Author: Robert Greenberger

Fangoria’s Comic Book Imprint Rises from the Dead

Fangoria’s Comic Book Imprint Rises from the Dead

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

Fangoria’s comic book line appears ready for resurrection.

The editors recently posted on their MySpace page:

“That’s right, kiddies. We’ve gotten the band back together! Troy Brownfield, Fangoria Graphix Associate Editor here. I don’t have to tell you all that’s it been a weird couple of years. But Executive Editor Scott Licina, Production Manager Jason Moser, Director of New Media Development James Zahn and I are thrilled to be back where it all started. Ever since Tom DeFeo and The Brooklyn Company took over, we’ve been talking about what new horrible things we could do to all you, er, do together. The logical first step was to put the work that we originally did under the Fango umbrella in its natural place: right here, right in front of you, our most loyal readers.

“SO . . . knowing that, what are you going to see? There will be Bump. There will be the complete Rage and the complete Strangeland: Seven Sins. And in multiple languages. But there will also be new and frightening things in the offing. Like the Death Walks the Streets series. Like Ellium. Like Doubloon. Like online and downloadable comics. Like novels. Like graphic novels. And more.”

At present, the magazine’s website is down for retooling so this is the sole source for information at present.
 

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‘Rapunzel’ gets Makeover

‘Rapunzel’ gets Makeover

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

Glen Keane, a veteran animator who has worked for Disney since the late 1970s, has had to drop out of directing Rapunzel.  The talented animator, one of the first artists at Disney to embrace the computerization and digital options, has a non-threatening ailment but has had to cut back his work.

Stepping in to complete the project, expected in late 2010, are Bolt’s director Byron Howard and Bolt’s storyboard director Nathan Greno. They step in to replace Keane and Dean Wellins as directors and according to Ain’t it Cool News, it has as much to do with Keane’s health as the disappointment Disney has in the creative direction.

Keane is the son of Family Circus creator Bil Keane and his credits include The Rescuers, Pete’s Dragon, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Tarzan.

An in-house memo said, “Glen will step back as a Director but stay attached to Rapunzel as an Executive Producer and Directing Animator. At the same time, Dean will move into development to pitch three new ideas for one of our future feature projects and focus on directing one of his CG shorts.”

‘Ballad of Frankie and Vampi’ Comes to ComicMix Friday

‘Ballad of Frankie and Vampi’ Comes to ComicMix Friday

  • News
  • October 10, 2008

Starting Friday, ComicMix will publish the complete Ballad of Frankie and Vampi, starring Frankenstein Mobster and Vampirella.  Written and drawn by Mark Wheatley (EZ Street, Hammer of the Gods), the series originally ran in 2003 on several sites, including SundayFunnies.com, gemstonepub.com and Vampirella.com.  The original series was edited by Maureen McTigue. 

ComicMix presentation will include exclusive, never-before seen art.

A blog about Frankie and Vampi can be found at FEARnet.

The Frankenstein Mobster used to be Terry Todd, a crusading cop for whom the law was at least a compulsion, if not more. Life as a good cop in a bad town wasn’t easy, but death is apparently even harder. Now he’s been revived in a patchwork body, and he finds himself sharing his own skull with three unscrupulous mobsters. Obviously, this is one Made Man you don’t want to mess with.

Here are excerpts from an interview between the two characters.

Vampi: I understand there’s another woman in your life. Who’s Terri Todd?

Frankie: Terri? I don’t like talking about her, Vampi. But I don’t mind tellin’ you that she is a damn fine cop! And I’m not sayin’ ‘just for a woman’ neither!  She’s the youngest to ever make detective grade on the Monstros City force. And that’s sayin’ somethin’.  She’s smart, pretty and pitches a mean softball to boot.

Frankie: So, why the hell are you in Monstros City?

Vampi: Since my last visit I just can’t get this place out of my mind.

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Puddles Begins ‘Search for Santa’

Puddles Begins ‘Search for Santa’

  • News
  • October 10, 2008

Client newspapers of Newspaper Enterprise Association will be treated to a special 16-strip, The Search for Santa.  According to Daily Cartoonist, the strip is effectively a spin-off from Luann by Greg Evans.

NEA has been producing annual Christmas strips for their papers since 1937 and this year’s is a reprise to one Evans created previously.  Told from the point of view of Puddles, Luann’s dog, it triers to resolve the eternal question of why St. Nick does bring gifts to dogs.

 “The nagging question leads Puddles on a long journey, during which he finally finds Santa – and the spirit of the season,” Evans said.

Papers will carry the strip from December 8 through Christmas Day.
 

Brooklyn Gallery Spotloights Italian Artists

Brooklyn Gallery Spotloights Italian Artists

  • News
  • October 10, 2008

The 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.

Marvel asks, ‘Are you Ready?’

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?

Classic ‘R.U.R.’ Restaged in Chicago

Classic ‘R.U.R.’ Restaged in Chicago

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre Company has mounted a new production of Karel Capek’s 1920 play R.U.R.  The seminal science fiction play gave the world the word “robot” (based on the Czech word for laborer) and this will run through October 25.

The play stars Ryan Bollettino, Brennan Buhl, Zachary Clark, Andrew Gebhart, Joe Goldammer, Sara Gorsky, Carmine Grisolia, Jocelyn Kelvin, Nick Lake, Anderson Lawfer, Michaela Petro, Henry Riggs, John Henry Roberts, Noah Simon, and Rebekah Ward-Hays.

The initials stand for Rossum’s Universal Robots. The theatre company’s site says, “Forget clunky metal boxes, these robots are genetically engineered humans with the troublesome parts, like needs and desires, omitted. The men of R.U.R. live alongside their constructs on a remote island, closely guarding their secret formula while supplying the world with all the cheap labor it can stand. It runs like clockwork until a beautiful young robot rights activist arrives via her father’s private boat.

“Shade Murray, director of Strawdog’s Jeff Award-winning Detective Story and Marathon ’33 once again breathes new life into a forgotten gem, a funny and fast-paced character piece that happens to blow the lid off a whole mess of deep metaphysical questions. What is life? What is love? You won’t find out on the web site.”

Tickets cost $20 and performances are Friday & Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m.
 

Shuler-Donner Sings ‘Wolverine’s’ Praises

Shuler-Donner Sings ‘Wolverine’s’ Praises

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

Producer Lauren Shuler Donner spoke with Coming Soon about next May’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and she admitted the film owes a lot to 2001’ Wolverine: Origins miniseries.

“I guess its closer to the first X-Men in tone,” she said, “because it’s a little darker, but there’s a lot of action. It’s his origin story. It’s really good. I’ve been in the editing room the last couple of weeks and I think that it’s good and that audiences are going to like it. But it’s a little darker.

“There’s an X-Men: Origins that some of it is pulled from, and then it’s sort of an amalgamation of some of them. But X-Men: Origins sort of goes back into his young, young past, and we started there.”

She also confirmed that Ryan Reynolds is terrific as Deadpool and she’s eyeing a possible spin-off for the merc with a mouth. “I hope so. I really hope so. He’s so good at it.”

Shuler-Donner showered praise on director Gavin Hood, saying, “I like taking someone out of the indie world and bringing someone into the action world because it grounds the movie. It gives it a reality. It gives it an emotional core, and then you can have as much fun and action in it as you wants.”

Cartoon Network Crows About ‘Clone War’ Ratings

Cartoon Network Crows About ‘Clone War’ Ratings

  • News
  • October 9, 2008

It was about time George Lucas got some good news.  After the critical and commercial drubbing his feature-length Star Wars: The Clone Wars received news that the television series debuted to spectacular numbers must have been most welcome.

A Cartoon Network press release declared, “The new Lucasfilm Animation series scored as the most-watched series premiere in network history, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The one-hour new series premiere also reigned as the #1 program from 9-10 p.m. among all major kids networks in kids 6-11, kids 2-11, tweens 9-14, teens 12-7 and persons 2+, earning triple-digit increases compared to the same time period last year. The weekly, CG-animated series also attracted the largest tweens 9-14 audience for any premiere telecast of an original series in Cartoon Network’s 16-year history.”

"This is a great start for our new night of fantasy-action-adventure programming," said Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer of Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media group. "Kids and their parents made it a point to tune in to the amazing storytelling and brilliant animation of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars." "We are looking forward to building on this foundation and are thrilled with this turnout and record numbers for Cartoon Network."

The Secret Saturdays also debuted last week and earned 35% more kids 6-11 and 86% more boys 6-11 than programming that appeared in the same time period in 2007.

An animated, comedy-action series created by Jay Stephens, The Secret Saturdays reveals a family of world-saving adventure scientists, Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday. They live in a hidden base and are part of a network of scientists who protect against all the underlying evil in world. To the Saturdays, ordinary folk-tales aren’t just legends, but real-life mysteries and adventures.

David Cronenberg Discovers Spies

David Cronenberg Discovers Spies

  • News
  • October 8, 2008

David Cronenberg, the director best known for creepy fare such as The Fly and Scanners, is about to change genres.  Variety reports he is in negotiations to direct The Matarese Circle, the political thriller written by Robert Ludlum.

The MGM film would star Denzel Washington and its story is set back when there was still a Cold War. Washington’s American would have to find a way to cooperate with a Russian counterpart to stop a plot aimed at destroying multiple national governments.

Ludlum’s best seller has been adapted by the writing team of Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma). It has been fast-tracked since the studio, headed by Tom Cruise and Mary Parent, acquired the rights in April.

Cronenberg most recently directed the action-packed Eastern Promises.
 

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