DRUNK CINEMA 075: "For Your Eyes Only" Is Up!

 
"The Chinese have a saying -- 'Before setting off on revenge, you first dig two graves.'"
-- James Bond to Melina Havelock, For Your Eyes Only

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we watch For Your Eyes Only, the 1981 James Bond series espionage film directed by John Glen, featuring Roger Moore as James Bond, Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock, Chaim Topol as Milos Columbo, and Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan and her husband Chris saying goodbye to the Barnes & Noble where they met, Amazon securing the rights to the James Bond franchise, the decision to adapt Moonraker first to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars before adapting For Your Eyes Only, the movie being based on Ian Fleming's short stories "For Your Eyes Only" and "Risico", our personal Top 5 James Bond theme songs, Christopher Cross' "Arthur's Theme (The Best You Can Do)" beating Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" for Best Original Song, Roger Moore having a face that doesn't look like it can take a punch, Carole Bouquet being perfect as Marvel's Elektra, Desmond Llewelyn being the definitive Q, Charles Dance's cameo as Emile Locque's henchman, why "Blofeld" in the beginning pre-credits sequence isn't credited as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Xan not liking Lotus Esprits, Q not settling for a piece of crap dot matrix printer, bikes with spikes, preferring Bond girls who are more than just eye candy, the parrot waiting for someone to feed it, Aristotle Kristatos creeping on Bibi Dahl, Bond's "detente" solution, new Drunk Mail from Dave Proctor and Christine Peruski, our original plans to watch Strange Brew for our next episode, and more!

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Be sure to come back in four weeks as Xan and I pay tribute to the late Gene Hackman as we watch The Royal Tenenbaums, the 2001 comedy-drama directed by Wes Anderson, featuring Gene Hackman as Royal Tenebaum, Ben Stiller as Chas Tenenbaum, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum, and Luke Wilson as Richie Tenenbaum!

DRUNK CINEMA 056: "Never Say Never Again" Is Up!

 
"Good to see you, Mr. Bond! Things've been awfully dull 'round here. Bureaucrats running the whole place, everything done by the book, can't make a decision unless the computer gives you the go ahead. Now you're on this. I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence!"
"I certainly hope so too."
-- Q/Algernon and James Bond, Never Say Never Again

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we watch Never Say Never Again, the 1983 unofficial James Bond film directed by Irvin Kershner, starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Klaus Maria Brandauer as Maximillian Largo, Kim Basinger as Domino Petachi, and Bernie Casey as Felix Leiter!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan's intro theme song, Xan playing to win, our original plans to watch Never Say Never Again back in September 2023, how Never Say Never Again got made even thought it's not an official James Bond film, wanting to watch two episodes of The Prisoner for an episode of Drunk Cinema, Xan listening to a vocoder for the first time, screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., Roger Moore's best Bond movies, Xan getting to hear "Die Another Day" live at a Madonna concert, Radiohead's song "Spectre", Fatima's fashion choices, the health spa fight sequence taking way too long, Fatima throwing her pet snake from one car into another, Blofeld bringing receipts, Maximillian Largo being very Eurotrash, James Bond being the worst secret agent at being secret, Bond's creepy massage of Domino, Largo really being a fan of Centipede arcade machines, wondering how the Domination of the World videogame valued nations of the world, James Bond having sex with Diane Evans from Twin Peaks, new Drunk Mail from Dave Proctor and Shalayne Johnson, our upcoming unconventional Valentine's Day movie, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

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Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I watch Wild at Heart, the 1990 romantic crime drama film directed by David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage as "Sailor" Ripley, Laura Dern as Lula Fortune, Diane Ladd as Marietta Fortune, and Willem Dafoe as Bobby Peru!

DRUNK CINEMA 044: "Dr. No" Is Up!

 
"I admire your courage, Miss...?"
"Trench. Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mister...?"
"Bond. James Bond."
-- James Bond and Sylvia Trench, Dr. No

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we watch Dr. No, the first film of the James Bond series from 1962, directed by Terence Young, introducing Sean Connery as James Bond and featuring Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, Joseph Wiseman as Dr. Julius No, and Jack Lord as Felix Leiter!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like wondering how you get a license to kill, my being a huge James Bond film geek, celebrating the US 60th anniversary of Dr. No, Hugh Hefner and Playboy magazine giving James Bond more attention in the United States, wondering why Terence Young didn't direct Goldfinger, my switching from antibiotics to steroids, Ursula Andress as Aphrodite in the original Clash of the Titans, Joseph Wiseman as Emperor Draco on Buck Rogers and as J.J. Beck on The Greatest American Hero, Jack Lord wanting too much money to return as Felix Leiter, the introduction of Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, the James Bond parody film Operation Kid Brother, Sylvia Trench being the first Bond Girl, the three blind hitmen who aren't blind, Bond and Moneypenny enjoying flirting with one another knowing it's not going to go anywhere, the rare look at James Bond's crib, Xan getting tickets to see Barry Manilow, Xan's love of tarantulas, James Bond not satisfying because he doesn't have sex with the same woman twice, the Firm's song "Radioactive", James Bond playing solitaire without an app, Goldfinger being the first film that figured out the James Bond franchise formula, the guy with the bullhorn, Xan wanting to watch Spice World, Lois Maxwell being envious of Ursula Andress not wearing a bra at the Dr. No wrap party, Ian Fleming initially not liking the casting of Sean Connery as James Bond, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, why our spouses just don't understand, my finally getting to see Tremors for the first time, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 045, as Xan and I are joined by special guest Christine Peruski as we watch Tremors, the 1990 monster comedy horror film directed by Ron Underwood, starring Kevin Bacon as Valentine "Val" McKee, Fred Ward as Earl Bassett, Finn Carter as Rhonda LeBeck, and Reba McEntire as Heather Gummer!

First NO TIME TO DIE Trailer Teases the Return of Felix Leiter & Blofeld

History isn't kind to men who play God.

The first trailer for No Time to Die, the twenty-fifth installment of the James Bond film series, has been released, teasing actor Daniel Craig's fifth and reported final outing as the popular British secret agent 007.

The 2-minute, 35-second trailer opens in southern Italy, with Bond racing his battered Aston Martin DB5 through the streets of Matera, as he and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux, reprising her role from Spectre) are being pursued by a car and a motorcycle.

"Why would I betray you?" Madeleine asks Bond during the chase.

"We all have our secrets," replies Bond.  "We just didn't get to yours yet."

Later during the sequence, someone in the car opens fire on Bond, who jumps over the side of a tall bridge, swinging down on a cable.

As we see two men breaking into a skyscraper and detonating an explosive device, Bond's superior officer and head of MI6 known as M (Ralph Fiennes) remarks, "The world is arming faster than we can respond.  Where's 007?"

We cut to Jamaica, where Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life.  He's met by his longtime friend and CIA field officer Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), who tells him, "I need a favor, brother.  You're the only one I trust with this."

Bond takes his DB5 out of storage, then is met by another British agent named Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who tells him, "The world's moved on, Commander Bond."

"Are you a Double-O?" asks Bond.

"Two years," she replies stiffly, "so stay in your lane.  You get in my way, I will put a bullet in your knee...The one that works."

In a separate scene, we see Bond, Nomi and M's assistant Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) walking side by side.  "I thought you two would get along," quips Moneypenny.

We shift to another scene, where Bond is asked for his name by an MI6 security guard.  "Bond," he replies, delivering the classic introduction with a hint of annoyance.  "James.  Bond."

Inside, Bond and Moneypenny arrive at the office of MI6 quartermaster Q (Ben Whishaw), who observes dryly, "So, you're not dead."

Bond brushes past Q into the office, quipping, "Hello, Q.  I missed you."

Later, Bond heads to a prison and is warned by the warden about a special prisoner, "He's the most valuable asset this country has.  If you feel yourself losing control..."

"I'm not going to lose --" Bond starts to respond, until he sees Nomi down a corridor with Madeleine.  "-- control."

Bond confronts his incarcerated archnemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz, also reprising his role from Spectre).  "James..." Blofeld begins, "...you gave up everything for her.  When her secret finds its way out, it'll be the death of you."

We glimpse Madeline opening a box and finding a mask inside with the lower portion of its face cracked and missing.  Her eye begins to tear up.

In a separate scene, Bond asks Madeleine, "What is it?"

"You don't know what this is," she replies.

We're then introduced to the film's villain, Safin (Rami Malek).  "James Bond," begins Safin, "license to kill, history of violence...I could be speaking to my own reflection..."

We glimpse new Bond girl Paloma (Ana de Armas) at a formal gathering, where Bond is surrounded by dozens of men and women as a spotlight shines down upon him.

"...only your skills die with your body," continues Safin as we see him wearing the cracked mask and standing atop a frozen lake as someone underneath the water pounds at the ice.  "Mine will survive long after I'm gone."

"History isn't kind to men who play God," Bond replies defiantly.

We then see an assortment of action sequences involving Bond, Paloma and Nomi, where we return to the sequence in Matera.  As Bond's battered DB5 takes direct gunfire to its windows, Bond activates the car's mounted machine guns that emerge from its headlights.  He spins the car around, spraying a circle of bullets at his attacks.

In the trailer's final glimpse, we see Bond recreating the iconic gunbarrel opening as he fires his weapon down a long tunnel.

If you'd like to view the trailer, you can check it out below thanks to the official James Bond 007 account on YouTube...




No Time to Die is schedule to arrive in theaters on April 8, 2020.

First BLACK WIDOW Trailer Teases Taskmaster, Red Guardian & Yelena Belova

Nothing lasts forever.

Marvel Studios has released the first teaser trailer for Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Daivd Harbour as Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov, Florence Pugh as Black Widow/Yelena Belova, and Rachel Weisz as Iron Maiden/Melina Vostokoff.

The 2-minute, 8-second trailer opens in Budapest, Hungary, with Natasha staring at herself in a mirror.  "I used to have nothing," she says in a voiceover, as we see flashbacks to her time training in the Red Room for the Black Widow Ops program, followed by scenes of her in the various Avengers and Captain America films.  "And then I got this job...this family...but nothing lasts forever."

We hear the voice of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), who says, "I heard you had to leave in a hurry."

Natasha replies in a voiceover, "It's never easy these days."

As we see a younger version of Ross, we hear him say, "So, what you going to do?"

"I've lived a lot of lives," replies Natasha as we see her looking through an assortment of fake I.D.s, "but I'm done running from my past."

We see Natasha entering someone's empty apartment, gun raised, then hear the voice of Yelena say, "I know you're out there."

"I know you know I'm out here," replies Natasha.  "So, are we gonna talk like grownups?"

Yelena steps into view, her gun raised as well.  "Is that what we are?" she asks.

The two immediately start fighting and appear to be evenly matched.  Afterwards, Natasha remarks, "It's good to see you too...Sis."

Yelena asks, "What brings you home?"

"We have unfinished business," Natasha says in a voiceover.  "We have to go back to where it all started."

We glimpse Natasha in a white Black Widow uniform for snow camouflage, followed by various Black Widows training in the Red Room.

"Lucky us," replies Yelena.

As we see the supervillain Taskmaster aiming a Hawkeye-like bow and arrow from atop an armored vehicle in the middle of a downtown street, we hear Natasha say, "One thing's for sure, it's going to be a hell of a reunion."

We're introduced to Alexei, who dons his Red Guardian uniform, who laughs and proudly states that it "Still fits."  As he joins Natasha, Yelena and Melina at a dinner table, he says, "Family...back together again."

Melina looks at him and says, "You got fat."

Lastly, we see the four of them suited up and attacking a base of unnamed enemy agents.  As a high platform is destroyed, we see Natasha skydiving downwards through the air, pursued by several skydiving enemy agents.

If you'd like to check out the trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Marvel Studios account on YouTube...




Black Widow is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2020.

Paramount Network Developing Image Comics' VELVET as TV Series

The World's Greatest Secret Secretary is about to arrive on the small screen.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the Paramount Network (rebranding from Spike TV) is developing the Image Comics espionage series Velvet as a drama series.  The series is the first original from Paramount Television for corporate sibling Paramount Network.

According to the article, Velvet is described as "a female-driven spy thriller that revolves around former spy Velvet as she sets out to settle an ancient score built on lies in a new world of ongoing espionage."

Kyle Killen will provide the script and executive produce the series as part of his overall deal with Paramount Television.  Keith Redmon and Steve Golin of Anonymous Content, which recently renewed its overall pact with Paramount Television, will also serve as executive producers.  Scott Pennington, who oversees Killen's Chapter Eleven banner, and Velvet co-creator Ed Brubaker will also be executive producers, while co-creator Steve Epting will be a producer.


"It's in the world of Wonder Woman and cast right and with the right pedigree," said Paramount Network (TV Land and CMT) president Kevin Kay in an interview with THR.  "It's a big idea and we think Kyle is great."

Created in 2013 by Brubaker and Epting, Velvet ran for 15 issues consisting of three story arcs.  Set in 1973, Velvet Templeton, the personal assistant to the Director of ARC-7, worked for an MI6-like intelligence organization so good most of their competition had never even heard of them.  After learning that ARC-7’s best agent, Jeff Keller, a.k.a. Agent X-14, had been killed in Paris, Velvet decided to investigate the murder herself, despite the fact that she hadn’t been an active field agent in years.  During her investigation, she became the suspected killer and was forced to go undercover to solve the mystery while avoiding the team from ARC-7 that was hunting her.

Ridley Scott in Talks for THE PRISONER Film Adaptation

What do we want?  Information.  By hook or by crook.

Deadline has revealed that legendary director Sir Ridley Scott is in early negotiations to direct The Prisoner, a movie adaptation based on the original 1967-68 British TV series starring Patrick McGoohan.

According to the article, the project has been with Universal for some time, with numerous A-list screenwriters including Christopher McQuarrie writing drafts.  The most recent version is from The Departed writer William Monahan, and the film is produced by Bluegrass Films' Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark.  The article also claims that Scott’s Scott Free team will likely become involved after they receive script that pleases Scott.  Numerous writers are now circling the project, as are several top actors, now that word is getting around that Scott is coming aboard.

Scott has directed a number of groundbreaking films over the decades, including Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Hannibal, and The Martian.  His other notable films include Legend, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, Robin Hood (2010), Prometheus, and Exodus: Gods and Kings.

The television series, which ran for a single season of 17 episodes, followed an unnamed British agent (played by McGoohan) who, after abruptly and angrily resigning his job, apparently prepares to make a hurried departure from the country.  While packing his luggage, he is rendered unconscious by knockout gas in his flat.  When he awakes, he finds himself held captive in a mysterious seaside "village" isolated from the mainland by mountains and sea.  The Village is further secured by numerous monitoring systems and security forces, including a sinister balloon-like device called Rover that recaptures – or kills – those who attempt escape.  The agent encounters the Village's population, which include hundreds of people from all walks of life and cultures, all seeming to be tranquilly living out their lives.  They do not use names but instead are assigned numbers, which give no clue as to any person's status (prisoner or warder).  Potential escapees therefore have no idea whom they can and cannot trust.  The protagonist is assigned the designation Number Six, but he repeatedly refuses the pretense of his new identity.

Number Six is monitored heavily by Number Two, the Village administrator acting as an agent for an unseen "Number One".  A variety of techniques are used by Number Two to try to extract information from Number Six, including hallucinogenic drug experiences, identity theft, mind control, dream manipulation, and various forms of social indoctrination.  All of these are employed not only to find out why Number Six resigned as an agent, but also to extract other purportedly dangerous information he gained as a spy.

Number Six, distrustful of anyone involved with the Village, refuses to co-operate or provide answers.  Alone, he struggles with various goals, such as determining for which side of the iron curtain the Village works if, indeed, it works for any at all, remaining defiant to its imposed authority, concocting his own plans for escape, learning all he can about the Village, and subverting its operation.  His schemes lead to the dismissals of the incumbent Number Two on two occasions, although he never successfully escapes.  By the end of the series, the administration, becoming desperate for Number Six's knowledge and fearful of his growing influence in the Village, takes drastic measures that threaten the lives of Number Six, Number Two, and the rest of the Village.

This will be the first time The Prisoner has been adapted for film.  In 2009, the series was remade as a rather disappointing 6-episode AMC miniseries starring Jim Caviezel as Number Six and Sir Ian McKellen as Number Two.

Be seeing you!

SPECTRE Teaser Trailer Debuts

The teaser trailer for the 24th official James Bond film Spectre was released yesterday, giving Bond fans their first major look at the upcoming film.

The one minute, forty second teaser trailer opens with an exterior shot of MI6 headquarters, still damaged from an explosion in the previous film, Skyfall.  M's assistant, Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), goes to visit Bond (Daniel Craig) in his apartment flat with something rather intriguing.

"Forensics finally released this," Moneypenny begins, handing over a small wooden case. Bond asks what's in the case, which Moneypenny replies, "Personal effects they recovered from Skyfall."

Still in the process of moving in, Bond sits down on his couch and opens the case, removing an old Order of Temporary Guardianship along with a scorched photo of young Bond with his deceased parents.  "You've got a secret," says Moneypenny in a voiceover.  "Something you can't tell anyone...because you don't trust anyone."

From there, we're off to the Austian Alps, where Bond tracks down Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), last seen in the film Quantum of Solace and now a fugitive from MI6.  "I always knew death would wear a familar face," says White in a voiceover, "but not yours."  

We then see Bond attending a funeral service, apparently for the husband of Monica Bellucci's character, Lucia Sciarra, who was an assassin that Bond killed.

"I was at a meeting recently and your name came up," remarks Bond in a voiceover.  "I'm flattered London is still talking about me," replies White.

"It wasn't MI6."  Bond sets a ring down on the chessboard next to White, bearing the familiar octopus symbol of the sinister organization SPECTRE.  

White picks up the ring, looks at it, then tells Bond, "You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond."

Finally, we see Bond attending a very important gathering, presumably members of SPECTRE, with Christoph Waltz's character Franz Oberhauser seated down below. "Welcome, James," begins Oberhauser in a voiceover.  "It's been a long time...and finally, here we are..."

Spectre arrives in US theaters on November 6, 2015.  In the meantime, you can watch the teaser trailer below about twenty times thank to Sony Pictures' official YouTube account...

James Bond Will Officially Return in SPECTRE

At last, the 24th James Bond film has been officially announced, which will be called Spectre.  Daniel Craig returns for his fourth film as OO7, once again directed by Sam Mendes (Skyfall) with a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.

And yes, there's an official press release...

James Bond Producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today released the title of the 24th James Bond adventure, SPECTRE. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is directed by Sam Mendes and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his fourth film as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. SPECTRE begins principal photography on Monday, December 8, and is set for global release on November 6, 2015.

Along with Daniel Craig, Mendes presented the returning cast, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Rory Kinnear as well as introducing Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci and Andrew Scott. Mendes also revealed Bond's sleek new Aston Martin, the DB10, created exclusively for SPECTRE.

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

The 007 production will be based at Pinewood Studios, and on location in London, Mexico City, Rome and Tangier and Erfoud, in Morocco. Bond will return to the snow once again, this time in Sölden, along with other Austrian locations, Obertilliach, and Lake Altaussee.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, "We're excited to announce Daniel's fourth installment in the series and thrilled that Sam has taken on the challenge of following on the success of SKYFALL with SPECTRE."

Written by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, Director of Photography is Hoyte van Hoytema and Editor is Lee Smith. Production Designer, Dennis Gassner returns along with Costume Designer, Jany Temime and Composer, Thomas Newman. Action Specialist, Alexander Witt is the 2nd Unit Director. Stunt Coordinator is Gary Powell, SFX Supervisor is Chris Corbould, and Visual Effects Supervisor is Steve Begg.

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, was a worldwide box office phenomenon, opening #1 in 70 territories around the world, taking over $1.1 billion worldwide and setting a new all-time box office record in the UK by becoming the first film to take over £100 million.

The full principal cast list includes:

• Daniel Craig as James Bond
• Cristoph Waltz as Oberhauser
• Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann
• Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra
• Ralph Fiennes as M
• Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny
• Ben Whishaw as Q
• Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner
• Andrew Scott as Denbigh
• Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx

Although listed as "Oberhauser," Waltz has been rumored to be playing none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of the fictional global terrorist organization SPECTRE, who previously appeared in the James Bond films You Only Live Twice (1967, played by Donald Pleasance), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969, played by Telly Savalas), Diamonds Are Forever (1971, played by Charles Gray), and Never Say Never Again (1983, played by Max von Sydow).



DAMN Good Comics -- GRAYSON #4

After all this time fighting the worst supervillains imaginable as the first Robin and as Nightwing, Dick Grayson faces his greatest challenge yet -- horny college girls.

Three issues and a Futures End special into Grayson's new role as an agent of the espionage organization Spyral, we finally get a reminder of what used to be so great about the pre-New 52 Nightwing -- his sense of fun.  Writers Tim Seeley and Tom King, along with artist Mikel Janin, take a brief departure from the series' more serious tone, without making things feel so wacky and silly that you wonder if you're reading an issue of Harley Quinn or Deadpool instead.

In "The Raid," Seeley and King starts things off with an interesting mission involving Checkmate, another DC Universe espionage organization, only to go through the entire thing in only three pages.  We abruptly shift focus to Helena Bertinelli's young proteges at St. Hadrian's Finishing School, who have obtained pictures of a certain shirtless ex-Boy Wonder, reinforcing the commonly held belief among straight female and gay male fans that adult Dick Grayson is one of the hottest comics characters ever.  So what do these aroused young women do after drooling over these photos?  They decide to go on a "man-ty raid," of course.

And just before you wonder if the series is completely breaking format, the ongoing mysterious mystery of Spyral head Mr. Minos continues as Grayson uses a sucker, of all things, to obtain skin samples of Minos off the ground for Batman to analyze.  We learn how creepy, paranoid and meticulous Minos is with the revelation that he uses microscopic nanite machines to eat his skin flakes and any pieces of hair that shed in order to protect his identity.  Meanwhile, Minos has Helena investigate transmissions sent to someone else by Agent 8 in the previous issue, but she ends up finding Grayson's communications tech to Batman in his alarm clock.

As for the art, Mikel Janin provides outstanding work as always, showcasing Grayson's physique along with his impressive acrobatic skills as part of the girls' chase across St. Hadrian's campus.  And best of all, we finally get a proper overhead shot of St. Hadrian's, complete with some building descriptions so that the setting feels like an actual place in this current DC Universe.  Janin is particularly adept at facial expressions, including the girls' hot-and-bothered reactions to the photos and Grayson's reaction to his new cover identity as "a French former Olympic gymnast.  And whose face is so indistinct as to be unmemorable.  And who is gay."

If you're one of those people who wasn't up for Dick Grayson having a completely new status quo and miss the days when the character was fun and charming as Nightwing, do yourselves a favor a give this issue a try.  Grayson has been a stellar series so far, quickly becoming one of DC's best books at the moment, and deserves as much attention from fans as it can get.

ARCHER Drops ISIS Name for Rather Obvious Reasons

Yuuuup, phrasing.

The Daily Beast has word that in light of recent world events involving the militant Islamic organization once called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the FX animated spy comedy series Archer is dropping the spy organization name ISIS (short for International Secret Intelligence Service) from the show starting with the upcoming Season 6. 

During the season premiere, Malory Archer (Jessica Walter) is shown talking on the phone with her son Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and explaining to him that the CIA are now their overlords.  In the background, you can see two movers rolling out a large, circular sign featuring the ISIS logo.

Creator Adam Reed along with executive producers Matt Thompson and Casey Willis made the decision after initial concerns from FX.  "We were waiting for it to go away — at least I was," said Reed.  "Back in Season 5, FX said, ‘This might be a thing,’ and I thought, ‘Maybe it won’t be?  Maybe it’ll be the mole that I’m gonna ignore and nothing will happen.’  We got sort of lucky and could organically make a merger with the CIA, so we went back and retroactively painted out the ISIS logos in parts of the show, and we just don’t talk about it in dialogue."

"We won’t say ISIS anymore, and the only visual representation of it will be that sign rolling off the show," added Thompson.  "It’s just the most awful thing, and we didn’t want to have anything to do with it.  There were people online saying that we should address it and say, ‘Oh, I can’t believe these guys have co-opted our name.’  That’s the way South Park would do it, coming after them and saying, ‘These assholes stole our name,’ but that’s not the way the Archer universe works, where it’s all our own creations.  In our universe, they don’t exist."

The name and logo won't be retroactively removed from Seasons 1 through 5, however, so any repeats on television will still feature ISIS.  In addition, there's still the matter of all that ISIS-related merchandise to address.  "I’m one of the few people that has the white ISIS cup and it’s mixed in with all my other cups," said Walter.  "The other day, I was looking at it and thought, ‘Should I throw it out?  But it reminds me of Archer.’"

Added Reed, "I gave my Dad one of the ISIS hats and he said, ‘You know son, I’m not going to be able to wear the hat anymore.  I’m gettin’ looks at the hardware store.’  I was at a meeting with the FX execs and I said, ‘You know, with all this extra ISIS merchandise, you should just make the bad guys buy it.’  Dead silence.  And then they said, ‘We have a lot of ISIS merchandise.’  So I guess that’s all going to a landfill somewhere."

Archer is expected to return to FX for Season 6 sometime around January 2015.

Anthony Horowitz to Write James Bond Novel PROJECT ONE

As we continue to wait for Daniel Craig to return to the big screen for his fourth outing as James Bond, Bond fans can spend some time next year with a new OO7 novel by Anthony Horowitz currently titled Project One.

Based on an unpublished story by Bond creator Ian Fleming, Project One will be set in the 1950s and features James Bond taking on the Russians and becoming involved in a Formula One race.  The story, "Murder on Wheels," was written by Fleming in the 1950s, as one of several episode treatments for a Bond TV series which fell through because of the Sean Connery films.  Many of the plots were turned into short stories including "Octopussy," "The Living Daylights" and "For Your Eyes Only," but a few outlines were never published, said Fleming’s great-niece Jessie Grimond.

"It's no secret that Ian Fleming's extraordinary character has had a profound influence on my life," said Horowitz, "so when the estate approached me to write a new James Bond novel how could I possibly refuse?  It's a huge challenge -- more difficult even than Sherlock Holmes in some ways -- but having original, unpublished material by Fleming has been an inspiration.  This is a book I had to write."

Horowitz is best known as the author of the young adult spy series of Alex Rider novels, two adult Sherlock Holmes novels (The House of Silk and Moriarty), the Diamond Brothers series, The Power of Five series, and many others.  He is the latest of several modern James Bond authors, including William Boyd (Solo), Jeffery Deaver (Carte Blanche) and Sebastian Faulks (Devil May Care).

And look, there's even a handy press release...

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., The Ian Fleming Estate, the Orion Publishing Group, and HarperCollins US and Canada are delighted to announce that international bestselling and award-winning writer Anthony Horowitz is at work on an official new James Bond novel. Currently dubbed Project One, the novel is due for worldwide release on 8th September 2015.

The new book by Horowitz - a lifelong fan of Ian Fleming - will be set in the 1950s and will be unique among the modern James Bond novels, in that a section will contain previously unseen material written by Fleming to which Horowitz has had exclusive access.

Jessie Grimond, great-niece of Ian Fleming, said: "In the 1950s Ian Fleming wrote several episode treatments for a James Bond television series. But it never came to be made and he ended up turning most of the plots into the short stories that are now in the collections For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy and The Living Daylights. However, there are a few plot outlines which he never used and which, till now, have never been published, or aired. Given that Anthony is as brilliant a screenwriter as he is a novelist, we thought it would be exciting to see what he would do with one of them."

Lucy Fleming, niece of Ian Fleming, said: "We are thrilled that Anthony has taken on the Bond mantle, and can't wait to read his novel. Anthony is a brilliant writer, as his millions of fans around the world demonstrate. He has an exceptional skill for writing spy thrillers in particular, and it is this coupled with the original Fleming material and his knowledge of and enthusiasm for Bond, which makes for a really exciting proposition."

Malcolm Edwards, Deputy CEO and Group Publisher, Orion Publishing Group, said: "James Bond and Anthony Horowitz is a match made in publishing heaven. Anthony is a writer of exceptional skill and I have no doubt he will deliver a book that will resonate and delight Bond fans around the globe. For our part, we will publish the book in a way that celebrates the legacy of literary Bond and mount a campaign that will make publication day one of the biggest publishing events of 2015."

Jonathan Burnham, Senior Vice President and Publisher, HarperCollins US, said: "HarperCollins is thrilled to be publishing the new James Bond novel in the United States and Canada. Anthony Horowitz is an author of exceptional skill and range - his Sherlock Holmes novel, House of Silk, displayed his amazing ability to reanimate fictional characters to create a new and powerful narrative. The combination of this talent, his inventiveness and brilliance as a novelist, and his access to hitherto unpublished Fleming material, makes this a uniquely exciting event for all James Bond fans."

The book will be published by Orion Publishing Group in the UK, and by HarperCollins in the United States. The book rights were sold in the English language by Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd and The Ian Fleming Estate. International rights will be offered at the forthcoming Frankfurt Book Fair on October 6.

DAMN Good Comics -- BLACK WIDOW #2

You know how frustrating it is that Black Widow has never received her own solo movie?  It's even more frustrating after reading this comic.

After a solid, "Done in One" debut two weeks ago, the second issue of the new Black Widow series continues the exploration of Natasha Romanov in her dangerous and often deadly personal crusade for atonement.  Writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Phil Noto keep peeling back layers, ever so slowly, to one of Marvel's finest espionage characters and make her more intriguing by the issue.

In "Shanghaied," Edmondson opens with a bang -- or rather, a car crash -- that immediately puts Natasha at the wrong end of a gun and hooks the reader in the process.  It turns out to be an effective tease, as we quickly jump back fourteen hours, feeling like we're watching an episode of the ABC TV series Alias.  We learn that she's been hired by an old acquaintance named Mr. Lin to find his kindapped son that, of course, results in an encounter with a new adversary named the Iron Scorpion.

Meanwhile, the mystery of Natasha's lawyer/manager/central supporting character Isaiah Ross deepens, with an office meeting involving a man called Aames, a representative seeking restitution for his client's "significant loss of property."  Apparently more than just an empty suit, Isaiah takes it upon himself to find out more, discovering a plan to blackmail Black Widow and also kill Isaiah in order to encourage Natasha to pay up.  To our surprise, Isaiah's response to this isn't simply warning his superspy employer, but instead taking upon himself to shoot Aames and his two cohorts dead inside their limousine.  Obviously, there's more to Isaiah than meets the eye and he's definitely of interest in the future.

And once again, Noto produces some exquisite artwork filled with bold coloring and exciting action sequences.  He gives Natasha's red hair considerable emphasis, with the color popping off the page against her dark bodysuit and more subdued backgrounds.  It makes sense, immediately drawing your eye to the character and giving his take its own distinctive style.  This is, quite simply, one of the most gorgeous and cinematic books Marvel's currently producing.

All in all, if you're not already sold on this newest run of  Black Widow, I highly recommend jumping on board now instead of waiting for the trade.  Like Hawkeye, this could turn out to be an unexpected hit, one that builds through positive word-of-mouth over the next few months, then has slackers and latecomers scrambling to track down early issues.

Affleck & Damon Producing Film of DC Comics' SLEEPER

And the race to adapt every comics property for film and television continues.

Variety has announced that Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jennifer Todd are producing an film adaptation of the superb DC Comics/Wildstorm series Sleeper for Warner Bros.  According to the article, their production company Pearl Street Films has a first-look deal with the studio, which has brought in Shawn Ryan and David Wiener to write the adaptation.

Written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips, Sleeper was a series that ran for two "seasons" of twelve issues each from 2003-05.  Set in the Wildstorm Universe imprint under DC Comics, the series centered around Holden Carver, a morally ambiguous character also known as The Conductor, who had the ability to absorb pain and trauma and release it onto others when touched.  Under the direction of a man named John Lynch, Carver is placed undercover inside the criminal organization run by a supervillain known as TAO.  However, Carver begins playing both sides against one another in the hopes of freeing himself from the situation and be with Miss Misery, one of TAO's lieutenants.

Ryan is best known as the creator and showrunner of The Shield, a drama series for FX that focused on police corruption.  Wiener worked with Ryan on the ABC series Last Resort, which Ryan co-created, and also on season two of The Killing.

The project has been in the works since 2008, when Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and John Donen were producing through their company, Stars Road Entertainment.  Tom Cruise was reportedly interested in the role of Holden Carver, but was not formally attached.

DAMN Good Comics -- VELVET #1

The name is Templeton, Velvet Templeton.

For any comics fans living in a cave without wi-fi for the better part of the last decade, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting arguably crafted the definitive Captain America run from 2004 to 2012, breathing new life into the Marvel superhero with a healthy amount of espionage style twists and adventures.  And now, Brubaker and Epting have reunited for Velvet, a new espionage series from Image Comics that looks to be even better.

The first issue, "Before the Living End," opens in 1973 Paris with Jefferson Keller, a British secret agent for ARC-7, which according to the cover, stands for Allied Reconnaissance Commission 7.  Keller, codenamed X-14 (possibly because he's twice the agent OO7 is), resembles your typical dark-haired superspy in a tuxedo that looks and acts every bit of James Bond.  One problem, though -- He's assassinated within the first four pages.

Surprise, the series' central protagonist isn't Keller after all, but Velvet Templeton, the personal secretary to ARC-7's Lieutenant Director.  Velvet is no mere secretary along the lines of Miss Moneypenny, however, but a more than capable agent who was able to have affairs with a number of X-operatives without any of them being aware of the others.  And since Keller was one of those affairs, she takes it upon herself to investigate his death, starting us off on what promises to be an engaging tale of shadows and secrets.

Ever since the nineties on Marvel's The Avengers, Epting has steadily grown as an artist.  His work has evolved so much over the years, from DC's Aquaman to Crux and El Cazador for CrossGen, and eventually onto Captain America, Fantastic Four and New Avengers for Marvel.  Together with his Captain America colorist Elizabeth "Bettie" Breitweiser, Epting gives Velvet the perfect look and tone to complement Brubaker's vision.

And with the series' 1973 setting (think Live and Let Die, which was released in the same year), Velvet is able to avoid the traditional early Cold War stereotypes without getting sucked into modern technological intel storytelling.  As long as Brubaker and Epting maintain the level of intensity, and there's no reason why they shoudn't, this looks to become a spectacular series.  As of fan of comics and spy fiction, Velvet is the espionage series I've been wanting to read for years.

Elon Musk Buys James Bond's Lotus Sub to Make It Real

Nobody does it better than James Bond...but Elon Musk is going to try.

The Lotus Esprit car submarine, famously used by Roger Moore in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, was discovered in a Long Island storage locker that was purchased for less than $100 in 1989.  The fully functioning underwater vehicle prop was auctioned in London last month and went for $968,000.

According to Jalopnik, the secret buyer was none other than Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of the Tesla electric car company and the SpaceX rocket maker, who is definitely not the inspiration for Tony Stark.  "It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater," said Musk in an email response to a query from USA Today.  "I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform.  What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

In the movie sequence which you can see HERE, Bond drives the Lotus Esprit sports car along a road when it is attacked by villainess Naomi (actress Caroline Munro) in a helicopter.  Despite concerns from Anya Amasova/KGB agent Triple X (Barbara Bach) in the passenger seat, Bond drives the car off a pier.  The car's wheels then retract, fins extend and the car becomes a submarine.  Bond then sails along, taking out the helicopter with a missile.

As for what happened to the Esprit after the film, the studio had kept it in paid storage for a decade, but a mysterious turn of events led to the storage locker's fee going unpaid and the vehicle being forgotten until, two years later in 1989, it was found collecting dust.  "It just fell through the cracks," said Doug Redenius, co-founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation.

An anonymous "blue collar" guy, as he described himself, came across the vehicle underneath a bunch of blankets in his storage locker.  He didn't recognize the Esprit at first, having never seen a Bond film and having bought the locker with no knowledge of what was inside.  But when other people pointed out the resemblance, he rented the film on VHS, though was unable to discover how exactly it ended up in his hands for less than $100.

Years later, the Ian Fleming Foundation authenticated the vehicle as the actual working submarine from the film with the help of its original builder, who happened to be a submersibles expert and former NAVY Seal.  Multiple versions of the Lotus were made, including road ones for the street shots and promotional models, but the Lotus Esprit found in the Long Island locker was in fact the only one capable of submerging, though it has no function as a road car and does not contain the ability to swap in wheels.

Apart from Musk's comment to USA Today, it's not certain how far he intends to take his conversion.  It's possible he could attempt to make it dry inside like a true submarine, like the Lotus in the movie, or make it so it continues to be driven only by those with scuba breathing gear.  Perhaps he already has Q in his cell phone contacts list...