#Wicked Comic Con 2024

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Polar Boy by Joe Prado from Wicked Comic Con 2024

[scarletstitchstudios]

Holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity while wondering who I'd cast Princess Emily as in Wicked.

[rockshrimp1989]

Oh my God, I went to Con as Kenny!😄

[bricksxbooks]

LEGO Masters at Comic-Con

LEGO Masters returned to San Diego Comic-Con International (SDCC) in 2024, and I was there! "LEGO Masters: Back Behind the Brick" was Friday, July 26 at 4:30 PM (PT) in Room 6BCF. This was the second year in a row LEGO Masters had a program at SDCC.

*THE HIGHLIGHTS*

Season 5 confirmed!

Most likely this fall!

Also a new Holiday Bricktacular!

Will has a mustache now!

Read on for more details (but no pictures, sorry; call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to experience things in the moment, rather than photograph them... plus the photography rules at SDCC can be pretty strict!).

PANEL BASICS

First off, the 2024 program was in a much larger room than the inaugural 2023 program. Like, soooooo much larger. I was very proud of my fellow LEGO fans for showing up and proving to SDCC that we wanted more (and more, and more) LEGO content in the future.

The 2023 panel was headlined by Brickmaster Amy. In 2024 we got Brickmaster Jamie, because... drumroll... Amy had a baby!!! Big cheers from the crowd. You'll be pleased to hear that both Brickmaster Amy and Jamie are just as delightful in person as they are on the show. They are genuinely friendly, open, and pleasant human beings. Sometimes you get celebrities who are clearly there due to contractual obligations and have no interest in the SDCC experience whatsoever, which is a bummer when attendees have been waiting in line for hours and hours to get in the room (not to mention, looking forward to the experience for several months). Amy and Jamie clearly love and appreciate the LEGO community and want to support us!

The 2024 panel was moderated by Krystle Starr, who participated in Season 1 of LEGO Masters US and went on to win LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular as well as LEGO Masters AU: Australia vs. The World. The other panelists were two producers from the show, plus Christopher from the Season 4-winning duo of "Christopher and Robert," aka The Villains.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS

LEGO Masters Season 5 confirmed (for this fall?): We got to see a teaser trailer, which confirmed the season and also teased some of the challenges (yes, there's plenty of smashing and exploding). The trailer also revealed Will has a mustache now. It's... something. What the trailer did not reveal was date of the season debut, only that it was part of the 2024-2025 season; however, one of the challenges gave a big hint as to the debut date...

Wicked challenge: OK, so this might only be a big announcement for me, but I was absolutely thrilled to see that one of the challenges is going to be Wicked themed. I love musicals. I love Wicked. I absolutely adored the Wicked Brickified trailer. I can't wait to see part one of the movie on November 22. Speaking of which, although they didn't announce a release date for Season 5, it's pretty safe to assume it will be premiering during the Fall 2024 season. Along with the movie on November 22, LEGO has also not-quite announced the official Wicked sets are dropping October 1. It would make sense for Season 5 to happen during the Fall 2024 season so the challenge coincides with these two events. That's my best detective work right there.

LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular also confirmed: they showed a trailer and announced the participants. Sophia Bush, Eric McCormack, Holly Robinson Peete, and Lil Rel Howery will pair up with former LEGO Masters contestants Christine Blandino (Season 3), Stephen Joo (Season 3), Aaron Newman (Season 1), and Corey D. Samuels (Season 1).

Robert and Christopher's set reveal: as part of their Season 4 winner prize package, Robert and Christopher got to see their championship build turned into an actual LEGO set. Christopher showed a couple of early prototypes from the development process, and then showed us the final set, which was also on display at the LEGO booth (and is available for pre-order, shipping August 1). In an adorable full-circle moment, it was revealed that Boone, part of the second place team from Season 1 and now an official LEGO employee, was one of the designers for this set. Goals!

FUN FACTS

LEGO Masters is now in production in 18 countries.

There's approximately 10 million bricks in the LEGO Masters Brick Pit.

Christopher (unofficially) has the largest private LEGO set collection in the world. I say "unofficially" because he is currently in the process of submitting the evidence to Guinness World Records, which requires him to take and submit a picture of every single set... and considering he has OVER 9,000, it is taking him a hot second to finish his application (the current record holder has 6,005 sets).

Christopher wants to turn his enormous collection into a LEGO history museum.

Evil Will wasn't in Season 4 because Villain Christopher defeated him and locked him in his LEGO room [this was Christopher's answer when a small child asked where Evil Will went during Q&A].

Thanks for reading! Hit the bricks :)

*All included links are for reference and informational purposes only. I am not affiliated with LEGO or LEGO Masters in any way and do not earn any commissions, etc. from my posts.

[moriganstrongheart]

Wicked: Part I – Review

Directed by Jon M. Chu

2024, Universal Pictures

160 minutes

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Good: Music, character interactions, spectacle

Bad: Narrative, worldbuilding, problematic elements

As the credits rolled on Wicked: Part I, my wife turned to me and asked what I thought. Surprised by the sudden question, my writer brain kicked into high gear and I answered: “It was alright.” She met the answer with slight disappointment, and I realized I had approached the question incorrectly. The question wasn’t: “Did you find the story of this film compelling and narratively satisfying?”, but “Was that a good musical?” The answer to that question is “Yes, definitely”, while my answer to my unasked, writer question remains unchanged.

“It was alright.” in the same way I would say an action blockbuster—like Edge of Tomorrow or Die Hard—is “alright”. It may be strange to compare the two genres, but they both rely on spectacle, an aspect of filmmaking which myself, and I think many other storytellers, find fun, but ultimately not worth deep analysis. Where action blockbusters blast eyeballs and eardrums with explosions, fast cars and sexy encounters, modern movie musicals overwhelm their audiences with impressive dance choreography, catchy tunes and sexy encounters.

I could discuss how action blockbusters are traditionally targeted towards masculine audiences, and movie musicals are largely targeted towards women and the queer community, but while that topic is important, I’m not going to take the time to discuss society’s obsession with gendered media beyond pointing out that I’m leveraging this same artificial gender divide for contrast.

No, my point here is that as a spectacle, Wicked: Part I is fantastic, in the same way that the spectacle of something like Avengers: Infinity War is fantastic, but is disappointing narratively, in the same way that Avengers: Infinity War is disappointing narratively. There are also some other issues with the movie beyond its spectacle and narrative, but I first want to lay out my credentials, since I believe my experience was affected by metatext more than I expected. I also want to discuss some of what I enjoyed before sharing my thoughts on the movie’s more problematic elements.

I have watched Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz a few times, most recently within the last year or so. I have also watched Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful at least once, but I can’t recall anything about it, except that it reinforced Oscar Diggs’ con artist persona—which The Wizard of Oz hints at, and Wicked: Part I restates through text and subtext. I have not read any of the books, nor watched the Wicked stage play—nor any of the stage plays—nor have I engaged with any metatext beyond what I’ve absorbed through Tumblr and cultural osmosis.

I think it’s important to point this out, because I think others may get more out of this movie than I did because they have engaged with the metatext, and the spectacle and recognition will more than make up for what the narrative lacks. I got the feeling going into Wicked: Part I that there’s an entire universe of lore and metatext boiling right below the surface, waiting to be discovered. It’s a similar feeling I get when I watch comic book movies—the major difference being that I have some familiarity with the source material, and so I get additional satisfaction from recognition that I don’t necessarily get from Oz media.

Is that fair? I can’t say. I just know I didn’t grow up with Oz, and never got into it as an adult. As speculative fiction, Oz occupies the same space in my mind as literary nonsense works, like Alice in Wonderland and Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy—worth knowing, but not worth deep analysis. Wicked: Part I does little to change my mind on it, as I’m as unlikely now to get into Oz as I ever was.

But I do have some positive things to say about the movie. What Is This Feeling? is a great musical number, sung beautifully by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and made me excited to see where the movie would go from there, sensing an enemies-to-lovers storyline brewing below the surface. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t come to pass, and I’ll have to be satisfied with the #gelphie tag on Tumblr for the time being. But this was a highpoint of the film for me, so I can’t complain too much. Defying Gravity was also a bop, giving me chills and goosebumps despite the lackluster ending.

In terms of dance choreography, I found most of it competent, if shallow—though Dancing Through Life was seriously impressive. There’s just something about those rotating libraries and Jonathan Bailey’s bisexual book desecration that just did it for me. I also found Ariana Grande to be genuinely funny throughout. Her vacant stare and mean girl attitude, the physical comedy—I didn’t expect it, but I had a good time with it.

What I didn’t have a good time with are what I consider to be the film’s problematic elements, centered around its use of metaphor.

First, though, I want to discuss the choice to cast Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. There’s a pervasive issue in Hollywood, where people of colour are often cast as aliens or fantasy creatures in science-fiction and fantasy, covering them in prosthetics and makeup so they become green or covered in tentacles. It’s not uncommon for most of the main cast be white, with one alien, robot or fantasy creature who happens to be played by a person of colour. Suffice it to say, I think this comes from a place of seeing people of colour as inherently “other”, and so they are cast more often as non-human by Hollywood.

I can’t help but feel like the choice to cast Cynthia as Elphaba may be informed by these racist ideologies. In a vacuum, I don’t think casting her as Elphaba would matter, and I think casting a black woman in a starring role is great representation. But we live in a society, a racist society, and her blackness is literally erased by covering her skin in green paint, allowing the movie to amplify her otherness, while also leaning on her racialized physical features to further mark her apart from her white co-star, Ariana.

However, her blackness is also metaphorically erased, to be replaced by a condition specific to her, rather than something she shares with others around her—except perhaps the animals.

Which means I must discuss the animals in Wicked: Part I earlier than I wanted to, because my problems with the animals are intricately tied to the film’s other problematic elements. Firstly, I think the movie’s use of animals as a metaphor for systemic oppression to be uninteresting. It could be the hyper-realistic, yet somehow uncanny CGI, or the fact that all of the characters except Elphaba involved with the animal oppression subplot seem emotionless and bored with the subject, from the human characters to the animals themselves. This could be intentional, but I don’t believe so, as I think the narrative sequesters the main plot from the animal subplot, placing them in two different genres of movies. It just doesn’t feel like I should care about these animals beyond the basic empathy I would otherwise have for animals, which is ruined by the CGI models and the lack of character development on these creatures.

Secondly, humanity has a long history of comparing racialized people to animals, most prominently when it comes to Black and Asian people. Making the only source of racism and oppression in your world a metaphor involving animals is a bad take, in my opinion, one which could and should have been caught during the film’s development. This may be something that has always been part of Wicked’s story; I don’t know enough about the book or musical to know if that’s the case. Regardless, I think it would have been something worth revisiting. I think even making the animals anthropomorphic may have been enough; it’s difficult to know for sure, as they may have suffered the same fate as Elphaba and be cast entirely by racialized actors. It’s also possible using animatronics or stylized animation would have worked. Again, difficult to know for sure.

I also think attaching such a serious topic to whimsical talking animals feels laughable, losing the gravitas they’re obviously going for. It could be that the film was hoping that same basic empathy for animals would be enough to bridge the gap, and it was also trying to advocate for the fair and ethical treatment of animals. But I don’t think the message comes across at all when placed next to the bombastic whimsy of Elphaba and Galinda.

To be clear, there are other Black people in the movie besides Elaphaba: her sister, her mother and some other background characters. There are also other people of colour, such as Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Bowen Yang as Pfannee. As far as I can tell, these people do not experience systemic racism in the film, and so we must conclude that racism doesn’t exist in the world of Oz. Speciesism definitely exists, because of the aforementioned oppression of animals, but racism itself doesn’t seem to exist.

The question of racism—or any kind of bigotry—is a common problem in speculative fiction. There are generally three approaches to how science-fiction and fantasy handle racism, each with their own pros and cons, their adherents and detractors.

The first and most common method of dealing with racism is to use metaphor—often as a way to circumvent censors or bigoted producers—in the hopes the message will come across and the audience will make connections to real world issues. The problem with this approach is that people who have not examined their racist biases, or who actively endorse racist ideals, will be ignorant of the metaphor, or willingly feign ignorance, if it serves their purposes. Metaphor racism also tends to ignore or supplant the real-world struggles of marginalized people, especially for stories set in something close to the modern day. Finally, this portrayal of racism often inadvertently justifies racism within the narrative, leading to a misunderstanding of how racism works in the real world.

I think Wicked: Part I was going for this approach with the animal oppression subplot, but I’d argue they failed in that regard, for the reasons I previously mentioned—namely, the fact that what Elphaba is experiencing is not systemic racism, and the animals are a poor metaphor for oppression.

Instead, what I think ends up happening is the erasure of racism altogether. This is something that science fiction and fantasy often do to present an idealized version of our current society: a world without racism, sexism or bigotry of any kind, a world in which black people have never faced slavery, where all genders are equal or homosexuality is as normal as breathing. In some cases, it can work, especially if the world is so far future as not to have ties to our current history, or is an alternate universe in which humans just happen to exist—as is the case with Oz, as far as I know.

The problem with this approach is when the fictional world is closely tied to our current reality, such as near future or modern speculative fiction, or the historical setting is somehow tied to our own past. With this approach, the author is trying to have it both ways; they want to include representation, but don't want to touch on why representation is necessary in the first place, effectively erasing the lived experiences of marginalized people.

The third and most difficult approach is including racism in your story, in a way that acknowledges the real world implications of systemic oppression without metaphor or erasure. I don’t know if this is always the best approach—if we’re speaking solely about crafting an interesting narrative—but it does feel like the most inclusive approach. Then again, it can backfire if the racism veers so far off from social commentary that it becomes fetishization. It can also be difficult to pull off, though I think it’s best to attempt it and take criticism, then to not do it at all.

If we accept that Wicked: Part I ultimately chooses to exclude racism from its narrative, then what Elphaba is experiencing ends up being morally reprehensible at a personal level, but morally ambiguous when viewed from afar.

Othering someone because of their appearance or capabilities is never justified. However, there is no evidence in the narrative—beyond the treatment of the animals—that someone with green skin would be immediately rejected as other. There may or may not have been green-skinned people before Elphaba; it’s never addressed in the film. So it doesn’t make sense they would outright reject Elphaba at birth. In actuality, I would expect the people of Oz to welcome her with curiosity and whimsy, if anything.

The fact that she’s so completely ostracized only makes sense if you associate her treatment with that of the animals, which, at best, is a wild connection to make, and at worst makes the narrative morally reprehensible and a racist insult when the movie is critically examined as a piece of art.

Her magical powers are an entirely different manner, as I’d argue that the denizens of Oz have reason to fear her for her magical powers. It’s heavily implied that magic once existed in Oz, but it has all but disappeared for some unknown reason. It’s possible that the slow erasure of magic is tied to the arrogance of humanity, but it’s unclear if that’s the case, and I’m unwilling to meet the movie halfway until it’s made explicit. While performative illusion and misdirection is used by Oscar Diggs and Madame Morrible to enamour and terrify Ozians, real magic is an oddity, a chaotic force which is unusual and dangerous.

Elphaba having magical powers, with no way to control that power, in a world which does not have real magic, is genuinely terrifying to think about. Do I think that justifies the complete ostracization she is subjected to? No. But I do think the fear is justified, even if the resulting actions are not. I think this is what makes Elphaba’s treatment by society morally ambiguous, though I wonder if it’s worth moralizing the actions of the Ozians at all. If I take a second to think about how magic is celebrated in Oz, and yet the only true example of magic is shunned based entirely on the colour of her skin—none of it makes any sense.

I share my opinions on this movie, both good and bad, because I genuinely enjoyed it as a musical. Most of what I discussed in this critical analysis used Wicked: Part I as a jumping off point to discuss topics which are problems across Hollywood, media and storytelling, not just this movie. The fact that I’m writing this at all—after years of not sharing my thoughts about a movie on paper—is evidence that this film sparked something in me and became a core memory of sorts. I can see myself revisiting it again in the future, when the second part comes out, or just whenever the mood strikes.

I say this because, by sharing my unsolicited thoughts on the movie, I am knowingly contributing to the over critique of media aimed at women and the queer community, while seemingly leaving male-centered media unexamined. I’d like to think that, for me, it comes from a place of love and a desire for things to be better, but I know I need to be aware of my own biases. I also want to make it clear that when I criticize media like this, I am directing that criticism at the producers and studio executives in charge, not the writers, directors or audience.

My hope is that by criticizing media that is already trying to be inclusive, diverse and equitable, we’ll get more of the same, with even more diversity and inclusion. As for those action blockbusters which don’t even try to be better, well—let’s just say, I don’t think there’s any hope for them at all.

As for the film’s narrative, the beginning was strong, the middle dragged, and the ending was unsatisfying. The story is stretched thin to cover the film’s over two hour runtime, satisfying the sense of unease I had felt upon seeing Part I in the movie’s title card after the introductory number, No One Mourns The Wicked. As mentioned, the animal subplot, divorced from its problematic issues, isn’t that interesting and doesn’t make much sense in terms of worldbuilding. The narrative also suffers from the problems which necessarily afflict all musicals, wherein the motivations and inner worlds of the characters are said out loud, even in between numbers.

In short: “It was alright.”

But also: “It was a fantastic musical.”

[itsguysnightitsironic]

INDEX

Curse of Strahdanya -- THE TITLE OF THE EP.

EXTRA CONTENT: . ILLUSTRATION (🦇) . COMIC (💀) . VIDEO / ANIMATIC (🌹) . SHITPOST (🔥) If emojis are fuss together it's the two things ---> example: (🔥 / 🦇 ) SHITPOST AND ILLUSTRATION. If it's surrender by stars (⭐) it means it's an official LOA short that I was commissioned to animate.

We might not know where we're going, but at less the light will guide us.

EP. 0 THE DOOMED EXPEDITION

"I'm sure the guide won't try to sell us his religion for the rest of the expedition" (💀 / 🔥) I can't even ask for a timeout, it will only make it worse. (🌹) Ah yes, the unknown warrior who appeared out of nowhere with a sword at hand is friend-shaped (🌹/🔥)

EP. 1 DEATH HOUSE

EP. 2 SINS OF THE FATHER

EP. 3 SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

EP. 4 PHANTASMAGORIA

EP. 5 WIDOW'S WATCH

EP. 6 THE RAVEN CHILD

"I see the fire inside of you, Shepherd. Now be bathed in fire, ALL OF YOU. " (🦇) He was NOT A FAIRY, WHAT'S THAT? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? SARNAX I SWEAR TO- (🔥/💀)

EP.7 CREEPING ROOT

A raven's nest, a warm one. (🦇) "Well, I like this one! Why don't you let her speak?" (🦇) A sun inside a mine, a canary in a coal mine. (🦇) Cutting deep, finger and all (🦇)

EP. 8 FALLEN FROM GRACE

EP. 9 AMONG MONSTERS

EP. 10 END OF ALL HOPE

Summer days (🦇)

EP. 11 PRAYER FOR THE DYING

EP. 12 TOMB OF SORROWS

EP. 13 MOTHER'S MALICE

EP. 14 CRADLE TO GRAVE

EP. 15 SOMETHING WICKED

EP. 16 CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

EP. 17 MALEDICTION

EP. 18 THE LINE LINE BETWEEMN LOVE AND HATE

EP.19 THE DEVIL CRIED

EP. 20 LAMENT OF THE DAMNED

EP.21 BLOOD MOON.

🐺🐺OF HEART AND HARVEST🐺🐺

This 13th feels very 31st if you ask me, because it feels like the end of me. (🔥) Put the witch hunters in the carriage and nobody gets hurt (🔥)

OUTSIDE THE LOOP.

Give me your eyes, and I shall light the way (🦇) War paint* (🦇/🔥) ⭐The horrors (the clowns) keep following me home (Curse of Strahdanya) (🌹/🔥) ⭐ How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old fey? (💀/🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 Curse of the Nitghborne. (💀 / 🔥/🌹) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 Some more curses for the curse collector (🔥) Things that would kill a Victorian child: Victoria Isaacs (🦇) Advertising these days is getting weirder and weirder (🌹/🔥) The Drakkar Trail I SECRET MISSION EP 3 I (🌹) ---> ft. 💠💠ICEBOUND💠💠 Kith and kin. /Aromantic week 2024/ (💀) ---->ft. 🪻🪻BENEATH DARK WINGS🪻🪻 ---->ft.🌼🌼ONCE UPON A WITCHLIGHT 🌼🌼 ---> ft. 💠💠ICEBOUND💠💠 ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 ---> ft.✨✨STARDUST RHAPSODY ✨✨ ---> ft. 🌻🌻PRIME 🌻🌻 A yes the Strahd, the Strad, the Strdad, the Starh, the- (🔥) ⭐Save a horse, and the cowboy, mostly the cowboy (🌹/🔥) ⭐ Hand in unlovable hand (🦇) R.I.P to the COS gang they could have loved "La Revetlla de Sant Joan" (🔥) Sarnax's lamp spinning around like a microwave. (🔥) The sword between the hand and the wall (🦇) "Hell, I don't go anywhere without Sarnax, you stick the two funny-looking guys together and we just do our thing." (💀 / 🔥/🦇) ---> Ja ja ja, college life (dies) (🔥) The water that made the blade(🦇) An invitation for a midnight snack I PART 1 I (💀 / 🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 An invitation for a midnight snack I PART 2 I (💀 / 🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 An invitation for a midnight snack I PART 3 I (💀 / 🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 An invitation for a midnight snack I PART 4 I (💀 / 🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 An invitation for a midnight snack I PART 5 I (💀 / 🔥) ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 The shepherd to a herd, the herd to a shepherd (💀/🦇) WhAATT MURRhhhhDDeeerrrrR?¿??!!!¡¡¡ (🔥) Putting the GEN into the CON (🦇) Flame without wax. (🦇) THE WAGON AT THE END OF THE ROAD (🔥 / 💀) ---> ft. 🌼ONCE UPON A WITCHLIGHT 🌼

[ariianaz]

Ariana Grande speaks at the Wicked panel at Comic-Con 2024 !

Who do you play?

it has been the honor of my life to play none other than galinda ! like, seriously -- dream come true.

Were you a fan of the original musical?

a complete no-brainer, absolutely -- i sort of alluded to it with the last question, but i've been a fan of wicked since i came out of the womb, honestly. kristin and idina were literal magic onstage together, you cannot convince me otherwise.

What scene are you most excited to see come to life?

honestly -- as much as it breaks my heart (and broke my heart to film), i'm really looking forward to the special moment that galinda and elphie share while performing 'for good.'

Which song that your character is not in do you wish you got to sing?

dancing through life -- it's so much fun, and so flippantly carefree. it feels like a sort of comedic relief at that point in the story, and i just think it would be fun to step into fiyero's shoes (though @jonsbailey does an incredible job).

If you could take one costume home, what would it be?

the signature pink dress, of course. it's just such a galinda staple and really made this all feel very, very real once it was back from design and i got to actually wear it for the first time. i still remember what those full body chills felt like.

Which previous Wicked broadway stars would you love to see make a cameo in the movie?

i would literally do anything for queen chenoweth herself to show up. anything. i mean it.

Was this rehearsal process different from any other movie you've worked on? Tell us about it.

yes, one hundred percent ! i spent a lot of time adjusting vocally for this film, which is different than anything else i've done -- the pop sound that i have didn't fit in Oz, so i worked to get back to my broadway roots. enunciation, technique to prevent vocal strain, the whole nine yards. cynthia and i insisted upon singing the tracks live rather than recording tracks first then lip-syncing over them, so training pretty seriously vocally was super important !

What is another musical you would love to see come to life on the big screen and who would you like to play in it?

can jordan fisher bring orpheus to the big screen with hadestown ? i know he's been orpheus on stage, but the dude is phenomenal -- and i'm a sucker for mythology, even if hadestown takes you down one of the saddest love stories of all time.

[heyyoushouldexperiencethese]

GIANT REC LIST

LAST UPDATED 12/30/2024

Columbo

Bomberman Jetters

Id: Invaded

Useless Ponko

Yu-Gi-Oh (manga)

"My son is he man or beast" from action comics 400

Kagurabachi

Spy x Family

Chainsaw Man

Yotsuba

Frieren

N52 Superboy #26-34

Digimon (Especially Adventure, 02, Tamers, Savers, Appmon, & Ghost Game; for the movies, all of them aside from Tri)

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

Marx Brothers

Get Smart (1965)

Superman vs Meshi

Detective Comics #500 "To Kill a Legend"

Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot"

Captain Atom (1987)

Bronze Age Firestorm

Legion of Superheroes

Amethyst Princess of Gemworld

Ookami Shounen wa Kyou mo Uso o Kasaneru/The boy who cried wolf tells another lie today

Hundreds of Beavers

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

The Maltese Falcon

Cast a deadly spell

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Musical

Beetlejuice 2

Paper Mario

Paper Mario the thousand year door

famicom detective club (both games)

Ace Attorney 1-4 & Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

Ghost Trick

Marvelous: Another Treasure Island

Pikmin 1-4

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby Planet Robobot

Kirby Triple Deluxe

Kirby Return to Dreamland Deluxe

Kirby's Adventure

Kirby Superstar

Dark Matter trilogy

Celeste

Batman: The Audio Adventures

Powerless (2016)

The Good Place

Arrested Development

Be Cool Scooby Doo

Sakamoto Days

El Chavo del Ocho

Chapulin Colorado

Arnold Drake's Doom Patrol

Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol

Rachel Pollack's Doom Patrol

Neil Gaiman's The Sandman

batman ego

Scooby Doo Team Up

The Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries

Happy Halloween Scooby Doo

Tsukumojuku (2005)

Dragon Quest

Rocket Slime

Mario & Luigi (all titles)

JoJo's bizarre adventure

Witch Hat Atelier

Pluto

Monster

John Wick 1-4

UHF

Weird Al Biopic

Little Shop of Horrors (original film & musical)

Super Friends (1976)

A series of unfortunate events (books)

All the Wrong Questions

Power Bomberman

Custom Battler Bomberman/Bomberman 2

Tatami time machine blues

The Amazing World of Gumball

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Codename Kids Next Door

Assassination Classroom

Villainous

Regular Show

The looney tunes show

Nedroid

Sonic Boom (2014)

Hector con Carne

The Book of Life

films starring cantinflas (preferably in spanish, but if you don't know spanish well)

Hourman

tear along the dotted line

this world can't tear me down

Casa de papel

Airplane

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Wayside School

Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga)

Meanwhile (Comic)

Way of the Househusband

Welcome to demon school iruma kun

Infinity Train

Hilda

"The Twilight Zone" Her Pilgrim Soul/I of Newton

The Twilight Zone (Original Series)

All of Alan Brennert's comics

Villainous

Class of 3000

Rankin Bass Christmas specials (shout-out to Santa Claus is coming to town)

Moral Orel

Dungeon Meshi

Dorohedoro

Don't Blush, Sekime-san!

No gyarus in this class

the Philadelphia story

Yuri is Taboo to a Yuri Otaku

True Detective S1

Superman & the Authority

All-star Superman

Morrison's Action Comics

Morrison's Animal Man

Moore's Swamp Thing

Multiversity

Filmore!

Muppets Most Wanted

Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (specifically season 1)

Baba is You

Henry Stickmin

The Giver quartet

Bomberman Generation

Bomberman Journey

A Bomberman Journey 2023 Followup

Bomberman Battle Pack: A way too in-depth analysis

The Weird

Sam & Max series (comics games AND show)

Goodbye Eri

Only Murders in the building

Criminal

Archie's Weird Mysteries

Please Go Home, Akutsu-San!

Mousou Telepathy

Tomo Chan is a girl

Lovely Complex

Lovely Complex TWO

Shinobi Undercover

Barda

Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The usual suspects

Ip Man

kiss him not me

Carole & Tuesday

Catch 22 (book)

Space Dandy

Vigilante

Dandandan

Rush Hour

What's up Doc

The cheap detective

The awful truth

charade

his girl friday

bringing up baby

your name

the afterparty

mad monster party?

Pippin

little shop of horrors (original)

sound of music

music man

singing in the rain

The great race

Artemis Fowl (main series)

Don't hug me I'm scared

ultimate exorcist kiyoshi

squid games

Dokapon kingdom

lego city undercover

Summer Wars

Culdcept Revolt

Casablanca

hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

batman no man's land novelization

Ultraman Rising

“When I woke up I had become a girl” Disease

My New Wife Is Forcing Herself to Smile

She gets girls everyday

Detentionaire

Hero-san and Former General-san

the dangers in my heart

Heathers (film)

Scarface (1932)

you and i are polar opposites

the guy she was interested in wasn't a guy at all

Kaguya Sama love is war

We want to talk about kaguya

Arakure Ojousama wa Monmon Shiteiru

A Story About a Man and a Woman and When They Sleep Together, Money Appears Out of Nowhere

Nanaco Robin

The girl I like forgot her glasses

Tokimeki Academy ❤ Class of Princes

Magokoro scramble

undead unluck

the night is short walk on girl

fire punch

akane bashi

kaiju no. 08

The Story Between a Dumb Prefect and a High School Girl with an Inappropriate Skirt Length

disastrous life of saiki k

jitsu wa watashi wa/my monster secret

Boarding School Juliet

Happy Kanako's Killer Life

Romantic Cider/Romantic Drop

Phineas and Ferb

bigtop burger

pseudo harem

gravity falls

Tatami Galaxy

Kindergarten Wars

My friend Irma

A story about smoking behind the back of a supermarket

Casino

shikimori is not just cute

no miyahira not you

A Story About Treating a Female Knight, Who Has Never Been Treated as a Woman, as a Woman

Asahina Wakaba to Marumaru na kareshi

Super Secret

mob psycho 100

reigen

sublo & tangy mustard

they might be giants

weird al yankovic

saint motel

cab Calloway

St. Arnaud

[kenpiercemedia]

Bad Idea To Storm New York Comic Con 2024 With A Massive Panel

The Press Release: GET READY! The road to the next wave of BAD IDEA comics goes stratospheric right here at the greatest panel in BAD IDEA history! BAD IDEA: The New York Comic Con Panel Join mastermind Derek Kolstad, creator and writer of the JOHN WICK franchise of movies, modern maestro Robert Venditti, BAD IDEA impresarios Dinesh Shamdasani, Peter Stern, Ben Simpson, Siena Fallon, and…

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Element Lad and Dragonwing sketch cover by Phil Jimenez at Wicked Comic Con 2024

Thanks again to Josh at Modern Mythology Comic Art

[graphicpolicy]

NYCC 2024: Bad Idea brings John Wick Creator Derek Kolstad and Pizza-themed giveaway!

NYCC 2024: Bad Idea brings John Wick Creator Derek Kolstad and Pizza-themed giveaway! #nycc #nycc2024 #nycc24

GET READY! The road to the next wave of Bad Idea comics goes stratospheric a New York Comic Con at the greatest panel in Bad Idea history! Join mastermind Derek Kolstad, creator and writer of the John Wick franchise of movies, modern maestro Robert Venditti, Bad Idea impresarios Dinesh Shamdasani, Peter Stern, Ben Simpson, Siena Fallon, and surprise guests for a first look at what will be the…

[ejbarnes]

It's time for Wicked Comic Con! I'll be there both Saturday and Sunday, 10--11 August, at my own table. The show is open to the public 10 AM -- 6 PM Saturday and 10 AM -- 5 PM Sunday. Please see this page for ticket information.

I'll be bringing my comics, as well as prints, cards, stickers, and original comics art.

I'll be at Table GW018 in the Galleria -- the lower level function space at the entire opposite end of the building from the Grand Ballroom and Commonwealth Ballroom (also on the lower level, but you have to go up to the lobby to cross over from one to the other). Psst -- my end is closer to the main entrance.

Wicked Comic Con 2024 is at the Westin Boston Seaport District (yes, the same hotel where Arisia and Boskone have been held the last few years). The hotel is at 425 Summer Street in Boston, MA, near the World Trade Center stop on the MBTA Silver Line. MBTA Buses #4 and #7 also stop nearby.

[osoanimation]

John Wick Exhibit At Comic Con 2024

[edwestwickers]

Ed Westwick em uma entrevista para Epopculture News durante a Comic Con Portugal, 24.03.24

Epopculture News: Qual foi o principal desafio em interpretar Chuck Buss e houve alguma cena específica entre o Chuck e a Blair que foi difícil interpretar?

Ed Westwick: Eu acho que uma das coisas mais desafiantes foi nunca sabermos para onde a história iria se desenrolar. Nós recebíamos o roteiro e filmávamos esse episódio. E nós não sabíamos o que ia acontecer no episódio seguinte. Se pensássemos em como a história mudaria ao longo da temporada, neste caso você não sabe. E como um ator, isso pode ser um pouco difícil, porque você realmente não sabe para onde a sua história vai seguindo. Em um filme, você tem o início e tem o fim que acompanha o seu progresso, até fazer algo inicialmente sútil para construir o personagem. Mas que pode não fazer sentido no início e que depois acaba por fazer, porque você sabe o que vai acontecer. Contudo, você não pode fazer isso em uma série, onde não sabe o que vai acontecer em seguida. Por isso foi provavelmente difícil, porque não há nada que possa fazer e não tem qualquer controle. Nas cenas com a Leighton Meester, nada foi difícil. Nós sempre tivemos uma boa relação e ela é uma excelente atriz, sendo que tivemos uma ótima química e foi tudo muito bom.

Epopculture News: Recentemente, lançou um single da sua banda “For You”. Por isso, eu gostaria de saber, como tudo isso começou, todo o processo, como tem sido e o feedback que tem recebido dos fãs?

Ed Westwick: As pessoas tem estado interessadas, consumiram e gostaram, o que é bom. Eu respeito que pode haver pessoas que não gostem. Mas, é uma daquelas coisas, eu estava vivendo em Los Angeles e eu conheci o Michael, um guitarrista que é muito talentoso. Ele e mais uns rapazes estavam numa banda e eles todos estudaram música juntos. Estes são músicos muito sérios. E seja qual for a razão, esse projeto tem se mantido vivo, apesar de ter tido diversas hipóteses para ter morrido e não aconteceu. Depois eu voltei para Londres e apareceu o COVID. Nós continumos a nos falar, mas não era nada sério e estávamos a fazendo um pouco de música juntos. Em seguida fomos para a Noruega, onde Hans Kristian Nordin vive e tem um estúdio, assim, pudemos gravar gratuitamente. Nós vimos o que poderia acontecer em seguida. Trabalhamos em algumas músicas e gravamos um álbum que parecia muito bom. Depois assinámos com a Universal para a distribuição e nós iremos fazer pequenos concertos. Eu estou muito nervoso com isso, sendo que não me sinto nada confortável, mas vai ser divertido. Eu não tenho certeza sobre tocar a nossa música a tanta gente. Eu não quero ser o Justin Timberlake. Eu estou fazendou uma coisa que eu sinto que o universo deu essa oportunidade a mim e à essas pessoas. Assim eu vou simplesmente fazer isso, dar um show e ver o que acontece.

Epopculture News: Se tivesse de escolher entre todos os trabalhos que fez ao longo da sua carreira nas áreas de cinema e televisão, qual seria aquele que gostaria de adicionar o seu single como parte da banda sonora desse projeto?

Ed Westwick: Wow! Uma boa pergunta! Eu acho que o novo single “Here Comes Trouble” poderia ficar bem com a série Wicked City.

[fangirlnationmag]

Image Comics Announces Their Panel Schedule for ECCC 2024

Image Comics has released their lineup for panels at Emerald City Comic Con, starting Friday March 1st. Please remember, panels are subject to scheduling changes. You can get the most up to date information at www.imagecomics.com. Spotlight on Kieron Gillen Friday, March 1 11 – 11:45 AM Room 431 The Wicked + The Divine, Die, and Phonogram writer supreme, Kieron Gillen, will be in conversation…

[yandere-toons]

Current Fandoms (Alphabetical)

Books:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Durarara!!

The Great Gatsby

The Hobbit

The Hunger Games

IT

The Lord of the Rings

Mortal Engines

No Country for Old Men

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Ready Player One

The Silence of the Lambs

A Song of Ice and Fire

Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Comics & Manga:

BEASTARS

Blue Exorcist

Boku no Hero Academia

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Disney Duck Comics

Dragon Ball

Hellblazer

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Tokyo Ghoul

Watchmen

Films:

Accepted (2006)

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

Airplane!

The Angry Birds Movie

Argylle

Asteroid City

Austin Powers

Back to the Future

The Bad Guys (2022)

Bad Ronald

Bad Taste

Balto

Bambi (1942)

Bambi II (2006)

The Banana Splits Movie

Barbie (2023)

Batman Begins

Batman Forever

The Beekeeper

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Beverly Hills Cop

Big Hero 6

Black Christmas (1974)

The Black Phone

The Book of Life

Brave (2012)

Brother Bear

A Bug's Life

Bullet Train (2022)

Cars (2006)

Carry-On (2024)

Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness

Chicken Little

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Con Air

Coneheads

Coraline

Corpse Bride

Cowboys & Aliens

The Dead Don't Die

Deadpool

Despicable Me

Detective Pikachu

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Elemental

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

The Emperor's New Groove

Encanto

Enchanted

Exchange Student Zero

An Extremely Goofy Movie

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fast & Furious Saga

Fear Street Trilogy

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Free Guy

Frozen (2013)

Galaxy Quest

Ghost Rider

Glass Onion

Godzilla

A Goofy Movie

Grease (1978)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

The Hangover

The Happytime Murders

Haunted Mansion

Hellboy (2004)

Hercules (1997)

The Hobbit

Hocus Pocus

Holes (2003)

Home (2015)

Home Alone (1990)

Hotel Transylvania

Howard the Duck

How to Train Your Dragon

The Hunger Games

Ice Age

IF (2024)

The Incredibles

Inside Out

IT (2017)

John Wick

The Jungle Book (1967)

Jurassic Park

Jurassic World

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Knives Out

Kung Fu Panda

Legally Blonde

The LEGO Batman Movie

The LEGO Movie

The LEGO Ninjago Movie

Lift (2024)

Lilo & Stitch

The Lion King

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Longlegs (2024)

The Lorax (2012)

The Lord of the Rings

Luca (2021)

Luck (2022)

Mad Max

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Mars Attacks!

Mean Girls (2004)

Meet the Feebles

The Meg

Megalopolis (2024)

Megamind

The Menu (2022)

Migration (2023)

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Mission: Impossible

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Monkey King Reborn

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters University

Monsters vs. Aliens

Mulan (1998)

My Little Pony: A New Generation

My Little Pony: The Movie

Napoleon Dynamite

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Night at the Museum

The Nightmare Before Christmas

NOPE (2022)

Now You See Me

Onward

Open Season (2006)

Osmosis Jones

Over the Hedge

Pacific Rim

Paddington

Paul (2011)

Pearl (2022)

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Penguins of Madagascar

The Phantom of the Opera

Pirates of the Caribbean

Planet of the Apes

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Rango

Ready Player One

Red One

Renfield

Return to Oz

Rio (2011)

Rise of the Guardians

Road House

The Road to El Dorado

RoboCop (1987)

Robots (2005)

Rock Dog

Ron's Gone Wrong

Scarface

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shark Tale

Shaun of the Dead

Shrek

Sing (2016 & 2021)

Small Soldiers

Sonic the Hedgehog

Spaceballs

Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money

Space Jam

Spider-Verse

Spies in Disguise

Star Wars

Storks

The Suicide Squad

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Surf's Up

The Terminator

Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast

Titan A.E.

Titanic (1997)

Top Gun

Toy Story

Transformers

Trap (2024)

Treasure Planet

Trolls (2016)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Turning Red

Vivo

Wendell & Wild

Whiplash

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Wreck-It Ralph

TV Series & Web Series:

The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin

Adventure Time

Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Amazing World of Gumball

American Dad!

American Dragon: Jake Long

American Gods

Amphibia

Animaniacs

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Ash vs Evil Dead

Barry (HBO)

Bates Motel

The Batman (2004)

Batman: The Animated Series

Better Call Saul

Big City Greens

Bigtop Burger

Black Clover

Bluey

Bob's Burgers

BoJack Horseman

Breaking Bad

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Camp Camp

Carmen Sandiego

Cars on the Road

Clone High

Codename: Kids Next Door

Count Duckula

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Creature Commandos

The Cuphead Show!

Danger Mouse

Danny Phantom

Dan Vs.

Darkwing Duck

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

Dexter's Laboratory

Dinosaurs

Diriliş: Ertuğrul

Doctor Who

Dogs in Space

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

Dorohedoro

Duck Dodgers

DuckTales (1987 & 2017)

Exchange Student Zero

Freakazoid!

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Futurama

Game of Thrones

Gargoyles

Good Omens

Goosebumps

Gotham

Gravity Falls

Green Eggs and Ham

Gregory Horror Show

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Grimm

Haikyuu!!

Happy Tree Friends

Harley Quinn

Hazbin Hotel

Helluva Boss

Hetalia

Hero: 108

House, M.D.

House of the Dragon

Inside Job (2021)

Inspector Gadget (1983)

Invader ZIM

Invincible

Kiff

Kim Possible

King of the Hill

The Lion Guard

Looney Tunes

The Looney Tunes Show

Love, Death & Robots

Making Fiends

The Mandela Catalogue

Max Headroom

the middle.

Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series

Milo Murphy's Law

Mob Psycho 100

Modern Family

Monkie Kid

Monsters at Work

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Mystery Skulls Animated

Ninjago

Nu, pogodi!

The Office

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

Our Flag Means Death

Overlord

The Owl House

Peaky Blinders

The Penguins of Madagascar

Phineas and Ferb

Pinky and the Brain

Popee the Performer

The Powerpuff Girls

Primal

The Proud Family

Ramshackle

Regular Show

The Righteous Gemstones

Rocko's Modern Life

Salad Fingers

Samurai Jack

The Sandman

Schitt's Creek

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

Shameless

Shaolin Wuzang

Silicon Valley

Silly Symphony

The Simpsons

Sonic Prime

Sonic X

Soul Eater

Space Force

The Spectacular Spider-Man

SpongeBob SquarePants

Spooky Month

Star Trek

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars Rebels

Static Shock

Succession

Superjail!

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Supernatural

Superstore

Tabaluga

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teen Titans (2003)

Tiny Toon Adventures

Tom and Jerry

Total Drama

True Blood

True Detective

Twin Peaks

The Umbrella Academy

Underverse

Veep

Villainous

The Walking Dead

Wander Over Yonder

We Bare Bears

Welcome Home

What If...?

X-Men: Evolution

Xiaolin Showdown

The Yogi Bear Show

Young Justice

Zig & Sharko

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Music:

Gorillaz

The Purple People Eater

Board Games:

Monopoly

Video Games:

At Dead of Night

Batman: The Enemy Within

Borderlands

Crash Bandicoot

Cuphead: Don't Deal with the Devil

Danganronpa

Deltarune

Destroy All Humans!

Dialtown

Dino Crisis

Don't Starve

Eloquent Countenance

Fallout

Far Cry

Five Nights at Freddy's

Friday Night Funkin'

God of War

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

Grand Theft Auto V

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

John Doe

L.A. Noire

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Lollipop Chainsaw

Lucius

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Mass Effect

MazM: Jekyll and Hyde

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Monkey Island

Monster Prom

Mortal Kombat

Naughty Bear

Nicktoons Unite!

Oddworld

Outlast

Overwatch

PaRappa the Rapper

Pathologic

Poppy Playtime

Psychonauts

Rampage: Total Destruction

Ratchet & Clank

Red Dead Revolver

Resident Evil

Road 96

Silent Hill

Slime Rancher

Smile For Me

Sonic the Hedgehog

Total War: Warhammer

Uncharted

Undertale