The Scorched Unites Todd McFarlane's First-Ever Superhero Team!

The Year of Spawn continues with Todd McFarlane's newest book, The Scorched #1. This new book comes hot off the heels of three record-breaking books, Spawn's Universe #1, King Spawn #1, and Gunslinger Spawn #1, the biggest selling Image Comics books in the 21st century.    

The Scorched #1 is the first all-new issue of McFarlane's Superhero team book. After 30 years of the regular monthly Spawn book, The Scorched gathers the best characters for three decades and puts them together into one title. McFarlane has also recruited some of the top talents in the industry for this inaugural launch.   

The first issue's initial characters in The Scorched #1 will include Reaper, Spawn, Redeemer, Gunslinger, Medieval Spawn, She-Spawn, and many more waiting in the wings.   

McFarlane again enlisted a roster of top creative talent to contribute to The Scorched, including writer Sean Lewis and artists Stephen Segovia and Paulo Sequeria. Featuring cover art by Frank Quitely, Greg Capullo, Don Aguillo, fellow Image founder Mark Silvestri, Brett Booth, and McFarlane. Booth's cover of The Scorched #1 interconnects with King Spawn #1 and Gunslinger Spawn #1 to form one epic work of art.   

"The Scorched will allow myself and the creative team to bring in a rotating cast of heroes and villains and to have fun creating new characters and storylines," said McFarlane, Spawn creator and President at Image Comics.   

The Scorched #1 will have a 1:250 copy incentive cover which McFarlane will hand-sign and create a unique sequential number for each issue (based on the Final Order Cutoff total). Each signed The Scorched #1 1:250 includes a CGC Certificate of Authenticity that retailers can send in and redeem through CGC to have their books graded. This is the only time McFarlane will sign The Scorched #1 1:250 copy incentive cover.    

Additionally, The Scorched #1 will have a 1:50 copy incentive variant cover by Capullo.   For every 250 copies of The Scorched #1 issues ordered, retailers will become eligible to order five incentive covers of The Scorched #1 by Capullo and one The Scorched #1 McFarlane incentive cover.    

Join the battle with The Scorched #1 extravaganza as an epic tale of heaven, hell, and earth all begin to collide!   

The Scorched #1 will be available at comic book shops (48 pages, full color, rated: Teen+, $5.99, premium 10 pt cover stock) and on digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, December 15

The Tender Bar Trailer

The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother (Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer.

The Atreides and Harkonnen Blood Feud Begins in Dune: House Atreides #12

BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES #12, adapted & scripted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, who co-wrote the eponymous prequel novel based on Frank Herbert’s notes and illustrated by artists Dev Pramanik (Paradiso) and Mariano Taibo, colorist Alex Guimarães (Bone Parish), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future), in partnership with Herbert Properties LLC and in full coordination with Abrams ComicArts, who published the first of three graphic novel adaptations of Herbert’s original classic novel DUNE in Fall 2020.

Now the 81st Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe and imbued with the entire power of the Imperium, Shaddam will decide the fate of newly crowned Duke Leto Atreides. But his decision will inadvertently cement the genocidal hatred of Baron Harkonnen for House Atreides!

Created by visionary writer Frank Herbert, Dune debuted in 1965, has sold millions of copies and is arguably the most admired science fiction novel of all time. After winning the Hugo Award and inaugural Nebula Award, Dune inspired a best-selling novel series and led to multiple live-action adaptations, including the upcoming feature film from Legendary Pictures. The influence of Dune extends well beyond the world of entertainment, with an incalculable influence on modern scientific thinking about politics, religion, outer space, environmentalism and more.

The DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES limited series is published in coordination with Abrams ComicArts, who will release a graphic novel trilogy adapting Frank Herbert’s original novel Dune, with volume one published in November 2020. The Dune graphic novels from ComicArts are also adapted and scripted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and will be illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín, and feature covers by Bill Sienkiewicz.

DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; and Eve by Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties. including Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, and Francesco Mortarino; and Magic from Jed McKay and Ig Guara.

DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES #12 features main and variant cover art by Evan Cagle (Strange Skies Over East Berlin) and variant cover art by Tiffany Turrill (The Dreaming).

Print copies of DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES #12 will be available on December 1, 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle. Print copies of DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES Vol 1 HC are available now wherever books are sold. 

 

Ambulance Coming to Theaters February 2022

Over one day across the streets of L.A., three lives will change forever.

In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman, The Matrix Resurrections), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny (Oscar® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, Zodiac, Spider-Man: Far From Home). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no.

But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Baby Driver) onboard. In a high-speed pursuit that never stops, Will and Danny must evade a massive, city-wide law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and somehow try not to kill each other, all while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen. 

Ambulance is produced by Michael Bay, p.g.a., Bradley J. Fischer, p.g.a. (Zodiac, Shutter Island) for New Republic Pictures, James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, 2022’s Scream) and William Sherak (Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream) for Project X, and Oscar® nominee Ian Bryce (Transformers franchise, Saving Private Ryan).

The screenplay is by Chris Fedak (Prodigal Son, Chuck), based on the original story and screenplay for the 2005 Danish thriller Ambulancen by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen.  

Creative Giants, Todd McFarlane and Producer/DJ Steve Aoki, Partners on a NFT Marketplace Launch

Legendary Comic book artist Todd McFarlane and Steve Aoki's NFT Agency, Aoki Industries, announced the launch of OddKey.com today; an NFT marketplace powered by Metaplex. Founded out of a desire to help provide creators (from comics, sci-fi, fantasy, music, and more) with a safe platform to showcase and sell their authentic digital art.  OddKey empowers artists with the ability to control the destinies of their own digital properties. The site will be a permissionless on-chain protocol for buying, selling, and auctioning collectibles natively on the Solana blockchain.

McFarlane is the creator of the record-setting superhero series Spawn. During his award-winning time at Marvel Comics, he co-created the Venom character from his stint on The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. A page of his original Spider-Man artwork sold for a record $657,250 in 2017, but McFarlane has not sold any hand-drawn art in 30 years since the creation of Spawn in 1992.  OddKey.com will mark the first time this century McFarlane has offered original digital art for sale.

With over 2.8 billion music streams, Steve Aoki, and his agency Aoki Industries, will provide guidance and strategic assistance, while Aoki himself plans to use his musical skills and visual collaborations to deliver new NFT offerings in the near future.

"Steve and I wanted to help build a place where creators are in complete control of their work while retaining the vast majority of the finances. This same model made Image Comics, which I helped co-found in 1992, the third-largest publisher in North America (behind Marvel and DC Comics). Steve and I want to give that same freedom to creators in the NFT space, and let them know it's a place formed by two leading artists instead of people in suits," said McFarlane about OddKey.com.

The launch of OddKey will provide NFT comic and music aficionados with the opportunity to own original and authenticated digital works including original digital Spawn art for the first time ever.

"Music has always been what my life is rooted in, but I've been a passionate collector of collectibles and various forms of art for as long as I can remember," Aoki states. "NFTs gave me an opportunity to finally merge art, collectible culture, and music in a way I've never been able to realize before. Working with a visionary like Todd to build OddKey.com can help raise independent artists to a whole other level."

In advance of the full site launch, a raffle will be held for a lucky 6,666 registrants that register their crypto wallets on OddKey.com. They will receive the inaugural OddKey NFT, an authentic Todd McFarlane x Steve Aoki digital collectible with an array of "easter egg" surprise utilities.

Understanding the need to reduce the hefty environmental impacts of earlier cryptocurrency blockchains, OddKey's storefront will live on the Solana blockchain utilizing Metaplex's decentralized protocol marketplace. Any NFTs minted through Metaplex will be stored on Arweave, which backs data with perpetual payments, enabling creators to receive automatic payouts.

"We're beyond thrilled to be working with OddKey.com as they develop an online marketplace for some of the most prolific creators in the comic book world," said Jonathan Choi, CIO & Head of Partnerships of Metaplex Studios. "We believe that Metaplex will provide the tools for creators to have more ownership over how they monetize and distribute their art, and this is an excellent example of that. 

"Building on the foundation of Solana and Arweave, Metaplex is able to dramatically reduce minting and trading fees," said Raj Gokal, COO of Solana Labs and strategic advisor to Metaplex. "The launch of a Solana-based NFT platform will help accelerate the pace of innovation we see in the space by providing an easy to use and more economically viable platform that can better serve both the creators and their communities."

OddKey.com will also feature a robust NFT secondary marketplace that allows creators and buyers to participate in the long-term life of each NFT. Artwork created utilizing intellectual property owned by a third party will not be considered or featured on the platform.

To learn more about OddKey, please visit their Metaplex storefront, which can be found at https://oddkey.com

PARANORMAN Back In Theaters November 16 For One Day Only!

See ParaNorman back in theaters for one day only on November 16! In this comedy thriller, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can the town call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead.

In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul-whisperer bravely summons up all that makes a hero – courage and compassion – as he finds his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Voice Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, and John Goodman.

Produced by Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight. Written by Chris Butler. Directed by Sam Fell, Chris Butler.

This exclusive one-day event also features a special behind-the-scenes tour of LAIKA Studios!

MGM TO RELEASE SYLVESTER STALLONE’S ‘ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT’ FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY NOVEMBER 11th

The most triumphant sports-drama franchise in history returns to select theaters nationwide for a one night only exclusive engagement on November 11th with Sylvester Stallone’s ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT. After more than 35 years, director, writer and star Sylvester Stallone masterfully reshapes ROCKY IV, delivering 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage. The fight scenes are more intense, the music is more powerful and the drama is heightened as world heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) must defend his title once again, this time against his most formidable opponent: Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).

In celebration of the new film, MGM is teaming up with Fathom Events for nationwide screenings, offering fans a chance to be among the first to see this all-new version of Stallone’s classic 1985 film. Additionally, an exclusive Q&A with Stallone will be broadcast live in select movie theaters nationwide, and audiences will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the recut film. ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT will be available to rent on demand beginning Friday, November 12th.  

Tickets for ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT can be purchased online at www.fathomevents.com or at participating theater box offices today. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

When it was first released in 1985, ROCKY IV became the highest grossing of all the Rocky films, as well as the highest-grossing sports-drama in cinema for nearly a quarter-century. From writer, director and star Sylvester Stallone, ROCKY IV also features Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Pataki, Robert Doornick, Stu Nahan, Talia Shire and Tony Burton. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff produced the original film, with Arthur Chobanian and James D. Brubaker serving as executive producers.   

New Spider-Man: No Way Home Poster Confirms Villains?

 It seems like the new Spider-Man: No Way Home poster is confirming previously suspected villains from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spidey universes. We already know that Alfred Molina's Doc Ock will be making an appearance as he was featured in the latest trailer. We also got a tease for Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in the trailer.

The new poster confirms the Green Goblin's appearance in the upcoming film. We can see him in the distance on his glider, heading toward our hero. We also clearly see lightning coming down, hinting at Jamie Foxx's Electro. Also heavilly implied, with the dust (sand) storm is Thomas Haden Church's Sand Man. The only one we don't get a hint of is the Lizard, who is also speculated to be featured in the film. While the confirmation of Dafoe's Goblin is exciting, we're all waiting, with bated breath, for confirmation of the rumors of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's appearances in the film. Looks like Marvel and Sony are keeping that info close to their vest for now. Guess we'll have to wait until December 17th to find out!

Scream 5 Trailer

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

ONLY IN THEATRES ON JANUARY 14, 2022

Being the Ricardos Trailer

Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos in Academy Award®-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos. A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.”