Author: Van Jensen

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Up Next for Downey Jr.

  • News
  • July 11, 2008

Variety is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. has signed up to play titular detective Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie to be directed by Guy Ritchie.

Shooting starts this fall, which means it shouldn’t get in the way of Iron Man 2, which Downey also has on the table with a prospective 2010 release date. Marvel also apparently just brought back director Jon Favreau for that sequel.

Strangely, this is one of two competing Holmes movies, Variety says:

With Downey aboard, the film will go into production before a comedy that just coalesced at Columbia Pictures, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Holmes, and Will Ferrell playing his crime-fighting partner Dr. Watson.

Columbia is fast tracking its project, which is being written by Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") and produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller.

One might wonder, then, what this news portends for Downey’s supposed interest in a film version of Cowboys & Aliens. Platinum Studios leaked word of that, going so far as to say the film would have a 2010 release.

File that one under "doubtful."

Writer Shares Origins of ‘Batman’ TV Series

  • News
  • July 11, 2008

The 1960s Batman TV series couldn’t be more different than the current movie versions — Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight — with the former being campy fun and the latter being dark, psychological action epics.

Variety tracked down Lorenzo Semple, Jr., writer of the Adam West TV version, and printed a lengthy article from him on the differences between the Batman stories and how his version came to be.

As we sat in the garden of that splendid caravanserai, sipping cool sangria, Bill pulled something from the inner pocket of his jacket. For those who never had the privilege of knowing him, Bill Dozier was one sophisticated gent. "This," he said, with a look of humiliation bordering on shame, "is what ABC has given us." It was, as the shrewd reader will have guessed, a copy of the comicbook "Batman." I’d seen this comic from time to time, even read it with amusement, but I was hardly a dedicated fan. Nevertheless. At the risk of pretending to Minerva-like wisdom, I must tell it like it happened: The TV show concept virtually exploded in my sangria-enhanced brain, full-blown. Bill asked me what I was thinking. I replied it was a really terrific idea — trust me and fly back home to Los Angeles, and I would write it. Trust me. …

It was a writer’s hog heaven. I was sent four issues of the comic for plot ideas, each featuring one of the Big Four villains. The Joker seemed the best pilot choice, though I’m not sure why. I mailed Bill the script at Fox. He and his folks loved it. Then I flew back from Malaga to New York for a meeting with ABC, where Bill eloquently pitched the script and its high-camp POW!! BLAM!! WHAMMO!! style, those onscreen graphics already written in. The network was a bit flabbergasted, so different was this from their usual pilot, but they got it. A particular supporter was exec Douglas Cramer, whom I like to think was only exhibiting the same exquisite connoisseur’s taste that has since made him one of America’s leading contemporary art mavens and collectors.

Review: This Week in ‘Trinity’ #6

Things started to coalesce in last week’s Trinity #5, and issue six keeps moving in the right direction with DC’s big three coming to realize there’s a big problem building, and they’re at the center of it.

This issue has dueling narratives, one part featuring Tarot now hiding out from Morgaine Le Fey’s wolf monsters. Tarot continues to see weirdness in her tarot cards, but she dives into it, seeing Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman appear on the cards and in her dreams.

There are some obvious elements in the cards — Superman on The Sun, Wonder Woman on The Earth and Batman on The Moon — but also a few more mysterious ones. Batman appears on The Magician, and Superman shows up on The Hanged Man, with the drawing making him look like Christ on the cross. Hmm…

Meanwhile, the big three themselves are up in the JLA space station trying to figure out what’s going on and not having much luck. The brand left on Diana’s shoulder by another of Morgaine’s monsters gives them worry, and again Kurt Busiek’s character moments are done quite well.

The two narratives come together as the heroes and Tarot both talk over the nature of the trinity, and their identities as heroes, how they each represent different faces of the same ideal. One strange aspect is that in Tarot’s dream, the people around each of the heroes have no faces, like the Question. Hmm…

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The Weekly Haul: Comics Reviews for July 11, 2008

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  • July 11, 2008

All around, a great week for comics even in the face of a few serious missteps. And while the latest Secret Invasion was quite good, it was the monthlies that really kicked into high gear. Let’s get to the reviews…

jsa16-4829475Book of the Week: Justice Society of America #17 — This book hit a pretty serious lull in the middle of the Gog storyline, as Magog went away and Gog (an apparently benevolent god) made his presence known.

The latest issue is all about that old axiom, be careful what you wish for. Gog is on the peacepath, so to speak, and turns his focus on the members of the JSA, granting their deepest desires.

But his altruism cuts both ways. Damage gets a new face and Pieter regains his sight, while Starman becomes sane (“not a good thing”) and Power Girl is transported home… wherever that is.

It’s a slickly done issue by Geoff Johns, who crafts an extremely dangerous story without a whiff of a villain. This series had been needing a kick in the pants, and this issue was a big swing of a steel-toed boot.

Runers Up:

Captain Britain #3 — Even better than Secret Invasion is this spin-off title, which has the Skrulls invading Britain as part of their global conquest. This is one jam-packed issue, with epic fight scenes, tough decisions and even a believable turn from Merlin.

The expected rebirth of Captain Britain was goose-bumps good, and my only complaint is that this Skrull battalion is all fighting and no subterfuge, as they don’t utilize that huge shape-shifting advantage.

The Goon #26 — A classic gangsters-at-war story. Think Miller’s Crossing, except with monsters, zombies and filthy humor. Eric Powell maybe goes a bit too far in places, but all in all it’s a damn fine issue, and his art is brilliant as ever.

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Mystery Writer Gary Phillips Talks ‘High Rollers’

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

highrollers_01-5166112When I talked to mystery/crime novelist recently about his upcoming comic book series High Rollers, it came across very quickly just how much Phillips knows about his hometown of Los Angeles, where nearly all of his writing projects are set.

You can read that interview, in Publishers Weekly Comics Week, right here.

Now, Phillips is giving a sort of virtual tour of L.A. courtesy of Comic Book Resources, which has posted a video of Phillips visiting some of his favorite haunts in the city.

If you’re curious about High Rollers, read my review of the book in last week’s installment of the Weekly Haul.

 UPDATE: The video’s now on YouTube, which you can check out below.

Jon Favreau on ‘Iron Man 2’

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

ironman-8110083First we had the success of Iron Man. Then we had Marvel’s plans for a sequel and additional movies.

Then things turned dicey, as director Jon Favreau said he hadn’t been contacted about the sequel, and the Marvel-issued timeline for the films was unrealistic.

Now comes unofficial word — adjust the size of your grain of salt depending on how much you trust Hollywood gossipist Nikki Finke — that Favreau has signed on for Iron Man 2, due out as early as 2010.

Finke explains all with a dollop of heavy snark on her Deadline Hollywood blog:

It’s not officially announced yet, but I’m told that Marvel Studios and Iron Man director Jon Favreau have reached a deal for him to helm the sequel, due out in 2010. (Robert Downey Jr had a sequel clause in his contract so he’s on board.) Marvel Studios boss David Maisel was quick to put out a “definitely” richer offer to Favreau, but not quick enough for Jon — who used the Internet and other media to rile up the movie’s many fans by spreading nonsense that Marvel was dragging its feet and then lowballing him. Granted Maisel is no day at the beach himself, but, seriously, could Favreau have been more of an asshole?

Wal-Mart Drops Comic ‘Racist’ Comic

  • Uncategorized
  • July 10, 2008

meminsml-8562930A couple days ago ComicMix brought you the news that Wal-Mart stores in Texas were stocking the controversial comic book Memin Pinguin, and people were calling racism.

The retailer didn’t respond to the article, but now comes word that Wal-Mart will pull the controversial comics off their shelves. The company’s statement:

Wal-Mart carries a wide array of products that reflect the wants and needs of Hispanic customers. And we understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivity to the negative image Memin can portray to some, we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores. We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book’s images.

There is plenty of disagreement over whether the comic is racist or not, with this mention from the character’s Wikipedia page giving some evidence to negate that view:

In one famous issue, Memín, having read that Cleopatra VII of Egypt took milk baths to lighten her skin, tries the same treatment. His mother weeps with sorrow that her son would want to change his skin color. A repentant Memín decides to be proud of his race and color to honor his good mother.

Comic Con 2008: Going, Going, Gone

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

comic_con_logo-8482191Plenty to look forward to for people headed to San Diego for Comic Con International 2008, at least as long as you already have tickets.

According to the CCI Web site, single-day passes for both Friday and Saturday are sold out, as are four-day passes.

Sounds like more proof positive of the idea brought up by Laura Hudson in this Publishers Weekly story, that Comic Con has possibly grown too large for its own good.

Even publishers aren’t sure if they’ll make it inside:

Exhibitors are also feeling the pinch as they compete for limited space on the convention floor. At the recommendation of fire marshals, aisles in the giant halls D and E were widened, meaning there’s even less available acreage overall. As a result, many professionals and publishers, including book publishing giant HarperCollins, are still on a waiting list for a booth only weeks before the show opens—and unlikely to come off of it.

Boom Tabs Matt Gagnon as Managing Editor

  • Uncategorized
  • July 10, 2008

One-time Meltdown Comics retailer Matt Gagnon continues a rapid climb in comics, as he’s just been named Boom! Studios’ new managing editor.

He started on at Boom in March to help edit their upcoming Farscape series, and now he’ll be overseeing the entirety of Boom’s line of comics.

That’s a surprisingly quick climb, especially for someone with so little editorial experience (Mark Waid refers to Gagnon as being the "Michael Clayton" of comics).

It’s an interesting move at the least, but one that seems typical of Boom, which has brought people in from the movie industry and other non-comics backgrounds.

Let’s open this up as a poll for readers: Who’s the best retailer to go into comics writing/editing?

Exorcising the Comic Shop Stigma

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

George Munoz is a new comic shop owner, having just purchased Windy City Comics in Northlake, Ill., and he’s gotten a little local press for wanting to combat the Android’s Dungeon stereotype.

For anyone who hasn’t seen The Simpsons, that’s the comic shop owned by the Comic Book Guy, the obese, stinky, rude resident nerd on the show.

From the article in the Franklin Park Herald-Journal:

As such, he wants to change some of what he describes as stereotypes in comic book stores.

"Many have this weird funky smell, the owner is a jerk and won’t even let you look at the books," Munoz said. "I want to convert this to a different style of comic store."

His ideas include bringing in comic book creators for signings, selling original comic art, showing comic based movies in the store, adding gaming and perhaps a small cafe.

"I want to bring in people who wouldn’t normally come into a comic book store," Munoz said.

Now, a lot of those ideas aren’t the most novel, but I’m curious what other comic book buyers think about their shops. How inviting are they, especially to non-traditional comic book readers?

And, alternately, for retailers, what are you doing to entice new readers?

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