Tagged: Iron Man

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy and ‘Hi, I’m a Marvel… and I’m a DC’ at NYCC

  • News
  • April 25, 2008

itsjustsomerandomguy01-3163960It started out so innocently. Michael Agrusso made a silly video for his girlfriend. He thought it was too funny not to share, so he created a YouTube account with the username ItsJustSomeRandomGuy — just in case someone decided to sue. So began the Internet sensation "Hi, I’m a Marvel… And I’m a DC."

Fast-forward a bit and not only has he not been sued, but some of the companies he’s lampooned have featured him on their official sites. Next thing you know, he’s got his own panel at the New York Comic Con.

Agrusso began the Saturday panel with a confession: He forgot to buy his girlfriend and co-producer of the videos, ItsJustSomeRandomGal, an airline ticket. His girlfriend was kind enough to send her regards via YouTube, however.

The video side of Agrusso’s presentation continued with a DC-centric promotional film the New York Comic Con had commissioned that was created but not released on the Internet at the request of DC. Let’s just say Wonder Woman got hit on at the convention a lot.

The filmmaker then he announced that the series that grew out of his initial efforts, Marvel/DC Happy Hour, wll be launching its second season — with actual sets, special effects and bigger storylines. Same silly jokes, though. The first two-part episode of Season Two is posted after the jump:

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Marvel Interactive on Iron Man and Hulk: New Deal For Comic Book Videogames?

  • News
  • April 24, 2008

Comic book and videogame fanboys freaked out a little recently when the news broke that Sega would be handling Marvel’s movie-based games. After years of bad Marvel Comics videogames, Activision turned out solid hits that satisfied the mainstream and comic fans alike, such as Spider-Man and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. While the Activision partnership continues, the New York Comic Con panel Marvel – Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk: Making the Video Games emphasized that Marvel themselves were taking a greater hand in game creation.

Justin Lambros, VP of Marvel Interactive, operates out of the same West Coast office as Marvel Studios. The philosophy is that his division can oversee the partners, and with their studio ties they can improve the process by increasing development times, granting access to movie assets earlier, speeding approvals and allow for movie talent participation. They can also relate to the studios what the limitations are of the current systems.

It’s an interesting idea that brings to mind the ’90s buzzword "synergy," but in this case it seems to be making good on its promises. As mentioned in earlier articles, the Iron Man movie-based game producers were granted access to the CGI models for the armor much earlier then usual. Iron Man game director Jeffrey Tseng said that meeting the cast while doing the voices made a difference.

"Robert Downey gave us insights into the character," said Tseng — something they wouldn’t have received with sound-alike voice actors. Also, the action figures for the Iron Man and Incredible Hulk movies will feature characters only seen in the videogame adaptation. (more…)

NYCC News: The Scoop on the ‘Iron Man’ Videogame

  • News
  • April 19, 2008

To coincide with the start of the New York Comic Con, Sega released the demo for the Iron Man movie videogame over Xbox LIVE. Marvel had the demo running at their booth. Watching the attendee reaction was Michael McHale, Senior Producer for the game. He took some time out to give us some new info.

When asked about the long list of videogames based on movies that fail to live up to the hype, he simply responded, "I don’t think anybody sets out to make a bad game."

To prevent the curse of bad movie-based games, Sega took advantage of the fact that Marvel was producing Iron Man themselves and got access to the materials earlier to allow for a longer development cycle than is usual for licensed games. For instance, early on they got the suit CGI models Industrial Light and Magic created for the movie — so the suits in the game are the same ones in the film.

The challenge for the game was, since Iron Man is pretty versitile, they had to make huge maps for him to fly around in but make them detailed enough so when he hovered or landed it still looked decent.

"You get to take on the mission objectives in any order you want," said McHale. And his abilities also make the game unique. Asked what games it compared to, McHale briefly mentioned the Superman Returns game, but the speed reminded him more of the Ace Combat jetfighter series. "I don’t think there’s another game like it to be honest."

"We definitely go beyond the film," he continued. "About 30-percent of the content is based on the film. The rest is drawn from the Marvel Universe. You battle aganst guys like Titanium Man, Whiplash and other famous villains. We’ve got factions like A.I.M. and the Maggia involved. Lots of fun things drawn from the comic books."

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for April 17, 2008

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

This past week in comics wasn’t anything too special, with DC essentially laying an egg. Luckily a handful of independents rose to the occasion, and Marvel had some strong offerings, including a big surprise for best of the week. On that note…

ghostrider22cover-5750318Book of the Week: Ghost Rider #22 — Any time a comic is so good I have to read it three times before I can move onto the next book, it’s a lock for the top spot. This is darn close to a perfect issue from the first page, which starts off brilliantly ("I’ll never forget the first time I saw a dead body").

Jason Aaron continues the story of Johnny Blaze searching for answers from the angel who turned him into Ghost Rider, a quest that has led him onto a highway filled with evil, cannibalistic demons. It’s an epic fight, overloaded with crazy elements in the way of Quentin Tarantino (yet less self-obsessed).

In addition to the demons, there are evil gun-toting nurses on motorcycles and a still-living cannibal slowly feasting on a deputy. Aaron slowly pulls all of these elements together, leaving off just as they’re all about to literally collide. Oh, and did I mention it also has the line of the week? "The day I can’t catch a dead horse… is the day I give up and rot."

Lastly, I have to give a ton of credit to Roland Boschi for his art. It’s kinetic and loose in the way of Leinil Yu, though not as busy. Combined with Dan Brown’s colors, it makes for some of the best superhero art on the rack.

Runners Up:

X-Factor #30 — I promise this high ranking isn’t just to placate the great Peter David, who took serious umbrage with my review of She-Hulk #27. No, the latest issue of X-Factor (like most of the run) is worthy of serious praise on its own merits. Arcade’s plans for destroying the team, and all of Mutant Town, play out with expected brilliant insanity, and the weakened X-Factor can barely keep their heads above water (or remaining on their shoulders).

In the previous run of this series, one thing David did exceptionally well was crafting great stories without ever bringing in stock villains. Here, he brings in a stock villain but does it in keeping with the series’ tone. Beyond that, the last page is one of the best I’ve ever seen, with an emotional stomach punch that humanizes one of the Purifiers and a true "Hey, May!" cliffhanger.

Fear Agent #20 — The best of a good crop of small-press titles. I’ve always heard this series praised for its goofy sci-fi plots and fun elements, but this issue is one long emotional swan dive that’s surprisingly touching. Rick Remender intertwines his characters’ harsh pasts with their bleak futures to explain their confused ambitions. A very small story in the grand scheme of things, but a very well done one at that.

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Onion News Network Spoofs ‘Iron Man’ Film

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

 Ever like the trailer more than the movie? Yeah, me too. If I wasn’t sneaking into half  of those movies, I’d be upset.

News parody site The Onion took that concept and added typical comic fan anti-buzz to the Iron Man movie trailer. Wouldn’t you have loved it if Superman Returns stayed a trailer?

 

Wildly Popular ‘Iron Man’ Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

What’s All This About a Comic Convention in New York?

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

Anybody know anything about this little get-together of a few comic book fans that’s supposed to happen in New York at some point soon?

No? Me neither.

Luckily for you, there are a few people who are paying very close attention (bordering on obsessive, in some cases) to all of the New York Comic Con hub-bubbery. Sure, you can check the official NYCC website, but where’s the fun in that?

If you really want to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous lists of events, Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat is compiling an impressive list of everything that’s anything related to the New York Con. Not only will you be able to stay up-todate with all of the latest NYCC happenings, but you can also witness her descent into madness. Big convention chaos will do that to the best of ’em, I guess.

Once you get tired of watching Heidi’s sanity slip-slide away, check out the YouTube profile of ItsJustsomeRandomGuy, the creator of those "Marvel vs. DC" videos that have managed to meme themselves around the comics scene in recent years. The popular online filmmaker was commissioned to do some NYCC-themed shorts for the show, and has his very own panel on Saturday. (Also, I think he stole my "Thorbuster Iron Man" action figure, as it disappeared a few months back… right about the time he posted NYCC Video #3.) I’m watching you, mister.

Finally, keep an eye here on ComicMix tomorrow for a comprehensive list of all the places you’ll be able to find our news team, comics creators and assorted ComicMix roadies throughout the show.

‘Incredible Hulk’ Poster Revealed

  • News
  • April 15, 2008

april14hulk-7417815

The Incredible Hulk is looking to be the green-headed stepchild of the summer movie season.

Everyone is going gaga over The Dark Knight and Iron Man, while no one is paying any attention to the Hulk’s film. Is it because of the negative opinion of Ang Lee’s Hulk? Is it because no one really cares about the character, or is the film just being lost in a season of box office megahits?

The general apathy around the film is only increased by the fact that the film’s very first poster was released today. Keep in mind the film is set to be released on June 13.

The poster is definitely evocative of the classic Incredible Hulk TV show, but will that be enough to get people in theaters?

Head over to IGN to see the full sized version of the green goliath’s one sheet for yourself.

Interview: Zak Penn on The Grand, X-Men Fans and Co-Writing Hulk

  • News
  • April 15, 2008

ctonymark-com[UPDATE: After posting this interview, a representative of Zak Penn contacted ComicMix to state that Penn is not attached to a Captain America film at this time, despite the timing of his response during this interview (and our accurate transcription of the interview as it occurred). -RM]

In Hollywood, where "overnight success" can often take many years, writer/director Zak Penn is one of those exceptions that proves the rule. Rocketing to A-list screenwriter status right out of college with his first script, Last Action Hero, Penn has had a varied and successful career during the intervening years.

Since his first sale, Penn has written or contributed to screenplays for films such as Inspector Gadget, X-Men 2, X-Men: Last Stand, The Mask of Zorro, Men In Black, Fantastic Four and the soon-to-be-released Incredible Hulk. In addition to writing, Penn has also taken turns behind the camera and directed two films. His latest directing effort, the improv comedy The Grand, opened last month in Los Angeles and New York — with a wider release to come later this month. 

Recently, ComicMix caught up with the talented Mr. Penn to get all the latest news on The Grand, Incredible Hulk, X-Men, as well as his thoughts on dealing with fan reaction to his work and the comic book movie he really wants to make someday.

COMICMIX: Zak, thanks for taking the time to talk. How are you doing?

ZAK PENN: Good, man. Hectic as usual.

CMix: You’ve got a movie you directed that’s just come out in L.A. and New York and opening wider this month. Tell us a little about it.

ZP: The Grand is an improvisational ensemble comedy, set against the backdrop of a World Series Of Poker-type tournament.  It’s basically Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Richard Kind, Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina, Ray Romano, Werner Herzog, Gabe Kaplan . . .

CMix: So, a bunch of unknowns, then…

ZP: Yeah, a bunch of nobodies. [Laughs] And Gabe Kaplan and Werner together… So good. I did it like I did my last movie, using an outline and just [improvising] off of it. We shot it and it premiered at Tribeca last year and now its out and expanding to 20 cities this month.

CMix: That’s great. So as a screenwriter, obviously you’ve written a lot of movies, so why improv?  Why not write a script?

ZP: I think it kind of forces me to get away from the stuff that I do, you know? I’ve kind of gotten used to writing in a certain style and falling back on certain types of scenes and this forces me out of it. I can’t do those things.  So I think part of it is to kind of create a new discipline for myself to get something different done.

One of the things I liked about this movie is, I never would have written this script.  If I sat down, I wouldn’t have thought of going in the same directions this movie does, so it’s new to me and fresh to me. It’s almost like having an entire cast of co-writers.

CMix: Because you’re creating it as you go along, basically, with all of your actors?

ZP: Yeah.
 
CMix: Did you get into screenwriting with a plan to direct someday?

(more…)

ComicMix Radio: Look Closely and Get A Clue!

DC is warming up to jump from Countdown to Final Crisis with a "filler" called DC Universe #0. The clues are in the cover, so grab your eyedrops and we will explore it together (we’ve also posted a larger version of the cover after the jump), plus:

— Iron Man toys invade 7-11

— More Spider-Man on the WB plus another look at a legen-(wait for it)-dary Spidey series

— The rarest Harry Potter book – you might get a peek!

— Start the argument now – what were the "Top 5 Happiest Songs of the ’80s!"

—  Of course,  another  exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant that could be in the mail to you – if you win by e-mailing us at: podcast [at] comicmix.com

We did the work – you just press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-9871082 or RSS!

  (more…)

Images of New ‘Iron Man’ Game Armor Revealed

  • News
  • April 11, 2008

One of the staple of comic book videogames is that players can unlock alternate costumes that the characters have had at one time or another. (My favorite is still the Spider-Man costume featuring a paper-bag head, Fantastic Four uniform and "Kick Me" sign pulled from Amazing Spider-Man #258 and available in the Spider-Man videogame that was released with the first film.)

Since Iron Man rarely settled on a suit for very long, it’s no surprise that Sega decided to include a variety of unlockable costumes in the upcoming Iron Man movie-based game in addition to the three models seen in the film.

To add a dash of "Armor Wars" to the eternal war over which console is the best, there will be exclusive armors for different systems: PlayStation 3 gets Ultimate Iron Man from The Ultimates. Xbox 360 gets the Silver Centurion Iron Man from Iron Man #200.

A gallery of 360-degree visuals of all the armor is posted after the jump: (more…)

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