451 Media Group Storms New York Comic Con with Premiere of New Graphic Novels from Top Hollywood Creators

451 Media Group will exclusively premier nine graphic novels, created by top Hollywood writers of "The Deuce", "X-Men First Class", "The Fast and Furious" and other blockbusters, at this year's New York Comic Con.

451 Media Group, a multi-platform entertainment company, today announced it will exclusively premiere nine graphic novels, previously released only in single issue series, created by some of the most sought-after TV and movie writers at this year's New York Comic Con (NYCC). Co-founded by acclaimed director and producer Michael Bay, 451 delivers an immersive entertainment experience combining cutting edge digital technology with content from some of the Hollywood's top creative minds.

451 Media Group has produced trade paperback editions of all its properties for the first time, nine titles of which will be making their debut at NYCC. Created by marquee Hollywood talent, the titles include:

S6X - From master author/screenwriter George Pelecanos (HBO's The Deuce, The Wire, and The Pacific) comes an explosive tale of war and the lives of six soldiers altered forever, who reunite for one last mission to bring down those who threaten one of their own in a full fury showdown risking everything they have.

"S6X is very visual and character driven," says Pelecanos. "These are very young men and women. And they look like everyday people. That's something that I wanted to write about because I think it's very real and also very important. To me, the graphic novel was the perfect vehicle to take the plunge and dive into the world of sequential art. And it's something that I've wanted to do for a really long time."

"What I love about the world George created is it's both heightened and populated by real human beings. The characters are flawed, wounded and emotionally tangible souls who just happen to be caught up in this operatic but deeply personal war story. S6X is more than just a shoot 'em up — it's about the things people are capable of at their very worst and their very best," says Ashley Miller, the screenwriter of X-MEN FIRST CLASS, THOR who is adapting the book for the big screens.

Red Dog – From Rob Cohen (writer of The Fast and The Furious, xXx and upcoming film Hurricane Heist). Comes an all new sci-fi adventure that follows Kyle, the only child on a distant planet, and his robot dog Red. When Red goes missing in the savage alien landscape, Kyle goes in search of his friend facing dangers beyond imagination and proves no matter how far in space you go, there's no greater bond than one between a boy and his dog.

"RED DOG is my passion project and if I can make it into a movie someday, I will die a happy man," says Cohen. "But more important than that, it has found its form as a graphic novel thanks to the brilliant folks at 451 and a day does not start that I don't look at a copy of to the first issue framed on my wall and smile." 

NVRLND – From the creative minds of the writing team, Stephanie Salyers and Dylan Mulik comes NVRLND a dark and magical re-imagining of PETER PAN set in present-day Hollywood. Wallflower turned wild-child Wendy Darling befriends the fiery Tiger Lily and enters the rave scene of the underground club NVRLND. Intoxicated by music and pixie dust, Wendy falls for the enigmatic Peter, lead singer of The Lost Boys. You think you may know the truth about NVRLND but the truth is you know nothing.

Stained - Meet Emma London: recovery artist and bounty hunter for hire. She is strong, possibly indomitable, and did we mention...part machine. Emma enters dark places that no one else will go to track down the subhuman criminals lurking in the underbelly of society and bring them to justice. From David Baron, 2016 Harvey Nominee and top comic professional spanning over twenty plus years with highlights including GREEN ARROW: YEAR ONE, PLANETARY, THE AUTHORITY, JLA, DETECTIVE COMICS (THE BLACK MIRROR), GREEN LANTERN, DIVINITY and BLOODSHOT: REBORN.

"With Issue one selling out, I couldn't be happier how well STAINED has been received by fans and professionals. I don't think I have ever been more excited for a Con in my 20 year career to premiere STAINED at NYCC 2017," says Baron.

Additional graphic novels premiering from 451:

Self Storage - A Zom-rom-com from Clay McLeod Chapman, the writer of The Boy, Henley, Edge of Spider-Verse and Marvel's Universe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Humbug - A masterly plotted merry and manic mash-up of SHERLOCK HOLMES and GHOSTBUSTERS from A.J. Gentile, the writers and creators of MICRONAUTS and VISIONARIES.

Sunflower – A psychological thriller from writer Mark Mallouk, writer of Black Mass starring Johnny Depp.

ExMortis – An epic WWII action adventure from the minds of Paul + Pete Williams, VFX gurus behind Avatar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Chronicles of Narnia.

Bad Moon Rising – A wild smash up of The Wolfman and Sons of Anarchy from writer/producer Scott Rosenberg (Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, Jumanji 2, Welcome to the Jungle, and the CBS series ZOO).

Learn more about these and other original story titles at 4five1.com.

NYCC brings the best of comics, television, film, exhibitors, celebrities, cosplay, anime, and more to create memorable, uniquely exciting experiences for fans who come from around the world for the ultimate pop culture experience. The annual event will be held on October 5-8, 2017 at the Javits Center in the heart of NYC. Visit 451 Media at Booth #444.

Co-founded by acclaimed director and producer Michael Bay, 451 delivers an immersive entertainment experience combining cutting edge digital technology with content from some of the Hollywood's top creative minds.

About 451 Media Group

451 Media Group is a technology-focused intellectual property (IP) development & entertainment company. Working with cutting edge technology and highly accomplished talent, 451 is a multi-tiered platform content creator that combines publishing, entertainment, media and technology together with the industry's leading writers, artists and tech visionaries to captivate and engage readers in a unique digital experience. 451 Media Group was co-founded by Michael Bay, Anthony Gentile, John Gentile and Douglas Nunes.


SOURCE: 451 Media Group

Could We Build A Blade Runner-Style 'Replicant'?

Image via Sony Pictures

By Fumiya Iida, University of Cambridge

The new Blade Runner sequel will return us to a world where sophisticated androids made with organic body parts can match the strength and emotions of their human creators. As someone who builds biologically inspired robots, I’m interested in whether our own technology will ever come close to matching the “replicants” of Blade Runner 2049.

The reality is that we’re a very long way from building robots with human-like abilities. But advances in so-called soft robotics show a promising way forward for technology that could be a new basis for the androids of the future.

From a scientific point of view, the real challenge is replicating the complexity of the human body. Each one of us is made up of millions and millions of cells, and we have no clue how we can build such a complex machine that is indistinguishable from us humans. The most complex machines today, for example the world’s largest airliner, the Airbus A380, are composed of millions of parts. But in order to match the complexity level of humans, we would need to scale this complexity up about a million times.

There are currently three different ways that engineering is making the border between humans and robots more ambiguous. Unfortunately, these approaches are only starting points, and are not yet even close to the world of Blade Runner.

There are human-like robots built from scratch by assembling artificial sensors, motors and computers to resemble the human body and motion. However, extending the current human-like robot would not bring Blade Runner-style androids closer to humans, because every artificial component, such as sensors and motors, are still hopelessly primitive compared to their biological counterparts.

There is also cyborg technology, where the human body is enhanced with machines such as robotic limbs, wearable and implantable devices. This technology is similarly very far away from matching our own body parts.

Replicants have human-like abilities. (Sony Pictures)

Finally, there is the technology of genetic manipulation, where an organism’s genetic code is altered to modify that organism’s body. Although we have been able to identify and manipulate individual genes, we still have a limited understanding of how an entire human emerges from genetic code. As such, we don’t know the degree to which we can actually programme code to design everything we wish.

Soft robotics: a way forward?
But we might be able to move robotics closer to the world of Blade Runner by pursuing other technologies, and in particular by turning to nature for inspiration. The field of soft robotics is a good example. In the last decade or so, robotics researchers have been making considerable efforts to make robots soft, deformable, squishable and flexible.

This technology is inspired by the fact that 90% of the human body is made from soft substances such as skin, hair and tissues. This is because most of the fundamental functions in our body rely on soft parts that can change shape, from the heart and lungs pumping fluid around our body to the eye lenses generating signals from their movement. Cells even change shape to trigger division, self-healing and, ultimately, the evolution of the body.

The softness of our bodies is the origin of all their functionality needed to stay alive. So being able to build soft machines would at least bring us a step closer to the robotic world of Blade Runner. Some of the recent technological advances include artificial hearts made out of soft functional materials that are pumping fluid through deformation. Similarly, soft, wearable gloves can help make hand grasping stronger. And “epidermal electronics” has enabled us to tattoo electronic circuits onto our biological skins.

Softness is the keyword that brings humans and technologies closer together. Sensors, motors and computers are all of a sudden integrated into human bodies once they became soft, and the border between us and external devices becomes ambiguous, just like soft contact lenses became part of our eyes.

Nevertheless, the hardest challenge is how to make individual parts of a soft robot body physically adaptable by self-healing, growing and differentiating. After all, every part of a living organism is also alive in biological systems in order to make our bodies totally adaptable and evolvable, the function of which could make machines totally indistinguishable from ourselves.

It is impossible to predict when the robotic world of Blade Runner might arrive, and if it does it will probably be very far in the future. But as long as the desire to build machines indistinguishable from humans is there, the current trends of robotic revolution could make it possible to achieve that dream.

About Today's Contributor:
Fumiya Iida, Lecturer in mechatronics, University of Cambridge

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

Blade Runner 2049 - Trailer:

Bonus Video:

Catalina Film Festival Wraps 7th Annual Fest With Awards in 14 Categories From 113 Films in Competition; Career Tributes, Film & New Media Summit Rounded out the Five-Day Fest

Actor and activist, Matt McGorry (How to Get Away With Murder, Orange is the New Black), and director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords of Dogtown) at Catalina Film Festival, in the projection room of the historic Avalon Theatre. (Credit: Jerod Harris)

The 7th annual Catalina Film Festival (CFF) wrapped with awards issued in 14 film competition categories selected from 113 films screened at venues throughout the famed Catalina Island. The annual film festival also featured career tributes, as well as the annual Film & New Media Summit.

Acclaimed director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island, Metal Gear, Destiny 2, upcoming Godzilla Vs. Kong) attends Catalina Film Festival on Catalina Island to accept the Festival's Crest Award for Directing. (Credit: Jerod Harris)

CAREER TRIBUTE AWARDS INCLUDED:

• Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award: 91-year-old veteran producer, Marcia Nasatir (The Big Chill, Rocky, Carrie, Apocalypse Now)

• Maverick Award: Actor and Activist, Matt McGorry (How to Get Away with Murder)

• Crest Award—Directing: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island, Metal Gear, Destiny 2)

• Crest Award—Acting: Wyatt Oleff (IT, Guardians of the Galaxy)

FESTIVAL AWARDS INCLUDED:

• U.S. Feature — Winner: ROCKAWAY / Excellence: Tater Tot & Patton

• Documentary — Winner: Black and Blue / Excellence: A Classy Broad

• Wes Craven Horror — Winner: Matthew 19:14 / Excellence: The Madame in Black

• Screenplay — Winner: Time Zero / Excellence: The Joyrider

• Animation — Winner: Alike / Excellence: Catching the L Train

• U.S. Short — Winner: Chocolate / Excellence: The Visit

• Conservation — Winner: Manmade Waters / Excellence: Gaviota: The End of Southern California

• Advanced Student — Winner: Icarus / Excellence: The Transfer

• High School Student — Winner: Puget Sound / Excellence: Color My Dreams

• International Short — Winner: Pushing Night Away / Excellence: Girl in White

• International Feature — Winner: Secret from the Past / Excellence: Generation Wolf

• Festival Treasure — My Loyal Audience

• Deb Bauer Unsung Hero — SEARCHDOG

• Golden Fox Award for Excellence in Directing — Brian Crano, Permission

George Boucher, Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Ron Truppa (Credit: Jerod Harris)

About Catalina Film Festival

Catalina Film Festival is an annual celebration of film on the West Coast's only resort island, just 26 miles from Los Angeles. Sponsors include Panasonic, IEX Helicopters, Catalina Express, Island Spa Catalina, ALS Limo and Car Service, Catalina Flyer, BIG, Horseshoe Bend Vineyards and The Cafaro Group. 

Past CFF honorees include Nicolas Cage, William H. Macy, Andy Garcia, Sharon Stone, Jon Favreau, Emmy Rossum, Mena Suvari, F. Gary Gray, Stan Lee and more.

SOURCE: Catalina Film Festival

Toronto to Manitoulin: The Path to Planting

Forests Ontario's Green Leaders Susan Snelling (left) and Barb Erskine (right) on their property on Manitoulin Island. (CNW Group/Forests Ontario)

In 2003, Susan Snelling and Barb Erskine packed their belongings and left fast-paced Toronto for the idyllic serenity of Manitoulin Island. The move north was prompted by an employment offer that Barb, a psychologist, received from a First Nations health centre; Susan, her partner, a researcher in the public health field, followed suit. The pair purchased 100 acres of land, comprised of untended fields, forest, and wetland.

"We always intended for the property to have a purpose," explained Barb. "In the past, it had been used to grow hay and produce lumber for furniture production. The land had potential, and it certainly seemed like a waste to leave it all unused."

The couple wished to utilize the acreage for environmental benefit; however, the path to accomplishing their dream wasn't immediately clear. The answer arrived in 2015, when Susan and Barb attended the Manitoulin Trade Fair. There they met Laing Bennett and Lesley Phillips, foresters with Algoma-Manitoulin Forestry Services, a Forests Ontario planting partner. Laing championed the benefits of tree planting, and suggested they apply for funding support and technical assistance through the 50 Million Tree Program.

The 50 Million Tree Program is a partnership between Forests Ontario and the Government of Ontariothat will see 50 million trees planted throughout the province by 2025. Barb and Susan were eligible, as they had significantly more than 2.5 acres of open land required to apply, and were soon approved. The pair were surprised and encouraged by how easy Forests Ontario and their planting partners made the process for them.

"It was a learning opportunity for us, to learn about the property we have. It was very easy from our point of view because Laing was able to arrange to have people come out and plant," says Susan.

In 2016, Laing and his crew began hand-planting the trees. There was immediate interest from friends and neighbours, so much so that it interfered with planting at times.

 "People were stopping by on the side of the road to see what was going on," Susan recalled. "They would ask the planting crew questions. It was a conversation starter; there was definitely a lot of curiosity!"

The end-result was just under 5,000 trees covering the six acres of property deemed best-suited to support growing trees. After the planting partners conducted a soil test they determined that Red Pine and Norway Spruce would be suitable based on the soil conditions. 

"Barb and Susan were excellent landowners to work with on the planting project. We enjoyed their interest and enthusiasm for the Forests Ontario 50 Million Tree Program. They are strong supporters of environmental improvement and we applaud their efforts," says Laing.

The terrain plays host to a rich array of wildlife including deer, turtles, Canada geese, cranes, great horned owls, foxes, wolves, snakes, leopard frogs and tree frogs. Barb and Susan are proud that their property supports this wealth of wildlife by providing diverse habitats.

"The trees planted by Barb and Susan will create a new forest, providing multiple values and adding to the overall forest cover in the region," said Rob Keen, CEO of Forests Ontario. "Healthy, diverse and contiguous forests are essential to mitigate and adapt as we continue to see the effects of climate change."

"Barb and Susan should be commended for their tremendous contribution to the environment," said Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. "Stewardship is a crucial component of keeping our communities healthy."

Planting trees through the 50 Million Tree program will help to sequester carbon, enhance and diversify Ontario's landscape, increase the capacity to withstand climate change, and contribute to wildlife habitat. 

About 50 Million Tree Program 
Forests Ontario administers the government of Ontario's 50 Million Tree Program, part of the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign. The United Nations' goal is to plant one billion trees worldwide each year. Ontario is committed to planting 50 million trees by 2025.

The 50 Million Tree Program is designed to signi­ficantly reduce the costs to landowners of large-scale tree planting and thereby increase the number of trees planted across the province.

About Forests Ontario 
Working to promote a future of healthy forests sustaining healthy people, Forests Ontario is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through tree planting efforts on rural lands and in urban areas, as well as the renewal and stewardship of Ontario's forests through restoration, education and awareness. 

SOURCE: Forests Ontario

New Daedalus Issue, "Civil Wars & Global Disorder: Threats & Opportunities", Released And Available Online

“Civil Wars & Global Disorder: Threats and Opportunities,” the Fall 2017 issue of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, explores the causative factors and influences of contemporary civil wars, as well as the international community’s regime for responding to them. Guest edited by Karl W. Eikenberry and Stephen D. Krasner.

Civil wars continue to be a frequent and debilitating phenomenon in international politics. Of the approximately 200 countries in the world, there are currently 30 civil wars underway, including several in which the U.S. military is directly and deeply enmeshed.

Many of these wars are unfolding in states with limited capacities to respond to and mitigate the security consequences that emanate from internal violence and state disorder. Almost all of these consequences, in one form or another, are the sources of immense human suffering and regional instability. And when combined with other global threats, such as pandemics and transnational terrorism, civil wars might ultimately claim a staggering number of lives.

Responding to these circumstances, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences launched an 18-month project on Civil Wars, Violence, and International Responses. The initiative brings together experts across disciplines and around the world to examine why states break down, what the impact of state disorder and failure is within and beyond national borders, whether there are universal qualities or regional characteristics of violent conflicts, and how and when external actors can effectively intervene in civil wars.

The Fall 2017 issue of Dædalus, "Civil Wars & Global Disorder: Threats & Opportunities," is the first publication of the American Academy project. The second volume, "Ending Civil Wars: Constraints & Possibilities," will be published in January 2018. The project will host a series of discussions in the United States and around the world, including in places directly impacted by civil war, with government leaders, heads of nongovernmental organizations, practitioners, academics, and journalists, among others, that will inform a subsequent publication incorporating policy recommendations for national and international engagement.

In their introduction to this issue, guest editors Karl W. Eikenberry (Stanford University; Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, retired; former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Member of the American Academy) and Stephen D. Krasner (Stanford University; Member of the American Academy) draw on their personal experiences in government and military service, which were deeply influenced by Al Qaeda's attack on the United States, to recognize the profound difficulties of effectively "treating" civil wars as a third party. Yet as they state, "the complexity of the problem, however, should not lead policy-makers to ignore and dismiss the potential threats." Instead, they propose that we grapple with the scope and impact of intrastate warfare, factor in the effects of globalization and the current shifting of global power, recognize the roles of national elites, and recalibrate goals for stability and security.

In the twelve essays in this issue, the authors explore causative factors of civil war, the connection of intrastate strife and transnational terrorism, the limited successes and failed ambitions of intervening powers in the recent past, and the many direct and indirect consequences associated with weak states and civil wars, including the dangers posed by pandemics, mass migrations of people, and great-power proxy warfare. The volume offers specific examples from Central Asia, the Middle East, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences (PRNewsFoto/American Academy of Arts & Sciences)

The Fall 2017 issue of Dædalus on "Civil Wars & Global Disorder: Threats & Opportunities" features the following essays, all of which are available online at amacad.org/daedalus:

Introduction
Karl Eikenberry (Stanford University) and Stephen D. Krasner (Stanford University)

Civil War & the Current International System 
James D. Fearon (Stanford University)

Civil Wars & the Post–Cold War International Order
Bruce D. Jones (The Brookings Institution) and Stephen John Stedman (Stanford University)

Civil Wars & Transnational Threats: Mapping the Terrain, Assessing the Links
Stewart Patrick (Council on Foreign Relations)

Transnational Jihadism & Civil Wars 
Martha Crenshaw (Stanford University)

Civil War & the Global Threat of Pandemics
Paul H. Wise (Stanford University) and Michele Barry (Stanford University)

The Global Refugee Crisis: Regional Destabilization & Humanitarian Protection 
Sarah Kenyon Lischer (Wake Forest University)

Organized Crime, Illicit Economies, Civil Violence & International Order: More Complex Than You Think
Vanda Felbab-Brown (The Brookings Institution)

Civil Wars as Challenges to the Modern International System 
Hendrik Spruyt (Northwestern University)

Building Security Forces & Stabilizing Nations: The Problem of Agency 
Stephen Biddle (George Washington University)

Fictional States & Atomized Public Spheres: A Non-Western Approach to Fragility 
William Reno (Northwestern University)

The Colombian Paradox: Peace Processes, Elite Divisions & Popular Plebiscites 
Aila M. Matanock (University of California, Berkeley) and Miguel García-Sánchez (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

Civil Wars & the Structure of World Power 
Barry R. Posen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

SOURCE: American Academy of Arts & Sciences