Marvel is launching a website that allows visitors to create their own comics using the company's pantheon of famous characters. They insist, however, that certain topics not be addressed: social issues, death, farts, and so forth. You wonder: if the trap is so obvious, why walk into it?
Here are some highlights from the very long list of no-no’s:
“Content that could frighten or upset young children or the parents of young children.”Prescription drugs or over-the-counter medication, vitamins, and dietary supplements.Contraceptives“Suggestive or revealing images,” including “bare midriffs”
“Sensationalism,” which is not defined but elucidated with the examples “killer bees, gossip, aliens, scandal, etc.”
“Obscenity, bad or offensive language” or “proxies for bad or offensive language.” E.g. no “X@#%!”
“Noises related to bodily functions.”
No politics, including “alternative lifestyle advocacies”
Death
“Misleading language”
“A copy or parody of current or past Marvel advertising creative”
Any “controversial topics,” including “social issues”
Double entendres
Any amusement parks that aren’t Disney amusement parks
Any movie studios that aren’t “affiliated with Marvel”
Guns
I can't wait to play with this.
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On Saturday at New York Comic-Con, Marvel was scheduled to do a splashy launch event announcing the crossover between the Avengers and Northrop Grumman, a notorious arms dealer whose stealth bombers and drones have been front and center in the US campaigns of assassination in many theaters of war, declared and undeclared, in which literally uncounted civilians have been collateral damage. Read the rest
One of the most exciting things Marvel Studios has ever done is hire Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt For The Wilderpeople) to direct Thor: Ragnarok. Read the rest
Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge surprise for me. I'm looking forward to this one! Read the rest
Just in time for the holidays, Marvel released a set of 10 different hour-long fireplace videos. So if you don’t have an actual hearth, you can cozy up next to a virtual one owned by Captain America, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Thor, or the Guardians of the Galaxy (or a close-up shot of each of those locales). Cap's Brooklyn apartment is above and here's Iron Man's Manhattan penthouse:
The Guardians’ futuristic fireplace even comes complete with a dancing Baby Groot:
You can find the rest of the fireplace videos on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube page.
[via The Verge] Read the rest
After Every Frame a Painting analyzed The Marvel Symphonic Universe (see last week's post), Dan Golding expanded on that great video arguing that film music, and films themselves, have an interesting relationship with originality. Read the rest
Alex Schmidt of Cracked makes a passionate (and hilarious) argument for DC putting Superman and Batman into the public domain, pointing out that comics companiesmake a hell of a lot of money on public domain characters from Sherlock Holmes and Thor. Read the rest
Matt Ritchie makes "slumps" — whimsical artwork of popular characters slumped over as if falling asleep or theatrically dejected by their latest mishap.
Up top are the heroes of Star Wars, who have perhaps just learned that Disney has no plans to remaster the original theatrical release. Here's the Justice League, reading reviews of the movies they appear in. Read the rest
This week, Michigan State University's Spartan Marching Band paid tribute to Marvel superheroes.
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Collar Clips from Migardian Treasure in Gravesend, England makes collar clips in a variety of pop-culture motifs, some obvious and some very subtle indeed:
Captain America shields, Captain America stars, Hawkeye and Hydra vs SHIELD; Boba Fett, Vader and Stormtroopers (also available as brooches and earrings). Read the rest
Would you like your skin to look youthful, even though you're pushing 100? A Captain America skincare face mask may be just the ticket. Part of Isshin Do's official Marvel-licensed beauty line. Read the rest
Parisian photographer Jackie Tadeoni Sacha Goldberger created this wonderful series of superheroes (and Snow White!) as subjects of Baroque Flemish portraits. Read the rest
Robert Downey wore it well as Tony Stark in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and you will, too. Read the rest
The fine folks at Vulture took clips from the doomed Roger Corman Fantastic Four and made a retro-style trailer. ICYMI, here's what they're parodying: Read the rest
We would see the hell out of this movie at the drive-in.
Cold glass sculptor Jack Storms explains how he makes his gorgeous pieces, including one that became a cube prop in the Guardians of the Galaxy film. Read the rest
Superhero movies are nothing new (Superman, Batman, Spiderman...) but they began to snowball in 2000, after the success of X-Men. And with the growing trend of comic book box office hits, manic studios are now juggling 51 comic book films, expected to be released between July 2015 to the year 2020. At the front of the queue is next month's Ant-Man, followed by The Fantastic Four on August 7th of this year in the U.S. Others coming up in the next 12 months include Marvel's Deadpool, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War. Read the complete list, along with synopses and dates, at Den of Geek. Read the rest
