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We get one step closer to placing someone else into the Facilitators of Indomitable Order of the Zone of Ruthaz in Issue 30 with a late candidate, courtesy those fine folks over at the Bagged and Bored Cast. You, if you would, vote on who you’d like to see inducted into the Order on the 30th issue … the candidates are now Stan “The Man” Lee, Terrence Stamp, Will Smith, and Michael Keaton.
In this issue, other than the usual Geekly Happenings, we put the Thundercats on the Casting Couch, take a look at Harry Potter magic in our Characterization segment, and finally close the place down with a Confessions of a Movie Snob on the new release, RED.
About Thundercats
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions (the same that created theSilverHawks, TigerSharks and The Comic Strip) debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by Tobin “Ted” Wolf. The series follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens. The animation was provided by Pacific Animation Corporation. Season 1 of the show aired in 1985 (65 episodes), followed by a TV movie entitled ThunderCats – HO! in 1986. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 followed a new format of twenty episodes each, starting with a five-part story; these aired from 1987 to 1988, 1988 to 1989, and 1989 to 1990, respectively.
The series was originally distributed by Telepictures Corporation (which would later merge with Lorimar Productions). Near the end of 1988, Lorimar-Telepictures was purchased by Warner Bros., whose television syndication arm would eventually assume distribution of the show; Warner Bros. have had the rights to the series (and all Lorimar-Telepictures programming) from that point on.
There were also several comic book series produced: Marvel Comics‘ version, 1985 to 1988; and five series by Wildstorm, an imprint ofDC Comics (another Warner Bros. corporate sibling), beginning in 2003. Items of clothing featuring the ThunderCats logo and DVD boxsets of the original series have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years as nostalgia for the former children’s favorite has grown.
It was announced on June 5, 2007, that Aurelio Jaro is making a CGI-animated feature film of ThunderCats, based on a script written by Paul Sopocy. In October 2007, Variety magazine revealed that Jerry O’Flaherty, veteran video game art director, had signed on to direct. The film is being produced by Spring Creek Productions. It was originally set for a summer 2010 release, but it has since been reported that the movie is on hold. Concept art for the film has also been leaked online.
In May 2009, the first new merchandise related to the ThunderCats property was announced by Hard Hero, a company specializing in highly detailed fantasy statues. The first statue will be released in early 2010.
In June 2010, a Warner Bros press release revealed that a new animated series was in production for Cartoon Network. The series will be co-produced by Japan’s Studio 4°C.
About Harry Potter
HARRY POTTER, characters, names, and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros. © 2001-2009.
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s quandary involving the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry’s parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people (Muggles).
Since the June 30, 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonein the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2008, the book series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.
A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age, it has many cultural meanings and references.According to Rowling, the main theme is death, which has led to much criticism, as it is primarily considered to be a work of children’s literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.
English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. Through 2010, the first six books have been made into films by Warner Brothers; it is the highest grossing film series of all time so far. The seventh book is being made into two movies which are currently scheduled to be released nearly eight months apart: Part I on November 19, 2010 and the series finale on July 15, 2011. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth £15 billion.
About RED
Red is an American action-comedy film loosely based on the three-issue comic book limited series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. The film stars Bruce Willis with Robert Schwentke directing a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. The film was released on October 15, 2010.
In the film version, the title of the film, “Red”, is derived from the stamp on agent Frank Moses’ (Bruce Willis) file, meaning “retired, extremely dangerous”.
