Yearly Archive: 2008

Prince Caspian Photos and Interview Hit the ‘Net

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

USA Today has posted an interview and gallery of photos from the set of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, set to hit theaters May 16. The photos feature the returning cast from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as many of the second installment’s new characters. The interview focuses on how filmmakers conquered one of the series’ most frustrating obstacles: how to "bring the sexy back" to Narnia.

… But with a quartet of mostly unseasoned child actors as the Pevensie kids, the 2005 release was severely lacking in an elixir that fuels many fantasy epics: sex appeal.

But that was then. This is wow. Ben Barnes, 26, the British newcomer who plays the title role in Prince Caspian, has visitors to the film’s Internet Movie Database message board virtually drooling.

What, putting Warwick Davis in a lead role wasn’t sexy enough? Come on, people!

 

No Boobies on Camera!

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

In 1916, only seven years after its inception, The National Board of Review, otherwise known as the National Board of Censorship, once the watchdog of the industry, covering filmmakers’ backs from the evil censorial ways of the powers that be, became on this day the National Ball Vice of America, saying no to pee-pees and boobies on camera.

Because we all know that if anybody, my god, if our children see nipples, they will go CRAZY.

Because the truth is, Mattel got it right with Ken and Barbie. That’s how we all really look under our clothes, kids. I’m going to go feel ashamed about my body now and shower with my underwear on.

What Would Golden Age Wonder Woman Do?

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Boingboing.net points us to a great feature on Again With the Comics, the blog of Brian Hughes. In "Ask Golden Age Wonder Woman," Hughes answers questions from readers using actual panels from Golden Age issues of Wonder Woman.

The panels provide insight on everything from Wonder Woman’s musings on the subjugation of one’s spouse to the heroine’s lessons on corporal punishment. An example is pasted below:

Dear Golden Age Wonder Woman-

I have met the girl of my dreams, but there is one problem: she doesn’t want to get married. She’s worried that if she marries me, she won’t get alimony any more, and I say she doesn’t need it if she’s married to me. I don’t make much money, but I’m going to school at night, and I think we can do just fine. Who’s right?

-Frustrated in Mesa, AZ

Shia LaBeouf on Indy 4, Transformers 2 and Y 1

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Comingsoon.net has a short interview with Shia LaBeouf, the young actor seen in, well… just about everything these days. LaBeouf answers a few questions about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as Transformers 2 and the role that could be the most intriguing of the bunch: a rumored lead spot in the film adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s soon-to-be-concluded graphic novel, Y: The Last Man.

Yeah, we’ve been talking about it. "Y: The Last Man" is cool. I don’t know when I would do that though or how I would fit it in. It would be kind of ridiculous to keep doing the same deal over and over. "Y: The Last Man" is kind of similar to some things.We’re both huge fans of that comic book.

Novels to Comics: Examining the Crossover

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

The Times of London posted a story last week examining the "celebrity writer" trend in comics, in which established novelists take a turn telling the stories of some of comics best- and, occasionally, least-known characters. The article references the recent forays of novelists Jodi Picoult and Ian Rankin into the worlds of Wonder Woman and Hellblazer, respectively.

According to The Times, writing for the funnybooks can be a rough transition for novelists accustomed to creating a universe around their subjects.

“It was so much harder than I thought,” [Picoult] says. “When I write a novel, I’m used to making up my characters and their backstory. I couldn’t change Wonder Woman’s history, and she’s been around a long time. I did attempt to get her out of that bustier – any woman can tell you that you don’t fight crime without straps – but no cigar."

Iron Man/Hulk Film Crossover Announced

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Marvel Studios appears to be sowing the seeds for an Avengers film with the latest news regarding this summer’s Incredible Hulk. William Hurt, who portrays General Thaddeus Ross in the film, revealed to MTV that his character will appear in a scene with Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Hurt went on to discuss a few other key scenes in the film – including some that the more spoiler-conscious might want to avoid.

"I don’t know how it’ll work," Hurt admitted, saying it was a thrill to appear as General Thaddeus Ross during Downey’s scene. "I know it’s weird [to work with a character from another movie], and to know it’s a device. We did something; I don’t know what that’s going to be like [to watch]."

 

I Am Not Running For President, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

I was in Manhattan last week, joining Martha Thomases and Glenn Hauman for a ComicMix mini-staff meeting. We were at a nice little diner in Greenwich Village, which is always a pleasantly nostalgic experience. I had to meet my wife and daughter in Newark for the Devils / Islanders game; I, of course, am a Blackhawks fan but it’s always swell to see Martin Brodeur in action. 

I had a bit of time to get to the new stadium, so I took the E train down to the connecting PATH train to Newark. This happens at the World Trade Center station, and I wanted to go there.

Yep. The station’s still called “World Trade Center,” despite the fact that the World Trade Center (stop me if you heard this one) was blowed up on September 11, 2001. Sadly, the site is still a big ugly hole in the ground. The subway stations were in a deep structurally-protected basement and have been shorn up to allow tens of thousands of commuters to continue to get to work. Sadly – and to our national embarrassment – it is six and one-third years later and the World Trade Center is still a big hole in the ground. (more…)

Edward D. Hoch: 1930-2008

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

From Mike W. Barr:

I have just learned that prolific short story writer Edward D. Hoch died Thursday, January 17, 2008.  Ed created many fondly-remembered characters including Simon Ark, who claimed to be 2000 years old and a warrior against Satan, and Dr. Sam Hawthorne, a New England physician who constantly found impossible crimes to solve.  He had a story in every issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine since May, 1973 (the issue in which my First Story was published).  He could also be construed as a tie-in writer, having written stories about Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen.

His output and his quality were an inspiration to us all.  He’s already missed.

Hoch (pronounced hoke) was born in Rochester, New York and began writing in the 1950s; his first story appeared in 1955 in Famous Detective Stories and was followed by stories in The Saint Mystery Magazine. In January 1962 he began appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. In December 1962 he kicked off his most successful collaboration, with the appearance of his first story in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine; in the years since EQMM has published over 450 of Hoch’s stories, roughly half of his total output. In May 1973 EQMM began publishing a new Hoch story in every monthly issue; as of May 2007 the author has gone an astonishing 34 years without missing a single issue.

In 2001 Hoch was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, the first time a Grand Master was known primarily for short fiction rather than novels.

And every so often, he even blogged.

Hail and farewell. You’ll be missed.

What happens at ComicMix…

  • News
  • January 20, 2008

Wow, new ComicMix contributors Shira Gregory and Rick Marshall have really done a yeoman’s (yeo-people’s?) job filling in our news section, haven’t they?  Even I can’t keep up!  In fact, they’ve posted so fast and furiously that many of our regular columnists have fallen off the "More News" window, so it’s a good thing I do a recap every week:

And I hear a rumor that things are getting steamy over in our comics section.  Have I missed any male pulchritude?  Some of this stuff isn’t safe even for those of us not currently at work!

Red-Hot Hulk!

hulk-5431735Those of you brave enough to come out from under your beds after seeing Cloverfield might even bravely venture over to the keyboard to run down a couple of hot links we gathered for you this week:

 
Top Cow Productions pulled in over  2.5 million votes at the official home of Pilot Season here, all in an effort to determine the publishing plans of the line in 2008. Pilot Season released five self-contained pilot issues starring established characters without a current series, all done by established creative teams in 2007. Each issue set up a potential series much like a television pilot episode. In case you still want to cast a vote or two, the polls remain open until tomorrow,
 
The Hero/AtomicComics.com Hulk #1 (Red) that features an exclusive cover by Ed McGuinness, limited to only 5000 copies, can be purchased online here. This special edition of Hulk #1 runs $8 and will also be offered at the Phoenix Cactus Comicon January 26-27, and at a special pre-con party at Atomic Comics where Hulk writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness will be signing on January 25th. 
 
 
BOOM! Studios’ Northwind #1 will receive a second printing and the publisher has also released a trailer for the series as well. See the trailer here and get a free download of Northwind #1 here. By the way, the actual second print will have a slightly altered cover to distinguish itself from the first printing and will be available on January 23rd.
 
You can see those previews of Wildstorm’s Supernatural: Rising Son, here. Did you know that The CW has four more Supernatural episodes to go before the WGA strikes brings the series to a halt?
 
It will be business-as-usual this week on ComicMix Radio as we dig into the new comics and DVDs, and then emerge long enough to continue our quest to find out what some of the insiders in comics are reading these days – it all starts in about 48 hours right here!

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