Monthly Archive: May 2009

Will Nickelodeon’s ‘Troop’ make creating comics cool for kids?

Will Nickelodeon’s ‘Troop’ make creating comics cool for kids?

Hey kids! It’s cool to create comics! TV says so!

Nickelodeon has given the green light to a new mixed live-action/CG animated series, The Troop, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Writer/producer Jay Kogen (Frasier, Malcolm in the Middle and many others) will serve as showrunner for the new science fiction comedy series, from executive producer Tommy Lynch (South of Nowhere, The Secret World of Alex Mack, etc.). 

Slated to launch in fall 2009, The Troop revolves around Jake, an average teen played by Nick Purcell, who wants to create his own comic book series, who is enlisted by a school counselor to join “The Troop”  a secret society that protects the world from monsters and creatures.

Comic writer stopped by TSA at airport about a script for BOOM!

Comic writer stopped by TSA at airport about a script for BOOM!

Comics writer Mark Sable was detained by TSA security guards at LAX this past weekend when they discovered inflammatory material in a script for Sable’s new BOOM Studios miniseries Unthinkable. The comic series follows members of a government think tank that was tasked with coming up with 9/11-type “unthinkable” terrorist scenarios that now are coming true.

Sable was detained while traveling from LAX to NYC to attend a signing for the premiere of Unthinkable #1 at Jim Hanley’s Universe this Wednesday, May 13th.

Fans and friends were made aware of the TSA detention when Sable Twittered about the events after he was released.

Sable wrote BOOM! Studios a more in-depth version of the encounter to release to the public:

“Flying from Los Angeles to New York for a signing at Jim Hanley’s Universe Wednesday (May 13th), I was flagged at the gate for ‘extra screening’. I was subjected to not one, but two invasive searches of my person and belongings. TSA agents then “discovered” the script for UNTHINKABLE #3. They sat and read the script while I stood there, without any personal items, identification or ticket, which had all been confiscated.

“The minute I saw the faces of the agents, I knew I was in trouble. The first page of the Unthinkable script mentioned 9/11, terror plots and the fact that the (fictional) world had become a police state. The TSA agents then proceeded to interrogate me, having a hard time understanding that a comic book could be about anything other than superheroes, let alone that anyone actually wrote scripts for comics.

“I cooperated politely and tried to explain to them the irony of the situation. While Unthinkable blurs the line between fiction and reality, the story is based on a real-life government think tank where a writer was tasked to design worst-case terror scenarios. The fictional story of Unthinkable unfolds when the writer’s scenarios come true, and he becomes a suspect in the terrorist attacks.

“In the end, I feel my privacy is a small price to pay for educating the government about the medium.”

It’s a good thing the TSA didn’t know that Mark Sable’s destination, Jim Hanley’s Universe, is right across the street from the Empire State Building. Bad enough it was a script for BOOM!

Star Trek Movie Annotations

Star Trek Movie Annotations

The new Star Trek movie has been blowing people away, providing an introduction for new fans and an alternate time line that allows for even old fans to be surprised.

Every article and review has mentioned how time travel is being used to explain/justify this reboot, this new take on things where old rules are broken or, at least, revised. And yet, it is clear that the writers involved have an affection for what came before, making many references to the canon old school fans know and love.

Thus, we have put together this list of references and nods to other Trek stories. BE WARNED, SPOILERS ABOUND BELOW. If you have not yet seen the new Star Trek film, DO NOT continue reading so you can fully enjoy the story later for yourself.

And while, we’re on the subject of Star Trek, for anyone interested: Today, May 12 at the Paley Center in New York (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio), I will be part of a panel that is meeting to discuss how different leaders in sci-fi drama compare to James T. Kirk. There will be a discussion with the audience and trivia questions as well, so feel free to attend. The panel begins at 6:30, but if you come at 5 pm, there will be a big-screen viewing of the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage” featuring Captain Pike and a younger Spock. More information can be found at this link.

And now, your list of continuity references.

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The Point – May 11th, 2009

The Point – May 11th, 2009

The STAR TREK crew warps into the record books with a Big Box Office, but what do all these numbers mean anyway? We break them down for you plus Showing Soon on Facebook, it’s WATCHMEN. Then there’s GUITAR HERO the TV series and that man on the right – merely the most powerful man in America – no joke!

PRESS THE BUTTON to Get The Point!

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Com or Podbean

Poppy Z. Brite’s ‘Lost Souls’ art by Miran Kim up for benefit auction

Poppy Z. Brite’s ‘Lost Souls’ art by Miran Kim up for benefit auction

From Rachel Bevilacqua, who’s raising money for a child custody court case:

I’m overjoyed to report that a saintly anonymous donor has donated the framed and matted Miran Kim painting of the original cover artwork for the classic Poppy Z. Brite novel “Lost Souls”, and an Advance Reading Copy of the novel.

These items are now up on eBay, and the book will be signed by Poppy Z. Brite specially for the auction winner! This is a unique set of horror genre collectibles that I’m so grateful to be able to auction.

Please also send massive Slack Waves to this donor who wishes to remain anonymous, but who deserves an unstoppable juggernaut of Slack. This person is a really unique individual who deserves every kind of happiness, and it can’t hurt to have a whole bunch of people beaming Slack their way!

Thank you so much for taking an interest in my situation and helping me out, it means more than I can express to know so many people are rooting for me!

Review: ‘Major League’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘Major League’ on Blu-ray

For whatever reason, baseball is the sport that translates best to film. Maybe it’s the team aspect, or the poetry of the game, but there are more movies about the sport than any other. On the other hand, baseball and other sports never seem to translate well to the comic form. Go figure.

Much like a super-hero’s career, the life of a baseball player is a finite one. Sooner or later, age robs the body of its speed or agility. Injuries become more frequent and then you play through the pain in the hopes of last a little bit longer in the activity you love. You watch, with envy, as youngsters with potential challenge you for playing time and then come gunning for your job.

Played straight, you get some great drama. Played with tongue-slightly-in-cheek, you can have an awful lot of fun. When Major League opened in 1989, there hadn’t been a baseball film played for laughs in ages so the right film arrived at the right time. Since then, it has endured, one of those movies you find arresting as you channel surf. Forget the dumb sequels and recall what it was like to see the collection of misfits forged a bond to thwart the evil owner and go for the championship.

Now, currently, you can see professional teams really play like misfits (insert your Yankees jokes here) but the movie, unlike reality, makes us love these guys.

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‘Star Trek’ exceeds industry expectations with $76.5 million opening weekend

‘Star Trek’ exceeds industry expectations with $76.5 million opening weekend

No wonder they’re smiling.

Star Trek passed Fast & Furious as the 2nd biggest opening of 2009, behind only X-Men Origins: Wolverine, earning an estimated $76.5 million (including Thursday night showings). The movie also set the attendance record for a film debuting in the second weekend in May, and made a record-setting $8.2 million from 138 IMAX theaters, which broke the Dark Knight’s $6.3 million mark.

And in case you missed it, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto showed up on Saturday Night Live this weekend…

And the photo, by the by, is of an Enterprise pimped out by Jesus Diaz and part of a series that can be seen at StarTrekMovie.com.

So what did you think of the film? Leave your comments below, and go easy on the spoilers…

Review: ‘Galaxy Quest’ 10th Anniversary DVD

Review: ‘Galaxy Quest’ 10th Anniversary DVD

Galaxy Quest
does not turn 10 until Christmas, but with all the [[[Star Trek]]] hoopla this month, Paramount Home Video wisely releases the 10th anniversary edition on Tuesday.

This love letter to [[[Star Trek]]] and its fans was the commercially successful and satisfying in joke-filled story of the actors from a cancelled science fiction classic being recruited by interstellar fans in their time of greatest need. Can actors rise to the role of hero? Well, we pretty much know how this will end, but still, getting there is great fun.

Opening with a science fiction convention that is remarkably true in feel, the movie shows us how trapped the performers feel in these roles, along with the petty squabbles that have plagued them for years. Tim Allen plays William Shatner, or that is, the Shatner who felt trapped by Captain Kirk before letting himself in on the joke and embracing it. There’s the marvelous Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane, would be Shakespearean actor, trapped under the latex of his television alter ego, and hating every minute of it.

While some of Star Trek’s supporting players embraced their cultural status and used it with success, none of these performers have had similar luck and are reduced to store openings and convention appearances for income.

Until they board the real NSEA Protector, built with remarkable fidelity by the Thermians, who hope the stellar adventurers can help them avoid being conquered by a hostile race. From that point to the conclusion, we see these people grow and learn, while we cheer their every step. Writers David Howard and Robert Gordon take the fan experience and bring it to life, with tremendous affection. Director Dean Parisot is also fully committed to respecting the source material and has great fun while showing tremendous respect for his audience.

The cast is filled with wonderful performances from Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, and Missi Pyle. A young Justin Long fills in for those of us in the audience, using the fan collective to help save their beloved heroes/

Some have hailed this one of the best Star Trek movies ever made and in many ways they’re right. The movie succeeds in being rewatchable – in snippets on cable as you surf – or all the way through as on the DVD.

Affordably priced at just $14.99, the movie comes complete with a slew of new featurettes so the celebration continues. Historical Documents: The Story of [[[Galaxy Quest]]] features fresh interviews with Gordon and Parisot along with members of the cast and Star Trek writer/director Nicholas Meyer. There is also Never Give Up. Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector, By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects, Alien School – Creating the Thermian Race, and Actors in Space. All provide interesting comments and an appreciation for the filmmaking process.

When Sigourney Weaver couldn’t attend her agent’s birthday party, she got help from Daryl Mitchell to craft a rap then was backed by Sam Rockwell, Missi Pyle and Mitchell. The short clip is very entertaining and shows some of the camaraderie that happens during a shoot.

From the 2000 DVD release are the deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer. All in all, this is a nice tribute to a terrific film, one that belongs in your library.

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