The Wild Case: a mini game review

Posted on 08/04/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I get a bunch of games that catch my attention, some big, some small, some that came out awhile ago that I haven’t gotten to check out and some coming out a long time from now. In this case, the game is The Wild Case, a short, but intriguing first person point and click mildly visual novel adventure game.

What must be pointed out immediately is that the painted art for this game is excellent. While there is very little animation, the art style evokes something that compels one to continue the story. There is no voice acting, but the writing is solid. Where the game becomes less a game and more a clever interactive story is the puzzles. There is no true trouble solving and much of solving is built on coded trigger events, but this doesn’t take away from it. You will want to play these simple fetch and solve puzzles to get to the next step in this mystery.

To truly discuss any of it spoils the experience, but I know some must be presented. You are an investigative journalist, you’re in a foreign town, there’s something weird going on and you have been tasked with figuring it out. It’s adventure game 101 and again, not truly a puzzle game and much more a visual novel with more interaction than most, but it’s done very well.

The Wild Case is available on Steam, The Apple App store and Windows Store with varying prices and is for Windows, Mac and Linux. The developer Special Bit are also currently making a Nintendo Switch build.

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Fantagraphics to Collect Legendary Underground Comix THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS Ahead of Their New Animated Series

Posted on 08/02/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The Freak Brothers Find a New Home at Fantagraphics Ahead of The Animated Series Starring Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish

(August 2, 2021) The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are the most iconic and enduring underground comix characters ever created, having sold over 45 million comics in 16 languages. Fantagraphics is proud to announce that it is collecting all their drug-addled adventures in a new series of four volumes under the series title The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Follies with the first volume being The Idiots Abroad and Other Follies. The Freak Brothers will also find a new audience in their upcoming animated series starring the voices of Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish.

Created in 1968 by Gilbert Shelton, widely recognized as one of the funniest cartoonists who ever lived, the Freak Brothers’ rollicking and hilariously self-destructive escapades are comedic masterpieces of farce and satire. Our first volume leads off with “The Idiots Abroad,” a relentless novel-length tour de force of slapstick, screwball humor, showing off Shelton’s gift for weaving together an intricate plot with droll dialogue and pitch-perfect visual timing.

The Brothers — Freewheelin’ Franklin, Phineas, and Fat Freddy — embark on a trip to Colombia to score some cheap dope (their guiding principle) but, as always, things go awry, and they are separated and scattered around the world — to Scotland, Moscow, Africa, South America, and the Middle East — where they encounter nuclear terrorists, slavers, pirates, and religious fanatics, yet somehow never seem to make it to Bogotá. The Comics Journal named “The Idiots Abroad” as one of the “100 Greatest Comics of the Century” and The Guardian, citing its “graphic quality,” called it “astonishing” and said it “recall[s] Hergé in … accuracy and detail.” Rounding out our first volume is another 70 pages of Freak Brothers short stories.

The Freak Brothers, an animated series set in modern San Francisco starring the voices of Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish, is scheduled for release in 2021.

THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS will come to stores in January 2022.

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BIOMUTANT

Posted on 07/25/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I am a graffiti hunter. No matter where I go, be it a large city, a small town, far away or very close, virtually or in person, I’m always looking for the stickers, the murals, the street art. This even applies to video games and in BIOMUTANT there is actually a great assortment of it. Cutesy illustrations in an American Kawaii style on dilapidated walls.

Of course this isn’t the other fun detour in BIOMUTANT. If you love matching outfits, playing with fur styles, colors, etc. you’re in for a joy. Although when it comes to outfits you better not care about armor functionality to see all the different hats, shirts, jeans, etc you can make.

If exploring every nook and cranny a world has to offer before finishing a story, you have that in oodles as well. There’s a big old world here of customization, a history of the world before it became what it was, and different types of places to explore with different enemy types as well.

I chose to wait till getting completely through this game to the end and a New Game + before properly praising and/or critiquing the game, hence the first three parts of this review were made early on. After a futher observation while I would still highly recommend BIOMUTANT it is a frustrating game. There are many flaws in the design, in the writing, in the what seem forced missions. The boss battles are five very different type of gameplays and the the entirety of the game does not prepare you for these boss battles in the least. To prepare for those boss battles one needs to level up and to level up it tends to involve fetch quests which turn into side quests which are not truly side quests as without finishing certain side quests you will not be able to finish the main quests. It becomes too much after awhile and the open world loses its charm.

The narrator also loses his charm and you get the option to have him speak less way too late for it to matter, at that point you’ve gotten used to him even when you scream “shut up already”.

The choices you make definitely have story potential, but unfortunately at least for me when you reach the point to make these very heavy choices they seem either easy or too daunting, and the desire to know what happens if you replay and made different choices based on the ending one did receive wasn’t high.

With all this though, mileage may vary. The game is beautiful, the combat is amazing (although in hard mode which I attempted after easy mode to just experience the game it is excruciatingly hard… which for some gamers is the experience they desire, for others, not at all), the weapon building is exciting (although scrounging for currency is a slag like in any RPG), the platforming is at times difficult and other times exhilarating, all the modes of transport are fun (although the fact that the water vehicle doesn’t seem to spawn in all water and therefore you drown is frustrating).

Should you play BIOMUTANT? Most definitely, but just be aware what you’re getting into.

(Disclaimer: This review is based off a free review copy.)

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BOOM! Studios Announces DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1

Posted on 07/25/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Discover a Brand New Special From the Authors of the Official Prequel to
Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ in December 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 24, 2021) –  BOOM! Studios today proudly announced DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1, a brand new comic book special issue expanding the rich mythology of Frank Herbert’s Dune, adapted & scripted by New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by artist Jakub Rebelka (Origins) and lettered by Ed Dukeshire, in partnership with Herbert Properties LLC and in full coordination with Abrams ComicArts, who published the first of a trilogy of graphic novel adaptations of Herbert’s original classic novel DUNE in Fall 2020.

During the chaos of the legendary Battle of Arrakeen, a group of Atreides soldiers gets caved in. So while Paul Atreides meets his destiny in battle, Sgt. Vitt must use his family’s gift of storytelling as a Jongleur to transport his men from their tomb to their homeworld of Caladan. Can Vitt mentally transport them back to the lushness and vast oceans of Caladan and give them the gift of hope in the darkness?

“When we were writing A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS, we had no idea that our Dune-series novels and short stories would eventually add up to millions of words,” said Brian Herbert. “Now we’re still adding on to that total, and continue to enjoy the writing process as much as we did when we were just getting going.  Our enthusiasm for these stories has never waned.”

“A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS was the very first piece of Dune fiction Brian and I wrote together, a short story introduction as we got our legs under us for writing House Atreides,” said Kevin J. Anderson. “It certainly launched something great for both of us.”

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.

DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1 features main cover art by Jeff Dekal (BRZRKR) and variant covers by artists Rebelka, Elizabeth Torque (Venom), and Christian Ward (Something is Killing the Children).

“The origins of Brian and Kevin’s incredible worldbuilding within the Dune universe starts here with an insightful and touching story that shows a side of this epic sci-fi classic that has never been seen before,” said Jonathan Manning, Editor, BOOM! Studios.

DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS 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; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; 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 MacKay and Ig Guara.

Print copies of DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1 will be available in December 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

For continuing news on the DUNE comic book series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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A Heartfelt Goodbye to an Important Stage in Life, No Longer Home Release Date Announced.

Posted on 07/20/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

A semi-autobiographical game about relationships, everyday life and saying goodbye, No Longer Home launches on July 30

Melbourne, Australia, July 20, 2021 — Publisher Fellow Traveller and developer Humble Grove today announced No Longer Home, a semi-autobiographical game about saying goodbye to a significant stage in life, will launch for PC on Steam, Epic Games Store, Humble and GOG.com on July 30, 2021.

No Longer Home is a slice-of-life story, inviting players to immerse themselves in the lives of Ao and Bo, two queer, non-binary students who’ve recently graduated and are preparing to leave the flat they’ve shared for a year.Explore the flat, have conversations with friends and get to know Lu, the multi-eyed animal-like new flatmate. Find magic in everyday moments like BBQs with friends and playing video games together as the duo come to terms with an uncertain future.
“Precarity and identity are the predominant themes through the story. The events in the game are based on our own experiences, during a time when we were feeling disillusioned with post uni life and trying to figure out what to do next.’ says Cel Davison (they/them), Lead Writer & Cinematographer. “No Longer Home is about exploring our place in the world and finding wonder in everyday domesticity.”Hana Lee (they/them), Lead Artist & Animator added: “After graduation, due to visa restrictions I unfortunately had to go back to Japan. The game originally came about as a way for Cel and I to stay in touch, to explore and express the emotions that came with saying goodbye.”

No Longer Home will be available for $14.99 on Steam, Epic Games Store, Humble and GOG.com with a 20% launch discount for 1 week.
The No Longer Home Soundtrack is composed by IGF-nominated sound artist and composer Eli Rainsberry (they/them) of A Monster’s Expedition, Bird Alone, Wilmot’s Warehouse, with contributions from session musician Derek Daley (he/him), and composer for the prequel Friary Road Paws Menu (he/him). The No Longer Home soundtrack and the prequel Friary Road Soundtrack will be available for $9.99 and $4.99 respectively.The Farewell Edition bundle of the game will be available, including the base game and both soundtracks.

Epic: Coming Soon

About No Longer Home
How do you say goodbye to a place? How do you let go of the life you’ve built due to circumstances beyond your control?
Bo and Ao are graduating from university and preparing to leave the flat they’ve lived in together for a year. Thanks to visa limitations, Ao is forced to return to Japan, leaving Bo in England. Disillusioned by post-educational life and shoved aside by a government that doesn’t want them there, both try to come to terms with their uncertain futures.
Wander through an intimate flat and examine the everyday belongings of Bo and Ao. Have BBQs, play video games, and stay up late just talking in bed. Follow the day-to-day activities and conversations of two queer, non-binary students and their friends. Welcome the magic of the every day and somewhat extraordinary.

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RE-ANIMATOR® PRODUCER BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND – SERIALIZED HORROR COMICS & TIKI-STYLE MUGS

Posted on 07/15/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

This Kickstarter, now available looks amazingly wonderful. As a fan of Yuzna’s work, Tiki mugs, and the horrible Blood Island films I am very intrigued.

PLANNED RE-BOOT OF THE “BLOOD ISLAND” ZOMBIE & CREATURE FEATURE FRANCHISE OF THE ‘60S &’70S IN PRE-PRODUCTION

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF THIS JULY WITH LAUNCH DURING SAN DIEGO COMIC CON AT HOME AND SAN DIEGO’S TIKI OASIS

#bloodisland, #tiki, #horror, #comicbooks

New York, NY, July 15, 2021 – Brian Yuzna, the legendary producer behind the 1985 film adaptation of the zombie horror classic, H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator ®, has unveiled a Kickstarter, a crowdfunding campaign for a serialized comic book and Tiki-style monster mug line called BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND.  Based on a script by writers David Sehring and Mark Cerulli, Yuzna and Drive-In-Sanity Films plan to adapt the comic books for a filmed reboot of the franchise with Tiki-mug tie ins and ancillary merchandise to complement and elevate the promotional and marketing efforts for the production.

Inspired by the successful “Blood Island” zombie and creature feature franchise made in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures for the U.S. drive-in market from 1959 through 1970, the comic book incorporates key characters from the original films and more jungle thrills, strange science fiction & fantasy, and over-the-top monsters and gore that were the key ingredients of the Blood Island pictures as well as “Mondo Movies” and exploitation films from that period.

BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND, the comic book, is a movie series in the making with storyboard styling that screams “action” from artist Stephen Sistilli and coloring & lettering from Dexter Weeks.  Both Sistilli and Weeks worked on another Tiki-themed comic, Koni Waves for Arcana Comics from 2005 through 2010.  The first issue of BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND will be 36-pages in full color with three future issues planned for the initial run of the series.  Told in the style of classic cliffhanger serials and tropical tales from Men’s Adventure magazines and pulps, the new comic book features tiki terrors and non-stop monster mayhem, mixing and mashing up myths and folklore from around the world.

To coincide with the release of the comic books, there will also be more “blood in your eye” with a series of “mix-and-match” Tiki-style mugs based on the characters & creatures featured in the original movies and new comics.

The undying, green-blooded zombie, the Beast of Blood, is the first Tiki Monster mug in the line as sculpted by Tiki-fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson, who has held numerous executive titles with Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, Tiki Farm and other theme park and design companies.

THE STORY OF THE COMIC BOOK
BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is a comic book re-boot and re-imagining of the classic Hemisphere Pictures’ Blood Island creature feature franchise directed in the Philippines by Gerardo de Leon and Eddie Romero in the 1960s and 1970s.   Romero went on to serve as Associate Producer on Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Like Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, YUZNA’S TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is set during the end of the Vietnam War, somewhere in the South Seas, on a mysterious, primitive island filled with a multitude of monsters & mutants. There, a soldier-of-fortune and an ex-war buddy team up for a top-secret mission to find and exterminate the murderous war criminal, Dr. Akira Lorca, whose mad experiments with evolution and a jungle plant serum, derived from man-eating trees, create a hideous, head-hunting, body-swapping beast that terrorizes the island population by feasting on and appropriating their blood and flesh.

THE STORY OF THE MUG 
Produced in association with Bauer Pottery, one of the oldest ceramics companies in the United States, the Beast of Blood mug was designed and sculpted by Tiki fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson and is actually two mugs in one.  When stacked, the Beast of Blood Tiki-style mug is approximately 8″ tall.  Separated, the Beast’s disembodied head holds approximately 4 ounces of fluid while the Beast’s headless body holds approximately 8 ounces of liquid refreshment.  More color glazes and more beasts from the TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND comic books will be coming soon to mix and mash up with their fellow Blood Islander who was first made available, in a limited run, for the legendary Polynesian and tiki-themed Mai-Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for their Hulaween 2020 Drive-In event. The mug proved quite popular and was a sell-out.  All new color glazes and “blood splatter” editions will be made available to Kickstarter patrons of the BLOOD ISLAND campaign should it prove successful in reaching its funding goals.

ABOUT BRIAN YUZNA
Brian Yuzna is a Filipino-born American producer, director, and writer.  He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as Re-Animator® (1985) and From Beyond (1986) before making his directorial debut with the satirical body horror film, Society (1980).   Yuzna also served as coproducer and co-writer for the Disney comedy, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).  Yuzna was the first American filmmaker to adapt a manga, The Guyver (1989), into a live-action feature.  Yuzna also directed the horror sequels Silent, Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990), and Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) before directing The Dentist (1996) and its sequel, The Dentist 2 (1998). He has helmed several adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft and went on to direct the sequels to Re-Animator:  Bride of Re-Animator (1990) and Beyond Re-Animator (2003).  While living in Spain in the early 2000s, Yuzna started Fantastic Factory with Julio Fernandez, a genre label under Barcelona film company Filmax which produced films for the international market (shot in English) using talent from all around the world.   After a successful run in Spain, Yuzna went to Indonesia and produced the horror film anthology, Takut: Faces of Fear (2008) and directed the 3D creature feature, Amphibious: Creature of the Deep (2010).  Yuzna is currently in development on a number of features in Hollywood and around the world, including an adaptation of the Tales of Blood Island comic book.

ABOUT DRIVE-IN-SANITY FILMS
Drive-In-Sanity Films is a production, marketing and distribution company run by David Sehring, a 37-year veteran film, television and creative services executive who has worked for Vestron Home Video, AMC Networks, including Shudder & IFC Midnight, as well as web retailer, Karmaloop.  While at AMC, Sehring won an Emmy for the doc Hollywood Rocks The Movies: The 1970s and created AMC’S Monsterfest (Now FearFest). Sehring also launched the first high-definition horror and creature feature channel, Monsters HD.  Sehring’s other credits include documentaries on the history of horror, sci-fi & fantasy including Behind The Planet of the Apes; The Alien Saga; The Fly Papers and Tales From The Crypt: From Comic Books To Television among others.   Sehring also worked on the theatrical, cable & digital VOD campaigns for the indie horror films, Maniac starring Elijah Wood; the Australian cult hit, The Babadook; and the notorious Human Centipede film franchise.  Most recently, Sehring served as an associate producer on David Gregory’s and Severin Films’ Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, a true Hollywood crime story that chronicles the life, career, and tragic death of an exploitation film maverick. Sehring and Drive-In-Sanity Films currently represents legendary drive-in movie producer Samuel M. Sherman and his library of films from Independent-International Pictures Corp. and Hemisphere Pictures.

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Choose Vengeance or Honor in Your First Look at DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR #1

Posted on 06/29/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Discover a Brand New Tale From the Authors of the Official Prequel to
Frank Herbert’s DUNE in July 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 29, 2021) –  BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR #1, a poignant, blood-soaked tale expanding the rich mythology of Frank Herbert’s Dune, adapted & scripted by New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and illustrated by artist Adam Gorham (The New Mutants: Dead Souls, Punk Mambo), colorist Patricio Delpeche (Origins), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future), in partnership with Herbert Properties LLC and in full coordination with Abrams ComicArts, who published the first of a trilogy of graphic novel adaptations of Herbert’s original classic novel DUNE in Fall 2020.

When the choice is vengeance or honor, which lies at the heart of a Sardaukar? Jopati Kolona is one of the Sardaukar: the emperor’s elite military unit. The Sardaukar are unbeatable, unbending in their devotion to the emperor, and feared throughout the galaxy. When Jopati meets Duke Leto of House Atreides, the house he believes responsible for the destruction of his home planet and family, he will be forced to question a life-long hatred. Tasked with overthrowing the Atreides stronghold on Dune for his master, Jopati will be forced to choose between duty and forgiveness.

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.

DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR #1 features main cover art by Jeff Dekal (Dune: House Atreides) and variant covers by Gorham, Max Fiumara (Batman: Black and White), and Gerald Parel (Suicide Squad).

DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR 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; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; and the upcoming Eve by Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Atreides from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, and Francesco Mortarino; and Magic from Jed McKay and Ig Guara.

Print copies of DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR #1 will be available on July 28, 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

For continuing news on the DUNE comic book series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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Your First Look at R.L. Stine’s JUST BEYOND: MONSTROSITY

Posted on 06/15/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

This one looks excellent.

Discover the Beloved Horror Author’s Latest MONSTROSITY in October 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 15, 2021) – BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at JUST BEYOND: MONSTROSITY, from R.L. Stine, the award-winning, bestselling author of Goosebumps and Fear Street, artist Irene Flores (Heavy Vinyl) with additional inks by Lea Caballero, colorist Joana LaFuente, and letterer Mike Fiorentino, set in the world of the highly acclaimed middle grade horror series Just Beyond, soon to be a television show on Disney+.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE HORROR BUSINESS! Ruthie and Ezra Dillon’s dad and uncle just bought an old Hollywood movie studio. And while the family has plans for reviving it to make scary movies for a modern audience, the monsters hiding in the backlot have other ideas. Ruthie and Ezra are eager to star in their family’s films, but they’ll soon find themselves in a real horror show with Wolfenscreem, the Lagoonatics, and the Wasp-

    Discover the Beloved Horror Author’s Latest MONSTROSITY in October 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 15, 2021) –  BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at JUST BEYOND: MONSTROSITY, from R.L. Stine, the award-winning, bestselling author of Goosebumps and Fear Street, artist Irene Flores (Heavy Vinyl) with additional inks by Lea Caballero, colorist Joana LaFuente, and letterer Mike Fiorentino, set in the world of the highly acclaimed middle grade horror series Just Beyond, soon to be a television show on Disney+.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE HORROR BUSINESS! Ruthie and Ezra Dillon’s dad and uncle just bought an old Hollywood movie studio. And while the family has plans for reviving it to make scary movies for a modern audience, the monsters hiding in the backlot have other ideas. Ruthie and Ezra are eager to star in their family’s films, but they’ll soon find themselves in a real horror show with Wolfenscreem, the Lagoonatics, and the Wasp-Keeper…who are all ready for their revival with a vengeance!

JUST BEYOND: MONSTROSITY will be published through the company’s award-winning KaBOOM! imprint, where R.L. Stine has originated his first new concepts in the comic book medium as part of his multi-book agreement with the publisher. With the release of his debut novel Blind Date in 1981, R.L. Stine established himself as one of the most important voices in horror for a new generation. This was followed up with the release of Fear Street in 1989, which remains the best-selling YA series in history with more than 100 books published thus far, and Goosebumps in 1992, which transformed Stine into a worldwide celebrity. The series was soon adapted as a hit TV series and recently returned as a blockbuster film starring Jack Black in 2015 from Sony/Columbia Pictures, with a sequel hitting theaters in 2018. Stine has continued to create exciting new horror concepts for younger audiences each year, in turn becoming one of the most successful American novelists of all time.

Print copies of JUST BEYOND: MONSTROSITY will be available for sale on October 20, 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), on October 26, 2020 at bookstores or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle. Currently, Just Beyond: The Scare School, Just Beyond: The Horror at Happy Landings, and Just Beyond: Welcome to Beast Island are available for purchase wherever books are sold.

For continuing news on the JUST BEYOND series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter. 

         

         

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WRESTLING NEWS: Where has P-CS been?

Posted on 06/15/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

For the last few months P-CS’ own Reid Harris Cooper has been deeply working alongside a staff to get the first full show of the  independent professional wrestling company combined forces of One Division Pro & Imperial World Wrestling up and running. As Director of Talent Relations, RHC has had duties of booking, organizing, budget detail as well as working as a host and writer. It has been a hectic wonderful time. On June 12th, 2021 we finally put on the show titled One Division Rumble and it was a success.

Here are images talking about the fallout of One Division Rumble with text written by RHC himself followed by some videos featuring Reid Harris Cooper in his broadcasting role.



 

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Ross Richie Appointed to Chairman of BOOM! Studios’ Board of Directors

Posted on 05/30/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

   
 Extremely intriguing news from BOOM! Studios. I’ll be very curious to see what Ritchie considers Trailblazing in creating new prospects.

Founder and CEO Steps Into Strategic Role After 16 Years

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 28, 2021) –  BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce that our Founder and CEO, Ross Richie, has been appointed Chairman of the Board by the company’s Board of Directors.

In this new role, Mr. Richie will continue to provide vision and strategy for the company, targeting new business activities and arrangements to take the company to its next stage.

“While it’s difficult to shift away from being hands-on in the daily activity of the company, this new role will allow me to concentrate more deeply on trailblazing, which is my greatest passion,” said Mr. Richie. “BOOM! Studios has tremendous momentum in every facet of our business, which coupled with my confidence in the strong team I’ve built to manage the daily operations of the company, means there’s no better time for me to make this transition to create new opportunities. We’ve built the largest independently owned library of comics properties in America together, and the opportunities ahead are thrilling.”

Scott Lenet, who is stepping down as Chairman of the Board after serving in that role for the past decade, commented: “I’m very proud of Ross, having seen how he has built BOOM! from the ground up, recruited a world-class team, and created one of the most innovative and creator-friendly models in media. It’s been an honor being Ross’ partner in building the company, and I continue to expect great things from Ross and BOOM! as he grows into this next leadership role. It goes without saying that I look forward to continuing to work with him on the Board.”

Mr. Richie’s transition from the CEO role to Chairman of the Board will move him out of day-to-day management. The leadership of the company will remain in the hands of its respected and veteran management team – Stephen Christy (President, Development), Matt Gagnon (Editor-in-Chief), Joy Huffman (CFO), and Filip Sablik (President, Publishing & Marketing) – each of whom will remain in their respective roles.

Under Richie’s 16 year tenure as CEO the company has won “Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors 9 times, multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, and published BRZRKR, the best-selling comic book in comic book shops in the past 29 years. Currently in a first-look deal for television with Netflix, BOOM! is producing R.L. Stine TV series Just Beyond for Disney+ and Mech Cadets for Netflix, with over 24 media projects in active development.

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