Yearly Archive: 2008

The Rare Hulk

A Hero’s Hero

Originally, ComicMix Radio planned to survey the usual round of comic book insiders as to who their favorite characters were: artist, writers, etc. But when we had the chance to pose the question to an actual costume wearing crusader, we leapt at the chance. Find out who The Defuser  – the winner of Who Wants To Be A Super Hero? – admires. Plus:
 
• Everyone took a look at Spidey’s Brand New Day and now it’s sold out!
• There’s a rare Hulk #1 variant – we’ll tell you how to get it
• Another sign of doomsday: High School Musical on the big screen!
 
Warning: Not Pressing The Button makes you an outsider and do you really want that?
 

Or subscribe to our podcasts via iTunes or RSS!

Funding Fountain To Dry Up For Uwe Boll

  • News
  • January 17, 2008

Filmmaker Uwe Boll, whose work on big-budget flops such as Alone in the Dark and BloodRayne has made him a favorite target of critics and movie fans, recently announced that he plans to return to low-budget films now that the tax shelter that provided backing for his projects has been banned in Germany.

After making a career out of producing big-budget adapatations of videogame properties, his latest project, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, continued the filmmaker’s streak of both commerical and critical failures at the box office. Despite his string of big-screen flops, Boll’s ability to continue producing big-budget films due to German tax shelter funding has long been a subject of discussion among online movie fans and critics alike. In 2006, after BloodRayne was universally savaged by critics and fell more than $20 million short of making back its production costs, Boll earned even more notoriety by challenging some of his most vocal critics to a boxing match. The critics who took him up on the offer received a fairly one-sided beating.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

"In the future, I will focus on small films such as (the video game adaptation) Postal or (the Vietnam war drama) Tunnel Rats, " [Boll] said. "These are films that represent my true passion, and they can be done with small budgets."

…

"Because of the Boll reputation, it is not easy to get audiences into the cinemas," said Mychael Berg, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox in Germany, which released King locally. "We finally managed it, and we are quite satisfied with the abut 250,000 people who watched the movie (in Germany). We proved that you can make money with a Boll film."

Boll’s next project? The filmmaker plans to helm an adaptation of the videogame Zombie Massacre.

Writers’ Strike and Comic-Con: The really, truly important questions

  • News
  • January 17, 2008

The ‘Net is buzzing this week over the potential implications of the writers’ strike on this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. Sure, there’s a lot of chatter about the effect the strike will have on Hollywood’s participation in the event,with some arguing that less Hollywood means more comics, and that more comics means… well, more comics. Over at The Beat, however, Heidi MacDonald assesses whether there are any answers  to the big questions, then takes a look at some of the other, equally important questions on the peripheral of the discussion.

"At this point it’s quite likely — but depressing — that the writer’s strike will last at least as long as the last one — six months. Networks are filling the space with reality programming, so we could just see more stars of Beauty and the Geek and How Clean is Your House on parade at Comic-Con (These shows have the strongest tie to the core demographic, in our opinion.) There are a number of movies in production that will still need to be flogged, as well, WATCHMEN for one,

So our prognosis? If the strike doesn’t end soon San Diego may be a little less manic, but not a whole lot less.

But that’s not even the really IMPORTANT question:

What does this mean for your chances of getting a hotel room?"

 

The Museum Vaults Review

  • News
  • January 17, 2008

The Museum Vaults is the second of four graphic novels created through an unlikely publishing partnership: noted American art-comics publisher NBM and France’s cultural powerhouse museum the Louvre. All four of the stories will be about the Louvre in some way; the first book, Nicholas De Crecy’s Glacial Period, was published early in 2007.

Museum Vaults’ author, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, has been a prolific French cartoonist for the past twenty years, though very little of his work has turned up on this side of the Atlantic. (I’ll admit I didn’t previously know his work myself.)

As Museum Vaults opens, a young expert, Monsieur Volumer, arrives at a museum whose original name has been forgotten. His job is to delve into the subbasements beneath this museum to study, evaluate, and index the collections – to fully understand the museum. (more…)

Our Declining Years, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • January 17, 2008
And every fair from fair sometime declines
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d
 
That’s Shakespeare. Sonnet XVIII – or 18 to those of us who don’t want to bother with Roman numerals.
 
Will is talking about the inevitable decay and decline of beauty in the person to whom the sonnet is addressed. For me, however, it is a reminder that everything – EVERYTHING – declines. It’s the power of entropy, folks – everything that is fair and/or beautiful, that is strong, must inevitably lose what is fair, strong, beautiful. It arrives sooner – by chance, as Will says, by accident – or later – by the accumulation of days but it must arrive.
 
That includes nations and brings me to a principle consideration of mine about all the candidates, Democrat and Republican, now vying for the post of Chief Executive of these Unites States. Which one is best equipped to deal with its decline? 
 
Decline is inevitable, to begin with. Every nation, every empire, on top of the heap has fallen off that pinnacle. Every. Single. One. It is a historic inevitability that we will also slide as well. I’m betting on sooner rather than later. Here are my reasons.
 

(more…)

‘Persepolis’ Snubbed, No Academy Award Nomination

  • News
  • January 16, 2008

The finalists for "Best Foreign-Language Film" were announced by the Academy yesterday, with nine films making the cut for a potential Oscar. Conspicuously absent from the list, however, is the film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis. The animated film was the official submission of France to the category, and has been widely hailed by critics.

From the Los Angeles Times:

"Missing, too, is critically hailed "Persepolis," which won a jury prize at Cannes and was voted best animated film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle."

Remembing Bleeding Gums Murphy

  • News
  • January 16, 2008

Actor Ron Taylor, most favorably remembered as the voice of "Bleeding Gums" Murphy on The Simpsons died this day in 2002. Murphy’s character was Lisa Simpson’s inspiring, saxophone-playing mentor. Taylor also played a Klingon chief on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and this reader’s favorite credit, Taylor originated the role of Audrey II in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. Taylor tragically passed from a heart attack. His delightful performances will be missed.

Ballots open for 8th Annual Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards

  • News
  • January 16, 2008

Registration for the Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards has opened once again, providing webcomic creators the opportunity to vote for their favorite comics and creators. Voters must register before Jan. 23, 2008. Winners will be announced at MegaCon on March 8, 2008.

For rules regarding eligibility, timelines and a list of ways you can promote the WCCA on your own site, visit the WCCA homepage at www.ccawards.com/.

New Indiana Jones Downloads, Photos, Legos Hit The Net

  • News
  • January 16, 2008

The marketing machine for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the latest installment in the Indiana Jones film franchise, appears to be in full swing over the last few days, with various sites, sneak peeks and tie-ins popping up around the ‘Net. The film, which is scheduled for a May 22 release, stars Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent.

Among the more notable items dug up recently:

  • New downloadable wallpaper, icons and other virtual dressing on the official film site at www.indianajones.com [WARNING: Video and sound launch automatically.]
  • A new website was launched for the Indiana Jones-themed Lego sets, featuring sticker sheets, wallpaper and other Lego goods [WARNING: More automatic video/music]
  • A new photo from the film, featuring Ford, LaBeouf and Winstone

Heck, it’s like having your own, virtual archeological site without all of the dirt, sun and endless hours of dusting! Okay, not really… but if you’re an Indiana Jones fan, you get the idea.

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks