Mythic Messenger #9 - Who is friend to Iron, foe to Sand, and servant to Fury?
Halt, traveler!
Before you pass by me to read the pop culture updates and general geekery contained within this Mythic Messenger, you must answer me these questions three… ere the other side you see.
THE FIRST: What creature goes on two legs in the morning, is bit by eight legs in the afternoon, and goes by web-swing at night?
THE SECOND: Who is friend to Iron, foe to Sand, and servant to Fury?
THE THIRD: Why is Amazing Fantasy #15 (which has just become available as the latest geeky grail you can invest in through the Mythic Markets platform!) the most important comic book of the last 60 years?!?
That’s correct, wise reader! The answer -- to all three -- is SPIDER-MAN!
Bask in the glory of this, among the most desired comic books in all of history! Beautifully preserved since it was printed in 1962, it tells the original tale of how nebbish nerd Peter Parker finds it within himself to begin a career of heroism. A career which would last until the present day, inspiring countless millions with but a single phrase…
“With great power... comes great responsibility"
Now it is YOU, reader, who has the power - the power to purchase a piece of pop culture history, for only $46 per share.
Of course, a traveler so wise as you would not pass up this deal lightly! I will let you think upon it as you peruse the remainder of this Mythic Messenger for news...
SDCC 2020 held online; lets fans worldwide watch panels from home
Man… remember conventions? How good it is to go out and immerse yourself in the world of fantasy and fandom for a weekend? Meeting others who share your passions, and being amazed by the costumes and fan art they’ve created? And the thrill of being in a room with the celebrities who invented those things you’re passionate about when they announce the next one! This year’s global pandemic has stolen more joy from us than we realize - but that’s not to say that people aren’t finding ways to take it back!
San Diego Comic-Con is the world’s biggest pop culture convention, and among the longest running to boot. This year marks the only time in its 50 year history that the convention has had to cancel its physical event! But SDCC is still running online, with organizers asking hosts to present their panels remotely and converting as much of the event to a streaming experience as they can.
This includes the famous Masquerade cosplay competition, which will be judged based on audition videos contestants send in - but also the traditional screenings of cult movies, unique merch sales and the comics industry awards show, which will all be organized online. But the most notable and impressive change of all is to the panel schedule: every single one will be available to view, for free, on Youtube!
All your favorite shows and celebrities are contributing to this panoply of panels: Star Trek, X-Men, The Walking Dead, Bill & Ted, Bob’s Burgers, The Wheel of Time, and so, so many more. While they will not be taking the usual audience questions due to the limitations of the format, you’ll still get to see and hear the stars of your favorite media (and what their living rooms look like too!).
And in return, you will now have the chance to watch every panel in full in your own time! As the SDCC team pointed out in their announcement video, home audiences will enjoy such perks as “comfy chairs”, “free parking”, “pets welcome”, “personalized snacks” and “front row seats to every panel”. And when you put it like that, it sure beats having no con at all.
Comic-Con@Home runs from July 22-26. You can enjoy the smorgasbord of video content on YouTube, where it will be gradually uploaded all week.
Westworld creative team tackles a new dystopia in "Fallout" TV series
It’s a sign of how chaotic 2020 has been that an announcement as big as this one mostly flew under the radar. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, producers and writers of TV masterpiece Westworld as well as The Dark Knight, Pushing Daisies and Burn Notice, have signed on to develop TV scripts based on, yes, the beloved Fallout game franchise. It’s still too early for fans to bust out the celebratory deathclaw burgers, but the duo are already raising some promising ideas.
There’s a long history of lackluster video game adaptations for film and TV, but after the smash hit success of The Witcher for Netflix, studios have started optioning the rights for well-known games in a frenzy. Fallout fans can rest easy though - Nolan and Joy are gamers too.
“Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time,” they announced in a joint statement. “Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends. So we’re incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life.”
Speaking with Variety, Joy and Nolan emphasized their desire to contrast “the harshness of the wasteland, set against the previous generation’s utopian idea of a better world through nuclear energy.” This might sound bleak, but fans of the games will know there’s more nuance to this pessimism.
Fallout has always been as cynical and satirical in its take on pre-apocalypse society as it is in presenting the dying world of the Wasteland. The showrunners seem clued into this as well, promising a “harsh tone, but sprinkled with moments of ironic humor and B-movie nuclear fantasies”. So there’s still hope for some wonderfully hammy Vault-tec and Nuka-Cola commercials to come out of the show’s production - should it go ahead.
Because of course, nothing is yet confirmed to be made at this stage. Nolan and Joy are locked into the production as part of a multi-series film and TV deal with Amazon, but any scripts would need to be completed and approved by Amazon before filming goes ahead, which will take a while. But with Bezos’ billions bankrolling the project and Bethesda themselves officially on board, there seem to be few serious obstacles to this long-dreamed-of show eventually reaching our screens and making Fallout the next pop culture sensation.
In the meantime, gamers might whet their appetite on such adaptations as The Last of Us, Halo, and Borderlands - all coming to TV or movie screens in the near future.
Fast fandom
As always, there is a ton going on in the interconnected world of pop culture and fan media. Here are a few of the stories that caught our eye:
Tragic passing of a special effects superstar
While you've likely already heard the bad news, we wanted to use this space as a tribute to world-famous effects engineer, roboticist, and TV host Grant Imahara. His passing last week from an aneurysm came tragically young, and yet that only serves to emphasize what an incredible achiever Grant was.
His prominent TV roles on pop-science shows Mythbusters and White Rabbit Project inspired a generation of engineers and researchers, but he also had a lengthy career at Industrial Light & Magic, where his SFX work featured in blockbusters such as Star Wars, Terminator and The Matrix. His hobbies delved even deeper into geekdom - he was a successful competitor on robot gladiator show Battlebots and acted in high-profile Star Trek fan films. As an exemplar of so many of the greatest parts of geekdom, we thank Grant for his years of contributions to our community.
Cutting edge cosplay offers a sly glimpse of our future
An ultra(marine)-impressive cosplay video that surfaced this week has finally revealed the secret to crafting convincing power armor suits… although it might be a little beyond the capability of most hobbyists. Filmed at last year’s Otakon, but surfacing this week, the video interview features a startlingly realistic Space Marine of the Warhammer 40k variety stomping around the convention hall and enjoying incredible freedom of movement. When asked by the host how he was able to move freely in the bulky plastic armor, the Marine’s answer was both simple and mindblowing - he develops space-suit prototypes at the University of Maryland, and his cosplay incorporated their latest “hardsuit” technology to allow free movement at the joints. So, the best way to achieve a good space marine armor cosplay? Just work for the lab building power armor in real life, and borrow your own work!
Wonder Woman may be delayed til 2084 at this rate
Sad news for those waiting for Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins to follow up on their well-received Wonder Woman solo feature. That next film, Wonder Woman 1984, has already been delayed repeatedly to avoid the shocking numbers it would receive for releasing mid-pandemic. It appeared to finally settle on October 2, which seemed conservative enough. But star actor Gal Gadot let slip yesterday that the movie is back under evaluation and could easily get delayed again if conditions don’t improve. Supposedly these reviews of the release happen every two weeks, so there’s not a lot of time for things to improve if we want to see Wondy back on screen before 2021. Fingers (and bracelets) crossed!
TRIVIA!
Mythic Markets is home to a galaxy of overlapping geeky interests. How’s your combined knowledge of pop culture? Answers below!
What is the secret identity of Wonder Woman’s original sidekick, Wonder Girl?
Annual esports tournament The International awards tens of millions of dollars to players of which video game?
To which fantasy franchise does the fictional “Twi’lek” race belong?
In Magic: The Gathering, what cost must a player pay to re-draw their starting hand?
What do the followers of Harry Potter archvillain Lord Voldemort call themselves?
Trivia answers: 1. Donna Troy, 2. DOTA2, 3. Star Wars, 4. One card from their new hand (called a mulligan), 5. Death Eaters