The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Judd Winick Talks Adapting ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

  • News
  • June 11, 2010

Judd Winick has returned to Gotham City with a vengeance. The award-winning cartoonist has  transitioned one of his benchmark storylines from comic book pages to animated film with the upcoming release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, the University of Michigan graduate gained national fame as a cast member of MTV’s The Real World, San Francisco in 1994. In the wake of the death of his Real World roommate and friend, AIDS activist Pedro Zamora, Winick embarked on a national AIDS education lecture tour. Later, the lecture and his friendship with Zamora was documented in his award-winning graphic novel Pedro And Me.

Winick next created his original comic book series, Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, and then began a long running stint as one of the top writers on mainstream super hero comics. Winick has scripted such titles as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Trials Shazam, Green Arrow and Outsiders (for DC Comics), Exiles (for Marvel) and Star Wars (for Dark Horse). He also was the creator and executive producer of Cartoon Network’s animated series, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.

joker-crowbar-3891312He is currently developing live action television and animation, writing the new bi-weekly comic title for DC Comics Justice League: Generation Lost, as well as the monthly Power Girl.

In 2005, Winick presented his Red Hood storyline in the Batman comics and it was met with tremendous sales alongside powerful waves of controversy. He has evolved that story into the script for the all-new DC Universe film, Batman: Under the Red Hood. In celebration of the film’s July 27 street date, DC Comics will distribute a six-issue mini-series, Red Hood: The Lost Days. Written by Winick and drawn by Pablo Raimondi, the mini-series offers greater insight into the back story of the title character.

Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video 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. (more…)

Are You Ready for Sookeh? ‘True Blood’ Will Tell

  • News
  • June 10, 2010

It’s hard to deny that vampires remain one of the most popular supernatural creatures in entertainment. Through the ages many vampires have been portrayed as seductive and alluring, with an ability to charm humans into doing almost anything. And while werewolves are volatile and messy, ghosts are hard to hold, and zombies are, frankly, stinky and gross, vampires are most often presented as sexy. Any fan of HBO’s hit vampire drama True Blood will tell you that vampires transcend sexy and are intoxicatingly hot, so it is no surprise that fans are excitedly gearing up for the third season of the show, which begins Sunday at 9pm EST.

If you’ve read the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, you are probably wondering which aspects of the third novel, “Club Dead”, will make it into the new season, and what new twists will be added just for the show. The extended season 3 trailer at HBO.com gives some hints about what’s to come, but doesn’t reveal exactly which direction certain elements, such as the werewolves, will take. Werewolves? That’s right! This season will have warm-blooded supes as well. There has been a lot of buzz about the casting of these characters, and although I haven’t seen the episodes yet (and thus don’t know if the actors have gotten the mannerisms and personalities down), I must say that the physical match to the book descriptions of a few key characters is amazing!

If you’ve read all the books and seen every episode and still can’t get enough True Blood, you might also be pleased to know that a True Blood comic book is going to be released in July (available for pre-order now, though I plan to wait until I can read it on my iPhone) from IDW (Disclaimer: ComicMix’s publishing partner). HBO also has a series of six mini-episodes, which they are calling “A Drop of True Blood” on their True Blood page. The shorts are little character pieces that give us some insight into things that happened around the time of the end of last season while also getting fans revved up for the new one. Be forewarned that two of the videos are not safe for work and require registration before viewing because of mature content. (more…)

Win a Peanuts DVD set!

  • News
  • June 10, 2010

Our good friends at Warner Home Video have provided us with copies of the new Peanuts: 1970’s Collection, Vol. 2 (which includes Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown; You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown; It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown; What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown; It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown; and You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown), and we’re sharing them with you.

We’re offering you five different ways to win. Here’s how you can win one:

  1. Follow @comicmix on Twitter. That enters you to win one copy of the DVD.
  2. Simply tweet “Just entered to win a Peanuts DVD. Just follow @comicmix and
    retweet. http://comicmix.com” That enters you to win another copy of the DVD.
  3. Become a fan of ComicMix on FaceBook. That enters you to win yet another copy of the DVD.
  4. Link to ComicMix on your website (or use the ComicMix widgetbox from the sidebar) and let us know where in the comments (not anonymously, please). That en– aw, you know this by now.
  5. Come up with a title for your own Peanuts special (for example: “It’s The Great Old Ones, Charlie Brown!”) and put it in the comments. The opinion of the judges for the most amusing title wins. Note: The title must be broadcast and kid safe.

We’ll close the contest to entries on this Sunday, June 13th, 2010 at Midnight, Pacific Daylight Time. We’ll choose the winners at random, except for the title naming category.

Good luck!

‘FlashForward’ fans take cancellation lying down, and want you lying down too

Fans of ABC’s cancelled drama FlashForward are planning to stage protests at ABC’s offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta this Thursday. Flashmobs (sorry) will lie down on the ground in front of the various ABC offices for two minutes and 17 seconds, in honor of the blackouts that happen in the plot of the show. 

Now, if any of the fans report seeing anything in the future, we could have something here…

Additionally, fans shipped 20,000 friendship bracelets to ABC
Entertainment Chairman Steve McPherson, similar to the one Joseph
Fiennes’ character, Mark Benford, was given by
his daughter on the series.

For more information, go to http://www.preventtheblackout.com/.

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Happy 100th Birthday, C.C. Beck!

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Born in 1910 in Zumbrota, Minnesota, Charles Clarence “C.C.” Beck started learning art via correspondence course before studying at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota. Fawcett Publications hired him as a staff artist in 1933.

Initially Beck worked on pulp magazines, but when Fawcett started producing comic books in 1939 Beck was assigned to draw Whiz Comics, starring a character called Captain Thunder. The character’s name was changed before the first issue ever came out—to Captain Marvel.

Beck drew not only Whiz Comics but Spy Smasher and Ibis the Invincible, and in 1941 he set up his own studio in New York City—he later added a second location in Englewood, NJ, and oversaw artwork for most of the Marvel Family line while also producing commercial art. Fawcett discontinued its comic book line in the early 1950s and Beck was forced to close his studios in 1954.

After that he only worked on comics occasionally, though he did illustrate the first ten issues of DC’s Shazam! series (continuing Captain Marvel, whom DC had purchased from Fawcett). Beck retired in the 70s and moved to Florida, where he wrote an opinion column, “The Crusty Curmudgeon,” for The Comics Journal. He died in 1989.

Beck was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997.

Starz Nabs ‘Torchwood”s 4th Season

torchwood-a-8490247Just the other day we talked about how everyone was awaiting word on a fourth season of the BBC series Torchwood. Here’s this morning’s formal press release with the details. Let the rejoicing and anticipation begin.

LOS ANGELES, June 7 /PRNewswire/ — Starz Entertainment has
acquired U.S. television rights to the next installment of the BBC’s
audience sensation Torchwood, developed and produced by BBC
Worldwide Productions. Starz will debut the 10-episode series
exclusively in the U.S., and BBC One will debut it in the U.K., both in
summer, 2011. This is a co-production between Starz, BBC Cymru Wales and
BBC Worldwide, and BBC Worldwide will distribute the show outside the
U.S. The deal was jointly announced today by Starz, LLC President and
CEO Chris Albrecht and BBC Worldwide
Productions EVP Jane Tranter.

The stars of the previous versions of Torchwood, notably John Barrowman (Capt. Jack
Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), will return for the new version.
Additional key cast, reflecting the more international scope of the
series, will be announced soon.

Torchwood is a drama that puts extraterrestrial
threats into a very real world, and asks how humanity deals with the
danger – while fighting mankind’s darkest instincts. The series’
previous three seasons aired on BBC America in the U.S. and garnered
record-breaking ratings for the network. Created by visionary
writer/producer Russell T Davies, Torchwood has to date been
located primarily in Cardiff, Wales.
The new series will allow Davies and his writing team to tell a more
explosive and global story, one that takes advantage of the unlimited
narrative opportunities of a premium television service like Starz.

Davies and BBC Worldwide Productions’ SVP Scripted Julie Gardner
return as executive producers, with Davies also serving as show-runner
for the new Torchwood.

“We’re committed to programming exceptional television that is
entertaining, imaginative and provides a premium TV experience, and by
any measure the new concept for Torchwood fits that mandate,”
Starz, LLC, President and CEO Chris Albrecht
said. “I’ve been part of successful partnerships with Jane Tranter and the BBC previously, and I’m
very much looking forward to working with them again.”

Torchwood has attracted remarkable attention and loyalty in
both the UK and U.S., and in this new partnership with Starz, the next
chapter will not only reward our current fans, but also introduce new
viewers to the most impressive installment yet,” said Jane Tranter, EVP, BBC Worldwide Productions. “Chris Albrecht and his team are committed to
delivering quality premium programming to their subscribers, also a core
attribute of the BBC, and we are excited to be working with them as the Torchwood adventure continues.”

“Russell, Jane and Julie came to us with a compelling vision for the
evolution of the Torchwood saga that really takes the story
into whole new areas,” added Carmi Zlotnik,
Managing Director of Starz Media ? the production and development
division of Starz. “The compelling story and characters this trio
created provide a strong template for driving this narrative in exciting
ways.”  

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama
Commissioning said: “We have a long history of working with many U.S.
networks, but it is incredibly exciting to be working with Starz for the
first time, as well as to be reunited with the best of British in
Russell, Jane and Julie. Torchwood will burst back onto the
screen with a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations
that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever”

Torchwood is the latest piece of notable programming from
Starz. It follows on the heels of the recently concluded first season of
the epic “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” this summer’s highly anticipated
event  series “The Pillars of the Earth,” based on author Ken Follett‘s international bestseller, and the
recently announced series “Camelot,” which Starz is co-producing with
GK-TV and will air early in 2011.

“Torchwood” originally debuted in the UK on BBC One in 2006. All five
episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth” reached the Top 10 list in
TV Episodes across the entire iTunes TV Store, with episode 1 of the
series reaching the top spot the week of launch in August, 2009.

(more…)

The Point Radio: Stone Cold Speaks

  • Uncategorized
  • June 7, 2010

Even if you aren’t a WWE Fan, chances are you know STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. For almost half a decade, Steve has been battling his way into the acting world and know he has a new action film on the shelves plus a role with Stallone coming up. Plus THE AVENGERS get a Hawkeye and one new ABC show set for the fall has already changed its cast.

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.

 

 

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Webcomics You Should Be Reading: Lackadaisy

  • Uncategorized
  • June 7, 2010

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Hear ye, hear ye! WYSBR is now in session! I hope everyone has been keeping up with their webcomic reading. There are many webcomics to explore and rave about, so lets not waste any time. We’ll start this segment with a personal favorite of mine: Lackadaisy.

Created by Tracy J. Butler, this webcomic takes place in St. Louis during the 1920’s Prohibition. Lackadaisy focuses on the adventures that ensue when running a speakeasy, an establishment that illegally serves alcohol. The stakes are high as characters risk everything to save their cherished speakeasy from being crushed by the competition.

You may be wondering why the characters are a bit on the furry side. Butler’s characters are all anthropomorphic cats, but don’t let that give you the wrong impression. These aren’t the type of furries that make you wonder what the heck “yiffing” is. You can’t help but be charmed by these fluffy cats. Each character has a unique personality that is projected through smart, snappy dialogue and wonderfully detailed expressions.

Speaking of details, Butler never holds back when it comes to detailing every aspect of Lackadaisy. Clothes, furniture, vehicles, and architecture are exquisitely designed to capture an American 1920’s atmosphere. The talented Ms. Butler sucks readers into Lackadaisy‘s lively St. Louis, which is fine with me because it’s an exciting, dramatic place full of colorful characters.

For the past few years, Lackadaisy has gained attention, praise, and thousands of fans. Butler’s webcomic won her the 2007 Webcartoonists’ Choice Awards for Outstanding Newcomer, Artist, Character Rendering, and Anthropomorphic Comic. More trophies were added to Butler’s cabinet after winning the 2008 Webcartoonists’ Choice Awards for Outstanding Artist, Black and White Art, Character Rendering, and Website Design. Many people would agree: Lackadaisy is full of win.

If you like the roaring 20’s, cool cats, or impressive webcomics in general, then give Lackadaisy a read. Chances are you’ll find something you love about it.

Monday Mix-Up: Toy Story / Fight Club

With Toy Story 3 on it’s way to theaters soon, we thought we’d treat you to a lil’ mashup that puts a new light on our favorite characters. In an alternate universe where Woody just isn’t happy with himself, or the life that he leads, one man can make it all change. Tyler Lightyear, space soap salesmen, helps our hero find his inner strength. How? By hitting the bottom of the toy chest of course. You
buy a toy. You tell yourself, this is the last toy I will ever
need in my life. Buy the toy, then for a couple days you’re
satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your toy
issue handled. Then the right set of warrior accessories. Then the perfect videogame. The mint-in-box collectors ring. The Battle Ravaged Chase Variant. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. It’s only after you lose everything that you’re free to do anything.

Now feel free to enjoy the clip!

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