Star Trek TV Series Teaser: That NEW Final Frontier, A Minus For Those Who Can’t Stream

Posted on July 11, 2016 by geelw

Um, Warp Factor ZERO on CBS for what seems to be a great idea on one hand, but a LOUSY one for people who don’t like to or can’t stream content to their homes. Apparently, the premiere episode will indeed be shown on your local CBS affiliate here in the U.S. of A., but after that, the show will ONLY going to appear as a part of CBS All Access, a paid channel similar to HBO GO. Ugh. As you can imagine, some are quite cranky about this. Me, I kind of hope the realization that the MORE people who can watch this show from the get-go means it finds an audience WITHOUT piracy to get more people watching than actually paying to see this. Yeah, yeah, I know the excuses for the pro-piracy crowd and how that activity can drive up viewership in some cases.

But in this particular case? I don’t think it’s a good idea to try and get more money from people just because you have a hot new show and a showrunner who’s done great things in the past. For many who want to see this legally and on what they already use, they may all be singing this little ditty (just roll with it. I know full well the old crew isn’t in this new show!):

(Thanks, Chris Carothers!)

That and I’d bet Gene Roddenberry would want his stellar trekking vision free to all interested parties within eyesight of ANY sort of viewing device. Then again, the teaser promising among other things, “New Villains” along with that slow-motion planet cracking stuff may mean (SPECULATION ALERT!) that the new Trek will be more action-oriented for the shorter, easily bored attention spans these days.

I sure hope the hell not, though.

– Source

Set Your Phasers to BUY With Some Cool Coop Star Trek Gear

Posted on June 1, 2015 by geelw

“Attention carbon units/what would you do/if you had to save the earth/from something attacking you…”

Well, you’d probably want to at least be decked out looking somewhat Enterprising for the occasion, particularly if you know where that quote above has been transported from. Anyway, with San Diego Comic Con rolling up, thanks to The Coop and Entertainment Earth you Trekkies and Trekkers are getting some really cool stuff to send some of that disposable income on. Of course, you don’t need any sort of convention to snap up anything in this post if you’re a fan who wants to show off your love for all things Trek. Continue reading →

Leonard Nimoy: The Transformed Man Passes

Posted on February 27, 2015 by geelw

The universe of stars just got a bit dimmer with the loss of Leonard Nimoy earlier today. Known primarily for his work on the Star Trek series, animated series and film series, the man was also a writer, director and producer with a body of work that showed he was more than just Mr. Spock. The character was actually a great deal more nefarious looking and fervent when the show began (as seen here), but mellowed in looks over time. Spock’s demeanor also shifted to a less intense, but still compelling presence that helped carry many an episode and helped keep him a fan favorite. His role as that character was so pivotal to his career that even when he tried to gently distance himself from it, it very likely was his role as Spock that got some Trek fans interested in his other film and TV work. Of course, he never really hated being Spock, but his sense of humor based on fan reaction made for a nice second autobiography.

Not a way I wanted to go about having a Friday, but I’m glad to have had the pleasure of enjoying his work on Star Trek and a plenty of other projects he’d worked on during his 83 years on the planet. No matter how you feel about the man and his work, it’s an absolute fact that he lived long and prospered. So long, sir – you’ll be missed by many.

IDW & Humble Bundle Want You To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before (and Stay For a While)…

Posted on September 11, 2014 by geelw

Yikes. With all these digital books in this great IDW/Humble Bundle teaming, you’d better hope to heck you live long and prosper. Get up to 14 graphic novels based on classic Trek to the more modern movies all for a song. Well, not “Highly Illogical”, but something less catchy and with no words because you can’t sing all that well and it’s a pain in the neck (literally) when your significant other keeps Vulcan Death Gripping you to shut it already. $325 worth of digitally delivered illustrated tomes for a mere $15? That’s like getting a Doomsday Machine visit for free and your planet eaten as a bonus!

Er, well… hmmm. Perhaps a better Trek analogy would be more fitting, but all I can think of are bad ones. It’s that sort of day and my material has been sitting out in the sun so long that it’s all dried up. Anyway, go beam yourself up some deals and crank up those warp engines so the time factor zaps you back far enough that you can read everything here and get back to your normal time when it’s all done. DISCLAIMER: Humble Bundle and IDW aren’t responsible for what the mirror version of you does while you’re away catching up on the fake future.

SDCC 2014: IDW Gets All Nostalgic & Modern On You With A Slew of New Titles

Posted on July 26, 2014 by geelw

As you can see, IDW is certainly going all out with these new titles set to arrive in 2014 and 2015. I’m not a huge a fan of these sorts of comics as I used to be, but the title Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: Primate Directive made me laugh for a bit longer than expected, so I’ll have to peek at a few issues when it launches. That Edward Scissorhands book has my attention for the art style, as I’m a fan of the film, so again, I’ll be checking out a few issues over time. I was probably the only person my age who wasn’t terminally obsessed with the Garbage Pail Kids, so I’m a bit ambivalent about this new book. That said, I know fans of those old trading cards are grinning like mad at this announcement.

Angry Birds Transformers? Eek. Yeah, yeah… both are hugely popular franchises, but I’m of the mind that time-eating games like AB should stay in that realm and not cross streams with other media (although the multiple millions made in AB merchandising outside games proves me incorrect). Finally, Orphan Black seems like a fine enough choice for a comic series, but I’d prefer to see the show as the show and not need to dive into other media unless it’s going places the show hasn’t by exploring side stories for each of the clones. Of course, that would mean I’d need to buy some issues or a collection at some point down the road. In other words, I guess IDW will be seeing some of my money at some point in the not too distant future…

Things I Learned @Toy Fair 2014: I Think A Crowded Coop Needs A Name Change…

Posted on April 7, 2014 by geelw

“How about a REALLY Crowded Coop?”Was what I suggest to Mary Olson after seeing the size of this year’s amazing lineup at Toy Fair, but I think she would have hit me on the head with that prototype Halo bag I’d been ogling. It’s a good thing she didn’t, as I’d then be responsible for the entire first run having a dent the size of my forehead in and I’d like to be a bit less of a negative influence on product design in the future. Where last year, the company had a handful of licenses that yielded a sizable amount of product, this year the booth was about three times the size and there were so many products on display that I had to swing by twice to see them all…
Continue reading →

Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever Finally Comics-Bound!

Posted on March 6, 2014 by geelw

YES. I’m SO pleased at this news that I’m too busy doing mental back flips and stuff to type out a boring descriptive post about the plot and whatnot, so you get to read a boring descriptive press release instead. Woo. Yeah, I’ll be grabbing this five-issue series for sure. Or should I hold out for the inevitable collected edition? Ah, whatever – we’ll see. Isn’t that cover awesome, by the way? Meanwhile, just for fun here’s an old Harlan Ellison’s Watching video for you on the implosion of the trading card collector’s market:

As to that Trek comic? Here, go read all about it below the jump… Continue reading →

Star Trek: New Visions #1: Byrne is Back On Trek!

Posted on March 1, 2014 by geelw

Last year’s Star Trek Annual 2013 was a complete sell out for IDW at retail (you can still get a digital copy here) and of course, that means legendary writer/artist/creator of new and awesome Trek content John Byrne is coming back with another photonovel this year. Even better, it seems that this Enterprise (pun intended) is now a bi-monthly series titled Star Trek: New Visions.

This time out, Byrne is expanding the popular episode “Mirror, Mirror” with a sequel, “The Mirror, Cracked” which takes place after the episode when the Enterprise crew discovers not everyone left the ship after that life-altering trip into the mirror dimension. As IDW hasn’t yet provided any pages (boo!), you’ll have to ogle that cover above and/or go download the Annual to see Byrne’s rather amazing photo manipulation and asset creation for yourself. The man’s a classic Trek fan through and through and it shows in the care he put into every panel. Hey at $7.99 per issue, it better be some awesome Trekking, right? The 48-page, full-color book, debuts in May 2014 and given the speed at which the annual disappeared from comic shops, I’d say pre-ordering is in order.

Return of the Fumetti! IDW’s Star Trek Annual 2013 Does Some Major Time Traveling…

Posted on September 6, 2013 by geelw

Wow. I’m ancient enough to remember owning a couple of Star Trek fumetti, so seeing this all-new page created by comics legend John Byrne for his upcoming Trek tale “Strange New Worlds” made me smile a wee bit too much. I hope the younger fan of the series embrace this photo-novel style, as it’s a real art form. Even crazier (in the best possible manner), Byrne created the panels for the series by carefully cobbling together “multiple pieces of film stills and manipulating them to tell the exact story he wanted”, according to the press release. That alone makes this worth checking out if you’re one of those folks who knows the original series inside and out. You’ll be picking out shots and testing your memory, that’s for sure…

IDW’s Star Trek Annual 2013 will run 48 pages and should be in your favorite comic shop the third week of December. I just may need to pick this up and take a time trip down memory lane…

Welcome to Brain Battle MCMXI (The Struggle Continues!) Featuring Kirk & Spock…

Posted on August 19, 2013 by geelw

I have the most raging headache right now, but type away I must. Nothing particular brought it on, just General Stress, Major Pain and trying to wean myself off coffee (yeah, I know, I know…) on a Monday. Woo. Not a good idea, but I’ll try anything once (allegedly). Hmmm. Maybe the trip to the market to buy stuff to make soup with will ease my pain. If not… “Now, the Lerpa!” Ouch. Someone change the channel, please? I like Star Trek a lot… but not IN my head and definitely not “Amok Time” in my head. I’ve had that fight music blasting between my ears most of the day already!