The Cape: 1969 #3
Written by Jason Ciaramella
Art by Nelson Daniel
Lettering by Shawn Lee
Editorial Assist by Christopher Schraff
Edited by Chris Ryall
Creative Consultant Joe Hill
Inspired by the Short Story “The Cape” by Joe Hill
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 12, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

And so here we are at The Cape: 1969 #3, the power is in Captain Chase’s hands, and with two issues to go, the only question remaining is: how will he use it and how far will he go? For anyone not reading The Cape: 1969, it follows a medevac pilot in Vietnam who just so happens to be the father of Eric and Nicky, the brothers from The Cape. He finds himself in a bad situation, against a sadistic Vietcong troop commander, and then some Weird War Tales stuff happens.

Writer Jason Ciaramella is committed to making this a rather believable war story with superpowers instead of a story about superpowers that just so happen to take place in a historical setting; or at least a good war script with superpowers. Artist Nelson Daniel is a great companion to this project. His drawings aren’t ‘gritty’, but certainly show enough ability to make a war story, and are actually quite refreshing in contrast. Meanwhile, his use of colors remains top notch. His palette of ruddy browns, greens, and oranges complement the dark tone of the story; he also has a special knack for making grotesque violence distinct with blazing reds saturating the backdrops enough to bleed through the page. The use of screen tones is a little obtrusive here, without giving the book the vintage charm I think he’s going for, but it’s not a big deal.

For Joss Whedon, 2012 has been one remarkable year. He was given the impossible task of putting egos in check for The Avengers and then he pulled Cabin in the Woods, which he co-produced and co-wrote, out of the vault and it was met with success. But he also directed an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing in what seems like a matter of days and with a very limited budget. Whedon has just finished pushing his film at the Toronto International Film Festival and now he can find comfort in knowing that the public will be able to see his film.

THR has word that Lionsgate and Roadside has completed a deal that would allow them to distribute the film. Much Ado About Nothing is set in modern day Los Angeles with the cast consisting of actors and actresses familiar with Whedon’s style of work. Playing the roles of Beatrice and Benedick are Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof, respectively. Then you got Nathan Fillion (Firefly), Sean Maher (also Firefly), Clark Gregg (The Avengers), and more Whedon alum members taking on the remaining supporting roles.

Criminal Macabre: The Iron Spirit
Story by Steve Niles
Art and Lettering by Scott Morse
Edited by Scott Allie and Daniel Chabon
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 12, 2012
Cover Price: $19.99

Writer Steve Niles may have had greater success with works like 30 Days of Night, but it’s the embittered hunter of the supernatural demons, Cal McDonald, that is his iconic character and the one Niles has continually returned to for 22 years. And, after all this time, it seems as though Cal is having a bit of an existential crisis with his current predicament.

Criminal Macabre: The Iron Spirit takes a little excursion from the main narrative of the series – the war between man and seemingly every supernatural monster ever dreamed – to do a one-shot detective story. When the book opens, Cal is trying to come to grips with his recent… undeath. The bad is that he can’t sleep, he has no blood, and his hands are kind of cold and clammy; the good is he can still drink and smoke (and do both without the adverse health effects, I assume, so: bonus?) and has picked up the ability to sense other members of the undead. I’m sure Niles will explore it further, but whatever rules he has for the undead, the message seems to be that there is no relief from life in undeath. Or, as Cal put it: “I seemed pretty much like myself, just dead and tooling around like before.” The mechanics of being undead are perhaps the most interesting thing about this comic, and I don’t mean that as a backhanded insult. It’s the kind of thing that keeps Cal compelling beyond the mysteries he’s trying to solve.

There’s film adaptation of video games, then there’s Wreck-It Ralph. Rather than go the traditional route of adapting video game franchises, director Rich Moore went with a completely original story that would feature a villain of a video game who wants to break away from his programming and become a hero. So far we’ve gotten a teaser trailer and a 10-minute sneak peek at Comic-Con, now we’ve got a new full-length theatrical trailer that’s full of action, comedy, and heart.

Watch the trailer here below.

The trailer is pretty fantastic any way you look at it. There are just so many comedic jabs at the video games we all know and love, and then it just hits you with some heartfelt moments that can bring a tear to your eye.

3D has a nasty reputation for being one of the biggest movie gimmicks ever. Some people may have an appreciation for the eye-popping presentation, but for others, it induces unimaginable headaches and sore eyes. So imagine the disappointment some people going to feel to hearing that Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim, which was originally set for only a 2D release, will be converted into 3D.

Variety reports that Del Toro had no say in this and that the decision to convert the film into 3D was made by Warner Bros. Let’s face it, it was only a matter of time before we heard this was going to happen to Pacific Rim. 3D premiums have been giving movies that use the presentation a huge chunk of change for studios. The trouble is that most theaters have no idea how to adjust the lighting for 3D showings, hence the enormous headaches and blurred vision after each showing.