Superhero cakes
USA Today and BamKapow are all talking about superhero cakes this week. And several of the ones linked are very cool. Though they are pretty heavy in fondant, which is great for making stuff pretty or interesting, not as great for tasting. (”Ace of Cakes” guy is crazy about using fondant, for example.)
However, there’s an Oklahoman who I think is the best superhero cake maker on the planet. (Several of you will already know I’m talking about my wife, Annette, so you could say I was biased… but seriously, I think these are the coolest superhero cakes ever.)
Legion of Super-Heroes cake.
Spider-Man bust cake.
Superhero poker hand, starring Golden Age DC Comics heroes.
Wolverine’s fist breaking through the birthday cake.
A couple non-superhero cakes, after the cut.
Batmobile fails to sell on eBay
If I had a spare few hundred thousand, I would really have been tempted by this. Unfortunately, the $110,000 bid failed to meet the reserve.
From the description:
Here it is one of 5 cars that could have been in the “Batman” movie staring Micheal Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Five cars were built for the movie and this car is the number five car. Being that this car originally was owned by Warner Bros productions it is important to note that the buyer will have to sign a contract with Warner Bros. If you would like to know more about this contact me and I will give you all the details.
The car is 20 feet long and 8 feet wide. The chassis is custom built and the motor is a Chevrolet 350. There are no doors. To get in you have to be able to enter through the top where the canopy slides opens, just like in the movie. There is no title to this car and will only be sold with a bill of sale.
– Matt Price
Top Cow reveals David Finch “Dragon Prince” #1 cover
Dragon Prince is a five-part miniseries written by Ron Marz with art by Lee Moder. It stars teenager Aaron Chiang, who discovers he’s the Dragon Prince, heir to the bloodline of all dragons. This martial arts fantasy epic begins shipping in September.
– Matt Price
TheWB.com transitions to open beta
Look for episodes of “Firefly,” “Friends” and more at TheWB.com, moving to an open, public beta starting today. But that’s not all — TheWB.com will have original series as well.
Premiering today are the web series “Blue Water High,” “A Boy Wearing Makeup,” and “Whatever Hollywood.”
The McG-produced “Sorority Forever” launches Sept. 8. “Downers Grove” will debut on September 29, and “High Drama” will bow on October 6.
Full release after the cut.
Groundhog Day on Hulu
Available on Hulu through the end of the month is the classic Bill Murray film, “Groundhog Day.” Long a favorite of mine — and probably not just because I have a Groundhog Day birthday — “Groundhog Day” stars Bill Murray as a weatherman stuck reliving the same day over and over. That day is Groundhog Day, in Puxhawtawney, Pa.
Wizard World Texas plans academic programming
Press release:
Congers, NY (August 27, 2008) - Wizard World has been home to movie premieres, costume contests, A-List creators and big time Hollywood talent. Now the convention tour is adding an academic track to it’s growing list of crowd-pleasing events. The newly created Wizard World University academic track of programming at Wizard World conventions was created alongside the Institute for Comics Studies (ICS) and will allow fans to view their favorite stories in a new light, with help from academics and comic professionals alike.
November’s Wizard World Texas (November 7-9) will be the inaugural stop on this tour promoting comics as an art form. The Institute for Comics Studies is currently accepting proposals for presentations, book talks, side talks, roundtables, professional-focus discussion panels, workshops and other panels for the newly created Wizard World academic track, Wizard World University, by September 22nd. Do you have an idea for a study of the mythos behind “The Dark Knight” or the political commentaries in The Watchmen? Think you can deconstruct the Joker as a villain or explain the literary influences of Wolverine in an hour using a nifty PowerPoint? Wizard World University: Texas could be your classroom! Panels that include participation by comics industry professionals are especially encouraged and the ICS will provide assistance with recruiting professionals for participation.
If you want to be a part of this bold new frontier in education, please contact Dr. Travis Langley (Texas Local Chair) or Dr. Peter Coogan at the information below by the September 22nd deadline.
Submission Form: http://www.hsu.edu/form.aspx?ekfrm=40054
Dr. Travis Langley
WWU-T Provost (Submissions Chair)
Address: Henderson State University, 1100 Henderson St. #7604, Arkadelphia, AR 71999
E-Mail: langlet@hsu.edu
Website: www.workdaycomic.com/ERIICA/
Dr. Peter Coogan
Director, Institute for Comics Studies
Address: 719 Fairview Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119
Phone Number: 314-962-7939
E-Mail: Comicsstudies@gmail.com
Website: www.instituteforcomicsstudies.org
Be sure to go to www.wizardworld.com for updates about guests and programming and to purchase tickets. Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the central US, returns to Texas November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center near Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Science goes IMAX at Science Museum Oklahoma
Trailer for “Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk.”
Press release:
OKLAHOMA CITY – Visitors will journey across the world’s most beautiful landscapes and back during Science Museum Oklahoma’s annual Film Fest September 11-14 and 18-21. Each with a unique focus, the featured IMAX films reveal the wonders of land and water while addressing environmental issues that influence our everyday lives.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk follows world-renowned river advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., celebrated anthropologist Wade Davis and their daughters as they embark on an exhilarating journey down the Colorado River. Filmed during a four-week river-rafting journey, the explorers investigate the relationship of changes in the Grand Canyon’s ecosystem and the increased allocation of river water to agriculture and populations that has left no water at the river’s end-the Colorado Delta.
The second film, Wildfire, showcases the gorgeous wilderness of Idaho, California and Australia as it offers IMAX film audiences an up-close experience of one of the most powerful forces in nature and the efforts put forth by trained and dedicated men and women to contain it. From smokejumpers who parachute into blazes to water-bombing helicopters, visitors discover the reason some fires are deliberately set and controlled by firefighters in order to preserve the earth’s natural resources.
A remarkable story of one of the world’s most tenacious species and human’s closest fellow predator, Wolves, presents viewers with intimate and rarely seen footage of this animal’s way of life known only to a handful of scientists. The film demonstrates the important roles numerous recovery-project efforts across the continent and changing attitudes worldwide have played in returning wolves to North America’s most beautiful wilderness-their natural habitat.
This year’s Film Fest features a Sneak Peek opportunity for visitors to see all films during an advanced screening. The Sneak Peek event will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 5:30 to 9 p.m., showing all films consecutively that evening. Sneak Peek passes are available for $15 when purchased in advance and $20 when purchased at the door. Seating is limited during Sneak Peek.
Individuals may purchase a regular Film Fest pass that includes one viewing each of the films featured during this year’s Film Fest, plus one viewing of Stormchasers through October 31, 2008. Film Fest pass prices are $30 each for adults and $25 each for children and seniors.
Sneak Peek and regular Film Fest passes are available for purchase at Science Museum Oklahoma’s ticket counter or by calling (405)602-3760. For more information about the museum visit ScienceMuseumOK.org.
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 trailer
Comic-Con International: “You can’t get to it all.”
If you aren’t burned out on reading about Comic-Con: International, here’s an interesting post by two Comic-Con first timers.
Author and editor Henry Jenkins sums up the experience of Comic-Con near perfectly:
“So there are things that you would have killed to get to in any other context that you pass up because there’s so much going on at once. You can’t get to it all.”
– Matt Price
Virgin Comics shuts down
Publishers Weekly is reporting that Virgin Comics, the joint venture between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and the India-based comics publisher Gotham Entertainment, has closed down.
The company published comics based on Gotham Entertainment’s Shakti line of comics and with ties to Hollywood creative talent. Hugh Jackman, Nicolas Cage, Guy Ritchie and others had comics lined up with the company.
Guy Ritchie’s Gamekeeper is definitely worth seeking out, while it’s still findable, as is Garth Ennis’ take on Dan Dare.
The company recently announced comic books by Stan Lee and Grant Morrison that now seem unlikely to ever see the light of day.
– Matt Price
