Entertainment

What was that we were just saying about the term "Comic-Con" meaning entertainment?

Some 50,000 people showed up to the Calgary Expo this weekend to hear the complete Star Trek: The Next Generation cast reunite to share a cup of Earl Grey tea, and also perhaps spot Kate Beaton or Peter David. Although it wasn't really a riot, there were wayyyyy too many people Saturday, and the Fire Marshal shut things down, leading to many people not getting in and the show offering ticket refunds for those who were shut out. People who showed up to buy tickets on site were turned away, say reports.

When do you let go of that childhood dream? Jim Mroczkowski at iFanboy looks at the fannish habit of holding on to something you hate in hopes of something improving vis a vis the new Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon on Disney XD, of which he writes:

In an article that starts off looking at the possibility that Marvel's Kevin Feige will be the new head of Disney Studios, replacing departed Rich Ross, Kevin Melrose distills more than 20 years of Marvel history, such as how they came to have their own studio.

WOW, Creator Rights day on the Internet rolls on with what we might call Stan Lee's Hilary Rosen moment: an unforced error that cannot be rolled back. In an interview with Moviefone, of ALL PLACES, Stan is asked POINT BLANK about whether Jack Kirby should be credited on THE AVENGERS:

In celebration of Earth Day, The Beat gives a hoot-out to Woodsy Owl, public servant.

Reviews are beginning to roll in on THE AVENGERS and, to our utter surprise, reviewers like it! Well, anyway, Justin Chang at Variety liked it.

...or at least doing well on Amazon. As we know, these things are ephemeral and easily rigged, but as of last night it was in the Top 100 for books. Jeffrey Brown's gently humorous look at Darth Vader as a father to a young Luke Skywalker has gotten a lot of positive attention.

by Casey Burchby

-- One of the only fistfights I’ve ever been in was over Garbage Pail Kids – proof they were a dangerous influence, no? I was eight and a kid named Chad lived down the street. Chad was bad. His family was shady. Their house was overgrown; the lawn was a small parking lot. Chad was the kid I’d play with – maybe – if no one else was around. But Chad had had Garbage Pail Kids. So with some hesitation, I decided to do a little business with Chad. I had a card he was dying for. He promised me several cards in return for just that one. I jumped at the offer, which I knew was foolish. Little did I know Chad planned to welsh.

For those who want to go all the way on looking ghastly, a newly announced show on The Nerdist YouTube channel should provide all the fashion tips you need. BLOOD AND GUTS will star Anthrax founder and horror expert Scott Ian on a gruesome journey as he learns the secrets of special FX makeup from masters such as Greg (The Walking Dead) Nicotero. The show is a joint venture between Nerdist and Fangoria, the venerable horror magazine.

If you've watched Doctor Who at any point in the... last several decades, you'll likely be acquainted with The Doctor's favorite tool, the "sonic screwdriver," which gets him out of all sorts of jams. Guess what? Scientists at Dundee University have finally gotten around to inventing the real thing.

Marvel/DC comic book artist Dave DeVries is being featured on CBS This Morning tomorrow at 8:45 am E.D.T. for his "The Monster Engine" work. If you're not familiar with this project, it's a thought provoking series of illustrations that takes children's drawings of monsters and paints them in a fully detailed fantasy art style. It's been spun off into books, gallery shows and more.

Until now, Jersey Shore and the comics industry had been on blissfully separate tracks. In fact, during a brief interview we had with the Nerdist, Chris Hardwick, he mentioned Jersey Shore as being a part of pop culture that was not part of nerd culture. But now, Wizard has blurred the line. And nothing will ever be the same.