io9 got the opportunity to talk to Thor writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller about the work they contributed to Bryan Singer’s return to the X-Universe in X-Men: First Class. In the interview they talk (vaguely, of course) the direction they are taking the script and how working on TV projects such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe have helped them with their scripting.

What were your first meetings with Bryan Singer like?

AEM: Bryan is a great collaborator. He’s very smart, he knows what he wants and he’s great with the back-and-forth of designing cool scenes and moments. And when you get into the superheroics, he wants to understand how and why things work.

ZS: In TV terms, it was like meeting with a great showrunner — he absolutely knows what he wants, but is interested in your opinion and enjoys means-testing all of the ideas that come out.

How difficult was it to settle on the story to tell? There are so many firsts the X-Men had…how do you choose just one?

AEM: Step One: You can’t think of it that way. You have to let go of all of that.

ZS: Yeah, that way lies checking boxes on a list instead of just finding a great story.

AEM: So you ask the same questions you’d ask on any other script: Who are these characters? What do they want? What’s in their way?

True. but with so much to choose from, are there conscious decisions of the things you know you want in there?

AEM: Sure, but it has to feel organic. If it doesn’t emerge naturally, you should never ever force it. (And yes, that’s what she said.)

You can read the full interview here

Frankly, it appears like some of Marvel’s best characters are in some very enthusiastic and capable fan-boyish (in a good way) hands. Seems like these writers are devoted to the Marvel Universe and all that entails – hopefully that shines through in Thor, and if it does I can’t imagine not having some high-hopes for First Class.

This week, in anticipation of Iron Man 2 tonight, I took a look at Demon in a Bottle for IN Magazine.

As usual, if you’re in the Greater Salt Lake area, you can pick up a copy on newsstands. You can read the online version here or you can read the print version below.

For those of you interested, you can get Demon in a Bottle at your local comic book store, or on Amazon.

Arse-bot: Holy. Shit. I don’t even know where to begin with last night’s episode of LOST. What an emotional, intense episode…

Allow me to briefly address the alt-time line first. Not a lot happened, but we got to see the parallel’s between Atl-Jack and Locke, and Real-Jack and Locke. This time around, it’s Jack trying to make a believer out of Locke with regards to his spinal surgery, and in the final moments it’s quite clear that Locke has had a vision of his Island-Prophet self while he was under…

Now, to the meat of the episode: The result of the cliff-hanger from two weeks ago of all the Oceanic Castaways (sans Jack) on their knees at gun point last week turned out not to be too big of a deal. Whidmore just wanted to keep them in cages is all… which I found to be a bit odd and didn’t really understand the motivation for that. But, none-the-less Sawyer and Kate found themselves back in a familiar place and it seemed that everyone was out of ideas.

Of course, Jack, Zombie-Sayid, and Flocke all narrowly escaped the mortar fire – and now Flocke wants to go reclaim his “prisoners”. Jack and company free Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Lapidus quite easily – which again, Whidmore finally got them away from Flocke, you’d think he would have had some backup generators on that fence or something. I have to say, one of my favorite things about this episode was seeing the original castaways tromping through the Island on an “adventure” again – only the stakes have never been higher.

After getting the people he needs back, Flocke leads them to the plane only to find it has been rigged with C4. So it’s on to Plan B. Steal the submarine. Of course, Sawyer still doesn’t trust Flocke and plots with Jack to once again stop him from escaping with them. The castaways all sneak on to an eerily unguarded sub, but there are casualties along the way. Kate gets pegged in the chest, Jack pushes Flocke into the water to buy them some time to get on the sub without him, and during the getaway, Crazy Claire gets left behind – which I’m sure doesn’t bode well now for Kate…

Once Jack and Flocke started towards the sub and Flocke handed jack his backpack I knew there was C4 on it, so it was no surprise when the found it – what was a surprise was the timer; that is, until Jack made his point. Jack stated that Flocke is counting on them to dick around with the bomb to detonate it because he can’t kill them for some reason, it appears to be “against the rules”. So this whole thing has been a plot by Flocke to get them to kill each other. Of course, after the last time Jack asked Sawyer to trust him and ended up getting Juliet killed, Sawyer is less-than-convinced. In an attempt to difuse the bomb, Sawyer speeds up the clock – and in what I thought to be a great act of redemption, Sayid runs to the far side of the sub with the C4 and sacrifices his own life (Casualty one). Now they have a new problem, the sub is sinking and the explosion trashed the sub. Lapidus eats it by getting a heavy metal door shot at him by gushing water (Casualty 2) and Sun is pinned to the side of a wall. Jack gets Hurley to take the wounded Kate to the surface while he, Sawyer, and Jin all try to free Sun, and in the process, Sawyer gets knocked the hell out by a falling beam. Now Jin convinces Jack to take the now wounded Sawyer to the surface…

Which brings us to perhaps the most emotional moment on LOST yet, and if you haven’t watched it yet and you’ve been reading all these spoilers thus-far, I’d stop now. We have followed Jin and Sun for six years now. Six years. We have seen them grow apart to only see them come back together stronger. They have thought each other to be dead, to only be reunited after 3 years apart and having to fight their way through the Island. Now, with Sun pinned against the wall, Jin refused to leave his wife once again, despite her pleas for him to leave her behind. Only a short 24 hours or so after reuniting Jin and Sun stay with each other as the sub goes down and we say goodbye in a tear jerking scene of their hands letting go of eachother under water (Casualties 3 & 4).

The creators promised us there would be casualties before all was said and done – and now we see they aren’t fucking around. Of all the Oceanic Castaways to get on that sub, we are now only left with relatively healthy Jack and Hurley, an unconcious Sawyer, and Kate with a bullet hole in her chest (I’m guessing one of these two may not make it through next week’s episode…) and now Flocke is determined to “finish what he started”. I have to hand it to Lindelof and Abrams, they are ruthless in their art form. We have grown to love and hate these characters over the last 6 years and it doesn’t appear they have plans to give them all long, drawn out dramatic deaths. They are quick and shocking, and in a split-second some of our favorites are gone. I only imagine what they have in store for us leading up to the two hour finale on May 23, and I am actually nervous to watch the coming episodes because they have made it quite apparent that no one is safe…

Okay Proletaria, I’ve said enough. Did last night’s episode manage to short out any of your well-protected emotion chips?

Proletaria-Tron: What. The. Fuck. I honestly can’t remember what happened in most of this episode because the last ten minutes was so mind blowing. Something about Alternate Locke not wanting to walk as some sort of punishment for making his dad a vegetable, and a bunch of Widmore’s people got killed but God DAMN what an ending.

I won’t lie to you, I was really really REALLY hoping that when Kate got shot she was going to die. I was actually a little pissed off she didn’t, but I thought hey maybe later she’ll die. Then Jack pulled out the bomb. And then Sawyer was a dumb bastard and made the bomb even worse. No part of me was thinking that Sayyid would snap out of his crazy and do something about the bomb, especially take it and run and commit suicide!!! If anyone says that saw that coming I have one thing to say to you, You Sir/Madam are a liar!

Now not only did we lose the Prince of Bad Ass (Desmond is King) but then moments after they are finally reunited and can be together we lose Sun and Jin! We’ve been waiting years for them to get back together and Boom!, just like that Sun is trapped and drowning, and Jin being the super Bad Ass that he is stays with her…Excuse me, tears all over the keyboard…Ahem. And if losing 3 of the best characters weren’t bad enough Frank died too (I think? We never really got confirmation) So now there is no pilot, and no submarine. What happens now??? Arse-Bot?? What Happens???

Arse-bot: I DON’T KNOW! [curls up in fetal position rocking back and forth, emotion chip overloading…] I JUST DON’T KNOW!!!

There you have it! Now sound off in the comments and tell us how all of you felt about last night’s episode of LOST!

Be sure to check out our latest edition of our web-comic, Previously on LOST by Bambot!

And finally, the Series Finale of LOST is only 2 1/2 short weeks away! If you haven’t heard by now Big Shiny Robot! is bringing you the Series Finale on the Big Screen at Brewvies on Sunday, May 23! We want to see all you local LOST fans there, so here’s all the details!

Ashley Eckstein is the voice of Anakin’s Padawan, Ahsoka, on The Clone Wars, and we got together via the magic of the telephone to talk to you about the season two finale of Clone Wars, what to expect in season three, and the maturing arc of the character.

We’ve seen her grow up and mature a lot and in the season finale we see a hint of what to expect in season three.  And I have to say, we’re already halfway through recording season three and I’m happy to say that she’s prominently featured in season three.  We just finished this one three part story arc in season that…the storyline just blew my mind.  Season two she was in and out quite a bit, but she was given some great story lines.  But I can guarantee to the fans that there are some great things coming up in Season Three.

The other thing we talked about was Her Universe, which is the line of clothing that Ashley is shepherding to stores and conventions.

Her Universe came out of my fandom and my pride in being a fangirl.  I went scouring on the internet looking for merchandise for female fans and I turned up a couple of things, a couple of shirts here and there, and other times they were sold out or on back order or I just couldn’t find them.  So I started doing my research and found that close to 50% of all Star Wars fans are female.  And it just wasn’t adding up.  And I was told to just be satisfied buying a men’s small because there weren’t enough female fans to justify the merchandise.  So I’ve been trying to be the voice of the female fans to make this happen for them.

Clothes isn’t the only thing she’ll be tackling, though.  There will be jewelry, purses, make-up and all kinds of other female oriented gear.  That includes clothes and pajamas for the younger girls, too, though those aren’t coming out until a little later.

They’ll be selling this stuff online her and at conventions.

I made a suggestion of an item they should sell, and hopefully we can see it on the market, but I want to see I wanted to see them make a replica of the Japor snippet necklace that Anakin made for Padme.

We talked about a lot more than that, so you’ll just have to listen to the full interview here.

To buy any of this stuff, you need to check out the Her Universe website here.  They will also be launching at Comic-Con, where I will be sure to visit and report to you about it.

This episode features: Zombietron, Kill-Tacular-Tron, Arse-Bot, Mexicus Prime, Proletaria-tron, Dr. Cyborg, and special guest and local comic shop badass, Kiley

The April edition of the Big Shiny Podcast! features all of us asshole robots talking about LOST, all the Marvel movie news from the last month (and there’s a LOT). Zombietron also give you a rundown of video game news including how Capcom is a bunch of cock-teases for releasing the teaser for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 teaser so early. We have Kiley back to talk some comics and we give Mexicus-Prime an opportunity to talk collectibles… and he blows it. We wrap things up with the worst Karl Malone impression you’ve ever heard… period.

We plug our first event that is coming towards the end of this month (May), Big Shiny Robot Presents: The LOST Series Finale on the Big Screen courtesy of Brewvies Cinema-pub! Here is the link to the Facebook event page we keep referencing, hope to see you all there! BSR! LOST Series Finale on the Big Screen Facebook Event Page

April Big Shiny Podcast

• iTunes – Be sure to subscribe, rate and comment!
• BSR mp3

Once again, Dr. Cyborg is back in the pages of IN magazine for our weekly column. This week, he tells the ladies why it’s better to date Comic Nerds than Jocks.

IN Magazine is published weekly and is available on news stands all over Salt Lake City and Park City. You can read the online version here, or you can click on the image below to read that version.

Who is excited for the Thor movie next year? I sure as hell am! Espcially after the last couple of days. Yesterday Latino Review had posted a set pic from their “spy” on the Thor movie set of Destroyer. Destroyer is an enchanted armor that Odin builds to contain his power to fight the celestials. Here is the picture of it:

Then earlier today Marvel posted what appears to be an official movie still released by Marvel and Paramount studios showing us our first look at Chris Hemsworth as Thor!

After seeing these two images and how awesome they are I don’t know if I can wait a whole year for the movie, which is set to release May 6th 2011!

UPDATE:  These have been all around the internet, but someone pointed out that there are images of Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir, from Iron Man 2 floating about.  So…  Uh…  Here is one:

Just in time for the release of Iron Man 2, we’ve been given the opportunity to give away a pair of animated DVD collections you’re sure to want on your shelf. Walt Disney Studios is putting out the 5th volume of the X-Men animated series and the complete volume of the 1994 Iron Man cartoon.

On Tuesday May 4th, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release IRON MAN: THE COMPLETE 1994 ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES and X-MEN: Vol. 5 on DVD! From Stan Lee comes Marvel’s complete 1994 animated television series, Iron Man. Experience every thrilling moment – from the very first episode, to the final climactic battle – in this 3-disc collector’s edition. The action doesn’t end there! The original tales of Marvel comic books come to life in Volume 5 of the X-men collection. Relive the action of the popular animated series in this collectible compilation of the X-men adventures.

If you can’t wait for the contest and just want to order them, you can buy them off of Amazon here.

This is going to be one of our easiest contests yet. All you need to do is leave a comment telling us what you like about Big Shiny Robot! and what you want to see more of. We’ll count your entry double if you spread the word about the contest to all your social media friends, just let us know you’ve done it.

A winner will be picked randomly on May 7th.

Big Shiny Robot!, in conjunction with the fantastic establishment, Brewvies Cinema Pub, is proud to present The Series Finale of LOST on the Big Screen!

What better way to watch the series finale of many-a-geek’s favorite show than in a theater with fellow LOST fans?! Well, Big Shiny Robot! with the help of Brewvies is making that happen for you! If you are in (or are gong to be in) Utah join all of us LOST-loving robots from BSR! at 7:00pm on Sunday, May 23 at Brewvies (677 South 200 West) to watch the LOST Series Finale in what we’d consider to be the best way – with fellow LOST fans, a beer (or cocktail) in hand, and some ridiculously good food in front of you! Oh, and did we mention admisstion is FREE? Because it is, and that’s an important point because that’s one more beer you can buy…

We have set up an open event page on Facebook for The Series Finale of LOST on the Big Screen so be sure to go to it, RSVP, then shoot an invite to all your other friends that love LOST, too!

Here are all the glorious details, hope to see you there!

What: Big Shiny Robot! Presents The Series Finale of LOST on the Big Screen!

Where: Brewvies Cinema Pub
677 South 200 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

When: Sunday, May 23, 2010
7:00 PM

Please be aware that Brewvies is a full bar and therefor is a 21 and older only establishment.

Lucasfilm gave me the opportunity to do an interview with Daniel Logan in advance of the opening episode of the 3 episode opening of the Clone Wars season finale.

Daniel played Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones and provides the voice for the character on the Clone Wars animated television show. Tonight is Boba Fett’s animated debut on The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network.

Among things we talked about were his take on Boba Fett between Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars:

Boba Fett is obviously now solo. He doesn’t have his father, so he’s lost his connection to a family figure. He’s matured quite a bit. He’s a very revengeful and I wouldn’t say dark, but driven young little boy now.

And we talked a bit about his online participation with fans on twitter and facebook.

It’s an enjoyment and a pleasure to be able to be with Star Wars fans and be able to interact with them. With the internet, why not take advantage of it? I want to give back to my fans as much as they give me.

In fact, Daniel will be taking live questions on his twitter (@Daniel_Logan) after the episodes air.

He talked about his upbringing and explained how he went from not ever having heard of Star Wars as a poor kid from a big family in New Zealand to being Boba Fett and becoming a major Star Wars fan in his own right.

We also talked about the potential for him to appear in the live action series. Obviously he gave no confirmation that it was happening, but expressed an immense grattitude to the fans who are pushing to make sure he reprises the role if the series ever comes to fruition. He also made sure to add that he’d love to do it.

Though he could offer no confirmations, Daniel left the door open for the idea of Boba Fett appearing in Clone Wars season 3.

To listen to the full interview, click on the Big Shiny Robot! iTunes feed here. Be sure to rate and subscribe to it, too. (The connection on the phone for the interview was a little bit staticy, so just be aware of that going in.)

For other Star Wars interviews, click this link.

(And don’t forget to enter our Star Wars contest that ends tomorrow.)