15 Unlikely Comic Book Crossovers (That Actually Happened)

That's right, these are all real.

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https://www.newsarama.com/15440-10-unlikely-comic-book-crossovers-that-actually-happened.html

Call Of Duty: Zombies #5 - Justin Jordan, Jonathan Wayshak, Dan Jackson, Simon Bisley, Jason Blundell & Craig Houston

Call Of Duty: Zombies #5 Justin Jordan, Jonathan Wayshak, Dan Jackson, Simon Bisley, Jason Blundell & Craig Houston Genre: Graphic Novels Price: $3.99 Publish Date: June 19, 2017 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Seller: Dark Horse Comics

Waves of zombies just keep coming, first in the Call of Duty®: Zombies games, and now from Dark Horse Comics! The Tranzit crew find themselves in an unfamiliar location, scattered and disoriented. And as they face a new type of enemy, it becomes clearer than ever that they need each other to survive. Stuhlinger and Russman aren’t used to having teammates, but Misty and Marlton will have to convince them to band together if they all want to make it.

get it now at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/call-of-duty-zombies-5/id1250313802?mt=11&uo=2&partnerId=11&at=1010ldoE

SCRAPPY's Grudge Against SCOOBY Ramps Up In SCOOBY APOCALYPSE

And SECRET SQUIRREL squeezes in as well.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35211-scrappy-s-grudge-against-scooby-ramps-up-in-scooby-apoclaypse.html

Joan Lee Passes Away at 93

The wife of Stan Lee.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35212-joan-lee-passes-away-at-93.html

Best Shots Rapid-Fire Reviews: DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AGAIN #1, GUMBY #1, More

As well SNOTGIRL #6, AS ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5, GREEN ARROW #26, BLOODSHOT'S DAY OFF! #1, TRANSFORMERS: TILL ALL ARE ONE #11, G.I. JOE #7, and MOTOR GIRL #7.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35206-best-shots-deadpool-kills-the-marvel-universe-again-1-gumby-1-snotgirl-6-more.html

Revisiting Tolkien Short Stories Part Two: Farmer Giles of Ham

By: Mary Rakas

Farmer Giles of Ham is another old classic written by J.R.R. Tolkien, which was originally published in 1949. Farmer Giles is a gem in the author’s collection of short stories. Fantasy, comedy, colorful characters, and teachable moments come together to create an unforgettable reading experience.

The Cast

The story contains a diverse range of personalities. The characters are a perfect blend of those you might meet in real life and those of a fantastical nature.

Farmer Giles: The reluctant hero of the story, the farmer is an average Joe perfectly happy with the ordinary, everyday life of home.

Garm: Giles’ troublesome dog. He’s good at spreading gossip but entirely useless in fixing the trouble that comes of it. Mostly he tries to wheedle out of bad graces with Giles.

King Augustus Bonifacius: Ruler of the Middle Kingdom whose life goal is to avoid the ‘rustics’ in neighboring villages. They simply aren’t worth the king’s notice.

The mare: Giles’ loyal steed. The horse is arguably the smartest resident of Ham. She uses common sense, and a bit of trickery, to save Giles from an untimely end.

Chrysophylax Dives: The dragon who attacks the village of Ham. He wreaks some havoc, but isn’t quite the villain you would assume.

The narrator: Though not actually taking part in the story, the narrator is so alive as to warrant being listed separately. The narrator is practically a standup comedian, and nearly steals the show from the main characters.

The Comedy

The best part of the book is the comedy. The tale is loaded with snark, sarcasm, smart remarks, and unforeseen plot twists that have the reader laughing aloud. Some of the antics border on the ridiculous, keeping the reader engaged and looking for what happens next.

Though every character has facetious lines, they are most prominent in the narrator. Being the embodiment of humor, the narrator also serves as a bridge, flawlessly linking together the fantasy and entertainment elements with the moral of the story.

The use of the narrator is an ingenious concept. The remarks read as an eyewitness account of the story. The slight personal bias injected into such observations give readers a unique and immensely enjoyable perspective.

The Premise

The quiet days of Giles and Garm are shattered when a lost, nearsighted, deaf giant comes blundering through Ham. According to the narrator’s speculation, the giant has few friends because of his deafness and stupidity.

Garm sees the giant and calls for help. Agatha nonchalantly suggests her husband Giles should drown the dog, but the farmer loads his blunderbuss with random items, shoots the giant (quite by luck) to scare him off, and becomes a local hero in the Middle Kingdom.

The king sends Giles a sword as a way of showing mock appreciation, which he hopes will enable him to stick to his adage of avoiding the village at all costs. Since the sword is out of fashion at court, the narrator describes it as the perfect gift for a ‘rustic.’ With it, of course, comes unexpected trouble. Thinking the village was devoid of residents, the giant spreads a story of unguarded livestock. With a hard winter coming on, the dragon Chrysophylax Dives attacks the Middle Kingdom.

The knights of the king’s court have no desire to help the village. They make excuses, even to the king himself, of why they cannot hunt the dragon. The narrator is much more understanding of the knights’ positions. The narrator vehemently agrees, in tones dripping with sarcasm, with the legitimacy of the excuses.

The villagers push an unwilling Giles into hunting the dragon when they discover his sword once belonged to a legendary dragon-slayer. The miller calls Giles more courageous than knights, to which the villagers respond with an uplifting ‘no.’ The farmer eventually goes, in turn dragging a reluctant Garm along with him.

The dog runs away when he, Giles, and the mare stumble on the dragon. Giles’ sword, Tailbiter, lunges at Chrysophylax, cutting his wing and preventing him from flying. The dragon is chased through the village and cornered, but buys his life with the promise of gold, one he has no intention of keeping. A month goes by and the dragon does not return.

The king takes an interest in Ham so as to usurp the treasure. He claims he deserves it because he’s the suzerain of the mountains, a title the narrator calls debatable. The king forces Giles and a few knights into a second dragon hunt. The parson advises Giles to bring some rope. The farmer decides against using the rope to hang himself and takes it with him for the journey.

Chrysophylax attacks the party and kills some of the knights, but immediately becomes tame upon spotting an unlooked-for Giles. The dragon brokers a new deal, offering to help Giles keep the treasure from the king in return for being able to keep some of his hoard. The farmer agrees. He returns to Ham, ignoring the king’s summons, and shares the treasure among the villagers.

The dragon holds to his words this time. When the enraged king challenges Giles to a duel, Chrysophylax springs from his hiding place and chases him off for good. The farmer later rises to become king himself, and the dragon stays in his service for a few years before being released.

Farmer Giles of Ham is clever, amusing, and whimsical. As with all Tolkien books, it teaches a lesson while providing the reader the highest degree of entertainment. Unlike the king, who is ruled by greed and a callous attitude toward his subjects, Giles, albeit reluctantly at first, helps the villagers when no one else will. He freely shares his wealth, acknowledges the hard work of others, and shows gratitude to those who offered him support. Though not an important person, the farmer uplifts others and is rewarded for it. Farmer Giles continues Tolkien’s trend of demonstrating the importance of even the smallest person.

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http://www.nerdhq.com/revisiting-tolkien-short-stories-part-two-farmer-giles-of-ham/

AMERICA #8 Calls Back to YOUNG AVENGERS For MARVEL LEGACY

And pits AMERICA against an old foe.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35210-america-8-calls-back-to-young-avengers-for-marvel-legacy.html

MARVEL LEGACY Brings DEADPOOL To DEFENDERS #6

And the reveal of an all-new Kingpin.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35209-marvel-legacy-brings-deadpool-to-defenders-6.html

'DEADPOOL Kills CABLE' in MARVEL LEGACY's DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #287

And he's giving in to his "villainous legacy."

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https://www.newsarama.com/35208-deadpool-kills-cable-in-marvel-legacy-s-despicable-deadpool-287.html

TONY STARK's Return Begins With MARVEL LEGACY's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #593

And Adi Granov returns to the title.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35207-tony-stark-s-return-begins-with-marvel-legacy-s-invincible-iron-man-593.html

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Part 1 - Gene Luen Yang & Various Artists

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Part 1 Gene Luen Yang & Various Artists Genre: Graphic Novels Price: $7.99 Publish Date: March 19, 2013 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Seller: Penguin Random House LLC

For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question—what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? Finding a clue at last, Zuko enlists the aid of Team Avatar—and the most unlikely ally of all—to help uncover the biggest secret of his life. * This is the perfect companion to The Legend of Korra ! * The official continuation of Airbender from its creators!

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Spider-Man: Homecoming: Who Is The Shocker?

GOTHAM CITY MEETS RIVERDALE IN NEW COMIC BOOK CROSSOVER

GOTHAM CITY MEETS RIVERDALE IN NEW COMIC BOOK CROSSOVER

DC Entertainment and Archie Comics are proud to present the adventure of a lifetime with HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA.

Read more

Clark Bull
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http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2017/07/06/gotham-city-meets-riverdale-in-new-comic-book-crossover

SAM JACKSON's NICK FURY Will Reportedly Appear in 2019's CAPTAIN MARVEL

The BAMF is back.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35205-report-nick-fury-will-appear-in-captain-marvel.html

ORPHANS OF X Debut In MARVEL LEGACY's ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #25

And a return to the Facility.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35204-daken-returns-in-marvel-legacy-s-all-new-wolverine-25-with-orphans-of-x.html

ASPEN COMICS September 2017 Solicitations

FATHOM, LOLA XOXO, and more.

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https://www.newsarama.com/35200-aspen-comics-september-2017-solicitations.html

The Leftovers: Series Review

By: Jaclyn Cascio (@jaclynator)

HBO has gathered a substantial audience over the years with incredible hits like Band of Brothers and Game of Thrones. But the network produced another hit that appealed to a different kind of audience, albeit a smaller one. That hit was the three-season long drama series, The Leftovers. If you missed the television phenomenon or are looking for a show to binge over the summer, read on for a spoiler-free review of the series!

Based on the Tom Perrotta novel of the same name, The Leftovers came to be due to the creative minds of Perrotta and Lost creator Damon Lindelof. The first season followed the events outlined in Perrotta’s book, but the following two seasons were chock full of new material, without losing a step. The first season of The Leftovers was rated 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and 65/100 on Metacritic. Ratings increased with each subsequent season, with a 93% and 80/100 for the show’s second season, and a staggeringly impressive 98% and 98/100 for the third, and final, season.

So what’s all the fuss about? The Leftovers is an ambitious and high-concept show that isn’t out for cheap thrills and frills. Thought-provoking and original, watching the show is a journey taken alongside the characters. Many series advertise themselves as character-driven, but The Leftovers took the idea to new heights, focusing on the drama of their lives unfolding on screen unapologetically. It’s rare that a show can dedicate entire episodes to various characters and their backstories without detracting from the overall story of the series, but The Leftovers did just that – and did so successfully!

The Leftovers kicks off with a worldwide event later dubbed “The Sudden Departure,” during which 2% of the world’s population simply disappeared, seemingly at random. The series then follows characters left in the wake of the unexpected tragedy, trying to find meaning without answers. The Leftovers feels like a strange brain-child of Lost and a Stephen King novel, throwing characters into a something reminiscent of a science fiction mystery but emphasizing the drama of their lives more than the fantasy mystery itself. Honestly, if you are watching the show hoping for answers about the departure, you’re in it for the wrong reasons. The Leftovers is the television equivalent of enjoying the journey instead of trying to reach the end goal in record time.

Enjoying a show for what it is and not the answers it can provide is not always an easy pill to swallow. The Leftovers is a shining example of how to make it work, putting together drama that is both realistic and ridiculous enough to be strangely addictive. After the first few episodes, I found that I enjoyed the show, but I couldn’t really identify what it was that had pulled me in, because it is such a rare occurrence for characters and their personal drama alone to be enough to attract and keep a viewer. This isn’t to say that the story is lacking, however. Tidbits of supernatural and fantasy slyly steal into the show in unbelievable and interesting ways; what makes The Leftovers so unique is that the characters are designed to serve the story, the story is meant to serve the characters.

The Leftovers is also original in its story-telling method. In books, movies, and television shows, the consumer of the creative project is often privileged with knowledge that is generally unknown to the characters themselves. Given the power to observe all characters at all times while also knowing their thoughts and motivations allows the viewer to get a complete picture of the story. But real life doesn’t operate that way, and while there is some literature that furthers a plot with an unreliable narrator to surprise and amaze the reader, television shows are not usually able to navigate that particular minefield. The Leftovers reveals nothing to the viewer that would give the viewer an advantage or god-like knowledge. Again, The Leftovers is about the journey, and this journey is taken right alongside the characters. (So if you’re the type that is looking for answers, buckle in for a wild ride in the unknown.)

Filled with the unknown when it comes to events, The Leftovers doesn’t hold back when it comes to eliciting an emotional reaction from the audience. With multi-faceted characters portrayed by incredible talent, the audience is able to feel right along with the characters. Every actor and actress on screen gives an outstanding performance that is believable and heart-wrenching. Sadness and grief, anger, confusion, fanaticism…there’s no emotion off-limits for The Leftovers. Throw perpetual confusion into the mix and that’s where the strength of the series lies.

One of the other incredible strengths of The Leftovers is the overall question that the series asks. That question isn’t, “Where did everyone go?” The question is really, “Can you be okay, and if so, what does okay look like?” The Leftovers explores all the different ways that the remaining 98% of the populations copes with the strange departure of their loved ones. The coping mechanisms range anywhere from mannequin replications to the Guilty Remnant cult, the search for a new messiah to research and science. When people unexpectedly and inexplicably disappear and an answer is never found, is there any way to find closure? What answers, true or false, are you willing to consider for the phenomenon that will allow you to move on with life? The Leftovers delves into this idea, which is what makes the characters’ journeys worth watching. It asks real questions that allow us to put ourselves into the shoes of those fictional individuals on screen, endearing them to us and forging a connection with them.

The Leftovers isn’t for everyone. There are some who watch television and want the answers and need an end goal. For those, the point of The Leftovers may be lost in translation. That’s okay; to each their own. But if you’re in the mood for an emotional journey and all the “what ifs” you could ever ask for, give the series a look! It has the makings of a cult following, even though the series is over. It’s an insane series and you’ll often ask yourself, “They can’t do that, can they?” Go ahead and assume now that indeed they can, and it will be fantastic! So if you’re looking for the next show to binge for the summer, watch all three seasons of The Leftovers, and enjoy!

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http://www.nerdhq.com/the-leftovers-series-review/