Yearly Archive: 2008

Review: This Week in ‘Trinity’ – Part 4

We’re up to week five of DC’s big weekly event, and I regret to inform you that I’ve already caught myself thinking "same old, same old."

What happened?

The fight with Konvikt continued, with all the heroes getting knocked around, including your Big Three. At least they took the fight away from civilians, but still, so far the main point seems to be that there’s nothing really special about Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. They get their butts kicked by giant, purple aliens just like everyone else.

Quick tangent — I’m not sure if there are any other Weeds fans out there, but I find it impossible to read the name "Konvikt" and not immediately think "Dumb name" in Doug’s snarky voice.

Back to the issue, which was pretty breezy, it ends with Batman doing some detective work to take a new tack with Konvikt (dumb name), and then getting ambushed by another alien, Graak (really dumb name).

Meanwhile, villains Morgaine Le Fey and Enigma (who needs to just come out of the Two Face closet and admit to being  Harvey Dent) watch on their magic crystal ball and offer cryptic commentary.

Whoop-dee-doo.

(more…)

Review: ‘Madame Xanadu #1’ by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley

Fresh off another successful Grendel run and two excellent Batman miniseries ([[[Monster Men and Mad Monk]]]), Matt Wagner is switching gears so hard he may have just shredded the transmission.

A revival of the occult heroine Madame Xanadu? Really?

Sure enough. Wagner is writing the Vertigo series, the first issue of which debuted this week. It’s, well, odd, for lack of a better word. The first chapter begins in Arthurian times as Xanadu tries to prevent Camelot’s bloody fall.

Wagner channels a bit of Shakespeare’s lyricism in Xanadu’s dreamy, esoteric narration. And much of the goal seems to be recasting the common legend in surprising ways, not the least of which is Merlin as an old horndog.

The art, by relative newcomer Amy Reeder Hadley, is as graceful and natural as the titular character. The slight manga influence further similarizes the book to Elf Quest, which it mirrors fairly closely in tone.

The only real problem so far is the lack of scope in the first issue. Not a whole lot happens, at least till the last page, and there’s almost nothing to hint that this series is going to be an epic love story between [[[Xanadu]]] and the Phantom Stranger that lasts through several ages. I had to check the PR cheat sheet for that info.

Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book journalist. Every Wednesday, he braves Atlanta traffic to visit Oxford Comics, where he reads a whole mess of books for his weekly reviews. Van’s blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

Publishers who would like their books to be reviewed at ComicMix should contact ComicMix through the usual channels or email Van Jensen directly at van (dot) jensen (at) gmail (dot) com.

San Diego Comic-Con Gets ‘Watchmen’ Clips, Nite Owl’s Ship?

  • News
  • June 26, 2008

There’s a lot of Watchmen news hitting the ‘Net these days, as we chase the shot of fake "Veidt Enterprises" commercials we posted earlier with some San Diego Comic-Con International rumors related to the big-screen adaptation of the groundbreaking graphic novel.

Cinematical has provided a nice synopsis of the interesting bits gleaned from several recent video interviews with Watchmen director Zack Snyder.

According to Cinematical (I haven’t had a chance to watch the videos myself, so I’m taking their word for it), the videos indicate that there’s a high probability of seeing the first clips from Watchmen prior to screenings of The Dark Knight next month. There should also be some extra footage shown during Comic-Con later that month, too. Additionally, Snyder hinted that Nite Owl’s flying ship might make an appearance during Comic-Con.

Be sure to check out the Cliff’s Notes version of the Snyder video over on Cinematical for a few more items of note, and when you have the time (there’s around 10 minutes of video to watch), view the full interview over at Collider.

 

 

Danny Elfman on Scoring Films Based on Comics

  • News
  • June 26, 2008

From Beetlejuice and Batman to Nightmare Before Christmas and the recent remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny Elfman has provided the music that has turned good films into great films, and has been no stranger to scoring the big-screen adaptations of comic books. In a short time, movie-goers will be treated to another pair of Elfman-scored films based on popular comics, as the Emmy-winning and (many times over) Oscar-nominated composer has provided the music for Wanted and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

SuperHeroHype recently snagged Elfman for a short interview about the process of finding the right sound for comic books, his inspiration and the difference between the two films from his perspective.

CS/SHH!: Was "Wanted," which has much edgier music, more fun?

Elfman: Well, they are each fun in a different way. "Hellboy" was a little more romantic and traditional, but I love paying homage to Bernard Herrmann, who for me is my master. Any time I get to do that it’s a great joy. "Wanted" is like a whole other ballgame. I did a whole different thing: more synthesizers, percussion, and guitars. I had my guitar out. I was so glad that the two of them were so different.

Check out the full interview on SuperHeroHype.

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for June 26, 2008

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  • June 26, 2008

Just for the fun of it, here’s one last story from Heroes Con (which I reported on extensively here and here). Nobody’s mentioned this, but simultaneous to the comics convention was another big event titled “Dub,” basically a con for tricked out cars. One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen was a group of P. Diddy look-alikes gaping as a Heroes attendee strolled past in full manga gear (don’t know which character) and did a spinning kick/sword swipe right in front of them. I’m still amazed the weekend ended peacefully.

That aside, let’s turn to the week in comics, which was huge. HUGE. DC trotted out Final Crisis #2, and Marvel counter-punched with an incredible 30-plus issues. Once the smoke cleared, Marvel stood up strong, dominating another go ’round. And DC’s bad month just got worse.

Book of the Week: The Immortal Iron Fist #16 — This is a packed book, starting out with the wind down from the epic battle that just took place in the Seven Cities of Heaven. Danny Rand is a changed man, dismantling his corporation and doing whatever he can to help the world.

You can see the influence of Orson Randall, and it’s nice to see his presence linger on after his death. Danny’s transitioning into a more mature character, asking the big questions. It’s the natural result of the recent ground-shaking, and Matt Fraction’s a smart man for taking things in that direction.

There are lots of extremely well written little personal moments in this issue, between Danny and Misty, Jeryn, Luke Cage and a swarm of pint-sized karate students. But before things get too heart-warming, Fractioin ends with a game-changing reveal that’s shocking in part because of how well it’s set up, in part through brilliant page layouts.

The only question is how well the book will hold up once Fraction moves on.

The Runners Up:

Captain America #39 — There’s lots to see in this issue, as per usual with Ed Brubaker, but the main draw is the fight between Bucky and the former Nomad, both of whom are essentially masquerading as Captain America. Think about that: A revived Bucky with a robotic arm fighting against Nomad.

That sounds like something straight out of the dreadful muck of the ’90s, yet Brubaker pulls it off with ease, crafting another tense and dramatic issue with plenty of action. There’s also the continued subtle developments of Red Skull’s agenda, a nice moment for Sharon Carter and a quality fill-in artist for Steve Epting.

Daredevil #108 — We’ve finally seemed to pass the “Matt Murdock’s life can’t get any worse” stage that had dragged on for several years. He’s still miserable (and he gets his butt kicked), but he has quite the interesting case to dive into and appears to be responding well to the mental challenge (even if he does resort to  fisticuffs at one point). Also, Dakota North is quickly becoming a favorite character. (more…)

More Characters Confirmed For ‘Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe’ Videogame

  • News
  • June 26, 2008

Comic and videogame fans have long speculated who’s going to be in the Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe videogame coming later this year. The only confirmed superheroes have been Superman and Batman. Now add the Flash to that list, as PlayStation: The Official Magazine subscribers got the news first when the latest issue arrived in their mailboxes.

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Mortal Kombat head honcho Ed Boon followed up with an interview over at Gamespot.com. He discusses fan reactions from the comics and games factions, teases the lineup, and reveals that DC villains will indeed perform the infamous fatalities from the series — but not the heroes. Heroes never kill… except Hal Jordan. He was possesed by the Parallax Fear Anomoly, so what’s Liu Kang’s excuse?

Jeffrey Brown and The Holy Consumption: From Chicago to Paris

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  • June 26, 2008

With only a matter of hours until much of the ComicMix team heads out to Chicago for this year’s show, it’s only right to post a story or two with ties to the ol’ Windy City.

From June 21 to July 26, several members of the Chicago-area comic creators collective known as "The Holy Consumption" will have their art featured at Galerie Anne Barrault in Paris, France. Among the creators whose work is currently on display are Paul Hornschemeier (Mother, Come Home), Anders Nilsen (Dogs and Water) and Jeffrey Brown, the author of one of my favorite minicomic collections, I Am Going To Be Small.

The exhibit, titled "Midwest," promises to explore "the American Midwest, a huge, flat, agricultural area around Chicago, stretching over several states, swept by the winds, dotted with the Great Lakes."

IVY Paris News recently spoke with Brown about the exhibit and the notion of being an "artist" instead of a cartoonist:

Traditionally in comics, the final published book has been the ‘art’ – the drawings are just in service of the published version. In art school, I had the idea of the original drawings being the final work, imagining the book as it’s own final result. I think there’s an intimacy to the real, tangible marks on paper as opposed to the printed versions, where you still can get the story but you lose a little bit of that life that comes with the actual drawings. As for approach, I pretty much approach all of my art making the same way. It’s all just having an idea and finding the way to express it.

The image posted here is Anders Nilsen’s "Batman and Wolverine" (chosen for obvious reasons, with a larger version posted after the jump). More examples of the art on display (sans superheroes) are posted on the gallery website.

 

(via journalista) (more…)

‘Watchmen’ Ad Contest Winners

  • News
  • June 26, 2008

Watchmen director Zack Snyder recently announced the winners of the "Veidt Enterprises Advertising Contest," in which YouTube users submitted commercials promoting fictional products of Veidt Enterprises, the company run by Adrian Veidt (a.k.a. "Ozymandias"). Contestants submitted the commercials for potential use in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel.

While YouTube users voted on the Top Five commercials (the makers of which would receive a fancy new camcorder), Snyder recently announced the eight videos he’d be considering for use in the film. Among them was this throwback to Saturday morning toy commercials:

 


 

(via PopCandy)

Comic Book Market Farces, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • June 26, 2008

How’s this for a concept of a superhero? A guy who is strong, can leap maybe a mile but doesn’t fly, and only a bursting cannon shell can puncture his skin. He is on the outs with the government, the local representatives of whom may be corrupt. He’s on the side of the “little guy” who otherwise may not have a chance against the Big Interests. He dangles neer-do-wells by one foot high in the air and threatens to drop them unless they co-operate – and he laughs while he’s doing it. The guy may be more than a little crazy.

Like the sound of this guy? Readers during the Depression did when they first started reading Superman. You ever go back and read those initial stories? In one, Superman decides that one slum area of the city needs urban renewal, which, of course, the city is disinclined to do. Superman then provokes the army who tries to drop bombs on him. He rushes in and out of abandoned tenements and the bombs level those buildings instead. The army fails to capture Superman and the tenements are leveled. The city now has to rebuild public housing, given the attention on the area.

That Superman today would be labeled a terrorist.

Or how about Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner over at Marvel when it was called Timely Comics. He was at war with the surface dwellers – us – and, in one story, deliberately flooded the Hudson Tunnel into New York. The tunnel is shown full of cars and there is no doubt in my mind everyone in them drowned. (more…)

‘Marvel Apes’ Covers Debut

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  • June 25, 2008

I have to admit, I’m a bit torn about the upcoming, four-issue Marvel Apes miniseries. On one hand, it’s nice to envision a post-Marvel Zombies world. Even though I enjoyed the original Zombies stories (and a few of the dozen-or-so subsequent spin-offs, tie-ins and one-shots), it’s long past time to put the living dead back in their graves and move the heck on.

So I’m glad to see the Merry Marvel Marketing crew find a new shtick.

On the other hand… it’s monkeys. Marvel Apes, in fact.

Well, regardless of how you feel about the notion, EW.com recently posted several cover images from the series and the variant covers that will be popping up on other Marvel titles throughout the Apes run, depicting a variety of simian-styled Marvel characters. Pictured here is one of my favorites, the variant cover to Punisher: War Journal #3, due out September 3 (I’ve posted a larger version of the image after the jump). Be sure to check out the Rob Liefeld ape-ified variant cover to Cable #6, too. Words fail me.

Here’s the synopsis of the Marvel Apes "epic," according to EW:

It begins when Marty ”The Gibbon” Blank, a mutant chump with chimp-like powers, is ensnared in a science experiment gone wrong. He’s jettisoned into a sinister alternate reality devoid of humans; here, all of our crime-fighters are now hirsute anthropoids. Joined by the fetching human scientist Dr. Fiona Fitzhugh, this wannabe villain (the Gibbon founded the Spider-Man hating/baiting Legion of Losers) is, in fact, recruited by the seemingly upright Ape-Vengers as he searches for a way back home.

The first issue of Marvel Apes is scheduled for a September 3 release. You’ve been warned. (more…)

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