Review: Put Me In The Story’s “Avengers: Black Ops Field Guide” Children’s Book

I was fortunate enough to get a review copy of Put Me In The Story’s new book, “Avengers’s: Black Ops Field Guide”. Geared towards children, this is a unique way of personalizing an adventure just for your young ones. You get to enter in their name, photo, and even a dedication in an easy to use online format, and then order a hard copy of the book with all of the info sprinkled throughout. It’s a really cool idea, but since I don’t have any kids of my own to dedicate the book to, I had to get creative. I chose to dedicate it to myself from Nick Fury.

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The first thing you see right on the front cover is some of the most popular Marvel characters with your name underneath. It’s a great way to make you feel involved right from the beginning, like this is your own personal guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Opening it up, the first thing you get is a page that can be ripped out, with a name tag that includes your own photo and identification info. Pretty cool! Next comes the dedication, which is more info that is filled out online beforehand, followed by a special decoder used to decipher secret messages throughout the book. This is all followed by a special message from Nick Fury himself (I guess, in my case, this is my second message from Nick Fury).

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Next up is the Mission Brief, which is the heart and soul of the book. It explains to you all the information that is going to be included with each hero throughout the book, as well as the scoring system. It looks a little confusing at first, but once you start going through the almost endless pages of heroes, it all starts to make sense.

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I could see a child looking through this for hours, trying to learn everything they can about their favorite heroes (and villains!!!). There’s even space for you to write in your own “notes” about each hero or villains, which I’ll definitely be working on later. I included some of my favorite pages in pictures below.

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At the very end of the book is a chance for you to evaluate yourself! You can choose to be “sneaky” like Black Widow, “strong” like the Hulk, or a combination of both. You can use this to see how you stack up next to your favorite heroes.

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After going through my own personal “Field Guide”, I think this would be an awesome gift for any young Marvel fan. Put Me In The Story does a great job of really personalizing this to make it feel like your own, and I can’t believe how quickly the book came to me after I placed my order. The decoder at the beginning is really cool, and its fun to use at the end of every page. Also, there’s a great assortment of characters here, and I love that even some villains made an appearance. To order your copy of the Avengers: Black Ops Field Guide head over to www.putmeinthestory.com.

Marvel & Sony Pictures Announce Tom Holland Will Be New “Spider-Man”; Jon Watts To Direct

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Marvel and Sony Pictures have made it official that actor Tom Holland (“The Impossible”) has been cast in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the upcoming Spider-Man film, which is expected to be released July 28th, 2017. They also announced that Jon Watts (“Cop Car”) will direct the film.

Tom Holland is 19 years old and is an English actor best known for his performance as the title role in “Billy Elliot: The Musical”.

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From Marvel:

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios are proud to announce that after a full worldwide casting search, Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film, in theaters in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017.  The film will be directed by Jon Watts, director of “Cop Car,” the upcoming thriller that made its debut earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for both the actor and the director.  The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in “The Impossible,” “Wolf Hall,” and the upcoming “In the Heart of the Sea,” and by a series of complex screen tests.  Following Marvel’s tradition of working with the brightest next wave of directors, Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.

Commenting on the announcement, Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said, “It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job.  The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding.  I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception.  I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent.  For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special.   All in all, we are off to a roaring start.”

Feige commented, “As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life.  We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”

Pascal added, “Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world.  With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

There was still no announcement made as whether we will first see Tom Holland portray Spider-Man in “Captain America: Civil War” but have a feeling that that announcement will come soon.

Source: Marvel

6/29/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (HULK Movie, New Spidey, Lando Comics, ETC.)

Update On The New “Spider-Man” And His Role In “Captain America: Civil War”

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After it was announced that Tom Holland was cast as the new “Spider-Man”, a little more information leaked out which included several candidates for the role meeting with some of the actors on the set of “Captain America: Civil War”.

From Variety:

The studio has been flying them (the candidates) out to Atlanta, where Marvel is filming “Captain America: Civil War,” over the last month to have them test with the actors they would be starring opposite.

Variety also mentions that unfortunately it is more than likely that Spider-Man will have a very minor role in “Civil War”.

Spider-Man is only expected to have a cameo in “Captain America: Civil War,” so there wasn’t a rush to make a decision since the thesp would only be shooting for about a week.

Variety also mentions that Marvel and Sony were down to three directors, (Johnathon Levine, Ted Melfi and John Watts) but the other two pulled out, which left only Watts.

Over the last two weeks, the decision was made to cut the list down to Levine, Watts and Melfi for director, and Holland and Rowe for the role of Spider-Man. Sources did not reveal the exact reason why Sony and Marvel chose Holland but as for Watts sources are now saying over the past ten days Levine and Melfi became frustrated with the process and worried this may carry over to the production and pulled themselves out allowing Watts to move in and land the job.

Source: Variety

Fan Art Of Tom Holland As “Spider-Man”

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I just saw this over at ComicBookMovie.com and think this looks fantastic! Tom Holland definitely looks like a great choice if he looks as good as this fan art by Boss Logic!

Source: Comic Book Movie, Boss Logic

Marvel Hails The New “King Of The Box Office”

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With Jurassic Park breaking the record held for the highest grossing opening weekend, Marvel and Kevin Feige gave the movie the respect it deserves and had the Avengers pay homage to Chris Pratt, riding a T-Rex (who is also holding Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir).

And here are the top three biggest opening weekend movies of all time:

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Source: Kevin Feige at Twitter, Box Office Mojo

New “Ant-Man” Posters Showcase Some Famous Friends

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Marvel released some movie posters for “Ant-Man” showcasing some of The Avengers and/or their equipment. Here’s hoping they can bring “The Avengers” audience onboard to see “Ant-Man”.

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The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Marvel’s “Ant-Man” delivers a high-stakes, tension-filled adventure on July 17, 2015.

Universal Studios Is ‘Not’ Holding Back A New Hulk Movie Being Made

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After Hulk’s performance in “The Avengers”, most people expected to see The Hulk get his own solo movie like most of The Avengers. Word had come out that although The Hulk could appear in The Avengers, Universal Studios had the rights to all of the stories that appeared in the comics and also any future solo Hulk movie. It turns out that was not completely accurate.

According to Forbes:

It is true that Universal still holds the distribution rights to any future Hulk movies, but the character rights and licenses firmly belong to Marvel after Universal didn’t act on a sequel to Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk. What that means is that Universal has “the right of first refusal,” to future Hulk films. For example, if Marvel decides they want to make The Incredible Hulk 2, or make  rumors about Planet Hulk or World War Hulk come true, Universal has first crack at deciding whether or not they want to distribute. If they refuse, that doesn’t mean the film won’t move forward, it just means another studio will distribute instead.

It still sounds like there is some red tape involved but another solo Hulk movie could be in the cards.

Source: Forbes, Screen Rant

First Look At “Star Wars: Lando #1”

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It looks like that smooth talking scoundrel Lando Calrissian is getting his own comic book series and it will premier this July 8th. Lets take a look at some alternate covers and some of the first panels for “Star Wars: Lando #1”.

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Sideshow Collectible Corner

“The Wolverine – Brown Costume”

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Ahhh! Will we ever see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in his mask? Unfortanetly, probably not. But with Sideshow Collectibles newest premium collectible figure, you get to see The Wolverine wearing his mask and costume in all of it’s glory.

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Inspired by the events of Wolverine’s breakout comic book mini-series, collectively known as ‘the Japan Saga’, Logan embarks on a personal mission away from the X-Men to the land of the rising sun, where he must fight for the woman he loves and restore his honor. Expertly sculpted with dynamic detail, the mutant berserker crouches in anticipation of a fight over a snowy bridge riddled with arrows from unseen adversaries. Disguised in his popular classic brown and yellow costume, collectors can further define their favorite look for Logan with masked and unmasked portraits, each depicting his savage ferocity. Ready to tear through his enemies like an angry God, the lone warrior unsheathes his razor-sharp Adamantium claws, and Japanese steel forged by the swordmaster Muramasa. Because let’s face it, Bub – he’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice…

“The Wolverine – Brown Costume’ is currently available for preorder exclusively at Sideshow Collectibles with a price of $479.99 and is expected to ship July 2016.

Source: Sideshow Collectibles

That’s it for this week!

VIDEO: Star Wars: “Force 4 Fashion” Red Carpet Launch Event

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Disney Consumer Products joined forces with Bloomingdale’s in a new fashion-meets-fundraising initiative, Star Wars “Force 4 Fashion.” The New York City launch event, presented by Kay Jewelers and CoverGirl, showcased unique looks from 11 icons of fashion, inspired by characters from the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“Force 4 Fashion” is part of a global initiative celebrating the distinctive synergy between film and fashion, in the run up to an exceptional moment in the history of pop culture – – Star Wars: The Force Awakens release.

VIDEO: New Disney XD Promo For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Reveals “Maz Kanata”

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This weekend, Disney XD aired a new promo for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and we got a glimpse of the elusive new character, Maz Kanata. She can be seen next to Finn as he ignites his light saber:

Maz Kanata is a new CGI character introduced in “The Force Awakens” and is played by actress Lupita Nyong’o. Similar to the marketing of Luke Skywalker, the character has been mostly under wraps in order to officially introduce her for the first time to audiences when they see “The Force Awakens”. You can see a small image of Max Kanata in the background of the official “The Force Awakens” poster and her voice-over is heard in a few TV spots.

Maz Kanata is a mysterious character which appears to be an integral part to “The Force Awakens” story line. So far what we know about Maz Kanta was revealed to us by J.J. Abrams:

Her history is that she was a pirate for a long time. She’s lived over a thousand years. She’s had this watering hole for about a century, and it’s like another bar that you’d find in a corner of the Star Wars universe.

I had some specific ideas about how she would work and what she would do. I had this pitch about these goggles that she wore. Her eyes are an important aspect of her character, and you’ll see how it plays out.

Source: Comic Book Resources

VIDEO: First Trailer For Disney And Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG”

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Disney has just released the first trailer for the upcoming movie, “The BFG”. “The BFG”, or Big Friendly Giant, is a classic story written by author Roald Dahl and the very first movie directed by Steven Spielberg for Disney:

 

The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg –finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

Disney’s “The BFG” opens July 1, 2016.

Source: Disney Movie Trailers