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Review: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

If there is one absolute statement that can be made about [[[Hellboy II: The Golden Army]]], it is that this is easily director Guillermo del Toro’s lightest and funniest film — which may just be its greatest downfall. If the first film were to be classified as a “horror/action with comedic relief”, this film is most definitely a “horror/comedy with action sequences,” and that could be what hurts the film the most.

The story picks up about a year from where the first film leaves off: the [[[B.P.R.D.]]] has grown, with the addition of Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who is now Hellboy’s live-in girlfriend. Tom Manning (Jeff Tambor) is still in charge of the team and is trying his hardest (“trying” being the operative word) to keep it all a secret from the public. There’s all of this, and then there’s also an epic war being forged between a renegade elf prince and mankind.

The film starts off sweet enough, on a military base on Christmas during one of Hellboy’s adolescent years.  A cameo from John Hurt gets the audience excited right off the bat. Hurt then tells a young Hellboy the story of the first Human/Elf war. This is where we set the mood for the rest of the film. The story is told using computer-generated wooden dolls, rather than actual elves or humans. While Guillermo is known for his imagination with monsters and/or children, this may have been a bit much in the direction of puerility. Instead of giving the impression of a childhood story, the CGI comes across as sloppy and unfinished.

(more…)

Mystery Writer Gary Phillips Talks ‘High Rollers’

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

highrollers_01-5166112When I talked to mystery/crime novelist recently about his upcoming comic book series High Rollers, it came across very quickly just how much Phillips knows about his hometown of Los Angeles, where nearly all of his writing projects are set.

You can read that interview, in Publishers Weekly Comics Week, right here.

Now, Phillips is giving a sort of virtual tour of L.A. courtesy of Comic Book Resources, which has posted a video of Phillips visiting some of his favorite haunts in the city.

If you’re curious about High Rollers, read my review of the book in last week’s installment of the Weekly Haul.

 UPDATE: The video’s now on YouTube, which you can check out below.

Jon Favreau on ‘Iron Man 2’

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

ironman-8110083First we had the success of Iron Man. Then we had Marvel’s plans for a sequel and additional movies.

Then things turned dicey, as director Jon Favreau said he hadn’t been contacted about the sequel, and the Marvel-issued timeline for the films was unrealistic.

Now comes unofficial word — adjust the size of your grain of salt depending on how much you trust Hollywood gossipist Nikki Finke — that Favreau has signed on for Iron Man 2, due out as early as 2010.

Finke explains all with a dollop of heavy snark on her Deadline Hollywood blog:

It’s not officially announced yet, but I’m told that Marvel Studios and Iron Man director Jon Favreau have reached a deal for him to helm the sequel, due out in 2010. (Robert Downey Jr had a sequel clause in his contract so he’s on board.) Marvel Studios boss David Maisel was quick to put out a “definitely” richer offer to Favreau, but not quick enough for Jon — who used the Internet and other media to rile up the movie’s many fans by spreading nonsense that Marvel was dragging its feet and then lowballing him. Granted Maisel is no day at the beach himself, but, seriously, could Favreau have been more of an asshole?

ComicMix Radio: Hellboy II – Bring On The Monsters!

Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro says that his love for big burley creatures goes back to the days of Swamp Thing and the creations of Jack Kirby. How does he translate this to film and what was it like acting “with” these creatures? Hellboy stars Ron Perlman and Selma Blair relate their experiences, plus:

  • Girls With Slingshots in print and more on the way
  • A free trip to San Diego – but you have to hurry!
  • Exterminators moves to Showtime and Hiding In Time heads to the big screen

It all starts when you press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-9253580 or RSS!

Wal-Mart Drops Comic ‘Racist’ Comic

  • Uncategorized
  • July 10, 2008

meminsml-8562930A couple days ago ComicMix brought you the news that Wal-Mart stores in Texas were stocking the controversial comic book Memin Pinguin, and people were calling racism.

The retailer didn’t respond to the article, but now comes word that Wal-Mart will pull the controversial comics off their shelves. The company’s statement:

Wal-Mart carries a wide array of products that reflect the wants and needs of Hispanic customers. And we understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivity to the negative image Memin can portray to some, we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores. We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book’s images.

There is plenty of disagreement over whether the comic is racist or not, with this mention from the character’s Wikipedia page giving some evidence to negate that view:

In one famous issue, Memín, having read that Cleopatra VII of Egypt took milk baths to lighten her skin, tries the same treatment. His mother weeps with sorrow that her son would want to change his skin color. A repentant Memín decides to be proud of his race and color to honor his good mother.

ComicMix TV: ‘Hellboy II’ and the Guillermo Del Toro Interview

Guillermo del Toro has made his mark in the comic book and sci-fi/fantasy world with his work on both Hellboy films, writing and directing Marvel’s Blade II, and possibly now joining in on future projects such as Doctor Strange and The Hobbit. See what Guillermo has to say about his favorite comics, the evolution of characters in the new film, and even a little Pan’s Labyrinth homage in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which hits theaters this Friday, July 11.

 

 

Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:

Who’s the Best Superhero?

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

Of all the heroes in all of the comics ever made, who is the greatest?

While the answer to that one is easy (it’s Rom: Spaceknight, of course), Chicago’s RedEye Magazine seems to think the question merits a bit more discussion. They’ve put together a bracket-style "Best Superhero Tourney" to choose the greatest superhero, and even went so far as to recruit Stan "The Man" Lee to provide an audio greeting for participants.

Sure, some of the choices are easy (does anyone really think Popeye stands a chance against the Silver Surfer’s power cosmic?), but there are some conspicuously absent characters — including [gasp] Rom! The RedEye crew also loses points for naming two of the groupings of characters the "Nicolas Cage Region" and the "Rosario Dawson Region" — but that one’s forgivable. The absence of Rom, however, should be considered an affront to comics history as we know it.

With that in mind, I think it’s time to do a little ballot-stuffing, folks. Who’s with me? Let’s head over there and make sure Popeye ends up trouncing Superman in the final round.

The first 32-character round ends this Friday, July 11, so register your votes soon — then come back the following week to vote on the "Sweet Sixteen" of characters.

Nudist Camp: The Comic

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

The National Post’s writer and cartoonist team of Ben Kaplan and Steve Murray recently chronicled their foray into a nudist colony in Ontario, Canada, and the resulting story and comic strip, well… they pretty much speak for themselves. From naked lawn care to threesomes in a hot tub, both features provide a funny, fish-out-of-water look at the inner workings of a popular no-clothes destination.

"Who’s going to believe I go to a nudist camp to get away from my sexual urges, but it’s true," English, 62, says in his trailer, where a pair of jockeys rests on a tub of gum drops. English now wears tan shorts and white Crocs and quotes Second Timothy, Chapter III, Verse six in a sermon that invokes rape fantasies, C.S. Lewis and a diatribe against Four Seasons showing porn.

(via journalista)

Comic Con 2008: Going, Going, Gone

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

comic_con_logo-8482191Plenty to look forward to for people headed to San Diego for Comic Con International 2008, at least as long as you already have tickets.

According to the CCI Web site, single-day passes for both Friday and Saturday are sold out, as are four-day passes.

Sounds like more proof positive of the idea brought up by Laura Hudson in this Publishers Weekly story, that Comic Con has possibly grown too large for its own good.

Even publishers aren’t sure if they’ll make it inside:

Exhibitors are also feeling the pinch as they compete for limited space on the convention floor. At the recommendation of fire marshals, aisles in the giant halls D and E were widened, meaning there’s even less available acreage overall. As a result, many professionals and publishers, including book publishing giant HarperCollins, are still on a waiting list for a booth only weeks before the show opens—and unlikely to come off of it.

Boom Tabs Matt Gagnon as Managing Editor

  • Uncategorized
  • July 10, 2008

One-time Meltdown Comics retailer Matt Gagnon continues a rapid climb in comics, as he’s just been named Boom! Studios’ new managing editor.

He started on at Boom in March to help edit their upcoming Farscape series, and now he’ll be overseeing the entirety of Boom’s line of comics.

That’s a surprisingly quick climb, especially for someone with so little editorial experience (Mark Waid refers to Gagnon as being the "Michael Clayton" of comics).

It’s an interesting move at the least, but one that seems typical of Boom, which has brought people in from the movie industry and other non-comics backgrounds.

Let’s open this up as a poll for readers: Who’s the best retailer to go into comics writing/editing?

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