brain out loud

No. The banner image was not made to inform you that "Winter is Coming." Although the current season of Game of Thrones is starting out strong and already half over, the custom banner is to promote my GI Joe fan-fiction novel, Into the Clutches of Cobra-La. When Beach Head and a group of new recruits travel to the Himalayan Mountains for advanced training Lieutenant Falcon and the others make a shocking discovery. What they find changes their mission and their perceptions of reality drastically. They'll have to survive an ancient race of relentless insectoids, savage monsters and even the vicious Golobulus, Supreme Ruler of Cobra-La, if they want to make it onto the GI Joe team. Even Beach Head doubts they'll all make it. Into the Clutches of Cobra-La is available on Amazon.com for only $1.99. Click on the image to the right to purchase the book and download it to your Kindle, or any device compatible with the free Kindle app. Please rate and review.

The 2017 SDCC ended several days ago, and it is well known that the annual event focuses primarily on sci-fi and superhero films. This has been the status quo for the last decade or so. Before Cinematic Universes were the biggest thing Hollywood has ever seen, the San Diego Comic Con was mainly about...you guessed it, comic books. The earlier days of the convention was also a mecca for geeks, nerds, and cosplayers to see brand new toys, action figures, and collectibles. With no plans for another film, no television show or even animated program, GI Joe's presence at the SDCC was extremely limited, mainly to toys and collectibles.

First up, Ben Affleck has categorically denied that he wants to exit the DCEU. I'm not buying it, these rumors have persisted since he withdrew from directing The Batman in late January and had never disputed them...until now. The new director, Matt Reeves, replacing the script, Affleck no doubt worked hard on, had to be a massive blow to his pride. Not to mention, if they actually ever do make the Flash movie it is confirmed to be based on the Flashpoint Paradox arc. During the epic, multiple title crossover event, the Flash travels to an alternate reality where young Bruce was the victim of the infamous mugging instead of parents Thomas and Martha. Dr. Thomas Wayne becomes Batman, but a much more brutal, and sadistic, gun wielding vigilante. An acceptable and established method to replace Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Seeing as how Flashpoint changed the entire DC continuity, ushering in the New 52 line-up of comics, it seems far too early in the cinematic DCEU to use ...

  The 2017 San Diego Comic Con hadn't even went 24 hours before major news, that could shake the foundation of the DC Extended Universe has dropped like a nuclear bomb. Reports from the convention are indicating that Warner Brothers may be planning a contingency should the need to replace Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman be necessary. The studio is prepping for the scenario, meaning they want him gone or they can't stop him from leaving. If you recall, the solo Batman flick has had a rocky road toward development. Nothing surprising considering every DCEU film has had some kind of drama occur behind the scenes.

Disney's D23 Expo, which occurred over the weekend, revealed a lot of information regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as a multitude of other Disney projects. D23, held every two years, is very similar to the annual San Diego Comic Con but exclusively for Disney Studios and owned properties, regardless Disney/Marvel will still have a reportedly large presence at the 2017 SDCC, coming up in a few days. July 20th - 23rd  to be exact There were numerous costumes and props on display for the upcoming Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther movies. Details were released about the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout ride which has taken the place of the iconic Tower of Terror at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. But the biggest and most crowd-pleasing revelations regarded the highly anticipated Avengers Infinity War mega blockbuster.

Blockbuster season is heating up. Wonder Woman scored great with critics, raking in over $700 Million worldwide so far. Transformers The Last Knight, on the other hand, has a dismal 15% on rottentomatoes and has started out slower at the box office than previous installments. The next tent-pole blockbuster will be the joint Marvel/Sony Pictures production, Spider-Man Homecoming this Friday, July 7th. Reviews are in and most are stellar, stating that this may be the best MCU movie to date. Spider-Man Homecoming currently has a 94% on rottentomatoes and is projected to make a $135 Million on its opening weekend. Trailers do suggest a fun, action-packed coming-of-age adventure finally featuring a young actor who can portray both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I am not alone with the opinion that Toby McGuire was a good Peter Parker (not counting emo/jazz dancer) but lackluster Spider-Man, while Andrew Garfield was a good wise-cracking Spider-Man but horrible Peter Parker. United Kingd...