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Unfridged: Female comic characters break out, break the rules and (hopefully) break the box office

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7 years ago

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*mild spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2*

In a movie that features a  killer arrow controlled by whistling, an impossibly cute dancing tree branch AND Chris Pratt’s abs, would you believe it if I told you the best scene is two sisters working out their relationship issues? There’s a LOT going on in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (a little too much in my opinion), but in the midst of Kurt Russel getting his groove back and the most spectacular Viking funeral fireworks you’ve ever seen, there’s also the story of Gomora and Nebula – a story with humor, action and heart, a story that arcs from betrayal and hatred to empathy and understanding – and all without the “trying so hard” vibe that weighs down some of the movie’s other side plots. A week after seeing the film, the moments they shared are the ones that have stuck with me.

Zoe Saldana’s Gomora and Karen Gillan’s Nebula are just two examples of the richly expanding world of female comic characters being brought to our screens in the last few years. And even for someone like myself, who’s not really familiar with comics outside of their onscreen adaptations, it’s been a refreshing change from the way female characters were interpreted in the past. As a kid I remember loving Michelle Pfeiffer’s weird and creepy take on Catwoman, but also thinking that for the most part, she was there to slink around in a skintight leather suit. And beyond that, who else was there really? The damsels of course – the lovely ladies who needed rescuing or help catching the baddie or upside-down kissing from the guy in tights. Or even sadder, the ones who get violent death, ala fridging , as their fate, all so our hero can get to have lots of feels as he exacts his bloody revenge.

While I’d never blame sexist tropes entirely for my indifference to the comic world (two of my favorite genres – action movies and scifi – also have them in spades), I do think that lack of a badass heroine was part of what kept me away. I needed my Ripley, my Scully, my Sarah Conner getting ripped in preparation for the apocalypse. And then, in November of 2015, she arrived in my Netflix list in the form of one Jessica Jones. In so many ways, Jessica is the antithesis of everything that came before her – sarcastic, powerful and unapologetic, and when it comes to sex, there’s certainly no slinking around. Jessica Jones was my gateway into the Marvel universe, and since that show’s premiere, I’ve been surprised to find myself also enjoying Luke Cage and Daredevil.

And that’s what these excellent female characters, like Jessica, Gomora and Nebula, have the power to do – attract new fans, represent new points of view and hit refresh on some conceits that are getting…well, a bit dusty (bad/absent father figure? hmmm I wonder if you might grow up to want to avenge injustice….) With early Wonder Woman buzz pointing to potential critical and commercial success, I think it’s safe to hope that women in comics have left the fridge behind for good and are standing side by side with their male counterparts, on their way to save the world.

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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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10 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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Comic-Con 2024: Those About to Die Activation

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13 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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13 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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