Tag: Jevon Phillips

The next time Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne and Greasy Sae are seen onscreen in “The Hunger Games,” they will have a new landlord — and it could be you. The Henry River Mill Village in Hildebran, N.C. (outside of Charlotte), which served as District 12 in the post-apocalyptic nation Panem in the big-screen adaptation of the book, is up for sale. The 72-acre abandoned mill town, home of fictional spots like the Hob and the area known as the Seam, is valued at more than $1.2 million. It will be sold via sealed bids through the auction house Profiles in History, with a bidding deadline of July 31. The piece of “Hunger Games” history is also the subject of an upcoming episode of “Hollywood Treasure,” the SyFy series that follows Profiles in History owner Joe Maddalena as he ...

Writer Ales Kot (“Batman”) and artist Riley Rossmo (“Cowboy Ninja Viking,” “Dark Wolverine,” “Debris”) may not advocate violence, but they are attempting to stir up the masses with their graphic novel “Wild Children” — and, yes, the revolution will be televised.  The book, on the surface, is about a group of high school kids who take their peers and teachers hostage because they’re upset with the education system. There’s also drug use (played out through the art as well) and much more to it. The graphic novel will be on shelves on July 11, but Hero Complex caught up with the creative duo for a few questions. HC: Would you say the characters in “Wild Children” are rebellious, or are they, as the title suggests, just wild? AK: Wild Children definitely oppose the traditional 20th century school system that is ...

This is the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man and the webslinger seems to be everywhere — a record-breaking Broadway show, the upcoming feature film, a new video game this summer, etc. You can add an animated television series to that list with Disney XD’s April 1 premiere of “Ultimate Spider-Man.” The promising new series will be spotlighted in a March 17 panel at WonderCon in Anaheim but Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips caught up with Marvel Entertainment’s chief creative officer, Joe Quesada, for some early insights. JP: What’s the new “Ultimate Spider-Man” animated show about, and will it follow the comic book exactly? JQ: Well, it won’t follow the comic book exactly. The goal really is to show Spider-Man to a new audience and demonstrate to them what’s wonderful about Spider-Man and add a little twist to the story. Something obvious to ...

“Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi” takes readers back to the beginning — the creation of the mystic warrior order known as the Jedi. In February, Dark Horse will launch the series with both #0 and #1 — that zero issue, according to writer John Ostrander, will be a handbook of sorts focusing on “many of the characters, places, and tech involved” in this new tale, as well as development drawings by artist Jan Duursema. To learn the ways of the new series, Hero Complex writer Jevon Phillips talked to Ostrander and Duursema. JP: With all that is out there about the Star Wars universe and the Jedi, it would seem like a daunting task to lay the complete groundwork for this influential galaxy. What was the first task that you gave yourselves? JO: This is a time of myth and legend. An epic era. ...

Our friends over at G4TV.com’s X-Play video game blog/show  — hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb — have compiled an interesting mega-trailer with quick tidbits from almost 100 of the most popular video games of the year. From the first clip (Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One) to the last (Jurassic Park), the brisk survey hints at the graphics, creatures, guns, attitude and gameplay that made 2011 a record-setting year in the gaming world. – Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED Batman: Arkham City touts madness far and wide Video Game Awards: Trailers’ Hollywood feel Nintendo’s Zelda is still legendary after 25 years Voltron: Michael Bell brings echoes of history LOTR: War in the North fights in Tolkien’s spirit ‘Portal’ video gets Hollywood buzz Stan Lee: Bring on the Dr. Strange video game Syfy and Trion look for game-changing future L.A. Noire: ...

Shigeru Miyamoto isn’t ready for “game over.” The face of Nintendo (actual title: Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division) and game development icon made a statement a few weeks back (right before receiving a hall of fame award at the Video Game Awards) that sounded like a retirement announcement. It was taken a bit out of context, and he has since backtracked. Hero Complex writer Jevon Phillips sat down with the master developer, 59, to talk about all of that as well as the anniversaries of Mario and Zelda and the big-picture changes in game development since a little plumber first jumped over a barrel in Donkey Kong. JP: So — retiring? What exactly did you mean when you first made the statement? SM: I’m sorry that whatever I said has been somehow reported in ...

The new Voltron: Defender of the Universe video game is a nostalgic throwback to the 1980s cartoon that featured space explorers who piloted five mecha-lions that combined to form a powerful robot defender. Released on Nov. 29, the game features multiplayer online and offline options; battles with King Zarkon’s evil forces including classic Robeast creatures; and cut-scenes culled directly from episodes of the cartoon series. Many of these scenes feature the voice of Michael Bell as Lance, second-in-command and pilot of the Red Lion. Bell’s voice resonates through the memories of millions of fans who watched cartoons at some point during the ’80s as the characters of Duke (“G.I. Joe”), Handy/Grouchy/Lazy Smurf (“The Smurfs”), Prowl/Sideswipe (“Transformers”) and scores of others. Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips caught up with the somewhat revered voice actor to chat about old times and new challenges. JP: How ...

Are you looking for a magical gift for that special Muggle in your life? Do you need to send a wrapped present to a Time Lord in the near future? Or maybe you’re an enterprising soul who just can’t figure out the logical thing to bring to the holodeck holiday party? Well, no worries, just mind-meld with us because we’re here to save the day. Look, up in the photo gallery, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…the Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide. Flip through the gallery image above to see the best geeky gifts around and read our review (be sure to click the “CAPTIONS ON” option). Also below, grouped by price range, you’ll find those same gift suggestions listed with handy links to help you get your shopping done at light speed. May the nog be with you. – Noelene Clark ...

For Comikaze — the comic, anime, gaming, sci-fi, fantasy and horror expo that invades the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday — it seems no pop culture genre is safe. Mark Hamill, Stan Lee and Elvira will be there, and Daniel Radcliffe will offer some video interaction, though the gathering is not particularly brimming with star power. There is, however, a proliferation of panels for steampunk enthusiasts, for those who want to know more about zombies and for fans with niche interests. One panel is titled “Fangirl Foods: Comic Books and Food,” while another is “Paleontology with Morgan Fairchild.” Joining the “Chuck” actress onstage for a discussion about finding real monsters — or just prehistoric beasts — will be scientists and field workers from the La Brea Tar Pits. Lest comic book aficionados lament another convention that forgoes ...

The new video game Lord of the Rings: War in the North takes its cue from a line in the “Lord of the Rings” books (specifically, “The Return of the King”), then expands on the work that J.R.R. Tolkien started years ago. The launching point for the Warner Bros. Interactive title, released Tuesday, is delivered by Gandalf the White: “With his far reaching rich hand Sauron might have done great evil in the North. Yet all that has been averted because a handful of heroes stood in his path.” Despite its pedigree, War in the North is not receiving the promotional blitz that other recent or upcoming video games like Batman: Arkham City, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception or even the latest Assassin’s Creed are getting. But fans of the “Rings” series have been waiting for the game, which was developed by ...