Upload Season 3 Premiere Review: The Second Hand Doesn’t Give Second Chances In “Ticking Clock”

Last season, things got pretty awkward between Nathan (Robbie Amell) and Nora (Andy Allo). Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) lied to Nathan about her being dead to exist with him for all of eternity. She desperately wanted to raise a child with Nathan, but the cat was out of the bag (as she’s in the body suit in her bathtub). Angel Aleesha (Zainab Johnson) got closer to the ever-loveable Lake View resident Luke (Kevin Bigley). The Ludds are fixing to strike harder than they did on the Freeyond L.A. branch. David Choak was the one who took out a hit on Nathan… and now, newly downloaded, the ostensible Adonis is a ticking time bomb with his first nosebleed.

Review

The season premiere, “Ticking Clock,” starts out with Nathan’s perfectly quaffed head exploding, (if only in Nora’s headspace), definitely setting the tone. The show’s surely not been one to play it easy with their singular gore move, and honestly, the effect still works on me. It’s gruesome and satisfying each time. The one thing that isn’t exactly satisfying is the way Matteo (Paulo Costanzo) is treating Nathan. I get that, as Nathan puts it, the dude “lost his girl to a dead guy,” but Matteo’s whiny, passive-aggressive nature feels like the writers were just really not liking the character rather than his misplaced ideals. He was always petty, I get it, but in that case, why give him to Nora as Nathan’s romantic rival last season if he was never truly worthy to begin with?

I mean fuck, if Nathan is basically this perfect specimen, wouldn’t it make more sense to throw someone in the mix who isn’t so easily hateable? Make the audience work for the payoff. For my money, if you polled the audience, I bet few are rolling with Matteo. The dude’s a dick, but Nathan’s taking it in stride.

David Choak (William B. Davis) couldn’t stay away from our view, looking for Nathan in Lake View. Easily one of the most vile characters in the series, he always gives a top performance. Something about the way William portrays him makes it like I can physically feel the atmosphere around me become a vacuum of happiness whenever he appears onscreen.

We check in with Aleesha, still burned from the NYC expedition where the wool was pulled over both her and Luke’s eyes by Nora and Nathan, with whom Luke is also a bit miffed on account he won’t be back for a spell. I’m happy they’re keeping the group cleft in twain for the time being. If the quartet is solid, when divided, the duos should hopefully exhibit new skill sets that would make for some interesting moments down the line.

We see that Nathan’s transition to his new body isn’t without its stumbling blocks. Gastrointestinal issues abound, and that’s about probably the worst fear most of us would have. If I came back as a download and my body wasn’t 100% on board with things like food, I’d reconsider re-uploading. To be honest, I sense something much bigger in this “hiccup”. I think this is truly a DNA situation with Nathan, and I ain’t talking about silly nosebleeds.

I’m going to say I like Detective Sato (Hiro Kanagawa), and I don’t care who knows. There’s something in the way Hiro plays him in an almost Clouseau manner, right down to the tiny, little car. He knows it all, but his threat isn’t palpable to Nathan or Nora. I mean, he’s on the right side, right?

In Lake View, Ingrid may finally be gaining some independence, and I’m totally for it. She wants to love herself first and foremost, which, I’m like, “fuckin’ preach.” All the raiment she’d ever purchased to keep things spicy was never worn, which speaks to a great fact of life: Just because you’re hot doesn’t mean you have it made. Sometimes there are things that matter slightly more, like maybe having integrity and some goddamn self-respect.

Of course, who says “when” when it comes to the number of foils you can have? Tinsley (Mackenzie Cardwell) kicks an even bigger dent in her already touch-and-go employment status at Horizen when she surreptitiously uploads a backup Nathan, who materializes right after Ingrid moves out of their digital space, waking up nearly reminiscent of how Joel woke up in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Luke has a little bit more shine in this episode, but not much as he interviews a potential replacement for Nathan. His going bananas without Nathan is surely being hit on with zero uncertainty, but so far, it’s not feeling like it’s as overbearing as it could be. Besides, Nathan and Nora are fighting for the good fight out there, so I kind of want to tell him to chill as well.

In Choak Tower, we see a side of Nora we’d not glimpsed previously. She’s always had an almost screwball dynamic with Nathan, so her kind of bagging on a sore spot for him, that being him not adaptive in the moment seems out of the blue at first, but I totally get the whole “testing out the waters” thing. Still, I guess I didn’t picture Nora as getting sore at him balking, but it’s actually closer to real life, which makes it more compelling. The odd thing is Nathan seems more than a bit… awkward. I get careening sharply away from the physical schtick of getting used to a new body, it’s been done a million times and it wouldn’t be organic to shoehorn into a series like this, but is giving him possibly a degenerative disease that will attack his brain the most effective way to go to show incongruity between him and Nora in the flesh?

For the time being, they’re in, and I will say that the Windows XP-themed original Freeyond program is pretty dope looking, maybe even tapping into the zeitgeist of Vaporwave these days with a soupcon of Minecraft. I dig it. What I don’t dig is yet another dig at Jersey, which is where the data farm is. Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well as The Other Guys pulled the same move. The only true joke to me is the cities they cite, in this case, Elizabeth. You always aim for the Jersey cities that are so close to New York, they’re basically indistinguishable from the city that’s making fun of them, ya fuckin’ mooks. Grow a pair. Try aiming for Central and South.

Having Choak and other bigwigs in a meeting, Kamyar Whitbridge (Larry Wilmore) and his boss, Miro Mansour (Bassem Youssef) are among those in attendance seemed like the only logical move to get the ball rolling this season. Reveal the players early on so we know what’s at stake. David’s pushing the timetable for Freeyond was merely starting another “clock” among the plots concurrently running.

Ingrid almost becomes autonomous in this episode. Almost, which kind of let me down. She almost has the gumption to cancel her second clone of Nathan before backup Nathan gives her a call. The pull is far too much for Ingrid to ignore, so she’s willing to at least hear him out. Look, I get it. We all want a good character arc for her this season, since last season I started out pro-Ingrid and ended up very much not-pro. Everybody deserves a shot a redemption, but having her not cancel the new clone feels dirty to me, like giving the look that she will never change. Maybe that’s all it is though. Misdirection. It’s a good device for a reason.

Putting Nathan’s mother, Viv (Jessica Tuck), and Mauricio (Peter James Smith), Nathan’s near upload agent, in the Freeyond Los Angeles line was an interesting decision. Thus far, this series hasn’t done much without purpose (Ivan’s fuckin’ fetish, I’m looking at you), so… I hope this goes down an interesting route.

Keeping Matteo shitty isn’t really doing anything for me. To be fair, it would be nice if he were goddamn erased from the whole equation. Alas, Nathan and Nora are split up once more, and for what? To keep the stakes high? It’s not really doing much for me in terms of tension. If you want the audience to feel it, you put both beloved characters who are iron-clad together in a situation where the outcome is extremely uncertain. You put the winds of the gods against the two pillars to see if they can truly hold each other up. Then again, this is only the first episode.

I will say that the mass leaking of Freeyond’s press release was a genuine moment of joy for me. It also gave me pause. It reminded me that as grim as things may look at times, we currently live in an era where more power is in the hands of the people than it has ever been before. It also reminded me that the inspirational nature of that fact belies the very present danger in it. However, the only thing more dangerous than any fact is ignorance… just ask ya boy, Matteo.

Oh, wait.

4/5 Stars.

NYCC 2023: Brianna Garcia on drawing for comics and how she got her start

Mary Fan

October 23, 2023

Artist Brianna Garcia, who is an illustrator for comics publisher IDW Publishing, became interested in drawing for comics thanks to a childhood trip to San Diego Comic Con after a family friend noticed her penchant for drawing.

“I was obsessed with the movie Jurassic Park at nine years old,” Garcia explained, speaking about her work from her table in New York Comic Con’s Artist Alley. “I was nine when the movie came out. And a friend of my mother’s was big into comics, and he noticed that I would draw a lot of dinosaurs. So he was like, ‘Hey, if she’s ever interested in comics, I go to San Diego Comic Con. I think she’d be interested in that.’ So I begged my mother to let me go, and from there I was kind of hooked… I walked around [the convention], [and] I just fell in love with the atmosphere, the comics, the community, all of that.”

Presently, Garcia works on the My Little Pony comics. “I’ve done cover designs, and I do interiors, and sequentials, and it’s a lot of fun, and I love it!” she said.

However, drawing for comics includes a lot of work that many readers might not consider. “The most challenging part for me was learning to do backgrounds, because I would say my strong point is characters,” Garcia explained. “But when you do comics, you kind of have to know how to draw a little bit of everything. You have to draw backgrounds, you have to draw cars, you have to draw homes, you have to draw a random toaster on a kitchen shelf, you know? So that’s a lot of things that people don’t really think about. So you have to train yourself, you have to do a lot of research, and that was probably the most difficult part. But at the same time it’s very rewarding when you expand your skills and you learn how to draw more.”

At present Garcia is mostly focusing on doing cover designs for My Little Pony, though she would love the chance to do more comic interiors when her schedule allows it. Though covers may be less time-consuming overall, they come with their own challenges.

“With covers, you get to be more detailed,” she said. “You have more time to, you know, really dive into the illustration. It’s kind of a challenge because you have basically the one shot to convey what the entire book is about. And so obviously with sequentials, you have pages and pages to tell a story, where the cover has to tell it in one shot. And so you have to grab peoples’ attention. You have to grab their eye with just the cover alone. So it has to convey a story just in that one picture, and it has to be bright and colorful and eye catching. So, that’s the challenge.”

While she is currently focused on her upcoming wedding—“getting married takes a lot of your personal time!”—she hinted that she may have more projects in the near future. “I would love to do more titles with IDW because I think there may be talks of some other titles? I don’t know if I can say yet, but hopefully—fingers crossed!” she said.

Of the many projects Garcia has worked on, her favorite is a gig from a few years back for Disney Imagineering. “I actually got to design some murals—Beauty and the Beast murals—that are up in the Disneyland hotel of Shanghai Disneyland,” she said. “And so in 2018, I got to travel there, and I got to see it in person, and I totally cried when I saw it… [The murals] cover, like, an entire restaurant wall. It was amazing to see in person, and I’m so grateful for getting that opportunity.”

Garcia got her start in comics after a lot of networking. “I started doing conventions for fun when I was younger, and I really wanted to pursue an art career, so I did what I could,” she recalled. “I took small jobs, built up resumé, and started going to conventions and giving out my business card, talking to professionals, and eventually got in contact with the right folks, and they looked at my portfolio and gave me a chance.”

She has the following advice for younger artists looking to get into drawing for comics: “Take a sketchbook wherever you go so that you can sketch whenever inspiration hits. Definitely draw from life… When you’re old enough, get involved in life drawing classes, and learn how to draw people. And also, especially, learn how to draw the things you don’t really want to draw, because chances are you’re going to have to draw it at some point. So yeah, take chances, draw, expand your horizons, and draw whatever comes to mind, and just have fun with it.”

To learn more about Garcia and view some of her work, visit https://www.briannacherrygarcia.com/.

NYCC 2023: Cartoonist and animator Bill Plympton on ‘Slide,’ his most personal film

Mary Fan

October 23, 2023

Acclaimed cartoonist and animator Bill Plympton has made a number of animated films and shorts—including the Oscar-nominated Your Face and several couch gags for The Simpsons—over the course of a storied career, but he considers his upcoming animated feature, Slide, which he wrote, animated, directed, and designed, to be the most personal film he’s ever done.

“The character, the action, all takes place in my hometown, in Oregon,” he said, discussing the film at his Artist Alley table at New York Comic Con. “And the music is my kind of music. And the humor is my kind of humor. So I think it’s probably the most personal film I’ve ever done, and I think that people will really react well to it, because people need comedy. We’ve gotta have humor in these perilous times.”

The experience of growing up in the country was what inspired the film’s aesthetic and ethos.

“There were a lot of loggers up there,” Plympton recalled. “A lot of logging trucks [would] go by our house, making a big rumble. And I wanted to make a film that… reminded me of that era, when I was young. My dad, who was a banker, listened to a lot of country music. Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash. So I wanted to put that music in there. I wanted a real rustic Oregon kind of a life experience.”

Plympton describes Slide, which is decidedly not for children (“It’s not a kids’ film, it’s not a Pixar film, it’s not Disney.”), as the kind of film Mel Brooks would make if he’d been a cartoonist. The main character is a musician called Slide, described as a mysterious, Clint Eastwood-type who plays the slide guitar, which Plympton also plays. While the film is titled after this heroic character, the bad guys are Plympton’s favorite part.

“To me, the bad guys are the best part of a film,” he said. “So this has probably more bad guys than any other film you’ve ever seen. Probably about 200 really evil, dirty, scroungy guys. And for me, that was the fun part… And, also there’s a lot of a stuff about sex…. It takes place in a bordello. A bar, club, a gambling club that is also a bordello. And I thought that was funny, there’s a lot of humor there.”

A promotional card for Slide depicting the title character and a few of the many bad guys

Alongside the humor, the film also includes a few messages. “It’s kind of environmental,” Plympton explained. “It talks a lot about saving the country, the beautiful forests, the lumber industry, how it just sort of levels the ground, so there’s a lot of stuff going on… [Slide] comes into this strange, sort of tragic town, and with his guitar, he’s able to defeat all these evil guys with guns and daggers and dynamite and stuff like that. So it’s a very pacifist kind of film, even though there’s a lot of bad guys in there.”

Plympton employs a very traditional animation process. “I used actually a ballpoint pen,” he said. “Pen and ink. And then I color them with colored pencil, and then we scan ’em, and then they’re composited, and they make the film.”

The 80-minute film required tens of thousands of drawings, and Plympton did every single one himself. “Every drawing on the film, background and the characters, is done by me,” he said. “So that’s about 30,000 drawings… I did every frame. And everybody said, ‘Oh, no, that’s impossible. You hired someone to in-between it.’ And no, I don’t have the money to hire in-betweeners. I just like to do all the drawings myself.”

The soundtrack is inspired by country western music like that of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. With so many characters on screen, was Plympton tempted to voice any himself?

“I did very minimal voice parts… we’ll say the screams,” he said coyly, before imitating one: “AAAAAH!”

After a two-year delay because of Covid—when Plympton was unable to teach and had to put the film aside to do commercial work—he expects Slide to be completed by the end of November. It will screen at upcoming film festivals, including International Film Festival Rotterdam.Shortened versions have already screened at a few film festivals, including Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market in France and Woodstock Film Festival, where it received a positive reception.

“But again, it was a work in progress,” he said. “It wasn’t a finished film. Now, it’s all coming together. All the pieces are coming together.”

To learn more about Bill Plympton and Slide, visit https://www.plymptoons.com/.

View a trailer for Slide below:

NYCC 2023: Takeaways from the Star Trek Universe

Mary Fan

October 21, 2023

Lower Decks NYCC — Alex Kurtzman and Mike McMahan at NYCC 2023, with moderator Josh Horowitz

Last week’s Star Trek panel at New York Comic Con was quite sparse in terms of speakers, in stark contrast to 2022’s star-studded session. With SAG-AFTRA still on strike, only executive producer Alex Kurtzman and Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan were listed as panelists. Fans were treated to a surprise appearance by Kid Cudi, who was present to discuss his “Boldly Be” collaboration with Star Trek, as well as an early screening of the Lower Decks episode “Caves.”

While getting to see a Lower Decks episode with a room full of laughing and cheering fans was fun, one got the sense that the session was attempting to fill the time left empty by the lack of actors.

Below are a few takeaways from the panel:

Star Trek: Prodigy is back thanks to the fans

Alex Kurtzman at NYCC 2023, with moderator Josh Horowitz

The panel opened with Kurtzman addressing the elephant in the room: Star Trek: Prodigy is back! Thanks to dedicated fans’ efforts to save the show, Prodigy found a new home at Netflix, where the second season will air.

“Star Trek: Prodigy is back because you guys brought it back,” he said, then added that Star Trek has always belonged to two entities: Gene Roddenberry and the fans. “So from the bottom of my heart, because we love Star Trek: Prodigy so much, and Dan and Kevin Hageman, and Kate [Mulgrew] and the entire cast and crew, I just want to be able to thank you. Thank you so much for what you did, it was incredible, truly.”

Kid Cudi “Boldy Be” collaboration launches

Alex Kurtzman and Kid Cudi at NYCC 2023, with moderator Josh Horowitz

Musician, fashion designer, and Trek fan Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, came onstage as a surprise guest, joining Kurtzman on stage after a video previewing the Star Trek x Kid Cudi “Boldly Be” collaboration, which includes a Star Trek-themed song, Fortnight game tie-in, and streetwear line.

“I’ve been a Trek fan since I was a kid,” Cudi said. “My dad kind of got me hooked, and you know, when this opportunity came, it was like ‘wow, this is a full circle moment,’ you know, to be able to do something and to possibly be able to make a song dedicated to my father, and to just be involved in this universe, was just like a dream come true.” Cudi also spoke of being a lifelong fan of space and science fiction.

As for why Cudi was the right artist to collaborate with, Kurtzman said, “You are watching an artist who is both of his time and ahead of his time… He’s always been talking about a lot of the issues that Star Trek represents, which is reaching for something brighter, finding the best in yourself, the idea that our better angels will endure.”

The streetwear collection debuted at NYCC in a special capsule display booth, the Fortnight gaming experience is now live, and the song, “Heaven’s Galaxy,” inspired by Cudi’s Star Trek fandom, is available on streaming platforms.

Lower Decks was originally going to wait until the end of the season to promote the crew.

Alex Kurtzman and Mike McMahan at NYCC 2023, with moderator Josh Horowitz

Fans present at the panel were treated to an early screening of the Lower Decks episode 408, “Caves,” and the energy was palpable. After, Mike McMahan came onstage.

“What we did, watching an episode with you all, I’ve never gotten to do,” McMahan said, visibly excited about having been able to see a live fan reaction to the show.

He then went on to discuss how the original plan for Lower Decks had been to promote the crew at the end of Season 4.

“We weren’t originally going to promote them this soon,” he said. “When we started talking about season 4, I was like, ‘Let’s end the season with them getting promoted. I have a bunch of fun ideas.’ And then it was like, if I already have fun ideas, and it is hard to write a show, why don’t we just do it at the beginning of the season and not delay it? So doing it at the end of the first episode, it opened up all these storytelling opportunities.”

As for the question of whether Lower Decks can still be Lower Decks if the crew gets promoted, McMahan said, “They’re Lieutenant Junior Grade. The word ‘junior’ is in their title. Lower Decks is all based on being in your 20s and early 30s. You’re getting your first jobs. You’re meeting your best friends you didn’t know you were going to meet. You’re still yourself and you’re learning about yourself at the same time and having the responsibilities… All this season is examining what it’s like when you are still lower decks but you are moving forward and what are the challenges that creates and what comedy does that create and what crazy sci fi adventures come from that?”

Lower Decks was created to be a comfort watch and respectful of the legacy series

After talking about how special Trek fandom is, and the communities and found families that are often built around it, McMahan discussed the deliberately comforting nature of the show.

“Trek is something you put on to share with other people that love this, but it’s also what you put on when you’re at your lowest, and you need something that’s comforting,” he said. “We’re trying to do that with Lower Decks too.”

While Lower Decks is a comedy, McMahan talked about the special care taken to keep the humor respectful of legacy Star Trek.

“When we have characters from other Star Trek show up, that’s always a huge deal because if they’re going to be on screen, there’s such a gravitational pull of emotion and attention that we have to be honoring them,” he said. “But we also have to be building and respecting what they created before. And it’s in a comedy environment that we can never punch down. I never want to make fun of these performers. I love their work, and you want them to be able to be a part of the fun. You don’t want them to be like Superintendent Chalmers showing up and being like, ‘What’s all this fun in Star Trek!’ Because they are fun too.”

Big things are coming for Lower Decks

“The last couple of episodes for this season are a big swing, and I am really proud of them and I cannot wait for you to see them,” McMahan said. “We held them off [from the press] because I don’t even want a breath of what happens in them to get out. And it just feels like the ultimate Star Trek, the ultimate Lower Decks.”

McMahan also mentioned that he was in the process of finishing the writing process for Season 5, and, in response to a fan question, indicated that there were plans to visit more home worlds (like Orion in Season 4).

“I love in Lower Decks going to monocultures and making them less monocultural and getting to see more,” he said. I loved doing that on Orion as well… I love how Tendi isn’t like other how other Orions had been depicted. And we do a lot more on Orion in season 5, actually. So, I love being on Orion. Ferenginar was a real Deep Space Nine thing, we were honoring Deep Space Nine. They’d done a good job, but I really wanted to see sort of what the initial steps of Rom and Leeta’s leadership was. And I love Chase Masterson. That was kind of the impetus. Getting the work of Chase was why we went to Ferenginar. But yes, I would love to very carefully—if the planet is one you didn’t think we were going to dive into, those are the ones I want to go to.”

Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth season has been completed

After the deep-dive on Lower Decks, Kurtzman gave a quick update on the status of each of the Star Treks.

“We have finished [Star Trek: Discovery‘s fifth and final season]; it will be airing early next year,” Kurtzman said. It’s an incredibly, I think, satisfying ending to a show that is so near and dear to my heart. Sonequa Martin-Green gave the performance of her life. I think you guys… you’re gonna love it.”

Strange New Worlds is in the works despite strike challenges

“Season 3 was just about to start before the strikes, so we are now back on our feet, and everything’s kind of getting resettled, schedules are shifting around, but it’s definitely in the works, and we cannot wait,” Kurtzman said.

Starfleet Academy will be a different kind of Star Trek show

“We’re back in the writers room,” Kurtzman said. “We’re officially going to start shooting next year. The amazing Noga Landau and I are running it. For all the Nancy Drew fans out there, she’s incredible, and it’s been… first of all, it’s the greatest writing staff. We had so much joy just getting each other through the strike, saying connected through it, but then coming back into the room and working was so wonderful. We just came back this week, as a matter of fact. One of our writers is in fact Tawny Newsome, which is really exciting.”

“She loves it!” McMahan interjected.

“What I’m so excited about with Starfleet Academy is that… it’s really important that every show really has its own distinct identity,” Kurtzman said. “Otherwise, what’s the difference between one and the other? And I think people… fans have been waiting almost 60 years to go inside the chocolate factory and see what it’s like in there. And when you’re in Starfleet Academy, you’re not yet on a ship proper, and so you get to make mistakes, and you get to learn who you are and figure all that out.”

Michelle Yeoh essentially made the Section 31 film happen

Regarding the Section 31 film, he said, “So we are back on our feet after the strike with Section 31. It is happening. Michelle [Yeoh] is just the most extraordinary person on every level. She had one of one of the most unbelievable years that anybody could ever have in the history of ever, and she had a million opportunities to hit the jackpot on it and do other things. And what she did with all of the power she had accrued is make sure that Section 31 was moving forward.”

NYCC 2023: The Last Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Preview You’ll Ever Need

Christian Angeles

October 20, 2023

Cloud Swinging a Sword in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — All Photos Credit to Square Enix

I’d like to call myself an expert in Final Fantasy 7. Better than any other preview writer you’re likely to read, anyway. In the original, not only had I attained every character’s ultimate weapon and limit break, but I also vanquished both Ruby and even Emerald Weapon. The original’s massive boss with a whopping 1,000,000 HP. How I did this was by pulling off impossible tricks exclusive only to the original. The stuff that kids have completely forgotten about that I still remember looking up on GameFAQs as a kid.

There were things like the infinite regen glitch where if you popped open your original PlayStation disk loader, it would freeze the game. Then there was The Lucky 7 attack that stacked for a whopping nearly half a million in damage with my 64-hit combo with Tifa. Infinite elixirs? You bet. Knights of the Round into Mime? You do that with 7777 meant a downed Emerald weapon in minutes. You speak of it and I knew all of the little ways to play 7, because not only was it a fantastic story, but it was also a neat little easter egg-riddled masterpiece in terms of game design back then.

So when FF7 Remake came out I approached it with the same exact fervor as my 10-year-old self. I platinumed trophied both the base game remake and its Yuffie-focused DLC while defeating every single boss and miniboss along the way and attaining every single achievement and weapon in the game.

When I wrote at HeyPoorPlayer, I selected Remake as one of my choices for game of the year in 2020 (which we awarded it), because the game was not just an update of one of my favorite franchises, but also served as an improvement in every single way. It was something that hybridized the original turn-based RPG mechanics with hack-and-slashing live-action battles, story improvements in characterization, and a shocking twist that surprised most fans: that this was in actuality, a different storyline. One where certain characters lived. And destinies of how we know this story plays out are being defied from the original game’s fate… or so it seems.

All of this is to stress why it is that I’m ecstatic to share that we at TheWorkprint got to demo Final Fantasy VII Rebirth months before it debuts, right around New York Comic Con. Sitting in attendance was also the game’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi.

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The game is a sequel to FFVII Remake, taking place just after the team of Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Red XIII escaped the city of Midgar, Yuffie’s crossover story just on the horizon. Square Enix’s synopsis is below:

After escaping from the dystopian city of Midgar, Cloud and his friends set out on a journey across the planet. New adventures await in a vibrant and vast world – sprint across grassy plains on a Chocobo and explore expansive environments.

Now before we break into the preview, let me stress that this game is massive in scope in expectations and even its world building compared to the original remake. Anticipation for part two has been 3 years in the making, and from what I’ve seen (as a major Final Fantasy 7 fan) everything about it was impressive. Suffice to say, the kid from 25 years ago is absolutely fanboying out over the games fun newest features, as what can only be described in one way: an utterly amazing experience.

Mt. Nibel and the Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth Mission

The demo kicked off with one of the game’s biggest missions, where Tifa serves as guide at Mt. Nibel to a younger Cloud Strife, an unnamed soldier, and the greatest Shinra praised soldier in existence, Sephiroth. It’s a classic moment in the original game where a young Cloud Strife spends time with his idol. It’s also a major plotline in the game that sees the birth of Sephiroth as the villain and the demo? It’s an improvement on the original’s worldbuilding, which I think IGN did a great job of showcasing in this video above.

The demo was a linear mission of getting from point A to B while battling enemies and a boss enemy along the way. It’s here where the game reintroduces its combat features and showcases some new nuances such as a new interact with the environment button called ‘terrain actions’ that does things like move stuff around and hop over different areas. This new feature is an overall improvement to quality of life, as before, Cloud would automatically execute on these movements in the previous game which, rarely but still could, mess up your intended actions in-game.

There was also new Materia introduced in this stage. Items such as a boost Materia, that upgraded the level of your currently paired Materia (i.e. the ability to cast Thundara over thunder), precision defense (which increases your timing window for perfect blocks), and my favorite: lightning/wind. Which basically saves you a Materia slot in that you can cast both types of spells when this is equipped.

Atop of this, the world design in this stage was pretty fantastic. Playing it in graphics mode, the game is visually cleaner and really emotive in terms of expressions and even textures. We played the game in graphics mode and were thoroughly impressed with the improvements in CGI cutscenes that really test the limits of the PS5. Though the most exciting parts about the Nibel mission was easily replaying the game’s very fun combat.

Combat Remains Mostly The Same But With New Additions

When the first battles began it was a lot of refamiliarizing myself with the game. The base combat remains bashing on the attack button much like in Kingdom Hearts, but also, has special ATB bar driven abilities such as casting magic, using special attacks, and items. The game also introduces new abilities to help certain characters in the game’s utility, such as Aerith’s new teleporting ability WARD SHIFT, being an essential survival tool for the powerful yet fragile mage. Much like the original, everyone still focuses on their roles. Barret has range, Aerith magic, and Tifa/Red XIII deliver melee combos for stagger.

A hybridization of the original and KH mechaics, one of the things most high-level FF VII players love to stress is that even though hitting X or R2 to slow time to select these said abilities, fast run players can also quick ability slot skills to use them instantly with L1. I must stress this because top level players who like to do things like Tifa’s infinite staggers NEED to utilize these shortcuts for when battles are incredibly fast paced. And the games new battle mechanic basically encourages it.

I’m talking about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s new feature called Synergy Abilities. These are powerful, yet almost limit-break-lite power moves that combine a special attack between two members of your party in creative ways. The potential combos grants better reprieve midbattle giving more options in combat for specials. What’s nifty, is that this combo gauge build-ups by utilizing a character’s ATB bar driven abilities, essentially rewarding players in utilizing unique skills throughout the battle and finding balance in switching between characters.

What’s nifty is the new synergy system where two characters can combine their powers to unleash powerful attacks on enemies by holding R1 and then using the relevant corresponding button to activate. The build up to using these make for some fun formulas in exploiting enemy vulnerabilties that cap off with a powerful damage blast.

The New Characters

We got to play as Red XIII. A quadrapedal friend who wasn’t exactly playable in the original remake. Red XIII’s attack styles are very similar to what you’d expect out of a four-legged jungle beast, close-range melee almost like Tifa but with all of its flips and claw swipes. A breakdown of his base kit, limit break and synergies abilities are:

Red XIII’s Base Abilities:

Sidewinder – Red XIII leaps into the air to deliver a punishing blow from above!
Sentinel Stance – this guards against attacks and greatly increases the Vengeance Gauge in the process. If you press Square, Red XIII will also deliver a powerful counterattack. It’s a tremendously useful ability that lets you turn the tables on enemies very quickly!
Stardust Ray – this unleashes a devastating attack over wide area. It uses 2 ATB charges, but boy is it worth it!
Crescent Claw – Red XIII slashes at a foe. If you do this in Vengeance Mode and deplete the gauge, you’ll dramatically increase the potency and range. Plus, it makes feels super satisfying when you do it.

Red XIII’s Limit Breaks

Bloodfang – Red XIII charges forward in an animalistic rage, bathing in foes blood and restoring HP and MP.
Howling Moon – Red XIII howls to the moon above, activating a longer-lasting Vengeance Mode.

Red XIII’s Synergy Abilities

Red XIII and Aerith: Planetary Roar – Aerith channels her magic through Red XIII’s howl, unleashing a ranged attack across a wide area. This also raises the characters’ Limit levels.
Red XIII and Cloud: Savage Assault – Cloud and Red XIII channel their burning anger into an enemy. It also raises their Limit levels.
Red XIII and Barret: Overfang – Barret sends Red XIII flying toward an enemy at high velocity. It also raises their Limit levels.

What’s easily the best moment of the game was getting to play as Sephiroth himself. Whose stats and Materia far outlevels Cloud’s. He also unleashes devastating damage abilities and even a cool team-up attack with Cloud in their synergy. The stage sees the level off with an epic boss battle against the Materia Guardian and using Sephiroth and Clouds skills are fantastic to say the least – in what’s easily the most entertaining battle of the demo. A breakdown of Sephiroth’s skills are:

Sephiroth’s Base Abilities

Zanshin – Sephiroth sends rending waves of energy at his foes.
Hell’s Gate – Sephiroth descends from the sky and impales an enemy with his sword.

Sephiroth’s Limit Break

Octaslash – Sephiroth attacks an opponent with a lightning-fast flurry of eight powerful strikes!

Sephiroth’s Synergy Ability

Sephiroth / Cloud: Double Helix – Sephiroth unleashes an elegant flurry of strikes and Cloud does his best to follow suit. This raises Cloud’s limit level and gives Sephiroth unlimited MP. Naturally, he’s equipped with some pretty high level materia, so this is a chance to really go to town with those spells!

Junon and The Expansive New World

In terms of it’s world, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes the party outside of Midgar. Into the outskirts of Junon for the demo, specifically. The open world is massive compared to remake, with landscapes that span lengthy areas of mountainous terrain that you can travel through. There were limitations set to travel limits in this, but even then, this section of the map was massive.

This segment of the game introduces you to the world of Junon, starting with the outskirts before leading into the place itself. It kicks off with riding Chocobos who get their own gameplay here in some basic rider mechanics. Which was funny, seeing Red XIII struggling to ride a giant bird, a decision made by the legendary Final Fantasy developer Tetsuya Nomura.

Chocobos in this section can swim and even discover hidden sections while digging excavation sights for special items, especially when given a prompt in riding across the plains. If you can find a Chocobo wandering around and follow it, there is also the opportunity to repair a Chocobo stop to make fast travel across the plains easier. You also get awarded a Golden Plume. Which are currency that you can spend at the Chocobo ranch to literally pimp your ride. At ranches, you can buy your Chocobo a new outfit including leggings, a saddle, and helm when trading in Golden Plumes.

As for world exploration, there was plenty of items you could pick up across the map. They changed the game so that you can pick loose materials up in bundles. Along with added a new gameplay element with transmuation, which basically lets you take said bundles of resources and crafts them using transmutation formulae to create new items such as your basic health potions or phoenix downs for revival. As you level up your ability to craft, so too, does the rarity of the items you can produce.

The chapter culminates in a boss battle featured where a giant leviathan serpent like creature emerges to test the party’s ability. It also features an introduction of a very beloved character in the franchise in a funny little segment with a dolphin.

Final Thoughts

I already pre-ordered this game but my goodness does this preview make me want to play it all the more. There wasn’t a single problem I had with it and given all the fun expectations to come including The Golden Saucer and Cloud’s inevitable Lucky Date – along with big announcements regarding Matt Mercer as Vincent Valentine – I can say that this game will be absolutely hyped up as my choice for Game of The Year next year.

‘Lower Decks’ Gets Trapped in One of Those Infamous Star Trek Caves

Mary Fan

lds-408-preview-01-1280x720 — Image: Paramount+

Ah, the infamous Star Trek cave. Where, all too often, some unfortunate crew members get stuck deep within an alien mountain that definitely is not the same alien mountain we saw a few episodes ago…

Lower Decks has a special way of mocking classic Star Trek tropes in the most loving way — in the manner of teasing a beloved family member who you know can take a joke — and in episode 408, caves are in the spotlight. In a departure from the lengthier, reference-y titles of late, this episode is simply called “Caves.”

This week, the show puts aside the season-long plot arcs and instead treats us to a standalone episode that feels like a combination of a bottle episode and a clip show, except the clips aren’t recycled material from earlier in the season. Our four favorite lower deckers are excited to all be assigned to the same away mission (“Beta Shift reunion!), but Mariner’s mood quickly sours when she realizes it’s a “stupid cave mission.” Because she, like the audience, knows how those tend to go in the Star Trek universe.

Naturally, they get trapped. Without communications. And with a threat — in this case, glowing green carnivorous moss that’s slowly encroaching on their space. So they have to figure out how to survive and escape. That’s the bottle episode aspect of “Caves.”

The clip show aspect comes in as, one by one, the lower deckers tell stories of other times each was stuck in a cave (and in all the flashbacks, the caves look the same…). Tendi is super excited to talk about the time the four of them were stuck in a turbo lift together, but Mariner shuts her down — a turbo lift ain’t a cave, after all!

Boimler, though, has a legit cave story: He and conspiracy-minded Lt. Levy got stuck in one together. It was fun seeing the recurring crackpot character return once more. And even more fun when it turns out all his crackpot theories are right for once — the whole thing is a morality test by obscure tentacle aliens. Which Boimler fails at first by yelling at Levy for his absurd theories, but then they’re released after Boimler opts to be nicer.

Then Rutherford talks about the time he and Dr. T’Ana were stuck in a cave with a local guide whose species reproduces by transferring their essence into another by touch and being reborn. So when she’s killed by a monster, she touches Rutherford, who then becomes pregnant and quickly gives birth to a baby alien (hey, we’re in an alien world, who says men can’t have babies?). Turns out the monster was protecting a baby of its own, and she lets the others go free.

Finally, Mariner tells of the time she led a mission and the thing they needed to escape was behind a temporal field that causes rapid aging. Notably, she’s there with a member of Delta Shift, which has a long-standing rivalry with Beta Shift. And, while going through the ordeal, she and the Delta Shifter work out their differences.

By this point, everyone’s stories have softened Mariner, and Tendi is finally allowed to tell her turbo lift story. Which is just about the time the four of them were stuck in a turbo lift for hours and ended up having lots of fun hanging out.

If everything is sounding a bit kumbaya, well, that was the point. Mike McMahan, at New York Comic Con (where the episode screened early for the in-person audience), talked about how he wanted Lower Decks to be the kind of comfort watch you would put on after a long day. “Caves” succeeds with its warm-and-fuzzy flashbacks, which are each comforting on their own and add to the comfort-watch feel by giving the crew a chance to hang out together and bond — something their promotions hasn’t let them do in a while. The deliberate cheesiness of these stories is balanced by absurdist humor that keeps things from becoming too saccharine. Lower Decks has always been a warmer type of comedy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have an edge. Come to think of it, deliberate cheesiness plus absurdist humor is what gives the show its distinct style.

The episode concludes with the moss, which turns out to be sentient, being moved by their stories and friendship and asking to be their friend… did I mention deliberate cheesiness and absurdist humor? And to add even more of that, the view pans out to reveal that this was another morality test by the obscure tentacle aliens, who opt to let them stay and hang out a little longer before releasing their communications.

The low-stakes feel of this episode (somehow, being trapped in a cave with carnivorous moss didn’t seem all that dangerous in context) is the brief lull before the season arc continues, and possibly the last time the lower deckers will get to simply hang out together. Like with any family, they’ll probably get pulled in separate directions as the threat with the random mysterious murder ship (which we now know is kidnapping, not murdering) manifests in the last few episode. Knowing that, it’s easy to agree with the tentacle aliens — let them hang out a little longer.

5/5 stars

NYCC 2023: Earth Defense Force 6 is An Epic Return of Gun-Toting Combat

Christian Angeles

October 19, 2023

At New York Comic Con 2023 The Workprint had the chance to try out the sequel to the EDF series with Earth Defense Force 6. A fun first-person shooter that sees powerful gunplay hold off swarms of alien invaders. We played the game while speaking with the game’s producer, Noboyuki Okajima for a demo rife with weapons and surprisingly diverse combat.

In EDF 6, although humanity won the war against the aliens known as Primers, 90 percent of Earth’s population was destroyed in the process. Civilization stands on the brink of collapse. Earth Defense Force 6 takes place three years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5, set in the year 2027. Attempting to rebuild humanity, the survivors must battle against the Primer’s remaining alien colonists, invasive organisms nesting in the depths of the Earth and its ruins who increase in size and threaten to end what remains of humanity.

In this one, The Earth Defense Force (EDF) is once again called upon to protect the planet from aggressive extraterrestrial invaders and determine the true purpose of the giant ring-shaped object that has recently appeared in the sky. Will you triumph or will this be humanity’s last stand? The outcome is determined by you.

The game will arrive on PS5 and Steam, with the Epic Games Store shortly after. Having played the game, the tutorials are straightforward standard FPS fare. Characters are broken up into four classes: Ranger, Air Raider, Wing Diver, and Fencer. Each is armed with new abilities and equipment. We played as the Ranger and Wing Diver classes.

GAMEPLAY

The game is set in intense stages where massive swarms of aliens attack the EDF squadron. Players need to hold off against each wave while achieving objectives and collecting items to power up their weapons, heal lost hit points, and retain armor. The mechanics are your basic first person shooter type with two primary weapons you use to hold off hordes of enemies that flank you at every corner. Thankfully, you’ve got a squad to help protect you, along with nifty in-game mechanics such as destroying buildings to help maintain sight lines against the enemies on your radar. The game also features hundreds of missions and unlockable weapons for massive replayability. It even touts a two-player co-op with split-screen or online play, with 140 possible missions and 5 levels of difficulty.

At the NYCC demo, we played as the basic Ranger class, who came equipped with your base assault rifle and an explosive weapon such as a rocket launcher. There are also useful grenades which have a wide spread. For our latter playthrough, we played as the flying Wing Diver class, who had the ability to fly with a jet pack – though that was limited in that using it drains an energy bar.

Probably the best feature about the game, whom according to Okajima is “Based on your player’s playstyle and level of difficulty.” The end of match loot dropped is customized to your gameplay style. The loot mechanics are based on player performance, making for a lot of content to play for those who attain the best guns in the game. For instance, things like damage per second and reload speeds may increase if you use a lot of assault rifle play. The thousands of weapons dropped can be leveled up to 8 stars (and if you’re lucky, found at 5), with some coming at higher levels. Atop of this, extra weapons already attained are used to upgrade your guns. So picking up green weapons crates are key.

The maps are customized with situations set according to the type of alien invasion, sometimes culminating in a sort of boss fight. Weather its giant frogs or a swarm of killer bees, the objectives seem to be a seek and destroy hives or attain objectives in accordance to the type of aliens faced. Overall, this is a very fun game for fans of shooters against swarming aliens/creatures, with enough differentiation in terms of enemy types. It’s also neat that some classes perform better per situation/level so you’re encouraged to try out every class and try out all mechanics of play.

The original EDF series is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, having sold over 5 million units worldwide. After two decades of relentless alien invasions, the Earth Defense Force series has grown into a beloved and iconic saga, captivating players around the world with its exhilarating gameplay, memorable characters, and a relentless mission to defend our planet from extraterrestrial threats. Earth Defense Force 6 also earned a User’s Choice Award at the PlayStation Partner Awards 2022 and also received the “Award of Excellence” at the Japan Game Awards 2023.

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Appetite for Danger Provides a Hearty Meal of Adventure For Magnum P.I.

Josh Speer

Magnum P.I. - Season 5 — MAGNUM P.I. -- "Appetite for Danger" Episode 513 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Well folks, it’s Wednesday, and you know what that means – another episode of Magnum P.I.! This week’s episode is titled ‘Appetite for Danger’ and it lives up to it in a very literal sense. It’s all about a missing executive chef, and meanders in fun and unpredictable ways. It starts at a fancy gala where everyone is unconscious, then rewinds 29 hours earlier to show how Magnum wound up there wearing a gas mask and fighting armed men solo.

Before he goes to the gala, Magnum is on a fancy date with Higgins, enjoying the finer things in life, including glasses of wine. Higgins can’t help but give him a hard time about how frugal he is, despite clearly enjoying the finer things in life. Thomas clams up, and doesn’t want to go into details about how he spends money. But Higgins is dogged, and finds many opportunities in the episode to pester him.

As for why they’re on a date at this particular location, it’s thanks to their client. He’s treating them to a sumptuous meal, but not a life changing one. That’s because his head chef, a man named Kanoa Clark, is missing. There’s speculation it could be many things, including drugs, a new girlfriend or rivalry with his fellow chefs. And the reason he wants private investigators instead of HPD is because he strongly suspects many of his crew are illegal immigrants. So what’s a dynamic duo to do, other than find the missing man?

They quickly find some shifty financial statements and large cash deposits. The only way they can find out more about Kanoa’s relationship with the staff is to send someone undercover. And the perfect man for the job is none other than Gordon Katsumoto! Not only is he a foodie, but he’s a chef in his own right. He jumps at the opportunity to cook with some professionals for the low price of admission of asking them a few questions on the sly.

MAGNUM P.I. — “Appetite for Danger” Episode 513 — Pictured: Tim Kang as Detective Gordon Katsumoto — (Photo by: NBC)

There’s also a couple of side stories in ‘Appetite for Danger.’ One is about Rick, who I’m still angry at, coaching T.C.’s junior baseball team, the Island Hoppers. He’s doing a piss poor job, and with his adopted son Cade’s help, T.C. has been watching the game and providing critiques to Rick.

The other main side story, and a much more emotional one, is about Kumu and Cade interviewing a man named Mr. Nakamura about his time in the Japanese internment camps as a child. We get some harrowing flashbacks, and the cruelty and racism of the American government is painfully apparent. Not only was George and his family put into a camp nicknamed Hell Valley, but his mother got badly sick, and later on he was separated from his little sister, May.

Back to the main quest, I love the montage of food preparation. Katsumoto gives the gig his all, and for his trouble gets nicknamed Microwave. Since he’ll be done in 30 seconds or less. Ouch. Thankfully the undercover cop is made of stern stuff, and learns about how the new boss, Jason, apparently got treated badly by Kanoa. Jason is now acting executive chef, so might have a grudge and motive.

Meanwhile Thomas and Juliette find that Kanoa had been working part time with a catering company called Glorious Island Catering. They strongly imply Kanoa had a drug problem, and say they haven’t been able to reach him as well. Then Gordon finds Jason outside being shaken down by two thugs, one armed with Jason’s own paring knife. Gordie makes quick work of them, and in the process secures the knife to take prints. He also learns that outside of the kitchen, Jason and Kanoa got along perfectly fine.

Equipped with some DNA evidence, Magnum and Juliette follow Gordon’s new lead to talk with one of the thugs, a big man named Loto. He says Kanoa and he met while he was in prison. Turns out, Kanoa had been teaching cooking to inmates. He also tells them that Kanoa had a new girlfriend, an attractive woman named Olivia Leong. And just after they look into that lead, they discover Olivia was recently kidnapped as well. Gordon talks with her ex husband she’s in the midst of divorcing, and he definitely seems like a smooth criminal. Just not the one they’re after in this episode.

Our duo tracks the kidnapped woman to the gala we saw at the beginning of the episode, and finds caterers working at the museum. Just one catch, they’re not really caterers. No, Glorious Island Catering is a front for a robbery crew. They case a joint posing as the help, then return hours later to rob it. But they’re not doing things the slow way this time, and dose the entire gala with knockout gas. Everyone except them and Magnum, who grabs a gas mask off one thug.

Though poor Higgins does get a dose of the knockout gas, Thomas is a gentleman and secures a gas mask on her prone face. Which turns out to be a good plan, because once he gets outside and tries to save Kanoa, things get complicated. He does manage to help Kanoa, but then two armed criminals are about to shoot him, at least until a conscious Juliette knocks the hell out of them.

MAGNUM P.I. — “Appetite for Danger” Episode 513 — Pictured: Stephen Hill as Theodore “TC” Calvin — (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Back with T.C., he’s still struggling through rehab. So Rick does something smart to help. First he has T.C. provide some wisdom to the Island Hoppers via phone, which helps them win the game. Then later Rick surprises T.C. at the hospital with the entire time to provide enough encouragement for him to cross the bars while walking upright.

Then Cade finds Mr. Nakamura’s missing sister, May. Though she died a few years back, she lived a full and happy life, and he helps the old man face time with his extended family. It’s a really touching moment. As for how the episode ends, Kanoa and sous chef Gordie make Magnum and Juliette a sumptuous meal, before they finally tell both men to sit down and enjoy it with them.

MAGNUM P.I. — “Appetite for Danger” Episode 513 — Pictured: Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins — (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Overall ‘Appetite for Danger’ was a very solid episode of Magnum P.I., and definitely better than last week’s. Though we still lack a big bad to motivate the action, I’m happy with episodes of the week in the meantime.

Ben Chases UFOs and Processes Loss in ‘Quantum Leap’ Episode 203

Mary Fan

Poor Ben. He’s now on his third leap after he was supposed to go home, and it ain’t easy trying to process everything that happened while trying to save a team of airmen in enemy territory, or negotiate a bank robbery before tragedy strikes. At least this time, he isn’t in imminent danger, with life-or-death stakes demanding his attention. After leaping into a 1940s UFO investigator, Ben — and the audience — finally has a moment to process what’s going on. And what’s going on is a big fat spoiler if you haven’t watched the first two episodes yet, so this is your chance to turn away. Review to commence after this photo of the Quantum Leap panel at WonderCon.

“Quantum Leap at WonderCon — Pictured: (l-r) Deborah Pratt, Executive Producer; Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett — (Photo by: David Yeh/NBC)

Addison has stepped back into the imaging chamber — a hairy emotional situation since three years have passed for her, but only a matter of days for Ben. He thought he was going to leap home and be reunited with his fiancée. She spent years mourning him and eventually moved on. Addison has been seeing someone else for eight months now, and Ben is admirably accepting of this. In fact, he seems a bit too calm…

The mission at hand is less urgent than the previous two. Ben isn’t in imminent danger — rather, he’s been tasked with investigating a teenager’s claim to have been run off the road by a UFO. The accident put the girl’s best friend in a coma, and in the original timeline, the friend dies and, without any way to prove it was anything but reckless driving, the girl is convicted of manslaughter. Compounding the problem is the fact that the friend’s father owns half the town and is out for blood. The girl’s grandfather is the local sheriff, and he’ll do anything to protect his one surviving family member.

But as Ben begins poking around, it becomes clear that the news of the time jump and Addison’s new relationship has affected his behavior. He becomes uncharacteristically reckless and impulsive, lashing out because he has nowhere to place his anger. One gets the sense that he’s too decent a person to place any blame on Addison, and yet a deep down, a secret part of him — a part he dislikes and wants to suppress — blames her nonetheless. And who can blame him? From his point of view, they were engaged mere days ago and never even broke up. And now he must accept the fact that he has lost her, while still working with her to save a teenager’s future.

Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song and Caitlin Bassett as Addison. Image: NBC

“Closure Encounters” sends Ben on a sci-fi-style adventure whose plot stretches credulity a bit and borders on cliché and even predictable. Nevertheless, the execution keeps things entertaining. Quantum Leap‘s strength since the beginning of season one has been creating characters sympathetic enough for you to care about, so you care what happens even if the plot is a little thin. I mean, who wouldn’t sympathize with a tough-as-nails but soft-for-his-granddaughter old sheriff? Or a terrified, wide-eyed teenaged girl who must be saved from an unjust fate?

The true point of the episode, though, is Ben and Addison dealing with the emotions around their new relationship as exes. Now, it’s Ben’s turn to mourn. It does seem interesting that he’s suddenly single, though. Sam Beckett was notorious for bedding beautiful women in the past (a questionable practice considering they thought he was someone else, and that someone else was watching from the retconned-into-oblivion Waiting Room). Will Ben’s new status free him to romance other characters? There do seem to be hints that a certain comely guest star, with whom Ben develops a rapport beyond what was necessary for the leap, may reappear…

This season so far, it feels like the show has mastered the balance between past and present, with even doses of Ben’s-adventure-in-the-past and what’s-going-on-at-HQ. The result is another solid episode that succeeds in presenting a self-contained story for the leap while advancing overall character arcs… and setting up whatever this season’s Big Plot will be.

4/5 stars

NYCC 2023: Slayers: A Buffyverse Story Roundtable Interview

Josh Speer

October 18, 2023

Let me just get something out of the way real quickly. I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I grew up with the series, and it definitely helped inform my tastes and sense of humor. So much so that I still think fondly about it and the cast that helped make it so amazing.

Which brings us to NYCC 2023. I got an opportunity to attend a panel for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, and ask questions of the cast and crew! Who was I to say no to such an amazing opportunity? Especially with such big names, the likes of Anthony Head (Giles) included. But for the panel itself, the names that mattered were the following in attendance – Christopher Golden, the director; Amber Benson (Tara), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), Emma Caulfield Ford (Anya), James Charles Leary (Clem), James Marsters (Spike), Juliet Landau (Drusilla) and newcomer Laya DeLeon Hayes (Indira).

The room itself was comprised of 4 tables arranged at the corners of the room. Press such as myself picked a table, filled it up with generally 5-7 press per table, along with 2 reserved seats. Those seats were for the cast, and they played a game of musical chairs after a few minutes of talking with us and answering our pressing questions. I had a pretty great seat, and had Anya, Indira, Spike and Tara seated right next to me.

There were a lot of cool takeaways just from listening to the actors involved. Such as how they mostly recorded in the same place, to play off each other’s emotions, and how close they all seem to be. James Marsters and James Charles Leary were thick as thieves, Charisma and Emma seemed like sisters, and even Juliet and Laya seemed to share a lot of affection for each other. Another important bit was how none of this would have happened if not for Amber Benson corralling all her former friends and colleagues back together to record Slayers, and how vital Christopher Golden was keeping all the details straight to help form a cohesive narrative.

The following is a transcription of the questions I asked, as well as the answers I received.

Amber Benson: Good morning!

Press at my table: Good morning! (assorted laughter)

The Workprint: So alternate characters implies a multiverse. Might we see more than one universe of familiar characters in this series?

Christopher Golden: You mean more than the two?

TWP: Yea, more than the two.

CG: I think anything is possible. We haven’t really discussed that possibility. But right now I think that –

AB: (interjects) – We’re pro multiverse theory.

CG: Yea, we’re pro multiverse theory, although I feel like we’ve spent this whole round focused on building this reality.

TWP: Got it.

CG: And leaving us in a place where this reality has become, at least for the time period, the playground we’re playing with. That said, you never know!

AB: (to me) But I like where you’re thinking!

Charisma Carpenter (joining the table with Emma): Hi I’m Charisma, nice to meet you!

TWP: So what are some of the more exciting ways that Slayer Cordelia is different from the one we’ve come to adore?

CC: She’s so very different. She’s darker, heavier, with the weight of the world, embattled, emotionally worn and torn. And yet hopeful and strategic. And thoughtful about knowing that she needs help, which I think maybe the former version was less inclined to do or lean into. I think after doing this for so long she realizes, yeah, I’m gonna need a team. I’m gonna need help. And I think that’s a metaphor for life.

TWP: Thank you.

Juliet Landau (joining table with Laya): Hello! How you guys doing today? (assorted hellos from the table)

TWP: (to Juliet) What’s some of the more exciting parts of you being the Big Bad in Slayers?

JL: Ooo. Well, who doesn’t love being bad? (laughter) You know, to get to do things that you would never do in life and to get to behave in certain ways. Also with Drusilla there’s such a freedom and abandon with the character. I think it’s one of the things people have always responded to. She’s unabashed in her sexuality, fearless in a lot of ways. And so I think being the Big Bad you get to push that envelope even a little further. And in this alternate reality Drusilla is also more ambitious. So she has more of a strategy, but you know, sometimes it goes a little off course. Because who does anything in a straight line? It always takes a circuitous route.

TWP: Thank you.

James Marsters (joining table with James Charles Leary): You know, James, the interviews are going well when they want to take a picture with me.

James Charles Leary: I know, right?

JM: Because if it didn’t go well they’d be like, “and thank you, goodbye” (laughter).

TWP: How do you see Spike? Hero, villain, something in between?

JM: Um, hero. I think once he got his soul and realized how much damage he had been doing, and decided to try and do differently, knowing he couldn’t make up for everything, I think he was pretty well put on a path toward at least trying to be a good guy. Now whether he can actually pull that off, he’s at least trying to do that.

JCL: And when he can’t, that’s where Clem comes in! (laughter)

TWP: Thank you both!

If you’re also a huge fan of all things Buffy, be sure and check out Slayers: A Buffyverse Story on Audible today. And stay tuned for my remaining coverage from NYCC!

Loki embraces his inner bad cop in “Breaking Brad”

Norton

When last we left Loki the TVA was fucked, General Dox and her army were on a heavily armored hunt for Sylvie, and Loki had finally stopped time-slipping. As OB worked on a solution for the temporal loom, Loki and Mobius set out to find Sylvie before Dox and her army could.

We begin on the sacred timeline and although Loki is sure Sylvie isn’t there, Mobius has a different target. Brad Wolfe aka Hunter X-5, has decided to live the life he was denied. A Hollywood actor of some clout, he’s strangely unbothered at seeing his fellow TVA associate and Loki. It’s all smooth talk and empty promises until he runs. The god of mischief isn’t surprised or deterred and happily uses his magic to capture the rogue minuteman. But, Brad isn’t fond of talking, even after some stewing time, and manages to get under Mobius’ skin. It’s unclear if he actually riles Loki or the imp simply plays the part. Still, the Asgardian anti-hero indulges in some theatrics later when he (lightly) tortures Brad into opening up. He and Mobius continue to make a great team!

Brad is reluctantly recruited to reveal Sylvie’s hiding spot, the branched timeline we saw from the premiere’s mid-credits scene. While Loki has a chat with his variant self, Brad sits uneasily with Mobius in the McDonald’s where she works. Mobius tries to get the deserter to calm down and take in the odd turn of events but Brad’s behavior starts to set off alarm bells. Why is he so eager to get back to the TVA?

Turns out General Dox didn’t take the order to stop pruning well, at all. Meaning, she’s sent her minutemen army out to the branched timelines in order to plant explosives which will then be detonated all at once, simultaneously pruning all the branched timelines. It’s a damn clever plan that proves nearly impossible to stop. Mobius, Loki, and Sylvie give it their best effort but the general instructs her followers to blow what they can. On the downside it’s a massacre, on the upside the temporal loom should be OK for now.

Side events of note include Casey’s geeking out over meeting Ouroboros, the mystery of Brad’s temp-pad (tampered with to allow for the general’s mass pruning event), the fact that Ravonna may have joined up with Kang, and the revelation that Miss Minutes is integral to fixing the temporal loom (since getting Kang DNA is unlikely).

Things that bothered me about this episode include Casey’s knowledge of the temp pad being ignored, Hunter X-5 resuming his life on the sacred timeline, Sylvie’s reactions to the timeline massacre, and Loki’s questions about the future.

Firstly, Hunter X-5 can’t return to his place on the sacred timeline because he’s a variant. Isn’t the point of pruning variants that they cause branched timelines if they are allowed to exist? Does this mean Hunter X-5 killed his sacred timeline self? Did the general? Logically, it’s the only way he could exist without causing a branch, right? The last possibility is he found a point on the timeline where his sacred self died but no one found out so he just took his place.

Then there’s Casey, a fan favorite who shows himself to be well-informed this episode. My biggest problem is that if OB is busy working on the temporal loom why wouldn’t Casey be given the task of figuring out the temp-pad issue? He clearly knows it isn’t tampered with in the way Brad said it was, so why not let him figure out how it was altered? And sure, one could argue that Casey was busy trying to track Ravonna, but since that’s not a secret couldn’t any of the other analysts do that? I hope Casey gets a bigger part this season.

Next, Sylvie’s reaction to the massacre is not great. Granted, her anger at the TVA for the massacres does fit the profile of a covert narcissist if you believe all Loki’s are prone to narcissism (which isn’t a stretch). When Loki confronts her about giving people free-will and then walking away, her response is that yes, that’s how it works. But, to destroy an entire system built on a lie and not stick around to help it develop a new system isn’t “how it works.” To give people free-will without any instruction is equally as bad as denying people any free-will and constant instruction. Yes, free-will is a choice everyone should get but unchecked free-will causes chaos. Loki’s speech from his first trip to NY (referenced in this episode by the way) does touch on a fundamental truth of humanity: we do crave subjugation – at least to a degree – that’s why religion persists despite science.

For Sylvie to turn around and blame the TVA is laughably obtuse. She’s the one who destroyed their ideals and way of life. The institution itself isn’t rotten but zealots have a tendency to fill a vacuum when it presents itself. Loki at least has the self-awareness to understand Kang’s greater purpose. Is pruning branching timelines equivalent to mass murder? Kind of, sure, but one could easily argue that those timelines were never meant to exist so is it really murder? On the other hand, variants seem to be a naturally occurring phenomenon which means branched timelines are also natural? Technically, this all boils down to Kang and his problematic selves. Still, I wonder if someone will call the lady Loki out on her bullshit.

Finally, why does Loki ask Sylvie about the future? Is he fishing for some sign that she still has affection for him? She doesn’t ask him about the time-slipping, she only gets mad when he implies that because he saw the future it has to be true. In fairness, he doesn’t question her about what happened after she pushed him through the time door. He does however wonder if she can be happy in her fake new life, which she returns to once she discovers it isn’t one of the timelines that was destroyed.

Overall, this was a good episode. Seeing Loki using his magic, and even get a bit of the old him back during the interrogation scene was great fun. Brad Wolfe made for an interesting foil, even if Loki did get the better of him eventually. And the Loki/Sylvie team up was long-awaited. Too bad it was short lived. Still, the relationship between Loki and Mobius is the heart of this show and the way Loki helps Mobius confront his feelings is sweet. Turns out Mobius isn’t bothered by the prospect of finding out he might had lived a terrible life, no, his fear is that he was denied a wonderful life. Makes sense, who would lament a life of pain and tragedy? To learn you could have been happier though? Ouch. Most variants get stuck on the idea of being denied a chance to live, but look at Loki. His place on the sacred timeline didn’t exactly go great. Sure, he got to die a hero but he still died. And while everyone dies, my guess is Asgardians have significantly longer life-spans meaning Loki possibly died young. Here at the TVA he’s found a purpose, he’s been given the opportunity to grow and evolve – something his sacred self also got to do (well, the personal growth part, not so much the purpose). Mobius sees the advantage to living this strange life, especially since he lost his memories of his life before, what’s there to miss really?

NYCC 2023: The New Marvel Ultimate Universe Gives Fans What They Want – An Older Peter Parker and More Peach Momoko

Christian Angeles

October 18, 2023

Marvel’s ongoing Ultimate Universe is going for a fresh approach for the franchise’s critical hits. At the Next Big Thing Panel at New York Comic Con, we learned a little bit about some of these upcoming plans after Ultimate Invasion, kicking off with Ultimate iterations of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and The X-Men. All set for release next year.

Starting with the one-shot Ultimate Universe #1, the line will then focus in on Ultimate Spider-Man, where an older Peter B. Parker/Spider-Verse-inspired Peter takes the lead, in a pretty different take from what we’ve seen in 616 thus far. It’s also heavily implied that his radioactive spider bite origins seem to be different in that The Maker seems to be intervening before the bite can happen.

Why is taking a Peter B. Parker Approach a big deal for fans?

Well, Peter B. Parker’s Spider-Verse iteration of the character also sees Peter and MJ happily married with their daughter, Mayday after effectively getting his life and marriage back in order. While it’s very different, it’s also a storyline that’s working very well as fan service for the most dedicated Spider-Man fans. The kinds of people who have been pining for Happily married Peter Parker since the resolution to ‘One More Day’ — a storyline from 2007 that effectively retconned 20 years of marriage for Peter and Mary Jane.

Black Panther Defends Wakanda from Moon Knight

As for Black Panther, this Ultimate title series will be written by Bryan Hill (Blade, Killmonger) and drawn by Stefano Caselli (X-Men Red, Avengers). In this iteration we see Moon Knight–the force that is Khonshu and Ra–-threaten all of Africa including the soverign nation of Wakanda. This of course leads them to call upon their country’s champion: The Black Panther.

“I was invigorated by this opportunity because in addition to my immense respect for Johnathan Hickman’s detailed storytelling, the idea of shepherding this bold new take on Black Panther in this event gives me a platform to do the kind of broad, epic, storytelling I’ve always wanted to do in comics,” Hill said at Hall M at New York Comic Con. “My influences range from the history of Black Panther comics, to Ryan Coogler’s incredible work with the recent films, to Frank Herbert’s world building capacity of Dune. This is something people won’t expect, in the best of ways, and full credit to Marvel and editors Wil Moss and Michelle Marchese for bringing this creative possibility to me.”

X-Momoko and the Ultimate X-Men series by Peach Momoko?

Finally, in this Ultimate Universe, Peach Momoko is likewise getting her own X-Men run after a very successful Demon Days run that essentially Manga-fied the Marvel Universe. The new series will be written, drawn, and covered arted by Peach Momoko herself, though how this can possibly tie into the Ultimate Universe being built is beyond me. Given how popular the artist is (plus, those amazing water colors), it’s not at all that surprising Marvel has given her another run. Though I’m excited as I did absolutely love the MomokoVerse, I’m just curious, as I think are most Marvel fans, how on Earth this can possibly tie into the rest of the new Ultimates line?

“I am very honored to be a part of the new Ultimate Universe,” Momoko said in a Marvel Press Release. “I am very careful in delivering the unique X-Men mutant elements while still being true to my vision and voice. I am also very proud (and surprised) that I was given enough freedom from C.B. Cebulski and Jonathan Hickman to create a brand new X-Men character. It might not be the normal portrayal of a super hero… but, just like with my Momoko-verse stories, I am excited to introduce everyone to this new world.”

I guess only time will tell these next few months.

ULTIMATE UNIVERSE #1 – 75960620801200111

Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by STEFANO CASELLI

Colors by DAVID CURIEL
Cover by BRYAN HITCH

On Sale 11/1

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 – 75960620796100111

Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN

Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO

On Sale 1/10

ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER #1

Written by BRYAN HILL

Art and Cover by STEFANO CASELLI

On Sale 2/7

ULTIMATE X-MEN #1

Written by PEACH MOMOKO
Art and Cover by PEACH MOMOKO

On Sale 3/6

NYCC 2023: An Interview with Upload Costume Designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh on Season 3

Robert Kijowski

October 18, 2023

In the Amazon Prime video series Upload, science fiction blends with reality to present the viewer with a future that is both parts fantastical and realistic. In this universe, being dead is nearly as fun as being alive with customization in the Upload world. Much like in the real world, cash still rules everything around us.

In season one, we meet Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), a creative but flawed soul whose consciousness resides in a virtual afterlife, Lake View following his potentially fatal automobile accident. We also meet Nora (Andy Allo), a flesh-and-blood employee of Horizen, whose quick wit and steely decisiveness win Nathan over. We dive headfirst into the insane world of “uploads”, where the only limiting factor on what you can wear is how deep your virtual-virtual pockets are.

In season two, we cover even more ground, quite literally as we venture into the forest to reside with the Ludds. We don’t leave behind the virtual world as much as we do the cold city for more verdant environs. Shady shit’s afoot, sure, but I’ll be damned if the people perpetrating it didn’t have their eye for clothing patterns on point.

From celebrity-worn clothing to monochromatic sweatsuits in Lake View to the boho-chic of NYC, the posh raiment of LA, and everywhere in between, the rich characters we meet along the way are magnificently magnified by their looks. This is no small feat by any means and the creative driving force behind this achievement is Costume Designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh.

I interviewed her for this new season of Upload (Amazon Prime Video) and gained some insight into what it’s like not only to envisage our future selves and what we’d wear but also what we can look forward to.

Transcription below:

Robert Kijowski: Hello.

Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh: Hello, how are you?

RK: I’m doing well. I’m Robert from the Workprint (theWorkprint.com) and I’m here with Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, Costume Designer for the hit, innovative Amazon series Upload. It’s a pleasure to speak with you, Farnaz.

FKS: A pleasure to be here, thank you.

RK: Now, being the sartorial head of such an amazing series, I would imagine it’s so much fun- different worlds, different looks different aesthetics: What was the initial challenge of trying to tackle a near future, multiple worlds while still being pragmatic and fashionable at the same time?

FKS: The biggest challenge was to create a world where it’s still in the future, but it’s at the same time relatable because a lot of times when people say “future” they think Sci-Fi, very futuristic and we just wanted it to be a little bit more down to earth, a little bit more relatable and what realistically fifteen years from now would look like. You know, fashion does change, but it doesn’t change that drastically all the time. So it’s kind of like understanding how our world would be fifteen years from now and how that would affect the way people dress. We looked at a lot of recycling materials, the use of technological fabrics, 3D printing fabrics that hold in heat or cool off-

RK: Interesting!

FKS: And protect your skin against external elements as well as sort of like what would be our environment at that point, right?

RK: Yeah.

FKS: Like how is the weather changing at that point because the climate’s changing all the time-

RK: Yes, yes!

FKS: And you know, a lot of it, we’ll see like we made New York much colder, so you see a lot more texture, a lot more layering there whereas… you know, L.A.’s world is much warmer. So softer, lighter weight to keep people cool but still protect them against the weather and the sun. So there was a lot of discovering all of those elements that would play into what people would wear.

RK: Speaking of that, I sense an evolution from season one to season two in terms of look. For example, with Nathan, we have in Lake View and I noticed his look was very bright, almost nascent, almost newborn-ish-

FKS: Yes.

RK: And with Nora in Lake View, I loved the double-breasted coat, it gave off almost a “spy vibe”. If anybody’s not seen Upload yet, please see it. It’s amazing and the costuming is just… Chef’s kiss.

FKS: Thank you very much.

RK: In season two, I noticed that we moved towards warmer, earthier tones. Without giving anything away, but in terms of textiles, materials, and fabrics, what can we expect in season three?

FKS: There are a lot more character developments in season three… a lot of new character arcs that you’ll see… Nathan, Nora, Aleesha, Ingrid, and a lot of those [arcs] play a part in what their wardrobe looks like and the changes that will happen in their clothing, you know.

RK: Yes.

FKS: So that’s something to look out for… we have a lot of new characters introduced this season, so it’s very exciting trying to develop their arcs as well and add them to the story. That’s a lot of fun as well to get the design for that.

RK: Now at the end of season one, we see Nathan in a grey jumpsuit. I’m not going to give anything away, but for those of you who have not seen Upload, get on that and then get on that look, because that look is too fire for its context. And I know spoilers are the bane of the internet, so I’m not going to spoil anything. I’m going to phrase this very creatively: For this new season, do you have one or two good looks for particular people and can you say what without giving any spoilers away?

FKS: Ooh. There’s a lot of really new looks. There’s um-

RK: You don’t have to mention the characters!

FKS: I can say the character, but I can’t say what the look is…

RK: Okay…

FKS: So I will say that definitely, Nathan will have a couple of very interesting looks. Luke is going to have a couple of interesting looks, as well! So those are fun. And I think one of the biggest changes will probably be Aleesha, so…

RK: Yes. I will say that I’ve seen all of season three and the only thing I can say with assurance is- the evolution continues.

FKS: Yes!

RK: Upload season three premieres on October 20th of this month on Amazon Prime Video. Farnaz, it was so rad talking with you.

FKS: Thanks so much. Thanks for talking to me as well.

Vive la évolution.

NYCC 2023: AVENGERS TWILIGHT by Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña is a Cyberpunk Styled End of Heroes Journey

Christian Angeles

October 18, 2023

At New York Comic Con’s Marvel’s Next Big Thing panel, former Daredevil writer, comicbook artist (along with current DC’s Batman writer) Chip Zdarsky took the stage with Marvel’s Editor in Chief, C.B. Cebulski. Together, they announced a new Avengers miniseries by Zdarsky and Acuña, which Zdarsky had finished scripting back in 2019 before being hired by DC for his current run on Batman.

From the clip below, we see that sometime in the future Steve Rogers became a US Senator. This is after The Avengers are long gone and a police state reigns with martial law and a police force equipped with Iron Man power armor. Atop of this, the series promises to be to some degree, a creator-owned IP for Zdarsky. Who jokingly said on stage that he was in this for that “Sweet action figure money.” This was, before running down the halls high-fiving everyone

For more information, you can check out the trailer for AVENGERS: TWILIGHT. You can also read Marvel’s official press release below.

New York, NY— October 14, 2023 — Just now at the MARVEL: Next Big Thing Panel at New York Comic Con, writer Chip Zdarsky and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski shared story details, art, and debuted an epic new trailer for AVENGERS: TWILIGHT, a bold and thought-provoking new limited series launching in January!

Superstar creative team Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña welcome readers to the world of tomorrow where the age of heroes is over but the future still needs to be avenged! Fans can their first glimpse at this new age in the AVENGERS: TWILIGHT trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork, as well as a special promotional image by Acuña.

In a gleaming new world of prosperity, Captain America is no more. But Steve Rogers still exists, floating through an America where freedom is an illusion, where the Avengers are strangers and his friends are long dead. But is the Dream? How do you assemble Avengers in a world that doesn’t want them?

Check out a promotional piece by Daniel Acuña below and stay tuned for more AVENGERS: TWILIGHT news in the coming weeks, including the reveal of the main covers!

AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #1 (OF 6)

Written by CHIP ZDARSKY

Art by DANIEL ACUÑA

On Sale 1/17

NYCC 2023: An Interview With Kayden Phoenix About The Majestics

Josh Speer

October 17, 2023

Though I wasn’t able to personally attend NYCC last year, The Workprint did, and met up with Kayden Phoenix about her then gamble to bring us a Latina superhero team called A La Brava. Following the success of that venture, this year I got to meet up with Kayden myself and ask about her newest creation, a team of Native and Latina princesses called The Majestics.

The Workprint: What’s the most significant way that The Majestics will differ from A La Brava?

Kayden Phoenix: They’re completely opposite. One is more all ages, which are the younger ones, The Majestics. My native and Latina princesses. So all ages princess adventures. A La Brava is a superhero story with Latina superheroes. And so it’s a bit older, there’s crimefighting, they have grounded powers but they go after social injustices.

TWP: You’ve gone from struggling to find funding for one project to having your own publishing company, Phoenix Studios. Tell us how that feels.

KP: It feels really great! It’s really nice to be an entrepreneur, right? You have all the power in your hand, but you have all the control. So I can hire all Latina artists, I can put Latinas at the forefront, I can do what I like. So it’s very fortunate in that matter I can actually afford to do that.

TWP: Representation and empowerment are key themes in your stories. How do you keep those tales fresh while continuing to grow your fan base?

KP: That’s a great question. I think I do what I like, honestly. What would I find entertaining? So we’ve seen all the Disney princesses and they’re absolutely great, the ones I’ve grown up with. But like, where’s our space princess? There’s princess Leia, where’s the ones for the little kids, though? Where’s our Aztec, Witch princess, Death princess? It has nothing necessarily to do with the regional geography of them, but it’s fun adventure stories we just don’t get to see.

TWP: Speaking of representation, will you feature the talents of any Native artists or writers in The Majestics?

KP: It will not, unfortunately. I couldn’t find any! It’s my fault as publisher. Mexica is my Aztec princess. And they are all Latina artists by being Mexican artists. So that is Mexican, you know, their descendants and ancestry. So I did use them. But I do focus more on Latina.

TWP: How has the support of companies like Disney / ABC Eyewitness News 7, Spectrum News 1 and Telemundo changed things for The Majestics?

KP: It’s just more awareness. I’m very fortunate to even have them speaking to me. But it brings awareness to the community. And to give hope that others are out there and that you can make it yourself.

TWP: Now the most important question – which of your new princesses is your personal favorite? Which is your least?

KP: My personal favorite is Macab, and that is my Death princess.

TWP: That one looked really cool!

KP: Thank you! Okay and then my least favorite, which I cannot really say my least favorite, but of the ones that are out right now of the four, would be Alora. Not that she sucks, but I just had to get the least one, so I went backwards of my favorites and least favorite. And that is my Witch princess.

TWP: I personally think A La Brava would be amazing as an animated series. Any plans for expanding The Majestics to other mediums besides graphic novels?

KP: Yes. That was the whole purpose was to get it to studio level, which is something I cannot pay for myself. But studio level whether it’s GB or features.

TWP: Anything you want to say to your fans?

KP: Just thank you. I appreciate all the support. And just, like there is a community out there, regardless of it’s Latina or anything else in the world. But there is a community out there, and if not you can also create it yourself!

Thanks again to Kayden for her time and great answers. Be sure and check out The Majestics. And stay tuned for more NYCC coverage from The Workprint!

NYCC 2023: Meet the Voice Cast of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Panel

Josh Speer

October 17, 2023

I didn’t go to NYCC expecting much of the gaming world. But sometimes, opportunities arise unexpectedly, and that’s exactly what led to my attending the Meet the Voice Cast of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth panel. Not only was I lucky enough to secure a prime seat, only a couple rows away from the stage, but I took plenty of photos of the experience.

It started with the jovial MC hosting a competition with volunteers from the audience. They alternated in rounds posing as famous characters, and many were dressed for the occasion. My favorite was a tall, slender man dressed as Wailuigi, but there was another seasoned contender wearing a pretty bow. She played to win, and regularly posed as characters from Final Fantasy, which kept her high in the audience’s favor. It wasn’t enough to win it big, though, as the MC finally told both contestants they couldn’t use FF for the final pose, and Wailuigi won it big.

After that mayhem, T-shirts were thrown to those dancing to the music, which lasted for a surprising amount of time, but all in good fun. Finally the MC went aside and a new person took over as the mouthpiece for the event – some guy named Matthew Mercer. Maybe you’ve heard of him?

Bad jokes aside, Mr. Mercer lived up to the hype, and was engaging and full of jokes as he introduced the cast members – Cody Christian (Cloud Strife), John Eric Bentley (Barret), Britt Baron (Tifa Lockheart), Max Mittelman (Red XIII) and Suzie Yeung (Yuffie Kisaragi). Not present on the stage was Briana White, who voices none other than Aerith Gainsborough, though she did appear on one of the massive screens to either side of the stage to say hi briefly.

One of the more fun reveals from Meet the Voice Cast of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was that Matthew Mercer wasn’t just the announcer for the panel, but he’s also going to be the voice actor for moody vampire Vincent Valentine! He even went full Vincent a couple times in the panel, changing his voice at a moment’s notice. Not only was I really impressed by Matthew, but I was surprised to see on the big screens he had colorful pinkish purple fingernails. Clearly a man of style and taste.

Besides that, they also brought on Naoki Hamaguchi and his translator, though Yoshinori Kitase didn’t make the trip. Instead, he made a brief announcement from the big screens. There was a lot of love and brotherhood on display during the voice panel, from John Eric Bentley’s warmth and big brother energy to the cast being welcoming of Cody, who hadn’t ever done voice acting prior to this. Suzie showed how to channel her inner brat for playing Yuffie, and Max talked about the challenges of riding a chocobo while being a four legged cat creature. They even showed off Cloud in a resort town riding a really awkward vehicle around.

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All in all, I’m very glad I was able to attend the Meet the Voice Cast of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth panel at NYCC. Be sure and check out some of the pictures I took. And stay tuned for more coverage from NYCC 2023!

NYCC 2023: MAX’s Scavengers Reign Will Be Trippy, Horrifying, Lush and Thought Provoking

Robert Kijowski

October 16, 2023

Scavengers Reign — Get ready for a wild crash... before the wild ride.

On a Thursday panel at New York City Comic Con, Co-creator Joe Bennett was joined by the writers and directors Benjy Brooke, Sean Buckelew, and James Merrill to unveil the pilot episode of their new Max Original series, Scavengers Reign. Based on the nearly eight-minute wordless animated short Scavengers by Bennett and Charles Huettner, the space crew of the Demeter 227 crashes onto an unknown planet before their ascent with its life sustains them as they attempt to find a way back home.

Here are a few takeaways from that panel:

The creators Bennett and Huettner started out with animated shorts, but a thought had been cooking which would eventually be Scavengers. Bennett combined exploration and wild but logical physics in everyday interaction through a sci-fi lens. He asked Charles if he’d be interested in an idea of this magnitude. Lo and behold, Scavengers was made, having aired on Adult Swim’s “Toonami” block “sometime in the early morning.”
The principles of “cause and effect” factor heavily into this world they architected. The way the stranded souls of the spaceship Demeter discover life and eke out a way to survive on this planet is such a joy to watch unravel, I believe Rube Goldberg would have been a bit jealous but also very proud.
Though initially wordless, they brought on additional writers to create story arcs for this twelve-episode first season. The writers directed the actors from line readings to give them an idea of what to bring, which isn’t typical at all for Hollywood (so massive kudos to them!)
In keeping with that spirit of traversing further into the unknown, Bennett and Huetter found their team of animators through Instagram, eschewing more traditional avenues. This largely disparate stable of international talent wouldn’t seem like a likely setup for success, but somehow they made it work. Nobody came from a television background, which gives the show a very “ragtag” feel to its DNA, not unlike the rogue survivors themselves.
The planet has no name. The creatures have no name. They are all unidentified. This gives the series a very audacious feeling. The humans constantly find themselves in very touch-and-go situations. Whatever it is they’re going through, we’re just as unfamiliar as they are. Things are being seen that have never been dreamt up until now.
Artists are from all over. They eventually found their groove in the process of making the show. The actors were encouraged to use their native accents and slang. In fact, to prepare, the creators would watch interviews with the actors rather than watching their previous work. Just like the planet and the flora and fauna included, everything had to be organic. This also includes ad-libs that were animated if they totally made sense to the overall product, even if they had to go off script.
They were particularly steadfast on each ecosystem being self-contained, with its own rules. The creators made up their own organic logic by reverse engineering the Rube Goldberg process in order to get to the main function of life existing. That is pretty damn impressive.

The stranded humans aren’t looking to unite because nobody is aware of the other’s existence. The whole process of making the cartoon was painstaking and “nothing was cheated on.” The whole team made sure the big set pieces were just as amazing and magical as the fleet, ephemeral, incidental moments. Nothing is treated as just ‘existing’ and for my money, it shows.

Having watched the pilot episode, I was enamored by the expansion of the creatures equally as much as the characters through the dialogue. Adding in voices only enriched the experience and my heart swelled and was tugged at more than just a few moments. If the rest of the episodes follow suit, I have a feeling this series will be something extremely special. Its Jean Giraud aesthetic isn’t a veneer and it isn’t the sole soul to it. It’s something way bigger. I haven’t felt this mentally stimulated watching animation since MTV’s The Maxx or playing Another World on Super Nintendo. This is destined to be dissected (much like all of the life on this alien planet) for years to come.

The, what I call “psychedelic symbiosis” of all life forms is naught short of breathtaking, whether gasp-inspiring, suck-the-air-out-of-you gorgeous, or both. It almost feels like the television screen is merely a window into a biosphere.

Scavengers Reign premiers on MAX on October 19th.

NYCC 2023: Lauren Jankowski on The Shape Shifter Chronicles, how a childhood nightmare inspired her book series, and the power of cosplay

Mary Fan

October 16, 2023

Lauren Jankowski, author of The Shape Shifter Chronicles, chose a non-traditional publishing route, opting to release her books through an independent, author-driven publisher of New Adult and Adult fiction, Crimson Fox Publishing.

Jankowski, who is an openly aromantic asexual, adoptee, feminist author from Illinois, heard about Crimson Fox through a website she used to run, Asexual Artists. “I interviewed the head of Crimson Fox, Lyssa Chiavari,” Jankowski said. “And when she started Snowy Wings [the publisher’s young adult branch] and Crimson Fox, she reached out. She’s like, ‘Hey, you want to be part of this?’ And I said, ‘Hell yeah, I want to be part of this! Sign me up!’”

Jankowski has had a very positive experience with Crimson Fox, which uses a co-op model. “Before Crimson Fox, I had no idea what I was doing,” she said. “My books were a mess. Now I have a professional editor, a professional cover designer, and it’s the story that I want to tell… It’s exactly what I wanted to tell.”

The Shape Shifter Chronicles is an urban fantasy series that kicks off with Sere from the Green, which follows a woman named Isis who encounters an ancient mystery when she photographs a murder scene and finds, the next day, that all evidence of the murder has vanished, including the body from the pictures.

“Isis, being who she is, can’t let it go, so she starts investigating,” Jankowski explained. “And in the course of her investigation, she finds out she’s not human like she always assumed. She’s part shape shifter, part guardian. Guardians are similar to ancient gods, and the series is [about] her and three other women who are kicking ass, taking names, trying to figure out what’s going on, what’s happening, why it’s happening, how they can stop it, that sort of thing.”

Jankowski intentionally left the setting vague to allow readers to imagine the plot taking place in their own towns, cities, etc. “It takes place wherever you want it to take place!” she said.

At the moment, there are five books in the series: Sere from the Green (Book 1), Through Storm and Night (Book 2), From the Ashes (Book 3), Haunted by the Keres (Book 4), and The Dwelling of Ekhidna (Book 5).

“I am planning for eight,” Jankowski said, “although I also plan to write other stories that take place in this same universe, just following different characters, or different places, that kind of thing.”

The original inspiration behind the series came from one of Jankowski’s childhood fears. “I was a weird kid… I kept having nightmares where I would wake up, and nobody would remember who I was, including my parents, and there was no evidence that I existed,” she said. “And so I would just kind of wander the world without an identity, not knowing why nobody remembered me. And when I discovered Agatha Christie, I was like, ‘This would make an interesting mystery, if one day you woke up and nobody could remember who you were, and nobody knew who you were. And you know who you are, but [you’re] figuring out what the heck happened.’”

The Shape Shifter Chronicles features a number of colorful characters, including one of Jankowski’s personal favorites, a shape shifter named Sly. “Sly is kind of the secondary character, kind of morally gray, very sexy, femme fatale, loves the ladies,” she said. And, of course, she also favors the character who kicked off the series. “I also love Isis, who kind of gets in over her head and is like, ‘I meant to do that! I don’t care!’” Those who read further books will also get to encounter another of the author’s favorites. “Later in the series, there’s this character named Blitz who comes in. She’s just a bad ass who is just so much fun to write.”

With five books in the series and more planned, The Shape Shifter Chronicles features a number of interweaving plot threads. Blitz features in one of the series’ more complex ones, where she and a character named Jack have a clash of philosophies. “Blitz thinks they should just murder every threat, kill every threat,” Jankowski said. “And Jack’s like, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t do that… that might make people scared!’ And she’s more like, ‘I don’t care!’”

Another plot line deals with a nasty group of necromancers. “[It] is very insidious, very insidious,” Jankowski said. “They are gradually taking over the world by corrupting people, by offering them what they most desire at a price. So yeah, that’s another thing [the heroines] have to contend with: ‘Shit. How do we stop these dang necromancers, who have power over life and death and can also tempt people with whatever they want?’”

Those who stopped by Jankowski’s booth in New York Comic Con’s Writers’ Block (a new section of Artist Alley dedicated to authors) were treated to a few of her many cosplays, including Wednesday Addams from Wednesday, Crowley from Good Omens, and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Jankowski’s passion for cosplay actually began with a lost bet. “I was interviewing to work at Kohl’s… it was going okay, and then, as I walked out, I slammed into a closed door. I slammed my face into the closed door right in front of my interviewer. So I said, ‘I am never going to get this job.’ And my brother’s like, ‘I bet you will!’ And I’m like, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He’s like, ‘Okay, if you do get the job, you have to dress as whatever I choose for the next convention.’ And I was like, ‘Fine! And if I win, you have to edit all my books for free.’ And he said, ‘Sure!’”

Jankowski ended up getting the job, and her brother made her dress up as Holly Golightly at the next convention, an experience that led to a revelation. “I was like, ‘Hey, my anxiety isn’t as bad when I’m dressed as somebody else because I can kind of get into character, get into the head of whatever character I’m cosplaying,’” she said.

One of the characters she cosplays most frequently is Loki, the only queer, adopted character she’d encountered in media. “I have a lot of Loki looks, and I just haven’t looked back,” she said. “It helps with my anxiety, and it makes me feel more confident. It’s so much fun.”

Of her cosplays, Crowley is her current favorite. “I love my Crowley cosplay because it came about right when I needed it, right when I had my heart broken by a woman, and I watched [the show], and I was like, ‘Hey, if a demon from Hell can survive it, I can too!’ If he can survive a queer break up, so can I!”

You can find Jankowski online at https://www.laurenjankowski.com/ and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @Lauren_Jankowsk or Instagram at @ laurenjankowski27.

NYCC 2023: John Jackson Miller on Star Wars: The Living Force, and How Obi-Wan and Yoda’s bad advice inspired the novel

Mary Fan

October 16, 2023

Fan-favorite author John Jackson Miller has written numerous books and comics in the Star Wars universe, and his latest novel, Star Wars: The Living Force, will be released on April 9, 2024 in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook from Random House Worlds. Discussing the book at his table in Writers’ Block (a new section of Artist Alley dedicated to authors) at New York Comic Con, Miller delved into the inspirations and ideas behind the book, which takes place a year before the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

“It is the first novel for the Jedi Council where we show everybody,” Miller said. “Everybody gets a role, everybody gets a point-of-view section or more… I send the Jedi on a road trip.”

In the novel, it takes a bit of a kick from a familiar character to get the entire Jedi Council out of their lofty chamber on Coruscant. “The Jedi Masters are reacting to a challenge from Qui-Gon Jinn, who says, ‘You need to get out of this room,’” Miller explained. “ ‘You need to get out of this room and actually see people, and see if you can maybe actually help somebody, instead of being in this ivory tower here, studying the future of the galaxy or whatever… how long has it been since you’ve all gotten out and actually helped anybody? Talked anybody out of using death sticks? Done any of the Jedi things—even going out and actually… done any work actually protecting people?”

Miller pointed out that while the Jedi Council usually has other people to take on such everyday tasks, it’s essential for them to, as Qui-Gon says, “be mindful of the living Force.”

“The Living Force is the aspect of the Force that involves people who are alive today—those people who are around us,” Miller explained. “It’s one thing to have the responsibility for the entire galaxy, and the future, and everything, but these people really need to get out and see the people.”

When Miller was asked to write a book with the Jedi Council, he decided to explore a matter from the films that might ruffle some fan feathers.

“What I really wanted to do was come to terms with this duality that is out there in the Jedi and in their job,” he said. “Yoda and Obi-Wan give Luke Skywalker bad advice in [Star Wars Episode V] The Empire Strikes Back… I remember watching, in grad school, [Star Wars Episode VI] The Return of the Jedi with the philosophy students, and we were discussing afterward that this was a case where the guidance they gave him was entirely wrong.”

Memorably, in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker receives a vision of Han and Leia suffering and chooses to abandon his training on Dagobah to rescue them, despite both Yoda and Obi-Wan insisting that to do so would lead to disaster. Their warnings appear to pan out as Luke arrives at Bespin with R2-D2, only to fall into Vader’s trap and winds up fighting the Sith Lord before he’s ready. The result: He fails to rescue his friends, the frozen Han is taken by Boba Fett, and Luke loses a hand before fleeing, nearly falling to his death before Leia directs the Millennium Falcon to rescue him. Seeing the wounded Luke toward the end of Empire, it’s easy to believe the two masters were correct.

Miller, however, disagrees with them. “You’d think that Luke didn’t actually accomplish anything,” Miller said. “Well, first of all, that’s not true. R2 saves everybody by fixing the Millennium Falcon. But the other element, and George Lucas intended us to see this, is that by encountering Darth Vader and losing his hand… When [Luke] is battling Darth Vader in front of the Emperor and has a chance to strike Vader down, he pauses and looks at the gloved [mechanical] hand. And we see that, it’s deliberate. It’s him looking at that, realizing in that moment what the lesson of the vision of the tree and the cave on Dagobah [is]… that if he does this thing, he becomes no better than Vader, he would end up having the same fate. And he throws the lightsaber away. And so if he had not gone to save his friends, he would have fallen to the Dark Side.”

For Miller, that scene depicts the Living Force at work. “This is the Living Force saying, ‘Actually, Luke did the right thing,’” he said. “And by doing the right thing, the Force had his back later on.”

What is it that makes the Living Force special? Miller pointed out the differences between the Living Force and another aspect of the Force called the Unifying Force, which was the focus of a 2003 Star Wars novel by James Luceno titled The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force. Both aspects of the Force were introduced in prose by Terry Brooks when he wrote the novelization for The Phantom Menace in 1999.

“There’s the line in The Phantom Menace: ‘You must be mindful of the Living Force,’” Miller said. “And we see Qui-Gon being willing to take on these cases like Jar Jar… Obi-Wan is like, ‘You know, what good is it to keep picking up these life forms like this?’ And Qui-Gon is like, ‘C’mon, you never know how helping this person is going to help you later. You never know. And so it was called the Unifying Force in the Brooks book, where it’s everything in the future and everything surrounding us… later, gets called the Cosmic Force. But the Living Force, I think, was always more… and we hear it from the Jedi, where Yoda says, ‘You’ve got to pay attention to where you are, your surroundings, what’s going on now.’”

In Miller’s view, the Jedi Councilors aren’t ignorant of the here-and-now aspect of the Living Force, but rather their job is such that they are focusing too much on the big picture. To reverse the common saying, they’re missing the trees for the forest. The Living Force is about the Jedi Council going out and seeing the trees.

“So it is a spring break road trip,” Miller said. “They actually get out, and they take a sabbatical. And there’s a major story going on here at the same time, and it all loops together.”

The Living Force contains a lot of complexities, but Miller is enjoying the challenge. “One of the nice things about some of the more recent novels I’ve written, including Strange New Worlds: The High Country for Star Trek, is I’ve had the opportunity to handle some very large casts,” he said. “And [I get to] handle some stories with extremely complicated plotting. Dealing with just the air traffic control of all these characters, and getting them to interact, and getting the story elements to drop the way I want to… I don’t feel I could have written The Living Force ten years ago, and I’m glad to have gotten the chance to do it now.”

Star Wars: The Living Force is currently available for preorder from multiple retailers, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country is available in hardback now, with a trade paperback coming in 2024.

Lastly, Miller was excited to mention that his very first Star Wars novel, Star Wars: Knight Errant, will be getting an essential edition in early 2024. “That will be a delight to see in the new format,” he said.

You can find Miller online at https://farawaypress.com/.

NYCC 2023: Jeff The Shark Has Now Been Read 1 Million Times, So yes, The Marvel Unlimited Pets Series Does Well

Christian Angeles

October 15, 2023

At the Next Big Thing Marvel Panel at Hall M (as Marvel calls it), the company showcased some major reveals for their titles this upcoming year. Hosted by Marvel’s Creative VP Ryan Penagos and joined by Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, there was a lot of hype in the air in what was meant to be a promising new event/series…

That was then jokingly revealed to be about the Marvel Pets Line of Infinity Comics called INFINITY PAWS.

Apparently, the reveal was that the pets are getting their own Thanos-level story! And as someone who’s covered quite a lot of them for this site, I’ll admit, I’m actually kind of super excited. The pet lines on Marvel Unlimited have always felt like reading Sunday morning comics. And according to the panel, the ‘Jeff The Shark!’ series ALONE has been read 1,000,000 times. Which is damn impressive numbers by any sort of modern comics medium means.

Originally created by Kelly Thompson and artist Daniele Di Nicuolo, Jeff The Landshark was originally the pet of Gwen Poole before more or less moving from adopted caretaker to caretaker, including Deadpool and Kate Bishop. First seen in West Coast Avengers, the little character has taken on a life of its own mostly because it’s a cute little shark doggie. Which has been embraced in the infinity comics in little homages to Peanuts and Snoopy and even this take on a Nirvana Cover.

As for the revealed event, the upcoming pet-crossover event for INFINITY PAWS will be written by seasoned Infinity Comic creator Jason Loo (Lucky the Pizza Dog, X-Men Unlimited) and superstar artist and colorist Nao Fuji (Marvel Meow). The series will feature fan-favorite animals from across the Marvel Universe: Jeff the Land Shark, Carol Danvers’ feline companion Chewie, Alligator Loki, and Lucky the Pizza Dog – all stars of their very own Infinity Comics!

“Marvel Meow fans will be in for a treat! Or TREATS! Because we got almost all your favorite Marvel pets in this giant crossover, from the furry ones to the scaly ones,” says Loo regarding Infinity Paws. “And I couldn’t be more pleased to be joined by the delightfully talented Nao Fuji illustrating this series.”

NYCC 2023: House of X Falls. House of Ten Rises. Yet above all Magneto Returns.

Christian Angeles

October 15, 2023

At the Marvel Next Big Thing Panel, several major reveals occurred regarding the fallout after this year’s Hellfire Gala. At a panel attended by Gerry Duggan and Al Ewing at the Marvel Next Big Thing Panel, the creators stressed how much they thought X-Men worked best when pressed against a wall with no other options.

This is how they described the upcoming Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X (Ten) is going to be in terms of tone. Atop of this, superstar artist Mark Brooks is slated to be providing easter eggs on that new cover of his created to launch the series. Which you can see below.

The biggest cap off to this event is the seeming return of Magneto from the dead. Given comics always seem to bring back fallen heroes, or in this case mega supervillains, the revelation comes as little surprise. However, what does interest me and fellow fans is that it does seem that Storm will play a major role in the story. The story trailer also feels ominous about the future giving off many Days of Future Past vibes.

Though who knows for certain? You can check out the trailer and decide for yourself.

You can also read Marvel’s official press release below

The beginning of the end of the X-Men’s revolutionary Krakoan Age was just revealed at the MARVEL: Next Big Thing Panel at New York Comic Con! Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, X-Men writer Gerry Duggan, and X-Men Red writer Al Ewing shared shocking details about the pair of intertwined series that will close out mutantkind’s current era this January, FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X and RISE OF THE POWERS OF X, as well as one of the tie-in series spinning out of these events, RESURRECTION OF MAGNETO.

Also debuting at the panel was the startling X-Men: Fall & Rise trailer which gives fans a peek at never-before-seen artwork from these upcoming series. And it wouldn’t be a new chapter for mutantkind without a gorgeous promotional image from superstar artist Mark Brooks. In the spirit of his unforgettable art pieces drawn for Krakoan milestones like House of X and Powers of X, X of Swords, and Destiny of X, Brooks once again spotlights the current stars of the X-Men franchise as they brace themselves for what’s on the horizon!

In 2019, fans witnessed the dawn of the Krakoa age in Jonathan Hickman’s groundbreaking House of X and Powers of X, two interconnected five-issue limited series that spanned mutant history and future. Now, the Krakoa age ends in the same dramatic fashion in FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X and RISE OF THE POWERS OF X. Each delivering half of the story that will bring the Krakoa Age to its conclusion, the pair of series will feature the X-Men of today and the X-Men of tomorrow as the wage the final war against extinction across their entire existence! Evolution is inevitable. Extinction is optional!

The two series are fittingly crafted by some of the Krakoa’s defining architects, writer Gerry Duggan (X-Men, Marauders) and artist Lucas Werneck (Immortal X-Men) delivering FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X and writer Kieron Gillen (Immortal X-Men) and artist R.B. Silva (Powers of X) delivering RISE OF THE POWER OF X, plus covers by House of X superstar artist Pepe Larraz.

And Mutantkind’s survival hinges on the return of their greatest leader and the X-Men’s former archenemy—Magneto! Following Magneto’s tragic death in last year’s A.X.E.: Judgment Day, Storm embarks on an epic quest to restore him to life in RESURRECTION OF MAGNETO. Spinning out of his masterful work on both characters in X-Men Red, Al Ewing brings fans this heart-wrenching four-issue saga alongside artist Luciano Vecchio (X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023, Marvel’s Voices: Iceman).

Krakoa has just begun to fight in FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X #1! Mutantkind has never had a greater fall. From the highs of Krakoa – their own glorious nation, a place where they were safe and happy – to the lowest of lows. Outlawed, hunted, killed, most of their kind missing or dead, and now, one their greatest leaders, Cyclops, is on trial facing a death penalty. Ready or not, the time has come for the X-Men to make their final stand against the forces that have struck them low. The day is now. The place is here. The tale of the house Xavier built will long be told…and few will forget this darkest chapter.

And the fight for Krakoa has been lost in RISE OF THE POWERS OF X #1! Ten years ago, the mutants returned from their exile to try and reclaim the Earth from the forces of Orchis. They failed. Now, within the victorious Orchis with their gauntlet choking the world, Nimrod and Omega Sentinel put their plan within a plan into action. They are to summon their binary god to consume everything in their accession. All that stands between them is the X-Men. What can they do? They’re the X-Men. They’ll find a way. That’s their power. So begins a story beyond time and space, with the rise of powers beyond our petty human intelligence.

It’s a tale of Lifedeath in RESURRECTION OF MAGNETO #1! On Krakoa, resurrection from the dead was as easy as completing a circuit – but Krakoa fell. The time of easy miracles is over, and only the hard roads are left. Now it falls to Storm – as the epic conclusion to the Krakoan age looms – to bring their oldest enemy home to fight against the FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X…but after all he did, and all that was done to him, can Magneto bear to return?

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X #1 (OF 5) – 75960620766400111

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Art by LUCAS WERNECK

Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

On Sale 1/3

RISE OF THE POWERS OF X #1 (OF 5) – 75960620767100111

Written by KIERON GILLEN

Art and Cover by R.B. SILVA

On Sale 1/10

RESURRECTION OF MAGNETO #1 (OF 4) – 75960620779400111

Written by AL EWING

Art by LUCIANO VECCHIO

Cover by STEFANO CASELLI

On Sale 1/24

NYCC 2023: Peter Rostovsky on his debut graphic novel, Damnation Diaries, and political satire

Mary Fan

October 15, 2023

Artist and writer Peter Rostovsky’s debut graphic novel, Damnation Diaries, from Uncivilized Books, had a challenging road to getting printed. The horror comedy, a political satire, is about a sinner in Hell who, after 300 years, decides to get therapy with Hell’s only psychotherapist, Fred Greenberg.

“It came out in wide release on September fifth after many, many delays,” Rostovsky said. “The book took me, I would say, about five and a half years to make. It’s my first book, and it had a very dramatic journey. It was actually censored at the printer in China—that was where we first tried to printer. The political satire in the book, which I really thought was very much an indictment of the West and Trumpism and all kinds of other things… I think flagged the censors, and it was flagged for propensity for violence. But it’s a horror comedy that takes place in Hell, so of course there’s violence!”

Rostovsky believes the revolution that occurs later in the book may have triggered the censors as well, as the first chapter was later included in anthology that was printed in China without a problem. The issue delayed the book by approximately three months, and it ended up being printed in Lithuania.

All the challenges were ultimately worthwhile, though, as the book was well received upon release, receiving a starred review from Publishers Weekly, high praise from Artforum, and the 2023 MoCCA Award of Excellence.

“It’s very much a work of love and suffering. I learned a lot about the process of making a book. I’m really heartened that it’s received a lot of very nice press… it offset some of the traumas involved in actually getting it out into the world,” he said with a chuckle. “And then after all of this, I met a very nice printer [in China] who apologized that she couldn’t take the job and told me about the hardship that she experiences on a daily basis, dealing with censorship, and life in general. So it’s been a very interesting journey.”

While Damnation Diaries is Rostovsky’s first graphic novel, he has a long career in fine art as a painter, and his work been exhibited at museums such as PS1/MoMA, The Walker Art Center, MCA Santa Barbara, Artpace, The Blanton Museum of Art, S.M.A.K., and multiple private galleries. Moving into comics and graphic novels fulfilled a lifelong goal.

“I was a comics nerd when I was a kid,” he said. “So it was very much on my bucket list to make comics. And it’s something that… even when I was painting all the time, I would still go to Forbidden Planet before my therapy appointments and kill time.”

For Rostovsky, the accessibility of comics—compared to fine art that requires a “pilgrimage to see”—was especially appealing, particularly because of the book’s political dimension. “One of the things that I really adore about comics is that it’s a public art,” he explained. “It’s a distributed medium that’s affordable, that’s accessible… [that] actually comes to you via bookstores, comic book stores, phones, tablets, computers. And so that aspect of access is something that I actually find really utopian… [It’s] very important for me that it reaches people, and it’s not luxury goods, which fine art is.”

Despite the challenges he faced with his first politically charged book, Rostovsky—who emigrated from the former Soviet Union as a political refugee in 1980—has no intention of backing away from hot-button topics. “I am about to embark on a book on Putin,” he said. “So I’m sort of going from censorship to censorship, or treacherous waters to other treacherous waters… [The political element is] very important to me, and comics obviously has a very, very rich political history. It has a great tradition of political address, and that’s something that absolutely drew me to the medium for sure.”

Rostovsky also hopes to publish a second volume of Damnation Diaries. “I do want the story to continue…. I sort of see this book as Star Wars: A New Hope, and I have Empire Strikes Back, to use that analogy, already mapped out as well,” he said.

You can find Rostovsky online at https://www.peterrostovsky.com. He signed off with, “Follow my misadventures with this book… and stay tuned for other things that I’ll be doing within the sphere of comics, and hopefully I’ll be able to bring painting back into it as well.”

NYCC 2023: Orphan Black: Echoes sees Promise

Christian Angeles

October 13, 2023

Orphan Black: Echoes sees the return of the beloved sci-fi series to television. A deep dive into the harrowing science fiction saga, this new iteration seeks to look into the story of a group of women who weave their way into each other’s lives embarking on a thrilling journey, all to unravel secrets of love and betrayal.

The series stars Krysten Ritter, Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix, Avan Jogia, Rya Kihlstedt, and James Hiroyuki Liao, and is executive produced by showrunner/creator Anna Fishko, director John Fawcett, Krysten Ritter, and Boat Rocker’s David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg, Nick Nantell, Kerry Appleyard and Katie O’Connell Marsh.

In a report by Deadline, it was confirmed that Rya Kihlstedt will play a hardworking neuroscientist deeply loyal to her family. Hiroyuki Liao has also joined the cast as a series regular Darros, a self-made billionaire with a sketchy past, who always gets what he wants.

You can check out the show’s trailer below.

Orphan Black: Echoes

NYCC 2023: Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Season 2

Christian Angeles

October 13, 2023

IWTV_200_LH_0512_0321_RT — Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac and Delainey Hayles as Claudia - Interview with the Vampire _ Season 2, First Look - Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC

Set to premiere in 2024, Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire will feature a second season with a new star playing the role of Claudia. Starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, and Ben Daniels, the series trailer kicks off in a bloody mansion soiree of sorts, showcasing the brand-new Claudia.

Originally played by Bailey Bass in season one, this new star playing Claudia seems to play the supporting role in a post-Lestat sort of existence. Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia are brought into an estate by Santiago (Ben Daniels) who’s the leader of the Theatre des Vampires. As the coven bloodily feasts on the people inside, we note Claudia’s particular bloodthirstiness. Though Armand and Louis spend a scene outside, where the beloved vampire inquires with Louis the question that chills us all to the bone… Who is Lestat?

Assad Zaman as Armand – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 2, First Look – Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC

Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac, Delainey Hayles as Claudia and Assad Zaman as Armand – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 2, First Look – Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC

Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac and Delainey Hayles as Claudia – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 2, First Look – Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC

You can check out the trailer for Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Here

NYCC 2023: ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Remain’ Live Trailer

Christian Angeles

October 13, 2023

TOWL_100_SG_0111_1019-RT — Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Rick and Michonne fans rejoice! The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is slated to return in but a few short months. In this series, the story picks up where the two love birds left off, on a quest to find one another once again after going through the weight of everything they’ve left behind. Including both their harrowing pasts along with the weight of the people they loved now being long gone. What’s interesting is that given the time that’s passed, things have most definitely changed. The question is will it be for better or for worse?

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The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live stars Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. The new cast will include Pollyanna McIntosh returning as the mysterious Jadis, last seen with the Civic Republic in TWD: World Beyond, along with newcomers Terry O’Quinn as ‘Beale’ and Matt Jeffries as ‘Nat’. There will also be Lesley-Ann Brandt as ‘Pearl’ who will serve as the series antagonist.

The series showrunner is Executive Producer and former Walking Dead longtime showrunner Scott M. Gimple. Executive producers also featured as credited will be Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Denise Huth, and Brian Bockrath.

You can check out the show’s trailer below.

‘Lower Decks’ Takes on the AI Apocalypse in “A Few Badgeys More”

Mary Fan

Lower Decks is at its best when it takes on long-standing sci-fi tropes, many of which became tropes in the first place because of Star Trek, and takes them in a totally absurd direction while also embracing the the warm, fuzzy, optimistic hearts of its crew. Episode 407, “A Few Badgeys More”, does just that, while also providing payoff for long-running story lines (another thing Lower Decks is particularly good at).

Remember Badgey, the AI Starfleet badge that Rutherford created as a training tool that went rogue? Well, he’s still alive and well inside Rutherford’s old eyepiece, and when that gets salvaged by Drookmani scavengers, he takes over their ship. Dun, dun, dun!

Not long after, the random mysterious murder ship that’s been attacking alien vessels all season appears to randomly and mysteriously attack yet another: Bynar this time.

Meanwhile, on the Cerritos, our four lower deckers are working on a new shuttle, which Rutherford has installed with a grappler (flashback to La’an’s muttered “I love grapplers” in Strange New Worlds episode “Those Old Scientists”!), which promptly misses its target and pins Tendi to the wall. But Tendi doesn’t mind! Science is supposed to be messy! That turns out to be an important point for Rutherford to remember…

The fun and games are put on pause when they’re called to the briefing room. The Cerritos will be investigating the Bynar distress call. And then we are reintroduced to two more evil AIs: Peanut Hamper, who’s up for AI parole, and AGIMUS, who claims to have intel on the mysterious random murder ship. Tendi is to appear at Peanut Hamper’s parole hearing, and Boimler is to talk to AGIMUS, who refuses to give the intel to anyone else. Now, if you’ll remember, the two AIs were cellmates of sorts in AI jail…

… where both appear to be making progress in Starfleet’s touch-y feel-y AI rehab program. They’re happily doing their therapy gardening, and… PSYCH! Actually, they’re planning to use Tendi and Boimler to escape. Peanut Hamper will give a gooey speech about how good she is and be let go, and AGIMUS will use Tendi and Boimler to get out. Then they’ll rendezvous on a beach and find a nice little planet to conquer.

The plan works, but Lower Decks wouldn’t be Lower Decks if that were all there was to it. I’ll confess, I expected Tendi and Boimler to have to pull something wild and clever to defeat them. Instead, it’s even better… Peanut Hamper stands up AGIMUS, and we’re treated to an evil AI’s being-stood-up anxiety and ensuing self care: Conquering that nice little planet. But none of it means anything without Peanut Hamper! Where is she?!

Answer: Being a good little exocomp with her dad and the rest of them. Because actually, while pretending to be good, she decided she really did want to be good. And AGIMUS confesses he isn’t that into conquering anymore. He just wants to hang out with his friend. Aww. So Lower Decks upended one cliche (evil robots) with another (everyone’s good inside!).

Now, all that was the B story line. As the title suggests, the A story line involves Rutherford confronting Badgey. After Badgey uses the Drookmani ship to attack the Cerritos, Rutherford tries to sacrifice himself by going over to the ship. Mariner tags along because… she’s Mariner… and the two come face-to-face with the sentient badge.

Here, Lower Decks also upends one cliche (evil AI!) with another (he just needed a hug). Rutherford literally hugs Badgey and apologizes for treating him as an experiment instead of a son. Which sends Badgey into a crisis. He seems to relent, then he pushes out the good side of himself, creating Goodgey (get it? Heh… gotta love how unsubtle Lower Decks can be). Badgey then decides to destroy the entire Federation and uploads himself into subspace relays. But spreading himself across the entire galaxy causes him to reach a higher level of understanding, and he decides he doesn’t want to destroy things any more… and ascends to a higher plane of existence…

“Ascending”, or becoming some kind of divine energy being, is an idea that has existed in the Star Trek universe in many forms… Kes in Voyager, Captain Sisko in Deep Space Nine, and, in a way, Wesley Crusher and Kore Soong when they join the Travelers. It’s a pretty ridiculous concept, and Lower Decks previously poked fun of it in Episode 104, when a lieutenant ascended after lots of chanting and stuff. And of course, when Badgey ascends, he sees the great cosmic koala that’s been a running joke on the show.

After all that, Boimler does get some intel on the murder ship… turns out the alien vessels were being kidnapped, not destroyed. Rutherford goes back to work on his grappler, using Goodgey as an AI guidance system (the others aren’t so sure about that).

“A Few Badgeys More” sees the delightful return of three megalomaniacal AIs that each intentionally embody one cliche or another, then resolves all their story lines in a rather absurd but actually very Star Trek-y way: Finding enlightenment and redemption.

5/5 stars

NYCC 2023: Everything Learned From The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Panel

Christian Angeles

October 13, 2023

At New York Comic Con 2023, AMC premiered the Season Finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon in an early screening of the finale prior to its debut this Sunday, October 15. For those who don’t know, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been a critical success on AMC and is easily the most successful show ever on the young AMC+ streaming platform.

In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there, though is on a mysterious mission of his own. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a ship back, though along the way, he starts to acknowledge that perhaps home isn’t back with the people left behind but rather the ones that we find who need us along the way.

Due to spoiler embargos, we can’t get into much regarding the finale itself but will stress it satisfied our tastes in just about every single way: with continuously great cinematography, refined choreographed action sequences, and actual story broke work with intention, all revealed in great detail during the panel.

The big revelations included Greg Nicotero revealing that he’s directing the season 2 Book of Carol premiere plus a lot of surprising details regarding Norman Reedus’ work done on the show thus far as an executive producer. This included his involvement as EP as the big reason (along with Melissa McBride) that the series chose to shoot in France as compared to working back in Atlanta or on a sound stage, as both he and McBride sought challenges to this over a decade old character, thus creating this iconic new formula in style that accentuated the series different tone.

What’s nifty and what makes this show great thus far? Is that it’s become less of a grind in the nature of the original series’ lengthy episode runs and captures the spirit of actual old-school single-camera movie filmmaking for a 6-episode series. This means no boring green screens. Just filmmaking shot in locations, catacombs, and actual French historical landmarks that make everything about this series feel real. Add in great acting performances and stellar directions and by all means, the show does feel like something refreshingly different.

Atop of this, the season finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon hosted a startling revelation at the end of that panel that Melissa McBride returning to the franchise. This came as a shock, as the actress originally slated to co-star in this Daryl spinoff, dropped out of the project last year citing an inability to relocate to Europe for the reason.

This apparently has been remedied, as the actress will be returning to the series in what I can only describe as the most redundant and silliest of names for absolutely anything, that very much is banking off the show’s two most popular characters, entitled:

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol.

“I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here,” said actress Melissa McBride regarding her return to the character. “This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I’m loving the discoveries!”

This series will thankfully continue to be shot in France and set in evermore gorgeous backdrops, as production will resume in October 20th as confirmed with showrunner David Zabel. The season 2 sequel will premiere sometime on AMC in 2024. That is, of course, after AMC’s other highly anticipated Walking Dead spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which will finally see what happened to series original star Rick Grimes along with another beloved favorite, Michonne.

NYCC 2023: For All Mankind – Ronald D. Moore Discusses Season 4’s Challenges of Crafting an Alternate Reality and Generational Casting

Bilal Mian

October 13, 2023

The third season of For All Mankind saw humanity expand its footprint to Mars and set up a colony on the red planet, but that was just the beginning.

At New York Comic Con 2023, The Workprint was able to sit down with For All Mankind‘s executive producer and creator, Ronald D. Moore, in roundtable interviews to discuss the upcoming fourth season, what it takes to craft an alternate reality, the major deaths from season three, and why, oh why, does Ed Baldwin have to be so tortured.

What is your favorite moment from the upcoming season?

It’s hard to say because there are a lot of really interesting things. I think the thing that I was the most excited about, and I think is really cool, this season was just being able to go behind the Iron Curtain with Margo and see how the Soviet Union had changed in our alternate reality and sort of what her experience there was. Her story and where she ends up by the end of the season I thought was really fun, unexpected, and fascinating. I think that’s really for me, very satisfying.

Was there any part of this experience that you feel changed you or impacted you positively or negatively as an artist?

I think each project changes you, in my experience. Each one you give yourself to and you discover things. You have defeats and you have victories and they all come and form the next piece that I’m going to work on. So as an artist, I think you’re constantly in this dialogue with your creation, whatever it is. This one is no different than all the way back to Star Trek. Every script is a new challenge. It’s another blank page, you know, and they’re all informed from the pages you’ve written before that.

I think this season moved me and surprised me in ways because I thought we were, you know, at the beginning of the season… You plan out what you think the year is going to be and you generally skew to what that is, but there are always these sorts of unexpected changes and unexpected character things that pop up along the way. That’s gratifying that you still have this sort of discovery process in the middle of a show in its fourth season.

What is it like to play with history when creating an alternate reality?

I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s a tremendous amount of work. A lot of time is spent in the writer’s room. “Okay, this is the era that we’re going into. What really happened and what could have happened in our reality? What’s happened since the last time the characters have been here?”

We always have dozens and dozens of possibilities of what we’re going to play with. Everything from pop cultural moments to geopolitical things to science and technology. And there’s a lot of pitches. There’s a lot of ways to go. You have to sort of steer this course of, well, we will have to have some grounding in what really happened so that the audience sort of has these touchstones of “Okay, I kind of remember that in the 2000s. I kind of remember this happened in the 90s” and so on. But the further we get down our path, the more we’re diverging from what people really remember.

It is a challenge to pick out those little points of historical truth and keep them in the show. But as someone who loves history and politics, I find it a lot of fun. I just think there’s a really a lot of fun and playing the game of “what if?” What if this happened? How would it affect this thing over here? It’s just one of my favorite parts of being in the writer’s room.

Hollywood has always been criticized for a lack of strong, prominent female lead characters. How did that come in and play as you killed off two of your original strong, prominent female leads with Karen and Molly in the Season 3 finale?

Well, you know, part of the show is generational. That’s how we pitched it. And when you’re doing a generational show, you knew that you were going to constantly be, like, losing cast members. In some ways, it’s sort of an attribute to the fact that they were strong leads. The leads are the ones that you have the biggest stories for and it hits the audience the hardest when you take those characters out. We’re kind of aware of that, but it felt like those were the correct endings to those stories and then new characters come up behind them.

With the original characters now late in their life, do you see season four of ‘For All Mankind’ as an “End of Act One” as you introduce a new generation of characters? How does that structure work?

We tried to make it sort of a rolling introduction. If you look all the way back to the first season, the Stevens kids were established in the pilot as little, little children. But we always knew that in the course of the show, those kids were going to grow up and be part of the story. So we were always kind of trying to plant characters or suggestions of characters to pay off later as older cast members were either killed or died off, or just left the the story altogether. It’s always been an ongoing thing. It’s never been sort of well, this is the chapter of Ed or this is the chapter of Tracy and Gordo. We kind of felt that there was a continuum, and we always wanted the next people to sort of be lining up with someone behind them.

What would you say was the biggest challenge in developing this season?

I think from a production sense, it was certainly expanding the Mars base. It had to be definitely bigger. It had to have a lot more people. It’s a challenge. We have a budget. It is a healthy budget, but it is never enough. So, you are always running out of money and you’re literally, running out of stage space as to how big you can build these things. Then balancing that with digital effects…

There’s just a tremendous amount of production challenges to realize this show, especially cause you’ve got the Mars base, you’ve got stories back on Earth and you’ve still got space-based vehicles that are flying around and going to asteroids and all that. Juggling all those pieces is a huge challenge. And the further we get down our road, the more science fiction the show becomes. It makes it more expensive, more of a challenge each season on top of it.

In season one we were trying to use a lot of existing stuff. You can go shoot on location to do a lot of things we did in the first season or two. But now when you’re on Mars all the time, we have to create everything that’s on Mars. So it’s just a huge production challenge.

Reading the synopsis for the upcoming season you talk about mining asteroids. How do you avoid comparisons to other shows like, say, ‘The Expanse’ for instance, which was primarily focused on that very subject? How do you differentiate what you’re doing with this show from things like that and trying to keep it fresh?

There are some common things that, you know, you just look at that a show like ours and theirs are just gonna do. The asteroid belt is there at some point in space exploration. It’s going to be mined. There’ll be commercial interests involved. There’s going to be miners. There are certain commonalities. You try not to worry about it too much.

When I was on Deep Space 9, for instance, there was Babylon 5. There are certain commonalities to having space stations. There are certain commonalities to sort of who those characters were going to be. And you just tried to not think about it too much. You tried to not deliberately say, “Well, they went left, so we’re going to go right just cause.”

You tried to just sort of in your mind silo their show off and ignore it and just try to be true to the story that you’re telling here. If there are commonalities or there are pieces that are somewhat similar, you just hope that you know, we’re telling such a different story with different characters that those common points don’t really matter.

Ed has been put through the wringer. He’s always second, experienced immense loss throughout the series, and can’t seem to catch a break. Will he ever catch a break?

Ed is a great character. We sort of kind of decided that was going to be his journey from the outset. Not in the specifics, but the overall arc that you’re talking about. Here’s a guy from the classic right stuff, Apollo era, you know, poster. Here’s that guy. Now, in this new reality, what happens to that guy? Let’s really send him through the wringer. Let’s not make it easy for him, because if it’s easy for him, that’s a really boring story for that character.

What are the challenges he’s going to face? What’s he going to realize about his own problems, his own biases, his own flaws, his struggles with his families and his friends, and his sense of who he is? He realizes how much he’s defined by his job and that he’s often putting his family in second place as much as he says he’s not. His actions kind of take him to this other world. Then making him face that reality and have to sort of look in the mirror to a certain extent. It’s a fascinating character. It’s an interesting journey for someone who starts, you know, at that point.

You’ve touched on a few points of history of your career. You’ve like you’ve been involved in some of my all-time favorite shows.

Mine too.

I’m curious more of a behind-the-scenes question. I would like to know who’s the unsung hero of your career. Who’s helped you the most, but doesn’t get the most appreciation?

Ira Steven Behr. When I first joined Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ira was kind of running the writer’s room in the third season and kept the writers from mutinying. I was just a kid. I didn’t know anything and he treated me like a professional and took me under his wing on that staff. And then he left.

When I went over to Deep Space 9, he was running that show. I learned a tremendous amount about show running, management, and just pure writing from Ira Behr. Ira was really the heart and soul of Deep Space 9 and really guided it and made it into what I think is the best of all those Star Trek series back in the day. I don’t know that he gets enough credit, really, for his contribution to both those Star Trek series and also just as a writer and a producer in television. He is just an extraordinary person.

Season Four of For All Mankind returns on November 10 on Apple TV+

NYCC 2023: Dean Haspiel on Covid Cop, Billy Dogma and Jane Legit, and Why Romance is Essential

Mary Fan

October 13, 2023

This weekend at New York Comic Con 2023, you can find acclaimed comic book artist and writer Dean Haspiel in Artist Alley at Table F-16—which, he commented, sounds like “a fighter plane or something.” Haspiel has worked with multiple publishers over his career, including Marvel, DC, Archie Comics, Dark Horse, IDW, and more. He also did a series with Webtoon, The Red Hook; Image Comics later published two volumes.

At his table, however, Haspiel is promoting two Kickstarted comics: Covid Cop and Billy Dogma and Jane Legit.

Regarding the first one, Haspiel said, “What are two words people have trouble with? Covid and cop, and I mashed [them] together to see what kind of story I could tell… Basically, it’s me taking the piss out of the pandemic.”

After writing and drawing a heartfelt story about first responders during the pandemic (which, he noted, it still feels like we’re living some form or another), Haspiel chose to take on a more satirical project.

“What else do comics do really well? They make fun of stuff!” he said. “Like Judge Dredd [or] Toxic Avenger.” So he decided to explore the question of, “What if we’d never found a cure?”

Covid Cop takes place in a dystopian near future. “It’s 10 years from now, and you find out that the government has mandated an order to all the police that we need to get everyone to be infected and die from this, because the government feels the worst thing to happen to Planet Earth is humankind,” he explained. “So maybe this Covid thing is supposed to happen and wipe out humanity, right? That’s pretty bleak, right? By the time you open up this comic, it’s 10 years from now, and 98% of humanity is gone. But then our hero, Covid Cop, aka Lincoln Bio—which is playing off the idea of ‘link in bio’ because you hear that all the time—discovers a cure by drinking the Gowanus Canal water in Brooklyn, which is famous for being toxic and disgusting. But it actually cures you, or at least stops the Covid from killing you.”

For Lincoln Bio, the cure is a way to save not only humanity, but his marriage with his his ex-wife, Fate Majeure, as well. “So it’s also a love story,” Haspiel said. “It’s all done in 24 pages, and I’ve written already the second issue, and I have the plot for the third issue.”

Each issue can be read on its own, as a standalone story, but all together the series tells of a bigger picture. Haspiel doesn’t currently have plans for additional issues beyond the first three but may consider collecting them into a graphic novel.

The other comic Haspiel is promoting at New York Comic Con is the Billy Dogma & Jane Legit, two characters he created in 1995 and has revisited through web comics, print, etc. “It’s an erotic comix noir about two love titans that are attracted to conflict. Ergo, relationships!” Haspiel explained.

With a career as varied and storied as Haspiel’s, spanning multiple genres from superheroes to memoir, it can be difficult to pick favorites. Some highlights were American Splendor with Harvey Pekar, The Alcoholic with Jonathan Ames, and Cuba: My Revolution with Inverna Lockpez.

“They were really meaningful and important,” he said. “But they were their stories. As much as I collaborated on it and brought my A game, I think I probably have to pick [as a favorite] something I wrote and drew, just because that’s where you get the ‘full-frontal action’ from Dean Haspiel. So I would say… That’s a really hard question, because I would have said The Red Hook at one point, and I did so much of that, but honestly it might be Billy Dogma & Jane Legit. That might be the two characters that I would probably revisit until the end of my life. Just because it’s something that keeps speaking to me… It’s essentially a romance comic, it’s about love, and matters of the heart… why do we make stories? To connect with each other, right? So I feel like that’s my way of connecting with strangers. And vice versa.”

For Haspiel, romance is essential to storytelling. “I don’t know how a good story doesn’t have romance,” he said, while acknowledging that there are examples of works without romance. “Even if it’s just a kiss [or] something like that… Because there’s so much punching and violence and fighting and horror and hate, but how do you balance it? You can balance it with one kiss. Or a hug. You know? I feel like that’s the kind of stuff I want to impart in my work.”

To learn more about Dean Haspiel, visit his website and Etsy store.

Haspiel signed off with, “I look forward to meeting and greeting new fans!”

Three Bridges Is a Solid But Average Episode of Magnum P.I.

Josh Speer

Magnum P.I. | Three Bridges Kumu — MAGNUM P.I. -- "Three Bridges" Episode 512 -- Pictured: Amy Hill as Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta -- (Photo by: NBC)

After last week’s Magnum P.I., I was really hoping for an episode to deliver not only a solid storyline, but also some important recurring threats to the team. Sadly, that’s not really what we get with “Three Bridges”. While it’s a fine story, it very much felt like a filler episode.

It starts with a lot of banter between Thomas and Juliette. He thinks they’re going to repossess a Stingray sports car. Juliette fires back he clearly didn’t read the email, cause they’re after the aquatic variety of stingray. What follows is a really poor attempt on his part to get a stingray in a net, which results in it flopping around on the floor right as the owner of the house arrives. Lucky for Magnum, the man has earbuds in and doesn’t hear or see a thing. They take their bounty to stay in La Mariana’s aquarium until they get paid.

We also get more of T.C.’s recovery this week. I was hopeful he’d make fast progress after the toe twitch, but it turns out two weeks have passed since that happened, with little progress to show for it. Understandably, he’s more than a bit bummed. Though he’s going to physical training, he’s ghosting Magnum and the rest of his friends. He’s even ghosting his mom. While the two have a complex relationship, no man should ever ghost his mama.

Back at La Mariana, Higgins gets to watch Rick awkwardly flirt with Piper some more, and calls him out on not asking her out. It’s clear Piper has a crush on the goofball, but he’s being weird about it. Magnum arrives and commiserates, but the actual main case this week isn’t the stingray (shocker, I know). It actually comes from a friend of Kumu’s.

Like many mature women, Kumu enjoys a robust game of Mahjong with friends. One of them, Ying, hasn’t been showing up lately. So Kumu arrives with orchids to see what’s wrong. It turns out, Ying was talking with a man named Han, supposedly from China. Unsurprisingly it was a scam, and Ying lost all her money in the process. She’s just a single mom with a child going to college, and is completely bereft. So Kumu asks Magnum and Higgins to help her out.

Magnum, Higgy and Kumu pore over thousands of interactions between Ying and Han to figure out where the con man is. In the process, Kumu finds a photo Han sent, and Higgins traces it to the Oceanside Hotel. Not in China, mind you, but in Hawaii. So Magnum and Higgy head over to investigate, only to discover the hotel has been shuttered and empty since the pandemic. Which is weird enough, but then an Asian man armed with a gun starts yelling at them, and takes them hostage at gunpoint.

Back with T.C., he’s moping and feeling understandably sorry for himself, but his mom arrives to visit. At first he’s upset about her visit, and he makes her work for it. But over the course of the episode she wears him down, and by the end they’re in a much better place than they’ve been for a while.

MAGNUM P.I. — “Three Bridges” Episode 512 — Pictured: Zachary Knighton as Orville “Rick” Wright — (Photo by: NBC)

As for Rick, I’m frankly pretty upset about his arc over the past two episodes. He goes to talk with Piper, and she gives him a hard time about avoiding her. She says now he has to ask her out, which he does. By the end of the episode, he gets snazzy for date night and is about to meet Piper, but instead goes to visit Suzie, his baby mama. While I should be happy they make up, I’m not thrilled the show just threw Piper to the curb so unexpectedly.

For the main arc, Magnum and Higgy find an entire organized crime operation in the derelict hotel. Turns out, the Triads are behind it, and have been doing a little human trafficking to force people to scam others. The two investigators get locked in a room for a while, then Magnum is taken to get ‘interrogated’ while another man named Tang is thrown in with Juliette. Fortunately, Juliette speaks Chinese, and is able to communicate with the man and get some basic information.

Magnum has a harder time of things. He tries to play the smart ass with his captors, and for his trouble he gets waterboarded. It’s not going great, but Higgins manages to get the best of her captor and takes his gun. Meanwhile Thomas uses his feet to grab shower curtains and use them to unlock his handcuffs, moments before his girlfriend arrives to bust him out. They share a kiss before HPD arrives.

That’s not the end of the episode, though. Gordon and HPD have some big moments raiding the Triads, and with their help Higgins does some research. Turns out, the man that scammed Ying was forced to do so, and then beaten and removed from the hotel. Higgy finds he’s going to be sold as slave labor, and when Ying is caught up, she pleads with them to save Han’s life.

MAGNUM P.I. — “Three Bridges” Episode 512 — Pictured: Stephen Hill as Theodore “TC” Calvin — (Photo by: NBC)

The episode culminates in a big raid where Gordon and the HPD arrive in the nick of time, taking down the Triads and saving a grateful Han in the process. Ying and Han reunite, and overall it’s a heartfelt moment. Best of all, T.C. finally relents and calls Magnum to schedule a time he can drop by. Again, not a bad episode, but I really hope the next one is more urgent and focused.

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Review

Mt. Nibel and the Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth Mission

Combat Remains Mostly The Same But With New Additions

The New Characters

Red XIII’s Base Abilities:

Red XIII’s Limit Breaks

Red XIII’s Synergy Abilities

Sephiroth’s Base Abilities

Sephiroth’s Limit Break

Sephiroth’s Synergy Ability

Junon and The Expansive New World

Final Thoughts

GAMEPLAY

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Black Panther Defends Wakanda from Moon Knight

X-Momoko and the Ultimate X-Men series by Peach Momoko?