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Review: ‘Lobster Johnson, Vol. 1’ by Mike Mignola and Jason Armstrong

Lobster Johnson, Vol. 1: The Iron Prometheus
By Mike Mignolla and Jason Armstrong
Dark Horse, June 2008, $17.95

Lobster Johnson is the mystery man of the Hellboy universe – an enigma wrapped in a riddle folded around a right cross. He’s turned up in [[[Hellboy]]] and B.P.R.D. stories several times, but about all we’ve learned about him is that he was some sort of pulpish hero from the 1930s and that he punched a lot of evil things.

So here we finally get Lobster Johnson’s own story…in which he’s a mysterious, pulpish hero in 1937 New York who punches a whole bunch of evil things. The Lobster does have a secret lair, which gets some on-page time, and a group of [[[Doc Savage]]]-esque helpers – but we still don’t know who the Lobster is, why he fights evil, or even the point of his lobster-claw emblem.

On the other hand, we do get a vril-powered (look up your Edward Bulwer-Lytton) super-suit; its wearer, ex-lab assistant Jim Sacks; his kidnapped scientist employer Kyriakos Gallaragas; and the doctor’s requisite lovely daughter Helena, also kidnapped. Not to mention their kidnapper, an evil Asiatic villain.

(Said villain looks very familiar from other Hellboy stories, but he’s not named here, so I’ll leave it at that.)

(more…)

Random Video: ‘Riki Oh’ – The Most Awesome Movie Ever?

The most awesome movie in the world features a villain with a hook hand and a glass eye that’s full of breathmints. It has extreme violence and horrific English dubbing. And it has Ricky, the real one-man army corps.

I happened across Riki Oh (also called The Story of Ricky) a couple years ago. It’s a little-known 1991 martial arts flick set in a futuristic prison run by gangs. If I had to guess, I’d say three quarters of the movie’s budget went to fake blood. Sure, it’s not comics, but it certainly qualifies as "comic book-esque."

You can now see this wonder <a href=”

its entirety on YouTube – but be warned, it’s extremely graphic in a not-quite-believable Evil Dead sort of way. File it under my highest recommendation.

[NOTE: This film also provided the crazy head-smashing scene used during The Daily Show‘s "Moment of Zen" feature for several seasons. -RM]

Here’s one of my favorite scenes:

 


 

 

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."

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