Namor would never put up with this
Aquaman meets BP.
Hat tip: Oliver Willis.
Category: News
Tony DiPreta, 1921 – 2010
Tony DiPreta, a cartoonist with a pedigree as long as Joe Palooka’s reach, died on June 2.
Best known as the last artist on Joe Palooka (1959 – 1984) and Rex Morgan, M.D. from 1994 until 2000, Tony got his start at the fabled Quality Comics as a letterer in 1940. He assisted Lou Fine, Gill Fox and Bob Fujitani before working on such notable features as Airboy, Uncle Sam and Daredevil (the original pre-Marvel character). During the 1950s he did an enormous amount of humor, horror and western anthology work, primarily for Marvel (Atlas) Comics.He later worked on Marvel’s black and white horror magazines such as Tales of the Zombie, Monsters Unleashed, and Dracula Lives. His last published comic book work was Fantastic Adventures #3 (Oct. 1987) where he did the humorous “The Score Board Kid” written by former Mad editor Jerry DeFuccio.
In addition to working on Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan — both highly visible features in their time – Tony also drew Mickey Finn during its waning years.
Titan Launches ‘Torchwood’ Comic
In addition to the ongoing audio dramas and original novels, the adventures of Captain Jack and the Torchwood crew are coming to comic books. Titan Publishing, which already handles the Torchwood magazine, will release a comic in August.
Two stories will appear, the first, “Captain Jack and the Selkie”, is being co-written by series star John Barrowman and his sister Carol E. Barrowman,. Handling the art is veteran Tommy Lee Edwards and Jonathan Ross. The second story, “Broken,” is the opening chapter to a five-part story, written by Torchwood script editor Gary Russell, with artwork by UK vet Adrian Salmon. Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto (seemingly back from the dead) get trapped in a cosmic hotel, while an old villain from the TV series will return.
As one might expect, there will be variant covers – artwork by Ian Churchill or photography – for collectors with an exclusively edition, with different Churchill artwork available at July’s Comic-Con International.
Edwards told the Pink Paper his story “sees Barrowman facing a deadly threat on a remote Scottish island, where people are disappearing one by one. To his horror, the captain starts to suspect he may know who, or rather what, is responsible.” The artist came to Barrowman’s attention when he and Carole spotted a Captain Jack poster by Edwards at the 2008 San Diego-based convention.
“The four of us hit it off immediately and I asked if they’d ever be interested in working with us on a Captain Jack project. They thought about it for, oh, about 30 seconds, and ‘Captain Jack and the Selkie’ was born!”
Barrowman, who was seen this season on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, confirmed for BBC Radio 2 that the highly-anticipated fourth season of Torchwood will be a thirteen-episode affair, although no formal announcement or schedule has come from the BBC itself. Producer Russell T. Davies has previously indicated he knows exactly how he wanted to open the season, which would find Jack still off Earth while Gwen and Rhys welcomed their first child.
In the meantime, Barrowman is committed to appear in a production of Aladdin in Glasgow, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre’s Clyde Auditorium from December 11 to January 9, 2011.
Disney Consumer Products Projects Profitble Future
At an online press conference preceding this month’s Licensing Show, Walt Disney outlined their plans for 2011 and the future. Andy Mooney, president of Disney Consumer Products, hosted the event and emphasized that the company’s properties were all being evaluated for exploitation in all forms, using the phrase “newness” to cover technology and “value” to explain multi-figure packaging.
Obviously, the company expects to reap huge profits from this month’s 3-D release of Toy Story 3. Mooney anticipates $2.4 billion of global sales of merchandise for this franchise alone.
After that, Mooney felt Tron: Legacy, coming in December, will appeal to boys and has partnered with Mattel for toys based on the movie starring Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde.
For 2011, the company will be flogging Pixar’s next sequel, Cars 2, due in June, following a month later with the next animated Winnie the Pooh movie. For the younger set, there will also be the first new Muppets feature film in nearly a decade. The Disney Princess brand will continue to be pushed, accompanied by the recently launched Fairies line of product which already has grown into a $1.3 billion business.
Little was said about the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides, which takes the action to America. Similarly, nothing was mentioned about the next big action film, 2012’s live-action John Carter of Mars.
Disney is also exploring a sequel to 3 Men and a Baby, the 1987 film, directed by Leonard Nimoy and starting Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson. The charming comedy led to a less charming sequel 3 Men and a Little Lady in 1990 and now the studio appears interested in seeing a later chapter in their lives. Selleck confirmed for MTV that “It is true that Disney checked my availability,” he said. 3 Men and a Bride is the likely title and plotline, with Selleck adding, “I hope it’s a good script, and if it is a good script I hope they do it, because it would be really fun to get back with Ted and Steve. The strongest of the two movies I think is the first one. It had more heart, and that’s what I hope this third one would have if we do it.”
Spider-Man Webs Up A Gallery
Tip of the hat to friend of ComicMix, Missy Andersen, for linking us up to this lil’ piece of joy. Seems the hard working Viennese/Croatian design collective For Use/Numen created an astounding installation perhaps inspired by the famous wall crawler. Or it has something to do dancing, and choreography, and packing tape. Either way, visit the Fast Company blog and checkout the awesomeness up close(r).
Thwip!
Casting Notes
Over the last few days there’s been a lot of interesting film casting going on so let’s review:
Captain America gains Neal McDonough who will take on the part of Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader “Dum Dum” Dugan. Nah, he’s not an overweight, rowdy red-head with a bushy mustache but he will be one of the Howling Commandos. McDonough is familiar to fans from SyFy’s Tin Man miniseries and Desperate Housewives.
The Avengers appears ready to add Jeremy Renner in the role of Clint Barton, Hawkeye. The actor/musician was nominated for Best Actor for his work in 2009’s The Hurt Locker.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is ready to welcome aboard Stephen Graham (Snatch) as Scram, described by Variety as “a Machiavellian pirate”. He and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) go in search of the fountain of youth, bringing them to America for the first time, in the fourth installment of the film series, due out next May.
Our love for Kick-Ass’ Chloe Moretz is unrivaled and while we await her turn, later this year, as the vampire in the American remake of Let the Right One In, she has just signed on to star in Hick, described by Variety as a “coming-of-age indie drama”. The movie will adapt Andrea Portes’ novel with Portes handling the screenplay. Set in Nebraska, Moretz runs away from her alcoholic and abusive parents only to discover life on the road is no better. Directed by Derick Martini, shooting in New Mexico will begin later this year
We talked recently of how Daniel Craig has time on his hands now that MGM’s pending future has stalled work on the 23rd James Bond film. He’s now in talks with Sony to take on the role of Michael Blomkvist in the American adaptation of Steig Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. With David Fincher on board to direct, A-list actresses are all clamoring for the tasty role of Lisbeth Salander. Shooting is expected to begin later this year for a 2011 release.
Superheroes Banned from Los Angeles?
Superheroes have been banned from Los Angeles’ streets after
numerous complaints were filed against them.
According to the LAPD, costumed street performers harassed visitors
for tips in exchange for their services. Several actors were accused of aggressive
panhandling and loitering. Approximately a dozen characters were arrested while others were cited and asked to leave Hollywood Boulevard.
For years the Walk of Fame was where everyone could see their favorite movie
and comic book characters. Many actors donned costumes not only to entertain tourists but to make a living, as
seen in the acclaimed 2007 documentary Confessions of a Superhero. Christopher Dennis, who has portrayed Superman for 19 years, and Joe McQueen, who has been the Incredible Hulk for 10
years, are angered and confused by the actions taken against the costumed characters.
Both actors starred in the “Confessions” film, but despite their fame and
experience they too will be arrested if caught wearing costumes on the streets.
McQueen claims that the situation is un-American. Most of
the actors had stayed on public property (disputing the loitering charges) and
had not been aggressive with tourists. Dennis and others believe that a
few bad apples have spoiled it for all costumed street performers.
There has been talk of organizing a protest against the L.A. City Council’s decision to ban costumed crusaders, but no one knows what the future
holds for the actors. One thing is certain– Hollywood Boulevard
will be less lively without the beloved characters patrolling the streets.
Thor and Captain America Costumes Revealed
Marvel Studios has essentially confirmed that the production drawings for the costumes circulating online this week are accurate. So, we present a look at how Chris Hemsworth will appear as the God of Thunder, Thor, and Chris Evans will be seen as the Star-Spangled Avenger.
Andrea Romano Talks Voice Casting ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’
Few individuals understand the intricacies of the voice of Batman better than Andrea Romano.
Arguably the top animation voiceover director in the business today, Romano has been instrumental in orchestrating the vocal tones behind the character’s non-live appearances for more than two decades. From Kevin Conroy and Rino Romano to Jeremy Sisto and William Baldwin, Romano knows precisely what voice will best fit the tones of a particular story or series.
Enter Batman: Under the Red Hood and all of its deep, emotional undertones. Romano has outdone herself once again, balancing the veteran acting chops of Bruce Greenwood as Batman with the youthful, pained intonations of Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and tossing in Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing for humorous resonance.
All in a days work for Romano, who recruits the best in the business – winners of Oscars, Emmys and Tonys alike – to provide the voices behind some of the world’s best known super heroes for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
Romano’s voiceover casting/direction resume spans more than a quarter century, covering the genre gamut from action (Batman: The Animated Series) to humor (Animaniacs) and contemporary (The Boondocks) to timeless (Smurfs). The eight-time Emmy Award winner (along with more than 30 nominations) is a star in her own right, earning the respect of her peers and the adoration of legions of animation fans. One need only witness the reaction to her introduction at a Con to understand that voiceover work is no longer an anonymous profession.
Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010 as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
Marvel Ups Joe Quesada to Chief Creative Officer
ComicMix congratulates Joe Quesada on his justly deserved promotion, recognizing the strides he has made in salvaging Marvel as a creative entity in the years since the company emerged from bankruptcy.
Here’s the official release:
New York, NY – June 2, 2010 – Marvel Entertainment, LLC announced today that it has promoted Joe Quesada to Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. In this new role, Mr. Quesada will work alongside Alan Fine, Executive Vice President, Office of the President and Chairman of Marvel Studios’ Creative Committee, to ensure that all portrayals of Marvel’s characters and storytelling remain true to the essence of Marvel’s rich history. Additionally, Mr. Quesada will provide creative oversight of all areas of Marvel’s business including theatrical, television, publishing, animation and games, while also actively participating in all story and script development for Marvel’s films and animation. Prior to this promotion, Mr. Quesada held the role of Chief Creative Officer & Editor-In-Chief, Marvel Animation & Publishing and oversaw the creative aspects of Marvel Comics and Marvel Animation. The announcement was made today by Mr. Fine, to whom Mr. Quesada will report.
Mr. Fine stated, “I am excited to have Joe join me as Marvel Entertainment enters the next chapter in our history. Joe has already played an instrumental role as Editor-in-Chief in changing the face of the comic book industry with bold new ventures and an unprecedented penetration of the mainstream consciousness. His love and passion for Marvel, along with his experience guiding publishing for the last decade, will be invaluable as we bring our characters to life in new media.”
“I am honored to take this new position at Marvel Entertainment and work with Alan to bring the rich history of Marvel to a brand new audience” said Mr. Quesada. “Together with the incredible talent here at Marvel, in all our divisions, I look forward to making Marvel an even bigger part of the entertainment industry and showing why we’ve been an industry leader for over 70 years.”
Mr. Quesada will also continue to serve as Editor-In-Chief, Marvel Publishing, where over the past decade he has helped usher in bold new imprints such as Marvel Knights, the Ultimate Universe and Marvel MAX. During his tenure, Marvel received acclaim for its Heroes special to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001; the groundbreaking Death of Captain America storyline; and President Obama’s historic team up with Spider-Man. Mr. Quesada is also one of the industry’s most popular artists, providing cover and interior art to blockbusters such as Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Invincible Iron Man and more.
