Lenni Reviews: Tides of Maritinia by Warren Hammond

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(Image Source)

 

In this surprising space adventure, Jakob Bryce is sent on a covert mission to infiltrate and dismantle the power of the newly freed Maritinia; a planet on the far reaches of The Empire that rules the system. Despite the small size of this world and the limited role of their single export - kelp - to the economy, the Empire is stretched thin defending their control. If one small planet can successfully rebel, it may inspire others and it's Jakob's job to make sure that doesn't happen.

Jakob is a newbie to this job so his loyalty is truly tested as he's thrown into this odd mix of idealists and madmen and forced to maintain a cover with some really shoddy intel. For an all powerful Empire, they send this guy on his first mission not knowing a great deal; like who is the father of the woman his target is in a relationship with. In this reader's opinion, I was already losing faith in the Empire way before Jakob did. To keep Jakob in line, there is an artificial intelligence implanted in his brain named Pol, who keeps Jakob from being able to deviate from the mission. This poses a problem because Jakob's loyalties are tested, emotions are toyed with, and he has to decide if the will of the Empire is worth the cost of the people of Maritinia.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first I was confused by the typo filled journal entries at the beginning of each chapter but the why's and how's of that are revealed later in the book. The world building is detailed and exacting. You really feel like you're in a waterlogged boat the whole ride. As the story progresses, Jakob's character gets better and better. You will be cheering for him by the end of it. While this can easily be a standalone novel, I do hope we hear more of Maritinia from Warren Hammond. It's a cool spy adventure in space that will leave you wanting more.

(For more of Lenni's writing, click here)

TV and Movie News: Marvel Releases Five Daredevil Character Posters

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On Monday, Netflix revealed a set of five character posters for Daredevil showing off, from left to right, Eldon Henson as Foggy Nelson, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk.

Here are the individual posters:

 

Here are the posters put together:


 


J-Rock Band SCANDAL Announces North American Concerts

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Epic Records Japan recording artist, SCANDAL, embarks next month on its most extensive world tour to-date in support of the release of the band’s 20th single – “image” – from its latest album Hello World.

SCANDAL is one of Japan’s most popular rock acts, capturing millions fans with an astute mix of power driven pop-rock. The all-girl, four-piece band also has garnered substantial fan bases across North America, Europe and Asia. Mixing the melodic styles of pop, rock and alternative music with hip fashion sensibilities and unstoppable girl star power, SCANDAL is at the forefront of the burgeoning “J-Pop” and “Japan Cool” global pop culture phenomenon.

Check out latest single from SCANDAL "image"

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The SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2015 “HELLO WORLD” takes the band on its most extensive international tour to-date in support of their sixth studio album for Epic Records Japan, Hello World.

Beginning in April, SCANDAL will perform concerts in major cities worldwide including in the U.S., Mexico, U.K, France, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In addition, a series of 31 live dates have already begun in major cities throughout Japan. Tickets for the North American shows are on-sale now. A select number of VIP tickets (including an artist meet & greet) are also available for each show.

SCANDAL North American Dates Include

May 16th Chicago, IL at the Rosemont Theatre

www.acen.org/content/scandal-anime-central-concert-information

 May 20th Mexico City, Mexico at La Plaza Condeza

www.elplaza.mx/evento/scandal or www.ticketmaster.com.m

  May 22nd Los Angeles, CA at House of Blues Suns

 May 23rd Anaheim, CA at House of Blues Downtown Disney

www.ticketmaster.com/Scandal-tickets/artist/949557 or www.hob.com/losangeles

 Complete SCANDAL 2015 “Hello World” world tour information is available at:

www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/scandal/worldtour2015/

SCANDAL has released six studio albums and twenty singles since signing with Epic Records Japan in 2008 and have become one of Japan’s most potent live rock acts. Each of the group’s albums have placed among the top five in Japan’s official album sales chart – Oricon – and 17 of the band’s 20 singles released to-date have also placed in the Top 20 on the Oricon Singles Charts. SCANDAL’s most recent full-length album, Hello World, was released on December 14, 2014.

 SCANDAL formed in August, 2006 among four high school girls that attended the same vocal and dance school in Osaka, Japan. Taking their name from a shop sign that hung near the studio where they practiced in their early days, the band, which consists of Haruna (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mami (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tomomi (bass, lead vocals), and Rina(drums, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), shared a mutual love of western rock bands and artists ranging from Green Day, Foo Fighters and Paramore to the pop styling of Taylor Swift and Pink. SCANDAL’s dynamic mix of frenetic melody-driven energy mixed with smooth, pop-styled vocals have become the band’s hallmark.

SCANDAL’s music also has been featured in a host of TV shows and movies and the band are enthusiastic fans of anime and have had several songs prominently featured in popular series. The group’s singles “Harukaze” and "Shunkan Sentimental" were featured as the opening theme songs for the anime series Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and most recently SCANDAL contributed the song, “Daybreak Meteor Shower,” as the theme to the latest Pokémon feature film, Diance and the Cocoon of Destruction.

 SCANDAL Official website

http://www.scandal-4.com/

 Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/scandalofficial

 YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/scandalSMEJ

Adam West Returns in Batman '66 Animated Movie

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Although Adam West and Burt Ward have starred in films and television shows before and since, the 1960s Batman series remains their most iconic project -- and they say they're returning for more.

Over the weekend at Mad Monster Con in Charlotte, North Carolina, the actors who played Batman and Robin in the campy live-action show announced on a panel that they're voicing thier characters in a full-length animated movie.

"You can look forward to a new, animated Batman full-length 90-minute feature coming out on the fiftieth anniversary," said Ward. "One of possibly two, but for sure one, that Adam and I are going to be doing the voices for."

 

www.madmonster.com Filmed at Mad Monster Party: Charlotte, NC March 28th, 2015!

Source: Newsarama.com
 

Lenni Reviews - "Lisa Simpson's Guide to Geek Chic"

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(Image Source)

These adorable little books are kinda hard to review. They're not a full story or anything but they make good collectibles or coffee table books for an avid Simpsons enthusiast. There are pullouts, quizzes, and some amusing geek facts as told by our favorite geek girl, Lisa Simpson. There's even a little pocket in the back so you can write your future geek self a letter and see how far you've come with your geek lessons and compare them to your past self. 

If you're like me and are super scared to so much as scratch a page in a book with your fingernail much less write all over it, this book is still a worthwhile purchase if you love Lisa. It even includes vegetarian recipes you can try. It seems a little pricey to me for such a small book at $24.99, but I'm sure if you're a fan, it's worth every cent.

 

 

(For more of Lenni's writing, click here)

Ryan Reynolds Reveals Deadpool Suit

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Ryan Reynolds took to his Twitter today, to share with fans the first official look at Deadpool's suit for the upcoming Deadpool movie. I will have to say the suit is straight from the comics. Reynolds and company are taking this movie very seriously. So far, from everything we have seen the film looks faithful to the source material.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

Action-Adventure

Release: February 12, 2016

Director: Tim Miller

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano

SYNOPSIS

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

 

DEADPOOL Official Socials

Website: http://www.foxmovies.com/deadpool 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadpoolMovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deadpoolmovie

Instagram: https://instagram.com/DeadpoolMovie/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DeadpoolMovie/

 

DeadPool Movie Logo Revealed!!

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After Ryan Reynolds showed off the costume he'll be wearing as the title star in 2016's Deadpool, 20th Century Fox gave fans another treat by revealing the logo for the upcoming movie, synopsis, and Title Card.

SYNOPSIS:

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Deadpool is scheduled for release February 12, 2016, and stars Reynolds along with Gina Carano, Morena Baccarin and T.J. Miller.

Marvel to release a Men's Dress Shirt Line from Five Four

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Image Credit: Marvel Entertainment

 

Press Release

Five Four and Marvel Entertainment will launch a series of elevated and confident men’s apparel capsule collections that bring together Marvel’s iconic legacy, Super Hero characters and storytelling with fashion-forward innovation.

 The debut of Five Four and Marvel collection, launching April 1, 2015, draws inspiration from Marvel’s vast catalog of iconic characters and consists of outerwear, dress shirts, graphic tees and accessories. The style is subtle and refined, and plays on the personality behind a Marvel Super Hero. From reversible shirts and hidden pockets, to classic Avengers emblems and comics hidden in the inside lining of the clothing, each item in the capsule is classic in appearance but unique in detail.

 

“Our designers really dug through the Marvel archives to find new ways to recreate the heritage and evolution behind the brand and its Super Heroes,” says Andres Izquieta, co-founder and CEO of Five Four. “We’re so excited for the opportunity to work with Marvel; the collections showcase some of our best designs to date.”

 In addition to the capsule, Five Four and Marvel will be launching an exclusive exhibition pop-up in New York City to celebrate and showcase the brand new collection. Located at Open house Gallery in the Lower East Side, the pop-up will be open from March 26, 2015 – March 29, 2015 and will host a series of events for Five Four Club members.

 All Five Four and Marvel collections will be made available exclusively to new Five Four Club members and will focus on extending the iconic character-based entertainment brand into contemporary fashion. Monthly memberships retail for $60 and come with full outfits based on members’ style preferences. For more information on Five Four, please visit www.fivefourclub.com.

Source: Newsarama, Marvel
 

VIZ Media To Release Red Girls: The Legend of The Akakuchibas

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VIZ Media To Release Red Girls: The Legend of The Akakuchibas

RED GIRLS: THE LEGEND OF THE AKAKUCHIBAS will be available in print in an English edition from Haikasoru for $15.99 U.S. / $18.99 CAN. An eBook edition also will debut on April 21st for $9.99 (U.S. / CAN) for the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Book Store, the Kobo eBooks Store, and the Google Play store.

Read More

X-Men: Apocalypse Casts Lana Condor as Jubilee

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Director Bryan Singer dropped a bomb on X-men fans, that we’ll see Jubilation Lee in the upcoming sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past, titled X-Men: Apocalypse played by newcomer Lana Condor!

Condor joins an already robust cast that includes Alexandra Shipp (House of Anubis) as Storm, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones) as Jean Grey, and Tye Sheridan (Mud) as play Cyclops. Last month, it was revealed that Austrlian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee will be playing Nightcrawler.

As for her character, Jubilee, a.k.a. Jubilation Lee, is a mutant with the power to generate pyrotechnic energy plasmoids from her hands. She was the X-Men's youngest member in the early '90s, and developed a father-daughter-like relationship with Wolverine.

A Wolverine tie-in with the film has yet to be mentioned officially, but Hugh Jackman -- who has played the character in just about every major motion picture of late -- is rumored to make a cameo. It'll be interesting to see how the two interact in X-Men: Apocalypse.

New Graphic Novel From Dark Horse: HEART IN A BOX

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Image Credit: Dark Horse Comics

 

Everyone experiences heartache, whether they be young or old, and an upcoming graphic novel is showing what happens when someone with that kind of heartache tries to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Heart In A Box is a new graphic novel Dark Horse is publishing by the upcoming co-writer of Marvel’s Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Kelly Thompson, and Hinges artist Meredith McClaren. Set for release on September 30, Heart In A Box follows a young woman who’s reeling after a heartbreaking relationship goes sour and finds a mysterious stranger with the ability to take all of it – the hurt and the heart – away. But when Emma finds that being heartless is a struggle in itself, she embarks on a road trip to assemble what she lost while dwelling on why she gave it away in the first place.

Movie News: First Look at Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luther for Batman v Superman Dawn Of Justice

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image source: Warner Bros.

 

 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is more than just a parade of heroes, and a new image just revealed is reminding us of that.

Entertainment Weekly has posted a new photograph of Jesse Eisenberg in the first official look of him as the bald Lex Luthor.

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure,” director Zack Snyder says to EW, “other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course.”

 

 

Snyder goes on to state that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Lex is "disarming and he's not fake."

“He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind," says the director. "If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.”

 

 

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Newsarama