Posted on April 9, 2021April 9, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Paramount Pictures announces new movie release dates for 2021 through 2023.

The Covid movie release date dance continues. Paramount Pictures has just announced a new batch of release dates for several of its films that will be dropping into theaters.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe – Origins – July 23, 2021

Top Gun: Maverick – November 19, 2021

Mission: Impossible 7 – May 27, 2022

Mission: Impossible 8 – July 3, 2023

Dungeons & Dragons – March 3, 2023

Jackass 4 – October 22, 2021

Untitled Bee Gees biopic movie – November 4, 2022

A new Star Trek movie – June 9, 2023

The Shrinking of Treehorn – November 10, 2023

An untitled Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski movie (aka Imaginary Friends) – November 17, 2023.

The most interesting release date is the June 9, 2023 release of a secretive Star Trek movie. Our guess is this is the top-secret project rumored to be written by Star Trek: Discovery writer Kalinda Vazquez. We’ll probably get more details early next y ear when Chicago hosts the “official” Star Trek convention from April 8th through the 10th, 2022.

Posted on April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Sale of iconic Action Comics #1 breaks new record when it sells form $3.25 million dollars.

Action Comics #1 - first appearance of Superman

Action Comics #1 marks the first appearance of Superman. It was published in 1938 and sold for $.10 cents. Yesterday, a copy of the iconic issue sold for $3.25 million dollars. The seller, who was not identified, had paid around $2 million for the comic in 2018 which means he earned a $1.25 million profit on the sale.

The collectibles market is rising in many areas including NFTs, pop culture collectibles, and comic books. First issues and first appearances of major characters and villains often prop up the price of an issue.

Posted on March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Very nice! New Lego 834-piece Darth Vader Helmet set to be released April 26, 2021.

We don’t write much about Lego. Not because we don’t like Lego – we love them. But because as a company, they can be pretty big anti-competitive dicks (just wait, they’ll probably ask us to remove their image from this post). But sometimes a set so cool comes along, we can’t help but promote it. Such is the case with the upcoming Darth Vader Helmet set.

This Darth Vader Helmet LEGO set comes in a compact size and includes a display stand to complete a striking centerpiece for your home or workplace. As part of the LEGO Star Wars building sets for adults, the set (item #76304) includes 834 pieces and measures about 8-inches tall by 5 1/2-inches wide. The set doesn’t take up much space but makes a big visual impact.

The set is available for pre-order now from LEGO. Look for a new Scout Trooper Helmet (75305) coming up in May 2021.

Posted on March 3, 2021March 3, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

With the conclusion of Future State, DC shifts to a new series, Infinite Frontier, to reveal what comes next in the DC Universe.

Future State gave us a glimpse of the far future in the DC Universe. New heroes, different attitudes, and famous series locations in various states of despair. But how did we get there? The story begins to unfold in DC Comic’s newest series, Infinite Frontier. Infinite Frontier #0, a 64-page one-shot issue, kicks things off and sets the stage for the new, reborn story lines about to unfold.

Infinite Frontier #0 is a collaborative one-shot chock full of stories from DC’s most talented writers and artists including Joshua Williamson, James Tynion IV, Geoff Jones, Brian Michael Bendis, Scott Snyder, Becky Cloonan, Mark Morales, John Timms, John Romita Jr., Jorge Jimenez, Joelle Jones, and many more. The stories presented within its pages touch on every aspect of the DCU.

In Infinite Frontier, the reveals are plenty. With a stance straddling the past and the future, we find there are three Batgirls again, the Justice League reboots, the Magistrate is still wreaking havoc in Gotham City, Hippolyta turns over her crown to anther Amazonian, Green Arrow sidekick Roy Harper returns from the dead, Wally West returns as The Flash, and Green Arrow Alan Scott comes out of the closet. Of particular interest, the standout hit from Future State, Yara Flor, approaches her superhero destiny apart from what we witnessed previously in the story of the new Wonder Woman.

You can grab our Infinite Frontier #0 collector’s pack here. We have limited issues remaining and it’s sure to be a collector’s item.

Posted on March 1, 2021March 1, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Everything you need to know about the San Diego Comic-Con 2021 – and yes, for the second year in a row, it will be held as a free, online virtual event.

Comic-Con@Home (Comic-Con 2020) is finally here! Here's the full schedule for free online event

For the second year in a row, the San Diego Comic-Con event will be held in a virtual forum. Comic-Con will run July 23-25, 2021 and will be in a abbreviated, online format. There will be a smaller, in-person event in November – provided the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic allows. As with last year’s event, it will be a free online event under the banner Comic-Con@Home.

Last year’s event drew poor reviews and we suspect Comic-Con learned from the lesson. Rather than a series of pre-recorded YouTube videos, we expect Comic-Con to host an event that provides more opportunity for realtime feedback from the fans.

Here is the official statement from Comic-Con regarding the events second postponement.

STATEMENT REGARDING COMIC-CON 2021
As you may be aware, due to concern for public health and safety, San Diego Comic Convention had to cancel both of its in-person events in 2020 and recently announced that our spring 2021 show, WonderCon in Anaheim, will also be canceled. In its place, WonderCon@Home will once again be held as a free online event on March 26 and 27, 2021.
It is the policy of the organization to continue to closely monitor information from local and national healthcare officials as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. Never could we have imagined what the world experienced in 2020 and continues to experience today. While we are buoyed by the rollout of the vaccine and the growing number of individuals being inoculated, it appears that July will still be too early to safely hold an in-person event of the magnitude of Comic-Con. For this reason, we have made the challenging decision to postpone Comic-Con 2021 as an in-person gathering until our 2022 dates, and once again hold this year’s celebration as the free online Comic-Con@Home. Unfortunately, the challenges of this past year and the multiple postponements of our two largest events have left us with limited financial resources, so this year the online experience will be reduced to a three-day event, spanning July 23-25, 2021.
While we lament the postponement of the in-person Comic-Con, our commitment to this community of fans and our celebration of comics and the related popular arts endures as an important part of who we are. As the timing and scope of our larger event factored greatly into our decision to postpone, we believe that launching a smaller in-person event at a later time may be a safe alternative. For this reason, we are happy to announce that San Diego Comic Convention is planning to present a three-day in-person convention in San Diego in November. At this time, we are still working on specific details as to attendance capacity, badge cost, and related information, and those details will be forthcoming. Please continue to visit our website, comic-con.org, for official updated information as it becomes available.
At this time, individuals who have purchased badges that were rolled over to the 2021 show will have those badges automatically transferred to the 2022 event unless a refund is requested. To submit a badge refund request, visit www.comic-con.org/cci/comic-con-cancellationrefund-policy. All confirmed exhibitors with a rollover payment from Comic-Con 2020 will receive a separate email with instructions and deadlines for continuing to forward your payment on to Comic-Con 2022, or for requesting a refund. In addition, we are currently working on an option for those wishing to transfer their badge or exhibitor deposits/payments as full or partial payment towards our 2021 November event. Information will be forthcoming, so please watch your email inbox and the Comic-Con website for further details.
The past several months have taken a great toll on both families and friends, and we hope this effort is a small move toward a return to gathering as a community to not only celebrate popular art, but also friendship, education, and the enduring spirit of the fandom that is so much a part of Comic-Con. We thank you all for your continued and unwavering support during these most challenging times.
We look forward to seeing you in November!
–San Diego Comic Convention

Posted on February 22, 2021February 23, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

And just like that, the newest iconic NASA photo is born.

high-resolution still image, part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars

A selfie photograph snapped by the Perseverance Mars rover, moments before it landed on the red planet, is being called one of the most iconic images ever taken by NASA in space. The photo is actually a still-frame from a high-resolution video taken by the Perseverance cameras as it was being lowered from the parachute to Mars’ surface.

Another cool photo of Perseverance was captured by HiRISE’s camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as it touched down within the Jezero Crater.

25610 PIA24270 HiRISE touchdown annotated 1200

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Marvel leaks a first look behind the scenes of the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder movie revealing the new Thor and Star-Lord costumes (and maybe a hint about the movie’s storyline).

We might not know much about the movie but we now know what the costumes look like. Photos from the set of Thor: Love and Thunder (Thor 4), the Marvel movie currently in production in Australia, reveal Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Thor’s (Chris Hemworth) new costumes. Check them out below.

EtJChYJVcAQDo92 1 — Thor and Star-Lord on the set of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

What do you think about Thor’s new jacket? You can’t help but notice is looks like Eric Masterson’s suit. For a time, Masterson appeared in Marvel comics as Thor. Masterson was given Thor’s body and powers after a life-threatening injury. Several storylines evolved including Masterson/Thor giving up his son, battling Loki and his henchmen, and joining the Avengers. He later transitioned to Thunderstrike after Odin created a new weapon, a mace, called Thunderstrike. Here’s how he was portrayed in the comic books.

Thunderstrike - Marven Comics - Thor — Thunderstrike – Marvel Comics – Thor

Posted on February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

These are interviewee’s answers to a hot topic question from a TV reporter. Can you guess the question from their answers?

A television reporter caught patrons outside a grocery store and asked them their opinion on a hot topic. From these answers, can you tell what question was asked?

I don’t like it. They’re just trying to put something on us that we don’t’ want. We ought to have a national election on it rather than letting 9 people telling us what we’ve got to do.

Mask requirements? Covid-19 restrictions?

Well, of course, being a southerner I’m not for it at all. I just don’t know how it’s all going to turn out. I hope we don’t have any trouble.

Hmmm…. Something regarding racial tensions…

Well I think if they remain peaceful it would be a lot better than maybe the violence that we’ve been seeing.

Definitely something regarding protests. Portland maybe…

I think this is the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened. They are just as free as we are. They have the same opportunities to work and build just the same as we have.

Did you guess Black Lives Matter?

What I have to say wouldn’t be fit to go on the air.

Nope, not BLM. These answers were from 1964. The interviewees were white. The patrons were asked how they felt about the Civil Rights Act. Racists don’t change much over time, do they…

Posted on January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

Want to understand the sentiment (i.e. anger) behind the Wall Street Bets stock manipulation? Read this open letter to Melvin Capital, CNBC, and other colossal financial institutions.

Protestor during the 2008 financial crisis (Arrest the Bankers sign)

The following appeared on the Wall Street Bets board on Reddit about the time the GME stock began tumbling after big investment powerhouses began shutting down small investors’ ability to buy GME, AMC, and other stocks that had been run up by Wall Street Bets users. The open letter was posted by Reddit user ssauronn and provides excellent insight into the anger felt the millions of millennials who were hurt by the 2008 financial crisis – and why they organized an attack against financial institutions that rivaled the Occupy Wall Street movement 10 years prior.

I was in my early teens during the ’08 crisis. I vividly remember the enormous repercussions that the reckless actions by those on Wall Street had in my personal life, and the lives of those close to me. I was fortunate – my parents were prudent and a little paranoid, and they had some food storage saved up. When that crisis hit our family, we were able to keep our little house, but we lived off of pancake mix, and powdered milk, and beans and rice for a year. Ever since then, my parents have kept a food storage, and they keep it updated and fresh.
Those close to me, my friends and extended family, were not nearly as fortunate. My aunt moved in with us and paid what little rent she could to my family while she tried to find any sort of work. Do you know what tomato soup made out of school cafeteria ketchup packets taste like? My friends got to find out. Almost a year after the crisis’ low, my dad had stabilized our income stream and to help out others, he was hiring my friends’ dads for odd house work. One of them built a new closet in our guest room. Another one did some landscaping in our backyard. I will forever be so proud of my parents, because in a time of need, even when I have no doubt money was still tight, they had the mindfulness and compassion to help out those who absolutely needed it.
To Melvin Capital: you stand for everything that I hated during that time. You’re a firm who makes money off of exploiting a company and manipulating markets and media to your advantage. Your continued existence is a sharp reminder that the ones in charge of so much hardship during the ’08 crisis were not punished. And your blatant disregard for the law, made obvious months ago through your (for the Melvin lawyers out there: alleged) illegal naked short selling and more recently your obscene market manipulation after hours shows that you haven’t learned a single thing since ’08. And why would you? Your ilke were bailed out and rewarded for terrible and illegal financial decisions that negatively changed the lives of millions. I bought shares a few days ago. I dumped my savings into GME, paid my rent for this month with my credit card, and dumped my rent money into more GME (which for the people here at WSB, I would not recommend). And I’m holding. This is personal for me, and millions of others. You can drop the price of GME after hours $120, I’m not going anywhere. You can pay for thousands of reddit bots, I’m holding. You can get every mainstream media outlet to demonize us, I don’t care. I’m making this as painful as I can for you.
,,,
To the boomers, and/or people close to that age, just now paying attention to these “millennial blog posts”: you realize that, even if you weren’t adversely effected by the ’08 crash, your children and perhaps grandchildren most likely were? We’re not enemies, we’re on the same side. Stop listening to the media that’s making us out to be market destroyers, and start rooting for us, because we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to punish the sort of people who caused so much pain and stress a decade ago, and we’re taking that opportunity. Your children, your grandchildren, might have suffered as I described because of the institutions that we’re fighting against. You really want to choose them, over your own family and friends? We’re not asking you to risk your 401k or retirement fund on a single GME bet. We’re just asking you to be understanding, supportive, and to not support the people that caused so much suffering a decade ago.

Posted on January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 by geekslop — Leave a comment

According to multiple sources, HBO Max is working on a new animated Game of Thrones series.

In an effort to further mine Game of Thrones IP, HBO Max is rumored to be working on a new animated series based on the popular books. According to sources, writers have begun meetings but no hard-deal has been struck yet.

HBO is already building out the GOT universe beginning with House of the Dragon, a prequel starring Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith. House of the Dragon is set to premiere in Spring 2021. Sources indicate other Game of Thrones ideas are being floated including a live-action series based on George R. R. Martin’s novella series, Tales of Dunk and Egg.