The Mix : What are people talking about today?

John McCain Hates Dungeons & Dragons?

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

A series of posts on the website for Republican presidential candidate John McCain has gamers up in arms, and has earned attention from some high-profile media outlets for the strange decision to target Dungeons & Dragons players, of all things.

In an August 1 post on the official McCain campaign website, spokesperson Michael Goldfarb said of a recent New York Times blog post:

… in their new role as bloggers, the paper’s editors seem to have all the intelligence and reason of the average Daily Kos diarist sitting at home in his mother’s basement and ranting into the ether between games of dungeons and dragons.

While this mention didn’t generate much commotion at the time, it was Goldfarb’s decision to negatively namecheck D&D a second time just a few weeks later — a day after the end of the popular gaming convention Gen Con — that had everyone (including online culture blog BoingBoing) wondering whether the McCain staffer has some longstanding issues with the popular role-playing game and its fans.

It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman’s memory of war from the comfort of mom’s basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.

It sounds to me like someone could never find enough friends to form a party… or maybe he was never allowed to be Dungeon Master. Either way, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the decision to make an anti-D&D stance a theme in McCain’s presidential campaign.

Origin of Magneto in New Marvel Knights Series

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

I really enjoyed previous Marvel Knights projects Spider-Man: Reign and Silver Surfer: Requiem, as the pairing of writers, artists and subject matter of each miniseries seemed to really catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not sure that these series fit in with past titles falling under the "Marvel Knights" banner, but I know that they felt like a fresh look at both characters — and that’s saying a lot, given the saturation of Spider-Man and Silver Surfer stories the past few years.

I mention all of this because I can’t help but look forward to next month’s debut of X-Men: Magneto Testament #1, which pairs writer Greg Pak (World War Hulk) with artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, whose work I really enjoyed in Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock. The five-issue series promises to take a look at the early life of Magneto, and I’m itching to see if the MK crew can capture the same vibe of Reign and Requiem in this one.

Pak told Marvel.com, "Like so many classic Marvel characters, [Magneto] has to grapple with the typical problems of any scrawny outsider: family problems, schoolyard bullies, and first crushes…But every little conflict takes on a terrifying, new dimension as the scope and inexorable advance of the Nazi menace becomes clearer."

The first issue hits shelves September 10, and I’ve posted the Marko Djurdjevic cover to #1 here, with larger versions of the cover and pages posted after the jump. (more…)

“Voltron” Film Moves Forward, “Robotech” in the Works?

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

Variety reported earlier this week that the big-screen adaptation of the popular anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe has been moved forward into the "turnaround" phase of production, bringing the project no one really expected to see in theaters closer to fruition. According to Variety, a Fox-based financing and production agency is looking to secure a moderate budget for the film, akin to a film like the recent adaptation of Frank Miler’s graphic novel 300.

The film’s producer, Mark Gordon Co., plans to attach a director within the next week to the script written by Justin Marks — a name which seems to be popping up on a long list of adaptations these days, Marks has also authored scripts for a film based on the DC superhero Green Arrow, as well as adapations of the He-Man cartoon and the Hack/Slash series published by Devil’s Due.

Marks’ take is described as a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth’s invaders.

Also of note is a mention at the end of the Variety article that Voltron was one of several "giant robot" stories optioned after the success of Transformers in theaters. Warner Bros. secured the rights to another 1980s anime series with a massive, loyal fanbase in North America, Robotech.

You can read a review of the Voltron: Defender of the Universe script over at The Latino Review, which gave Mark’s adaptation of the series amazingly high marks.

And just in case you’re feeling nostalgic, YouTube has the <a href=”

opening from the 1980s Voltron series.

Tom Cruise Considers “Sleeper” Adaptation

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

The Hollywood Reporter recently indicated that Tom Cruise has taken a fancy to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ gritty superhero-noir series Sleeper, and seems inclined to set the adaptation project up at Warner Bros. with Sam Raimi tagged as producer. Cruise has been "loosely" attached to star in the big-screen version of the DC/Wildstorm title, which was one of the more adult-fare comics to come out of the publisher in recent years.

However, with all of the hub-bub surrounding the Warner Bros. adaptation of Watchmen these days, THR reports that the studio is being meticulous with its pursuit of the rights to Sleeper.

Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it forward, despite complicated rights issues that must be sorted out. Raimi and Donen have long been fans of the book, and the project could have found homes at Sony and Regency if those issues hadn’t been so complex.

"Sleeper" takes place in the same publishing universe as other Wildstorm books, and integrally featured characters from the company’s flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" as well as characters from another book, "Gen 13."

Here’s an aspect of the story that’s also of note — apparently, Sleeper isn’t the only Wildstorm title being considered for adaptation:

Both "WildC.A.T.s" and "Gen 13" had been set up at different places around town and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.

It’s a tangled web for sure, but of all the series being optioned lately, this one seems like an entirely viable story for the big screen. Although one has to wonder whether they’ll tone down the high level of violence and sexual themes in the story… and if so, will it still pack the punch that made it a favorite of so many readers (including myself)?

Review: ‘Red Colored Elegy’ by Seiichi Hayashi

red-colored-elegy-8097679Red Colored Elegy
By Seiichi Hayashi
Drawn & Quarterly, July 2008, $24.95

[[[Red Colored Elegy]]] is like no other manga you’ve ever seen, a blast of pop art- and film-inspired storytelling from 1971 that was hugely influential to a generation of Japanese youth but has never been published in English until now. It’s like the American underground comics of the same era in being a break from the mainstream comics of its place and era, but unlike them – and unlike anything else I’ve seen before [[[RAW]]] in the ‘80s – in its style and visual language.

Sachiko Yamaguchi and Ichiro Nishimoto are a young couple, both connected to the manga/anime world, living together in Tokyo but unsure of what to do with their lives, in the way of all restless young people everywhere. Ichiro wants to be an artist of some kind: he abandoned painting when he couldn’t make a living at it, and quits an animation job to work on a graphic novel that he can’t sell. Sachiko is a tracer for another animation company; she has only the ambitions of a girl in a story by a man: to get married, to have kids, to run a house, to have a life.

(more…)

Har-Asses, by Elayne Riggs

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

I must confess, I didn’t read a lot of San Diego con reports this year. My SDCC attending days are probably well behind me; in addition to Robin just not being as into comic conventions as my first husband Steve was (maybe it’s because, for many pros, conventions are part of their job, whereas for the rest of us they’re part of a hobby), between hotel and airfare costs the darn thing has just gotten ridiculously expensive, and that’s if you can get a room or a flight or even admittance at all.

Plus, there’s the mobility thing, which has started becoming less of an issue now that my new job has increased my physical activity to a level it hasn’t seen in a number of years and my 50-year-old body is responding accordingly, much to my surprise. Of course, this year’s excuse has also been the job thing; after being out of work over half the year, I wasn’t about to make plans to travel anywhere further than New Jersey during the first few months of my new employment!

But, aside from the always-enjoyable pictorials that many folks uploaded to their blogs, the two posts that piqued my interest the most this year had to do with harassment. Yes, we’re still talking about harassment in this day and age. But, as has been pointed out recently in response to hypocritical and sanctimonious politicians presuming to lecture Russia from their own lack of moral high ground with admonitions like “this doesn’t happen in the 21st century” — well yes, yes it does. Anything that’s happening now is by definition happening in the 21st century. One can certainly argue that we as a civilization ought to have moved beyond sexual harassment by now, but one can argue we should have moved beyond various forms of discrimination and intimidation hundreds of years ago as well. It’s still happening even today, and it still needs to be addressed.

Fortunately in the 21st century we have an amazing communications tool that, to our collective knowledge, has never existed before in the entirety of human history. This electronic paper trail certainly has its flaws, but it also helps hold people accountable when there’s no other recourse. So when Rachel Edidin writes an open letter decrying the behavior of someone at San Diego who sought hugs from unwilling strangers, it gets discussed in an open forum where all sorts of interesting observations are made. One commenter noted it wasn’t "necessarily a male privilege thing," while Rachel herself added "I was generally hella impressed with the general respect for personal space at SDCC. In crowds packed shoulder-to-shoulder, I encountered only a very little bit of pushing, and aside from Creepy Hug Guy, I didn’t have a single encounter that made me uncomfortable." Someone else pointed out that "In Canada pestering a stranger for physical contact is a form of criminal assault even if it’s not intended sexually." (more…)

White Viper: Deep Background

  • News
  • August 19, 2008

In today’s brand-new episode of White Viper, by Erin Holroyd, Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin, we learn the secret origin of Ta Moa, his training in Japan and his first job on his own.  Was he able to fulfill the hopes and dreams of his father?  Was his training successful?  And why doesn’t he live in Japan?  

 

Credits: Erin Holroyd (Writer), Dick Giordano (Penciller), Frank McLaughlin (Inker), Lovern Kindzierski (Colorist), John Workman (Letterer), Mike Gold (Editor)

 

Fox sues to block Watchmen movie from opening

  • Uncategorized
  • August 19, 2008

Uh-oh. Nikki Finke broke the news last night that a federal judge has denied a Warner Bros. motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s legal battle over the rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on Watchmen. Fox was seeking to enjoin Warner Bros from going forward with the project, and U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess on Friday refused to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Fox on February 12th, 2008.

Fox had the rights to Watchmen back in the late 80’s– I have a copy of the first draft of the script by Sam Hamm (writer of the Tim Burton Batman) dated September 9, 1988. Here’s Finke’s chronology of what’s happened since:

1986-90: Fox acquires motion picture rights in The Watchmen.
1990: Fox enters into a domestic distribution agreement with Largo Entertainment, a joint venture of JVC Entertainment Inc., Golar (Larry Gordon), and BOH, Inc. The “Largo Agreement” established Fox’s domestic distribution rights, through a license from Largo, in “subject pictures” as defined in the agreement.
June 1991: Fox enters into a “Quitclaim Agreement” with Largo International, through which Fox “quitclaims to Purchaser all of Fox’s right, title and interest in and to the Motion Picture project presently entitled Watchmen, which included specifically described literary materials. Notably, the agreement provides that, “if Purchaser elects to proceed to production, the Picture shall be produced by Purchaser and shall be distributed by Fox as a Subject Picture pursuant to the terms of the Largo Agreement …” In consideration for the rights to Watchmen, Fox was to be reimbursed for its development costs ($435,600) plus interest plus a profit participation in the worldwide net proceeds of any Watchmen picture.
Nov. 1991: The Largo Agreement was amended; Watchmen was listed as a project quitclaimed to Largo.
Nov. 1993: Larry Gordon, through Golar, withdraws from the Largo Entertainment joint venture; Largo conveys any rights it has in Watchmen to Gordon/Golar. Based on the 1991 quitclaim, the Court may infer that Gordon now stood in the shoes of Largo with respect to Watchmen and held whatever rights it acquired through the 1991 Quitclaim, which left Fox with the distribution rights it retained through that agreement.
1994: Fox negotiated a “Settlement and Release” agreement with Gordon which contemplated that the Watchmen project would be put in “perpetual turnaround” to Lawrence Gordon Productions, Inc. The “turnaround notice” gave Lawrence Gordon Productions “the perpetual right . . . to acquire all of the right, title and interest of Fox [Watchmen] pursuant to the terms and conditions herein provided.” The turnaround notice then described the formula for determining the buy-out price in the event that Gordon elected to acquire Fox’s interest. Thus, the document suggests that Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox’s interest in Watchmen for a price. In fact, the notice obligated Gordon to pay the buy-out price on the commencement of any production of a Watchmen film. The notice also provided that the agreement was personal to Gordon and that, “prior to payment of the Buy-Out Price,” he could not assign rights or authorize any person to take any action with respect to the project.
May 2006: Warner Brothers, allegedly with knowledge of the 1991 Quitclaim, entered into a quitclaim agreement with Gordon under which it claims to have acquired the rights to the Watchmen project. Fox alleges that these facts demonstrate that, at the very least, it retained distribution rights in Watchmen, that it performed all of its obligations under the relevant agreements, and that while it granted Gordon what amounted to an option to acquire its rights, neither Gordon nor his successors ever fulfilled their contractual obligations to Fox. Indeed, Fox contends that Warner Bros either knew or turned a blind eye to the fact that Fox had retained distribution rights in the project, and that Gordon had not perfected his interest in the Watchmen project before quitclaiming it to Warner Brothers. In any event, Fox now contends that it presently holds rights in Watchmen and that Warner Brothers’ production of the Watchmen film infringes on those rights.

The really bad news, according to Variety, is that Fox has no interest in settling and would rather kill the movie outright. Quote: "When you have copyright infringement, there are some damages you never recover," said a source close to the litigation. (No one’s asked Alan Moore about copyright violation here, strangely, either here or with Fox’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.) This makes great sense to Fox, who spent more than $1 million developing Watchmen and can now force competitors Warner Bros and Paramount to eat tens of millions in sunken costs of making the movie and cripple their spring.

Blog@Newsarama points to all the legal documents: the Fox complaint, Warner Brothers’ response, the disputed legal documents and the judge’s order.

julius-00-7199636

“Julius” Latest Graphic Novel Targeted For Film

  • News
  • August 19, 2008

julius-00-7199636Variety is reporting that the Oni Press graphic novel Julius, written by Antony Johnston with art by Brett Weldele, is the latest project optioned for feature film treatment. According to the report, Mandalay Pictures has purchased the rights to Julius, with F. Gary Gray (Friday, Be Cool) named as director.

Mandalay prexy Cathy Schulman said that Gray "has a vision for this adaptation that will satirize obsessive consumerism while providing a thrilling ride for audiences."

Eric Gitter of Closed on Mondays Entertainment, the producing arm of Oni Press, will produce; Oni’s Peter Schwerin and Joe Nozemack exec produce. Schulman, David Zelon and Jonathan Krauss will oversee the project for Mandalay.

Confession time, folks: I’ve never even heard of Julius. However, with the rate at which projects are being released and optioned these days (with some projects optioned well before they’re released), this has become a far more frequent occurrence with me. Has anyone else out there read this one and/or feel inclined to comment on it?

Etch-A-Sketch Comic Art

  • News
  • August 19, 2008

Earlier this year I discovered the blog of the Etch-A-Sketchist. An artist whose medium is incredibly complex and heartbreakingly temporary: the Etch-A-Sketch. The child’s toy that is simple to learn but next to impossible to master. The Etch-A-Sketchist’s topics are heavily pop-culture influenced but breathtaking in their detail.

When I first discovered his site, I wrote him and asked if he ever did any comic book based images. He wrote back that he only had done a black costume Spider-Man, but I should check back at the end of the summer after all the superhero movies were released.

I made a note on my calendar program and, sure enough, there are lots to see now. I’ve posted a few after the jump.

Enjoy…. but don’t shake your screen.

(more…)

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