Author: Robert Greenberger

Review: ‘Fantasia’ & ‘Fantasia 2000’

Walt Disney saw possibilities where others did not. He turned Mickey Mouse into an American icon and launched a bustling animation business, but wasn’t satisfied with his amusing shorts. Instead, he wanted more and defied the critics who thought a full-length animated feature would hurt viewers’ eyes and test their patience.[[[Snow White]]] proved them wrong. Emboldened, Disney spent the 1930s experimenting with animation in ways none of his peers tried. He adapted classics and he gave us indelible characters and song. He even tried for Art with a capital ‘A’.

His third feature-length film was [[[Fantasia]]] and in eight segments, introduced audiences to a variety of classical music set to animated tales inspired by each. Today, we know it best for the entertaining “[[[Sorcerer’s Apprentice]]]” bit guest starring Mickey in his feature debut; but the film was so much more. It opened up what animation could be and do and while it was a box office disappointment during its 1940 release, it has also endured as a sampling of masterful animation.

In time for the holidays, Walt Disney Home Entertainment has released Fantasia in Blu-ray, packaging in numerous ways including a four-disc set, accompanied by [[[Fantasia 2000]]]. You most certainly want Fantasia one way or the other so the ultimate decision is how badly do you want the follow-up feature.

It was said that Disney intended Fantasia to be a living laboratory as segments were added and dropped every few years, keeping it fresh and imaginative. The lack of business scuttled that plan until 1990 when Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew, got animators started on a new version. This time, three of the original segments were to be retained with five new ones added but in the end, Mickey remained and everything else was new and nowhere near as wonderful as the original.

The original Fantasia was edited and re-scored and altered throughout the years but with the passage of time, Disney’s crew has been slowly restoring it to as close to the original 125-minute roadshow release as was possible. About the only questionable edit was keeping a few seconds of a racist black centaur on the cutting room floor, but what you get on the Blu-ray is the definitive version and the one to endure. The restoration and transfer are pristine, which has become the Disney gold standard. Obviously, this was made to be heard as well as seen so the audio is equally exceptional. (more…)

Mark Waid Leaves BOOM!

  • News
  • December 9, 2010

Mark Waid has been a good friend to ComicMix and we wish him well as he returns to the always exciting life of a fulltime freelancer.

Here’s the official word from BOOM! Studios:

December 9th, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA – It is with a heavy heart but also with great warmth and fondness that BOOM! Studios bids adieu to one of its own: effective immediately, Mark Waid is stepping down from the responsibility of Chief Creative Officer at BOOM! Studios. Waid will continue his run on IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE and his brand new break-out hit collaboration with Stan Lee, THE TRAVELER.

“Mark was key in BOOM!’s transition from a promising upstart to top tier  publisher,” Ross Richie, the Chief Executive Officer of BOOM! Studios remarked. “Now that we’ve reached this stage, Mark’s made it clear to me that he’s ready to take on new challenges. And we wish him the best!”

“I learned a lot in my time at BOOM! about the ever-evolving job of publishing comics in the 21st century, and it’s been an invaluable experience,” Waid said. “But now that BOOM! is in a strong place with its best foothold ever in the market, it’s time for me to refocus my energies on writing and on creating. And maybe take one of these ‘vacation’ things that people are always talking about.”

At Comic-Con International in 2007, BOOM! Studios shocked the industry with the appointment of Mark Waid as Editor-in-Chief of BOOM! Studios. After three years as Editor-in-Chief, and writer of some of the bestselling BOOM! Studios titles like IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE and most recently THE TRAVELER, Waid was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in the summer of 2010. Today, after a little over three years at the company, Waid leaves BOOM! Studios firmly entrenched as one of the top comic book companies in North America.

“Working day-to-day with a creator of Mark’s caliber is an experience I’ll never forget,” said recently-minted Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Thankfully, with IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE, and THE TRAVELER going strong on the stands, I still get the pleasure of working day-in-and-day-out with Mark. He’s one of the greats and I wish him the best in the next chapter of his influential career.”

“Mark’s such a phenomenal talent, but also a phenomenally good sport.” Chip Mosher, Marketing Director added. “I’d like to publicly apologize that the tagline ‘Mark Waid is Evil’ will follow him the rest of his days! While Mark’s presence on the BOOM! team will be missed, I look forward to reading what is next on all the BOOM! books he will continue to concentrate on.”

While Mark Waid exits the executive team at BOOM! Studios, Waid will continue writing all three of his current BOOM! Studios titles. This December sees the release of IRREDEEMABLE #20 and INCORRUPTIBLE #13, in what continues to be one of the most successful launches of a new series in the past five years in the Direct Market. The success of the single issues for both series have been surpassed only by the massive trade paperback sales, with December also seeing blockbuster pre-orders for IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 5 and INCORRUPTIBLE VOL. 3 TPBs, that will be hitting store shelves later this month. Waid’s collaboration with Stan Lee, THE TRAVELER #2, also tearing up the sales charts, hits store shelves later this month.

A Look at ‘I am Number Four’

  • News
  • December 2, 2010

DreamWorks Studio released details about February’s thriller I Am Number Four. Given the behind-the-scenes crew and the cast, we’re certainly intrigued. Take a look and you tell us.

Three are dead. Who is Number Four? D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) helms an action-packed thriller about an extraordinary teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events—his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
John (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed…he is Number Four.

Genre:            Action-thriller
Rating:            TBD
U.S. Release date:    February 18, 2011

Cast:    Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Kevin Durand, Callan McAuliffe
Director:        D.J. Caruso
Producer:        Michael Bay
Executive Producers:    Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, David Valdes
Screenplay by:        Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Marti Noxon

For more information, you can check out their Facebook back or follow them on Twitter.

Review: ‘Shazam! The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal’

  • Uncategorized
  • December 1, 2010

[[[Shazam! The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal
]]]By Chip Kidd, with photographs by Geoff Spear
Abrams ComicArts, 246, pages, $35

With one magic word, Billy Batson turned from a 10-year old orphan into Captain Marvel. It was a form of wish fulfillment that beat [[[Superman]]] and may well explain why Fawcett’s comics were outselling DC Comics’ Man of Steel. Maybe it was CC Beck and company’s clean, slightly cartoony style. It was probably a combination of these factors, but for a time, comics featuring Captain Marvel and his extended family were outselling Superman in his own title or [[[Action Comics]]] and [[[World’s Finest Comics]]].

On the other hand, Superman beat the [[[Big Red Cheese]]] in one arena and that was in licensing. There was bread, a comic strip, a radio series, the amazing Fleischer cartoons, the serials, and so on. Captain Marvel, most know, had the Tom Tyler serial and that’s about it. Well, not quite. Thanks to über-fan Chip Kidd, we now know that there was plenty of licensed stuff for the kids. In the lavishly illustrated Shazam!, Kidd along with photographer Geoff Spear take us on a tour of the obscure and little-known product to carry images of the good Captain and his pals.

The prose is breezy and gives us a cursory history of the character and the company that brought him to light. There’s little in the way of analysis but there are many interesting anecdotes, some of which were new even to a vet like myself. It would have been interesting to gain a greater understanding of why Fawcett couldn’t parlay their sales success to a greater licensing presence, which may well have allowed them to outlast his competitor in the years that followed. 

In a more or less chronological order, we see artifacts from the Captain Marvel fan club, toys, costumes, badges, contest prizes and the like. Most of it carried artwork produced by Beck’s New Jersey studio or taken from the comics themselves, so they maintained that great look and feel of the comics. There’s Beck’s powerful hero in flight alongside Mac Raboy’s graceful Captain Marvel, Jr. and the plucky Mary Marvel, first envision by Marc Swayze. The book expands its scope to include other Fawcett heroes who benefited from association, notably [[[Spy Smasher]]]] who Kidd equates as Fawcett’s Batman. While DC managed to license Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, Fawcett seemed to outperform them in terms of characters found on product although DC’s heroes were in higher profile venues such as comic strips and radio.

It is nice to be reminded that it was Fawcett that figured out how to grow the franchise with the teen sidekick additions long before Superboy or Supergirl found their way into print. Heck, we get pages of licensed product featuring Hoppy the Marvel Bunny who preceded Krypto by 13 years. I had never imagined the funny animal incarnation would merit any merchandising but there are miniature figures, temporary tattoos, and paint book.

There’s a charm to these products from the 1940s, small in size and easily affordable for mere dimes. We get to see some of the correspondence the good captain sent out to his fans, including news and contests.  Most of these items are rare and fetch high prices and its terrific to see them more or less catalogued in this handsome volume.

Kidd and Spear also take the time to show us the illegal knockoffs from Cuba and having these here, truly makes this book fun to flip through.

This is a loving tribute to the character that goes a long way to highlight just how popular he truly was during comics’ golden age. It certainly belongs in your comics library, along with Kidd’s similar tributes to other characters from his youth.

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Review: ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

sorcerers-apprentice1-6000135People have been adapting works of art since time immemorial adjusting the details for the era and culture. There appear to be countless versions of what happens when a sorcerer leaves his apprentice alone to complete his chores. This led to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1797 ballad, which was adapted into a symphonic poem by Paul Dukas in 1890. In the 1940s Walt Disney used both as an inspiration for the most beloved sequence in [[[Fantasia]]], as Mickey Mouse plays the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. These days, with everything from the Disney vaults ripe for reinterpretation, it was inevitable that someone would turn this enchanting sequence into an over-the-top spectacle.

Actor Nicholas Cage is credited with the notion for this retelling of [[[The Sorcerer’s Apprentice]]], which reunites him with director Jon Turteltaub, with Disney hoping for some National treasure magic to be sprinkled over this warmed-up rehash of the familiar. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, one of the summer’s more disappointing offerings, is out on DVD today in the usual assortment of formats and combinations.

In this retelling, written by Matt Lopez and the team of Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal (it amazes me these guys still get work) from a story by Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard and Matt Lopez, the Sorcerer in question is Balthazar Blake, one of Merlin’s three apprentices and the survivor of the horrors at the fall of Camelot. Balthazar and his best friend Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) both loved Veronica Gorloisen (Monica Bellucci), who sacrificed herself to stop Morgana le Fay (Alice Krige) from raising an army of the dead. Veronica absorbed le Fay’s soul and was encased in a nesting doll called the Grimhold. We’re then told that Horvath turned on Balthazar and they fought for centuries while Balthazar stopped the worst of le Fay’s believers, turning each into a nesting doll surrounding the first. Finally, Horvath was contained and Balthazar could proceed with his mission: to find Merlin’s true successor, the Prime Merlinian. He would know of his success when Merlin’s dragon ring responded to the right person.

For a millennium, Balthazar searched the world until fate brought 10 year old Dave Stutler (Jake Cherry) to his Manhattan shop. But 10 year old boys don’t always follow instructions and after being given the ring, which curls around his finger, he accidentally unleashed Horvath, beginning a new battle between former friends in that eternal struggle between good and evil – that is, until both got caught in a Chinese urn for a decade.

Stutler (Jay Baruchel) is now a socially awkward physics student at NYU when both magicians reappear, plunging his life into a new form of hell. Balthazar slowly convinces Dave to accept training and his destiny, but balks when Dave tries to make time for Becky Barnes (Teresa Palmer). (more…)

Warner Premiere Formally Announces ‘All-Star Superman’

  • News
  • November 30, 2010

DC Entertainment’s All-Star Superman was one of the better things to be released by the company during the past decade. It was universally acclaimed and awarded, recently being collected in an Absolute edition. Now, Warner Premiere is tackling Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s 12-part saga as their next animated feature. Here’s the formal press release:BURBANK, CA, (November 29th, 2010) – Grant Morrison’s beloved, Eisner Award-winning vision of Superman’s heroic final days on Earth is brought to exquisite animated life in All-Star Superman, the latest entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies coming February 22, 2011 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly-anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD for $24.98 (SRP), as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.

In All-Star Superman, the Man of Steel rescues an ill-fated mission to the Sun (sabotaged by Lex Luthor) and, in the process, is oversaturated by radiation – which accelerates his cell degeneration. Sensing even he will be unable to cheat death, Superman ventures into new realms – finally revealing his secret to Lois, confronting Lex Luthor’s perspective of humanity, and attempting to ensure Earth’s safety before his own impending end with one final, selfless act.

The celebrity-packed voice cast is headed by James Denton (Desperate Housewives) as Superman, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Lois Lane, and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace) as Lex Luthor. The stellar cast includes seven-time Emmy® Award winner Ed Asner (Up) as Perry White, Golden Globe® winner Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) as Ma Kent, Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) as Jimmy Olsen and Linda Cardellini (ER) as Nasty. 
Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), Catherine Cavadini (The Powerpuff Girls), Finola Hughes (General Hospital), Alexis Denisof (Angel), Obba Babatunde (That Thing You Do!), Michael Gough (Batman) and John DiMaggio (Futurama) round out the voice cast.

Based on the Eisner Award-winning DC Comics series/graphic novel of the same name by Grant Morrison with illustration by Frank Quitely, All-Star Superman is executive produced by animation guru Bruce Timm and directed by Sam Liu (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) from a script by acclaimed comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths). (more…)

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Review: ‘Superf*ckers’

[[[Superf*ckers]]]
By James Kochalka
Top Shelf Productions, 144 pages, $14.95

superf-ckers-lg-3363487Reading the reviews about previous editions of James Kochalka’s Superf*ckers I was thinking this was going to be an amazing satire of the super-hero genre, poking fun at teams from the Justice Society of America to the Thunderbolts.  Over the years, Kochalka had been doling out one issue at a time, starting with Superf*ckers #271 in 2005 and released a fourth issue in 2007. Top Shelf has collected the four issues with the previously unpublished [[[Jack Krak #1]]] in a new collection released earlier this year.

I don’t get the praise. Not at all. Kochalka’s robbery figurework is good for his childrens’ books and other independent works but when it comes to super-powered, hyper-sexualized characters, it feels entirely wrong.

Over the course of the collection, these spoiled, nasty would-be heroes act like whiny, horny, spiteful high school students. None seem to be using their powers for the public good, but instead, to outperform each other in the hopes of gaining acceptance in the club. They are a uniformly unlikeable bunch and the satirical elements are so broadly played they’re more slapstick than witty commentary on modern comic book tropes.

Kochalka cuts between combinations of heroes one-upping each other, excreting with abandon and he paces these various threads nicely enough. He crams each page with plenty of panels and action, brightly coloring everything in what must have been a painstaking manner.

Amazingly, at the outset, Kochalka thought this might be an all-ages title but as he got further into this, he couldn’t prevent his annoying heroes from cussing so it has remained a book aimed at older readers. “And it makes the action more dramatic,” he told Comic Book Resources. Not at all. The cursing and invective permeates every pages as do the acts that should never be attempted at home.

I remain baffled why anyone things this is a laugh-out loud must-read series. In the same interview he said, “On the surface it’s fun and breezy romp, but underneath it’s a layered satire of American society, the comic book scene, power and pathos and the human condition.” That might have been his intent but the execution fails to measure up.

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Review: ‘Sondheim! A Birthday Celebration’

  • Uncategorized
  • November 28, 2010

sondheim2-3776994You are no doubt wondering why ComicMix is reviewing [[[Sondheim! The Birthday Celebration]]], the DVD edition of the 80th birthday celebration that aired this past week on PBS. Believe it or not, we believe in covering significant events in popular culture, not just the fads and the celebrities, but people who have made contributions that have proved influential to today’s creators. Stephen Sondheim, for over fifty years, has been elevating the musical theater art form, and his music and lyrics have found their way into books, film, and yes, comic books.

Musical theater in America came into its own in 1927 with [[[Showboat]]], co-written by Jerome Kern with book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Its next evolutionary step came with [[[Oklahoma]]] in 1943, from Hammerstein and Richard Rogers. Living down the hall from the lyricist was a young boy named Stephen Sondheim. Their relationship helped Sondheim develop his ear for music and lyrics, letting him burst into the public’s ear with his lyrics to [[[West Side Story]]], the musical that propelled theater to a new era. His influence remains strong today.

What sets Sondheim apart from other playwrights and lyricists is the intelligence of his words. He expresses mood, feeling, emotion and character with a sophisticated use of language that has helped elevate the art form. More than that, he rarely repeats himself so the shows he has created on his own sound nothing like one another. He dares to explore subjects dark ([[[Sweeny Todd, Assassins]]]) and the more whimsical ([[[The Frogs]]]).

Given the lengthy number of shows he’s been involved with and multiply that by the number of memorable songs he has crafted, him impact is immense. To celebrate the occasion this year, he has annotated his works in the recently released[[[ Finishing the Hat]]]: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) With Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes. The world has honored him with numerous performances including two special nights at Lincoln Center in March which was recorded and formed the special we’re talking about.

Performing his works are stars young and old, familiar and unknown, but
all singing with affection (and some amazing diction). These include
Michael Cerveris, Joanna Gleason, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti
LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, John McMartin, Donna Murphy, Mandy
Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch and Chip Zien. Paul
Gemignani, Sondheim’s longtime colleague, was conducting the New York
Philharmonic and the evening was hosted with wit by David Hyde Pierce.
There were some nice running gags that kept things light and you could
tell the performers were thrilled to be there.

(more…)

Nicholas Cage Teaches ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

  • News
  • November 27, 2010

Nicholas Cage is an incredibly gifted actor who continues to display his passion for genre works by appearing countless adventure films. This past summer he was the mentor in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and is next seen in January’s Season of the Witch. In this interview, courtesy of Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Cage talks about last summer’s film, coming out on DVD Tuesday.

Question: How did you get involved with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice? Nicholas Cage: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice began with my desire to play a magician in a movie. I played a magician of sorts in a movie called Next, which is when I became fascinated with ancient mythologies and philosophies from England. I loved the subject, so I had a conversation with Todd Garner – the producer of Next – and I said to him, “Boy, I’d really like to play a sorcerer from the times of King Arthur.” The very next day he said to me, “Nic, I’ve got it. Why don’t we create a movie around the sorcerer’s apprentice from the Fantasia movie?” It was perfect.

Question: How important was it to transform your look for your role in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice?

Nicholas Cage: Actors often change their looks for roles and I’m certainly part of that school of thought. In fact, I want to transform myself every time I get a new role. I’ll wear wigs, I’ll wear nosepieces, I’ll wear green contact lenses… I’ll do whatever I need to do to create a character. That’s what acting’s all about. That’s the fun of it.


 (more…)

Win an ‘I am Legend’ Digital Download

  • News
  • November 27, 2010

Warner Bros’ adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I am Legend helped sustain Will Smith’s star power. Now the movie is coming to phones and digital notepads everywhere.  The movie comes to iTunes for the first time ever with Bonus Content including behind the scenes footage and interviews with the star himself:  
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague — The Infected — lurk in the shadows… watching Neville’s every move… waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered… and quickly running out of time.

To win a digital download of the movie with extras, all you have to do is tell us what makes YOU a legend. The most creative answer, as solely judged by the ComicMix braintrust, to arrive by 11:59 p.m. November 30 will be chosen. 

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