Geek of Oz

The battle begins in March with our first look at Marvel's latest event, Avengers VS X-Men. Who will reign supreme? Who will be left licking their wounds? X-Men may be a scrappy bunch but I've got my money on The Avengers.  Check out the official press release and some beautiful art by Frank Cho and the return of the Scarlet Witch.

There's no denying that I am a dirty little pop culture whore. Whenever films, comic books, novels, animation or music call I come-a-runnin'. I've actually been like this for the majority of my life. I have photos at the age of 4 wearing my best Masters of the Universe sloppy joe, I was dressed up as Spider-Man for my 5th birthday and I attended my first concert at the age of 6, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. This fact continues to this day. As I write this I'm wearing a Starfleet t-shirt and sporting my Captain America and Autobot tattoos... no, really.

Icon's recently released "A Few Best Men" has taken off to a cracking start, proving what we all already knew... we're a funny lot. Coming in as the highest grossing Australian comedy in over 10 years is no mean feat and I do believe that a toast is in order! Check out the official press release after the jump!

No this isn't some crappy gag or bootlegged clip. What we have here is a fantastic piece of worldwide viral advertising the likes of which we have never seen. Scour YouTube and you'll find similar clips from Japan, Mexico and Russia but arguably none more iconic than that of our fair Sydney Opera House. The Amazing Spider-Man is set for an Australian release on the 4th of July 2012 and stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr Connors/The Lizard and Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben. Being directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer), I can only hope that he exhibits an equally deft touch in the realm of my favourite comic character, our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Check out the clip after the jump!

As far as themed variant covers go, this has to be up there with the best. It's great to see artists flexing their skills and showing us that they're not a just a bunch of funny book doodlers but a group of extremely talented artists and undoubtedly just as much art geeks as comic geeks. Without a doubt my favourite is Alex Maleev's take on Egon Schiele.

Whilst looking back over the films of 2011 nostalgia was the theme that was constantly focused upon. This ranged from directors being accused of attempting to recreate the films of the their youth as was the case with JJ Abrams’s Super 8 to Terrence Malick who brought us into a deeply personal recreation of his troubled childhood in the years’ best film The Tree Of Life. The best film relating to nostalgia was Woody Allen’s fantastically magical Midnight in Paris which explored the perils of looking back in time in the hope of keeping memories alive or longing for another time. Hugo the latest film by master film maker Martin Scorsese is the adaption of the novel “ The Invention of Hugo Cabret ” by Brian Selznick which tells the story of a young orphan, Hugo Cabret ( Asa Butterfield ) who lives in the walls of a train station in 1930’s Paris. Hugo is responsible for making sure the clocks of the train station are kept in working order. From the crevices of the train station

If you haven't read the Night Angel series yet, you've no doubt seen the covers. Upon release and for a long while after these three novels were on shelves EVERYWHERE! From Borders (RIP) and Dymocks to Target and K-Mart if you looked on a book shelf, it was there. His latest series is the Lightbringer trilogy and it tells a story that is almost impossible to put into words. Thankfully, Mr Weeks manages to do so. The universe of Chromeria, colour magic, Blackguards and Prisms takes us to a world that is fresh and exciting while still managing to give everything a well established, lived in feeling. Book One, The Black Prism, is the most absorbing book that I have read in the last few years and will soon be followed up by Book Two, The Blinding Knife. Mr. Weeks was kind enough to spare some time and have a chat to us here at The Geek of Oz.

I didn't think it was possible. I swore to myself after "Fear Itself" I would pass on any upcoming event titles, and then this happens. Avengers Vs X-Men is shaping up to be a tremendously fun event in contrast to the brooding that overwhelmed Fear Itself. To make things even better, Bendis will be in Australia for Supanova when this comic drops! Grab a copy, get it signed an pick his brain when in Melbourne or the Gold Coast. AvX has Check out Jim Cheung's cover after the jump!

Now, here's a film that you may not have heard much about. To be honest, I hadn't until this trailer fell into my lap this morning but from watching the trailer I'm really looking forward to watching De Niro kick some arse! Jason Statham looks like he is doing a wonderful Jason Statham impersonation while Clive Owen does a wonderful Nicolas Cage impersonation. All of that aside, it actually looks like a good fun action film! Check out the trailer after the jump.

Coming in April this year from Archaia is Cow Boy by Nate Cosby (Pigs, Jim Henson's The Storyteller) and Chris Eliopoulos (Misery Loves Sherman, Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius). Boyd Linney is a bounty hunter and a damn fine one. This tough as nails 10 year old traverses the ol' west on a horse that ain't his, roundin' up his felonious kin folk and placin' them before the long arm of the law. Sure, he's a tough kid but at the end of the day, a kid's just a kid. Sounds cute, right? Well it is. But don't get too comfortable, this isn't a kids book.

As I approached the entrance to Newtown's Enmore Theatre, I felt very out of place. I felt as though my jeans and a t-shirt were entirely underwhelming in comparison to the bulk of the crowd in their top hats, waistcoats, corsets and fishnets. In fact, I even saw a chap with a sceptre and crystal ball being all wizardy. In the crowd there were more costumes than at any comic book convention I've ever been to and never have I seen a crowd so excited. Before the doors had even opened, every single person was waiting on baited breath for those big glass doors to swing open, allowing us all to enter into a night of music, theatre, comedy and utter mayhem.

My pull list has started to get way out of control, no thanks to Brubaker. This guy is sending me broke. I was actually thinking, although briefly, that I could pass on Winter Soldier but after seeing Guice's art I don't think I can resist. Check out some unlettered pages after the jump.

Redline made a massive splash in Australian cinemas during its theatrical release during "Reel Anime 2010". Now, Madman have released the madness for us homebodies on Blu Ray and DVD. On your mark, get set, GO!

I'll apologise in advance if this review reads slightly disjointed. I went into reviewing Darker than Black (Season 2) - Gemini of the Meteor ( 流星の双子 - ジェミニ)  without ever having watched the first season, a greater mistake than I initially anticipated. To say that I started off entirely befuddled in the world of DTB is an understatement of monumental proportions. "Two years have passed since Hei and Yin escaped the Syndicate after the events of the first season. Making their way to Russia, Hei encounters a young girl named Suou Pavlichenko, whose family is gradually pulled into the war between contractors and various intelligence factions. Meanwhile, Misaki Kirihara has quit her position in Foreign Affairs to begin her own investigations into Hei, the Contractors and the Syndicate."