Author: Robert Greenberger

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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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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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.
 

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.
 

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.