Episode 46. GANTZ (2010) and GANTZ 2: PERFECT ANSWER (2011)

Your old lives are over. We will decide how to use your new lives. You will listen to this podcast. That's how the cookie crumbles. We close out our series of Manga Double Features with Gantz and its sequel, Gantz 2: Perfect Answer. 

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Coming up on July 24: Danger Diabolik... 

Please let us know if you know where we can find legitimate (i.e. not illegal!) copies of English translations of either Diabolik or Barbarella comics, in preparation for our upcoming "DINO!" series.

One Shots: MAN OF STEEL (2013)

It's a bird*, it's a plane, it's the most anticipated movie of the year! And more specifically, it's Dru, Dave, and James to talk about Man of Steel. This is a spoiler-filled discussion, but if you're precious and delicate and haven't seen the movie yet, you can safely listen to the beginning of the show to hear our general thoughts. We'll give you a head's up before we start a-spoilin'. 

* A fantastic tweet from friend of the show, Jeremy Woodcock: "@Superman What on earth are you doing that people think you're a bird first? Flapping your arms? Don't do that. Don't fly like that." Follow him @jwpencilandpad. Seriously!

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Coming up on June 24: Gantz and Gantz 2: Perfect Answer...

Preview Post: GANTZ and GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER

Sorry about the lack of a preview post last month for the Death Note episode, folks. It seems that Dru tried to save a puppy from an oncoming subway train, and ended up dragging Dave into it. Long story short, the whole thing was a mess, and as a result, the dynamic duo is stuck having to do an episode about the 2011 films Gantz and Gantz 2: Perfect Answer, as per the orders of a giant orb.

Even when fighting aliens...

...you need perfect hair and a stylish look.

Comic Books in Spirit: DARKMAN (1990)

While the domination of cinema screens by comic book adaptations may be a recent phenomena, comics themselves have always had an influence upon cinema in both direct and indirect ways. This series of reviews will look at the films which are not based on comics, but are comic books in spirit. This installment considers Sam Raimi's Darkman. 

EVENT: Practices of World Building International Conference

The Practices of World Building: Fans, Industries, Media Fields International Conference took place in Montreal, Quebec at Concordia University, June 6-7. I've mentioned it on the podcast a few times because I (Dru) presented some material from my dissertation at said event. Normally I wouldn't bother to mention something like that on the show, because listeners don't usually have any means of accessing academic events like these. But this one has been video archived online. You can watch full video (minus the Q&A, unfortunately) here, and you can find the rest of the talks here.  

It really is an honour to have been asked to participate in such a prestigious and exiting event. The line-up of presenters was really incredible. Check out the below video for more details.

Dru on Blu: July 2013

Some people wanted to stop me. Some people wanted to silence my voice. Some people directed a terrible Captain America movie in the early 1990s. But some people are going to have to deal with it, because I'm back with another Dru on Blu, covering up to the end of July 2013.




First up, a few titles that are already available that slipped through the cracks on the last instalment. We'll start with a film I had not heard of, Bad Kids Go to Hell, which is directed by Matthew Spradlin and based on his own graphic novel of the same name. I'll be honest: never heard of either. Judd Nelson's in the movie version, and perhaps not coincidentally the logline reads like The Breakfast Club with a murder twist. According to IMDb, "On a stormy Saturday afternoon, six students from Crestview Academy begin to meet horrible fates as they serve out their detentions. Is a fellow student to blame, or perhaps Crestview's alleged ghosts are behind the terrible acts?" It's been out on DVD since April 9, 2013. If you see it, let us know what you thought! Hit the jump for more...

Episode 45. DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME (2006)

Bad news, everybody: it's just going to be Dru on the show this week, as nobody can seem to locate Dave. It certainly has nothing to do with Dru having come into the possession of a mysterious black notework, into which he immediately wrote Dave's name. No, that couldn't be it. By the way, I AM JUSTICE. #wartcream

OK, none of that is at all true. In fact, in addition to Dave we have a special third host this week, Corina Becker, a longtime fan of the Death Note series that is our subject on this month's show. As a result of some technical glitches, it's a minor miracle that you're hearing this episode at all, so you better appreciate it or we're writing all your names down...

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Addenda: 

• Follow Corina on Twitter and Tumblr
• Definitely be sure to check out her original comics!

Coming up on June 24: Gantz and Gantz: Perfect Answer...

List: THE TOP 125 COMIC BOOK FILMS

We normally don't take content from other websites so shamelessly (maybe we should start!), but this is too cool not to share. Dark Horizons has done the math, averaging out the scores of Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and IMDB, and determined the top 125 comic book films ever made. And they made a real nifty graphic to go with it. 

Check out the top 25 after the jump, and click here for the full list.

Reviews@24Panels: IRON MAN 3 (2013)

More a follow-up to The Avengers than a sequel to Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 picks up some time after the events of Joss Whedon's 2012 blockbuster. Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is having trouble dealing with the emotional aftermath of the events in The Avengers while mysterious terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsly) is taking credit for a series of bombings. Meanwhile, handsome scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) -- who has a history with both Stark and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) -- seeks a partnership with Stark Industries.

One Shots: IRON MAN 3 (2013)

ONE SHOTS are 24 Panels bonus episodes that give us a chance to discuss comic book movies that are in cinemas now. This time, Dru and Dave and tackling Iron Man 3, the much-anticipated kick-off to Marvel's Phase Two, inspired in part by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov's Extremis arc. The road to Avengers 2 starts here! 

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Coming up on May 24: Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name...

Reviews@24Panels: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

Calling The Dark Knight Rises ambitious is an understatement. Christopher Nolan’s final chapter in the Dark Knight Trilogy is epic in length, far-reaching in scope, complex and literary in its themes. Picking up eight years after the events in The Dark Knight, Batman has not been seen since the night Harvey Dent died. Yet, a new threat emerges in Bane (Tom Hardy), a terrorist determined to overturn the social classes of Gotham and make the wealthy confront their sins. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is coaxed out of a self-imposed exile by sexy cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). Plus there’s stuff involving beat cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and wealthy industrialist Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard).

Trailers@24Panels: THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World, from director Alan Taylor (episodes of Game of Thrones and Nurse Jackie).

Episode 44. LONE WOLF AND CUB: SWORD OF VENGEANCE/BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX

After his wife is killed by the corrupt government, Dru gives up the life of a respectable samurai and decides to take his small child, the adorable and improbably bearded Baby Babbsy, across Japan in search of work as assassins. They are known throughout the podcast world as Lone Bull and Calf, and this week they will discuss the first two (of six) Lone Wolf and Cub films, adapted from the long-running manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima.

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Addendum:

Coming up on May 24: Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name...

Trailers@24Panels: R.I.P.D.

Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the first trailer for R.I.P.D., from RED director Robert Schwentke.

Trailers@24Panels: MAN OF STEEL Trailer #3

Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the final trailer for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.

Preview Post: LONE WOLF AND CUB: SWORD OF VENGEANCE and BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX

On the next episode of the 24 Panels Per Second, Dru and Dave kiss North America goodbye and head to Japan for the first of three double bills! This time out, the duo will discuss the first two films in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx!

Trailers@24 Panels: KICK-ASS 2, 2 GUNS

Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. Click through for the 24 Panels take on new trailers for Kick-Ass 2 and 2 Guns...

Trailers@24 Panels: THE WOLVERINE

Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. Click through for the 24 Panels take on the long awaited domestic and international trailers for James Mangold's The Wolverine...

Dru on Blu: April-June 2013

There are lots of comic book films coming out soon on Blu-ray/DVD. Here's a round-up of what's most interesting. All links take you to Amazon.ca. (We're not an affiliate, and we don't get any money for clicks, FYI. This post is merely informational!)

According to The Digital Bits, The Shadow will finally be coming to Blu-ray on June 4, 2013. It looks to be pretty reasonably priced, and we can safely assume that the AV quality will be an upgrade from the full-frame DVD (widescreen, please), which is heretofore the only release of the film as far as I know. No word on special features yet, but I wouldn't hold your breath for anything... Click through for information on more upcoming releases!

Episode 43. HELLBOY (2004)

If you found us through /Film's Superhero Bits, we thank you for coming by and encourage you to check out our back episodes! Here's a link to our complete episode archive, and note that you can find the most recent episodes in our iTunes feed! Please subscribe using the link below! Thanks for listening.

Dru and Dave finally re-emerge, stinking of smoke and brimstone, to close up the interdimensional portal and finally put a cap on the "24 Panels Goes to Hell" series with a discussion of Guillermo del Toro's 2004 adaptation of Mike Mignola's cult comic hero Hellboy. Make sure you stay tuned through the end of our discussion to hear which films we'll be covering in the next 3 months on 24 Panels!

Send all feedback to twentyfourpanels@gmail.com. Stay up to date with our blogs at 24panelspersecond.blogspot.com and 24panels.tumblr.com. Follow Dave on Twitter @24panels and Dru @violetbooth. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe (and review us) in iTunes! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!

Next episode: Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx...