Author: Robert Greenberger

Del Rey Manga and Cartoon Network Team-Up

  • Uncategorized
  • September 29, 2008

ben10-7202580Del Rey Manga has partnered with Cartoon Network Enterprises to form a new Manga publishing imprint.  The deal will debut original Manga based on two current Cartoon Network series, Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Ben 10 Alien Force (already in comic form via DC Comics).  The first titles will feature color stills from Bakugan Battle Brawlers: The Battle Begins, will be published on December 2008, and followed by a second volume in March 2009. Ben 10 Alien Force: Ben 10 Returns will be released in April 2009.  Original black and white Manga-style graphic novels based on Bakugan and Ben 10 Alien Force are slated for release in summer and fall 2009, respectively. Creative talent was not announced.

The news, announced this weekend at the NY Anime Festival, was the biggest Manga announcement over the three day event.  Del Rey also confirmed new titles in their relationship with Kodansha including:

Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture by Masayuki Ishikawa – Fall 2009
This quirky series is based on a serial running in Kodansha’s Evening magazine. The anime version, has spawned the usual merchandising bonanza and won both the Grand Prize in the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards and Kodansha Manga Award in 2008.

Del Rey Manga Editor Trisha Narwani noted, "A lot of publishers like to brag that what they’re bringing is unique, but this one really is. It’s about an agriculture student who can see very cute bacteria and germs.”

Amefurashi by Atsushi Suzumi – July 2009
This new series is about a cute, powerful and of course temperamental rain goddess and the human boy who must try to appease her moods to save his village.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles Character Guide 2 by CLAMP – Summer 2009
The character guide should make following this series, covering volumes 8-14, easier.

Maid War Chronicles by RAN – May 2009
"For this one, this one, the title says it all," said Narwani. Artist of Mao-Chan’s adventure is about "fighting maids who must fight to win back their master’s kingdom."
 

Review ‘Pathology’ DVD

  • News
  • September 29, 2008

pathology-3543402There has to be a certain detachment when it comes to slicing open a human body.  After all, it looks just like your own body and once you cut into the skin, you get to the inner mechanics and it can either be fascinating or repulsive.  The art of pathology requires that emotional detachment while at the same time can remain fascinating as one tries to determine the cause of death.

While a fascinating premise for a character study, 20th-Century Fox’s Pathology used it more as a backdrop for a thriller that failed to thrill.  The movie opened last spring to middling reviews and was immediately rejected by the movie going audience, vanishing after 21 days and earning a meager $109,045 at the box office.The movie, starring Milo Ventimiglia, was released on DVD this past week by 20th and it can be a diverting experience.  Unless, of course, you like characterization.  Milo’s Ted Grey has been invited to join a prestigious Pathology program in some nameless city.  Being the newcomer, he’s easily dismissed or razzed by the team already in place, being tutored by the somewhat observant, somewhat creepy John de Lancie.

The quartet of residents is all attractive white folk who harbor a secret.  To unleash their emotions and experience something, they have formed a club to play a secret game.  Targeting and killing people then challenging one another to determine how the death was actually caused.  Jake Gallo (Michael Weston) is the ringleader and sees the brilliant Grey as a rival so seduces him to play along. At first, Grey is justifiably repulsed at the notion but is brought into the circle and commits murders, slowly losing himself in the process.

Things begin to get out of hand when Grey begins sleeping with Gallo’s girl friend, fellow club member Juliette Bath (Lauren Lee Smith) and Grey’s life begins to spiral beyond his control.  He’s killing people, doing drugs, cheating on his girl friend Gwen (Alyssa Milano) and no longer recognizable.

(more…)

‘Eagle Eye’ Captures Box Office Crown

  • News
  • September 28, 2008

Shia LaBeouf is the new man of action as his Eagle Eye narrowly exceeded estimates and took in $29.2 million at the box office according to Box Office Mojo.  The movie averaged well over $8000 per screen and despite tepid reviews, brought in audiences.

“Eagle Eye jumpstarted the fall box office, and we couldn’t be happier," said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan, adding the movie drew men and women in roughly equal numbers. The conceit of the film is intriguing to all. Between GPS, employee codes, bank PIN numbers, this could conceivably be within the realm of possibility within a few years."

Among other opening films this weekend, the drama Nights in Rodanthe, reunited Diane Lane and Richard Gere used up a lot of tissues and took in $13,570,000. The indie film Fireproof opened to just $6,514,000, running on fewer screens, but averaging nearly $7000 per screen, much better than Rodanthe.  Spike Lee’s Righteous Kill had a poor opening with just $3.8 million earned.

Films in their sophomore week saw reasonable drops with Samuel L. Jackson’s Lakeview Terrace losing 53.3% of the crowd and brining in $7 million, good for third place. Ricky Gervais’ Ghost Town has been a disappointment, though, with just $9,239,000 to show after two weeks in theaters.

The Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading did well, with $6,514,000 added to their totals, which now stands at $45,540,000.

September tends to be a mixed bag of releases as the shift in content goes from light to serious as witnessed by Rodanthe’s romance and Lakview’s drama.  MGM’s Igor, for kids, has chugged along, in sixth place this weekend with $5.5 million.

Believe it or not, some theaters are still showing The Dark Knight and after 11 weeks in play, it has earned $524,465,000.

‘Green Lantern’ Film Edges Towards Spring Start

  • Uncategorized
  • September 28, 2008

hal-jordan-1181904Producer Donald De Line told Alex Billington at First Showing that the Green Lantern movie should begin principal photography in the spring.  The screenplay, by Michael Green, Greg Berlanti, and Marc Guggenheim, has garnered positive reviews across the net although the final version, submitted to Warner Bros. recently has not been leaked to date.

DeLine did say, "it’s coming together and I’m excited about it. Hopefully we’ll make it to start gate. We’re really close – really close."

The film, which still lacks a cast although Berlanti remains on board to direct, will feature Hal Jordan, the Silver Age incarnation of the character first created in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger.

"The structure adheres closely to what I call – the ‘superhero origin movie paradigm,’” DeLine continued. “In Green Lantern’s case, Hal Jordan has to overcome his selfishness and self pity over the death of his father Martin Jordan which takes place early in the script. Hal Jordan for the first 20 pages or so is a prick. The story follows the Green Lantern origin closely and cinematically speaking – it works."

If production begins in early 2009, the film will most likely receive a summer 2010 release. While rumors abound as to who may play Jordan, David Boreanez, widely reported to be up for the role, apparently is no longer a consideration as the producers search for a 27-30 year old to play the pilot turned hero.

 

Rachel McAdams Courts ‘Sherlock Holmes’

  • News
  • September 28, 2008

Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the eternal detective, is rounding out the cast.  Esarrlier this week, Jude Law was confirmed as Doctor Watson and Mark Strong will play Blackwood, the antagonist.  Rachel McAdams was announced as joining the cast. Guy Ritchie will direct this original story based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s immortal character for Warner Bros. The story is actually an adaptation of a comic book Holmes adventure that producer Lionel Wigram penned as an example on how to handle the character today.

McAdams will portray Irene Adler, first seen in 1891’s "A Scandal in Bohemia”.

‘Hellboy II’ gets 3-Disc Treatment

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced a November 11 street date for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Mike Mignola’s character will receive the full treatment, as a three disc special edition will contain the movie, which earned over $75 million domestically, and a ton of special features. The Blu-ray edition will be a mere two disc affair.

According to Universal’s release: “With bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains than ever before, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is available in multiple home entertainment versions. In standard definition DVD, fans can purchase either a widescreen or full frame single disc version for $29.98 SRP.  For a limited time only, fans can take home a widescreen 3-disc special edition DVD  ($34.98 SRP) or 2-disc Blu-ray Hi-Def ($39.98 SRP), featuring a digital copy of the film and hours of additional in-depth bonus features that take fans deep inside the movie’s extraordinary creative process – all encased in 3-D packaging. Just in time for the holidays, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is also available in a limited edition collector’s set featuring all of the bonus features of the 3-disc special edition plus a collectible Golden Army statuette, limited edition poster, director’s production journal and certificate of authenticity.  This set is priced for collecting and gift giving at $64.98 SRP for standard definition DVD and $69.98 SRP for Blu-ray Hi-Def. “ (more…)

‘True Blood’ ups 4 to Regular Roles

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

With True Blood earning good ratings and second season order, the producers are expanding the cast with the addition of four new regulars.

Mehcad Brooks, Todd Lowe, Deborah Ann Woll, and Michelle Forbes have already appeared as occasional participants this season and the quartet has been upgraded to series regulars.

Brooks will debut as Benedict "Eggs" Talley, a mellow, guitar-strumming refugee from a hard life in the season finale later this fall.

Forbes is best known for her work on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Ensign Ro and as Admiral Cain in the revamped Battlestar Galactica.
 

Another Martian Classic Reprinted

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

With a lot of attention focused on Pixar’s attempts to adapt John Carter of Mars to film, the small publisher Paizo has been exploring a different take on the Red Planet.  They announced a release of Otis Adelbert Kline’s The Swordsman of Mars. The 1933 tale was first serialized in Argosy Magazine, which also ran Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Under the Moons of Mars in 1912.

The serial was finally collected in hardcover by Avalon in 1960.  Later that year, Ace published a paperback edition as part of their growing SF line. According to Paizo, though, “entire chapters are missing, key character and location descriptions are completely absent, and the final product cuts a slash across the chest of Kline’s literary reputation that would be totally invisible to readers unable to assemble the original Argosy serial and compare the two texts.”

The publisher, under their Planet Stories imprint, is finally releasing the complete and unabridged tale of swords and monsters on a world not our own this month.
 

Original ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ gets Special Edition

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced that the original 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still will be released in a special edition on December 2 just before the remake opens December 12.

The studio will release a two-disc special edition in addition to a Blu-ray version.,

Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, West Side Story) and starring Oscar-winner Patricia Neal (Hud) and Michael Rennie (Les Miserables), this classic story of hope and peace is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential and thought-provoking science-fiction films of all time.
 
The Day The Earth Stood Still Special Edition Blu-ray Disc will be available for $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada and the two-disc DVD will be available for a suggested retail price of $19.98 U.S. / $21.98 Canada.   (more…)

IDW’s Presidential Tour

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

IDW has announced signing tour dates for the creators behind the two eagerly anticipated bio-comics featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Additionally, both comics will be made available for download to mobile phones.

The application is accessible to most cell phones in America through http://m.gocomics.com, while iPhone users can order the comics through Apple.  This may be the first time comic books will have the same in store and download date.

“It’s only fitting that in this historic election that we break new ground in the publishing and online media worlds with the first ever simultaneous release of these graphic novels in both print and on mobile phones. It is also a great move for our democracy to make these beautiful candidate biographies universally available,” said Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards in a release.

The comics have garnered IDW a fair amount of publicity being the first time the candidates have been profiled in graphic form during a campaign.  The publisher has stressed that writers Jeff Mariotte and Andrew Helfer did independent research on both men and tried to present fair interpretations of their lives, providing additional background to readers who may not be as familiar with the candidates through traditional news media. (more…)

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