Author: Trafficblast

A Stranger Things prequel podcast arrives on June 29. The show is titled Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins and it will focus on the Robin Buckley, the character played by Maya Hawke in the hit show.

The six-episode podcast was announced as part of Netflix‘s Geeked Week event. Hawke will reprise her role, which she first played in 2019’s Stranger Things Season 3, and will provide some backstory to her character. There’s also a tie-in novel titled Rebel Robin due on the same day. Netflix has released a teaser–check it out below:

Several new cast members were also announced for the upcoming Stranger Things Season 4 during Geeked Week. They are Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E) as Vickie, Myles Truitt (Queen Sugar) as Patrick, Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South) as Ms. Kelly, and Grace Van Dien (The Village) as Chrissy.

Season 4 is currently in production and expected to arrive in 2022. While Season 4 was delayed due to COVID-19, many in the cast and creative team have reported that the extra time has made the writing stronger. Director Shawn Levy confirmed that “the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever.”

Other Geeked Week announcements have included the full trailer for the Fear Street movie trilogy, the release date for Locke & Key Season 2, the episode titles for Umbrella Academy Season 3, and that its live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation will debut this fall.

Stranger Things co-creators the Duffer Brothers have announced that Season 4 will add four new recurring cast members: Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E), Myles Truitt (Queen Sugar), Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South), and Grace Van Dien (The Village). The news was broadcast during Netflix’s Geeked Week event, a virtual fan-facing event revealing first looks at upcoming content.

McNulty will play Vickie, “a cool, fast-talking band nerd who catches the eye of one of our beloved heroes.” Truitt will play Patrick, “a Hawkins basketball star who has friends, talent, and a good life, until shocking events send his life spiraling out of control.” Ting Chen will play Ms. Kelly, “a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students–especially those struggling the most.” Finally, Van Dien will play Chrissy, “Hawkins’ High lead cheerleader and the most popular girl in school. But beneath the seemingly perfect surface lies a dark secret.”

The highly anticipated next season of the Netflix series is currently in production in Atlanta, and is likely coming in 2022. As has been widely reported previously, while Season 4 was delayed considerably due to COVID-19, many in the cast and creative team have reported that the extra time has made the writing stronger. Director Shawn Levy confirmed that “the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever.”

The new cast members will join an ensemble that already includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery. This recently announced new quartet of actors also join previously added actors including Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, and others.

Also so far during Geeked Week, Netflix has announced October as the release date for Locke & Key Season 2, the episode titles for Umbrella Academy Season 3, and that its live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation will debut this fall.

Knockout City, the arcade-style competitive dodgeball game, has received an update that improves the quality of matchmaking. The update is aimed at reducing ping times for players who have been experiencing high-ping matches.

In a post on the Knockout City subreddit, a member of the development team at Velan Studios gave a breakdown of the changes being implemented. Street Play, the non-ranked playlist, is only getting a small change, with the amount of matchmaking time needed to expand the acceptable ping range being increased. The developer said this change would keep matchmaking time still relatively low while increasing the quality of matches.

League Play, the game’s ranked mode, is getting a more elaborate update. League Play searches for matches based on three factors: skill level, ping, and matchmaking time. Prior to the update, the game would expand the acceptable ping range after 60 seconds and would only match with players in the exact same division and tier as you. The update raises the amount of time needed to expand the ping range to eight minutes but allows for players within one tier range–higher and lower–to be matched with you. The developer said that this change may increase matchmaking time slightly but will reduce the chances of a high-ping match significantly.

Also mentioned in the post is that this update will allow for future changes to matchmaking to be done server-side, so a new update won’t need to be downloaded if Knockout City needs more matchmaking adjustments. The developer also mentioned that the upcoming patch 1.2 will address issues with crashing–among other things–when it releases in the coming days. For anyone looking to check out some dodgeball madness, Knockout City has a free trial up to level 25.

Amazon Prime Day is coming June 21-22, and as always, there will be a number of big Prime Day deals, many of them exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card comes with its own benefits, both during Prime Day and year-round.

Like competing cards, the Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is meant to be used year-round for regular purchases, but being tied to Amazon means you get the most out of it during Prime Day. The company has already announced some extra bonuses for Amazon cardholders for Prime Day 2021, some of which you can claim simply for signing up. Here’s a rundown of the limited-time Prime Day benefits for Prime Rewards cardholders:

$150 sign-up bonus

As part of a pre-Prime Day offer, Amazon is offering a $150 Amazon gift card sign-up bonus for the Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. These bonuses are common for new credit card offers, but this is the largest one we’ve seen from Amazon. The bonus isn’t tied to Prime Day, so you can use the credit anytime. But it’s deposited in your Amazon account as soon as you’re approved, so it should be ready to spend in plenty of time for Prime Day.

Keep in mind that to qualify for the $150 sign-up bonus, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. That costs roughly $120 per year, which cuts into the sign-up bonus if you’re only getting it for that reason. But as a Prime member, you’ll get other benefits throughout the year, such as free one-day shipping, Prime Video access, and free monthly PC games. For non-members, a separate Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card offers a $50 Amazon gift card.

6% back during Prime Day

The Prime Rewards card typically gets 5% back on all purchases at Amazon (as well as Amazon subsidiaries like Whole Foods). During Prime Day, though, you’ll get an additional bump to make it 6%. That’s the largest Amazon bonus from any credit card. Those rewards come in a point system that you can trade in for Amazon goods, cash back, and gift cards.

More rewards on select Prime Day items

In addition to the 6% cash back on all Amazon Prime Day purchases, you can get an even bigger cash back bonus on select items. Amazon hasn’t announced which items those will be–and likely will not before the big sales day kicks off–but last year it included offers like 25% back on Amazon Ring and Amazon Basics, and the year before it offered 25% back on Kindle tablets and e-readers.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card year-round benefits

While you can maximize the Prime card’s usefulness during Prime Day itself, the card has general benefits throughout the year. Aside from the 5% back on Amazon purchases, you also get 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drug stores, and 1% back on other purchases. Those all contribute to the same points system that can be traded for Amazon goods, cash, and gift cards. The Prime card comes with purchase protection and an extended warranty on items you buy with the card, both at Amazon and other retailers.

The Amazon card also doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, which makes it fairly convenient if you do a lot of international travel. Booking your travel with the Prime card also gets you access to travel and emergency assistance, accident insurance, and other perks.

Is the Amazon Prime credit card worth it?

The Amazon Prime card is especially useful during Prime Day, but it is still a credit card. That means it’s in competition with credit card offers from other companies, and as you might expect, Amazon is most useful if you’re a frequent Amazon shopper. If you are, though, CNET named it one of the best cash-back credit cards for 2021.

For example, the 1-2% back on non-Amazon purchases is outmatched by competitors like the Citi Double Cash card, which gives you 2% back on all purchases. And while the Prime Day benefits are maximized with the Prime card, you can get a similar effect with the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card, which gives you up to 20% back on Amazon purchases for up to $200 within the first six months. If you got your card just before Prime Day, that’s a solid return. And competing cards with an annual fee often offer more rewards than a card that has no annual fee like Amazon’s.

And as always, use caution with any credit card. Credit cards often come with relatively high interest rates and can impact your credit score in various ways, so be sure to spend within your means–on Prime Day or otherwise.

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For more tips on maximizing your Prime Day deals, check out how you can get $20 in Amazon credit to spend during Prime Day, and how to get Prime for free (or less) in advance of Prime Day. Plus, read up on the best Prime Day deals available now and tips on how to snag the best Prime Day deals.

The list of nominees for the 2021 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards has been revealed. Essentially the equivalent of the Oscars for the comic book industry, the Eisners highlight the best and most noteworthy releases of the past year.

Among this year’s big nominees are Gene Luen Yang, who earned five nominations total for his work on Dragon Hoops and Superman Smashes the Klan, and James Tynion IV, who is among the nominees for Best Writer and whose creator-owned series The Department of Truth was nominated in four different categories.

Other multiple nominees this year include Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen writer Matt Fraction, Black Hammer writer Jeff Lemire and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist creator Adrian Tomine.

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Scroll down to see the full list of 2021 Eisner nominees. The winners will be announced in July as part of Comic-Con@Home.

Best Short Story

• “Garden Boys” by Henry McCausland, in Now #8 (Fantagraphics)

• “I Needed the Discounts” by Connor Willumsen, in The New York Times (January 3, 2020)

• “Parts of Us,” by Chan Chau, in Elements: Earth, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color (Ascend Press)

• “Rookie,” by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso, in Detective Comics #1027 (DC)

• “Soft Lead,” by Chan Chau, https://chanchauart.com/comics#/soft-lead/

• “When the Menopausal Carnival Comes to Town,” by Mimi Pond, in Menopause: A Comic Treatment (Graphic Medicine/Pennsylvania State University Press)

Best Single Issue

• The Burning Hotels, by Thomas Lampion (Birdcage Bottom Books)
• Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan (Image)
• The Other History of the DC Universe #1, by John Ridley and Giuseppe Camuncoli (DC)
• Sports Is Hell, by Ben Passmore (Koyama Press)
• Stanley’s Ghost: A Halloween Adventure, by Jeff Balke, Paul Storrie, and Dave Alvarez (Storm Kids)

Best Continuing Series

• Bitter Root, by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
• Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
• Stillwater, by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez (Image/Skybound)
• Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (IDW)

Best Limited Series

• Barbalien: Red Planet, by Jeff Lemire, Tate Brombal, and Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Dark Horse)
• Decorum, by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Huddleston (Image)
• Far Sector, by N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell (DC)
• Strange Adventures, by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Evan “Doc” Shaner (DC Black Label)
• Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
• We Live, by Inaki Miranda and Roy Miranda (AfterShock)

Best New Series

• Black Widow, by Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande (Marvel)
• Crossover, by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (Image)
• The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
• Killadelphia, by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander (Image)
• We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo (BOOM! Studios)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

• Bear, by Ben Queen and Joe Todd-Stanton (Archaia/BOOM!)
• Cat Kid Comic Club, by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic Graphix)
• Donut Feed the Squirrels, by Mika Song (RH Graphic/RH Children’s Books)
• Kodi, by Jared Cullum (Top Shelf)
• Lift, by Minh Lê and Dan Santat (Little, Brown Young Readers)
• Our Little Kitchen, by Jillian Tamaki (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)

• Doodleville, by Chad Sell (Knopf/BFYR/RH Children’s Books)
• Go with the Flow, by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann (First Second/Macmillan)
• Mister Invincible: Local Hero, by Pascal Jousselin (Magnetic Press)
• Snapdragon, by Kat Leyh (First Second/Macmillan)
• Superman Smashes the Klan, by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru (DC)
• Twins, by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

• Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones, by Ngozi Ukazu (First Second/Macmillan)
• Displacement, by Kiku Hughes (First Second/Macmillan)
• Dragon Hoops, by Gene Luen Yang (First Second/Macmillan)
• Fights: One Boy’s Triumph Over Violence, by Joel Christian Gill (Oni Press)
• A Map to the Sun, by Sloane Leong (First Second/Macmillan)
• When Stars are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (Dial Books)

Best Humor Publication

• The Complete Fante Bukowski, by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
• Department of Mind-Blowing Theories, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
• FANGS, by Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel)
• Wendy, Master of Art, by Walter Scott (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
• What If We Were . . ., by Axelle Lenoir (Top Shelf)

Best Anthology

• Ex Mag, vols. 1–2, edited by Wren McDonald (PEOW)
• Guantanamo Voices: True Accounts from the World’s Most Infamous Prison, edited by Sarah Mirk (Abrams)
• Hey, Amateur! Go From Novice to Nailing It in 9 Panels, edited and curated by Shelly Bond (IDW Black Crown)
• Los Angeles Times, edited by Sammy Harkham (NTWRK)
• Menopause: A Comic Treatment, edited by MK Czerwiec (Graphic Medicine/Pennsylvania State University Press)
• Now, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)

Best Reality-Based Work

• Big Black: Stand at Attica, by Frank “Big Black” Smith, Jared Reinmuth, and Améziane (Archaia/BOOM!)
• Dragon Hoops, by Gene Luen Yang (First Second/Macmillan)
• Invisible Differences: A Story of Asperger’s, Adulting, and Living a Life in Full Color, by Mme Caroline and Julie Dachez, translation by Edward Gauvin (Oni Press)
• Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, by Derf Backderf (Abrams)
• Paying the Land, by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan/Henry Holt)
• Year of the Rabbit, by Tian Veasna, translation by Helge Dascher (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Memoir

• Banned Book Club, by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, and Ko Hyung-Ju (Iron Circus)
• Dancing After TEN: A Graphic Memoir, by Vivian Chong and Georgia Webber (Fantagraphics)
• Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (Uncivilized)
• I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! by Ayami Kazama, translated by Julie Goniwich (Yen Press)
• The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly)
• When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (Dial Books)

Best Graphic Album—New

• The Book Tour, by Andi Watson (Top Shelf)
• Dragman, by Steven Appleby (Metropolitan)
• Flake, by Matthew Dooley (Jonathan Cape)
• Labyrinth, by Ben Argon (Abrams)
• Paul at Home, by Michel Rabagliati, translation by Helge Dascher and Rob Aspinall (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Pulp, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• Black Hammer Library Edition, vol. 2, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormstom, Emi Lenox, and Rich Tommaso (Dark Horse)
• Criminal Deluxe Edition, vol. 3, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
• Eight-Lane Runaways, by Henry McCausland (Fantagraphics)
• Fante Bukowski: The Complete Works, by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
• Herobear and the Kid: The Heritage, by Mike Kunkel (Astonish Factory)
• Seeds and Stems, by Simon Hanselmann (Fantagraphics)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Constitution Illustrated, by R. Sikoryak (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Parable of the Sower: The Graphic Novel Adaptation, by Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams)
• Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Mankind, vol. 1, by Yuval Noah Harari, adapted by David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave (Harper Perennial)
• Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, adapted by Ryan North and Albert Monteys (Archaia/BOOM!)
• Superman Smashes the Klan, adapted by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru (DC)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• Altitude, by Olivier Bocquet and Jean-Marc Rochette, translation by Edward Gauvin (SelfMadeHero)
• Gamayun Tales I: An Anthology of Modern Russian Folk Tales, by Alexander Utkin, translation by Lada Morozova (Nobrow)
• Goblin Girl, by Moa Romanova, translation by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics)
• Irena Books 2-3, by Jean-David Morvan, Severine Tréfouël, and David Evrard, translation by Dan Christensen (Magnetic Press)
• When You Look Up, by Decur, translation by Chloe Garcia Roberts (Enchanted Lion Books)
• The Winter of the Cartoonist, by Paco Roca, translation by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

• I Had That Same Dream Again, by Yoru Sumino and Idumi Kirihara, translation by Beni Axia Conrad (Seven Seas)
• I Wish I Could Say “Thank You,” by Yukari Takinami, translation by Yukari Takeuchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• A Journal Of My Father, by Jiro Taniguchi, translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• Ping Pong, vols. 1–2, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translation by Michael Arias (VIZ Media)
• Remina, by Junji Ito, translation by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
• Spy x Family, vols. 1–3, by Tatsuya Endo, translation by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips 

• The Flapper Queens: Women Cartoonists of the Jazz Age, edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics)
• Gross Exaggerations: The Meshuga Comic Strips of Milt Gross, by Milt Gross, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press/IDW)
• Krazy & Ignatz 1919-1921 by George Herriman, edited by RJ Casey (Fantagraphics)
• Little Debbie and the Second Coming of Elmo: Daily Comic Strips, August 1960–September 1961, by Cecil Jensen, edited by Frank Young (Labor of Love)
• Pogo The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips: Volume 7: Clean as a Weasel, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

• Art Young’s Inferno, by Art Young, edited by Glenn Bray (Fantagraphics)
• Atlas at War! edited by Michael J. Vassallo (Dead Reckoning)
• The Complete Hate, by Peter Bagge, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salty Sea, by Hugo Pratt, translation by Dean Mullaney and Simone Castaldi (EuroComics/IDW)
• Little Lulu: The Fuzzythingus Poopi, by John Stanley, edited by Frank Young and Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Man and Superman and Other Stories, by Harvey Kurtzman, edited by J. Michael Catron (Fantagraphics)

Best Writer

• Ed Brubaker, Pulp, Reckless (Image); Friday (Panel Syndicate)
• Matt Fraction, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC); Adventureman, November vols. 2–3, Sex Criminals (Image)
• Jonathan Hickman, Decorum (Image); Giant-Size X-Men, X-Men (Marvel)
• Jeff Lemire, Barbalien, Black Hammer, Colonel Weird: Cosmagog (Dark Horse); The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage (DC Black Label); Family Tree, Gideon Falls (Image)
• James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); Batman (DC); The Department of Truth (Image); Razorblades (Tiny Onion)
• Chip Zdarsky, Stillwater (Image/Skybound), Daredevil, Fantastic Four/X-Men (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

• Junji Ito, Remina, Venus in the Blind Spot (VIZ Media)
• Pascal Jousselin, Mister Invincible: Local Hero (Magnetic Press)
• Trung Le Nguyen, The Magic Fish (RH Graphic/RH Children’s Books)
• Craig Thompson, Ginseng Roots (Uncivilized)
• Adrian Tomine, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Gene Luen Yang, Dragon Hoops (First Second/Macmillan)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Michael Allred, Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Marco Chechetto, Daredevil (Marvel)
• Jorge Corona, Middlewest (Image)
• Bertrand Gatignol, Pistouvi (Magnetic Press)
• Mitch Gerads/Evan “Doc” Shaner, Strange Adventures (DC Black Label)
• Sanford Greene, Bitter Root (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Benjamin Adam, Soon (Europe Comics)
• Alice Chemama, The Zolas (Europe Comics)
• Jared Cullum, Kodi (Top Shelf)
• Decur, When You Look Up (Enchanted Lion Books)
• Antonio Lapone, Gentlemind (Europe Comics)
• Anand RK/John Pearson, Blue in Green (Image)

Best Cover Artist

• Jamal Campbell, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (BOOM! Studios); Far Sector (DC)
• Simone Di Meo, We Only Find Them When They’re Dead (BOOM! Studio)
• Mike Huddleston, Decorum (Image)
• Dave Johnson, Butcher of Paris (Dark Horse)
• Peach Momoko, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19, Mighty Morphin #2, Something Is Killing the Children #12, Power Rangers #1 (BOOM! Studios); DIE!namite, Vampirella (Dynamite); The Crow: Lethe (IDW); Marvel Variants (Marvel
• Ramón K. Pérez, Stillwater (Image/Skybound)

Best Coloring

• Laura Allred, X-Ray Robot (Dark Horse); Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Middlewest (Image)
• Gipi, One Story (Fantagraphics)
• Marte Gracia, Empyre, X of Swords (Marvel)
• Dave Stewart, Promethee 13:13 (comiXology); Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Gideon Falls (Image); Spider-Man #4-#5 (Marvel)
• Matt Wilson, Undiscovered Country (Image); Fire Power (Image/Skybound); Thor (Marvel)

Best Lettering

• Mike Allred, Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams (Insight Editions)
• Deron Bennett, Bear, The Sacrifice of Darkness (Archaia); King of Nowhere, Something Is Killing the Children, We Only Find Them When They’re Dead (BOOM! Studios); Far Sector, Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, Martian Manhunter (DC); Excellence (Image/Skybound); A Dark Interlude, Dark One, Relics of Youth, Resonant, Shadow Service, Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth (Vault); Ping Pong (VIZ Media)
• Aditya Bidikar, Barbalien: Red Planet, Grafity’s Wall Expanded Edition (Dark Horse); John Constantine, Hellblazer (DC); A Map to the Sun (First Second); The Department of Truth, Lost Soldiers (Image); Giga, The Picture of Everything Else (Vault)
• Clayton Cowles, Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Outsiders, Strange Adventures, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC); Adventureman, Bitter Root, Bog Bodies, Die (Image); Reaver (Image/Skybound); Morbius, X Of Swords (Marvel)
• Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (IDW)
• Rus Wooton, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth (DC); Decorum, Monstress (Image); Die!Die!Die!, Fire Power, Oblivion Song, Outcast, Stillwater (Image/Skybound) 

Best Comics-Related Journalism/Periodical

• Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
• Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)
• The Comics Blog, by Michael Cavna and David Betancourt, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/comics/
• The Comics Journal, edited by RJ Casey, Kristy Valenti, and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
• PanelxPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, PanelxPanel.com
• Women Write About Comics, edited by Nola Pfau and Wendy Browne, www.WomenWriteAboutComics.com

Best Comics-Related Book

• American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason, by Brett Dakin (Comic House/Lev Gleason)
• Ditko Shrugged: The Uncompromising Life of the Artist Behind Spider-Man and the Rise of Marvel Comics, by David Currie (Hermes Press)
• Drawing Fire: The Editorial Cartoons of Bill Mauldin, edited by Todd DePastino (Pritzker Military Museum & Library)
• The History of EC Comics, by Grant Geissman (TASCHEN)
• Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books, by Ken Quattro (Yoe Books/IDW)
• Masters of British Comic Art, by David Roach (2000AD)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

• Comic Art in Museums, edited by Kim A. Munson (University Press of Mississippi)
• Comic Studies: A Guidebook, edited by Charles Hatfield and Bart Beaty (Rutgers University Press)
• The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging, by Rebecca Wanzo (New York University Press)
• Webcomics, by Sean Kleefeld (Bloomsbury)
• Who Understands Comics: Questioning the Universality of Visual Language Comprehension, by Neil Cohn (Bloomsbury)

Best Publication Design

• Chasin’ the Bird: Charlie Parker in California deluxe edition, designed by David Chisholm and Tyler Boss (Z2 Comics)
• Dbury@50: The Complete Digital Doonesbury, by G.B. Trudeau, designed by George Corsillo and Susan McCaslin (Andrews McMeel)
• J & K, designed by John Pham (Fantagraphics)
• The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, designed by Adrian Tomine and Tracy Huron (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Original Art: The Dan Clowes Studio Edition, designed by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)

Best Digital Comic

• Friday, by Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)
• Genius Animals? by Vali Chandrasekaran and Jun-Pierre Shiozawa, geniusanimals.net
• Gentlemind, by Juan Díaz Canales, Teresa Valero, and Antonio Lapone, translation by Jeremy Melloul (Europe Comics)
• Promethee 13:13, by Andy Diggle and Shawn Martinbrough (comiXology Originals/Delcourt)
• Olive, by Véro Cazot and Lucy Mazel, translation by Jessie Aufiery (Europe Comics)
• Soon, by Thomas Cadène and Benjamin Adam, translation by Margaret Besser (Europe Comics)

Best Webcomic

• BFF, by Clément C. Fabre, Joseph Saffiedine, and  Thomas Cadène, translation by Emma Wilson,  https://www.webtoonfactory.com/en/webtoons/114-bff-saison-1/
• Crisis Zone, by Simon Hanselmann, https://www.instagram.com/simon.hanselmann/
• DPS! Only, by Vel, https://tapas.io/series/dpsonly/info
• Isle of Elsi, by Alec Longstreth, https://www.isleofelsi.com/comics/ioe4/page-208/
• The Kiss Bet, by Ingrid Ochoa, https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/the-kiss-bet/ep-1-the-kiss-bet/viewer?title_no=1617&episode_no=1
• The Middle Age, by Steve Conley, middleagecomic.com

Everybody is talking about Final Fantasy VII Remake’s doors in the PlayStation 5 version, of all things. And if you’re not tapped into the discussion surrounding this game, you might be wondering why.

The short answer is the game has some good-looking doors. Wood, metal, plastic, you name it — these are some mighty fine doors. Yes, people are impressed with FF7R’s doors on the PS5, but it’s more than that.

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What has people especially amped up on these doors is because they previously left a lot to be desired in the PS4 version of the game. Nibel on Twitter has a great comparison of a door in the PS4 version beside the same door in the PS5 version and the difference is night and day, as you can see below.

Important videogame door comparison

Left: Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4

Right: Final Fantasy VII Intergrade on PS5

(Let’s hope they’ve fixed those famous flowers as well) pic.twitter.com/7JPYaSq6sA

— Nibel (@Nibellion) June 9, 2021

The doors in the PS4 version of FF7R speak to a problem many people had with the game, as noted by Kotaku: the game’s textures in some places were blurry (see: Cloud’s apartment door) and lacking the graphical quality seen in other parts of the game.

As Kotaku’s piece points out, many textures on things like doors and signs would eventually pop in, but it would take minutes, and sometimes, like in Cloud’s apartment door’s case, the texture would never appear.

All in Midgar is right again, though, because in the PS5 version of the game the door is no longer blurry — it actually looks like a real door now.

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With Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade right around the corner — it hits PS5 tomorrow — check out our thoughts on the remake from last year in IGN’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake review. If you’re picking up Intergrade and wondering how to start the new content, check out IGN’s wiki guide on how to start the EPISODE INTERmission Yuffie DLC. Be sure to check out IGN’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake walkthrough after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Screenwriting and directing duo Peter and Bobby Farrelly are reportedly actively developing a sequel to their 1996 classic screwball sports comedy, Kingpin. According to Collider, there’s no script and there’s no confirmed cast, but it’s a start.

For those who missed it, the movie follows a star bowler (Woody Harrelson) whose career was prematurely cut short but hopes to ride a new prodigy (Randy Quaid) to success and riches. There are screwball comedies and then there are screwball comedies–Kingpin stood out at the time for its absurd goofiness, fondness for vulgarity, and Bill Murray sporting a gravity-defying haircut.

Quaid, Harrelson, and Murray were all huge stars at the time who have all gone on to shine even brighter in the years since–so it’s anyone’s guess whether any of them might return or if a Kingpin sequel would function better to pass a torch generationally to a new set of kooky bowlers. The Farrelly Brothers immediately followed Kingpin with 1998’s There’s Something About Mary, and Peter Farrelly most recently directed and co-wrote 2018’s Green Book. Kingpin was the pair’s next effort after 1994’s Dumb and Dumber.

None of the principals involved have provided an official comment. Similarly, there have been equally unconfirmed rumors about Wedding Crashers 2 also being in development.

Following the announcement in April that GameStop CEO George Sherman would be stepping down, the retailer has appointed a new head in former Amazon lead Matt Furlong.

Furlong joins GameStop after two years as a country leader for Amazon Australia, and a total of nearly eight years with Amazon in various leadership roles. Prior to that, he was an associate director with Procter and Gamble for 12 years.

GameStop has also tapped Mike Recupero as its new CFO following the resignation in February of Jim Bell. Recupero is also from Amazon, having worked there for 17 years in various positions in different regions and departments. Most recently, he was Amazon’s CFO of European consumer business.

Notably, Furlong is pointed out by GameStop’s press release to have experience in e-commerce, something it has been eagerly building up a strategy for in recent months in an effort to save its struggling brick and mortar business. The company’s shifting strategy was kickstarted in 2019 and 2020 by a group of dissatisfied activist shareholders, and has more recently been accelerated by former Chewy CEO and e-commerce enthusiast Ryan Cohen and a number of interconnected new appointments as GameStop’s leadership team undergoes a dramatic overhaul.

This news comes alongside GameStop’s reporting of its first-quarter financial results today, in which it saw net sales increase 25% to $1.3 billion, and an overall net loss of $66.8 million compared to a net loss of $165.7 million in Q1 of last year. GameStop will hold its quarterly earnings call later this afternoon, though it is unclear how much information will be provided during this given last quarter’s lack of a Q&A.

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Ewan McGregor considers himself “extraordinarily lucky” to have been able to act opposite the puppet version of Yoda used in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, before Yoda was replaced by CGI in the later sequels.

Yoda was famously a puppet character in the original three Star Wars movies and fans were happy to see Yoda return as a puppet in the first prequel. But Yoda in Episode 2 and 3 was a CGI character and this change made McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels, feel lucky about his time on set of The Phantom Menace, according to IndieWire.

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“The first film I did, I was lucky to do my scenes with the Yoda puppet,” McGregor said in an interview with Pedro Pascal, who plays Din Djarin on Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian, in Variety’s Actors on Actors series. “And it was extraordinary, because I acted with him. I couldn’t believe I was acting with Yoda.”

The actor, who’s set to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new Disney Plus series about the character, recalled just how many people were operating the alien jedi master puppet and how the stage was lifted up in such a way that McGregor could actually walk beside Yoda on set.

As much as he enjoyed working with a puppet version of Yoda, it led to many a “disturbing” take when filming the movie.

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“[E]very time George called cut, Yoda would die, because everyone just stops,” McGregor said. “It was sort of disturbing every time the end of the scene would come along. Then they replaced him for our second film and our third film with the digital version of him and it’s not nearly as endearing.”

McGregor remarked how he and and the world knew Yoda as a puppet because “we know him from the original movies as a puppet.” Then, when Yoda became a CGI character, it didn’t feel like Yoda anymore, McGregor said.

He told Pascal that “it was intereting that it went back to an actual puppet with your series,” which is a reference to Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, in The Mandalorian.

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On that same note, McGregor explained to Pascal that he’s having an “amazing time” filming the Obi-Wan Kenobi series due to how little they’re using green screens and blue screens, which is the opposite of the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s infamous use of such technology.

“I’m having such an amazing time down there with that incredible technology, and not being in front of too much green screen and blue screen,” McGregor said. “It’s like the beginning of Hollywood. It’s almost like when they had three-sided sets all in a row and a bunch of guys with windup cameras and you would just go from one stage to the other.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi started filming in April. An official release date for the series has not yet been announced. While waiting to learn more about the series, check out this story about how McGregor teased a new costume for Obi-Wan Kenobi and a “very special scene” and then read about how Hayden Christensen’s return could solve a major Darth Vader mystery.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.