Strange Adventures

Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Giveaway

If you’re visiting this website, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re planning to go see the new Marvel movie Guardians Of The Galaxy this weekend. The Guardians are pretty obscure as far as Marvel heroes go, but the studio is on a roll these days, and the film, directed by James (Slither, Super) Gunn, is getting rave reviews from the lucky few who have seen it. The tone of this movie looks like Star Wars crossed with The Avengers, and it should be a blast.

If you go see Guardians at Cineplex’s Park Lane location (5657 Spring Garden Road), hold on to your ticket stub and bring it to our Halifax store (5110 Prince Street). You’ll be entered into a draw to win a cool prize pack of Guardians Of The Galaxy swag!

Included in this prize pack is, among other things, the first trade paperback of the current Guardians Of The Galaxy series (drawn by Halifax’s Steve McNiven!), a Star-Lord Pop Vinyl toy from Funko, several comics featuring the members of the Guardians, and a poster of Rocket Raccoon by Skottie Young (it’s the same image that you see on the cover of the Rocket Raccoon comic pictured above). We’ve also thrown in a copy of the Free Comic Book Day edition of Guardians of the Galaxy, signed by Moncton artist (and current regular GotG penciller) Nick Bradshaw, and a copy of Nick’s Amazing Spider-Man variant cover featuring the Citadel Hill clock tower! So make sure you hold on to those ticket stubs and bring ’em by our Prince Street location and you could win! We also hear that there might be some free Guardians Of The Galaxy comics given out at the Thursday evening screenings…be there to find out!

The Late Shift at the Atlantic Film Fest!

The Atlantic Film Festival is on now! Be sure to check out some of the films being presented especially The Late Shift!

Tomorrow night on The Late Shift is Cheap Thrills

and Saturday is V/H/S 2

See the full Late Shift schedule here.

and be sure to follow us on twitter for your chance to score some free tickets!

Magic Cards, new Games, ET and a Ken Steacy signing

A pretty good-sized collection of Magic cards was brought in to the Halifax store. I don’t really have time or the space to deal in singles so these will be sorted into grab bags of cards. They’re from Revised, 4th, 5th, Tempest, Alliances, Ice Age, Chronicles, a couple of Dark, Homelands, Visions, Weatherlight and more. Should have them ready for sale by the end of the week in Halifax.

A smattering of the new and restocked games that recently arrived in Halifax. Big Bang Theory Clue has been very popular so far. We also just got restocked on Pandemic for those of you looking for a viral thrill of a game!

ET the Extraterrestrial is being shown as part of the Atlantic Film Fest’s outdoor series on July 19th. I recently bought a large collection of unopened ET figures from the time of the original release way back in 1982. Strange Adventures is giving them out to the first 250 filmgoers at the ET screening!
For more info on the screening and the outdoor film series, check out the Atlantic Film Festival’s page on The Summer of Spielberg here:
http://www.atlanticfilm.com/media/archive/13th-annual-aff-outdoor-film-experience-–-illuminated-emera-presents-“summer-spielberg

Ken and Joan Steacy dropped by the Halifax store last Saturday, July 6th. Joan had copies of her graphic novel Aurora Borealice and Ken had some original artwork, prints and did a few sketches for folks in attendance.

The display of artwork was captivating

Ken had a variety of prints from his long body of work including Astro Boy, Ghostbusters,

Superman, Spider-man and more.

Pictured is Ken Steacy, me (Calum), and Darwyn Cooke who dropped by after the signing so we could take Ken and Joan to The Old Triangle, a very nice way to end a long day!

Rockets, Canuck Comic News, and other tidbits

Rocketeer rocketing your way in a week or so!

The first issue of the new Rocketeer mini-series “Hollywood Horror” by
Roger Langridge and J. Bone debuts on Feb. 27th! This series will also have
exclusive-to-Strange-Adventures variant covers by Signalnoise!

The first two images have been posted to the web and IDW’s editor-in-chief, Chris Ryall,
noted that the first one was even posted to Comics Alliances “Best Art Ever (this week)”

http://ryallsfiles.tumblr.com/post/40867873534/the-rocketeer-by-james-white-a-variant-cover

and here’s a peek at the second one:
http://geekynerfherder.blogspot.ca/2013/01/cool-art-rocketeer-hollywood-horror-2.html

and blurppy did a feature on James White / Signalnoise and the Rocketeer covers as well:
http://blurppy.com/2013/01/21/signalnoise-aka-james-white-presents-the-rocketeer-and-shares-his-knowledge-with-you/

Stay tuned to our Facebook, twitter and website – we’re hoping to arrange a charity
screening of The Rocketeer to mark the release of the first issue!

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Keepin’ it Canuck
Some nifty blogs and websites that focus on comics with a Canadian flavour:

Sequential is a Canadian comix news and culture website that has news, reviews
and more. Here’s a sample –
http://sequential.spiltink.org/the-c-list-cross-canada-links-for-comix-frinks/

Comic Syrup is a blog about Canadian comic books
http://comicsyrup.com

both these sites also have links to other spots you might find interesting!

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Hey, Ladies!
Ladies Night in Halifax is Saturday, Feb. 23rd from 6-8PM!

Ladies Night in Fredericton is Saturday, March 2nd from 6-8PM!

Tell your mom, your friends, your co-workers and strangers on the bus!

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Unreal Estate
I may have already mentioned this one, but it’s worth another look if I did.
Tim Doyle, aka Nakatomi Tim, is an artist based in Texas and recently did a solo
show called UnReal Estate. New visions of places like Evergreen Terrace, Downton
Abbey, the cafe from Twin Peaks, and, of course, Castle Greyskull.

http://insidetherockposterframe.blogspot.ca/2013/02/tim-doyle-solo-show-unreal-estate-ii.html?m=1

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It belongs in a museum!

#itbelongsinamuseum is a hashtag that’s been trending in the maritimes lately – it’s about the new exhibit on its way to Halifax’s Museum of Natural History starting on May 18th and continuing until August 26th when it leaves for Naples, Florida and then back into the unknown worlds!

What is it?

It’s called “Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television”

An original exhibition of costumes from Blade Runner, The Terminator, Star Trek and many more of the most popular films and television shows of all time, to tell the story how costumes play a crucial role in defining characters for visual storytelling in media. The collection was organized by empmuseum.org in Seattle.

The exhibition examines how costume design incorporates color, style, scale, materials, historical traditions and cultural cues to help performers and audiences engage with the characters being portrayed. The exhibition’s purpose is to offer museum visitors new ways of seeing characters as defined by their costumes.

Organized into sections based on themes such as “Heroes and Villains,” “Creating the Character,” and “Caped Crusaders” as well as specific franchises such as Star Trek.
Exhibition Includes:

Hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Leather jacket worn by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Indy’s whip from the film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Leather jacket worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Terminator (1984)

Costume worn by Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz in the film Ghostbusters II (1989).

Embroidered robe worn by actor Joe Turkel as Eldon Tyrell, creator of the replicants, in Blade Runner (1982)

Costume worn by George Clooney as Batman in the film Batman & Robin (1997)

Tunic and sash worn by William Shatner as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek episode “Mirror Mirror” (1967)
and more!

NOTES FROM A MESSY DESK

ITEM!: Facebook friends?
if you’re on facebook, why not join the Strange Adventures
facebook group? We’d love to have you!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_13306667842

ITEM!: Green Lantern preview
we have some double passes to the premiere of Green Lantern
in Halifax on Wednesday night at 7PM. If you can make it to the
show and would like to enter the free draw for a double pass, send
an email to “shop@strangeadventures.com” with “Green Lantern” in
the subject line. Draw will take place Tuesday morning.

ITEM!: Halifax closing early!
Speaking of Green Lantern, I’m taking the staff to the premiere
and am left with no one to work the store on Wednesday evening
so Halifax will be closing at 6PM next Wednesday instead of the
usual 8PM. Sorry for any inconvenience!

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SUB SALE, RED PREVIEW AND SUPERMAN/ BATMAN!

man – I need a few extra hours in each day – always trying to catch up….

We have mucho awesome photos from the Dave Sim signing and the Glamourpuss event, but no time to get them on the site yet. It’s on my to-do list!

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We’re having a super secret subscriber-only sale in Halifax tomorrow – here’s the info:

yes, I know, Halifax gets all the fun, but this sale will also be taking place in Fredericton sometime in October or November.

If you have a comic book subscription / pull file / account (whatever you want to call it), make sure it’s all picked up on Tuesday, October 5th. Why? ‘cuz then you choose one of the stylishly made secret sale notes carefully sequestered inside our Spidey head! The secret sale notes will tell you if you are now eligible to take 30, 40 or even 50 percent off any other purchase you’d care to make that day!

Yes, I know, short notice, but consider this a test run. We’re going to try it in Halifax first, then Fredericton and Dartmouth and probably do this every now and then!

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WATCHMEN, WIRED, AND JOBS

JUST SOME NOTES FROM HITHER & YON….

THANKS TO ALL THE FOLKS IN FREDERICTON WHO MADE OUR BUSTED WINDOW SALE LAST SATURDAY A SUCCESS. DEREK SAID IT WAS A VERY BUSY DAY AND MAYBE WE’LL HAVE TO BREAK SOMETHING ELSE IN APRIL!

(THOUGH HOPEFULLY NOT A BIG WINDOW)

I IMAGINE EVERYONE WHO WANTED TO SEE WATCHMEN HAS ALREADY SEEN IT. WE LUCKED INTO SOME PREMIERE PASSES, WHICH WE SHARED WITH SOME EQUALLY LUCKY CUSTOMERS, AND SLUNK OFF WORK EARLY TO CHECK IT OUT. DAVE HOWLETT DID A VERY COOL SIGN SEEN TO THE LEFT.

OVERALL, I THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY COOL MOVIE – VISUALLY STUNNING AND WELL-CAST – BUT I REMAIN UNCONVINCED AS TO THE NEED FOR THIS FILM. DOES A GREAT COMIC BOOK REQUIRE A MOVIE TO BE MADE? AS A COMIC BOOK RETAILER, I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE BUYING WATCHMEN, NOT JUST IN MY STORES BUT IN MANY BOOKSTORES ALL OVER THE WORLD. I HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE EFFECT WITH PEOPLE ASKING FOR MORE WORK BY THIS ALAN MOORE FELLOW. THE MORE PEOPLE READING COMICS, ESPECIALLY GOOD COMICS, IS GOING TO HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT. IT’S KIND OF A SHAME WE NEED TO RELY ON THE MOVIE BIZ TO GIVE US THIS SHOT IN THE ARM. WE NEED SOME BUZZ TO BUILD ON IN THE COMIC BOOK WORLD.

THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS RECENTLY BEGUN LISTING BEST-SELLERS IN THE COMICS CATEGORY, USING THE TERM GRAPHIC BOOKS RATHER THAN GRAPHIC NOVELS. THIS IS THE KIND OF THING WE NEED TO HAPPEN MORE OFTEN. COMICS, WHATEVER TERM YOU WANT TO USE, BEING DISCUSSED, REVIEWED AND PREVIEWED IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA SUCH AS NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, AND THE WEB. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY WILL OCCASIONALLY RUN A PAGE OF COMIC REVIEWS IN ITS BOOK SECTION, BUT IT’S NOT A REGULAR FEATURE. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE A REGULAR SECTION, MAYBE NOT WEEKLY, BUT CERTAINLY MONTHLY. IF YOU REVIEW COMICS ON YOUR BLOG, WHY NOT SEND SOME OF YOUR REVIEWS INTO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER OR TELEVISION STATION? SPREAD THE GOOD WORD!

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THE MOVIE “HALO” HAS A NEED FOR MANY EXTRAS – SPREAD THE WORD TO ALL WHO MAY BE INTERESTED AND CONVINCE ALL THOSE WHO ARE NOT!! HAVE THEM CONTACT MICHAEL BEST VIA:

CASTINGHALO@GMAIL.COM AND/OR THROUGH A FACEBOOK GROUP CALLED “HALO CASTING”.

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IN OTHER MOVIE JOB OFFERS, THE FOLKS AT FILMWORKS IS LOOKING FOR MOVIE EXTRAS – CALL 431-6388 ORCASTING@FILMWORKS.CA FOR MORE INFO.

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WIRED MAGAZINE’S WEBSITE HAS A FUN ARTICLE ON COMICS SHOP EMPLOYEES – CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK

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ARTIST WANTED

THE FOLKS AT CHARLIE MAC PRODUCTIONS ARE LOOKING FOR AN ARTIST – HERE’S THE INFO:

THE PROJECT IS A SCI-FI/FANTASY STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO LOSES HIS DAUGHTER AND HOPES FOR THE CHANCE TO SAY GOOD-BYE. PAYMENT FOR WORKING ON THIS PROJECT WILL BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE ARTIST. THE DEADLINE FOR FINDING AN ARTIST HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR JUNE AS WE ARE STILL IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS PROJECT AND THE SCRIPT IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REVISIONS. IF ANYONE HAS A PORTFOLIO THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO SEND US OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS:

PO BOX 140

3-644 PORTLAND ST.

DARTMOUTH NS

B2W 6A3

A LINK TO THEIR ONLINE PORTFOLIO WOULD ALSO BE ACCEPTABLE. THE ONLY STIPULATION IS THAT THE ARTIST MUST BE FROM THE HALIFAX/DARTMOUTH AREA SO WE CAN MEET WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS.

CORY

CORY@CHARLIEMACPRODUCTIONS.COM

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AND FOR THOSE OF YOU ENJOYING THE PLUTO MANGA BY NAOKI URASAWA, CHECK OUT THE ASTRO BOY EPISODES UPON WHICH THE PLUTO STORYLINE IS BASED:

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=OWJK1QK8WZE

THAT’S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW

ALL THE BEST,

WATCHMEN MOVIE PREMIERE

YOU PROBABLY ALL KNOW THE WATCHMEN MOVIE OPENS THIS WEEK, BUT DID YOU KNOW THERE IS AN ADVANCE SCREENING IN HALIFAX TAKING PLACE THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING?

AND THAT IT IS FORCING US TO CLOSE UP THE HALIFAX STORE AT 6PM THIS WEDNESDAY. HEY, IT’S NOT ME, IT’S THE WATCHMEN. SETTLE DOWN, SETTLE DOWN. YES, WE ARE CLOSING THE STORE EARLY AND THAT WILL CAUSE UNTOLD AMOUNTS OF ANGUISH AND SUFFERING. SO TO ALLAY SOME OF THE SUFFERING, WE HAVE TEN DOUBLE PASSES TO GIVE AWAY TO THE ADVANCE SCREENING OF WATCHMEN!

SEND AN E-MAIL TO “CALUM@STRANGEADVENTURES.COM” WITH YOUR NAME AND TELL US WHAT YOU WOULD DO FOR A DOUBLE PASS TO THE WATCHMEN PREMIERE. THE BEST TEN E-MAILS, SELECTED BY OUR ESTEEMED PANEL OF JUDGES, WILL EACH RECEIVE A DOUBLE PASS TO WATCHMEN. (KEEP IT CLEAN -THESE WILL BE POSTED TO THE INTERNET!) ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

….BUT….

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE THEATRE IS OVERBOOKED SO GET TO THE THEATRE EARLY. AS IT IS PRINTED ON THE PASS “SEATING IS LIMITEDAND IS NOT GUARANTEED.”

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE STRANGE ADVENTURES WEBSITE ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 10 AM AND A LIST WILL ALSO BE POSTED IN THE HALIFAX STORE. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE.

WINNERS HAVE UNTIL 5:30PM ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH AT STRANGE ADVENTURES ON SACKVILLE STREET. BRING ID.