Yearly Archive: 2008

Guitar Hero: ComicMix Edition

  • Uncategorized
  • October 10, 2008

gh4-2-4015237Gaming website Kotaku recently reported that Stan Bush wanted his song “The Touch” from the classic, animated Transformers: The Movie in Guitar Hero or Rock Band music videogames. We couldn’t agree more. It’s a rockin’ song that we’d love to play on our fake plastic instruments with our friends.

But why stop with one Transformers song? ComicMix is all about “all types of fantastic media, from comic books television and movies to video games and more.” So Activision and EA, we humbly submit… Scratch that. We demand you make a ComicMix edition of your games for the nerdcore rocker audience.

Our setlist is below. Yeah, we know it’s heavy on Superman. But rockers love the Last Son of Krypton. Send the royalty checks to our offshore PayPal account.

·         “Superman” by 3 Doors Down

·         “Spider-Man” by The Ramones

·         “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult

·         “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” by The Spin Doctors

·         “Catch Me Now I’m Falling (This Is Captain America Calling)” by The Kinks

·         “Thundercats Intro”

·         “I Am Superman” by R.E.M.

·         “Buffy Theme” by Nerf Herder

·         “Star Wars Imperial March (Leviathan Remix)” by Rage Against the Machine

·         “Batdance” by Prince

·         TMNT II “Ninja Rap” by Vanilla Ice

·         “Crank Dat/Superman” by Soulja Boy

·         “Flash” by Queen

It goes without saying, we want reader suggestions in the comments below.

Brooklyn Gallery Spotloights Italian Artists

  • Uncategorized
  • October 10, 2008

manara-mortesuperman-1719420The Italian comic book artists are getting showcased at the Scott Eder Gallery in Brooklyn.  The show, running from October 10 through November 25, will showcase the work of 10 artists including Lorenzo Mattotti (New Yorker), Milo Manara, Tanino Liberatore (RanXerox), Sergio Toppi (Yellow Kid award winner), Igort, Gipi, plus newcomers Manuele Fior, Marco Corona, Gabriella Giandelli, and Andrea Bruno.

Italian comic book artists first gained attention in the 1970s through Heavy Metal magazine, making stars out of Manara and Liberatore.  Now fans can check out the works up close and personal with many works available for purchase.

Eder has been dealing in comic book art for over a decade and certainly knows his artists.

Fans not near the gallery can check out these people at Eder’s website.

What do Jonah Hex and George W. Bush Have in Common?

  • News
  • October 10, 2008

Update: Variety is now confirming that Josh Brolin is in talks for Jonah Hex.

Just yesterday we reported that several films are gearing up for production starts between spring and summer of 2009. One of those films is Warner Bros.’s adaptation of Jonah Hex, DC Comics’ resident western gunslinger. Though actor Thomas Jane put himself through make-up testing to prove himself right for the role, it looks like the studio has its eye on a different actor — someone who’s no stranger to the Country.

Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere reports that "the deal is sealed for Josh Brolin to star in Jonah Hex." The film will be directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Game). Although representatives from the Brolin camp say that the actor isn’t attached, Wells is confident that the actor is locked in.

"A voice is telling me to consider the word of a friend who tells me the deal was locked down last night," Wells says.

According to Wells, the movie will be "some kind of sci-fi western with CG up the wazoo. There’s nothing sci-fi-ish about the Hex comic book that’s explained on the Wikipedia page, but there’s always the creative option." (more…)

Marvel asks, ‘Are you Ready?’

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

Over the last two days, Marvel has been sending out graphics asking, "Are you ready to hero up?" and "Are you ready to villain up?"

Given the art styles, we can only surmise that some new youth-oriented project is in the offing.  The art is certainly cute and polished.

Any guesses?

Sci Fi Channel Sets Up Five Telefilms

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

The Sci Fi Channel and RHI Entertainment are teaming up for their fourth multipicture deal in the past 12 months. This new deal includes basic cable rights for the U.S. premiers of five new horror and thriller projects. Three of these telefilms will begin shooting in Romania soon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, these films are:

Sand Serpents, starring Gedrick, follows American combat soldiers in the Afghan desert who battle the Taliban and a horde of giant carnivorous serpents.

Alien Western is set in an Old West town in the 1890s where monstrous buglike machines from another world attack.

Carney, based on the Jersey Devil legend, where a fiendish carnival side-show attraction escapes and terrorizes a Depression-era Mid-Atlantic town.

Also included in the deal are Ricky Schroder’s Hellhounds and the Eric Balfour-starring Rise of the Gargoyle. Fun fact: Schroder and Balfour were co-stars on the sixth and most recently televised season of 24.

RHI produced a third of all Sci Fi’s movies in the last season, according to RHI’s Robert Halmi Jr.

"What sets our product apart is that we spend more money so that we can get better cast and have better production values onscreen," Halmi Jr. clarifies.

RHI, who also produced Sci Fi’s record-breaking Tin Man limited series, will distribute the telefilms in key territories across the globe.

Sci Fi Channel has many telefilms in the pipeline, including the Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos, and a reimagining of Children of the Corn, starring Battlestar vet Kandyse McClure and Heroes‘ David Anders.

ComicMix Radio: The Stand Spreads Slowly

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

Those couple of issues out so far haven’t even scratched the surface of what lies ahead for Marvel’s adaption of The Stand. Artist Mike Perkins tells us what’s ahead, plus:

  • DC and Warner add more Motion Comics to the mix
  • Two new World Of Warcraft cards that will blow you away
  • Kevin Spacey Says He  Be Luthor

     

Stop laughing at that and Press the Button!

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-1308467 or RSS!

 

 

Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe Kollector’s Konundrum

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

We’ve talked about Midway’s upcoming Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe fighting game plenty. Consider it a done deal that we want to play Green Lantern fighting Sub-Zero. So the only question that remains is to get the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version.

Not so fast.  A Kollector’s Edition has been announced. For an extra $10 you get a removable Alex Ross alternate cover, making of videos, and a 16-page comic book.

“But wait. There’s more,” as the cheesy infomercial announcers say. Pre-order at Gamestop and get a lithograph of The Joker finishing off Scorpion in the Batcave.

“We’re not done yet!” Another wrinkle in the mix is that the PS3 version will have a neat exclusive for comic book fans: a digital version of the Kollector’s Edition comic book viewable on your game system.

Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe is scheduled to ship for release on November 10th.

415638834-e05b7fd219-8220988

New ‘Batman’ and ‘Superman’ Animated Projects

  • Uncategorized
  • October 9, 2008

415638834-e05b7fd219-8220988Taking a cue from their recent Watchmen motion comic, Warner Bros. and DC Comics have announced two new projects in the same style. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Batman: Black & White and Superman: Red Son are the next comics to get the animated treatment. Red Son is based on Mark Millar and Dave Johnson’s Elseworld comic depicting Kal-El had he grown up in Russia instead of America. Black & White was a four issue mini-series in the 1990s that featured several eight-page short stories.

Superman: Red Son and Batman: Black & White will follow the recent Watchmen motion comic project’s style, combining authentic looking artwork with music, voice-over work and subtle movement of the art. Two chapters of Watchmen have been released so far, with a new episode to be released every two weeks. Hopefully these newly announced projects will utilize multiple voice actors, rather than the one Watchmen narrator that voices every character — yes, that includes Sally and Laurie Juspeczyk.

The motion comics can be downloaded on iTunes, Amazon VOD, Xbox Live and the Sony PlayStation Store, with "summary editions" available for Verizon Wireless V Cast and Sprint TV customers.

Several DC Comics have made the leap from page to animation in recent times, most notably Justice League: The New Frontier based on Darwyn Cooke’s graphic novel DC: The New Frontier. The latest film released was Batman: Gotham Knight, an anime film intended to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Next up is February’s Wonder Woman with voice work from Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion.  After that will be a Green Lantern project with no details revealed to date.

G.I. JOE Relaunches with IDW

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

Back in the 1960s, the first doll to be called an "action figure" was created. The "G.I. Joe" line (named after a term used to describe a generic soldier) was a popular toy and depicted soldiers from different U.S. armed forces. In the 1970s, it was re-tooled as the Super Joe Action Team.

In the 1980s, the line was re-launched by Hasbro as "G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero" and now there was a story wrapped around the action figures. It was said that the different characters were all part of a group called G.I. JOE, essentially a counter-terrorist strike force involving the best agents from all branches of the military. Their primary enemy was said to be Cobra, an organization bent on world domination, led by the vicious Cobra Commander and aided by the Scottish war profiteer James McCullen Destro.

This new storyline ignited an interest among fans that has continued for years, inspiring multiple cartoon series, a new live-action movie coming out next year, and a comic published by Marvel and written by Larry Hama (Wolverine), who also wrote the "history files" of the characters for their trading cards and who was no doubt aided by his own experience in the military.

The series spanned 155 issues from 1984 to 1994, along with a few spin-off titles, all of which added deep layers of history and characterization to the JOEs and veered heavily away from the more light-hearted cartoons. Stories ranged from flashbacks to Vietnam to high-flying action in exotic locales to epic struggles between ninjas and battles with science fiction super-villains. In 2001, Devil’s Due Publishing began their own G.I. Joe series, picking up years after the Larry Hama series had ended and lasting over 130 issues, not including spin-offs.

Now IDW has taken the property and has new plans for their own G.I. JOE comics. But rather than continuing the original series and dealing with years of history, they’ve decided to reboot the entire universe from scratch, re-imagining the world and introducing the players to a brand new audience. And this isn’t just one new series. IDW is actually launching three titles under the G.I. JOE banner: G.I. JOE, G.I. JOE: Cobra and G.I. JOE: Origins. The third title will be written by Larry Hama himself.

The three titles will be edited under the direction of Andy Schmidt, who was Marvel’s editor for the cosmic crossover Annihilation. Schmidt spoke to CBR about the new titles and how they will relate to each other. Although each title will reflect the same people and occasionally reference events featured in the other books, the intention is to keep them separate so that readers can follow just one line if they so wish without feeling like they’re only getting part of a story. Likewise, a story that begins in one will not directly continue into one of the other titles.

Andy Schmidt remarked, “[G.I. JOE] has a large cast and will focus on characters and character beats but it’s more the ‘big action movie’ style title. If you really want to get to know Duke, Stalker and the other JOES, then Origins is the book for you. If you’re looking for more of a suspense-thriller feel then Cobra is the way to go. None of the titles is the lead book. Together they all form a strong foundation." Schmidt added, "Obviously, I’m hoping fans will want to try all three and I think those that do will be very happy, but I don’t want to twist anybody’s arm. Each book can be read on its own, but if you’re reading all three you’re going to get some extra layers."

To kick-start the relaunch, IDW is releasing G.I. JOE #0 this month to the tune of one dollar. "It’s not preview pages," Schmidt assured. "There’s actual story content in the issue, so you can see which one or two or three of the books you want to buy.” (more…)

The Complicated Archaia Studios Press Sale

  • Uncategorized
  • October 9, 2008

petersen1-1211107Over the last few days, there have been reports that Archaia Studios Press was being acquired by Devil’s Due Publishing. Not so, according to an official statement from Mark Smylie, Archaia’s founder. The company will be acquired by Kunoichi, Inc., instead.

Says Smylie, "We’re in the process of being acquired by Kunoichi, Inc., a creative services company based in Chicago that was co-founded and co-run by [DDP President] Josh Blaylock until he exited the company to focus solely on Devil’s Due."

This would explain some of the confusion, as Kunoichi maintains a close relationship with Devil’s Due. Kunoichi has been referred to as DDP’s "sister company." Further, Devil’s Due CEO P.J. Bickett owns Kunoichi as well.

Kunoichi exists to creating new materials for existing properties under contract to companies such as Marvel, Hasbro, and Rockstar Games. They have not, until now, been a publishing concern.

Bickett felt compelled to clarify matters by releasing a statement of his own: “Normally, Devil’s Due Publishing would not comment on unattributed rumors. But, due to the amount of queries we have received about this, we want to set the record straight.

“While DDP and Archaia Studios Press had some initial exploratory conversations, DDP is not acquiring ASP. We are continuing to have conversations with Archaia about the possibilities of working together in some capacity, as we are with many other publishers both big and small.”

Smylie’s statement goes on to say: “While we had some initial conversations with DDP directly, it will actually be Kunoichi that is acquiring us. Further cause for confusion may stem from the fact that we are still in separate talks with DDP about working together on a few opportunities once the Kunoichi acquisition is completed, including a potential publishing partnership of which we are one of several players in the fold. There’ll be more on all of that soon, I hope.
 

(more…)

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