The Info Zombie - Episode 63: Horror Comics Panel

Rachel Pandich of Skin Crawling Comics, Paul Chapman from the Greatest Movie Ever Podcast, and Gerald Rathkolb of Anime World Order provide a celebrity panel discussion on HORROR COMICS. To listen to part one where the panel discusses HORROR MOVIES, click over to The Greatest Movie EverPodcast.  And subscribe to it on iTunes if you haven’t done so already. These guys want to remind you to please help out the Skin Crawling Comics campaign. Episode 63 Logo

TheInfoZombie.com

Another Music Cosplay Video, This Time From Anime Expo 2013

Sneaky Zebra really set the bar high when it comes to music videos featuring cosplay. SpendthriftMonk gives a decent effort, but the music is really slow which makes the video seem to go on forever. Also Yaya Han has a ton of appearances in the video and I have to say that I'm not a big fan of hers. If you're bored then check it out, but I saw a ton of cool pictures of cosplay from the event and very few of them made it into this video which was a shame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwYTulal_fU

Via Major Spoilers

Review: High School USA! – Ep. 2: Sexting

After being mesmerized by the first episode of High School USA! I was looking forward to more. There’s always that chance that the pilot episode is actually the best episode, but thankfully that wasn’t the case here. The second episode “Sexting” pokes fun at some many modern-day high school occurrences while still keeping with the wholesome outward appearance. That’s definitely one thing this show has over other animations is that they don’t always hand you the jokes and explain it. A lot of it is hidden in the dialog and yet due to the animation, it’s deceivingly wholesome looking. In this episode there are plenty of visual gags and a few that will be completely noticeable and others not so much, but their dialog hides a ton more.

High School USA - Sexting (1)

The episode starts off in “Le American Diner” again as the gang is sitting around their food which they never eat. Cassandra begins busting Amber’s chops about how excited she is about her “boyfriend” Brent returning. He’s described as a beautiful man and even Brad agrees. Amber begins to freak out though when Cassandra mentions his member. Now Amber can’t stop thinking about what his penis might look like and the fact that she hasn’t seen it and so she asks for a picture.

High School USA - Sexting (2)

Later that night her mom pops in her room and she opens up to her; pay really close attention to this scene because aside from the visual cues there are some dialog cues about Amber’s mom which made this my favorite scene of the episode. Amber gets the picture and it’s not what she expected.

The next day she drags Cassandra to the bathroom with her and at this point you can cue the next visual gag. She shows Cassandra and she instantly makes a joke about Brent’s doodle, but still asks for a copy of the picture to “study” and give a better opinion. The picture of course ends up circulating to all of the girls in the school which puts Amber and Cassandra at odds with each other.

High School USA - Sexting (3)

Marsh feels that he must take it upon himself to fix the problem so that when Brent arrives he doesn’t feel awkward. His solution is that the entire male population of the school should take a “dick pic” of their own and send it to all of the girls in the school. Only by all of them doing it will it show solidarity. Also, if you think that every dude sending every girl a “dick pic” goes by unmentioned then you’re wrong. It’s hilarious.

High School USA - Sexting (4)

The episode was quite funny and I found it strange that some people didn’t like it. After all it’s not exactly pushing any envelopes that Simpson, South Park or Family Guy haven’t pushed well before it, but I can see it not being everyone’s cup of tea. It could very well be that Dino Stamatopoulos has created another show before it’s time.

High School USA - Sexting (5)

The voice acting still seems like its finding its rhythm which isn’t uncommon with animated shows. If you look back at some of your favorites, the first couple of episodes are always rough and usually don’t resemble what the series becomes or the voices you become familiar with. I do wish there was a better breakdown of who is voicing which character rather than the few on IMDB and from what my own ear can pick up, but I’m sure as episodes progress that will happen as well.

High School USA - Sexting (6)

Something I didn’t talk about on my last review was the animation by ADHD. If you’ve followed the site then you know we’ve featured a lot of their shorts on here in the past and I doubt I’m alone when I say that they are a fantastic animation studio. The visual story telling is just as strong as the narrative and it looks great. The coloring is definitely one of the best things and gives the show a modern vibrant look. It stands out compared to other animated shows that are locked into their look from decades past.

High School USA - Sexting (8)

If you’re not watching it, you really should be. I’m not going to deny that this show would be better suited for Adult Swim, but I’m also not going to pretend that Adult Swim has had it’s time to shine and squandered it’s potential on syndicated shows over original content. Frankly, as long as it’s funny I don’t give a crap about where I watch it.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Dino Stamatopoulos

Review: High School USA! – Ep. 1: Bullies

Like most people I took one look at High School USA! and thought, “Oh good they’re finally getting around to spoofing Archie.” Only I said it really sarcastically. Well the joke is on me because this show is fantastic. In a lot of ways it reminds me of early Family Guy episodes in which they would spoof what television portrayed as reality and the TV formula in general. With High School USA! the formula is the high school experience boiled down to its lowest common denominator so that it’s transparent  and relatable. The episodes are only ten minutes long which means that it follows the Adult Swim outline for the most part. In the first episode we’re just thrown in with the characters with hardly an introduction and no backstory. It’s very easy to pick up on and the writer’s do a fine job of making sure character’s names are repeated often, but without it being so obvious that they’re just saying it for your benefit.

High School USA - Bullies (1)

The first episode opens up at a pep rally about Bullying. The teacher that we met (and the only character’s name that I don’t remember) calms down the crowd and goes through why a bully is bad and that they will not tolerate Bullies at the school and if caught students won’t be allowed to attend Friday’s dance.

After the pep rally we spend some time with our main characters: Marsh the “Archie” of the group who was overweight as a child and even though he’s thin now, he’s still obsessed with weight loss. Then there’s Brad, who is the “Jughead” to Marsh’s “Archie.” Instead of being a hollow knock off though he actually represents the typical jock for the most part. Then there’s Blackstein… he doesn’t really compare to someone from Archie in my opinion, but it’s clear that he’s the nerd of the group. There’s more to his character as he represents some typical stereotypes as well, but you’ll see it when you watch. Lastly are the ladies. Amber is of course the “Betty”, but this is in hair color only. She and Cassandra, the “Veronica”, are both very accurate in their dialog and come across like any tween/teen girl that you may have overheard in a mall or just out in public in general. Their charm is that they are so accurate with their dialog and mannerisms that you forget they’re just cartoon characters.

High School USA - Bullies (2)

We know the episode is about Bullies and while the gang is hanging out at “Le American Diner”, Marsh points out that Brad is a bully. It’s pretty obvious considering he has Blackstein in a head lock the entire time and calls him “Brainstein” because he thinks he’s dumb, but to the rest of the gang it isn’t as obvious. Brad runs away because he doesn’t want to be a bully; later that night he’s contact about his bullying and asked to meet with the stranger. He follows a Truman Captoe looking dude to a place where jocks are beating up on nerds. Brad unwinds on a nerd who is there because he’s a “pervert” and the Captoe looking dude records it. The next day the video has gone viral and Brad is banned from the dance.

That’s literally like half of the episode, but I haven’t told you any of the jokes. That’s what’s actually great about this show; sure they’ve nailed high school perfectly and managed to even represent the youngest generation in doing so, but the comedy is what shines. In the diner Marsh turns down both girls because he’s going to be home binge eating and after Brad leaves, Blackstein says that he’ll be their date to which Amber gives a hilarious response. I’m not going to ruin any of the jokes because they’ll be completely out of context for you. Brad’s home life delivers tons of great material and his mom might just be the best supporting character of the show.

Not all of the voice acting is amazing. Marsh is okay for the most part, but his golly shucks delivery tends to leave him pretty monotone and lacking any real emotion. I think that’s supposed to be the point, but when he’s mixed with all the other dynamic characters it doesn’t really work and makes him seem like the one that’s out of place. Brad is voiced by T.J. Miller and I recognized him instantly. He’s a bit rough with his lines and it doesn’t come off naturally, but I think as the show continues it’ll get there. It definitely didn’t stop the jokes from being funny. Blackstein is voiced by Nathan Barnatt and he does a great job, but sounds the most cartoonish out of the bunch. I’m not sure who voices Amber, but she does a fantastic job. In a huge surprise, Mandy Moore is the voice of Cassandra. She does a great job, but it’s kind of weird once you know that especially after the second episode. In general the voice acting is good and you can tell that they’re going for a wholesome feel even if they’re being crude at the same time and that works. I just hope that they don’t break from that.

High School USA - Bullies (7)

I would definitely say that High School USA! is worth watching. I expected very little from it and was then pleasantly surprised. If you know who Dino Stamatopoulos is, then you’ll definitely want to watch since this is his brain child. He’s written and created some of the best and most disturbing things on television including Moral Orel, which is similar in structure and parody with this show. I’m sure you can find a way to watch this for free considering Fox is backing their Adult Swim block of programing pretty hard, so check it out.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Dino Stamatopoulos

Here's A Look At SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay... Get Ready For Forced Drama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epo1F4lc_lE After watching that I bet you were wondering, "Is all of the drama of the show going to hinge on them finishing the costumes we know they already made?" and the answer is yes. This idea looks like it was born out of the Morgan Spurlock film about Comic Con and following Holly and her Mass Effect costume. I say that because she's in this as well and it pretty much looks like all the same things that she went through. Monkia Lee is the only person I really cared about seeing and they never showed her talking. Also the main woman who cosplay's as everything and was on King of the Geeks... yeah I'm tired of her. Clearly there is some sponsorship or something because she has a shit ton of costumes. I don't want to hate on it, but this did not excite me... quite the opposite actually.

Via io9

Who Wants Frilly Laced Evangelion Underwear? Everyone

I may know nothing about Evangelion, but I know plenty about wanting to rock your favorite cartoon character on your underwear so I'm not judging anyone for wanting these. I am going to say that they suck and whoever designed them has no sense of style or taste. There's women frilly underwear and then some men's underwear which finds a way to suck even more. Women's

Men's

Nathan Fillion Talks About His Role As Hal Jordan In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Well this bad boy is out tomorrow, but today we have Nathan Fillion talking about his role as Hal Jordan in The Flashpoint Paradox and a bonus clip! Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt6ngSH4fZU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLuV304ZYY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtrGhghJZyg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezz4pRDC2M4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGwscYFrVZk

Castle star Nathan Fillion once again reprises his role as the voice of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie.

Episode 92: They Don't Go To You To Learn

We promised a part two to last week's Comic Con coverage, but this time around we have a heavy hand on movies. We're going to give you our thoughts and opinions on all the Comic Con movie news that we felt was relevant so if you came here for something else... that's on you then. We did cover one bit of comic news that happened after last week's episode and that's the "Lights Out" info that Dan Didio leaked. I talk about a list at the end of the episode which you can find here. Overall we just hope we don't bore you like last week when we rattled off a list at you... CBMFP is GO! The Wife Beaters

Check Out Post Human!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC2liU3cFR8#at=271 This is actually really cool. If you're a fan of sci-fi and animation then you're sure to love it. It has some brief nudity and tons of gore just to warn you though. Also if you're a BattleStar Galactica fan then you may recognize Tricia Helfer's voice.

Via io9

How Geeky Are You?

I'm not going to brag about my score, but it was pretty high (you can see it on Twitter). This quiz shows you a word or picture and then gives you moment to think of the first thing that comes to mind. Then it gives you options to pick from and you choose the one that matches the closest or "Other" which I'm sure jacks up your score a lot. I honestly had two thoughts come to mind each time and went with whichever one appeared on their choices. Check it out because it's fun and even if you score low you're still a geek to us. Take the quiz here.

Via Neatorama

Fan Film: Joker Rising Rough Cut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvQBRrSsPtY#at=27  

The dark and gritty story of the early days of the Joker and how he became what we know him as today.

For a limited time you can view Smoking Alien's rough cut of their fan filmed called, The Joker Rising.  Here's the info from their YouTube page!

A rough cut that will only be up for a limited time. Any feedback is more than welcomed. Missing color correction in a lot of it and also some sounds, but you have the whole film here.

Also we are thinking about turning this into a gotham crime trilogy with the Joker being the main villain throughout Would love to hear about characters and stories that deserve a darker treatment

Here is it's page https://www.facebook.com/thejokerrising

The trailer for a full length dark and gritty film about the origin of the Joker that will be finished soon.

It is a fan film as we do not own the rights to the characters, music, and original ideas. This is DC and warner bros property. This is being made to tell a good story and to give the villains their due.

Starring Dylan Hobbs- The Joker Katie Young- Harley Quinn Manuel Eduardo Ramirez- Croc Dominique Marsell- Riddles Ski Carr- Black Mask Bob Buhrl- Oswald Mario Orozco- Spider Sarah Nunez- Ivy Baylee Curran- Sarah Travis O'leary- The Bat Robert Esparza- AJ

Video Game High School Season 2: Episode One “The Date”

'Video Game High School' Season One was one of my favorite media moments of 2012, a confident and specialized web series that proved that independent internet creators were finally ready to create professional-grade content that could compete with mainstream television while still retaining its nerdy 4-Chan bred roots. After a successful large-scale Kickstarter drive, everything about Season Two is designed to expand, from its million-dollar plus budget to its extra hour of run-time. With the remaining installments to be released over the next few weeks, the first half-hour went live this Friday. Did Rocket Jump Studios' ambition pay off? The premiere starts surprisingly abruptly, with no expository recap for those who didn't do the assigned homework of watching Season One. Brian D. and gang's life hasn't skipped a beat since the dramatic defeat of The Law, back to the debatably mundane day-to-day of school routine at VGHS. Things seem to be looking up for Brian, who has both The Law out of his life and Jenny Matrix becoming a bigger part of it. Ted Wong is where he belongs in Drift class but finds his scatter-brained personality interfering with his studies. Ki Swan's problems seem to be the most abnormal, being targeted by her professor, who punishes her compulsive academic nature by not assigning her homework. Life for Brian is complicated by the appearance of Jenny's mom as the new FPS coach, putting new stresses on his burgeoning relationship.

Immediately the polished edges and scale of the budget is made apparent, with extensive CGI, more varied locations, and a new traditional title sequence, complete with video montage and theme song. The extended runtime also grants a more balanced approach to the characters, with Ted and Ki getting bumped up from their subplots in Season One to a more featured role.

In Ki's case this is definitely appreciated, as her character felt severely underwritten in Season One, with her arc largely being just a feature of Ted's. I'm excited to see Ellary Porterfield get more time to expand Ki, but her torment at the hands of Professor Freddie Wong seems to be quickly and tidily resolved in the first episode leaving the nature of her season arc a mystery. This similarly goes for Ted, as his story in the pilot seems largely self-contained; relying heavily on the great comedic chemistry he shares with Rocky Collins. Ellary is particularly fun to watch play tightly compressed manic, but both Ki and Ted will apparently have to wait till the next episode to begin their season long arcs.

Brian by comparison gets a bit more of an introductory chapter, focusing on his awkward wooing of the largely comfortably wooed Jenny. Josh Blaycock and Johanna Braddy both sell the relationship well, and the script does a good job of balancing stress and affection in a way that doesn't feel like the plot-centric obstacles are forced or artificial. Suffice to say this pair of Power Star-crossed lovers won't find love any easier than in Season One, but rather than the eye-rolling chore that thwarting the obvious couple tends to be, the cast and crew seem to apply the intelligence required to make the bumpy romance engaging.

At the center of it all, VGHS's reputation is on the line as The Law is found guilty of the virtual equivalent of doping, invalidating his considerable gaming record and by extension the school's. Enter Mary Matrix, Jenny's tough-as-nails mom and new VGHS FPS coach. Obviously set to be a major focus for the rest of the school year, it's difficult to get a bead on Cynthia Watros's Mary, besides the obvious tension she brings to Jenny's life. Instead of coming off as intimidating or edgy, Watros often just looks strangely, almost painfully, exhausted. It's hard to gauge her role going forward as we can't tell yet if she is an antagonist or a curmudgeony ally.  All I know is I hope Zachary Levi isn't so busy that he can't pop in for a quick hello at some point. FPS ain't the same without Ace.

The action has expanded potential with the new budget, shown off dramatically in the sniper-centric match at the end of the episode. Gone is the single faux-Iraq location from Season One; enter Forest Zone complete with CGI tank. Being considerably more ambitious, the effects show their edges a bit more than Season One, but the new range of possibilities is a welcome extension, especially necessary early on when a Big Bad has yet to be identified.

The episode ends on a nice tease of next episode goodies, but it's hard to say what we actually know going forward. For a premiere “The Date” is all but self-contained save for Brian and Jenny's arc, but still sets the tone and flexes its muscles appropriately to show off the new grander scope. While perhaps a bit clumsy in setting up the new season's narrative, it's undoubtedly good to be back at VGHS. Grab a can of pizza and enjoy.

Watch Here!

Score: 3/4

RoboCop Takes To Kickstarter To Save Detroit From Bankruptcy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2mLtCAvvt8#at=113 Lulz ahead folks. By now everyone should know that Detroit is bankrupt and its greatest citizen RoboCop couldn't just stand idly by while that happened. He's taken to Kickstarter (not really, don't be that guy) to raise 20 billion dollars to help the motor city. Won't you help them out? For a $20 million contribution they'll kill you and turn you into RoboCop... that's a good reward!