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Disney Leaves ‘Dawn Treader’ at the Dock

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Disney has officially withdrawn from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader  just as the film was preparing to shoot in early 2009.  The Hollywood Reporter said Disney and Walden declined to say why but it’s been known for some time that the studio has had qualms about the budget given the lackluster $141 million box office performance of Prince Caspian.

Whole Prince Caspian cost $200 million, Dawn Treader was seen as a $100 million production and recently relocated principal photography from Mexico to Australia as a nod towards keeping costs down. Disney had the film, to be directed by Michael Apted from Steven Knight’s script, pencilled in for a May 2010 release.

Contracts with the returning cast — Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell – may now be in jeopardy if a new studio doesn’t sep in quickly. The trade speculates 20th-Century Fox may step in since not only do they need tentpole pictures, but they release Walden’s other fare.

While the Chronicles of Narnia spans seven books, the films were seen as a trilogy with the hope of getting every one of C.S. Lewis’ book adapted.  For Disney to pull out after two films is quite unusual for a series. It’s not the first though, with New Line abandoning Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials after the poor performance of pricey The Golden Compass.
 

American McGee’s Grimm Comes to IDW

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Celebrated game designer American McGee’s Grimm, an episodic videogame that debuted on GameTap, offers gamers the chance to create darkness across traditionally lighter fairy tales. And now Grimm, the game’s macabre dwarf who wreaks havoc on these fairy-tale tableaus, will be unleashed in a new comic book series coming from IDW Publishing in April 2009.

American McGee’s Grimm is a five-issue miniseries that takes the games’ high concept and tweaks it a bit, allowing Grimm to unleash his dark magic across five familiar comic-book universes. In issue one, Grimm exits the latest fairy tale he darkened only to discover bright and sunny superhero comics. He enters the world, kick-starting a "Crisis on Earth 57," where he launches a secret invasion crisis into a domain where villains are doomed to fail… until he gets involved!

Subsequent issues of the series, written by Dwight MacPherson and illustrated by Grant Bond, will find Grimm invading — and forever changing — the worlds of romance comics, westerns, teenage high-school comics, and anthropomorphic comics. In each issue, Bond’s art style will reflect the archetypal art form of these traditional universes before Grimm’s dark influence fully takes over the comic.

About the comic series, creator American McGee said in a release, "It’s great fun to see the transformative ‘Grimm effect’ applied to narrative universes outside the Brothers Grimm tales. The world needs more of this — exposure to the gritty, sometimes painful truth of the human condition — be it in Red Riding Hood’s well-earned demise, or the reversal of ‘good guys win’ scenarios that we all know to be far from everyday reality."
 

Russell Davies Promises More than 2 Doctors

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Doctor Who producer Russell T. Davies was interviewed on BBC Radio 5, chatting about Thursday’s Doctor Who Christmas Special. Entitled “The Next Doctor”, the special was described as "nice and scary, but healthily scary". Practically confirming word the previous incarnations will be glimpsed in the story, he said, “It’s not just the next Doctor you get to see, you get to see some old ones as well, which is rather exciting… It’s a Doctorfest.”

The inevitable question was asked about David Tennant’s successor as the Time Lord and all he would say was, “Steven Moffat and the series 5 team are casting the next Doctor, the eleventh Doctor and it’s literally nothing to do with me. Everyone keeps asking me, begging me, the money I could make out of this, but I do not know what they are planning.”

‘Land of the Lost’ One-Sheet Debuts

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

The first one-sheet for Land of the Lost was posted over at Cinematical, The live-action feature, based on the 1974-1976 NBC Saturday morning series, gets the big screen treatment.  The film stars Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights), Danny McBride (Underworld), Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), and Jorma Taccone (Saturday Night Live). It’s being directed by Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) and the plot, according to USA Today, “involves three adults (not a dad and two kids as on TV) accidentally thrust into a realm ruled by dinosaurs, monkey-men called Pakuni and the murderous Sleestak”

Land of the Lost arrives in theaters on June 5, 2009.
 

First Look: ‘Lone Justice: Crash’

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Robert Tinnell has spent the last half decade racking up credits as a graphic novelist with The Black Forest, The Wicked West, and Sight Unseen splashing blood across the comic book pages.  Now, Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell, the creative team behind last year’s Harvey-nominated webcomic/graphic novel EZ Street, follow up with Lone Justice: Crash.  LJ:C, like EZ Street, will run for free right here at ComicMix beginning Jnuary 12, but that’s not where the similaritites end.

In EZ Street, central characters Scott and Danny Fletcher set to work on a comic book project featuring their character, Lone Justice.  Lone Justice: Crash is in fact Wheatley and Tinnell’s take on what that book would be.  Featuring the art of Wheatley (Frankenstein Mobster, Mars) and co-scripted by Tinnell (Feast of the Seven Fishes), Lone Justice: Crash takes place during the Depression, but given this era’s economic troubles will most certainly resonate with the modern reader.

Lone Justice: Crash follows the exploits of the titular character, who was first introduced as the creation of Scott and Danny Fletcher, themselves characters in Tinnell and Wheatley’s EZ Street. Occupied for years successfully battling crime as Lone Justice, millionaire Octavius Brown has let his own finances slip to the point of ruin.  Now destitute, unable to even effectively re-arm his weaponry, Brown must live amongst the masses of homeless in the city. It is there that he learns the true face of evil, and from nothing is reborn as a true defender of the innocent.  Combining the thrills of two-fisted pulp action with a storyline that parallels much of our nation’s current socio-economic struggles, Lone Justice: Crash represents a sincere effort to deliver what comics can do at their best: an entertaining message.

Our friends over at FearNet posted this trailer:
 

3-D Films in 2009 Face Theater Shortage

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Every director these days is either enamored with shooting films in 3-D or for IMAX or both. DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg has become the 3-D Preacher, going around the country extolling its virtue.

The New York Times, this morning, noted that there’s just one problem: not every theater is equipped to show 3-D movies and its’ awfully expensive to gear up. “Like all studios experimenting with 3-D, Lionsgate is struggling with a shortage of theaters equipped to project the work. By the release date for My Bloody Valentine 3D, Lionsgate will have only 900 3-D screens available, so it will show a 2-D version of the movie on about 1,600 screens,” the Times reported.

The remake of My Bloody Valentine is the first horror film in the current revival of 3-D as a gimmick to make movie going once more a unique experience. “Advances in digital technology and more comfortable glasses — not to mention a young adult audience that doesn’t remember the 3-D horror movies of the past — have studios jumping back on the 3-D bandwagon. Family entertainment is leading the charge, with DreamWorks Animation and the Walt Disney Company set to unleash a blizzard of 3-D pictures over the next year. But the broader market is following fast,” they wrote.

The article noted horror films need something to keep the genre alive given the lackluster box office for the “torture” sub-genre exemplified by Saw and Hostel.

Joe Drake, the co-chief operating officer of Lionsgate and the president of the studio’s motion picture group, said,. “We see 3-D horror as financially lucrative and creatively exciting,” he said. “We want to break some new ground here in R-rated fare.”

“If there was ever a moment when horror needed to be reinvented, this is it,” said Jeanine Basinger, chairwoman of film studies at Wesleyan University. “You can only work one side of the horror street for so long before you have to cross to the other side and explore something new.”

The other option is to remake familiar films with new actors and directors with January 16’s release of Bloody Valentine as the tip of an iceberg. A month later comes the remake of Friday the 13th with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween 2, and a parade of zombie releases to follow.

‘The Darkness’ Celebrates 75th Issue

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today that The Darkness will reach Legacy Issue #75 in February, and the publisher will commemorate the milestone event by inviting a list of all-star artists to contribute to the oversized, special issue.

(Fans and retailers confused by the renumbering should note The Darkness #75 is actually #11 of the current volume, but the Legacy Numbering will take effect as of this issue. The Legacy Number denotes the total number of issues of The Darkness ever published, regardless of volume. The subsequent issue will be labeled #76, and so forth.)

The list of artists includes: Michael Broussard (current series artist), Jorge Lucas (Pilot Season: Ripclaw), Dale Keown (Pitt), Joe Benitez (Justice League of America), Ryan Sook (Superman/Batman), Steve Firchow (Ultimatum), Frazer Irving (Silent War), Lee Carter (2000 AD), Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade) and Matt Timson (Impaler). The story, which will examine what a possible future would be like for current Darkness bearer Jackie Estacado, will be penned by current series writer Phil Hester.

“Working on The Darkness #75 was like visiting an old friend I haven’t seen in a while,” Joe Benitez, who hasn’t drawn for an issue of The Darkness since 1999, said in a release. “It’s always nice to see what they’re up to and how they’ve changed.”

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Only 2 November Graphic Novels Exceed 10,000 Units

  • News
  • December 23, 2008

According to ICv2′s of Diamond’s numbers, the top selling graphic novel for November was Vertigo’s  Fables Vol. 11. The 12,800 units sold was good for first place but shows a dip from the previous volume. Second place went to Aspen’s Michael Turner Tribute Graphic Novel, “ the only other book with over 10,000 copies sold in by Diamond.”

In terms of revenue, the $99 Absolute Sandman Vol. 4 took the top spot with an estimated 3500 copies sold. The Watchmen hardcover edition was in second place.      

Marvel’s first appearance on the list was in 13th position with Hulk Vol. 1: Red Hulk while  Naruto Vol. 32 took 9th place for best manga.

Here’s a look at the top 25:

Rank         Index                 Title                                                                                         Price       Pub    Est.Qty

1                 12.4                 FABLES TP VOL 11 WAR & PIECES (MR)                        $17.99    DC         12,791
2                 9.74                 MICHAEL TURNER TRIBUTE GN                                      $8.99       ASP      10,047
3                 8.97                 BTVS SEASON 8 TP VOL 03 WOLVES AT THE GATE    $15.95    DAR        9,253
4                 8.95                 HEROES HC VOL 02                                                           $29.99    DC          9,232
5                 7.86                 WATCHMEN HC                                                                     $39.99   DC           8,108
6                 6.45                 JLA AVENGERS TP                                                                $19.99   DC           6,653
7                 5.61                 WATCHMEN TP                                                                     $19.99   DC           5,787
8                 5.34                 JOKER HC                                                                               $19.99   DC           5,508
9                 5.14                 NARUTO TP VOL 32                                                                $7.95    VIZ           5,302
10              4.38                 FRUITS BASKET GN VOL 21 (Of 23)                                     $9.99   TKP         4,518
11              4.3                   FREAKANGELS TP VOL 01 (MR)                                          $19.99   AVA         4,435
12              4.27                 BPRD TP VOL 09 1946                                                           $17.95   DAR       4,405
13              3.86                 HULK PREM HC VOL 01 RED HULK                                   $24.99   MAR       3,982
14              3.48                COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS TP VOL 04                      $19.99   DC          3,590
15              3.48                ULTIMATE X-MEN ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP VOL 02   $24.99   MAR       3,590
16              3.45                ABSOLUTE SANDMAN HC VOL 04 (MR)                              $99.00   DC         3,559
17              3.36                TWISTED TOYFARE THEATRE TP VOL 09                          $12.99    WIZ       3,466
18              3.35                 FABLES COVERS BY JAMES JEAN HC (MR)                      $39.99   DC         3,456
19              3.27                 BERSERK TP VOL 26                                                              $13.95   DAR       3,373
20              3.19                 WALKING DEAD HC VOL 04 (MR)                                         $29.99    IMA        3,291
21              3.18                 ULTIMATE HULK VS IRON MAN TP ULTIMATE HUMAN   $15.99    MAR      3,280
22              3.05                 STAR WARS REBELLION TP VOL 03 SMALL VICTORIES $12.95  DAR      3,146
23              3                       X-MEN POPTOPIA TP                                                               $15.95    MAR      3,095
24              2.92                 CHRONICLES O/CONAN TP VOL 16                                     $16.95   DAR      3,012
25              2.88                 BATMAN GOTHAM UNDERGROUND TP                              $19.99    DC       2,971

Sneak Peek: 2 From Dynamite

  • News
  • December 23, 2008

Dynamite Entertainment provided us with preview pages to two titles hitting shops tomorrow:

First up, just in time for the season, is the Asmy of Darkness: Ash’s Christmas Horror one-Shot. The story is from Elliot R. Serrano with art by Davie Simons and color from Ivan Nunes and Rael Sidharta. The 50-50 covers are from Simons and Nick Bradshaw.

The solicitation copy reads:

Everyone loves the holidays, right? Wrong! If you’ve ever worked S-Mart retail in December, you know it’s a special hell filled with something even worse than Deadites… dumbass holiday shoppers. And when the Necronomicon gets a hold of some classic holiday entertainment, it sends Ash through a voyage of twisted Christmas visions that beat him senseless and initiate something deeper in Ash. "It’s a blunderful life" for everyone’s favorite big chinned Chosen One and this year he’s going to face something tougher than the Deadite Santas and zombie elves. He’ll find a piece of his soul that was swallowed long ago…

Note: 40 pages (32 pages of story and art)

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notes-over-yonder1-5920530

Review: ‘Notes Over Yonder’ and ‘Tiger!Tiger!Tiger!’

  • Uncategorized
  • December 23, 2008

notes-over-yonder1-5920530

Scott Morse – and I say this with a laugh as well as wonderment – has had an awfully long, varied, and successful comics career for a guy who is essentially unknown to the vast majority of the comics-shop crowd. He’s done a long series of fantasy graphic novels ([[[Soulwind]]]), a number of books for kids or for all ages (like the [[[Magic Pickle]]] series), and a pile of other things, on top of being a story artist and designer at Pixar. Why, in just the last two months he published these two, quite different, graphic novels:

Notes Over Yonder
By Scott Morse
Red Window/AdHouse, November 2008, $12.95

This is a small-format book, about 4” x 6”, with a single painting – each loose and just a bit sketchy, like a storyboard that hasn’t been overworked – on each of its sixty-four pages. It’s also close to wordless, with a few written messages. And it flows subtly back and forth, evoking the rhythms of a jazzy torch song or a quiet blues melody.

There’s a man in a city and another man on a small island – each has a cat (maybe even the same cat), and each has recently lost his woman, in very different ways. Each man also plays the guitar – and, come to think of it, that might be the same guitar as well. (I wouldn’t be at all surprised.) One of the men finds a way to go on, and one of them finds a different way – but their stories aren’t told separately (as the subtitle, ‘A Story in Two Parts,’ might seem to imply), but intertwined. We start with one man and move on to the other before returning.

Again, this is all wordless, so Morse doesn’t tell us where any of this is. His bright white lines and energetic caricatures draw us into the story, and we fill in those details ourselves. If  [[[Notes Over Yonder]]] reads just a bit like the storyboards for a short animated film – probably one set entirely to a single instrumental song, mostly quiet and mournful – that’s only to be expect from a creator who thinks in moving pictures all day long. It’s a fine little story, and the art is particularly impressive.

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