Movie Review: ‘The Spirit”
In the past, the holiday season is a time for at least one big box office hit, and while the period between 2001 and 2005 may have been taken over by Peter Jackson’s army of Orcs and giant gorillas, the pattern has been consistent. This year, however, you shouldn’t expect to be blown away, or even spend the money on admission with an adaptation of a literary or Hollywood classic, as Frank Miller and his motley crew try to pass off a remake of Will Eisner’s classic “middle-class crime fighter” comic. The film, as a whole, makes very little sense and will bring mostly heartache to fans of the source material, and on an original level, the movie jumps around both in mood, story, and even dialogue so much that it makes it feel like you’ve been watching [[[Sin City]]] fan film for over 90 minutes.
The movie should have simply been called a faux sequel to Sin City, because that is what it felt like. Gravely voices, over-the-top villains, and women in leather should just be what was written on the poster for this film, because those elements just about sum up what to expect. There are a few twists and turns, mostly in the tone of the film and how it jumps from a high-paced action film to a slapstick comedy around every turn. The inconsistency alone is enough to deter most of the audience, let alone the campy dialogue or ridiculous plot devices that would have Eisner spinning in the grave.
Those who were/are a fan of Eisner’s original story or even the later retellings know the basic story behind the hero: Denny Colt, a middle-class rookie cop in Central City is presumed killed, but actually goes into suspended animation, only to come back and create the identity of The Spirit, a man who is able to fight crime in a way local cops can’t, all while wearing a blue suit, red tie, domino mask, and a fedora. [[[The Spirit]]] never had super powers, but still had the same mystery as rival character Batman to the in-book villains. This new representation has The Spirit as a man who was killed, and brought back to life by a serum that gave him super powers, allowing him to recover from fatal wounds quickly and run across telephone lines. He now must take down The Octopus, his archrival who mysteriously has the same powers as our red-tied hero.
TheCW4Kids’ Saturday morning lineup has been solidified by 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. The revised lineup, incorporating shows moving from Fox, will kick off on January 3, 2009, 
Archie Comics has provided us with a first look at this week’s Archie #592
Sci Fi Channel has given a green light to Ghost Hunters: New Generation, a six-episode spin-off set at a college. According to 
Following the Golden Globe nominations, Heath Ledger has received another posthumous nod for his role as the Joker, this time from his peers in the Screen Actor’s Guild. He’s nomination once more alongside Robert Downey, Jr. who is recognized for his hilarious turn in Tropic Thunder. On the television side, William Shatner is once more honored for his work in the final season of Boston Legal.
Navarre Corporation announced Thursday that BCI Eclipse Company, its wholly-owned subsidiary, will shut down its licensing operations in connection with the implementation of a restructuring plan. This restructuring will include a workforce reduction, a write down of assets and the incorporation of BCI’s exclusively distributed DVD business into the company’s distribution segment.
Keith DeCandido is known throughout the fan community as one of the best writers of media-related fiction in both the novel and graphic world. While primarily recognized for Star Trek, he has also written fiction based on Supernatural, CSI: NY, and Farscape, among others. His novel of John Crichton’s adventures, House of Cards, was published in 2001. Recently, BOOM! Studios picked up the rights to publish new Farscape stories and the show’s creator, Rockne S. O’Bannon, will plot the first one with a script by Keith and art by Tommy Patterson. After some delay, the first issue will be in stores on Wednesday/ ComicMix briefly spoke with Keith about the show and how he got involved in the new stories.
Marvel provided us with the cover and pages from Mighty Avengers #21, written by Dan Slott and drawn by Young Gun artist Khoi. The issue is described as beginning a bold new era for the Mighty Avengers. Spinning out of Dark Reign, the Mighty Avengers have an all-new line up and an all-new missionm, guest starring the New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Young Avengers and Classic Avengers.
Criminal investigation meets Greek mythology when current primetime television stars David McCallum and Marg Helgenberger assume the voices of Zeus and Hera, respectively, for Wonder Woman, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 films, débuting March 3 in multiple formats.
Pokémon TCG: Platinum will be released on February 11, according to Pokémon USA. Theme decks and boosters packs will let gamers collect all 130 cards which will introduce the never-before-seen
