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Geoff Johns on Seeding the Stories of ‘Sinestro Corps War’

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

In this interview with Publishers Weekly, Geoff Johns reflects on DC’s under-the-radar yet phenomenally successful crossover event The Sinestro Corps War, which unfolded in the pages of Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and various other series and tie-ins.

According to Johns, who served as the primary architect for the event, the desire to keep the story centralized among a small number of titles was key to its popularity among readers.

Johns also explains how he approached many of the Sinestro Corps‘ main characters, and touches on the advantages of being able to seed stories that he knows he’ll be around to tell a year down the road.

"I’m trying to pioneer a way of letting people know that there’s a big story here," Johns said. "I know every single broad project and story line I’m working on at DC through 2010. I like plotting far ahead, because I can let things sit in my brain and grow and change, and I can have little things pay off. There’s actually a mention of ‘The Blackest Night’ in Green Lantern #6 [from mid-2006]. It’s much more satisfying for me to work that way."

The first collected, hardcover volume of The Sinestro Corps War is currently available, with the next volume available in June.

 

On This Day: Khan and Kirk First Meet

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Today in 1967, Star Trek‘s James T. Kirk met with his future nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced soldier from the late 20th century.

The episode in which this fateful meeting occurred was titled "Space Seed" and was written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber.

Ricardo Montalbán played Khan in both the original television episode, when he was 46, and in the movie based upon the events of this episode, Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan, when he was 61.

 

Guillermo del Toro on ‘The Hobbit’ Films, Returning Cast

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Guillermo del Toro, the rumored favorite to helm an upcoming set of films based upon J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, said his presence behind the camera is still uncertain, but if he does take the job, he hopes to bring some of the cast from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy with him.

Empire spoke with del Toro about the possibility of him directing The Hobbit, what he’d like to do with the film(s) and, of course, that massive lawsuit.

“Since that news broke, I have not exchanged a single phone call with my lawyer or my manager or anyone. They talk about it and I have received some emails, but, as far as I’m concerned, until I’m on board I should not worry about it. I read about it, but there’s nothing I can do about it."

The popular director also said he’d like to bring back the actors who portrayed certain characters appearing in both the Lord of the Rings story as well as The Hobbit, such as Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf).

Oh, and Tolkien fans take note: There was no mention of Hugo Weaving reprising his role as Elrond. Interesting.

 

(via CS.N)

Big ComicMix Radio Contest Rolls On!

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Your First Chance To Win…..

That little piece of art to the right is your BIG hint on how you can WIN an Exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant comic – FREE – right now with ComicMix Radio. Listen to the trivia question and you’ll figure it all out – then get us an e-mail quick!
 
And, on today’s ComicMix Radio podcast, we cover:
• Sean McKeever talks about leaving Birds of Prey, but amping things up on Teen Titans
• Fall Out Boy jumps into comics
•  A Captain Marvel #3 2nd print – are you surprised? 
• CBS starts working on the 2008-2009 TV season
• Ringo remembers doing that historic Ed Sullivan appearance
 
You know you can’t win the comic unless you Press The Button, right?
 

Or subscribe to our podcasts via iTunes or RSS! 

Zack Snyder Answers Fans’ ‘Watchmen’ Questions

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Over at the official Watchmen film website, director Zack Snyder has answered a pretty hefty list of questions from fans about his upcoming big-screen adaptation of the groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

The Q&A is divided into two parts (part one, part two) and covers a lot of ground, from the difficulties of adapting Moore and Gibbons’ use of panels and dialogue to create "scenes between the scenes" to the costumes and fight sequences of the film.

On the subject of Rorschach’s costume, Snyder shed some light on the level of detail he’s aiming for in the character’s mask and the way it reacts with Rorschach’s mood and hidden expressions:

As you can imagine, the most effective way to render the ever-changing inkblot that is Rorschach’s face is with the use of visual effects. So, we created a blank mask and strategically placed small green tracking markers on it. The markers will be used to track the contours of his face throughout the shot. There is also a hole that reveals Jackie’s [Jackie Earle Haley] eyes not only so he can see, but also to help to the VFX artists later while they animate Rorschach’s face. The opening allows them to see what Jackie’s eyes were emoting. When completed, his open-eyed, green polka dotted face will have been replaced by a CG element, a slowly changing inkblot pattern. We’ve gone through and analyzed the many inkblots from the graphic novel and have assigned them each different emotional characteristics — so that when Rorschach is experiencing something in a scene, the shape on the mask reflects his emotions in a graphic and abstract manner. I have had the opportunity to see some of the early tests and I am very pleased with how it is coming together.

Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, Snyder also addresses some of the rumors surrounding the development of The Black Freighter, the story-within-a-story that unfolds throughout the graphic novel.

 

Top Cow Launches Darkness, Witchblade Search Tools

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

In a press release issued this week, Top Cow announced the debut of a pair of Google-powered search engines themed around two of their most popular properties, The Darkness and Witchblade titles.

witchbladebanner-9267577

With each normal, everyday Web search conducted on one of these Top Cow-branded search engines, users gain a chance to earn Swag Bucks, which are digital dollars that can be redeemed for Top Cow comic books and other prizes at the Witchblade and The Darkness Swag Stores, including iPhones, plasma TVs, digital cameras and game systems like the Sony PSP and Nintendo Wii.

One of the most interesting aspects of the promotion, in my humble opinion, was this note:

In addition, Witchblade and The Darkness toolbars are available to download for Internet Explorer and Firefox Web browsers so that users can utilize the search engines more readily. The toolbars also feature quick links to Top Cow’s MySpace page, message boards, news blog, online store and more. There are no pop-up windows, no spyware, and no adware — guaranteed.

[Bold highlight added]

No spyware and adware? Color me intrigued — but before I install anything, I’d love to hear about other users’ experiences. Anyone willing to give it a shot?

 

Hasbro Debuts ‘Cloverfield’ Monster Toy

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Okay, so maybe Hasbro’s tag line, "Cloverfield Monster Revealed," is a bit after-the-fact, given that the movie has been out for nearly a month now and grossed more than $75 million, but I’m willing to cut them some slack since the toy based on the film’s monster looks pretty damn impressive.

You can check out the toy for yourself over at the Hasbro website, because even a month after the movie’s release, I’m terrified of earning the wraith of spoiler-haters.

From the toy specs:

Cloverfield Monster Features: 70 points of articulation and incredible life-like detail, Authentic sound, 14” tall, 10 parasites, Two interchangeable heads, Statue of Liberty head accessory, Special Cloverfield collector’s edition packaging

As one of our own pointed out a while back, this could be a great opportunity to find out who would really win in a battle ‘tween the Cloverfield monster and the "King of All Monsters" himself, Godzilla.

Let the battle begin!

 

The ‘In’ Crowd, by Martha Thomases

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

 

It would be nice if, now that I’m in my mid-50s, I could stop worrying about whether or not I’m popular. Sensible people get over this in junior high, average people stop in high school, and only a few truly insecure carry it through to college. Grown-ups, who have jobs and responsibilities and hobbies, rarely let such thoughts cross their minds.
 
And then there’s me.
 
One of the most exciting things about this political year is the way outsiders have been welcomed, especially by Democrats. The leading contenders for the nomination are a black man and a woman, both of whom are decidedly wonky in their approach to politics. A Latino man ran a great campaign, and is assumed to be on the short list of possible vice-presidential candidates.
 
This is exciting, and for reasons far beyond the political (although, if this trend means the war will be over and people can stop getting blown up so frequently, and maybe in this country we can have health insurance, that would be great). 
 
Mostly, I can spend ignore these insecurities that have lingered for decades. When I can’t, I try to use my experience for good. By relating to outsiders, I find common cause with racial, ethnic and other minorities who are not always invited to society’s metaphorical proms. 
 

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Early Review: ‘Justice League: New Frontier’

 

Like many of you out there, a bad taste was left in my mouth coming off of Superman: Doomsday, so of course I was wary of DC’s next direct-to-DVD flick. I wasn’t a huge fan of the graphic novels (Isn’t that what we call thick comic books these days?), but I am certainly a fan of the [[[Justice League]]] and its animated counterpart. 
 
I’ll start with a warning to those who aren’t totally familiar with The New Frontier and its universe, but ARE fans of the established animated DC universe: this is a whole new direction from shows like Justice League Unlimited and others, but it is full of exciting DCU fan favorites. In fact, my biggest complaint about [[[Superman: Doomsday]]] was that there were no outside DC heroes, even though they were all over the original story. But I digress.
 
Looking at the animation first, I was very pleased that Bruce Timm (main creator of the animated DCU) and Darwyn Cooke (wirter/artist of The New Frontier graphic novel) were able to find a happy medium between the already established look of the animated Justice League and the very stylized look of Cooke’s art, thought I do think the eye-slits works much better for Superman than the baby blues. The entire artistic feel practically beamed with that golden age look, which is what attracted me to the books in the first place.

 

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On This Day: YouTube is Born

  • News
  • February 15, 2008

 

Today in 2005, three disgruntled PayPal employees created and launched a website where users could view, upload and share video clips, naming the site, "YouTube."

The site became so popular that a little less than a year later, Google acquired the website for a mere $1.65 billion in Google stock. Hot-Damn!

Thanks to YouTube, we’re now able to watch videos of crying Britney Spears fans, mock lightsaber battles and people dancing in front of their webcams whenever we get the urge — which, if rumors about YouTube’s traffic are true, is pretty freakin’ often.

It is a lesson learned and relearned, a modern day fairytale that gives us all hope: it pays to be a nerd.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I resemble that last remark, Shira. Don’t forget you can also watch your favorite commercials from days gone by… Long live "<a href=”

Spaceknight!" – RM]

 

 

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