Count3rCu1ture, The New DC: Justice League #1

Exclusive to Tumblr! Starting today and twice a week for...probably a while, you can see how the New DC unfolds and how a jaded fan reacts with surprise (in some cases).

Oh, hey, while I have you here...

You may remember a while back I mentioned that Shinobi Ninja had their video for "Rock Hood" out for your perusal. In case you didn't catch it, let's go to the instant replay:



So why am I bringing this up again? Because this video now has a chance to be in regular rotation at MTVu. And you can help make it happen.

If it can be done, Shinobi Ninja has promised a surprise for their fans. I'll let them give the details (courtesy of the Facebook Event page they've set up for this):

If we win this contest, we're going to throw a FREE rooftop party/concert with all sorts of swag and food. Invites will go out to everyone who votes, blasts the link, and attends and posts on this FB event. If you aren't an NYC native, you'll get an exclusive invite to stream the show and party with us online.

Its been a long and winding road but today, we're here to tell you dreams really can come true!!! Right now at this moment, Shinobi Ninja is on the brink of something amazing. No label, no suits, no BS...All of it is because of the love and support that fans like you have given us over the past three years.

A few weeks ago, MTVU.com posted an interview with us on the "Hot Seat" section instead of adding our Rock Hood video into rotation. The response to the interview was so overwhelming that MTV's staff came to see us play later that week in NYC at Arlene's Grocery. The combination of our live performance and our incredibly dedicated fans earned us a shot at the BIGTIME!!!!

Every week, MTVU selects 5 new artists to compete for an add in MTVU's regular rotation.

Millions of people discover new music on MTVU every day.

THIS WEEK, ITS OUR TURN! Its the biggest thing to happen to us since we played our first show ever at the Knitting Factory in August 2008 (by the way we are about to play our SECOND show at the Knit this week...coincidence or destiny?!?!)

Help us write the last sentence in the first chapter of the story of Shinobi Ninja and vote for "Rock Hood" on MTVU.com!

Just a little hint, you can vote as many times as you'd like!

Share this link on your social networks and tell your friends to vote too!

Happy Voting!!!!

Terminator Dave + Shinobi Ninja

The reasons I'm putting this out there?

1) Hell yeah I want an invite to this show online!

2) After seeing their set and meeting them at Nerdapalooza, I can personally vouch for not only their talent and stage presence, but for the fact that this is a genuinely nice group of folks who love recording and performing. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and I can't help but dig that.

3) They said it themselves: Shinobi Ninja is on the brink of something amazing. No label, no suits, no BS...All of it is because of the love and support that fans like you have given us over the past three years. This is a classic tale of a do-it-yourself act that's gotten to where they are on nothing but hard work, fan appreciation, and an ethic that this site embraces. They deserve to see their dreams come true, and this could be the chance they have to make it happen.

So please, go check out the video and vote for them. I'm sure you want to be invited to the party too, right?

"Man of Steel" Taking Lead From DC Reboot

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for the in-production Superman: Man of Steel.


Another reason DC may be holding out information is the current lawsuit between DC’s parent company, Warner Bros, and the heirs of Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. If the lawsuit is not settled by 2013, some core elements of Superman’s origin and character become property of the estates of Siegel and Shuster. Is DC planning a pre-emptive srtrike in completely changing the world’s most recognizeable superhero?

- Me, Examining the DC Relaunch Part 03: The Heavyweights, Examiner.com


It was a damn set-up.

Looking back on that statement, it certainly helps make the DC Reboot make a little more sense now. Sure, that's an awful lot of change, but it goes a long way toward reigning in a little more control of the biggest character in the industry (no matter how many wanna hate, let's face facts here).

Let's get right to it. Take a look at the cover for the new Superman #1 (drawn by the legendary George Perez), coming out in September, for just a moment:



Got it? Good. Prepare to use that as a reference point, okay?

Now, some enterprising individual(s?) happened to snap some set shots of Superman: Man of Steel, due out Summer, 2013. The shots are meant to be a revelation of the character Faora, played by Antje Traue. Before you ask the question, no, I don't have a clue who she is. The actress or the character. And really, it's not important here.

And I have to say, I normally tend to ignore spoiler shots like this. They very rarely tell anything about the final product because, in the world of CGI, there's so much missing. And a photo can't say a thing about whether or not the plot's any good. However, this one I came across - and these set pics happened to tell me a lot. Not about how the movie looks or how great of a story we're in for, but more of how DC and Warner Bros plan to get around this lawsuit issue and still create a new buzz for the biggest character in comics all at the same time.

Take a good look at the set photo. Pay particular attention to the man in red and blue:



Whoa wait, what? One more time, in slow-motion:



Yeah, I think that's exactly what DC has in mind. "Freshening up characters," "relating to real-world situations," and "injecting new life" all sounds good and fine, but exerting more control over your properties - and how they're portrayed in other media - is just as important.


++++++++++++++


A coupla music videos for ya. Well, one full one and one teaser.

The full one comes from my pals Shinobi Ninja. It is the title track from their record, Rock Hood, which packs one hell of a catchy melody. But don't take my word for it...



The teaser is from the forthcoming The Browncoats Mixtape from Adam WarRock and KHill of the ThoughtCriminals. Not what I'm used to hearing from these guys at all - and it sounds so cool...



Oh, and speaking of WarRock? Feel free to head to the link above to check out (among all the other good stuff this guy unloads) the free singles he's been releasing this month, the latest being "Commedia Dell’Arte". He's unloading free stuff as part of a donation drive to help handle expenses for his upcoming tour with Random (aka Mega Ran), MC Lars and MC Chris. Go help a brotha out. And score some excellent free tunes to boot!

Count3rCu1ture News Desk - 08.11.11

Count3rCu1ture News Desk - 08.11.11

Welcome back, script kiddies. Having took a minute to recover from Nerdapalooza as well take care of some other business, I check the interwebz to find some interesting comic teasers, some great news involving a comic strip as old-school as it gets, some new (and free!, in at least one case) music to check out now and in the future, and some upheaval in one of the most prominent Nerd Music labels around. Let’s get to this...

Oh, and for those curious - yes, I made sure I checked facts this time so as not to ruin my journalistic unprofessionalism.


”Four” What?

This past Monday, August 8, was the 50th anniversary of the release of Fantastic Four #1. The book that started it all for Marvel. And what better way to celebrate than with another media teaser?



So much for the death of Johnny Storm lasting, huh? Not so fast. A second teaser appeared the day after:



Hurrm. Looks like the current Future Foundation to me. Four total. Not a Torch in sight. So, this was something completely different then, right? Sure – until Wednesday came...



Umm, I...wait—



Yeah, Kitty. That was my initial reaction, too.

Until I thought about for a little bit. Marvel hearts them some media buzz. Kinda the same way Vince McMahon does, only Marvel honcho Joe Quesada is actually good at getting that attention. Marvel does stuff like this all the time - keep us guessing until right before the issue comes out and then drop the big news on USA Today so we’re kept talking, whether we read these books all the time or not.

And that’s what’s happening here as well. It certainly looks like Torch may be back. And as of this typing we have 2 more days of teasers to go (if Marvel follows their standard MO) to see where this might be going. I’m betting on his return, personally. If for no other reason than the date the teasers keep featuring? November 2011? Would have been when Fantastic Four #600 would be on comic stands had Marvel not re-numbered the book.


FLASH! AAAAHHHHH!!

Oh man, this makes me happier than Michelle Bachmann in an insane asylum.


“Does this suit make me look crazy?”

Anyway, Titan Books has announced the publication of The Complete Flash Gordon Library. No, seriously. All of it.

Going all the way back to creator Alex Raymond’s original strips, The Complete Flash Gordon Library is a representation of every single Flash Gordon strip in existence, re-colored, remastered, and in chronological order. Each page will be 11" x 10", and each volume will feature 176-plus pages of the saviour of the universe.

All I have to say is...two things, really. One, if you see the name “Flash Gordon” and your first thought is, “who?” -- get of this site right now and go back to TMZ where you belong. Second, if anyone is looking for any Christmas ideas for yours truly, starting here would guarantee a bond.


Music for the Hard of Hearing

Several new records have come across the pike within the last week or so. A couple of these, I owe my southern brethren Z a vote of thanks for the heads-up for, as he was kind enough to share his stash. Puff, puff, give. That’s my pal. We therefore have, in chronological order...

Up first is Illbotz’s Pudding is Delicious. This actually came out way back in February. Yeah, I’m a little late to this party, but the good news it was still going strong when I arrived. There’s almost no way it couldn’t have been with Stevie D, Big Perm, and DJ Samson bobbing and weaving with nerd references galore. Even if it was just nerdy, Pudding is Delicious would still be an excellent Hip-Hop record, as Stevie D can open up like Roadblock’s .50 caliber and Samson puts together some great beats. A perfect example of the two coming together is “Stank Ass Rappas (feat. Sarah G)”, which has Stevie moving at Warp 3 over a beat made up of Men Without Hats’ “Pop Goes The World”. Excellent stuff all around, you can find it for a mere $5 (a steal!) at the Illbotz bandcamp page.

Next record came out just two days ago and is a mixtape from Shinobi Ninja. Duke Sims and Baby G are in great form, oozing sexiness and dominance all over this record. DJ Axis Powers puts together some great mash-up beats for the group to tear all over, including some heart-warming melancholy on “Downhearted” (with Suzanne Vega and Primitive Radio Gods duking it out in the background). This record has a lot going on sonically and can take several listens to take it all in. You’ll need to catch your breath after the first run, though. This is an excellent way to enter the world of the Shinobi Ninja (who is my personal pick for Nerdapalooza 2011’s Breakthrough Performer), and you can do it for absolutely Ennh Oh (that’s Michael “P.S.” Hayes-ese for “Free”) at Shinobi Ninja’s website.

Last but by no means least is Supercommuter’s Products of Science. First of all, Wheelie Cyberman, Stenobot, and Tron Juan compose “8-Bit Sci-Fi Hip-Hop”. While that has my attention right off the bat, what I really dig about this album is that this is the first time I think I’ve had my eyes opened to what the Chiptunes (8-Bit) genre is truly capable of. I love some old-school video game themes as rap backdrop as much as the next guy, but here...there’s no old-school video game themes. It’s all original compositions used for the music. I’m sure they’re not the first ones to ever compose original tunes in 8-Bit, but they’re actually the first I’ve heard do it. And the melodies they come up with are another world unto themselves. Put all that on top of great mic skills? Sold. For $10, at the Supercommuter website. Official release date on that is Tuesday, August 16, but you can hear some before hand at the link provided. Go clickie!


Scrub Club - Transform?

Holy Dogsnot, has Scrub Club Records had a hell of a week.

The Hip-Hop label and Nerdcore beacon is undergoing some serious roster changes. The good news is that the label has signed Torrentz and Soup Or Villainz (which you saw announced on this very site).

Now, the bad news? Oh, man. Scrub Club has lost (between August 7 and now): Powerlifter, Krondor Krew / Shinobi MC (not to be confused with Shinobi Ninja), Dr. Awkward, ZeaLouS 1, Shammers, Lefthand, and Jay Bishop.

That seems a lot of bleeding, but label head MadHatter has confirmed on the label’s Facebook page that, “here's the artists for sure sticking around on Scrub Club: MadHatter, Kabuto The Python, HDninja, Dale Chase, Torrentz, Untested Methods, Soup or Villainz, Emergency Pizza Party, Deafinition, and King Pheenix.” To further elaborate on what the hell’s going on, Hatter announced with the departure of Lefthand and Bishop that, “ Now the roster is final!” - alluding to an earlier post that explained what the hell is going on:

“Oh, there will be plenty artists. We're in the process of switching gears a bit, and really pushing a few core values to the limit. Some are down for it, some are not. But Scrub Club continues on, stronger than ever with what we've got brewing. No worries!”

So, it seems that there’s more news to come from Scrub Club regarding the future of the label, which apparently involves a plan. I think I may try and get a hold of MadHatter himself and see if we can get to the bottom of what’s going on.