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THE LONG MATINEE – Movie Reviews by Derrick Ferguson

THE LONG MATINEE – Movie Reviews by Derrick Ferguson

  • News
  • September 21, 2010

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN

2003

20th Century Fox
Produced by Trevor Albert and Don Murphy
Directed by Stephen Norrington
Screenplay by James Robinson
Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

       The concept of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN is so simple that I’m honestly surprised nobody before Alan Moore thought of it. Here it is in a nutshell: From time to time many of the great fictional heroes (and sometimes villains) of the past and present have found it necessary to come together to form an alliance against evil so overwhelming that it threatens to conquer or destroy the world. They do so under the authority of a special Branch of The British Secret Service, under the direction of a mysterious figure known only as M. This alliance is known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is rumored that members of Leagues past and present have included Dr. Syn, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Blood, Lemuel Gulliver, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Shadow, James Bond, and many, many others. But for the purposes of this review we’re going to look at a particularly unique grouping of The League, one led by the world famous adventurer Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery)

Allan Quatermain is an old man, living in Africa, drinking his days away and only wanting to be left alone. However, events in the rest of the world bring him back into action. A mysterious man known only as The Phantom is threatening the governments of the world into a global confrontation and there is seemingly no way to stop him since he has advanced weapons such as automatic weapons, body armor and tanks. Quatermain is brought to London where he is introduced to M (Richard Roxburg), The current head of the British Secret Service who informs Quatermain that he has been chosen to lead the newest incarnation of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen whose membership includes Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), The Invisible Man (Tony Curran) and Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) who has the benefit of vampiric powers due to he relationship with an infamous Transylvanian count. Quatermain and his team quickly acquire the grown up Tom Sawyer (Shane West) who is now an agent of The United States Secret Service. Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jason Flemyng) and his monstrous alter ego Mr. Hyde as well as the immortal Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) also join up and they’re all off an adventure that takes them all over the world from London to Paris to Venice to a final confrontation at the top of the world in the frozen Artic where the secrets of The Phantom are revealed and the destiny of a new century will be decided as The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen make their final stand.

You’re going to have a lot of comic book fans that will tell you not to see THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN as they feel that the movie bastardized Alan Moore’s concept. I’ve given the trade paperback of the comic to several people whose opinions I trust and they have told me that while they like the comic and appreciate it for what it is they wouldn’t have gone to see a movie that was strictly based on the comic book. However, those people have also said that the greatly enjoyed the movie version and I think that’s because the movie version does exactly what it’s supposed to do: provide us with two hours of thrills, adventure and excitement. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s not the comic books but it is a great piece of outsized, overblown, pulp action/adventure taken to the extreme and part of the reason I had so much fun watching the movie was that I could see the directors, actors and special effects guys just saying “the hell with it” and allowing themselves the room to have fun with the concept and just working with the material they were given and making sure they delivered.
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN is a movie I loan out to friends and family often when they ask me what’s a good Saturday night movie. First off, you’ve got Sean Connery who’s simply great. When he made this movie he was 75 years old and he’s the only 75-year-old actor in the world who can get away with beating the snot out of actors half his age and look totally convincing doing it. Other actors look embarrassingly silly in their older years trying to do action scenes but somehow Connery can still pull it off and look convincing. There’s a bunch of great scenes he has with Shane West’s Tom Sawyer where the characters obviously build a father/son type of relationship, especially in the scenes where Allan Quatermain and Tom Sawyer are chasing down Mr. Hyde across the rooftops of Paris and a later scene aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus where Quatermain teaches Tom how to shoot. Peta Wilson is terrific as Mina Harker who shows a delightfully dark side to her character and I really liked how Naseeruddin Shah played Captain Nemo. As far as I know this the first time the character of Captain Nemo has been played racially correct in a movie and he supplies the team with their technological/transport support. And his fight scenes are among the best in the movie as he gives Captain Nemo a distinctive martial arts style. He plays Captain Nemo in a way unlike any other actor that’s ever played before and I think he’s probably the only actor who might have read the graphic novel the movie was based on. There’s a certain way he carries himself and the way he says his lines that make you sit up straighter and pay attention and his fight scenes are among the best in the movie. Listen to how he says: “Behold Nautilus…The Sword of The Ocean” and tell me that ain’t downright cool.

      That’s not to say that the movie is without its flaws. I really didn’t like how the CGI guys went nuts on the effects. Especially when it came to Mr. Hyde and The Nautilus. In this movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are more like the Marvel Comics version of Dr. Bruce Banner and The Hulk than the Robert Louis Stevenson original. And Captain Nemo’s Nautilus is huger, bigger and more technologically advanced than any modern day aircraft carrier. And the scenes in Venice make absolutely no sense whatsoever. There’s a whole lot of yelling and chasing around and fighting and shooting but when it’s all over you’re wondering: “What was that all about?” Not to mention that there’s absolutely no mollyfoggin’ way something as big as The Nautilus could navigate the canals.

     But there are a lot of little nice touches. The obvious one is where Quatermain is receiving his assignment to assemble The League from M. And if you don’t appreciate the humor of Sean Connery once again getting orders from M then you really need to go back to Basic Film School. And pay attention to the scene between M and Quatermain because in the background are huge portraits of former Leagues. I also liked how Captain Nemo’s First Mate has a running joke in the movie where he has to keep introducing himself: “Call me Ishmael”

     There’s some incredible fight sequences and plot twists that I honestly didn’t see coming and even though I felt the final fight between Mr. Hyde and The Phantom’s main big bad who has ingested a near lethal dose of the Hyde formula was yet another reason for the CGI boys to go wild I liked the relationship between Mr. Hyde and Captain Nemo as they struggled to find a way to defeat their foe as well as the ending scenes between Allan Quatermain and Tom Sawyer.

    
     So should you see THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN? I see no reason why you shouldn’t. Don’t listen to your comic book reading friends who’ll tell you that it’s nothing like the comic book. Of course it isn’t like the comic book. It’s a movie and a pretty damn good entertaining one. Go ahead and watch it and have fun for what it is: it’s purely pulp action/adventure designed to get you interested in reading the source materials and characters it’s based on. No more and no less. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time watching THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN before you read the material it’s based on.

110 minutes

Rated PG-13

  • News
  • September 21, 2010

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN

2003

20th Century Fox

Produced by Trevor Albert and Don Murphy

Directed by Stephen Norrington

Screenplay by James Robinson

Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

The concept of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN is so simple that I’m honestly surprised nobody before Alan Moore thought of it. Here it is in a nutshell: From time to time many of the great fictional heroes (and sometimes villains) of the past and present have found it necessary to come together to form an alliance against evil so overwhelming that it threatens to conquer or destroy the world. They do so under the authority of a special Branch of The British Secret Service, under the direction of a mysterious figure known only as M. This alliance is known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is rumored that members of Leagues past and present have included Dr. Syn, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Blood, Lemuel Gulliver, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Shadow, James Bond, and many, many others. But for the purposes of this review we’re going to look at a particularly unique grouping of The League, one led by the world famous adventurer Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery)

Allan Quatermain is an old man, living in Africa, drinking his days away and only wanting to be left alone. However, events in the rest of the world bring him back into action. A mysterious man known only as The Phantom is threatening the governments of the world into a global confrontation and there is seemingly no way to stop him since he has advanced weapons such as automatic weapons, body armor and tanks. Quatermain is brought to London where he is introduced to M (Richard Roxburg), The current head of the British Secret Service who informs Quatermain that he has been chosen to lead the newest incarnation of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen whose membership includes Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), The Invisible Man (Tony Curran) and Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) who has the benefit of vampiric powers due to he relationship with an infamous Transylvanian count. Quatermain and his team quickly acquire the grown up Tom Sawyer (Shane West) who is now an agent of The United States Secret Service. Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jason Flemyng) and his monstrous alter ego Mr. Hyde as well as the immortal Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) also join up and they’re all off an adventure that takes them all over the world from London to Paris to Venice to a final confrontation at the top of the world in the frozen Artic where the secrets of The Phantom are revealed and the destiny of a new century will be decided as The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen make their final stand.

You’re going to have a lot of comic book fans that will tell you not to see THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN as they feel that the movie bastardized Alan Moore’s concept. I’ve given the trade paperback of the comic to several people whose opinions I trust and they have told me that while they like the comic and appreciate it for what it is they wouldn’t have gone to see a movie that was strictly based on the comic book. However, those people have also said that the greatly enjoyed the movie version and I think that’s because the movie version does exactly what it’s supposed to do: provide us with two hours of thrills, adventure and excitement. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s not the comic books but it is a great piece of outsized, overblown, pulp action/adventure taken to the extreme and part of the reason I had so much fun watching the movie was that I could see the directors, actors and special effects guys just saying “the hell with it” and allowing themselves the room to have fun with the concept and just working with the material they were given and making sure they delivered. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN is a movie I loan out to friends and family often when they ask me what’s a good Saturday night movie.

First off, you’ve got Sean Connery who’s simply great. When he made this movie he was 75 years old and he’s the only 75-year-old actor in the world who can get away with beating the snot out of actors half his age and look totally convincing doing it. Other actors look embarrassingly silly in their older years trying to do action scenes but somehow Connery can still pull it off and look convincing. There’s a bunch of great scenes he has with Shane West’s Tom Sawyer where the characters obviously build a father/son type of relationship, especially in the scenes where Allan Quatermain and Tom Sawyer are chasing down Mr. Hyde across the rooftops of Paris and a later scene aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus where Quatermain teaches Tom how to shoot.

Peta Wilson is terrific as Mina Harker who shows a delightfully dark side to her character and I really liked how Naseeruddin Shah played Captain Nemo. As far as I know this the first time the character of Captain Nemo has been played racially correct in a movie and he supplies the team with their technological/transport support. And his fight scenes are among the best in the movie as he gives Captain Nemo a distinctive martial arts style. He plays Captain Nemo in a way unlike any other actor that’s ever played before and I think he’s probably the only actor who might have read the graphic novel the movie was based on. There’s a certain way he carries himself and the way he says his lines that make you sit up straighter and pay attention and his fight scenes are among the best in the movie. Listen to how he says: “Behold Nautilus…The Sword of The Ocean” and tell me that ain’t downright cool.

That’s not to say that the movie is without its flaws. I really didn’t like how the CGI guys went nuts on the effects. Especially when it came to Mr. Hyde and The Nautilus. In this movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are more like the Marvel Comics version of Dr. Bruce Banner and The Hulk than the Robert Louis Stevenson original. And Captain Nemo’s Nautilus is huger, bigger and more technologically advanced than any modern day aircraft carrier. And the scenes in Venice make absolutely no sense whatsoever. There’s a whole lot of yelling and chasing around and fighting and shooting but when it’s all over you’re wondering: “What was that all about?” Not to mention that there’s absolutely no mollyfoggin’ way something as big as The Nautilus could navigate the canals.

But there are a lot of little nice touches. The obvious one is where Quatermain is receiving his assignment to assemble The League from M. And if you don’t appreciate the humor of Sean Connery once again getting orders from M then you really need to go back to Basic Film School. And pay attention to the scene between M and Quatermain because in the background are huge portraits of former Leagues. I also liked how Captain Nemo’s First Mate has a running joke in the movie where he has to keep introducing himself: “Call me Ishmael”

There’s some incredible fight sequences and plot twists that I honestly didn’t see coming and even though I felt the final fight between Mr. Hyde and The Phantom’s main big bad who has ingested a near lethal dose of the Hyde formula was yet another reason for the CGI boys to go wild I liked the relationship between Mr. Hyde and Captain Nemo as they struggled to find a way to defeat their foe as well as the ending scenes between Allan Quatermain and Tom Sawyer.

So should you see THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN? I see no reason why you shouldn’t. Don’t listen to your comic book reading friends who’ll tell you that it’s nothing like the comic book. Of course it isn’t like the comic book. It’s a movie and a pretty damn good entertaining one. Go ahead and watch it and have fun for what it is: it’s purely pulp action/adventure designed to get you interested in reading the source materials and characters it’s based on. No more and no less. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time watching THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN before you read the material it’s based on.

110 minutes

Rated PG-13

THE LONG MATINEE – Movie Reviews by Derrick Ferguson

  • News
  • September 21, 2010

KING KONG

2005

Universal Pictures

Produced by Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson

Directed by Peter Jackson

Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson

Based on a story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace

Friends of mine will often ask me how I feel about remakes of movies. They’re actually surprised when I say that I honestly don’t mind when movies are remade. Broadway does remakes all the time. Except they call them revivals and they’re usually greeted with open arms and much love. They expose a whole new generation of theatergoers to the experience of seeing classic musicals performed live on stage. So why not do new versions of classic movies? Either people will go see it or they won’t. And if the writers, producers, actors and crew treat the source material with respect and stay true to the spirit of the original, that will be apparent to those fans of the original and even though they love the original to death, they will embrace the remake for what it is.


What I do object to however are lousy remakes that do a disservice to the original film or remakes of movies that actually don’t need to be remade. The classic 1933 “King Kong” is a perfect example of a movie that was done a disservice when it was remade in 1976. It took Jessica Lange’s career five years to recover from that bomb (she wouldn’t get a decent break until she co-starred with Jack Nicholson in “The Postman Always Rings Twice”) and poor Jeff Bridges fared even worse. The next five movies in a row he did flopped miserably (including Michael Cimino’s horribly underrated “Heaven’s Gate”) and he really didn’t bounce back until 1982’s “Tron” As for the director of 1976’s “King Kong”…well, you tell me…when was the last time you went to a movie that was directed by John Guillermin?


However, when it was announced that Peter Jackson was going to direct a new version of “King Kong” just about everybody who is a fan of the original sat back and sighed in relief. Like Ray Harryhausen, George Lucas, George Romero, and Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson had proven he was able to employ the medium of film in such a way that he created an entire universe on screen and for the running time of his films, he transported us to a completely other reality and made us believe it existed.


Peter Jackson’s KING KONG is one of the most amazing movies I’ve ever seen in my life and if you can possibly see it on HD DVD on a big screen television as I did (I watched it at my brother-in-law’s house on his 60-inch HDTV) trust me…you’re going to see a picture quality that actually is better than the quality of the movie you saw in theatres. At least I think so. We watched “Van Helsing” before we watched KING KONG and even though I think “Van Helsing” is a pretty lousy movie, in HD it looks so damn good I found that I didn’t even mind watching a lousy movie. But I digress.


It’s 1933 and the country is in the grip of The Great Depression. But even though breadlines are plentiful and work is scarce, people still crave their entertainment. Either through vaudeville or the movies. Which is what brings together struggling actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and maverick director Carl Denham (Jack Black) Denham needs an actress quick for his new movie which he’s shooting on location. Ann’s not too sure as Denham is sorta reluctant to specify where they’re going but he promises riches, adventures and a chance for Ann to work with the writer Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody) who she idolizes.


It isn’t until Ann and Jack are aboard the tramp steamer Venture, captained by Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschemann) and crewed by a rag-tag gang of sailor/mercenaries that everybody realizes they’ve been conned by Denham into this expedition to an island that may not exist. Denham insists he has a map. And the map does lead them to an island. And what an island it is. A time-lost island on which a towering stone wall is decorated by skeletons and guarded by a vicious, savage tribe that worships a god they call…Kong. Ann is kidnapped by these savages and offered up as a sacrifice to Kong who is a 25-foot gorilla. He takes Ann into the jungle where he is pursued by Jack, a camera-toting Denham, square –jawed leading man and movie idol Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler) and the sailors of the Venture, determined to save her from her fate worse than death. I give them guys credit. What they go through on Skull Island would have had Indiana Jones pissing in his pants. Not only do they have to deal with Kong but also Skull Island which is a Lost World That Time Forgot of prehistoric creatures that shouldn’t exist. There are Tyrannosaurus Rexes, Brontosaurus, insects that can eat a case of Raid for dinner and have your head for dessert. Leeches the size of Buicks. Vampire bats big enough to bring down fighter jets. And that’s just the beginning.


Our hardy band of adventurers manages to survive the island’s many dangers, rescue Ann and is barely able to subdue and capture Kong. They take him back to New York where Carl Denham puts him on exhibition in a Times Square theatre. You know the rest of the story.


KING KONG is really a superior example of what can be done with such fantastic material when it’s treated with respect for its own reality. Peter Jackson had the good sense to set the movie in period (1933 was the actual year the original “King Kong” was made) since it’s a lot easier to believe that there could be a Skull Island in 1933 rather than in 1976. The 1930’s was such a rich period of high adventure that when you see hard-bitten guys stalking through a dinosaur infested jungle with cigars in their clenched teeth, flasks of whiskey in the hip pockets and toting Chicago Typewriters, you just buy it with no reservation.



The performances are stellar. I’ve never been much of a Jack Black fan (I still don’t see what the fuss over “School Of Rock” was all about) but I really enjoyed him in this movie. He has nowhere near the energy of the original Carl Denham, (the late great Robert Armstrong) but he has a strange look in his eye that I think develops into full-blown madness during the movie’s most frightening scene where Denham, Jack Driscoll and several crewmen are at the bottom of a deep crevice and have to desperately battle for their lives against giant insects. The choice of Jack Black and Adrian Brody as the movie’s leading men is a good one since both of them look like….well, like regular guys. They’re not impossibly handsome or pretty (I’m looking at you, Orlando Bloom) and that goes a long way with me to lending realism to their characters. As Ann Darrow, Naomi Watts has to carry a lot of the movie on her shoulders since she interacts with Kong more than any other character in the movie and she pulls it off superbly. There’s a terrific scene where she goes into her vaudeville act to amuse Kong and amazingly, the big ape enjoys the show. And for me the most spectacular action sequence in the movie is the ultimate giant monster smack down where Kong proves exactly why he’s King when he takes on not one, not two, but three Tyrannosaurus Rexes in a truly epic showdown of colossal proportions.

Chances are most of you reading this have already seen KING KONG so I don’t have to sell you on it. But if by chance you haven’t yet seen it, by all means put this one on your Netflix list. KING KONG is a rare animal: a remake that is more than worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with the original. It’s totally everything that I love about the movies. Enjoy.

187 minutes

Rated PG-13


‘The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ has an October 20 Debut

‘The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ has an October 20 Debut

  • News
  • September 21, 2010

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, an all-new animated series featuring the best of the best in the Marvel Universe, premieres Wednesday, October 20 (8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Produced by Marvel Animation, the series stars the world’s greatest heroes — Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Ant-Man/Giant Man and Wasp — who form the Avengers, a team assembled when the powers of a single hero are not enough to save the world. Thsi essentially mirrors the line up as seen in the first 15 issues of the comic, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck.

Beginning Wednesday, Disney XD, DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com and Disney XD Mobile will roll out 20 micro-episodes introducing the team’s core members. Each five-and-half-minute episode focuses on the back story, allies and nemeses of the heroes before the Avengers were formed.

In the two-part series premiere, “The Breakout,” Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp have defeated some of the most dangerous super-villains on the planet. But when the super-villain prison system mysteriously shuts down, chaos is unleashed on the world. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must now band together as the Avengers to protect the planet from the threats that no single super-hero could face alone. Their first task is to try and stop Graviton, a being whose power dwarfs anything ever seen. He’s after Nick Fury, but will destroy the world to get to him. Individually the heroes have no chance, but together they can make a difference.

The complete multiplatform rollout is:

Wednesday, September 22

Disney XD will air a special sneak peek of the first micro-series episode, “Iron Man is Born!,” at 8:30 p.m., ET/PT directly following premiere of the network’s newest series, “Pair of Kings.”

DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com and Disney XD Mobile will unveil a new micro-episode every day, for 20 days, leading up to the micro-episodes’ premiere on Disney XD. DisneyXD.com/Avengers will also feature a gallery of each of the Avengers and offer inside information about Kang, Loki and the rest of the “most wanted” Marvel Super Villains.

Tuesday, October 5  

Select micro-episodes will be made available as a free preview on iTunes.

Monday, October 11

Disney XD will roll out all 20 micro-episodes during “Avengers Week” from Monday, October 11 to Friday, October 15, with four micro-episodes stacked each night at 8:30 p.m., ET/PT.

The complete micro-series becomes available on Disney XD on Demand on AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Cox.

Wednesday, October 20

The highly anticipated series premiere of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! airs with two back-to-back episodes from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., ET/PT. The series also launches on DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com and Marvelkids.com.

Thursday, October 21

Full episodes launch on iTunes, Xbox Live, Sony Playstation and Disney XD Mobile VOD.

Monday, October 25

The series becomes available on Disney XD on Demand on AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Cox.

PRO SE PRESENTS PECULIAR ADVENTURES #2 ON SALE NOW!

  • News
  • September 21, 2010
PRO SE PRESENTS PECULIAR ADVENTURES #2 ON SALE NOW!

NOW AVAILABLE! The strangest action, the greatest heroes, the best high octane tales anywhere in the pulp world, PRO SE PRESENTS PECULIAR ADVENTURES #2, now in a new format, over 140 pages of pilots, monsters, girls lost between worlds, men lost to themselves, and so much more for only TEN DOLLARS! What, you don’t believe us, then check out the table of contents below with selected excerpts from some of the tales told-

THE DIVINE WRAITH Robert Butt
One of the robed men thunders, “REAVERS, ATTACK!” He and his partners surround the Divine Wraith, demons circling overhead.
“If this must be,” the Wraith says defiantly, “Let it be now!”

THE CEREBUS CLAN: THE TOLL Ken Janssens
Joe tried not to think of these things. For now, he had a purpose, a legacy… maybe even a destiny. It might be scary but it was time to head into the Gateway—into the dark cave. There were things he needed to understand.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE BEASTLY CONCUBINES Joshua Reynolds
Sternberg crashed into the concubine, first slapping the gun aside, then his big hands were scrabbling for her throat. She howled and fell back, and Sternberg went flying out the door.

PERRY LELL: A DAY IN THE DEATH OF A GIRL Megan Smith
Feet. Pounding the pavement.
Sweat. Wetting the brow.
Adrenaline. Pulsing blood through the ears.

WYLDE WORLD: IN THE BEGINNING Lee Houston, Jr.
The beast was clearly angry, evidenced by its fiery red eyes and the loud snarl coming from a mouth full of sharp teeth. The large head swiveled and glared down at us, the eyes glowing as it drooled at the sight of two potential kills side by side.
“I guess it’s not happy that we aren’t tied up and helpless,” I said uneasily.

MR. BRASS AND THE SPAWN OF FRANKENSTEIN * Joshua Reynolds

FROM ‘THE TOLL’

Her name had been Marietta Conklin. A forgettable, plain woman who spent five years of her life practicing to be that way. She was a Pinkerton, an agent of the United States government, and she was dead.

THE SORCEROR’S GHOST Sean Ellis
The Sorcerer raised his fist, pointing the barrel of his pistol at the other man’s chest, while the two British aces circled around to stand behind him. “I saved your life, Wyatt. I saved it the first day you flew for me and I saved it two days ago… and this is how you repay that debt?”

THE GIRL WITH THE PHANTOM EYES: A SOVEREIGN CITY STORY Barry Reese
“Has he tried the police?”
“Yes. But they think he should be sent to the loony
bin, apparently.”
“And why is that?”
“The girl he’s looking for – she has glowing eyes.”

WHAT IS THE FATE OF GARY WOOTEN? – III Fuller Bumpers and John Palmer IV (COMIC STORY)

PRO SE PREVIEWS: AYM GERONIMO AND THE POSTMODERN PIONEERS – TALL TALES John Morgan Neal, Todd Fox and Sarah Beach

THE ONE TRUE GUIDEBOOK TO THE VARIED ADVENTURES OF PECULIAR ODDFELLOW Achilles Pater
“It was a Peculiar day to be introduced to the world. Even for an Oddfellow.”

Guns blazing, fists throwing, good old pulp action brought to you by Pro Se Productions!
PRO SE PRESENTS PECULIAR ADVENTURES #2!!

EBOOKS-http://www.proseproductions.com/Press/home.html ($3.99)
CLOSING OUT THIS MOONSTONE MONDAY-TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT TO MOONSTONE’S PULP HANDBOOK!

CLOSING OUT THIS MOONSTONE MONDAY-TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT TO MOONSTONE’S PULP HANDBOOK!

  • News
  • September 20, 2010

FROM THE VAULT: THE PULP FILES
MOONSTONE BOOKS-THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS

Wow.  If it were kosher to leave one word reviews, then that would be my one word.  This fine compendium of fact sheets on pulp characters that will appear in Moonstone’s RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS line does not tell a story in a traditional comic sense, but it sure weaves a tale of heroes, tragedy, justice, and redemption like none you’ve ever read.  From The Spider to the Green Lama to The Golden Amazon and Death Angel (Who?  Why new additions to the genre of course), the breadth of pulp history that is covered in these 36 pages is astounding. The file like look of the fact sheets is awesome and the accompanying art, pretty much a pin up with each fact sheet, makes me not only want to see this line of books, but wants Moonstone to tackle ALL the pulp heroes AND villains in this format, just for informational purposes for us writers!

Five out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat-and if you didn’t hear me the first time…wow.

The Point Radio: Orci & Kurtzman Reboot HAWAII 5-O

The Point Radio: Orci & Kurtzman Reboot HAWAII 5-O

There’s probably nobody in Hollywood better at The Reboot than Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Tonight CBS unveils their revamped HAWAII 5-O and today we talk to them on how it was carefully re-crafting a classic. Plus (say it with us) BOWLING FOR BOOBIES. Really. Honest.

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

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MOONSTONE MONDAY INTERVIEW-Shannon Denton

  • News
  • September 20, 2010

SHANNON DENTON, Writer of G-8 for RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS, MOONSTONE BOOKS

AP: I think it’s safe to say you can be considered a Renaissance Man given the diversity of your creative output.  To what do you attribute your success is so many different, yet related fields?


SHANNON ERIC DENTON: Thanks! I do like the occasional Renaissance fair and I’m pretty certain I have ADHD. So I guess that may cover the Renaissance aspects as well as the diversity. To be honest, I have no idea. I like to try new things. It’s not always a success but there’s a definite satisfaction in looking at some new field, psyching yourself up to give it a try, and then through grit and luck finding a way to do it.
 AP: Tell us about Komikwerks
　
SHANNON ERIC DENTON: Komikwerks originally came together as a conduit for a collective of professional artists and writers from many different creative fields, who wanted to publish their creations free of editorial and corporate restraint, as well as not being confined to the standard 22 page format comic. Lately it’s morphed into the publishing arm for our ACTIONOPOLIS line of books. At the end of the day, it’s a home base for Patrick Coyle, Rob Worley, and I to pursue our pet projects.　

AP: I’m a major Western fan so naturally I’m interested in “Graveslinger” Tell us what that’s all about.

SHANNON ERIC DENTON: Graveslinger is a fun supernatural western (and nominated for a 2010 Harvey Award to boot). The story centers around an prison undertaker on his quest to put 117 of the West’s worst killers back in their graves. After a supernatural mishap, these 117 formerly executed killers rose up en mass and set out to plunder anew. Now only one man, our undertaker hero, has what it takes to put them down for good. We have another Graveslinger book set to come out from IDW too so be on the lookout for an announcement on that.　SHANNON ERIC DENTON: G-8 is an ace pilot and a master spy. He’s an adventure junkie with a heroes heart. I’m hoping in our run to establish a bit of why he’s so driven to do what he does without taking away anything from the original run. I’m a big believer in not reinventing stuff that’s already working. Instead I’m hoping it’ll be more like getting sneak peaks between the stuff you already know.

AP: So why Pulp?  Have you always harbored a secret desire to be a pulp writer?　

SHANNON ERIC DENTON: I have. In my public library as a kid, I had access to a lot of classic old pulps. Come summer, I’d pour through those books. I loved superheroes but ya had to have money to buy comics so that was a once a month purchase for me. 　These were free at the library so they’d tie me over till I could get my monthly dose of Spider-Man and Teen Titans at the 7-11.　

AP: You’re writing G-8 for Moonstone as part of their “Return of The Originals” project.　　How’d you get G-8, did you request to write him?　

SHANNON ERIC DENTON: I expressed an interest in the line and they suggested G-8. 　My AiT book ACES was partially inspired by G-8 along with Spy Smasher, Black Sheep Squadron, Air Wolf and a million other aviation heroes…including my dad who was a Naval aviator. I just always grew up around pilots and on air bases so it’s always going to be fascinating to me.　
AP: Who is G-8?　

AP: Why do you think there’s such an interest in pulp adventure and pulp characters now?

SHANNON ERIC DENTON: As long as folks continue to like high adventure and the world still has bad guys that need clobbered by men with the wherewithal to do so, I think Pulps will always have an audience.

AP: What’s a Day In the Life of Shannon Denton like?
SHANNON ERIC DENTON : We just had a baby so these days it’s 15 minute naps, no sleep at night, and making comics in between all of that. Oh, and it’s football season. Luckily because I’m not sleeping anyhow, I’m finding more time for football as well as work this year so who knows. On the weekends I try and take my boys hiking to as many of the National Parks and National Monuments as I can.　
AP: Here’s your chance for a shout out or to recommend something.  Go.=an>
SHANNON ERIC DENTON : If you like adventure, please check out our www.actionopolis.com books!  Great stories from a ton of great writers!
AP: Anything else we should know about  =an>Shannon Denton?
SHANNON ERIC DENTON: I am always available for freelance! (freelancers motto). Outside of that, i just hope everyone enjoys what I have coming up this year and feel free to follow me on the Twitter and Facebook.  =n>It’s always nice to hear from folks. Be sure and let your comic shop know about G-8 also!
MOONSTONE MONDAY-TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-REVIEW!!

MOONSTONE MONDAY-TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-REVIEW!!

  • News
  • September 20, 2010
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock 
THE SPIDER-CITY OF THE BLEEDING SNOW (11 PAGE STORY)
Writer-Martin Powell
Artist-Tom Floyd

Although this story is not newly published, it is one that bears reviewing, primarily because several people have mentioned it to me as ‘a story you just have to read’ or ‘the best Spider story ever.’  With praise like that, I had to look for myself.

Is it the best Spider story ever?  Maybe, maybe not, but it’s close.  Did it turn out to be something I just had to read.  You bet your pointed teeth and spider ring it did!

In ten pages, Martin Powell twists a tale that in all honesty comes in at the middle.  It’s a typical Spider and pulp type tale, Bad guy has the Spider’s beloved captured and is delivering chemical vengeance on the city and it’s up to the Spider to stop him.  But what Powell works into this in a short space is pathos, action, romance, and character education as well as development.  If you read this story and know nothing of the Spider, this ten pages gives you enough to say you know something about the character.

The art of Tom Floyd blends well with the storytelling in this tale.  It’s classic art on one hand, yet disturbing on the other.  The reason it’s disturbing is even though the Spider’s world is dark and scary, Floyd’s art makes it look very much like..our world.  This story because of its art and its human portrayal of this most inhuman acting character hits a really poignant note of realism.

Five out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat-Good show, gentlemen and Moonstone. Good show.

MOONSTONE MONDAY-INTERVIEW WITH JOSH AITKEN

  • News
  • September 20, 2010

JOSH AITKEN, LETTERER, WRITER OF GLADIATOR FOR RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS, MOONSTONE BOOKS

AP:  Josh, thanks for joining ALL PULP on Moonstone Monday! Before we get into the awesome project you’re a part of, tell us something about yourself, both personally and professionally.

JA: Thanks for having me!
I’m a Canuck who went to school for film, television, and radio production, as well as fine art. I play a bunch of instruments, and like to do technical and architectural sketching in my free time. I also design logos for things and companies that don’t exist, or make new ones for famous ones. I like letters; how they interact with each other, different styles and typesets, big bold sound effect ones, and sleek and flowing cursive ones… good thing I’m a letterer, eh?
I’ve been lettering professionally for around five years, as well as running my own graphic design company for around eight. I’ve done lots of work for Moonstone, and have also done work for Shadowline, Ape Entertainment, and most recently Benaroya Publishing, as well as a ton of books that were put out by self-publishers. I’ve also edited a few books, most recently as an assistant editor for Zeros2Heroes Media.
I’m also a strong advocate for Comics in the Classroom. I read Graphic Novels all through high school, receiving top marks for it along the way. Recently my high school English teacher invited me to put a proposal together for a syllabus for integrating Comics into their current curriculum. I’ve had a very busy 2010, but I’m hoping I can take him up on his offer in the coming year.
AP: You’re attached to RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS, Moonstone’s new pulp comic line. Are you a pulp fan? What’s it feel like to be part of such a grand comic experience as this line is shaping up to be?
JA: I’m a huge pulp fan, but, to be honest, I don’t know when it started. I guess it just hit me one day like the butt of a gun in a dark alleyway. It’s probably because I really like all the entertainment put out between the 20’s and the 40’s. I love classic Hollywood films, especially the noir stuff; stuff like “A Touch of Evil” and “Angels With Dirty Faces”. I usually have TCM playing on the TV when I’m working. I love the classic pulp stuff… Phantom, the Shadow, Dick Tracy… and I like the new stuff coming out too. I can easily see the influence in movies like “The Iron Giant” and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”.
I’m really stoked to be getting the opportunity to add to this project. I can’t wait to see all the stuff we’re going to be putting out. I just finished putting together the handbook for our “new” characters, and we have some really cool toys in this sandbox.
AP: You’re the writer on GLADIATOR for Moonstone’s ORIGINALS line. What is the story behind this comic? Who’s the main character and what are his literary origins?

JA: The comic is based upon the short novel by Philip Wylie of the same name, written in 1930. Philip went on to write The Savage Gentleman, quite possibly the inspiration for Doc Savage, and When Worlds Collide, the basis for Flash Gordon. Gladiator tells the story of Hugo Danner, a man genetically modified by his father before he was born, and his constant struggle to live in a society that would never accept his secret.

AP: Working with characters that already exist is an awesome experience, but they also sometimes bring their own sorts of baggage. What from the source material are you planning to keep intact?
JA: Everything. While some people like to adapt a story, picking it apart and choosing bits and pieces they like, I decided to work from the source material, using it as an outline. When Mike and I first started planning this series, we decided that we didn’t want to do an adaptation, or a modern retelling. That’s already been done before.
AP: The GLADIATOR concept has been told and used in a variety of tales over the years, reworked and retooled. What new takes and twists, if any, will you bring to your telling of GLADIATOR?
JA: It’s a great book, but it’s also a really short one. Moonstone’s version will just fill in some of the blanks; flesh it out a bit. For example; my first story takes place during Hugo’s time in the French Foreign Legion. The First World War lasted four years, yet Hugo’s service only lasts a short time in the novel, almost like a summary. Going forward, I’m not planning on writing in chronological order. Since most of my stories will be shorts, I just want to give him some cool adventures that happen “between the pages” as it were.
AP: How is the experience of writing comics different from your other comic work, such as layout and lettering? Is one more fulfilling or exciting than the others?
JA: Writing is totally different than lettering. It’s really apples and oranges.

With lettering and design, I feel I use more logical thinking, with a touch of creativity. It’s really about figuring out the flow of the page, where I can place the elements to supplement that flow, and making sure everything is set to be sent to the printer. I am a very analytical thinker, so I think that’s why lettering comes naturally to me. I love puzzles. It can be a real good one to figure out how I’m going to get the balloons to fit in a panel when there isn’t much room to work with. I also have to figure out what font will best represent a sound effect, and what color will compliment it. I also enjoy designing up new caption styles to give a comic a style all its own.

On the other hand, writing for me is more of a demon. I don’t write a lot, and when I do, it’s usually because an idea has been rattling around in my head to the point of causing insomnia, and I’ve got to get it out and onto the page. If I wasn’t writing it down on paper, I’d be writing it all over the walls of my padded cell. I’m always reading magazines, novels, and reference books, and I watch the Discovery and History Channels a ton. When you fill you head with enough stuff, something has to start dripping out of it.
Writing “Gladiator” is also different than my usually writing as I have to consider the source material. Somebody else has already set up the foundation, I just have to make sure I stay true to that. Usually I can just write whatever I want because I’ve got a totally blank page. I welcome the challenge, and know this is going to be a really fun experience. I’m just grateful to Mike and Joe for letting me decide what to put in the speech bubbles for a change.
AP: The main character in GLADIATOR gets a lot of credit for inspiring ideas that we are all familiar with, or at least bearing strong resemblances to well known characters, like Superman or Doc Savage. Do you feel any sort of pressure from those comparisons?
JA: Not really. I read a ton of comics now, but I don’t get awestruck by the weight of a character’s legacy, or the people who work on them. The real pressure is living up to the legacy of the original book and putting out something that pulp fans will enjoy. I know it’s been said before to the point of cliché, but if they like what we’re doing, then it’s all worthwhile.
AP: Do you have anything else in the pipeline for Moonstone or anywhere else, you’d like to let the Pulp world know about?
JA: I’ve got a few comic projects I’m tinkering around with, both at Moonstone and elsewhere. I’m also working on a couple of short films, and those will likely start shooting around 2012. I also have a Phantom story that appears in the back of one of the Phantom: Generations trades. I didn’t think I was going to get a crack at him when I heard that Dynamite was taking over the character, but Joe and Mike allowed me to squeeze one in at the buzzer. Other than that, you’ll see me lettering a bunch of stuff for Moonstone, as well as a couple of other publishers here and there.
AP: Josh, thanks so much and can’t wait to see what you do with GLADIATOR!
JA: Thanks for having me!

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