2 in 1 Showcase Episode 281: The 2012 Year in Review

It’s finally here, friends… the Showcase crew goes through everything interesting in the world of comics and pop culture for the past 12 months! This mammoth podcast touches on Marvel Now!, the New 52, The Walking Dead, hit movies, not-so-hit movies, LEGO, Aquaman, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, the Avengers, the X-Men, Hello Kitty and virtually everything else. And as always, the crew closes it out with their picks of the year. Go to the bathroom first, because this episode is a giant. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

Music provided by Music Alley from Mevio.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 281: The 2012 Year in Review

Indestructible Hulk #1

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 228: Rampant Speculation

It’s a busy July 4th Weekend, so Blake fires off this quickie, answering some listener e-mail regarding the works of Kevin Smith and DC’s all-ages content, then moving on to a new segment on the show: RAMPANT SPECULATION! Each week, Blake and the crew will select a solicit for an upcoming book and try to figure out what it’ll be about, beginning with September’s Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1. And in the picks, Blake digs FF #5. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

Music provided by Music Alley from Mevio.

Episode 228: Rampant Speculation

What I’m Watching in 2011

Okay, we’re over a month into the year, it’s time for me to begin my running tally of movies I’ve watched in 2011. Those of you who see this list when it’s first posted will notice a definite trend towards 2010 films. If you’ve read this post, that makes a lot more sense. At any rate, this is where I’m keeping my annual running tally of the movies I see this year, and my quick rating of them. And if I review a movie at any of the many websites where I turn out such content, I’ll throw up a link.

1. How to Train Your Dragon (2010), B+
2. Infestation (2009), B+
3. Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), A
4. True Grit (2010), A+
5. Shutter Island (2010), B-
6. Robin Hood (2010), C
7. Easy A (2010), A-
8. Splice (2009), D-
9. Dinner For Schmucks (2010), B-
10. Buried (2010), B+
11. The Social Network (2010), A
12. Repo Men (2010), C
13. Logan’s Run (1976), B
14. Exam (2008), A
15. The Town (2010), A
16. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010), B
17. Fame (2009), B-
18. Back to the Future (1985), A+
19. Superman (1978), A+
20. Cop Out (2010), D
21. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), C
22. All-Star Superman (2011), A
23. The Crucible (1996), A
24. Unknown (2011), C+
25. Legion (2010), C-
26. The Book of Eli (2010), C+
27. Mulholland Drive (2001), B
28. A Bug’s Life (1998), B
29. Battle: Los Angeles (2011), B
30. RED (2010), B+
31. Frozen (2010), B
32. Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011), B+
33. A Beautiful Mind (2002), A
34. Machete (2010), D
35. Monsters (2010), C
36. Let Me In (2010), B
37. Limitless (2011), B+
38. Devil (2010), C+
39. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010), C-
40. Scream (1996), A
41. Scream 2 (1997), B
42. Scream 3 (2000), B-
43. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), A+
44. Love and Other Drugs (2010), B+
45. Moon (2009), A
46. Fight Club (1999), B
47. Megamind (2010), B
48. Scream 4 (2011), B+
49. The Experiment (2010), B
50. It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010), A-
51. The King’s Speech (2010), A
52. Lottery Ticket (2010), C
53. Mary Poppins (1964), A
54. Ghostbusters 2 (1989), B+
55. Wall•E (2008), A
56. The Other Guys (2010), D
57. Akira (1988), B
58. The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story (2009), A
59. The Phantom Tollbooth (1970), A
60. The Last Unicorn (1982), B+
61. Chicken Little (2005), B
62. The Fighter (2010), B
63. Saw: The Final Chapter (2010), B-
64. Memento (2000), A
65. The Untouchables (1987), A
66. Thor (2011), A
67. Firebreather (2010), B-
68. Bookwars (2000), B-
69. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010), A
70. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), C
71. Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) (2010), B+
72. Die Hard (1988), A
73. The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), B+
74. The Princess Bride (1987), A+
75. Holes (2003), B+
76. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), B+
77. Skyline (2010), D
78. The Last Airbender (2010), C-
79. The Last Starfighter (1984), A
80. Duck Soup (1933), A+
81. The Hangover Part II (2011), B
82. Piranha (2010), C+
83. UHF (1989), B
84. Spaceballs (1987), B
85. The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920), B+
86. Labyrinth (1986), A
87. The Green Hornet (2011), D+
88. Series 7: The Contenders (2001), B+
89. 127 Hours (2010), B+
90. Saludos Amigos (1942), B
91. The Three Caballeros (1944), B+
92. X-Men: First Class (2011), A-
93. The Last Man on Earth (1964), B
94. The Vampire’s Night Orgy (1973), F
95. Chloe (2009), B
96. Nosferatu (1922), A
97. The Virginity Hit (2010), B
98. The Color of Magic (2008), B
99. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011), B+
100. Vanishing on 7th Street (2010), C+
101. Green Lantern: First Flight (2009), A-
102. Rubber (2010), C+
103. Walt and El Grupo (2008), B
104. Super 8 (2011), A
105. Big Fish (2003), A+
106. Black Death (2010), B
107. Battle Royale (2001), B+
108. The Faculty (1998), B-
109. Green Lantern (2011), B-
110. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), B-
111. Synecdoche, New York (2008), C
112. The Phantom of the Opera (1925), A
113. Fright Night (1985), B
114. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), A
115. The Fugitive (1993), A
116. Cars (2006), B+
117. Cars 2 (2011), B+
118. After.Life (2009), C
119. Zapped! (1982), D
120. James and the Giant Peach (1996), B
121. Young Frankenstein (1974), A
122. The Addams Family (1991), B+
123. The Great Muppet Caper (1981), B
124. A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner (2011), D
125. Dracula (1931), B
126. Death Note (2006), B
127. Tales From the Script (2009), B+
128. Unthinkable (2010), B+
129. The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007), A-
130. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), B
131. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), B-
132. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), B+
133. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), B+
134. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2008), B-
135. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), B+
136. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), A
137. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), A
138. Frankenstein (1931), A
139. The Mummy (1932), B
140. Be Kind, Rewind (2008), B
141. 25th Hour (2002), B
142. The Incredibles (2004), A+
143. Zodiac (2007), A
144. Rec (2007), B+
145. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), A
146. Miller’s Tale (2011), B+
147. Freaks (1932), B
148. Red Riding Hood (2011), D
149. Battle Royale II (2003), C
150. Cowboys and Aliens (2011), C+
151. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), B
152. Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), C+
153. The Beginning of the End (1957), F; MST3K Riff, B
154. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), F; MST3K Riff, B+
155. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011), A-
156. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), A
157. Cat People (1942), B
158. Curse of the Cat People (1944), C-
159. Sucker Punch (2011), D
160. The Fly (1958), A
     
161. Peeping Tom (1960), B
162. Best Worst Movie (2009), A
163. Troll 2 (1990), F
164. Psycho (1960), A
165. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), A
166. Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011), B
167. Super (2010), B+
168. The Haunting (1963), B
169. Night of the Living Dead (1968), A
170. The Last House on the Left (1972), C-
171. Suicide Girls Must Die (2011), C-
172. Wait Until Dark (1967), A
173. The Exorcist (1973), A
174. Gamera (1965), C; MST3K Riff, A
175. Gamera Vs. Barugon (1966), D; MST3K Riff, B+
176. Gamera Vs. Gaos (1967), D; MST3K Riff, B
177. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), C+
178. Jaws (1975), A
179. Carrie (1976), B+
180. Suspiria (1977), D+
181. Gamera Vs. Guiron (1969), D; MST3K Riff, B+
182. Contagion (2011), C+
183. Halloween (1978), A
184. Alien (1979), A
185. The Shining (1980), C+
186. Friday the 13th (1980), B
187. The Evil Dead (1981), B+
188. The Thing (1982), A
189. Poltergeist (1982), B+
190. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), B
191. Return of the Living Dead (1985), C-
192. Misery (1990), A
193. Ringu (1998), B+
194. The Blair Witch Project (1999), B
195. Saw (2004), A
196. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), B+
197. The Creeping Terror (1964), F; MST3K riff, B+
198. Mad Monster Party (1967), B
199. Zombiemania (2008), B
200. Tower Heist (2011), B-
201. Scream: The Inside Story (2011), B
202. Still Screaming (2011), A
203. Your Highness (2011), D
204. Repo: The Genetic Opera (2008), B-
205. The Cannonball Run (1981), B
206. Batman: Year One (2011), A-
207. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), A-
208. Up (2009), A+
209. The Muppets (2011), A
210. Good Luck Charlie: It’s Christmas (2011), B
211. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), F; Cinematic Titanic Riff, B
212. Christmas and A Christmas Carol (2009), D
213. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972), F; RiffTrax, A
214. The Great Gatsby (1974), A
215. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), B+
216. Tom and Huck (1995), Bl
217. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), A
218. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999), B
219. Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) (2005), A
220. Scrooged (1988), A-
221. The Magic Christmas Tree (1964), F; RiffTrax B+
222. It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), B
223. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), B
224. Miracle on 34th Street (1947), A+
225. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), A+
226. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), A
227. A Christmas Story (1983), A
228. Love, Actually (2002), A
229. Source Code, (2011), B+
230. Paul, (2011), C+
231. Tron: Legacy (2010), B+
232. Attack the Block (2011), B+l
233. The Captains (2011), A
234. Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), B
235. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011), C

Last Updated on January 1, 2012.

Everything But Imaginary #354: It’s About Time!

Two years after the game was first announced, DC Universe Online is finally slated for a November release. Why do they make these announcements so far ahead of time? And when it’s done with comics, do these early announcements help, or hurt?

Everything But Imaginary #354: It’s About Time

What I’m Watching: 2010 Edition

Like I did last year, this year I’m going to keep a running tally of the movies I see. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I’m going to place the permanent link to this post in the “Blakestuff” category running down the right side of the page. I’ll update this every so often, and whenever I happen to review one of the movies (either here, at Comixtreme.com, or even on the Showcase podcast), I’ll make the title a link. I am, in fact, a man of the people.

1. Star Trek (2009), A
2. The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (2008), B+
3. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), B+
4. The Man With the Screaming Brain (2005), C
5. Re-Animator (1985), B-
6. Soylent Green (1973), A-
7. Igor (2008), B-
8. Dug’s Special Mission (2009), A*
9. Partly Cloudy (2009), A*
10. 1408 (2007), B
11. Pigeon: Impossible (2009), B+*
12. Vegas Vacation (1997), C
13. Cat People (1982), C
14. Psycho Beach Party (2000), B
15. Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988), D
16. Planet Hulk (2010), B+
17. A Charlie Brown Valentine (2002), B*
18. The Wolfman (2010), B+
19. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), B
20. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010), A-
21. The Hangover (2009), B+
22. Surrogates (2009), B
23. Silver Bullet (1985), D
24. Paranormal Activity (2007)
25. Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)
26. Ink (2009), B+
27. Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), B
28. The Hobbit (1977), B
29. The Lord of the Rings (1978), C+
30. The Return of the King (1980), B-
31. Clash of the Titans (1981), B
32. Clash of the Titans (2010), D
33. Iron Man (2008), A
34. Office Space (1998), B+
35. Meet the Robinsons (2007), B+
36. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009), B+
37. Hancock (2008), B+
38. Fritz the Cat (1972), C-
39. The Losers (2010), B-
40. Kick-Ass (2010), B+
41. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968), C+
42. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), A
43. Midnight Meat Train (2008), B+
44. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958), F
45. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), B+
46. The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005), B-
47. Iron Man 2 (2010), A-
48. The Grapes of Wrath (1940), A
49. Cloak and Dagger (1984), C+
50. The Odyssey (1997), B+
51. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), A-
52. The Pixar Story (2007), A
53. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), C+
54. Richard III (1995), B-
55. Miss March (2009), D
56. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), B+
57. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), D
58. Toy Story (1995), A
59. Toy Story 2 (1999), A
60. Red Dawn (1984), B+
61. Day and Night (2010), B*
62. Toy Story 3 (2010), A+
63. Muppets From Space (1999), B-
64. Jonah Hex (2010), D
65. Monsters, Inc. (2001), A
66. Zardoz (1974), C
67. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), B-
68. Predators (2010), B
69. Laserblast (1978), F (MST3K riff), B
70. Better Than Chocolate (1999), C
71. Alice in Wonderland (2010), C+
72. Inception (2010), A
73. DC Showcase: Jonah Hex (2010), B*
74. Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), B
75. The Beginning of the End (1957), F (MST3K Riff-B+)
76. Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith (2008), B
77. Let the Right One In (2008), B+
78. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), F (MST3K Riff-A)
79. I Accuse My Parents (1944), F (MST3K Riff-B)
80. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), C
81. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), B
82. A Wink and a Smile (2008), B
83. Fame (2009), B-
84. Water Lillies (2007), B
85. Jennifer’s Body (2009), B
86. Sex Drive (2008), B+
87. Dead and Gone (2007), D
88. Dead Snow (2009), A-
89. Vampire Killers (2009), B+
90. Netherbeast, Incorporated (2007), B
91. The Zombie Diaries (2006), C
92. Survival of the Dead (2010), B
93. I Sell the Dead (2008), B+
94. Saw VI (2009), B-
95. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), A
96. The Wolfman (1941), B+
97. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943), B
98. Werewolf of London (1935), D
99. She-Wolf of London (1946), D
100. Due Date (2010), B
101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), B+
102. Tangled (2010), B
103. Tron (1982), B
104. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), A+*
105. Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa (2010), B+*
106. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), F; MST3K Riff, B+
107. The Adventures of Huck Finn (1992), B
108. Tom and Huck (1993), B
109. Miracle on 34th Street (1947), A+
110. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970), B-*
111. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), B+*
112. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A*
113. Frosty the Snowman (1969), A-*
114. Tron: Legacy (2010), B+
115. Gremlins (1984), A
116. Santa Claus (1959), F; MST3K Riff, B
117. A Muppet Family Christmas (1987), B*
118. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), A
119. It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), B-
120. A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008), B*
121. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972), F because I can’t give Qs; RiffTrax Riff, B
122. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), A
123. The Polar Express (2004), B-
124. Love, Actually (2003), A
125. A Christmas Story (1982), A
126. Funny Games (2008), B
127. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978), B+*
128. Destino (2003), A-*
129. Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (2010), B
130. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), B-
131. Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010), B
132. Despicable Me (2010), B+
133. The Crazies (2010), B-

*-Denotes Short Film

Last Updated on January 1, 2010.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 119: Return of the Showcase Tangent

We haven’t done one since October, and that’s way too long. It’s the return of the Showcase Tangent! This week the guys bounce from topic to topic with no rhyme or reason, answering your e-mails, and going where the discussion takes us. Flash: Rebirth! The new DC pulp heroes including Doc Savage! Kevin Smith on The Green Hornet! The great Star Trek debate! Dark Avengers! And lots, lots more in this giant-sized episode! In the picks this week, Blake loves the first issue of The Unwritten, Chase loves every issue of The Walking Dead, and Mike has been waiting 15 years to love Power Girl! This week’s graphic novel pick: Fallen Angel Vol. 6: Cities of Light and Dark. Write us with comments, suggestions, picks of the week, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 119: Return of the Showcase Tangent
Inside This Episode:

Green Lantern: In Brightest Day

People who are reading the current crop of Green Lantern comics are getting some of the best stories we’ve ever seen with the franchise, and that’s in no small part due to the amazing work of Geoff Johns. What I love about Johns is his ability to take bits and pieces of classic stories, put them through a modern prism, and turn them into something totally new, fresh, and exciting. He’s currently working that same magic on Action Comics and Justice Society of America, and damn if I’m not excited for next year’s Flash: Rebirth. The Green Lantern stuff, meanwhile, is all leading into a storyline called The Blackest Night, which will fall across the DC Universe sometime next year.

Many of the elements that are making up the GL stories today are based on bits and pieces of stories from the past five decades of Hal Jordan’s existence. Since a lot of younger readers may not be familiar with these stories, DC Comics recently had Johns select several of the stories that inspired him to include in a collection of stories, Green Lantern: In Brightest Day. This is a really fun book, with stories from all over the place, including the first appearances of GLs like Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Laira and Mogo, important stories for John Stewart and the Guardians of the Universe, the origins of the villains Sinestro and Krona, and the Alan Moore story that directly influenced Blackest Night. I wrote up a full review of the book over at Comixtreme.com — if you’re on the fence about whether you want to get the book or not, take a look.

And while we’re on the subject, how about a few other reviews I’ve pounded out on the ol’ computer over the last few weeks?

• Adventure Comics Special #1: New Krypton part three!
• Secret Six #3: Unhinged part three!
• Superman #681: New Krypton part two!
• Superman/Batman #53: Super/Bat part one!
• Trinity #22: The universe tries to fill the void of the lost Trinity!
• Uncle Scrooge #381: Donald Duck-daredevil spokesman!
• Done-In-One Reviews for Nov. 1, 2008: In which I review Archie #590, Jack of Fables #27, Legion of Super-Heroes #47, Star Wars: Legacy #29 & Wolverine: First Class #8
• Done-in-One Reviews for Nov. 8, 2008: In which I review The Darkling #1; Franklin Richards: Sons of Geniuses #1; Gemini #3, House of Mystery #7, Jonah Hex #37, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #696; Wolverine and Power Pack #1 & X-Men: First Class Giant-Sized Special #1
• And also, the new movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno