Mike Gold: The Graphic Novelist
My wife and I were plowing through our TiVo this weekend, catching up on programs the device trapped for us during the previous week. We happened to catch the current spots for Ghost Rider as well as the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and 300 movies. As is frequently the case when I’m on deadline, I had a revelation.
Thematically, the only thing these three movies have in common is the fact that they are based upon comics. It occurred to me that five years ago they would have been lumped together as “comic book movies.” Today, we are more sophisticated. Today, they might be lumped together as “graphic novel movies,” but more likely most people perceive them as simply “movies.”
That’s fine. We don’t see such distinctions made in movies culled from other genres. “Based on the novel,” sure. Big deal. But that’s buried in the movie’s credits and on the small print at the bottom of the poster. For almost 100 years now, most movies have been based upon something — books, short stories, comics, radio shows, television shows, and most often from other movies. Now our medium has joined the pack. (more…)
Following Marvel’s lead, DC Comics is entering the direct-to-DVD animated feature business with the first of a slate of programs featuring their popular heroes.
Sometimes events bypass those of us who don’t have the chance to shop regularly in comics stores. Thus it was that I completely missed the debut of Will Vinton’s graphic novel 
With J.J. Abrams now confirmed as not only producing and scripting but also directing 2008’s Star Trek XI, the buzz has begun on the latest reboot of a beloved franchise. As one might imagine, fans of the series have been divided over whether or not this has been necessary, a debate we’ve all heard before. 
For those "process wonks" out there, two good blog posts that shouldn’t be missed: Steve Gerber 
The British Film Institute is celebrating 100th anniversary of the birth of Hergé (Georges Remi) with an evening of English-language versions of the live action 1961 film Tintin and the Golden Treasure. The showing also includes rare footage of Hergé speaking in English about his creation (from the 1975 BBC programme Them and Us: Belgium) and Tintin as a Mastermind subject (BBC 2004). 
