****Police Alert**** Stolen Godzilla slot machine

Apparently in Chicago there's several police reports being made public to see if the public can help solve any cases.

One of these involves the following:

A Weber grill and “Godzilla” antique slot machine were reported stolen between 9:30 p.m. Feb. 7 and 11:30 a.m. Sunday from a house in foreclosure in the 5N600 block of Leslie Court near St. Charles, according to a sheriff’s report.

For full access here's the website where the police report originated:

dailyherald.com: Police Reports

There was no picture of the slot machine available but Bing images comes up with this (above) picture...so it probably looks like that.

Gotta feel bummed out for the owner.

I love slot machines, love playing them in Las Vegas, especially loved it when I was winning, so I can empathize with that person's loss.

Police have not captured any suspects yet, but they have provided a picture of their leading candidate...

"American Kaiju" sneak peek

Fantastic artist and comic book aficionado Todd Tennant has provided yet another sneak peek into his upcoming "American Kaiju" comic book.

(For reference Todd is the amazing artist known for his self-made graphic novel based on the lost "Godzilla" film. For full insight on this and everything else I've covered on Todd's projects please go here).

As Todd put it, "'Poseidon' is on the receiving end of this flying sidekick from 'King Yeti', but that will soon change…".

Looks great and I'll be happy to let everyone know when the first issue comes out!

Nerd Nite 14 at Teatro Zuccone

If you're in Duluth, Minnesota this upcoming Tuesday then you're in luck, as the monthly "Nerd Nite" will be once again held at the Teatro Zuccone.

Known as "Nerd Nite 14" (not very PC hehe) it will be a cavalcade of sci-fi and comic book enthusiasts talking about the geeky things they love most.

As the website duluthnewstribune.com highlights:

"Nerd Nite 14, the monthly event that includes casual lectures from specialists in the area of, say, Golden Girls, Godzilla or the board game Settlers of Catan, will include such geeky goodness as:

- Exploring the world of Minecraft.

- Star Wars Wars: Which was the best, New Hope, Empire or Jedi?

- How to survive being the only friend in your circle who doesn’t really like "Firefly""

More info about the time, location and costs can be found here:

duluthnewstribune.com: Best Bets: Nerd Nite 14 at Teatro Zuccone

Looks like a blast and I wish I could attend such an event, as the inner geek in me definitely enjoys hearing and discussing such things.

The closest that I do is listen in on the weekly sci-fi/comic/movie "Bigfanboy.com Livecast" podcast that Mark Walters (who helps run the three Sci-fi and comic book conventions held in Dallas, TX) holds each Thursday night.

Lasting anywhere from 1 to 3 hours each, Mark talks about the latest news happening in these worlds with participation from various guests (big names in the sci-fi and comic book world) and internet fans.

It's a really good show and I highly recommend everybody to give him a try here:

talkshoe.com: Bigfanboy.com livecast

You'll even find archived shows dating back years and everything is free to download!

Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters #12 now available!

Get ready because what looks to be the final issue from the "Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters" series is just out in comic books stores now!

Issue #12 recaps the aftermath of the gigantic battles that ensued before, and IDW has provided a great preview of this here:

Based on what's seen here it looks to end things on a somber note, with writer Jason Ciaramella adding a serious tone to reflect on humanity's aftermath.

All in all if I had to give the series a score from 0 to 100 I would rank it at the 70 percent range.

It had it's moments that were good, but it also had enough dumb moments to force IDW to switch creative teams mid-way...and also start things over with a whole new series (which I chronicled here).

(One can also find the ENTIRETY of my comments on this series, from start to finish, here).

But at the end of the day it's still a Godzilla series, and it was good to have IDW champion this franchise into the comic book world once again!

Here's to the new series debuting in May, which I will of course chronicle here on this website!

New IDW Godzilla Comic to debut in May!

Straight from Bobby Curnow, IDW editor, he gives word on the IDW forums of an all new Godzilla series debuting in May!

(For reference Bobby was the editor for both the fantastic "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths" and "Godzilla: Legends" series').

To simply be called "Godzilla", it will be a "reboot" that continues several themes from the "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" series...while still taking things in a whole new direction.

Here's the info straight from the man himself:

"In May we'll be launching a new Godzilla ongoing, simply titled "GODZILLA" It will be written by Duane Swierczynski and art by Simon Gane. Ronda Pattison will be returning to colors. Our own Chris Mowry will continue as invaluable creative consultant.

It will be a 'soft reboot' meaning that the story takes place in the same world as Kingdom of Monsters. Other than that though, pretty much everything will be different. The tone, the characters, the story arc. We might revisit some unanswered questions left by KOM, but for the most part, expect a completely different book. Think of it as a movie sequel with a different director, writer, cinematographer, and actors.

Issue #1 will have covers by Art Adams (see pictured for cover A wrap-around awesomeness!), Tony Harris and Ryan Kelly. Moving forward expect to see great covers from Zach Howard, Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow, among others."

Sounds great!

(I guess this also explains why we haven't heard of any new issues coming from the Kingdom of Monsters).

It's easy to see that IDW is learning their mistakes from the tepid GKOM series.

They realize that a Godzilla comic book still has a strong potential IF they stick to the basics.

They should NOT involve corny, inane scenes aimed at Republicans, various pop stars, and other fluff that threw the GKOM series completely out of the loop.

I enjoy it when a company admits to their own mistakes and seeks to start things over rather than bully things on.

And look at that cover art from Art Adams!  He is truly THE Godzilla artist!

Here's the direct link to the IDW forum, where Bobby promises more info as it happens:

forum.idwpublishing.com: New Godzilla IDW series

Idris Elba talks Pacific Rim Monsters

As I've mentioned before, if "Cloverfield" is the best non-Godzilla Godzilla-like film, then the upcoming "Pacific Rim" is the upped sequel with lots of monsters added in.

Info on this film remains more scarce than anything I've ever seen...but we finally have some description of the kaiju-like monsters in this film (however brief).

According to one of its stars Idris Elba:

"Godzilla would throw out the wrong sort of image, I think. We are talking about some big MF-ers. There's a lot of actuality in this one because he's (Guillermo Del Toro) created huge sets. I mean, we've taken over four sets in Pinewood in Toronto and built a lot of the stuff that you might see. Yes, there is huge CGI I'm sure, but we built a lot of stuff too."

Wow!

So these monsters are expected to be even bigger than Godzilla himself! That's huge!

I can't wait to see what kind of images finally begin popping out for this movie, or the epic battles such giant-sized monsters will entail.

You better believe that Legendary Pictures (the makers of this film) will have a trailer of sorts during "The Dark Knight Rises" movie, and I'll be happy to post it here once it debuts.

Here's the original article for further info:

comicbookmovie.com: Idris Elba talks Pacific Rim Monsters

Amazing Godzilla Diorama

What you're looking at are pictures of an amazing Godzilla diorama featured at the annual Toy Fair 2012 event held in New York.

Located specifically at the Bandia booth, it represents Godzilla and MechaGodzilla doing what they do best...destroying cities as they're fighting each other!

Look at the intricate detail involved here.

There's even tiny little cars trying to get out of the way of the two attacking monsters, with some cool pyrotechnics showcasing fires!

Great stuff.

For further cool pics of this event check out this website here:

animenewsnetwork.com: Toy Fair 2012

Legendary Pictures Officially Shuts Down Alex Proyas' 'Paradise Lost'

Just this past week Legendary Pictures did something that showcases what could happen to the Godzilla reboot.

For the longest time now (several years in fact) Legendary Pictures had a "Paradise Lost" motion picture in the back burner.

(For those not in the know, "Paradise Lost" is essentially about Adam and Eve's downfall combined with Satan's fall from grace/heaven).

With a big name director like Alex Proyas (of Dark City and I, Robot fame) on board, and big name stars like Bradley Cooper and a $120+ million budget added into the mix, Legendary Pictures was wanting this movie to be a whole new franchise of sorts.

It was going to be their next summer blockbuster.

But with things being in development hell for so long, and the expected budget escalating considering the massive special effects needed, Legendary Pictures now has cold feet and has officially shut down (or postponed) production.

Why do I consider this affecting the Godzilla reboot?

Because it showcases what Legendary Pictures can do when even a sure thing suddenly becomes risky.

"Paradise Lost" had all of the makings of a summer blockbuster.

Big special effects, big directors and stars, epic themes involving battles across various realms like heaven and hell...and yet this sure thing suddenly had the plug pulled.

As the article from firstshowing.net states:

"While Legendary may be shutting down the project for now, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and producer Vincent Newman will continue developing it to craft a budget (currently at around $120 million) that's a bit more reasonable."

Such a thing can occur to the Godzilla reboot if Legendary Pictures gets that same cold feeling.

If they feel that the Godzilla reboot's budget is too high, or if moviegoers mindset still hasn't changed from the 1998 film, or even if Toho is playing too much hardball with their characters, things can still be shut down asap.

I hope it doesn't happen...but it always can.

Here's the original article about "Paradise Lost" for more info:

firstshowing.net: Legendary Pictures officially shuts down Alex Proyas' Paradise Lost

The Top 8 Found Footage films

411mania.com has a great list of the Top 8 Found Footage films and the reasons behind them.

Coming in at number three was the recent "Cloverfield" movie, with the website stating this about the film:

Cloverfield was a film that had a lot of people enormously hyped upon its trailer that virtually struck out of left-field. The trailer had people speculating on exactly what it was about. Was it to be a Godzilla film? An alien invasion? A LOST tie-in? The end result was closer to the first than anything else but it was ultimately something better. Godzilla is a great franchise (except the American version), but it's a distinctly Japanese franchise and that's part of why it didn't work in the US as well. We needed our own giant monster and J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves gave it to us. The characters in this are well-played, despite one big glaring flaw that sets them on their path--trying to rescue the girl who will surely mean their certain death. This is a great sci-fi horror flick that does a fantastic job of building to the eventual creature reveal, with little hints here and there until we finally see it head on. Furthermore, I'm glad to see that there has not been a sequel, as I think everything that needed to be said was and Abrams and Reeves have done a great job of holding off on the potential cash-in since they haven't locked down a story. Much respect for that.

I wholeheartedly agree with the writer's sentiments, and to this day I find this film to be the best non-Godzilla "Godzilla-like" film out there.

It perfectly emphasizes the effects that a 200 foot tall creature has on a major metropolitan city like New York, far more then what was portrayed in the 1998 "Godzilla" film.

In recently rewatching "Cloverfield" one of my favorite moments remains the unseen Clover monster first toppling that giant sckyscraper in the far background, then as the main characters hide in the convenience store one can hear the monster walking past the same street they are in!

How freaky!

There's just something so chilling with having a gigantic monster walk by unseen, and I really really really hope the new Godzilla film does something to this effect, where an unseen Godzilla first lumbers past our main characters.

As an added bonus I've included that clip here:



Great stuff!

For the full list of these Top 8 Found Footage films go here:

411mania.com: Top 8 Found Footage films

Godzilla Video of the Day

While this isn't exactly Godzilla related, it does bring into perspective what massive Godzilla-like creatures remain hidden within our seas.

What you're looking at is a 40-foot long (dead) Whale Shark being hoisted onto a boat.

Just look at how massive 40 feet looks compared to the people around it! And that remains just the tip of the iceberg when compared to other sea creatures!

The blue whale is on record at being over 100 feet long, almost three times what you see here.

But that doesn't even include rumored sea creatures that could potentially be many times larger than that!

(Such is the case with whatever unknown sea creature generated the sound now known as "Bloop". Only something far larger than a blue whale could have produced such a sound, found here).

It's both wonderful and scary to think what's out there lurking in the seas right now. There could be creatures larger than Godzilla...there could not.

As always the funnest part remains speculating on these things!