Tagged: Iron Man

Doctor Consultation for Iron Man

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

ironmovieheart-8721101With the imminent release of Iron Man on DVD next week, the mainstream public is more aware of the saga of Tony Stark than ever before. When my in-laws start asking me about how accurate the movie was to the comics (because I’m “that” relative who still reads funny books), you know it’s become part of the cultural landscape.

While talking about the movie with my old college roommate, I remembered something. He’s a doctor! The goofy guy I watched The Simpsons with, shot with paintballs, and took to his first strip club went on to become a respectable member of society. So I asked him how medically sound is the story of Tony Stark suffering a coronary injury due to his own weapons and becoming Iron Man to atone for his sins. Specifically, the Iron Man movie.

Dr. Ken Nizza is a board-certified internist in the state of Pennsylvania. He doesn’t read as many comics as your average ComicMix reader, but he had an unofficial education in college when I stuck issues in his text books. He would also like to note that he has more foreign policy experience then Sarah Palin.

ComicMix: Is shrapnel lodged in your chest getting closer to your heart exist a possible medical condition?

Dr. Nizza: I could definitely classify having large pieces of metal lodged in one’s chest as being a "medical condition". If they were moving towards the heart ("embolizing", in the biz), I would even go so far as to call this a "worsening medical condition".

CMix: Would you recommend a powerful magnet to keep it from getting closer as a treatment option?

Dr. N: Well, assuming that one had a powerful enough magnet, the shrapnel was not in the proximity of any vital organs, and the patient had good enough insurance… then no, this is still a really stupid idea. To illustrate this point, let’s imagine actual magnets as used in medical diagnosis: the MRI machine. An MRI has in it a large electromagnet that is powerful enough to align all the hydrogen in the water molecules of the body.

If one were to pass a patient with some sort of metal through an MRI machine, the metal in question would rocket out of the patient’s body like a bullet towards the machine’s magnet, leading to a) a very unhappy/broken multimillion dollar piece of medical instrumentation, b) a very unhappy hospital administrator and c) a very unhappy/dead patient. Keep a mop handy.

It would be easier to have a cardiothoracic surgical team perform an exploratory thoracotomy. And yes, this is the only time an "exploratory thoracotomy" can be considered the easier option.

CMix: Would it be possible to have a metal tube big enough to fit Gwenyth Paltrow’s entire hand directly in your chest?

 

Dr. N: For one to breath, the chest cavity has to be completely airtight. When you inhale, the diaphragm flattens and the space inside the chest expands. Because of the vacuum generated ("negative pressure" in the biz), the lungs are stretched and, in turn air is pulled down to fill the space. To exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, the lungs snap back into place, and air is expelled. With a large, gaping hole in the middle of the chest that’s exposed to the outside world, this entire process is somewhat less effective in that it doesn’t work at all even a little bit. Think "sucking chest wound". (more…)

‘Iron Man’, ‘Dark Knight’ Earn Multiple Nominations

  • News
  • September 26, 2008

iron-man-1-7508828The Hollywood Post Alliance Awards announced the nominees for the third annual award presentation for excellent in post production work. Iron Man and The Dark Knight among other genre films received multiple nominations. The HPA Awards will be presented Nov. 6 at the Skirball Cultural Center.Nominees for the HPA Awards include:

Outstanding Color Grading Feature Film in a DI Process

Iron Man, Steven J. Scott (EFilm)
Sweeney Todd, Stefan Sonnenfeld (Company 3)
Kite Runner, Mike Sowa (LaserPacific Media Corporation)

Outstanding Color Grading – Television

Pushing Daisies, “’The Fun in Funerals”, Joe Hathaway (LaserPacific Media Corporation)
ESPN: The Masters, Siggy Ferstl (RIOT)
Andromeda Strain, Night 2: Part 1, Mike Sowa (LaserPacific Media Corporation)

Outstanding Editing – Feature Film

Iron Man, Dan Lebental, A.C.E.
Into the Wild, Jay Cassidy, A.C.E.
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith, A.C.E.

Outstanding Editing – Television

Mad Men “Indian Summer”, David J. Siegel, A.C.E.
Breaking Bad (Pilot Episode), Lynne Willingham, A.C.E. (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Pushing Daisies, “Pie-lette”, Stuart Bass, A.C.E.

Outstanding Audio Post – Feature Film

Wanted, Wylie Stateman and Harry Cohen (Soundelux) & Christopher Jenkins and Frank A. Montano (Universal Studios)
Wall*E, Ben Burtt (Pixar Animation Studios), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Matthew Wood (Skywalker Sound)
Into the Wild, Michael Minkler (Todd AO), Lora Hirschberg (Skywalker Sound) and Martin Hernandez (Ztrackz)

Outstanding Audio Post- Television

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, “Cockroaches”, Mace Matiosian, Ruth Adelman, David Vanslyke, Bill Smith, Yuri Reese and Jivan Tahmizian (Todd-AO)
John Adams, Episode 3: “Don’t Tread on Me", Marc Fishman and Tony Lamberti (Todd-AO) & Stephen Hunter Flick and Vanessa Lapato (Warner Brothers Post)
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour Don’t Think About It, Sam Kaufmann and John Schell (Media City Sound)

‘Secret Invasion’ So Far: The Main Story

  • News
  • September 22, 2008

So we’re more than half-way through Secret Invasion, the event that’s supposed to be the biggest thing to rock the Marvel Universe since Civil War, where the question was “whose side are you on?” Secret Invasion’s question is “who do you trust?”, which is almost the same question as Civil War’s but not as grammatically correct ( it’s "whom", people!) and concerns the revelation that several Skrulls (shape-shifting aliens who’ve had their asses kicked many times) have secretly been living among us for a while. This story is the brain-child of Brian Michael Bendis, who has been praised for his series Powers and his run on Ultimate Spider-Man and who has been writing New Avengers and Mighty Avengers since both titles were created.

This plot has been done before to lesser degrees. In the early 90s, the Fantastic Four discovered that the Human Torch’s wife had been impersonated by a Skrull since before they were even engaged. And a couple of years later, the X-Men found out that Wolverine had been replaced by a Skrull who then died because he didn’t know he didn’t have Wolvie’s powers too (idiot).

But there are three major elements that mark this particular invasion story as different from what we’ve seen in comic books a million times over. The first element is that what’s left of the Skrull Empire has now taken up religion. Their holy texts tell them that Earth is theirs by right and they have become quite creepy by habitually saying “He loves you” to everyone they attack. Secondly, they’ve learned how to infiltrate us in such a way that they are now beyond the detection of super-powers, magic and technology – very scary in this post-9/11 world. Finally, the Skrulls have finally figured out how to produce super-powers on a large scale. Where once the Super-Skrull and Power Skrull were unique, now there are thousands of Skrull warriors who have the combined powers of many different villains and heroes.

But how’s the execution? Well, in a nutshell, the main series started off very strong and has recently picked up steam again full force. Even when it was slow, it had some great scenes. But these are over-shadowed occasionally by pages of wasted space and repetitive recaps. And out of the eleven tie-in issues Bendis has written so far, eight of them can be ignored or have a smidge of substance that’s surrounded by filler pages.

But if you are one of those unfortunate souls who bought all the New Avengers and Mighty Avengers tie-ins and then realized you’d wasted over twenty bucks, don’t worry! Just do what I and my good friend Lisa McMullan did. With a little creativity, you can take those pages and make yourself a very smart looking jacket! Now you’re not a sucker, you are actually quite fashionable!

Don’t believe me? Just look at this photographic evidence, nay-sayer! All you need is scissors, tape and maybe an hour of free time.

And when people ask you "How did you think to make such a snazy and debonair sport coat?", you can simply say "I got the idea from those crazy guys at ComicMix and Alan ‘the Sizzler’ Kistler. He’s one nutty guy, that Sizzler."

Not a bad series, but I definitely have some criticisms. Hmmm? What’s that? You want more detail about what my problems are with the main series and the Bendis-written tie-ins? Not a problem, folks. That’s what I get paid for.

By the way, folks, if it pleases you, feel free to check out my old list of the Six Worst Moments in Skrull History! (more…)

Want to Hang Out With Robert Downey Jr. on Iron Man 2?

  • News
  • September 19, 2008

A special charity auction is being held online benefiting Jayni and Chevy Chase’s Center For Environmental Education. The highest bidder (and a friend) at the auction will get to spend a day with Downey on the set of Iron Man 2 in Manhattan Beach CA, including time with the actor in Downey’s trailer.

The Center For Environmental Education is a non-profit organization that helps create environmentally-friendly and health-oriented schools across the nation. The auction closes on September 23rd; as of this writing the highest bid is $17,500 (after 19 bids) with the next bid placed at $20,000.

This is far less expensive than a seat on the next Russian space mission, and the proceeds go to a better cause.

Marvel Begins Original Digital Comics

  • News
  • September 16, 2008

Marvel’s Digital Comics will begin original material for the first time, with two strips based on this year’s movies, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk. In fact, the content will be based on the film versions not the comic book continuities so as to appeal to a wider audience. The stories will run weekly, with new installments showing up on Wednesday, the traditional “new comic day”.

Iron Man: Fast Friends, starting tomorrow, is said to focus on the relationship between Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes. It’s written by Paul Tobin, with art by Ronan Cliquet and covers by Dave Bullock.

Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files, launching October 8, will feature Nick Fury investigating Bruce Banner. It’s written by Frank Tieri, with art by Salva Espin and covers by Steve Lieber.

Both strips are timed to the impending DVD releases of the films with Iron Man due September 30 and Incredible Hulk due out October 21.
 

Batman’s Comedy of Eros, by Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • September 16, 2008

Way back in the late 80s, or maybe early 90s, an inker working on one of DC’s superhero comics rendered a female form rather more like the Lord made female forms than the mores of the time allowed. The editor dealt with the problem by putting a color hold – a purple one, I think – over what some would have deemed offensive nudity.  Sex always wins. The lady’s charms shone clearly though the purple haze and a fuss ensued.

I remembered this anecdote when I saw, in the New York Times, an item about a Batman comic describing “a two page action sequence that is filled with foul language…uttered by (a) heroine…

“A black bar covered the blue words, but it was too transparent and allowed the text to be read.” Sex always wins and maybe “foul language” at least doesn’t fight fair.

According to the Times, the print run was destroyed. Having made more than my share of blunders when I sat in an editor’s chair, I know how easily goofs like this can occur and I hope the ensuing fuss doesn’t devolve on the editor, whoever he or she may be. As a certain Secretary of Defense said, stuff happens.

But I’m curious.  Did the creative folk always intend the offensive language to be covered? Surely not. Why go to the bother and expense of lettering copy that no one will read? Easier, one imagines, to simply do the black bars in the first place, though as a storytelling strategy, that would be questionable; why pull the reader out of the story while they puzzle over the meaning of the black bars?

Okay, the copy was meant to be seen? Didn’t somebody wonder if such language could cause trouble and…I dunno – ask around?

Maybe someone saw it as a free speech issue. If so, I’d demur.

I think the First Amendment is the crown jewel of the Constitution, and, personally, I can be a potty mouth. Much of my choirboy vocabulary was left on an aircraft carrier and much of whatever was left in the gutters of the East Village, pre-gentrification. But I think the way things are marketed creates expectations, and it’s not playing fair with the customers to thwart those expectations. Anything – and I do mean anything – should be allowed in the public arena, but if one buys a book bylined Henry James, one should not be subjected to a story by Mickey Spillane.

Comics have come a considerable distance in the few years since I left editing. Hell and damn, once verboten seem okay both in comics and on TV, and a few gamier locutions are beginning to pop up. But I don’t believe the medium – comics – has evolved to the point where authentic street lingo is expected.

A final consideration: The question in matters like this is always a simple one. Does it help the narrative? Is the vocabulary the writer is using his way of showing off, or does it serve a larger purpose? Any vocabulary that tells the story is almost certainly the right vocabulary, though I’d expect to get argument on this. In the case of the Batman comic we’ve been discussing, I don’t know, and probably never will.

RECOMMENDED READING: Redemolished, by Alfred Bester

Dennis O’Neil is an award-winning editor and writer of Batman, The Question, Iron Man, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and The Shadow– among others – as well as many novels, stories and articles. The Question: Epitaph For A Hero, reprinting the third six issues of his classic series with artists Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar, will be on sale in September, and his novelization of the movie The Dark Knight is on sale right now. He’ll be taking another shot at the ol’ Bat in an upcoming story-arc, too. 

Favreau Ponders ‘Iron Man 2’ for IMAX

  • News
  • September 12, 2008

Director Jon Favreau says if Paramount and Marvel Studios pony up the money, he’d love to shoot some or all of Iron Man 2 in 3-D and for IMAX.  At a Paramount Home Video press conference with Stan Lee to promote the September 30 release of the smash hit film on DVD, he described The Dark Knight’s IMAX sequence as a “game changer”.

With Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard all set to return, the question of an opponent came up and he mentioned the Mandarin, set up in the first film, often without committing. Instead, he described the Asian foe as a behind-the-scenes manipulator who will likely be seen more in the second film but not be the main antagonist until the third or fourth film, the first time the length of the franchise has been discussed.

Similarly, “The Demon in a Bottle” storyline about Tony Stark’s alcoholism would be held until at least the third film and not be the core story for the immediate sequel.

Instead, the next film, yet to be scripted by Favreau and Justin Theroux, will likely introduce Rhodey’s War Machine armor and possibly introduce a modified version of the Iron Man suit. Happy Hogan, played by the director, will have more screen time most likely. More links to the other Marvel Studio films will be seen although Favreau admitted to being stumped a bit as to how to reference Thor.

Favreau insisted he wanted a straight forward story next time so he could concentrate on the emotional stakes. He hopes to keep the new film’s tone light and engaging without crossing the line to the dark side.
 

Review: ‘[[[Next Avengers]]]: Heroes of Tomorrow’

Right off the bat, to put to rest an already angry legion of fans who want to know why this movie exists instead of Allan Heinberg’s [[[Young Avengers]]] or even Tom DeFalco’s [[[Avengers]]] Next as a series or movie, know that this animated film is a great self-contained story done in the vein of Marvel’s other animated DVDs, and deserves a close look from anyone who can call themselves a Marvel–or even an animation fan. With that said, this story is not for any fan who cannot take themselves out of the grown-up world of [[[Skrulls]]] and [[[Hulk Wars]]]. In order for an adult to enjoy this, you need strip down to your inner child (metaphorically speaking) and watch the movie with a purely childlike mindset.nextavengers-7133013-4477575

The plot takes place in the future of an alternate reality where five of the original eight Avengers have been killed off by Ultron, but not before most of them produced offspring that Tony Stark whisks to a secluded location, safe from the arms of evil. They are raised by the aging [[[Iron Man]]] and trained to use their powers, as James Rogers, son of [[[Captain America]]] and Black Widow; Pym, son of Giant-Man and Wasp; Azari, the son of Black Panther and Storm; and Torunn, the daughter of [[[Thor]]], who didn’t die, but just left Earth one day. Each of them posess an amalgam of their parents’ powers, and even some of their personality quirks as well. Their hideout becomes compromised, Iron Man gets kidnapped, and the kids must then go for the rescue, running into fellow heroes like an elder Hulk and Clint Barton’s son, Francis, taking the helm of Hawkeye.

The great thing about movie is the way they depict the “age of heroes” in the beginning of the film as a bedtime story to the children. The mythos is described almost biblically by referring to the Avengers with names like the Soldier, the Knight, and the Ghost (Cap, Iron Man, and Vision respectively). There are certainly enough wacky “kid” moments and bright colors to keep anybody under the age of 13 interested, but that stays balanced by the amount of mature themes throughout the film, such as abandonment issues, and a rite of passage subplot. The film touches on the subject of death and heroism that most kids would understand, but is clearly meant for adults.

The animation is the same used for Marvel’s [[[Ultimate Avengers]]] films, like a Japanese/American animation hybrid. The strongest element here is  BBC composer Guy Cichelmore’s (Ultimate Avengers) score. This sold the entire film in its epic interpretation. The voice work is mostly done with Marvel and Lionsgate’s in-house talent. Going in the opposite route that DC Animation had gone, the company uses mostly unknown actors and professional voice actors rather than pull in celebrity names. Much like the other Marvel animated films; this was the weakest element in the film, leaving us with a poor-sounding [[[Hulk]]] and Iron Man.

Overall, the film may borderline puerile at times, but makes for a nice competitor for DC’s leading animated series [[[Teen Titans]]]. There is certainly potential for a franchise here, and will most definitely do as well, if not better than the aforementioned show. It should also be mentioned how “ironic” it is that the only two established heroes that are alive and kicking throughout the film are the only two that had a major motion picture this year.There is certainly plenty of action and violence for us adults, and more than enough geek-fodder for the die-hards. A clear recommendation for any true Marvel fan. RATING: 8/10

Marvel Studios Touts Year’s Successes

  • News
  • September 11, 2008

Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel told investors at Merrill Lynch that their debut this year was” arguably the most successful" in modern history. He touted facts and figures for the smash success of Iron Man and coupled it with the so-so performance of Incredible Hulk to show their dominance.  While claiming Iron Man is the 21st top grossing film in domestic history, adjusted for inflation, it’s actually 113th.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he has compared their 2010 Thor film as akin to The Lord of the Rings.  At present, no director or cast has been attached.

Maisel also indicated the films will continue to seed characters and threads from film-to-film comparing it with the Star Wars films as opposed to the organic manner in which Stan Lee populated the Marvel Universe. The cameos were "a taste of what’s to follow."

While announcing nothing new, he reiterated the planned 2010 releases for Iron Man 2 and Thor and the 2011 releases of The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers.  He made no mention of the other films rounding out the 10 films Paramount agreed to co-finance including Ant Man. 

Nor did he make mention of Sony’s competing 2011 release, Spider-Man 4, or 20th-Century Fox’s Marvel properties including next year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

"And with our track record, we can normally keep those release dates pretty clean," Maisel noted. He also indicated the advance scheduling allows them to line up premiere licensing and merchandising partners.  He pointed to the forthcoming theme parks in Dubai and South Korea as partnerships aiming the studio and its characters for global domination well into the 21st century.

Also yesterday, actress Eva Mendes pooh-poohed the notion of a Ghost Rider sequel, telling MTV, "No, I think Ghost Rider had its moment. I don’t know about a sequel, but I don’t think it needs one. I was so proud of it. It was fun…but I think it’s done…but look, hey, if it’s Nicolas Cage again – I’ll do anything with him."

Tech Report: E-Ink and Comic Covers

  • News
  • September 10, 2008

A few months back I had heard that Esquire magazine was going to celebrate their 75 anniversary with an experimental  electronic ink technology. Basically batteries are sewn into the cover that power a flexible LCD screen. I was interested but wanted to see how it came out. Well, issues are hitting the stands now. Take a look at the video below:

 

The “animation” is limited. Kind of like web page banner ads, not television. (Yet.) But the first thing that sprang to my mind was how long before a comic company puts out a special edition comic featuring this? Back issues bins are overstocked with prismatic, die-cut, hologram, lenticular special editions from the 90’s. Collectors may have been burned but those suckers sold for the publishers.

What comic covers that come to my mind immediately are an Iron Man cover with lots of parts lighting up. Or the Batmobile with motion blur background. Or seeing that star field effect seen with Donna Troy, Alexander Luthor, Captain Marvel and other cosmic characters actually twinkling.

The only drawback is that the batteries only last 90 days. But hey, put an E-ink comic cover in a comic shop front window and see how fast they’d sell anyway.

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