The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Warren Ellis on ‘G.I. Joe’ Cartoon

Warren Ellis seems to have been everywhere in this week’s news, with a barrage of headlines related to his appearance at last weekend’s Wizard World Chicago as the Guest of Honor and, of course, my recent interview with Ellis about his FreakAngels webcomic. Well, chalk up another one for "Internet Jesus," as news broke recently about a series of five, 10-minute "Webisodes" the British author scripted starring the cast of the "G.I. Joe" toy line and collectively titled G.I. Joe: Resolute.

According to ICv2:

Each episode is self-contained, but there is also an overall story arc. These short cartoons, which are targeted at adults, have a distinctly Vertigo flavor since they were written by veteran comic writer Warren Ellis and based on character designs by 100 Bullets cover artist Dave Johnson. In this series, which is rated "PG-13," the guns shoot bullets, not lasers and there are real consequences. Although there isn’t a lot of blood there is lots violence and a hint that major “characters may die.”

Hasbro plans to debut the Webisodes on its website early next year, wit the hope that Cartoon Network will broadcast the series at some point. Of course, there’s also a toy line based on the Webisodes in the works, too.

You can find more info at G.I. Joe fansite, HISSTank.com.

 

Seth Rogen and the ‘Green Hornet’ Interview

When rumors of a Green Hornet film co-written by and starring Seth Rogen (Superbad, Knocked Up) first surfaced, I’ll admit being a bit skeptical. However, Sony recently announced a June 25, 2010, release date for the film, so things seem to be moving forward.

For those not in the know, The Green Hornet tales follow millionaire Britt Reid, who runs a newspaper by day and fights crime alongside his Asian manservant Kato at night. The adventures of the character were chronicled in both a radio series and comics, as well as a short-lived television series most noted for introducing the American audience to Bruce Lee.

The SuperHeroHype crew recently spoke to Rogen about the film:

When asked about Stephen Chow being involved in the project, Rogen confirmed that his name has come up and said, "Until you get an official green light, the studio won’t spend any money and you can’t get an actor without any money. We would love to have him. The version of the script is ultimately written as a very intense action movie."

"It’s a very intense action movie and the relationship between Green Hornet and Kato, a lot of comedy comes from that. At first actually, we weren’t even sure going in we could be more of a Jet Li type guy who maybe isn’t the funniest guy in the world, but he’s physically very impressive, or whether it would be more of a Stephen Chow type guy who can do martial arts, but clearly has a sense of humor. In the version that we’ve made it seems like a Stephen Chow type guy would be more suitable for the role. Again, until they officially greenlight it, it’s hard to make any of those decisions," Rogen continued.

Rogen is writing the film with his frequent collaborator, Evan Goldberg, who co-wrote Superbad with him.

Supergirl Power, by Martha Thomases

At Wizard World Chicago last week, I was struck by how many girls came dressed as Supergirl. Grown up girls wearing the new version of the costume, showing off their toned abs, to be sure, but also lots of girls younger than 12 wearing the classic outfit.

Supergirl was my first favorite super-heroine. Wonder Woman was awesome, but she was so powerful, so confident, that I could only aspire to be like her. Invisible Girl was too passive. She seemed to fade away in a fight, not nearly as active as Invisible Kid in the Legion. From the moment Kara first flew out of that rocket and introduced herself to her cousin, Superman, I wanted to be her.

Superman, being older, more experienced, and male, decided he was the one to tell Supergirl what to do. She would be placed in an orphanage, and no one would know she had super powers. She would disguise herself with a mousy brown wig, even though no one was to see her with blonde hair. She would wear drab clothes, even though her mother had made her the cute outfit with the S-shield so her cousin would know her.

As Linda Lee, Kara learned about American life in a small-town high school, as an orphan. Later, she was adopted by the Danvers, but had to keep her secret from them as well. By some amazing coincidence, I, a young girl on the verge of adolescence, found myself suddenly needing to keep secrets about my thoughts and feelings from my own parents. I might have been more open with them if they’d found a way to get me a super-cat for a pet. (more…)

Matt Wagner on Magic and ‘Madame Xanadu’

Maybe it’s just the swanky fedora and cloak, but The Phantom Stranger has always been a favorite character of mine. I mention this only because it was one of the primary reasons I was excited about last week’s release of Madame Xanadu #1, the first issue of new Vertigo miniseries that promises to look at the title character’s relationship with the Stranger.

Over at Famous Monsters, ComicMix contributor Bob Greenberger chats with Madame Xanadu writer Matt Wagner about the character’s complicated romantic history:

FM: Xanadu has been previously linked romantically with an incarnation of the Spectre, back when I edited the book. So, what does she see in the Phantom Stranger?

Matt: We actually add a new element to her eventual relationship with the Spectre near the end of the opening story arc. The whole deal with including the Phantom Stranger and weaving their continually troubled relationship through this first story line stemmed from a bit of the current continuity with which I was initially unfamiliar–the fact that she holds a certain distrust and even outright animosity for the Stranger. I thought that was a great opportunity to explore and define an emotional conflict that hadn’t yet been revealed; how did they come to stand at such opposite ends from each other. What led to that eventual rift?

Head over to Famous Monsters for the rest of the interview.

Moonstone and Dynamite Both Publishing ‘The Phantom’

the-phantom-6078668While last weekend’s Wizard World Chicago convention didn’t feature much in the way of news, there were a few announcements that had people talking. Among them was Saturday’s announcement by Dynamite Entertainment that the publisher had acquired the rights to Lee Falk’s The Phantom comic strips. The announcement created quite a buzz, as publisher Moonstone Books was under the impression that they still had the license to The Phantom.

Well, according to ICv2, both parties are correct, as neither publisher owns the exclusive rights to the character, and both plan to publish Phantom stories down the road… which should be interesting.

When Dynamite Comics announced that it was publishing a Phantom comic book at Wizard World Chicago, a Moonstone representative contacted by ICv2 was unaware of the changes in the Phantom publishing program. But after the show, Moonstone contacted King Features and discovered that neither Moonstone or Dynamite had an exclusive license, so Moonstone could continue with its publishing program.

 

Webcomic News Roundup: Google Gets A Talking-To, Zero Punctuation Rages

It’s a light one this week, as many of us on this side of the pond are enjoying a day off and trying to stay as far away from a computer as possible.

Attentive Twitter-stalkers already know that Diesel Sweeties‘ Rich Stevens and Octopus Pie‘s Meredith Gran spent some time in San Francisco last month as guest speakers at Google HQ, but now <a href=”

video of their speech has been posted on YouTube for everyone to enjoy — not just the lucky cogs in the Great Google Machine.

The video is posted below, and once you get past the somewhat timid introduction, it’s a really enjoyable presentation that features some great behind-the-scenes elements of both webcomics.

 


 

On a semi-related note, Gary Tyrrell of Fleen is still waiting for any questions about Rich Stevens’ decision to opt out of his Diesel Sweeties print syndication deal. (more…)

Manga Friday: Honey and Clover

Manga Friday tackles the thorny question of book-to-movie adaptations head-on this week, by comparing and contrasting the first two volumes of the Honey and Clover manga with the movie of the same name – which was adapted from the manga story.

Honey and Clover, Vol. 1
By Chica Umino
Viz/Shojo Beat, March 2008, $8.99

Honey and Clover, I am told, is one of the most popular shojo manga series in Japan in recent years, selling (in aggregate) over ten million copies so far. It focuses on a group of students at a Tokyo art school – in particular, on their love lives.

Now, no series about simple love-lives will last very long, and Honey and Clover ended its run in Japan a couple of years ago with more than sixty chapters, so you things are going to get complicated. But I’ll start out slow.

Our central character is Takamoto, a sophomore in a painting program who lives in an apartment building near campus – it doesn’t seem to officially a dorm, but it’s rented essentially only to male students. Two of his neighbors are also close friends – Mayama, a studious senior on his way to be an architect; and Morita, a seventh-year sculpture student given to long absences and odd behavior.

They’re all somewhat connected to Professor Hanamoto, and, in the first story in the first volume, the boys need a new student – Hagumi, a young, very small woman living with Hanamoto (who is an unofficial uncle to her) and who has immense talents. Both Takamoto and Morita fall in love with her at first sight, but Morita also torments her by calling her “koropokkur” (after a fairy-like spirit) and making all sorts of photographs and other objects of her koropokkur-ness. (more…)

Comic Book Heroine Returns in Tap Opera

If you’ve been enjoying Andrew Pepoy’s The Adventures of Simone & Ajax, published here at ComicMix, you’ll want to check out another of his comic book-related projects: A superhero tap dance opera.

While that phrase might seem like a Googlenope, the recently debuted The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen is a sequel to The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles. The show is put on by the Chicago Tap Theatre, and is running at the Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago. (Show dates at the link.)

From an article at the My Dance Place blog:

Kendra Jorstad, who played the role of the Hourglass last year, has suited up again for a production that promises success even greater than that of the original show.

While speaking with DanceHere right before the show’s opening, [artistic director Mark] Yonally said that this year’s budget for Hourglass sets and costumes was more than twice what it was last year. And, they devoted twice the amount of time on developing the new story. "The good news," Yonally said of the increases, "is you see all of that on the stage."

The Hourglass set, alone, is stunning. Designed with comic book artist and Hourglass co-creator Andrew Pepoy, the set pulls audiences into the super-heroine’s world, where the good–in the form of a young woman wearing canary-yellow go-go boots–can subdue all wrongdoers. With the new set, costumes, story, and his company of dancers, Yonally thinks that The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen is CTT’s "best story show by far."

Happy Fourth of July

0703_allamerican4-4995991Happy Independence Day, comicdom!

Here’s hoping everyone out there is well stocked with food to grill, beers (preferably Yuengling, from "America’s Oldest Brewery") to down and fireworks to potentially blow off your fingers. All that, a few Uncle Sam or Captain America comics, and you’re well stocked.

And make sure you wear that American flag lapel pin, lest you be mistaken for a terrorist. In a pinch, a Texas flag works too.

It’s a big day for me, but not for any comics reason. Or any patriotic reason either.

My wife and I first met while watching the big Fourth display during a break from our newspaper jobs. Fireworks.

Review: Will Smith in ‘Hancock’

With comic franchises pouring from Hollywood’s every orifice this year, something like [[[Hancock]]] would normally be considered a breath of fresh, creative air. This can be said for the film on paper, but it fails to deliver in the latter half of the film. That said, Hancock is still good fun in a theater, and delivers with all the things we wanted to see Superman Returns do time and time again, but never came through.

The plot follows an unruly asshole (not being vulgar, this term is important to the character) of a superhero who resides in downtown Los Angeles, attempts to keep people safe from the ever-rising crime rate, but ends up causing more damage than he prevents. This makes Hancock (Will Smith) the ultimate antihero, being hated by just about everybody in the world (or at least L.A.) He crosses paths with an up-and-coming Public Relations guru (Jason Bateman) who thinks Hancock can become the hero that the world needs, but with a little bit of help.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The text of this review posted after the jump contains descriptions of significant plot points, so consider this your official SPOILER ALERT. -RM]

(more…)

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