Book Expo announces 2019 Adult Book & Author Breakfast Lineup

Posted on 02/19/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
BookExpo The Business of Book Culture May 29-31 Javits Center | NYC
The 2019 Adult Book & Author Breakfast Lineup has arrived Please welcome to the Main Stage Malcolm Gladwell Talking with Strangers Ta-Nehisi Coates The Water Dancer Marjorie Liu Monstress Karin Slaughter The Last Widow Moderated by: Rachel Maddow New York Times Best Seller When & where you'll want to be Thursday, May 30 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Main Stage Add this to your registration >>

An incredible line-up here, not only announcing the Thursday morning panel but authors appearing at the Expo with new books. Malcolm Gladwell, one of the greatest non-fiction essayists of our time with books such Outliers and What The Dog Saw returns with Talking to Strangers (his last book was 2013’s David & Goliath); Ta-Nehsi Coates, who gained new fame as the writer of Marvel Comic’s Black Panther after a best selling memoir, has written his first full length fictional novel with fantasy elements in The Water Dancer; Marjorie Liu won one of the most prestigious awards in comics, an Eisner last year, no new novels have been announced, so this might be a debut or more promotion of her comic Monstress; Karin Slaughter will be at the show presenting the latest in crime thriller Will Trent series, with The Last Widow, the 9th in the series; and Rachael Maddow, the amazing television news woman shall host the breakfast, but hopefully will also be there to promote her second ever book since 2013’s Drift.

Just amazing announcements here for the Expo and things to look forward too.

Posted in Book Expo America | Comments Off on Book Expo announces 2019 Adult Book & Author Breakfast Lineup

Pop-Culture Spectrum is going to Orlando

Posted on 02/08/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

From Tuesday, February 12th-Saturday, Feb 16th, this website and its owner will be away in Orlando, Florida experiencing Universal Studios, International Drive and various spots along Downtown.

We shall return with photos and reviews as much as we can handle.

In the mean time, keep your eyes on the Twitter and the Instagram handle reidhcooper.

 

 

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UDON ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE ART OF DARKSIDERS III, NEW HARDCOVER RELEASES OF ART OF DARKSIDERS & ART OF DARKSIDERS II

Posted on 02/06/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

UDON ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III HARDCOVER RELEASE, HARDCOVER EDITIONS OF ART OF DARKSIDERS AND ART OF DARKSIDERS II

Darksiders fans, rejoice! UDON Entertainment is proud to announce the all new, hardcover release of THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III, sure to be the envy of any collection!

Fury, the fiercest of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, has been tasked with capturing the Seven Deadly Sins to maintain the delicate balance between good and evil. With her deadly whip, Scorn, in hand, the Rider of the Black Horse battles her way from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell, aiming to prove that she is the most powerful of the Horsemen.

THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III gathers the epic artwork behind Gunfire Games’ new installment in the fan-favorite franchise, and includes character art, rough concepts, environment designs, storyboards and more.

THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III Hardcover is scheduled for release on July 2, 2019.

Are you a glutton for more Darksiders? Never fear! New hardcover editions of the long out-of-print THE ART OF DARKSIDERS and THE ART OF DARKSIDERS II will be released ahead of THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III, making this a trilogy you do not want to miss.

THE ART OF DARKSIDERS covers the original game that launched the series, and spotlights the Horseman wrongly accused of launching the Apocalypse – War. THE ART OF DARKSIDERS II focuses on Death – the most feared of the Horsemen – and his quest to undo Armageddon.

Featuring the artwork of legendary comic artist Joe Madureira (X-men, Battle Chasers) and the Vigil Games art team, these two titanic tomes collect full-color illustrations, character and environment designs, development sketches, unused concepts, and more. With these three incredible releases on the horizon, 2019 will be an amazing year for Darksiders fans!

THE ART OF DARKSIDERS Hardcover is scheduled for release on May 7, 2019.

THE ART OF DARKSIDERS II Hardcover is scheduled for release on June 4, 2019.
THE ART OF DARKSIDERS
DETAILS: 288 pg, 8.25 x 11.25”, Full Color, Hardcover
MSRP: $49.99 USD
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1772940954
THE ART OF DARKSIDERS II
DETAILS: 224 pg, 8.25 x 11.25”, Full Color, Hardcover
MSRP: $49.99 USD
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1772940961
THE ART OF DARKSIDERS III
DETAILS: 208 pg, 8.25 x 11.25”, Full Color, Hardcover
MSRP: $49.99 USD
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1772940992
Posted in Books, Video Games | Comments Off on UDON ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE ART OF DARKSIDERS III, NEW HARDCOVER RELEASES OF ART OF DARKSIDERS & ART OF DARKSIDERS II

Your First Look at RONIN ISLAND #1 from BOOM! Studios

Posted on 02/06/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Greg Pak & Giannis Milonogiannis Launch A New Samurai Action Epic in March 2019

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LOS ANGELES, CA (February 6, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at RONIN ISLAND #1, kicking off a new five-issue limited series from superstar writer Greg Pak (Firefly, Star Wars, Mech Cadet Yu) and fan favorite artist Giannis Milonogiannis (Old City Blues) about a group of people with divided loyalties and difficult pasts coming together in the face of danger to fend off enemies both human and not.

RONIN ISLAND #1 arrives in stores March 2019 and features a main cover by Milonogiannis, along with variant covers by David Lafuente (Ultimate Comics Spider-Man), award-winning artist Ethan Young (Tails), and fan favorite Kris Anka (Runaways).

After a mysterious attack devastates a great swath of 19th century Japan, Korea, and China, survivors from all three lands find refuge on a hidden island and build a new society. Hana, the orphaned daughter of Korean farmers, and Kenichi, son of a great samurai leader, have little in common except for a mutual disdain for each other. But these young warriors will have to work together when an army invades the island with shocking news: the Shogun has returned and the Island is expected to pay fealty in exchange for protection from a new threat…a mutated horde that threatens to wipe out all of humanity.

RONIN ISLAND is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes,Abbott, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.

“Greg and Giannis have blended iconic elements of the samurai genre with supernatural horror to explore the best and worst instincts of human nature.” said Cameron Chittock, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “They’ve crafted an ambitious story, filled with stunning action set pieces as our two young heroes grapple with what they believe in the face of an unthinkable war.” 

Print copies of RONIN ISLAND #1 will be available for sale on March 6, 2019 exclusively 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 the BOOM! Studios app.

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

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The 9th Annual Designer Toy Awards Nominations Are Now Open!

Posted on 02/04/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
Before P-CS started running out of room for all the exciting stuff, they were big on collecting vinyls, handmade plushes, colorways and all that good stuff. They still keep their eye on the toy industry even though their focus is more traditionally street art, stickers, enamel pins and mural work. Many artists comes from that world or artists from that world inspire “toys”, so this is up the website’s alley. Below is the official press release.

Nominations are officially open for the 9th annual Designer Toy Awards!

Presented by Clutter, the Designer Toy Awards (DTAs) is an annual event honoring excellence and innovation in the field of Designer Toys. With categories like Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Toy of the Year and Artist of the Year (among many others) the DTAs highlight the year’s best designs, concepts and accomplishments by both veterans and newcomers in the diverse world of Designer Toys.

Running from February 4th until February 28th, 2019 (6 pm EST), nominations can be submitted now through the website designertoyawards.com.

This year’s awards will accept nominations for releases, artists, and companies, that were active from January 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2018.

So Get Nominating…

Head on over to the Designer Toy Awards website and answer our “Call For Entries” by adding those worthy from 2018, and don’t forget… only nominated items can be considered for the awards. If you want your work to be considered please nominate it, nominations are confidential and there is no shame in nominating yourself or your own product!

Start Nominating Now!

How do the Awards work?

1. Open Nominations –  Call for entries is open for anyone (yourself included) to make a relevant nomination. Nominations are private and will be used to determine the Finalists.

2. Nomination Committees –  The DTAs host small committees of industry professionals and fans, carefully matched to categories in order to take the list of nominations and to determine the Finalists. The committees meet and discuss every entry, using the published list of award criteria to make their selections. These will be published on the website as the year’s official Finalists.

3. Voting – We run two voting blocks:

DTA Panel: DTA Panel: Industry professionals make up the DTA panel. They are charged with voting once per category for the winner in the panel-voted awards. Each year new panel members are added to keep our list as diverse and relevant as possible.

Fan Voted: The public voters contribute by getting one vote per category (which is ensured by tracking IP addresses and other means of maintaining voter integrity).

4. Winners – Winners of each category are determined by the most votes in each category.  Clutter, nor The Designer Toy Awards, or Five Points Festival staff, vote in or “choose” the winners.

5. Awards Ceremony – The awards are presented at a ceremony on June 1st, 2019, during the weekend of Five Points Festival. For members of the public to attend the ceremony, you must purchase a VIP ticket for Five Points Fest.

Keep rocking and collecting!
– DTA Crew

Relevant Links

The Designer Toy Awards
http://designertoyawards.com/

 

Posted in Art & Streetart, Events | Comments Off on The 9th Annual Designer Toy Awards Nominations Are Now Open!

New Raina Telgemeier coming soon!

Posted on 02/01/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

As exciting as an interactive journal can be for the younguns (sic) and teens and even adults trying to learn comics, for this website a full on new graphic novel in September is extra exciting.

Posted in Books, Comics | Comments Off on New Raina Telgemeier coming soon!

Live From New York, The 3rd Annual Bit Awards Show Returns To Celebrate Video Games & Creators Big And Small

Posted on 01/31/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Below is the official press release for The Bit Awards 2019. Also here’s a special promo code for 50% off. Click here and enter GGJ2019 for the offer.

Live From New York, The 3rd Annual Bit Awards Show Returns To Celebrate Video Games & Creators Big And Small

NEW YORK, (January 17, 2019) – Playcrafting – one of the largest communities of game creators and fans in the U.S. – revealed today the full nominee line-up, its “Game Changer” honoree, and more of what’s in store for the 3rd annual Bit Awards – New York’s largest celebration of games on the rise – in partnership with Parsons School of Design. Beginning at 7 p.m. ET on February 1, 2019, game creators and enthusiasts will convene at The Auditorium at Parsons the New School (66 West 12th Street in New York, NY) to celebrate the year in games and the people who make them.

“Our incredible community is the heart and soul behind everything we do at Playcrafting,” said Dan Butchko, Playcrafting’s Founder and CEO. “The Bit Awards is the one time a year we gather creators and fans from across the country to honor games and industry leaders – both rising and established – through an interactive show that is sure to surprise and delight.”

Actress and producer Carolina Ravassa, well known as the voice of Sombra in Overwatch, will serve as host for the evening, taking attendees through world premiere trailers from cutting-edge studios, rock out performances led by award-winning multi-instrumentalist and composer of fan favorites Just Case 4 and Street Fighter Zac Zinger, and much more.

“Through my work, I’ve grown to appreciate all the talented people behind the games that make people move, laugh and play,” said Ravassa. “From the nominees and participants, who are as diverse and creative as the games and developers we’re celebrating, to the show segments that will transform Parsons’ Auditorium into a playable production like no other, this year’s Bit Awards will reflect everything that makes the gaming community so special, and I’m honored to be this year’s host.”

Below are the games and individuals that have been nominated for their exceptional creativity and technical excellence:

PC/CONSOLE GAME OF THE YEAR
Honors the best game made for PC, console, web or arcade.

Dungeonhaven by Cold War Game Studios
Evergate by Stone Lantern Games
KungFu Kickball by WhaleFood Games
LampLight City by Grundislav Games
Punch Planet by Sector-K Games
Swimsanity! by Decoy Games

MOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR
Honors the best game made for mobile devices.

Hamsterdam by Muse Games
Imposter Drawster by Up at Night
Into the Dark: Narakan by Orc Punk
Mew and Me by Mew and Me
Repertoire by Playful People
Sound Sky by HIGHKEY Games

TABLETOP GAME OF THE YEAR
Honors the best tabletop game (card games, board games, etc.).

Clear the Decks by Crispy Games Company
Saturday Morning Games by Plausible Studio
Gladius by Victoria Cana and Alexandre Uboldi
Hero: Tales of the Tomes by Jimmy Ellerth Entertainment
Smack Talk Showdown by Double Turn Games
Status Report! by Offcut Games

BEST STYLE
Honors excellence in game audio and/or visuals.

0°N 0°W by Colorfiction
Ambition: A Minuet in Power by Joy Manufacturing Co.
Evergate by Stone Lantern Games
Hamsterdam by Muse Games
Jupiter and Mars by Tigertron
Punch Planet by Sector-K Games

BEST XR GAME, PRESENTED BY BOSE
Honoring the best game made for VR, AR or MR.

Cubism by Thomas Van Bouwel
HOST by Garrett Fuselier
Jupiter & Mars by Tigertron
Mister Mart by Studio217
The Rig by Sunset Division
The Take by Stuido Studios

BEST STUDENT GAME
Honors the best game made primarily by students in an educational program.

Anyball by Team Anyball (NYU Game Center)
Flight Simulator by Hosni Auji (NYU Game Center)
Into the Dark: Narakan by Orc Punk (Playcrafting)
King of the Hat by Business Corp. Incorporated (Dawson College)
Roll Control by Andrew Simon Thomas (Playcrafting)
Seasons (季节) by David Su and Dominique Stars (MIT)

GAME CHANGER HONOREE
Honors an individual for his or her commitment to games as an art and industry.

Jen MacLean, Executive Director, International Game Developers Association (IGDA)

RISING PIXEL AWARD RECIPIENTS
Peer-selected awards granted to gaming community leaders on the rise from the three cities in which Playcrafting operates.

Sam Eng (New York), Caroline Murphy (Boston), Don Bellenger (San Francisco)

PLAYER’S CHOICE AWARD
Click here to vote for your favorite game.

GRIS by Nomada Studio
KungFu Kickball by WhaleFood Games
Swimsanity by Decoy Games
Tornado Roulette by Luis Delacruz
Where Shadows Slumber by Game Revenant
Zarvot by snowhydra games

Purchase your tickets here for the interactive ceremony ($20.00 for general admission; $50.00 for VIP passes). Again as noted above: here’s a special promo code for 50% off. Click here and enter GGJ2019 for the offer.

Check out thebitawards.com and follow #TheBitAwards on Twitter and Facebook for full details and updates.

Posted in Video Games | Comments Off on Live From New York, The 3rd Annual Bit Awards Show Returns To Celebrate Video Games & Creators Big And Small

The Past of the WWF revealed in comic form

Posted on 01/30/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

OUT Now (1/30/2019) is WWE Forever #1 from BOOM! Comics.

It features stories with some serious WWE legends. Bret Hart, Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart (no relation), Junk Yard Dog, Harley Race, British Bulldog, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Irwin R. Shyster and others.  These are fictional behind the scenes tales turning the soap opera and their personalities into stories as if when the cameras turn off their lives continue just like the WWF programming.

This is an anthology piece featuring 5 stories of different length, style and exploration. Personally, Arune Singh’s debut writing piece Internal Audit with art by Kendall Goode is my favorite. It takes advantage of what the comic allows in such great fashion. From an art standpoint, Brent Schoonover truly wins me over simply from drawing Matilda.  The other three stories are worthy additions that do a nice job exploring 80’s/90’s history of the WWE in a small chunk of slice of life.

In BOOM!’s continuing WWE comics which has explored origins in NXT, recent happenings in the WWE covering the path of Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and more, FOREVER is an excellent addition. WWF has a long history of comics of this ilk even going back to Acclaim, but the franchise under BOOM! has really felt right. Every writer seems to have a passion and love for the genre of wrestling which allows for the stories to feel properly respectful to the wrestlers and fans while still being as silly as they are on TV.

Even if you aren’t a fan of these characters or knowledable, the art and scripts still balance things well enough that you can enjoy these snippets as well. Give it a try, be you a hardcore fan, a casual fan, a former fan, a new fan or even a fan who will never watch wrestling or could be pulled into wrestling by the characters and ideas.

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Surprise! Unruly Heroes Launches TODAY on Switch, Xbox One, and Steam

Posted on 01/23/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The stunning action-platformer with Kung-Fu antics released during the Nintendo Indie Highlights showcase

Montpellier, France January 23, 2019 — Magic Design Studios is over the moon, announcing today that Unruly Heroes is now available on Nintendo Switch, Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox One.

Inspired by the timeless 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West, players take control of four unlikely heroes. Effortlessly swapping between and Wukong the Monkey King, Sanzang the Sleepy Monk, Kihong the Greedy Pig, and Sandmonk the Sensitive Brute as they travel westward in search of the scattered remnants of the Sacred Scroll. Along the way, whether it be solo or in local coop, players will encounter a diverse lineup of enemies to battle within a colourful fantasy world.

“We want to invite players to be part of some fantastic universes,” says Creative Director Yang Lu. “We spent a year and a half elaborating, defining, searching for, and shaping the kind of game/story/experience we wanted to offer. It turns out we are video game crafters!” “Journey to the West is a wonderful story,” continues Lu “but I noticed it wasn’t really known in the West.” Set against lushly illustrated environments in a hand-drawn artstyle, Unruly Heroes makes for an epic adventure diving into the essence of what it takes to be a hero.

Watch the launch trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-7hyyMPd7ms

KEY FEATURES

  • Experience the Legend of the Monkey King solo or cooperatively with up to four players in local gameplay.
  • Make the fight more challenging with local and online PvP.
  • Master the combined strength of the four unique heroes, adapting to use the best one for each new challenge.
  • Possess your enemies to harness their strengths and abilities.
  • Explore a range of different worlds within a colourful fantasy universe platforming, solving puzzles, battling enemies, and overcoming unexpected obstacles.

Unruly Heroes is out now on Nintendo Switch, Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox One, with planned released for PS4 to follow. It is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Russian, Korean, Japanese.

KEY LINKS

Website: https://www.unrulyheroes.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKSFoM1TQvL5_-vThc21pQ

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Unruly-Heroes-1322359467812914/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Unruly_Heroes

Instagram: https://instagram.com/unrulyheroes

About Magic Design Studios

Magic Design Studios has been founded in 2015. The company focuses on the creation of high-quality entertainment content, mainly video games and CG animation.

The company is located in France, Montpellier, known for having a high concentration of video game veterans.

The core team of the project has a solid experience in the video game industry.

A lot of the team members have worked at Ubisoft on titles such as Rayman, Raving Rabbids, Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed, Valiant Hearts, Ghost Recon Wildlands and many other series.

Posted in Video Games | Comments Off on Surprise! Unruly Heroes Launches TODAY on Switch, Xbox One, and Steam

IDW Assembles a Writer’s Room of Comic Book Visionaries for Brand-New Star Trek: Year Five Series

Posted on 01/23/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
Pop-Culture Spectrum is extra excited for the site’s long time colleague and friend Brandon Easton to be part of such a major project in the Star Trek mythos. Full press release below:
Celebrate #1 Launch with Cover by Legendary Sci-Fi / Fantasy Artist Greg Hildebrandt… Painting Star Trek for the First Time!

SAN DIEGO, CA (January 22, 2019) – IDW Publishing proudly embarks on the U.S.S. Enterprise’shomeward journey with Star Trek: Year Five, a monthly comic book series debuting in April 2019. A sweeping space odyssey developed by a brain trust of exceptional writers, Year Five welcomes co-writers Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and artist Stephen Thompson for its opening story arc, and – painting Star Trek for the first time in all his 60 years of professional illustration – Greg Hildebrandt as cover artist for the debut issue.

In Star Trek: Year Five, the crew of the Enterprise have traveled to strange new worlds, defeated impossible foes, and made universe-changing decisions. But with the end in sight, they’ll have to face their biggest challenge yet. Step aboard the Enterprise with Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Uhura on a voyage towards an uncertain future!

“Year Five will be a vital, hard-hitting, character-focused look at Captain Kirk on his last year in command,” says Jackson Lanzing. “His actions will have huge ripple effects, from the outbreak of war in the Alpha Quadrant to an unprecedented strain of trust with Spock. We’ll turn a mirror on our modern society, just as Trekdid in the 1960s, and go boldly towards meaningful, heartfelt stories.”

IDW’s continuing Star Trek: Year Five series, under license by CBS Consumer Products, will be nurtured by a collaborative writer’s room (including Brandon Easton, Jody Houser, Jim McCann, and the aforementioned Lanzing and Kelly), working together to craft the overall journey while swapping writing chores specific to each story arc. As Lanzing explains, “We’ll tell an ongoing narrative with a beginning, a game-changing middle, and a definite end… and do so with some of the best writers in comics contributing their unique, diverse voices and ideas.”

“The opportunity to be a part of this monumental legacy is an unbelievable trust. With Year Five, we don’t just want to thrill – we want to channel the power of Roddenberry’s original vision, to tell a story about the future that illuminates our present,” says Collin Kelly. “It’s time for the Enterprise to come home… but first, they’ll have to face an enemy that’s been waiting in the shadows since 1968.”

“I have been a fan of Star Trek right from the beginning in 1966,” says Greg Hildebrandt. “I admired the social, moral, and political statements that were obvious in Gene Roddenberry’s plot lines. I feel that the original was and is one of the best shows ever on TV, and clearly the inspiration for all the Space Operas that have followed. It was an honor to paint this cover art of the original cast. Having never painted Trekbefore, it was a kick for me at 80 years old.”

Reinforcing the importance of Hildebrandt’s first-ever contribution to the iconic Star Trek franchise, IDW will also proudly showcase this impactful illustration as the cover to the April 2019 edition of Previews, the internationally-distributed catalog that serves as the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market.

For information on how to secure copies of Star Trek: Year Five, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

Posted in Books | Comments Off on IDW Assembles a Writer’s Room of Comic Book Visionaries for Brand-New Star Trek: Year Five Series