Old Links

Atari’s new Ataribox console will be like an NES Classic. As much fun as it it to imagine an Atari revival this thing looks like it's going to be a huge failure. There are already a half dozen different Atari retro consoles on the market and it's not like anyone is dying to play Yar's Revenge again. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 2600 when I had it but Atari games aren't that fun to play these days. I'll play combat or boxing for a few minutes but that's about it. This thing has Ouya written all over it.

By the by, I know all these links are super old but I bookmarked them and never got around to using them last month. I'd like to say that this month I won't be just as busy and will have more time to blog but that's a total lie. I'll probably be lucky if I get to 10 posts this month.

Frank Darabont's Furious Emails to His Walking Dead Coworkers: 'Fuck You All'. The e-mails they have published here are pretty funny. It's obvious at the time Darabont was writing them he either thought he was getting fired or really wanted to get fired. It's amazing to think looking back on it now that Season 2 was pretty much DOA due to AMC's insistence on cutting the show's budget in half. Now a days its the biggest thing on TV. The showrunners could probably get an old space shuttle if they wanted to do a couple zombies in space episodes.

Star Wars' Firing Reveals a Disturbance in the Franchise. Lots of people wrote about this but the Hollywood Reporter probably had the best breakdown of the exact reasons Lord and Miller were fired from Han Solo. It's pretty interesting stuff and goes to show you Disney is not messing around with the Star Wars franchise. That's probably a good or bad thing depending on your point of view. We're probably never going to see a director go completely off the rails and turn in a crap movie but on the other hand there's no room for a real talented auteur to come in and carve out a piece of lore for him or herself.

Japan’s Most Ridiculous Wrestling Promotion Hits Somewhere Near The Big Time. DDT-Pro Wrestling is crazy pants. Like they have some ultra serious looking matches with some of the hottest young talent around and then they'll follow it up by putting a title on a table. Like literally a figuratively, the table's the champ now. I wish I could justify spending the cash on their subscription service but I'm already spending too much on other stuff every month. In the meantime I'll just have to keep following them on twitter, which is still pretty fun.

The Walking Dead Season 7 Sneak Peak

Facebook tells me that The Walking Dead is trending so I hit up AMC's YouTube page and this season 7 Sneak Peak was the newest thing they had. There was a buttcam video of a Season 7 commercial that some guy had recorded with his phone off his TV but I'm not watching that. This clip doesn't really tell you anything but it's a good reminder the new season starts in another month and a half. Good timing too, I can only ignore Fear the Walking Dead for so long.

The Rise of Links

DC Restructures Vertigo, Fires Shelly Bond, Internet Explodes. DC's Vertigo line of comics is an adult imprint that back in the day had some of the hottest comics on the market Books like Sandman, Preacher, Fables, V for Vendetta, Hellblazzer, many of which have seen movie or TV adaptions. Over the last couple years though the line hasn't done as well as in the past, so it's not a huge surprise that the editor in charge of the line, Shelly Bond, was recently let go under the guise of restructuring.

The big surprise though was the absolute shit storm this caused on-line. A lot of creators with bridges to burn immediately labeled the move as terrible and started lobbing scathing accusations to the remaining DC management, at one point a very prominent editor was called out for being a serial sexual harasser.

For a number of years DC has had a bit of a dark rumor cloud hanging over it when it comes to their management and editorial staff. Sexual harassment allegations have been around for years. It's even been rumored that an artist was taken off a very prominent project a few years back because the co-publisher was sleeping with his wife. It looks like Shelly Bond's firing was the straw that broke the camels back as far as creators actually naming names and pointing direct fingers. It's going to be very interesting to see what DC's response is. Hopefully if anything comes out of this it will be a safer work environment for people who just want to make good comics.

5 Movie And TV Plots That Mean The Writer's Out Of Ideas. I'll eat my hat if this article wasn't a direct reaction to the season finale of The Walking Dead. Still, it's written by David Wong so it's worth the read.

I really think what makes most people upset about the cliffhanger on the Walking Dead finale is that it was completely unnecessary. It's the most poplar show on cable, they don't need to resort to storytelling tricks to keep the audience engaged. I 100% guarantee that if they had just showed who Negan had killed they would have had just as much buzz going into the next season as they do now AND they wouldn't have pissed off so many fans. It was just a terrible terrible idea.

The rise of the $400 smartphone. Man, when did $400 for a phone become the cheap alternative? I'm still wrapping my head around buying a phone off contract. The last phone I bought was a Nokia under a two year deal and it cost me all of $100 out of pocket. I guess when you're talking about something you use every day and in theory will for a year or two, $400 isn't that much money but I'm not the kind of person that just has that sort of cash laying around. For me that's a big purchase that requires a bit of planning. Ugh, I hate it when I have to think about things like this, it takes all the fun out of buying something new. Where do I get one of those Obama phones?

The first 3 Minutes of Fear the Walking Dead

I guess we're doubling down on zombies today. AMC has released the first three minutes of the premier episode of Fear The Walking Dead, which just so happens to debut this Sunday on AMC. It's good enough I guess. I'd say it's a bit derivative of the opening scene to the Dawn of the Dead remake.

I know my last post implied that the zombie craze is a bit played out but I'm still looking forward to this show. The Walking Dead did a great job of creating this post-zombie apocalypse world but they completely skipped over how they got there. I'm not sure I want 5 or 6 seasons of this new show but a good 10 episodes where they lay out exactly how the apocalypse went down could be really interesting. Plus it's still August, it's not like there's anything else good on TV right now.

Stop My Vacation, There's a New Walking Dead Season 6 Trailer

Hey kiddos, I'm back from sunny Monterrey California. Where I partook in such fantastic adventures as swimming in the ocean, riding one of those goofy 4 person bikes and going to the Aquarium. Fun was had by all.

I'm glad I'm back, looks like there will be plenty from this years big ol San Diego Comic-Con to blog about. Expect nothing less that really slow coverage of an event already saturated by nerds like me blabbing about it on their blogs and websites. I might even get in a cosplay showcase or two. Anyway, glad to be back and CHEESE AND CRACKERS this trailer for the next Season of the Walking Dead looks awesome.

Fear the Walking Dead Teaser

You ready for a Walking Dead spinoff/prequel? Yeah me neither so I guess we both better start getting ready. I'm going to start by getting the oil changed in my car. Don't sleep on regularly scheduled maintenance.

Anyhoo Fear the Walking Dead looks to be a show set in LA during the initial Zombie outbreak. Could be good I guess. I don't know, I'm still reveling in my post Emerald City Comicon glow. I'll have some posts on that a bit later today and this week. So there's something to look forward to.

Turkey Sized Links

Kirk Cameron Tried To Flood RottenTomatoes With His Followers, Was Quickly Swamped By Trolls I feel like if Kirk Cameron didn't exist the internet would have to create him. The basic story here is that his new movie Saving Christmas is awful. At least that's what the lamestream media would like you to believe. Kirk rallied the troops on facebook t flood RottenTomatoes with positive reviews and he kinda got the opposite. Unless he thinks "difficult to masturbate to" is a positive review. I mean it kinda is, I doubt that's what they were going for.

Not Even Steven Spielberg Is Allowed To Remake ‘The Last Starfighter’. Remember just the other day when I was pontificating over a remake to The Last Starfighter? It turns out there's a very good reason Hollywood hasn't tried to remake it. They can't. This is one of those rare instances where the screenwriter has the controlling rights to a remake and he will not allow it. Good for him.

Mark Cuban made billions from an open internet. Now he wants to kill it. This is pretty much the most american thing ever. Billionaire is against the very thing that helped him earn his billions simply because now that he's a billionaire it's not in his best interest. And to think, Mark Cuban was my third favorite shark.

Craigslist was down: a short interview with the hacker blamed for it. This is a fun story, YTCracker is like a real life Zero Cool from Hackers if Johnny Lee Miller had went on to becoming a DJ and rapper as opposed to a Benedict Cumberbatch impersonator.

4 Reasons 'The Walking Dead' Hates Humans More Than Zombies. David Wong pokes some holes in the basic conceit behind most Zombie stories not just The Walking Dead. The idea that the second a zombie apocalypse hits society will be cast into two different groups, bad ass zombie killers and hapless zombie food.

One of the reasons I really enjoyed World War Z (the book not the horrible movie) was because it took this idea and turned it on it's ear. People with tangible skills like doctors, plumbers, carpenters and electricians became incredibly valuable while lawyers and bankers were left shoveling zombie corpses. Man... now I'm thinking about World War Z. I might have to reread that again.

DC Comics Claims Valencia's New Crest Looks Too Much Like Batman Logo. On the surface this copyright claim by Warner Bros seems ridiculous as Valencia has been playing soccer for over 100 years and have always used a bat in their crest. HOWEVER, this is specifically over their new logo, which looks a whole lot like the Batman Beyond bat symbol (not pictured here) which I assume has also been trademarked or copyrighted or whatever the legalese is.

Don't get me wrong, I think Warner Bros will still lose but I think the case is far less of a laugh that most bloggers are making it out to be.

The Walking Drunk

What happens when you replace the opening credits to the Walking Dead with footage of drunk people stumbling around? You get this 43 second youtube video.

This is as good of time as any to write about how much I loved last week's Walking Dead. Woo doggy. I know it's impossible to keep up keep up that sort of pace but if the premiere episode is any sort of indicator to how this season is going to play out it might be their best one yet.

New Walking Dead Season 5 Trailer

New trailer for Season 5 of the Walking Dead hit the webs yesterday. It looks like, if the trailer is to believed, our survivors are going to spend most of their time fighting the cannibals that took them hostage at the end of Season 4. Personally I'm excited. I know there's a large group of net nerds that wants all zombies all the time but for me the best part of a zombie story is how people interact with each other once traditional societal trappings have fallen.

Anyway October 12th is the date. Mark it on you calendar, while you still can..

Daryl Dixon 167, Zombies 0

A new season of the Walking Dead premiers... ummm this month? I think. I'm not sure and I've already got way too many tabs open to google it. Let's go with soon. In anticipation let's enjoy every Walker kill ever by Daryl Dixon.

Fight the Dead

I went to the grocery store and they already had Halloween candy out. Halloween candy, I guess I should be glad it wasn't Christmas decorations. Anyway it's a good reminder that a new season of the Walking Dead is right around the corner. AMC isn't on Dish Network anymore so I guess I'll have to wait until the episodes are available on Xbox Live or something.

I've been trying to download stuff less lately. I mean it is stealing, why bother when there's all this good stuff on Netflix I haven't watched yet? Have you seen Luthor? Man, Idris Elba is dreamy.

Walking Dead Season 3 Trailer? Sure why not

But I have to know, is Carl still in the house?!

The Walking Dead Videogame looks boooring

I'm 99.9 percent sure the only reason we're seeing a Walking Dead video game is that last year Robert Kirkman saw the trailer for Dead Island and thought he could do better (wrong).

I think this is an xBox live arcade game, at least I hope it is 'cause it looks awful. I get that they're aiming for "a comic book come to life" look with all the cell shading, the problem is that The Walking Dead comic doesn't look anything like this. If they were actually using Charlie Adlard's art as a reference point then someone needs to get fired.

The Walking Links

Lock up your Zombies, Tony Moore is suing everyone. Ok so he's just suing his Walking Dead co-creator Robert Kirkman. Still you should get in the habit of locking up your zombies. They may look all cute and snugly but they can be very dangerous.

The Double Fine Adventure Game breaks Kickstater record. So Tim Shafer and Double Fine games raised 1.3 million dollars for their old school adventure game project in about a day. Too bad the market for adventure games just isn't there, right EA?

Fighting Big Cable's encryption initiative. Remember when you were able to get basic cable right from the wall without a translator box to rent or anything? Yeah, those days are long over.

Is controlling the commodities market child's play? Some nerdy economist is trying to prove how easy it is to manipulate the commodities market by buying an overwhelming share of Ram Man collectibles.

First 4 minutes of The Walking Dead

I've been told that this is the first 4 minutes of Season 2.5 of the Walking dead. I've also been told that the Walking Dead TV show sucks and the comic is much better, which is a bunch of lies. The TV show is WAY better than the comic book. 2 reasons:

1. The comic book moves too fast. Characters die before you even have the chance to remember their names.

2. The comic is also way too depressing. By the end of the 4th TPB Rick is a raving lunatic and by the 6th TPB everyone you cared about is dead (spoilers!).

The characters on the TV show have more depth, the interpersonal conflicts seem more genuine and I feel that the gore has a stronger impact on screen than it does in print. I don't care if they're averaging 1 zombie kill per episode. If I wanted to just watch zombies get slaughtered for a couple hours I'd watch Dead Alive...


.. note to self, rent Dead Alive.

This week on a very special The Walking Dead

Ever wonder what The Walking Dead would look like as a sitcom from the 80s? Well then, Merry Christmas. Here's what Santa got you.

The Mowing Dead

Saw this on tumblr, thought I'd share.

Zombieland the TV show, why not?

Yesterday Vulture (which is a thing on the internet, I guess) reported that Fox is looking to adapt Zombieland into a TV show. Take it away Vulture:

We hear talks are well under way with Fox Broadcasting and Columbia’s sister unit, Sony Pictures Television, to put the zom-com into development for the 2012-13 season. If it happens, it will actually be sort of fitting.

As Zombieland producer Gavin Polone noted, “The original plan for this was to make it as a TV show.” Indeed, CBS actually ordered a pilot script for the concept all the way back in 2005, “but they did what networks do, which is to take all the good stuff out.”

I'm shocked it took this long for another network to get on board the zombie train (I'm looking at you CW). I mean everyone LOVES The Walking Dead and it's not even that good. I mean it's good, it's just not that good. Certianly not good enough to be the only zombie show on TV.

Besides Zombieland is fun, you ever read The Walking Dead comic? After every issue I feel like taking a shower and hugging my family for about 20 minutes. Zombieland just made me want to hang out with Bill Murray and shoot things, advantage Zombieland.

The Walking Dead: Torn Apart

So for whatever reason the producers of the Walking Dead decided to throw us bloodthirsty TV zombies a bone in the form of a couple of webisodes. They're pretty good I guess. Part of my kind of feels like they're ripping off that Dead Island trailer in a generic sort of way. Like they thought if they just threw some random family falling apart I'd start squirting tears.

Maybe I'd feel more for this family if they had a reasonable zombie plan. I mean seriously, zombies start attacking everyone and the first thing they do is to tell little Timmy and Jimmy to go play in the other room?

New Walking Dead season 2 trailer

Here's another Walking Dead Season 2 promo. It's a little more artsy than the last one, what with Zombie church and all.

You suppose after zombie church there's a little meet and greet with coffee and cider? Growing up that was my favorite part of church, 20 minutes of standing around the general purpose room sipping away at some boiling hot instant cider trying to think of things to talk about with kids you only see once a week. I bet zombie church has the equivalent.

They probably don't have cider though.