dark Knight from the comic pages to the movie screen, a journey that is the foundation of his memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman. After a string of Hollywood studios and financiers initially rejected the idea, the Batman film franchise has gone on to earn billions of dollars in box office and merchandising and solidify Batman as a cinematic legend, with even more big screen adventures on the way.
After the jump, Michael and I continue our discussion of what makes the Batman such an iconic — and enduring — character.
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Those Wonderful Toys: Mattel’s Batman Movie DC Multiverse Figures
I love Batman and I love toys, so it’s only natural that I’d love Batman toys. I’ve been a collector for as long as I can remember, and my first Batman figure was from the ’80s Super Powers series. I still collect the figures when one catches my eye, and that was the case with Mattel’s new DC Multiverse figures. I’ve long been a fan of Mattel’s DC offerings, but that was when they were being sculpted in the 6 inch scale. I’m not really a fan of 4 inch figures, as I just don’t feel you get enough bang for your buck, especially since these figures are $10 and up. However, when I saw these figures shown off at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, I knew I had to have them. Today, we’re looking at Batman and Penguin.
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Comics and Cosplay Reviews Son of Batman
In this episode, host Ian reviews DC’s latest animated film Son of Batman. Also he gives his thoughts about the costumes of Deathstroke and Damian Wayne (Robin).
Warning this video covers slight spoilers from the movie.
Looking Back at Batman: The Animated Series
In 1992, when I was only eight years old, my Batman knowledge was near non-existent. All I had to go on was the old Adam West Batman series that would repeat endlessly on the now-defunct Family Channel and Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, a movie that was too Tim Burton for my tastes. However, like any other kid, I loved cartoons. Getting home after school, my ritual was to grab a snack and watch The Disney Afternoon or Tiny Toon Adventures. Like the Adam West Batman, these shows were all lighthearted and mostly innocent.
Then Batman: The Animated Series premiered.
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Goin’ Back to Gotham, Gotham, Gotham…
Oh, I love me a good origin story. For those who loved Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale and a panoply of excellent actors, this fall’s Fox television series Gotham will be giving us a chance to revisit Bruce Wayne as a young boy when the city was as dank and gross as Times Square in the 70s.
Sensing it might have a hit on its hands, Fox’s marketing department has gone into overdrive promoting the show. After releasing an official trailer and first look preview, eight new character posters were just unveiled by Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, they’re celebrating Bat Week, too.
Here are some initial thoughts on the latest live action take on the Batman universe.
Check Out Cliff Chiang’s Batgirl for Purple Rain’s 30th Anniversary
Tim Burton’s Batman is 25 years old this week, which means Prince’s Batman soundtrack is also 25 years old! I’ve said it before, and it might be blasphemous to admit, but Batman is my favorite Prince album. While most knowledgeable Musicologists might scoff, it’s true. The main reason is likely because I was too young to really appreciate Prince’s earlier catalog and Batman was my in. I still contend it’s one of his better records, and not just because of the Batman association — even though it has barely anything to do with the movie.
There’s another Prince album celebrating a landmark anniversary this week. Thirty years ago, the Purple Rain album was released — a full month before the movie hit theaters — and the history of pop music was changed forever. Since no one at the NOC wanted write about the Batman album, I figured we’d celebrate that other landmark with one of my favorite pieces of Cliff Chiang art.
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Underestimating Batman’s Sheer Brutality
Originally posted at WilliamBruceWest.com
Confused by the title? That’s really just me using a bunch of words to say “Batman’s a badass.” More appropriately, he’s a dangerous badass. In recent years, especially due to his many cartoons and animated appearances, two things have become prevalent about Batman: he doesn’t use guns AND he doesn’t kill. That’s all well and good, but this had led somewhat to what you might call “the Pussification of the Bat.” People seem to forget that there are fates worse than death, and Batman has dealt out this kind of justice time and time again. After all, why else would criminals be afraid of him? Anyway, this is just my way of saying that Chris Sims isn’t the only one devoting more thought that necessary to the legacy of Batman.
Shadow of the ’89 Batman with Marc Bernardin
As we continue Bat Week here at the NOC, Keith (@the_real_chow) brings on William (@williambwest), Raymond, and special guest Marc Bernardin (@marcbernardin) — senior editor at The Hollywood Reporter who is also a comic book and television writer, as well as a frequent guest on Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman podcast. Together the four of them reflect on the legacy of Tim Burton’s Batman on Hard N.O.C. Life.
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Did You Follow our Batman 89 Live Tweets?
As you know, yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Batman 89, Tim Burton’s gothic interpretation of the Dark Knight Detective, and the reason we’re celebrating Bat Week this whole week. To mark the occassion, last night around 10pm, I pulled out the Batman disc from my Anthology collection and popped it into the old blu-ray player, fired up my phone, and tweeted along with some dedicated NOC followers on twitter.
A good time was had by all, and I’ve shared some choice tweets after the jump. If you want to relive the whole experience, you can find all the tweets on our twitter feed, or if you prefer them curated, head over to Storify.
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Producer Michael Uslan Reflects on the 25th Anniversary of ‘Batman’
If it weren’t for Michael Uslan, we definitely wouldn’t be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Batman this week. In fact, Uslan is the reason there are any Batman films in theaters at all. You see, Uslan and his producing partner Benjamin Melinker are responsible for every live action Batman movie from 1989 to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, plus 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as well as the animated Mask of the Phantasm and even The LEGO Movie. Basically, anytime Batman’s been in a movie, you can thank these guys.
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The Legend of Korra Third Season Trailer and Surprise Release Date
Team Korra, we have a date! On Friday afternoon, Nickelodeon announced that the first THREE episodes of the third season of The Legend of Korra will air this Friday, June 27, starting at 7 PM/6 Central. They will then take a week hiatus for 4th of July weekend, then air weekly on Fridays at 8 PM.
And of course, being the NOC’s resident Korra experts, Rodrigo and I will be on-hand to recap every episode!
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Announcing the New York Asian Film Festival Poster Art Show
You may recall back in April, we let you know about the Old School Kung Fu Film Fest in New York City. To coincide with the films shown, the festival’s organizers commissioned the homey Jerry Ma — of Epic Proportions — to curate a little art show with world renowned artists interpreting their own movie posters for each of the films shown.
Well, this weekend, those pieces of art (and more) are going to be presented at Lincoln Center as part of the New York Asian Film Festival! Featuring the work a slew of NOC-friendly artists, including Larry Hama, Bernard Chang, Jef Castro, Ken Knudtsen, and John Jennings!
Check out the official announcement after the jump.
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It’s the Bat Week Ever as Batman 89 Turns 25
On Monday, June 23, the movie that kickstarted the modern comic book renaissance — Tim Burton’s Batman — celebrates its silver anniversary. So what better way to celebrate the landmark film than to dedicate a whole week’s worth of posts to the Dark Knight Detective himself? Because 2014 is not only the 25th anniversary of Batman, it’s also the 50th anniversary of Carmine Infantino’s iconic “new look” costume design, the 75th anniversary of the character himself, and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Batman’s co-creator Bill Finger.
So all week, we at The Nerds of Color will be honoring all things Batman — both the 1989 film and the character in general. Look for my interview with Batman executive producer Michael Uslan and a special episode of Hard NOC Life featuring The Hollywood Reporter senior editor Marc Bernardin.
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NOCs of the Roundtable: Danger Mouse Returns
[UPDATED: Bleeding Cool has the first look at the newly redesigned Danger Mouse and Penfold.]
If you have an affinity for cartoons about a British mouse with an eye-patch who lives in the North Pole and also happens to be a spy in the mold of an Ian Fleming novel, then you’re in luck! It turns out that the BBC is in the process of reimagining Danger Mouse for an all new generation. The network has ordered new episodes of the classic series to air in 2015.
Upon hearing this news, two of the NOC’s biggest Danger Mouse fans — the two Shawns — and Raymond took to the Roundtable to share their feelings about the character’s resurrection.
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My Guest Spot on Ask the NPC Last Weekend
Last Sunday evening, we flipped the script on the Google Hangout format. Instead of hosting Hard NOC Life, I had the pleasure to be Mega Ran’s guest on the NPC Collective’s monthly “Ask the NPC” series on YouTube.
Catch me on with Ran, and his NPC partners-in-rhyme Shubzilla, Sammus, and Sky Blew. We discuss a lot of topics including potential NOC/NPC collabos, gender representation in nerd spaces, how people perceive nerdcore music, and our favorite comics. Plus, we get into some show-and-tell of the best nerdy stuff in our rooms. Check out the video after the jump!
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American Girl: We Want an Asian American Doll
Recently, the American Girl company announced it was “archiving” several of its characters, including the African American doll Cecile and the Asian American Ivy. Discontinuing these two characters means that parents and children looking for diversity on the toy shelves are going to be left wanting.
In response, our friends at 18 Million Rising have started a campaign to ask American Girl to create a new Asian American doll and enlisted two tween sisters, Taylor and Aiden, to lend their voice to the cause. Their open letter and petition is after the jump. (And while they’re at it, American Girl should probably come up with some more black and brown characters too.)
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Keiko Agena’s Super(fluous) Webseries is Anything But
Keiko Agena is best known for her roles as Lane Kim on the WB’s Gilmore Girls and as White House Press Secretary Britta Kagen on Scandal. When she’s not on television, you can find Keiko performing in LA with the improv group Renegade Justice Patrol.
Currently, she’s working on a project that needs your help to hit its Kickstarter goal: Super(fluous) is a comedic webseries that tells the story of what happens when superhero roommates stop being polite and start getting real. Or something like that.
With only a few days left in the campaign, I sat down with Keiko to talk about how she got involved with the project and how she’s actually not really a nerd.
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Star Wars the Musical Parody Short Debuts
In late 2013, I heard that director Jeffrey Gee Chin (Lil Tokyo Reporter) and composer George Shaw (TableTop, Keye Luke, Hang Loose) were making a Star Wars musical fan film set in style to Disney musicals.
After many months of production, the short film Star Wars the Musical (Disney Parody) has now been released on YouTube and is sure to garner many views. In fact, our very own Junko was a production assistant for the film too!
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Adam WarRock is Why I’m a Rapper Right Now
My good friend Adam WarRock (whom I will be performing with at Otakon this year) is coming towards the end of his annual donation drive. A lot of you, I’m sure, have already seen him posting about it and have donated or at least thought about donating already.
I just want to throw in my two cents (not literally, although he did tell me that there were a couple of people who literally donated a penny) as to why I think you should consider it.
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NOC Recaps Game of Thrones Part Three: It’s Not Easy Seeing Green
[Ed note: The season finale was so epic, we couldn’t contain our thoughts in just one post! So to accommodate all the thoughts and feels from the Season 4, Episode 10 “The Children,” we’ve called on the heroic trio that led us the last ten weeks — Anna, Julie, and Alice — to each share their thoughts on the finale and the season overall. Part one is here; part two is here.]
With a heavy heart I write this re-cap of the Season 4 finale of Game of Thrones: “The Children.”
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