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Webcomic Interview of Persepolis Creator

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Even though I don’t live in Portland, OR, where CulturePulp creator Mike Russell’s "journalism comic strip" is based, I find his work to be an endless source of amusement. That’s why I was so pleased to see this recent comic based on an interview with Marjane Satropi, the creator of the critically praised graphic novel Persepolis.

Over the course of the interview, Satrapi takes Russell on a philosophical tour of both her celebrated graphic novel and the animated film based on the book that opened this week. It’s a wonderful bit of comics-on-comics appreciationand contains this highly quotable, made-to-be-sloganized piece of wisdom, courtesy of Satrapi:

I know one thing: culture and instruction are really weapons of mass construction.

In addition to Russell’s comic-based version of the interview, he also provides the full transcript of his 40-minute discussion with Satrapi.

Also worth checking out: this 2005 CulturePulp strip  about the upcoming (at that time) release of the film Aeon Flux.

 

Depp to Replace Ledger in Imaginarium?

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

SciFi Wire is reporting that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus director Terry Gilliam could be looking to actor Johnny Depp as a potential replacement for deceased actor Heath Ledger, who died during the filming of Imaginarium.

Quoting the British tabloid The Sun, SciFi Wire reported:

"There is a point in the film when Heath falls through a magic mirror," a studio source told the paper. "He could change into another character after that, and that is where Johnny would come in. It’s a weird, fantasy, time-travel movie, so Heath’s character could easily change appearance. It would be a poignant moment. Johnny’s not working at the moment, so everyone is praying he will do it."

As one astute ComicMix reader pointed out, this is only the latest in filmmaking troubles for Terry Gilliam. Depp was also involved in one of the director’s most notable film fallouts, a project initially titled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Gilliam’s tumultuous experience with Quixote was later documented in the film Lost in La Mancha – a great film for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes peek at how a series of unfortunate events can completely derail a big-budget film.

 

Sex, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

I’ve been gallivanting across this fine country again like the high society bon vivant that I am, so I was a little late in scoring my family’s big box o’ comics. It was even heavier than usual, despite the fact that my wife and daughter are both big-time comics fans. I figure it was about four and one-half pounds heavier. That’s because Playboy Cover to Cover – The 50s, finally arrived. It was released as a Christmas item last November, no doubt under the belief that it would make for an excellent stocking stuffer should King Kong become a cross-dresser.

If you ask founder / publisher / editor Hugh Hefner, he’ll give you the impression he single-handedly invented the sexual revolution back in 1954. That’s okay; he’ll also give you the impression he has foursomes with The Girls Next Door. Whereas I think the creation of the birth control pill and the resultant sexual empowerment of women had a lot more to do with it than Hugh, he did take a lot of risk and paid some heavy dues. Remember, until 1965 laws prohibiting the distribution of information about contraception, and in some cases even the possession of contraception, were still on the books – and not just in the bible belt states. Connecticut was the last to fall. People still went to jail for publishing, owning or mailing stuff about sex.

From a sexual perspective, all Playboy’s success did was put some of the under-the-counter content out on the newsstand racks. By the time Penthouse and, later, Hustler came out Playboy was irrelevant from a pictorial point of view. Of course, later the Internets completely rendered Playboy magazine sexually impotent, as they supplied men the one thing any magazine could not: freedom from your own fist. No, sex is not the reason Playboy was hip. (more…)

Tokyo Terrorized by… Loch Ness Monster?

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

Sure, the marketing campaigns for The Dark Knight and Cloverfield have been impressive, but who would’ve thought that one of the best promotions for a recent film would come out of The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep?

Yes, one of the promotions for the kid-friendly Sony film has been causing quite a stir in Tokyo, and with good reason. Curious? Check out the video below and try not to wet yourself:

 

 

We’re told that this very cool effect is produced through the use of a massive water screen. To be honest, we didn’t have much interest in the film until this video popped up. Now, however, we’re… intrigued.

You win this round, Sony marketing department.

 

Michael Jackson is on Fire

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

Today in 1984, Jermaine Jackson did what was all too firmly engrained in his once show biz kid ways — he knew the show had to go on. That, or he was completely oblivious to the fact that in the background of a Pepsi commercial shoot, his superstar brother, Michael, was aflame — literally. Michael Jackson’s hair burst into flame during a take and there was Jermaine–strumming and rocking away. And this wasn’t a closed set, mind you–it was a live performance with 3,000 Michael lovers, experiencing some serious dramatic irony when they saw their beloved turn victim to malfunctioning pyrotechnics as his brother kept the show going. MJ turned out ok though, didn’t he…sigh…

Good For What Ails You

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

There’s something in the air, and unfortunately your author has caught it.  But it’s well worth rising from one’s sickbed to bring you the weekly roundup of ComicMix columnists!  Isn’t it?:

Apologies for not adding in Andrew Wheeler’s "Manga Friday" columns before now, but he’s only started numbering them himself.  And by the way, the best thing about being sick?  Erm, well, nothing, actually…

Lost Heroes and Apple Teasing

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

It was a pretty hectic week at ComicMix Radio, and we ended up with a few stories that didn’t make it in the broadcast, all of which have some cool links to check out:

 
We did manage to tell you that NBC.com is conducting another prop auction here, all still to raise money for the Mona Foundation. That’s the group that supports global education initiatives and women’s rights. Items up for auction include canvas print reproductions off the Heroes set from artist Tim Sale plus stuff from The Office and 30 Rock.
 
Days from now Lost returns to prime time TV. Ok, it’s only for eight weeks but that’s something. If you want to catch up on anything, ABC is making it easy with all three seasons posted here. And there is also a fun little site dedicated to Oceanic Air here
 
Cartoonist Dash Shaw has started a new online comic here that he describes ad a "romance about body and mind telepathy." BodyWorld is here and new episodes are posted on Tuesdays. 
 

Or subscribe to out podcasts via iTunes or RSS!

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Life of Groundhog, by Ric Meyers

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

 

Oh, it’s been a good week. Two of my (diametrically-opposed) favorite comedies are coming out on remastered special edition DVDs this coming Tuesday (one which was embraced by all religions while the other was roundly condemned by all religions) and I could hardly be happier. The operative word here is “hardly,” because, for while both DVD editions are good, one, in particular, could have been great.
 
But this is sour grapes on my part. I love Groundhog Day, and appreciate the skills of its star, Bill Murray, so much that I shouldn’t begrudge his disinterest in participating with the 15th Anniversary release’s special features – but yet, I still do. I shouldn’t be so petty, too, because of Bill’s absence, the true value of director/co-scripter Harold Ramis comes into sharp focus.
 
I’m a big fan of Ramis as well, ever since I saw him as harried station manager Moe Green on the original import of the milestone Canadian comedy series SCTV. I can never forget his delivery as the evil boss in the show’s satire of The Grapes of Wrath, The Grapes of Mud; “You think this land is urine … but it’s all our land, not just urine” (you had to be there, I guess).
 
Ramis left SCTV early, which I also begrudged, come to think of it. But all was forgiven when he started helming, or being intimately creatively involved with, such comedy mainstays as Animal House, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, As Good As It Gets, and Analyze This. Groundhog Day could be his masterpiece, however, given that it’s a romantic comedy fantasy classic.
 
Columbia Pictures, minus Murray’s input, could only muster a single, pretty poorly photoshopped, disc, but Ramis is all over the extras. There’s a commentary with him, which I lapped up with my admiring head nestled on my hands. There’s also a video talking head grandly titled “A Different Day: An Interview with Harold Ramis,” which I watched appreciatively with my chin on my fist. Then there’s the making-of doc called “The Weight of Time” (borrowing a phrase by story creator and co-scripter Danny Rubin), which I watched with the back of my head resting on my sofa top. 
 

(more…)

Perhapanauts Return With New Publisher

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the under-the-radar series The Perhapanauts, written by Todd DeZago and with art from Craig Rousseau, you owe it yourself to do so. Lucky for you, they’re returning to comics shelves in February with a new annual and a new publisher in Image Comics.

ComicBookResources recently featured a chat with the creators of the series, which focuses on a government-sponsored team that operates in secrecy and investigates supernatural events. The team is made up of living, breathing representatives of various cultural myths, including a sasquatch and a chupacabra.

Of course, this could also explain why The Perhapanauts might have found itself falling under a pretty large shadow at its previous publisher, Dark Horse Comics, whose well-established Hellboy and B.P.R.D. titles offer up stories that might seem similar from a back-of-the-book perspective.

According to DeZago:

… in the beginning people compared us to ‘BPRD’ and, when they debuted ‘Proof,’ Alex [Grecian] and Riley [Rossmo] were compared to us. But I think all three of them are very different books and, while they may tread some of the same ground — ‘Proof’ and ‘The Perhapanauts’ in particular — they are worlds apart. I would hope that anyone who wishes to make that comparison will pick up the books and see for themselves.

DeZago goes on to discuss why they eventually made the change in publishers and what they have in store for the Perhapanauts team down the road.

 

So You Think You Have Problems?

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

Looking for that special comic from 40, 50, even 60 years ago to give your loved one struggling with VD, diabetes, AIDS, marijuana, guns or just about anything else?  Musician Ethan Persoff may have just what you seek.

Comics With Problems collects various unintentionally hilarious public service advertisements in the form of comics, with titles like Rex Morgan M.D. Talks About Your Unborn Child and A Message about Sniffing for Young People, and presents them in their entirety for your edification and amusement.  I D.A.R.E. you to keep away from perusing it!

Elsewhere on his site, Persoff’s other ambitious project on his site is collecting an online archive of all issues of Paul Krassner’s seminal zine The Realist, but I notice he doesn’t have any from the ’80s when I was getting it.  Persoff — call me, I still have ’em all.  And say, you wouldn’t happen to know of an old comic warning of the dangers of being a packrat, would you?

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