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‘Wolverine: Origins’ #28 gets Second Printing

  • News
  • October 12, 2008

Wolverine: Origins #28 has sold out at Diamond and will be going back to print with the prologue to X-Men: Original Sin.  The issue cleverly takes readers through Wolverine’s history including his first encounter with the Incredible Hulk, a new point of view ot the classic introduciton of the mutant in Incredible Hulk #181.

Charles Xavier and Logan delve even deeper into Wolverine’s past as they try to save the fragile mental state Daken, WOlverin’es adult son, is in.

The X-Men: Original Sin event will run thorugh the following titles:

X-MEN: ORIGINAL SIN #1
Written by MIKE CAREY & DANIEL WAY
Penciled by MIKE DEODATO & SCOT EATON
Cover by MIKE DEODATO & RICHARD ISANOVE

X-MEN: LEGACY #217
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by MIKE DEODATO & RICHARD ISANOVE
On-Sale—10/22/08

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #29

Written by DANIEL WAY
Pencils by MIKE DEODATO
Cover by MIKE DEODATO & RICHARD ISANOVE
Zombie Variant by MIKE DEODATO
On-Sale—10/29/08

X-MEN: LEGACY #218
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by MIKE DEODATO
On-Sale—11/19/08

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #30
Written by DANIEL WAY
Pencils & Cover by MIKE DEODATO
On-Sale—11/26/08

Review: ‘Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday’

51hrrisu-nl-sl500-aa2401-3018019Well as careers go, here’s a good one. Start off writing a fanzine and wind up working with and for Del Close and Monty Python and, specifically, John Cleese. Then you get to write all kinds of books about your labors.

Long-time comics journalist and frequent ComicMix commenter Kim Howard Johnson has a new book out called Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday. It’s a misnomer; Monty Python was in Tunisia to work. They were making a movie. Monty [[[Python’s Life of Brian]]], to be exact. But few would buy a book called [[[Kim Howard Johnson’s Tunisian Holiday]]] unless it had a lot of sex in it, so the title choice is obvious. So are the contents: it’s Howard’s account of his time with the Pythons in Tunisia filming [[[The Life of Brian]]] and touches on his time on-stage with the group at the famed Hollywood Bowl concerts (Howard’s a professional, trained by no less than Del Close).

This is less of a companion volume to his [[[The First 200 Years of Monty Python]]],[[[ And Now For Something Completely Trivial]]],[[[ Life Before (and After) Monty Python]]], and [[[The First 280 Years of Monty Python]]] than it is Howard’s story chronicling his experiences as both a performer in the movie and a journalist covering the shoot. As such, it’s more of a companion volume to Michael Palin’s recently released autobiography Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years (I highly recommend the audiobook version, read by Palin). It’s witty, it’s thorough, and if you’re a Python fan or a movie nut, it’s completely vital. 

By the way, Howard’s got prefaces from Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and his former boss and collaborator ([[[Superman: True Brit]]]), John Cleese. It’s nice to know people.

O.K. Cool, Howard. Great job. Now go do that biography of the Bonzo Dog Band I’ve been wanting so desperately.  Ummm… after you finish that [[[Munden’s Bar]]] story you’re doing with…

Will Spider-Man Be the Most Expensive Musical Ever?

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

Remember back in July when we told you about the Spider-Man musical? The one with the questionable plot device involving a Spider Goddess spinning Peter Parker’s story. Oh yeeaaah, that one.

Michael Riedel, the Broadway beat reporter for the New York Post is reporting that the budget has swelled to $40 million, for now, with a weekly running cost of $1 million per week of its run. To break even, the show would have to become one of the longest running shows in history.

The show is in one of New York City’s largest theaters, a score written by U2’s Bono, and brought to life by an army of designers.

Director Julie Taymor, who rose to fame for Disney’s Lion King musical, has a spotty track record.  The story reports that investors are becoming worried. It doesn’t help that in this economy, theater attendance is expected to dip.

Is your Spider Sense tingling, Peter?

 

ComicMix Radio: Two Morrows Celebrates Comics

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

No matter what era of comics you enjoy, chances are Two Morrows has a magazine or trade PB covering it. We give you a rundown of what’s new and on the way, plus:

  • That Captain Action statue finally debuts
  • The latest ratings are in for pop culture series
  • We have some watercooler stories about new cartoon series you will NOT believe

Kung Fun Magoo? Really! Just Press the Button!

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-6156795 or RSS!

 

Sci Fi Channel hits Head for DVD

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

A few forthcoming DVD announcements caught our eye and we share them with you as the holiday season rapidly approaches.

Fox Home Entertainment will be releasing a high-definition Blu-ray version of Stargate – The Ark of Truth on January 13, 2009. The standard release came out last March after airing on Sci Fi Channel. The retail price will be $34.99.

The video is a continuation of Stargate SG-1 after the weekly series’ story ended after 10 seasons.

Extras are expected to include the same from the standard edition.

•    Commentary with Robert C. Cooper (Writer/Director/Producer), Christopher Judge (Teal’c) and Peter Woeste (Director of Photography)
•    The Ark of Truth: Stargate at Comic-Con
•    Uncovering The Ark of Truth Featurette
•    Stargate SG-1: The Road Taken – Prelude to Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Meantime, Universal Home Entertainment has announced a January 6, 2009 release for the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, shortly before the remaining ten episodes begin airing on Sci Fi Channel later that month.

According to Digital Bits, the 10-episode set will be on four discs complete with the broadcast and extended version of Razor and the Razor webisodes.

This is only planned as a standard DVD release.  Apparently, Universal is waiting for the entire series to wrap before releasing any of it on Blu-ray.

Special features will include:

•    Ron Moore’s podcast commentaries
•    Deleted scenes
•    Additional commentaries
•    David Eick’s video blogs
•    The Journey
•    Cylons: The Twelve
•    Season 4.5: The Untold Story – Untold

Stars Come out to Read ‘Metatropolis’

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

Metatropolis is an audio anthology edited by John Scalzi for Audible.com. Subtitled "The Dawn of Uncivilization", the project can be downloaded October 21.

The book’s contents include:

"In the Forests of the Night" by Jay Lake (read by Michael Hogan, Battlestar Galactica)

"Stochasti-city" by Tobias Buckell (read by Scott Brick, who won the 2008 Audie Award for Dune)

"The Red in the Sky is Our Blood" by Elizabeth Bear (read by Kandyse McClure, Battlestar Galactica)

"Utere Nihil Non Extra Quiritationem Suis" by John Scalzi (read by Alessandro Juliani, Battlestar Galactica)

"To Hie from Far Cilenia" by Karl Schroeder (read by Stefan Rudnicki, who previously read Ender’s Game)

Audible describes the book: "Welcome to a world where big cities are dying, dead, or transformed into technological megastructures. Where once-thriving suburbs are now treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists. Welcome to the dawn of uncivilization."

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Review: ‘The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide’

  • Uncategorized
  • October 11, 2008

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The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide
By Roy Kinnard, Tony Crnkovich, and R.J. Vitone
McFarland & Co. Publishers, August 2008, $55

Growing up in New York during the 1960s meant that Sunday morning we were treated to two choices: Sonny Fox on Channel 5’s [[[Wonderama]]] or the zany Chuck McCann who hosted a show that seemed to be a little bit of this and that.  Included among them were the old movie serials from the 1930s.  Among the most aired and best remembered were the ones starring Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon. Imagine being 6 or 10 years old, and being introduced to these breathless adventures taking place on other worlds in digestible chunks that made you anxiously await the following Sunday.  It was merely a taste of what an earlier generation experienced in actual movie theaters.

Those serials,[[[Flash Gordon]]], [[[Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars]]], and [[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]], have remained memorable not only to me but to other generations of adventure fans.  Finally, we have a book that looks into how these were made and who made them. The writing triumvirate of Roy Kinnard, Tony Crnkovich, and R.J. Vitone bring their expertise and affection to the McFarland book which was just published.

The authors detail how Universal came to option Alex Raymond’s lushly illustrated comic strip and what happened as regimes changed and budgets tightened.  While among the best serials ever made, Universal soon left the field to Republic and Columbia which is a shame. The storylines, sets, miniatures and acting were all a cut above.

 

 

(more…)

Fangoria’s Comic Book Imprint Rises from the Dead

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

Fangoria’s comic book line appears ready for resurrection.

The editors recently posted on their MySpace page:

“That’s right, kiddies. We’ve gotten the band back together! Troy Brownfield, Fangoria Graphix Associate Editor here. I don’t have to tell you all that’s it been a weird couple of years. But Executive Editor Scott Licina, Production Manager Jason Moser, Director of New Media Development James Zahn and I are thrilled to be back where it all started. Ever since Tom DeFeo and The Brooklyn Company took over, we’ve been talking about what new horrible things we could do to all you, er, do together. The logical first step was to put the work that we originally did under the Fango umbrella in its natural place: right here, right in front of you, our most loyal readers.

“SO . . . knowing that, what are you going to see? There will be Bump. There will be the complete Rage and the complete Strangeland: Seven Sins. And in multiple languages. But there will also be new and frightening things in the offing. Like the Death Walks the Streets series. Like Ellium. Like Doubloon. Like online and downloadable comics. Like novels. Like graphic novels. And more.”

At present, the magazine’s website is down for retooling so this is the sole source for information at present.
  (more…)

Behind the Mask, by Martha Thomases

  • News
  • October 11, 2008

In the early 1980s, conspiracy theories were all the rage. There seemed to be a cottage industry in debunking the conventional theories about the Kennedy assassination. Paul Krassner once said that he read so many articles on the subject in Penthouse magazine, next to the pin-ups, that he became aroused every time someone mentioned the Warren Report.

These ideas were everywhere. I remember seeing a long rant (printed up, on a poster in Washington Square Park) explaining that Mark Chapman and John Hinckley were both brainwashed by the CIA as assassins, with Chapman’s murder of John Lennon being a test run for the attempt on President Reagan.

While this seemed far-fetched, there was one aspect that made sense to me. Both Chapman and Hinckley were said to have acted in imitation of Travis Bickle, the character played by Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver. Robert DeNiro has never been more physically compelling than he was in that role, but Travis Bickle did not seem to me to be a happy person. It did not look like fun to be him.

Mark Millar plays with this idea in Kick-Ass. In this series, a scrawny young kid, feeling left out, puts on a set of long-johns and goes out on patrol. He gets the crap kicked out of him at first, but he also learns how to fight, and he attracts the attention from the media he can’t attract at school. Soon he’s considered a hero, and inspiring imitators of his own. Through it all, he remains a skinny kid, with few apparent social skills. I want to adopt him.

If people were going to base their actions on fictional characters, I thought it was much more likely for them to try to imitate Batman. After all, Batman and other non-super-powered heroes (like The Spirit, The Sandman and The Green Hornet) were beloved by millions, and Taxi Driver was a relatively small independent film, celebrated by elitist New York intellectuals.

Where were our costumed vigilantes?

It’s only taken a quarter century, but they’re here! According to a recent story in the New York Daily News, there is a group of people who dress up in costume and go on patrol. (more…)

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‘Rapunzel’ gets Makeover

  • Uncategorized
  • October 11, 2008

rapunzelpink-5947784Glen Keane, a veteran animator who has worked for Disney since the late 1970s, has had to drop out of directing Rapunzel.  The talented animator, one of the first artists at Disney to embrace the computerization and digital options, has a non-threatening ailment but has had to cut back his work.

Stepping in to complete the project, expected in late 2010, are Bolt’s director Byron Howard and Bolt’s storyboard director Nathan Greno. They step in to replace Keane and Dean Wellins as directors and according to Ain’t it Cool News, it has as much to do with Keane’s health as the disappointment Disney has in the creative direction.

Keane is the son of Family Circus creator Bil Keane and his credits include The Rescuers, Pete’s Dragon, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Tarzan.

An in-house memo said, “Glen will step back as a Director but stay attached to Rapunzel as an Executive Producer and Directing Animator. At the same time, Dean will move into development to pitch three new ideas for one of our future feature projects and focus on directing one of his CG shorts.”

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