The Mix : What are people talking about today?

MOONSTONE MONDAY- A & E Entertainment announces ZORRO Series on DVD This Month

  • News
  • January 10, 2011
This doesn’t have to do with Moonstone, you say??   Well, you’d be wrong.  Although Moonstone has no ties to the series necessarily, Moonstone has printed TALES OF ZORRO, an anthology of swashbuckling tales of the Swordsman! http://www.moonstonebooks.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 THIS JANUARY, JOIN A&E HOME ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE DVD DEBUT OF A LEGENDARY HERO’S LONG SOUGHT-AFTER TV SERIES

ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIESAll 88 Episodes of the Fan-Favorite Series – Not Seen Since Their Family Channel Airing in the Early `90s – Finally Arrive in an Extras Laden Collection, Featuring The Original, Swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks Film, The Mark of Zorro, Chapter 1 of the 1939 Theatrical Serial, Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Never-Before-Seen Footage from the TV Series and Much, Much More!

IN STORES JANUARY 25

NEW YORK, NY — “Out of the night a hero must rise with courage that even a mask can’t disguise!” So begins the celebrated adventures of Zorro — swordsman, scientist and relentless defender of the oppressed. Beginning in 1919, with the publication of Johnston McCulley’s story, “The Curse of Capistrano”, the legend of Zorro was further cemented a year later when Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford produced The Mark of Zorro — with Fairbanks as the title character — as the inaugural film for United Artists. Since then, the swashbuckling hero has inspired more than 40 films and nearly a dozen TV series – one of which has been eagerly awaited by legions of fans for years. And, this January, the wait ends as A&E Home Entertainment unleashes ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES in a heroic collector’s set!

Filmed entirely in Madrid, Spain, ZORRO aired on The Family Channel for four seasons, from 1990-1993, and, for the very first time, this spectacular DVD MegaSet™ collects all 88 episodes from the classic ’90s series that brought Zorro to life for a whole new generation of fans. The legend of Zorro begins in the early 1800’s, when Los Angeles was a dusty pueblo, the farthest colonial outpost of the Spanish empire. This wild and untamed land was governed by the Alcalde, a corrupt mayor whose word was law and whose law was absolute. Young and dashing Don Diego de la Vega (Duncan Regehr, Monster Squad), pretending to care only for science and study, secretly creates a bold alter-ego: Zorro — the Fox. And aided by his mute servant Felipe, inspired by the faith of the beautiful tavern-keeper Victoria, and carried into battle by the mighty steed Toronado, the masked crusader thwarts the Alcalde’s plots at every turn. With his trademark whip and sword, he is everywhere and nowhere, quick to defend the innocent and attack the guilty. And he always leaves his trademark symbol ‘Z,’ — the mark of Zorro!

Renowned for swashbuckling, edge-of-your-seat adventure as well as its top-notch cast, ZORRO featured Regehr and Emmy® winner Henry Darrow (“The High Chapparal”, “Santa Barbara”) as Zorro’s father, Don Alejandro de la Vega, as well as guest stars such as Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) , Pete Postlethwaite (Amistad, The Usual Suspects), Doug McClure (The Land That Time Forgot), Adam West (“Batman”), Warwick Davis (Willow), Andre the Giant, Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”), Jesse Ventura and many more!

Aside from the 88 remastered episodes on 14 DVDs, ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES also features an exclusive bonus disc presenting some of the masked defender’s most influential appearances as well as rare behind-the-scenes material from the 1990 series. Included is “The Mark of Zorro” starring Douglas Fairbanks — the original, full-length silent film that defined the “swashbuckler” genre; Chapter 1 of the 1939 theatrical serial, Zorro’s Fighting Legion; trailers for the serials Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Zorro’s Black Whip and Zorro Rides Again ; the original, never-before-released pilot for the “New World Zorro” and a photo gallery from “New World Zorro”.

Day-and-date, A&E will also release the four seasons of ZORRO individually. ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SEASONS 1-3 are each comprised of 4 collector’s discs and are priced at $29.95srp. THE COMPLETE SEASON FOUR, which wraps up the series, includes 2 DVDs and is priced at $19.95srp.

Don’t miss out on this fan favorite TV classic in which villains always learn that crime doesn’t pay and that the people of Los Angeles can always count on “one who’s larger than life and defender of all. He’s the one who strikes back for the poor and oppressed. A hero . . . whose name is Zorro!”

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Pulp Reviews by Tommy Hancock

  • News
  • January 10, 2011

SHERLOCK HOLMES & KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
in CRY OF THUNDER
Story-Joe Gentile
Art-Andy Bennett and Carlos Magno
TPB Collecting Three Issue Miniseries
2009
http://www.moonstonebooks.com/

A lot of good work has been done in recent years centering around the Great Detective.   Movies, short stories, novels, and most definitely comics.  Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. went one step further a couple of years ago.  Not only did writer (and Moonstone CEO) Joe Gentile work to produce a Holmes tale in comic form, he threw in another well known character to boot.  By no means on the same level as Holmes, Frank Kolchak still stands out as a modern icon of pulp culture, investigating mysteries of the unknown long beyond his short lived tv series, thanks in large part to Moonstone. With CRY OF THUNDER, Gentile and crew threw these two characters into a pot together and stirred vigorously.

And wow, what came out was some great readin’!

After a brief prologue set in Arizona in the 1890s, the story opens with Kolchak being visited by an attractive woman who plops a mystery down in his lap, one centered around a manuscript that is a hundred or so years old.  A manuscript that mentions Kolchak by name.  And one that also details a story of Holmes and Watson working to prove whether or not a Latvian national committed a murder that he admitted to.   This story as a whole quickly blossoms to include anarchy, conspiracies, a mysterious photograph, Tombstone, Arizona, and a legend that may be more real than myth.   The story switches back smoothly between Holmes and Kolchak and balances Holmes’ logical world with Kolchak’s supernatural plane extremely well.

Overall, CRY OF THUNDER is an excellent read.   Gentile seems to know how to tell a story in tandem centering around two extremely strong characters and still maintain the integrity of each one.   Kolchak brims with so much life that you can actually envision Darren McGavin in the panels.  Gentile imbues him with a bit of an edge as well, making him a bit more boiled than usual and this only adds to the tale. 

Holmes may not evoke Rathbone, Brett, et al in the same way Kolchak evokes McGavin, but there’s a reason for that.  Within his version of Holmes, Gentile has woven all the intricacies and delicacies that other authors have either focused on heavily or left out.  This Holmes is cerebral, caustic, guarded, defensive, physical, somewhat violent in a couple of ways, driven, and protective of what little he holds dear.  In other words, this may very well be one of hte most interesting takes on Sherlock I have read or seen in a while.

Overall the art in this book fits the tale being told.  Having said that, there’s a bump or two within the story, around what would have been the second issue in singles, that I can’t really put my finger on.  I don’t know that its the change in styles or if its the coloring, but there was something a tad distracting that fixed itself by the final part.  That coupled with a spot or two where word balloons were backwards are really the only negatives I found with this book.

CRY OF THUNDER is a satisfying mystery with an ending that not only ties up loose ends ala Holmes but also leaves just enough open to suit Kolchak fans.   The overall presentation and design of the TPB compliments the tale being told well.  Gentile and company took disparate parts, not just the two main protagonists, but Arizona and London, murder and mysticism, and others, and turned them into an incredible rousing experience.

FOUR OUT FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-This one should be read by Holmesians, Kolchakians, and even regular types!!

The Point Radio: MERLIN Hits Season Three

  • Uncategorized
  • January 10, 2011


MERLIN might be the best show you’re missing. Season 3 just kicked off on The SyFy Channel and series stars Colin Morgan and Bradley James talk about what makes the show so cool, plus a change At The Top over at Marvel Comics and the Spidey musical finally gets a (good) break!

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Comor Podbean!

Follow us now on and !

Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday at 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys.

Michael Moorcock To Be Defeated

  • News
  • January 10, 2011

elric1-7516278Considering he’s about to lose a leg, author Michael Moorcock certainly is in good spirits.

The creator of Elric, Hawkmoon, Count Brass, and Jerry Cornelius, the author of such award-winning books as Behold The Man and Gloriana, singer/songwriter for Hawkwind and the Heavy Metal movie, former editor of the British Tarzan comics, screenwriter of The Land That Time Forgot, and, by the way, author of the latest Doctor Who novel, Michael Moorcock is facing the amputation of a leg. As he stated on his blog: “I apologize for being a bad correspondent with many over the last couple of months. All efforts to save my wounded foot without resort to surgery have been made and now, somewhat inconveniently, I’m seeing a surgeon tomorrow (Monday) re. amputation. Shouldn’t be too serious, though, as I said somewhere, I feel a bit fed up with constantly supplying Mrs Lovett for tidbits for her bloody pies… I AM a little nervous but it’s mostly to do with more things going wrong (caused by medical staff) than anything else.”

As our pal Rich Johnston notes at his Bleeding Cool site: “Michael seems to be taking this, as much as everything in his life, with good humour, if a touch on the gallows’ side. All at Bleeding Cool wish him well tomorrow and in the days to come.” We’ll toss in the staff and friends of ComicMix as well, Rich.

As a Moorcock fan of 40 years standing, I’m not the least bit surprised about his attitude. The man virtually invented steampunk, the man who virtually invented the “grim and gritty” hero (Elric; and I should know, having coined the term for GrimJack), the British Jew who moved to Texas and espoused radical thought, and cosmic rocker extraordinaire, the 70 year-old writer is expected to make a complete recovers… except for one of those legs of his.

Hey, look. At least it’s not one of his arms. Take care, Michael.

MOONSTONE MONDAY-GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK-BATTLE FOR LA!

  • News
  • January 10, 2011

GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK-http://playeraffinity.com/comic-reviews/Battle-For-L-A-Review.html
News & Reviews
9.5 out of 10

Return of the Originals: Battle for L.A. Review
By: Dustin Cabeal | 01.10.11

Short Version
A powerful novel that’s complemented by stunningly detailed pencils with a cast of characters that will remind you heroes of yester-years. Set in World War II this unique graphic novel will keep you entertained and guessing with every page.

Long Version
Let’s dispel any notion that you need to know the characters presented in this graphic novel in order to enjoy the story. Also let’s dispel the notion that the characters are un-relatable due to their “Golden Age” history. This story is not only interesting and intense, but gives a new view into World War II through the eyes of superheroes.

The story opens with Secret Agent X running for his life as he tries to escape armed Japanese gangsters. Agent X’s cheek is seemingly hanging from his face, as he runs down city streets in the middle of the day. The gangsters open fire on Agent X with no regard for their surroundings, their mission is clear they need to kill him before he report anything he’s seen. Agent X narrowly escapes the gangsters by throwing himself into the Hudson river, but not before taking several bullets to the body.
Several days later Richard Curtis van Loan is awoken in his bed by a masked vigilante by the name of Black Bat. It seems that Richard’s secret identity Phantom Detective has been discovered by Black Bat who has come for his help. At first the two are very stand-offish as Phantom Detective obviously feels violated as someone has come to confront his alter-ego and that someone has managed to make it past all of his security devices. After some banter Bat convinces the Detective to get dressed for “work” and come with him to an undisclosed location.

The two arrive at a military base, with the Detective now dressed as an elderly Doctor. The Detective is also a master of disguise and refuses to break character for even a moment. Even when Bat takes off down the hall, it’s very noticeable to the guards on duty that the old man can’t keep up. Bat and the Detective are put in front of Agent X who is in a comma from his long swim in the Hudson. Black Bat finally breaks it down for the Detective explaining that they are in the dark about what happened to Agent X, but that they know whatever it is, is time sensitive and important to national security.

Bat and a later introduced General ask the Detective for help in picking up where Agent X’s case left off. After a series of scenes the two find themselves at the estate of a rich Japanese mobster. It’s a cold February winter night, but the Phantom Detective notices a third story window has been left open in the middle of the house. The two make their way up the house to the third story window.

What they find inside is a mystery canister sitting in a bucket of ice. They stand for a moment scratching their heads and bantering back and forth trying to figure out what they’re looking at. Black Bat decides to explore the rest of the house and leaves the Detective alone with the object. The Phantom Detective picks over the object looking for any kind of marking to give away what the object is. The entire time he inspects the object he’s overcome with fear and dread. He becomes distracted as he hears shooting coming from lower level of the house.

In his time away the Black Bat has stumbled upon a room full of Japanese gangsters. He opens fire on the men as he jumps down at them. Just as he runs out of bullets the Phantom Detective arrives to lend a hand and a diversion. The Bat sets off a smoke bomb and makes his way back to the Detective. The two men then head back for the mystery canister to grab it and dash. Just as the Bat is about to grab it though the Detective pushes him out the window instead. As they jump out the room explodes and quickly ignites the rest of the house.

The two continue their journey to the west coast where they must now save L.A. from having an unknown terror released upon it. There they are teamed with World War I fighter pilot hero G-8 and longtime friend of Black Bat’s the Domino Lady. The only plan they have to go on is having Phantom Detective impersonate the deceased Crime Boss they killed in New York before anyone learns of his death and stop the Japanese before they can destroy L.A.

Obviously you’re not going to get the entire story in the review because then you wouldn’t buy the book. Frankly, I was really impressed with this graphic novel. I had no idea who the characters were, what their history was or what even the story was really about. I just had to dive into the book and trust that everything would be explained and everything was… brilliantly!

CJ Henderson does a fantastic job of not only introducing the characters, but also introducing the reader to their personalities. I have never read a graphic novel where half way through reading I already felt like I knew the characters and what they would do next. By the end of the novel you will find yourself wanting the next adventure from our heroes. In truth the graphic novel reads more like a weekly serial or even a radio program, which is an even bigger crime since you know their won’t be anything next week to enjoy.

The focus of the story really is the Black Bat and the Phantom Detective and Henderson nails these two characters very well. The banter between the two is spot on and witty the entire time. It’s great to actually read their friendship develop and grow throughout the story. Since the story is written in novel format, Henderson is able to tell the reader the character’s thoughts which are very important in building their personalities since it’s not being shown on the page.

The artwork that does compliment the story is amazingly detailed and incredibly beautiful. Because of the novel format the art that splashes across both pages usually is only depicting one scene, but it captures the scene perfectly and to the point where the words describing the actions aren’t nearly as good. Mark Sparacio (Jonah Hex, Captain Action Comics) is an amazing illustrator that adds detail upon detail to every page and really brings the characters to life.

If you’re looking for your run of the mill superhero story filled with tights and capes, then this is not the book for you. This is for that comic reader that has a diverse palette when it comes to comics. If you’ve enjoyed what Alex Ross did over at Dynamite Entertainment with Project Superpowers then you will definitely enjoy the Return of the Originals.

Story – 9.5
Plot – 9.5
Art – 9.5
Overall – 9.5

Review: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Motion Comic’

  • Uncategorized
  • January 10, 2011

[[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]] never was a ratings darling but it caught the cultural zeitgeist and was an important factor in pop culture during its seven season run (1997-2003). Thankfully, when the series ended, showrunner Joss Whedon felt the characters weren’t done yet and agreed to continue their story in the pages of the Dark Horse comic. Dubbed Season Eight, the 40 issue run completes its run this month with a ninth season on tap.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment decided to capitalize on the interest by hiring a company to turn the comics into motion comics but stopped after 19 issues. Available through Amazon Video on Demand and iTunes since July, they generated minimal buzz. They have now been collected on disc and is available as a combo pack (Blu-ray and DVD).

The reason there was so little said about them is that they are pretty mediocre, more reminiscent of the Lawrence Gantry Marvel cartoons of the 1960s than the [[[Watchmen]]] motion comics that are technically far superior. First of all, the characters barely move and speak without any attempt to animate their mouths. CGI-added effects don’t mix well with the blow-ups of Georges Jeanty’s excellent art.

The vocal casting is terrible as no attempt is made to come close to the characters as we’ve come to recognize them. I don’t recognize any of the names in the credits and they probably were hired on the cheap, much like the animation. As a result, the superb scripting from Whedon, Jane Espenson, Bran K. Vaughn, and Drew Goddard is spoiled.

Interestingly, the cinematic dissolves and smash cuts between scenes in the comic, which work well in a static medium, feel jarring and disjointed when animated. Again no effort has been made to smooth over transitions but merely imitate the comic without considering how to adapt from one medium to another. Each issue is adapted in about 11 minute installments and all the art and dialogue are present so the story progresses through the first half of the season. We get new threats, old friends, and a nice mix of humor and high drama as we explore a world with all the slayers active.

Buffy remains front and center with Willow and Xander as her lieutenants but poor Dawn has issues of her own that keep her from being anything but a distraction (and comic relief). Of the 1800 slayers now active, some 500 work directly for Buffy, broken into teams of 10 and under Xander’s one watchful eye. At the time, much was made of Buffy’s one-night stand with Satsu, but Jane Espenson expressed surprise since doing the unexpected is one of the hallmarks of the series. Sarah Michelle Gellar also approved of the character development so let’s move on.

The DVD release comes complete with limited edition Jo Chen packaging and a reprint of the issue. There are minimal extras including five minutes shot at this past summer’s comic-con as Jane Espenson, Jo Chen, John Cassady and some fans natter on about the show’s impact and how cool the comic continuation is (which is absolutely accurate). And now you need the comics to find out what happens since the nineteenth and final motion comics leaves many unresolved threads.

FORTIER REVIEWS THE ‘GONE WITH THE WIND’ OF MODERN PULPS!

  • News
  • January 9, 2011

PULP REVIEWS-by Ron Fortier

PULP HEROES – KHAN DYNASTY
By Wayne Reinagel
566 pages
Knightraven Studios

Calling this thick hunk of book the “Gone With The Wind” of pulps would be no exaggeration at all. Detailing, and intertwining the lives of dozens of heroes and villains from both the 19th and 20th centuries, Wayne Reinagel has delivered a book that is pure treasure chest of action and adventure delights.

With KHAN DYNASTY, Reinagel takes a jump backward in time to showcase the birth of America’s most famous pulp and comic book heroes of the 1930s. To do so he weaves such classic figures as Jekyll and Hyde, Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu together in an incredible globe spanning saga; although some have their names changed due to licensing restrictions. Still the acute pulp fan will easily identify such stalwarts as Doc Titan and his five loyal companions, the Darkness, the warrior who fights in the shadows and the deadly Scorpion, who’s automatics blaze a trail of death and destruction in meting justice to evil doers. These were the same characters we were first introduced to in PULP HEROES – MORE THAN MORTAL, his first entry in this mammoth trilogy; although it is the second chapter of the saga.

We personally wish he would have launched this Magnus Opus with this volume for several reasons. The obvious would have been the natural progression of the characters’ history would have made following events a whole lot easier. Secondly, as much as we enjoyed MORE THAN MORTAL, it had many narrative bumps. We were thrilled to see these gone in KHAN DYNASTY as Reinagel’s earlier amateurish style and awkward phrasing have been replaced by a smooth, easy and very professional writing competency. This bodes very well for his proposed third volume due out later this year.

No one does historical research better than Reinagel and his books are clearly the results of hours of meticulous study. Having embraced the late Philip Jose Farmer’s wonderful Wold Newton concept of classic heroes and villains being somehow related to each other via one amazing family tree, Reinagel takes that supposition one giant step further and details every single minutia on every single branch of that tree. Which is also the book’s clear weakness in that he is easily tempted by factual history and spends way too many pages relating little known historical data that have absolutely no relevancy on the book’s plot. This volume could have trimmed fifty pages of such fat and moved things along at a faster clip. But don’t get me wrong, there’s still tons of action and adventure packed into this story, more then enough for any ten regular pulp novels.

Clearly, books like KHAN DYNASTY are not for the casual reader just discovering pulps. Whereas, if you are a true fan who has rudimentary knowledge of this unique literary genre and its more famous characters, then it would behoove you to pick this up. It will provide you with a reading experience unlike any you’ve ever enjoyed before.

Bravo, Mr.Reinagel. Bravo!

The Point Radio: 24 No More

  • Uncategorized
  • January 9, 2011

pt010711-11-3266791
It’s not quite official, but it looks like the possibility of a 24 movie  is pretty bleak. We have an updated plus more with comic fan Tom Wheeler, creator of NBC’s THE CAPE.

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Comor Podbean!

Follow us now on and !

Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday at 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys.

macheteblurayart1-1345380

Review: ‘Machete’

macheteblurayart1-1345380Movies and television shows have been created after something has caught the public’s imaginations be it a Twitter feed, a commercial, or a persona. Perhaps the best of the lot, though, is [[[Machete]]], inspired by a fake movie trailer. The film, now out on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, came about when director Robert Rodríguez fashioned a B-film trailer as part of [[[Grindhouse]]], the homage to trashy films of the past, made with Quentin Tarantino. Machete, with Danny Trejo in the lead, captured imaginations so Rodriguez and his brother Alvaro wrote a film to do the trailer justice.

I cannot tell you the last time I saw such an entertaining B film, which made me laugh out loud more than once. The thing is, beyond the gratuitous nudity and over-the-top violence, the film actually addresses a few of the day’s hot button issues giving it more heft than the films it emulates.

Once a Federale in Mexico, Machete watched his wife be killed by a drug lord (Steven Segal) and was left for dead. Three years later, he resurfaces in Texas as a day laborer just trying to get along. As luck would have it, corrupt political operative Jeff Fahey hires him to assassinate Senator Robert DeNiro. Before he can fire, though, someone else shoots the senator and frames Machete, igniting racial tensions throughout the city. At the same time, an independent militia, led by Don Johnson, is in cahoots with the senator and both want to shut down an operation called The Network, which has been helping illegals cross the border and begin a new life. It’s led by one woman, Michelle Rodriguez, and is hunted by another, ICE officer Jessica Alba. The rest of the movie is filled with action and mayhem with a script that barely holds the threads together but has more gaping holes than the border between countries.

Alba looks great and handles her official role well but does so without the requisite gravitas. Rodriguez, though, shines and has never looked hotter, especially during the climactic action sequence. Still, the film is all Trejo’s and he does it with a grim faced countenance that shows he’s taking no joy in doing his job or enacting long-awaited vengeance.

The rest of the cast generally is playing against type and most don’t have a chance to play anything but two-dimension figures but boy are they having fun. Noteworthy is how understated Cheech Marin is as Trejo’s brother and how welcome it was to see FX makeup genius Tom Savini on screen again (although a quick glance at IMDB shows me how many films of his I’ve missed). Lindsay Lohan is here as Fahey’s daughter and she looks fabulous in everything from a nun’s habit to her birthday suit but her character is so poorly written that she has nothing to play and comes across more clueless than calculated.

There’s plenty of blood as Machete fights his way in and out of trouble but there’s one time when he escapes from a hospital that has him use the most imaginative device I’ve seen in years. It’s also been a while since a film was just so pure entertaining and a great way to pass a cold winter’s night.

The Blu-ray transfer looks and sounds just fine. The film comes with a small number of extras but most missed is a commentary track from Rodriguez. We do get the green and red-band trailers, 10 minutes of deleted scenes, and an audience reaction track that is fun but unnecessary. Interestingly, an entirely Alba-centric sub-plot has been excised from the film but preserved through these deletions and you understand why the thread was removed.

The film ends with a promise of Machete returning for two sequels and trust me, I’ll be among the first to line up to see them.

ALL NEW ALL PULP PANEL!!!!! THE BUZZ HAS BEGUN!

  • News
  • January 8, 2011

Before we kick off this Panel, let’s explain how this will work since we’ve changed the set up of the site!  Any of the Spectacled Seven who respond to the panel will have to add their responses to this post or send them to allpulp@yahoo.com and Tommy will add them!  Also, something new, if you are an ALL PULP follower and want to weigh in on the PANEL topic, then either email your comment to allpulp@yahoo.com or post it on the comments page and it too will be added to the PANEL topic!  So…with that said…here is the ALL PULP PANEL for this week!!

The GREEN HORNET film is debuting on 1/14/11.  This movie has stirred up a nest of something within the pulp community, many fans not looking forward to it at all.  However, an argument is being made that even if THE GREEN HORNET is as bad as many believe it will be, at least it is still exposing the public to Pulp like characters and stories. and that is a good thing….But is it?  Are there positives for Pulp when someone produces something in another medium that is…not good and maybe even downright awful for whatever reason? 

Let the Paneling ensue….

Tommy-I’ll weigh in more later…but my initial response is no, a bad pulp movie isn’t a positive for pulp in general.   Some might say any exposure is good, even negative exposure…but in a field that is still somewhat fighting for legitimacy and its place in society, one example of bad may do a ton of harm to all the multiple, less seen examples of good within Pulp.

From Hank Brown on ALL PULP’S comments page-
Your Pulp Panel topic has touched on my own dilemma. While I think the characters are long overdue for a feature of their own and would love to see Kato thumping bad guys in 3D, I’m reluctant to waste a big chunk of change to watch a formulaic special effects extravaganza conceived by a bunch of beancounters and their yes-man director who have no respect or understanding of the source material or characters. I will probably wait for it to come to Redbox and watch it then with my 3-year-old. I might could handle it being a comedy, but from what I’ve seen so far, they’ve written the title character as a pathetic loser. I’m all for emphasizing what a badass Kato is, and for demonstrating he has brains as well as martial arts skills. But at the expense of making Britt Reid/the Green Hornet a hapless boob? Hey Hollywood: Your cognitive/creative limitations are showing again! Here’s a clip that demonstrates a creative effort respecting the characters: <a href=”

1Rjm53J1G4M

From Adam Garcia-

Everyday all pulp and comic book writers adapt and rework classic characters. Some of these changes are minor, some are major. Characters like the Shadow went through a variety of iterations, as did Batman or Superman. We can accept “Batman: the Brave and the Bold” in the era of “The Dark Knight;” I myself am writing a version of the Green Lama noticeably different than that of Jim Krueger or Mike Barr, or even, for that matter Kendell Foster Crossen.

The new Green Hornet film is only one of many interpretations of the character that has appeared over the years, from the original radio to TV Series to Ron Fortier’s fantastic work for Now Comics. In this interpretation, the creators choose to make a more comedic-action adventure, one that highlights Britt Reid’s arc from spoiled playboy to hero and his relationship with Kato. The notion that this is a “bad” film originates in the purist distaste for the interpretation, the leads, and tone; not in the quality of the film, which based on early reviews has been noted to be flawed but overly positive. While I am firmly in the camp supporting this film, (I am a fan of Seth Rogen and feel the character arc of slovenly playboy redeeming himself as hero makes for a better narrative) and plan on seeing it opening weekend with my father, himself an old school fan of the character, my defense the project originates from belief that we as pulp/comic writers constantly ask our readers to at least give our interpretations a chance and to hopefully accept them as legitimate adaptations. This negative wave against the film from the original fans — some of which are themselves creators — is at best hypocritical.

With public domain and licensed characters there is ultimately no “right” version; they are evolving, adapting, changing every year. That’s what keeps them alive. Why has Batman remained one of the top sellers for 72 years? Because various creators have been given the chance to give their interpretation that was appropriate for the time. Some were successful, some weren’t, but he remained in the public consciousness constantly since his inception. You don’t have to enjoy the film but you should at least respect the creator’s right to make it. Again the reviews are positive, and if that upsets purist fans, then that’s unfortunate, but in order for this character — and every character we write — to survive, they must be allowed to evolve and adapt or they will become stagnant and disappear from public consciousness like so many fantastic, but forgotten heroes.

And how bad can it be now that you can buy a Green Hornet costume for Halloween?

Not that bad at all.

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks