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Jason Statham as the Sub-Mariner?

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Action-film star Jason Statham recently commented that he was involved in at least one meeting related to a Sub-Mariner feature film, and that he’d be more than happy to portray the big-screen counterpart of several comic-book characters.

According to this interview with IESB, the Transporter star "took a meeting" for Sub-Mariner, but expressed some uncertainty about his ability to fill the Marvel hero’s, umm… tights?

"I don’t know if I’d look right running around in a tight speedo with wings on my ankles," said Statham.

Along with expressing a desire to play The Hulk (but deferring to upcoming Incredible Hulk star, Edward Norton), Statham threw his name into the mix for a proposed remake of The Crow, the 1994 film whose star, Brandon Lee, met a tragic end while filming.

That was a good movie with Brandon Lee, although that was years ago. So if that one comes my way, bang! You know, there’s so many comic book movies out there and most of the time there’s only a handful of people who can do them any justice. Hopefully, they’ll come my way for one of them.

 

Honoring Jerry Siegel

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  • January 28, 2008

Twelve years ago today, the writer and creator of Superman, Jerry Siegel, died.

Siegel and his artist friend, Joe Shuster, were the pioneers behind everyone’s favorite superhero. These days, it seems hard to believe that the character was initially rejected by all of the major newspaper syndicates at the time. Who would’ve guessed that an alien superhero sent to Earth in a space capsule and raised by an ordinary human family would resonate in the hearts and imaginations of the world?

After a long career as a comic book, then a newspaper strip, a radio series, a TV series, another TV series, a movie franchise and countless remakes, Superman remains one of the most iconic comic figures in history. All thanks to you, Mr. Siegel.

Quesada and Colbert – Together Again!

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Well, given the writer’s strike and the fact that people have to cross picket lines in order to get in the building, The Colbert Report doesn’t  announce their guests in advance. But Marvel Comics does. 

Marvel Comics today announced that Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief, will be a guest on The Colbert Reporton Tuesday, January 29. In order to do so, he must cross the Writers Guild picket line outside the program’s mid-town Manhattan studio.

The WGA has been on strike since early November, seeking (among other things) a share of Internet revenue and a larger portion of DVD profits. Ironically, the Marvel film studio just signed an interim agreement with the WGA last week.

The last time Quesada appeared on the show, the gave Colbert Captain America’s shield. Since his appearance is the very night before the release of the return of Captain America (Bucky gets promoted), perhaps Joey needs it back.

Then again, perhaps it won’t be Joe Quesada. Maybe it’ll be a Skrull. Skrulls would cross picket lines.

The Colbert Report airs on Comedy Central 11:30 PM Eastern and Pacific.

Martha Thomases co-wrote this here article.

Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Grandpa Wolverine

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  • January 28, 2008

Marvel recently announced plans to reunite Civil War writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven on an upcoming arc of Wolverine that takes the "ol’ Canuknucklehead" years into the future to a post-Apocalyptic Marvel Universe.

In this interview with IGN, Millar discusses the connections between Clint Eastwood, John Constantine, Hulk and Wolverine that influence his upcoming eight-issue storyline.

According to Millar, the arc begins with a Wolverine that has sheathed his claws and sworn off violence, but quickly becomes one of the bloodiest tales he’s ever scripted – quite the claim, given the page-after-page killing spree of Millar’s last turn on Wolverine, the ultra-violent "Enemy of the State" storyline.

I do have a theory on this. It’s that the guys that tend to do the funny animal comics in real life are really, really creepy. –laughs- They’re always really creepy! You feel uneasy around them like they’re undressing you with their eyes or something, you know? Whereas the guys that do the really violent stuff are always quite normal and quite nice. So I think we get it out whereas those guys that sit around drawing Bugs Bunny all day, you just end up a pervert. –laughs-

Millar goes on to hint at some of the current and future-born characters that will be making cameos in the arc, including Hawkeye, Bruce Banner and… Spider-Bitch?

Millar explains:

You see Spider-Man’s granddaughter in it. She’s called Spider-Bitch.

Check out IGN for the rest of the interview, as well as several pages of interior art.

 

Webcomic Interview of Persepolis Creator

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  • 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?

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  • 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…

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