Tagged: review

MOONSTONE MONDAY-THE GREEN HORNET!!!

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  • January 17, 2011

As most readers of ALL PULP know, THE GREEN HORNET, a film starring Seth Rogen as the title character, debuted this past weekend.  Although Moonstone had nothing to do directly with the film itself, most of you also know of the fine body of work Moonstone has produced concerning The Green Hornet, most notably the extremely well done prose adventures done by the top modern writers of today!  Due to that connection, ALL PULP is going to run Three pieces concerning the movie.  Two are reviews, one from each end of the spectrum, and then the third is from a contingent that most movies don’t have-Those who refuse to see the movie based on certain principles.   Then to wrap up this coverage of The Green Hornet, a very special added addition will be a full length Green Hornet tale from one of Moonstone’s collections (More on that to come)!

So, for now..let’s go with a review from guest reviewer Adam Garcia…

THE GREEN HORNET
Guest Review by Adam L. Garcia
Art by Ruben Procopio
This is not your father’s Green Hornet, nor it is your grandfather’s.
And that is not a bad thing.
There had been a lot of negativity around this film from the pulp community, which has been wholly disheartening and something that I have not so subtly fought against, and has made me a bit of a pariah. It’s no secret I’ve been anticipating this film, being a fan of the Green Hornet, Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry, this film was unexpected combination that promised a unique take on the character. But many in the pulp community ballyhooed every aspect of this film, angry that this interpretation of the character didn’t match their vision—which perhaps is part of the reason I was so excited for it. I won’t go too deep into my belief that pulp characters need to break free of their arguably simplistic characterization, which at times feel more like a conglomerations of character traits than actual characters, nor will I discuss my desire to see the genre as a whole updated for a modern audience, there’ll be another time for that, but for now let’s focus on the Green Hornet.
Having watched the original Green Hornet TV show and serials when I was kid (thanks to my father’s massive collection of serials) and most recently before the film’s release, I couldn’t get past how two-dimensional Britt Reid was. Sure, Van Williams played him great and treated the role seriously, but ultimately there was nothing about the character that made him stand out; as character he had as much depth as a cardboard cut out. Sure, it worked great in the show, but for all the praise washed onto the show I couldn’t help but be disappointed, because for all his heroics he never had a reason why Maybe I’m missing an episode or maybe I’m forgetting an important face, or maybe it’s because I grew up reading/watching characters like Spider-man and Batman, whose reasons for being heroes were born out of a single moment that defined them, but for me as a audience and as a writer the whole concept of a “hero for hero’s sake” just doesn’t cut it. There’s need to be something more.
The Green Hornet, for the first time I’ve seen, tries to approach perhaps the big plot hole with these sort of characters: Why would a millionaire playboy choose to risk his life for the greater good? When first meet Britt Reid as an adult, he is boorish and selfish, more interested in parties and women than any higher purpose. In many ways he’s a poor man’s Tony Stark, which gives him a story arc that allows him to grow into a hero. Yes, much of this growth is done for comedic effect, but it’s funny not because it’s campy, but because it’s a normal human being in way over his head. (Sidenote: The 60s TV show is incredibly campy by today’s standards. Holding paintings for a million dollar ransom while you have a multimillion-dollar laser at your disposal? Dr. Evil had more plausible plans.) Which is part of the reason why I loved this film. At the center of it is a goofy lay-about millionaire playboy, who over the course of the film becomes the hero he wants to be. Yes, he begins his heroics after an act of vandalism gone bad, but what was initially another activity for an idle mind becomes a pursuit of justice that is ultimately more legitimate than some vague sense of justice, even if the real hero is Kato.
The decision to make Kato “the power behind the mask” is an inspired one and works well with the Green Hornet’s central concept of deception as a means for heroics. Britt Reid works to save the city by pretending to be a villain; so while everyone’s eyes are on the Green Hornet, Kato is able to use his strength and guile to save the day. Jay Chou isn’t Bruce Lee—then again who is?—but his Kato is pretty damn great, and for those of my generation out perception of the Green Hornet has always been “that show with Bruce Lee… and the other guy.” In many ways, this film is how my generation vaguely views the two characters. Ask most kids and they would think Kato was the brains and the brawn; the Green Hornet was the façade.
Plus Kato vision is fantastic.
But what really make this film work is the relationship between Britt and Kato. Their friendship—really their brotherly love for one another—drives the story forward. They bond over their love-hate relationship with James Reid, their directionless life and waste of potential. It is through each other that they not only discover crime fighting, but also the best of themselves. They are competitive, each fighting for the affection of the miscast Cameron Diaz, each trying to prove to other who is the real hero, but at the end of the film realize they would be nothing without each other. Kato does not exist with Green Hornet and vice versa. Because the filmmakers understood this, they made a superhero film that chucks away the idea of hero and sidekick and is instead a story of a superhero partnership.
I promised I’d keep this review as objective as possible so let’s talk about what didn’t work. Oftentimes there are scenes that simply don’t work, that are either superfluous or awkwardly written. Case in point is the opening scene with young Britt Reid and his father. Christoph Waltz’s Chudnofsky is a halfway decent villain that is either underutilized or poorly drawn, I’m still not sure which. At times the editing can be a little too frenetic, though this Gondry’s style. However these elements are easily ignored as the story comes together nicely at the end, making for an origin of a modern pulp hero that is earned and true to these versions of the character. Is this film perfect? Lord no. There are narrative bumps, odd transitions and more than one groan inducing piece of dialogue, but as a whole, it is a fun film.
Purists will refuse to see The Green Hornet, and will most likely be upset by this review (I’m almost certain to have enraged them with some of my earlier comments, but these are my views, and much as I respect their point of view, I humbly ask they respect mine). I urge you to see with movie with an open mind, remember, this is a licensed character open to interpretation and adaptation.



gh21-9144016
Cover by Ruben Procopio



Most importantly, this movie is fun; something so many pulp fans have argued these sort of films should be. I cannot tell you how many times my dad, in all his 67 years, would turn to me and say: “That’s so cool! This is awesome!” When asked him what he would rate the film he said: “three and half stars, I would recommend this to everybody.”
And while I know this film isn’t for everybody I can safely say this is my generation’s Green Hornet and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see more than a few Green Hornets and Katos running around this Halloween.
Which is pretty flippin’ cool.

MOONSTONE MONDAY-GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK-BATTLE FOR LA!

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  • January 10, 2011

GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK-http://playeraffinity.com/comic-reviews/Battle-For-L-A-Review.html
News & Reviews
9.5 out of 10

Return of the Originals: Battle for L.A. Review
By: Dustin Cabeal | 01.10.11

Short Version
A powerful novel that’s complemented by stunningly detailed pencils with a cast of characters that will remind you heroes of yester-years. Set in World War II this unique graphic novel will keep you entertained and guessing with every page.

Long Version
Let’s dispel any notion that you need to know the characters presented in this graphic novel in order to enjoy the story. Also let’s dispel the notion that the characters are un-relatable due to their “Golden Age” history. This story is not only interesting and intense, but gives a new view into World War II through the eyes of superheroes.

The story opens with Secret Agent X running for his life as he tries to escape armed Japanese gangsters. Agent X’s cheek is seemingly hanging from his face, as he runs down city streets in the middle of the day. The gangsters open fire on Agent X with no regard for their surroundings, their mission is clear they need to kill him before he report anything he’s seen. Agent X narrowly escapes the gangsters by throwing himself into the Hudson river, but not before taking several bullets to the body.
Several days later Richard Curtis van Loan is awoken in his bed by a masked vigilante by the name of Black Bat. It seems that Richard’s secret identity Phantom Detective has been discovered by Black Bat who has come for his help. At first the two are very stand-offish as Phantom Detective obviously feels violated as someone has come to confront his alter-ego and that someone has managed to make it past all of his security devices. After some banter Bat convinces the Detective to get dressed for “work” and come with him to an undisclosed location.

The two arrive at a military base, with the Detective now dressed as an elderly Doctor. The Detective is also a master of disguise and refuses to break character for even a moment. Even when Bat takes off down the hall, it’s very noticeable to the guards on duty that the old man can’t keep up. Bat and the Detective are put in front of Agent X who is in a comma from his long swim in the Hudson. Black Bat finally breaks it down for the Detective explaining that they are in the dark about what happened to Agent X, but that they know whatever it is, is time sensitive and important to national security.

Bat and a later introduced General ask the Detective for help in picking up where Agent X’s case left off. After a series of scenes the two find themselves at the estate of a rich Japanese mobster. It’s a cold February winter night, but the Phantom Detective notices a third story window has been left open in the middle of the house. The two make their way up the house to the third story window.

What they find inside is a mystery canister sitting in a bucket of ice. They stand for a moment scratching their heads and bantering back and forth trying to figure out what they’re looking at. Black Bat decides to explore the rest of the house and leaves the Detective alone with the object. The Phantom Detective picks over the object looking for any kind of marking to give away what the object is. The entire time he inspects the object he’s overcome with fear and dread. He becomes distracted as he hears shooting coming from lower level of the house.

In his time away the Black Bat has stumbled upon a room full of Japanese gangsters. He opens fire on the men as he jumps down at them. Just as he runs out of bullets the Phantom Detective arrives to lend a hand and a diversion. The Bat sets off a smoke bomb and makes his way back to the Detective. The two men then head back for the mystery canister to grab it and dash. Just as the Bat is about to grab it though the Detective pushes him out the window instead. As they jump out the room explodes and quickly ignites the rest of the house.

The two continue their journey to the west coast where they must now save L.A. from having an unknown terror released upon it. There they are teamed with World War I fighter pilot hero G-8 and longtime friend of Black Bat’s the Domino Lady. The only plan they have to go on is having Phantom Detective impersonate the deceased Crime Boss they killed in New York before anyone learns of his death and stop the Japanese before they can destroy L.A.

Obviously you’re not going to get the entire story in the review because then you wouldn’t buy the book. Frankly, I was really impressed with this graphic novel. I had no idea who the characters were, what their history was or what even the story was really about. I just had to dive into the book and trust that everything would be explained and everything was… brilliantly!

CJ Henderson does a fantastic job of not only introducing the characters, but also introducing the reader to their personalities. I have never read a graphic novel where half way through reading I already felt like I knew the characters and what they would do next. By the end of the novel you will find yourself wanting the next adventure from our heroes. In truth the graphic novel reads more like a weekly serial or even a radio program, which is an even bigger crime since you know their won’t be anything next week to enjoy.

The focus of the story really is the Black Bat and the Phantom Detective and Henderson nails these two characters very well. The banter between the two is spot on and witty the entire time. It’s great to actually read their friendship develop and grow throughout the story. Since the story is written in novel format, Henderson is able to tell the reader the character’s thoughts which are very important in building their personalities since it’s not being shown on the page.

The artwork that does compliment the story is amazingly detailed and incredibly beautiful. Because of the novel format the art that splashes across both pages usually is only depicting one scene, but it captures the scene perfectly and to the point where the words describing the actions aren’t nearly as good. Mark Sparacio (Jonah Hex, Captain Action Comics) is an amazing illustrator that adds detail upon detail to every page and really brings the characters to life.

If you’re looking for your run of the mill superhero story filled with tights and capes, then this is not the book for you. This is for that comic reader that has a diverse palette when it comes to comics. If you’ve enjoyed what Alex Ross did over at Dynamite Entertainment with Project Superpowers then you will definitely enjoy the Return of the Originals.

Story – 9.5
Plot – 9.5
Art – 9.5
Overall – 9.5

Review: ‘Machete’

macheteblurayart1-1345380Movies and television shows have been created after something has caught the public’s imaginations be it a Twitter feed, a commercial, or a persona. Perhaps the best of the lot, though, is [[[Machete]]], inspired by a fake movie trailer. The film, now out on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, came about when director Robert Rodríguez fashioned a B-film trailer as part of [[[Grindhouse]]], the homage to trashy films of the past, made with Quentin Tarantino. Machete, with Danny Trejo in the lead, captured imaginations so Rodriguez and his brother Alvaro wrote a film to do the trailer justice.

I cannot tell you the last time I saw such an entertaining B film, which made me laugh out loud more than once. The thing is, beyond the gratuitous nudity and over-the-top violence, the film actually addresses a few of the day’s hot button issues giving it more heft than the films it emulates.

Once a Federale in Mexico, Machete watched his wife be killed by a drug lord (Steven Segal) and was left for dead. Three years later, he resurfaces in Texas as a day laborer just trying to get along. As luck would have it, corrupt political operative Jeff Fahey hires him to assassinate Senator Robert DeNiro. Before he can fire, though, someone else shoots the senator and frames Machete, igniting racial tensions throughout the city. At the same time, an independent militia, led by Don Johnson, is in cahoots with the senator and both want to shut down an operation called The Network, which has been helping illegals cross the border and begin a new life. It’s led by one woman, Michelle Rodriguez, and is hunted by another, ICE officer Jessica Alba. The rest of the movie is filled with action and mayhem with a script that barely holds the threads together but has more gaping holes than the border between countries.

Alba looks great and handles her official role well but does so without the requisite gravitas. Rodriguez, though, shines and has never looked hotter, especially during the climactic action sequence. Still, the film is all Trejo’s and he does it with a grim faced countenance that shows he’s taking no joy in doing his job or enacting long-awaited vengeance.

The rest of the cast generally is playing against type and most don’t have a chance to play anything but two-dimension figures but boy are they having fun. Noteworthy is how understated Cheech Marin is as Trejo’s brother and how welcome it was to see FX makeup genius Tom Savini on screen again (although a quick glance at IMDB shows me how many films of his I’ve missed). Lindsay Lohan is here as Fahey’s daughter and she looks fabulous in everything from a nun’s habit to her birthday suit but her character is so poorly written that she has nothing to play and comes across more clueless than calculated.

There’s plenty of blood as Machete fights his way in and out of trouble but there’s one time when he escapes from a hospital that has him use the most imaginative device I’ve seen in years. It’s also been a while since a film was just so pure entertaining and a great way to pass a cold winter’s night.

The Blu-ray transfer looks and sounds just fine. The film comes with a small number of extras but most missed is a commentary track from Rodriguez. We do get the green and red-band trailers, 10 minutes of deleted scenes, and an audience reaction track that is fun but unnecessary. Interestingly, an entirely Alba-centric sub-plot has been excised from the film but preserved through these deletions and you understand why the thread was removed.

The film ends with a promise of Machete returning for two sequels and trust me, I’ll be among the first to line up to see them.

ALL PULP GUEST REVIEW-DR. HERMES REVIEWS A TALE OF THE AVENGER!

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  • January 7, 2011
Dr. Hermes takes the guest review spot once more! 
 
THE GLASS MOUNTAIN  

From May 1940, this is a good, solid Avenger story in the classic tradition. If the solution to the weird Rain God murders seems a bit obvious, it’s probably because we’ve read so darn many pulp thrillers. To an imaginative young reader first discovering this type of adventure, THE GLASS MOUNTAIN is filled wtth dramatic cliffhangers and creepy events, and a cast of larger than life oddballs.

An ancient legend seems to be coming back to life in a remote area of Idaho, where a railroad construction project is beginning to blast a tunnel through the black basalt Mount Rainod (the ‘glass mountain’ of the title), and a wizened Pawnee elder named Yellow Moccasins is doing his best by terrorize the workers by telling them the recent deaths have been the work of the Rain God that dwells in the mountain. Now, if you’re a fan of the series, you’re likely to suspect a rational explanation for the shenanigans. But on the other hand, we do witness a mysterious green mist twenty feet high repeatedly appear out of nowhere and elecrocute people dead in their tracks.

Although Rosabel Newton doesn’t appear (and isn’t even mentioned as far as I can find), Josh gets a bigger share of the action than usual. In addition to punching and running and diving into subterranean water to rescue people, he grudgingly takes on the chore of being camp cook for sixty workers. (He does a good job, too, and everyone loves his cooking.) Josh’s deliberate ‘dumb Negro’ pantomime works effectively , as crooks underestimate him enough to give him an opening to attack them. But his most notable moment is when he’s jolted by the green mist and is literally killed by it. Benson does manage to revive his friend (with some impromptu methods) before a critical amount of time has passed but it’s a harrowing event. The fact that a similar fate strikes Mac almost immediately afterwards doesn’t help. (Rubber shoes do, though.)

When Smitty teases him about his experience, Josh shivers and says, “Don’t even joke about it.” The big guy asks if he had any visions and Josh replies no, it was just like being unconscious. A good many pulp heroes are pronounced clinically dead and revived (It happened to Monk and Ham in PIRATE OF THE PACIFIC) but they usually seem to forget about it immediately as if it’s no big deal, and it’s unsettling to see Josh brooding about the experience as a person actually would.

Smitty and Mac are their usual selves, but Nellie Gray doesn’t shine very well in this story. Although she doesn’t turn up until halfway through the book, she manages to get bludgeoned unconscious TWICE in quick succession. I hope her dainty little skull was thicker than it seemed, or she would end up later in the series going, “Doy… uhh, hi dere.”

For some reason, Benson himself seems much more accessible than usual this time. He explains what he’s thinking and reacts to events more openly than his normal secretive way. When he impersonates the shady old Yellow Moccasins, he finds out that someone else is doing the same thing and for a while, there are three wrinkled old guys running around (the crooks are confused enough without stuff like this).

One touch I liked about the early stories was that The Avenger would occasionally run into someone who hadn’t seen him since his tragedy. Here an old foreman of his says awkwardly but sympathetically, “You’ve had trouble. I heard about it. Your wife and the little girl–” But he’s cut off by a cold glare from those eyes. Part of Benson’s problem, if you ask me, is that he never talked about his loss and he gruffly rejects any compassionate overtures from his old friends. It’s part of what makes him such a dramatic, intense fgure but it would have done him a world of good to thank this man for his concern.

Several times, in fact, we’re told that Benson doesn’t want to heal and learn to live again. He never considers suicide, but it’s explicitly said that he’s waiting for his life to be over so he can be reunited with his wife and daughter in the next world. Whle the Avenger never quite puts himself in the path of certain destruction, he comes awful close with all his deliberate walking right into traps. “Death could come any time it liked. Life wasn’t too kind, with wife and daughter taken from him in a criminal plot.”

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND BULLDOG EDITION 1/6/11

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  • January 6, 2011
ALL PULP NEWSSTAND
BULLDOG EDITION
1/6/11
moonstonelogocopy-9653016
1128 South State Street
Lockport, Illinois, 60441
815-834-1658

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
1/6/11, Lockport Illinois-

COMICS WITH HEAVY PULP THEMES FROM MOONSTONE RECEIVE ACCLAIM IN 2010!

CRITICALLY ACCAIMED ‘ROTTEN’ FROM MOONSTONE ONE OF BEST OF 2010!
Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. announces that the wildly eclectic, genre busting comic ‘ROTTEN’ from writers Mark Rahner and Robert Horton and Artist Dan Dougherty continues to receive accolades and notice, this time from writers at the Comic Book Bin (http://www.comicbookbin.com/).   Writers for the comic book centered site instituted their own awards this year.  Calling them ‘The Binnies’, writers established several comic book oriented categories and then chose the winners for each category.  ROTTEN was named as one of the six winners of Best New or Mini Series for 2010.  Comic Book Bin writer Pat Oliver selected the Moonstone title for this recognition and wrote-

       I quite liked Rotten (Moonstone) this year. Created by Mark Rahner and Robert Horton, with       artwork by Dan Dougherty, it evoked memories of the old TV series Wild Wild West, and was a nice new twist on both the western and zombie genres. Its two main protagonists are likeable, ethical men and experts in their own fields. One may be more cerebral than the other, but neither is a stranger to action, both being army men. It is a many layered comic book. For instance, it can be read as a good adventure horror story with thriller elements, or it can viewed as holding up a mirror to events in Modern society. Zombie Detective piece or political allegory, either 


This excellent description and recognition of this trail blazing tale exploring new frontiers in both genre and comic storytelling is the latest in a series of compliments and praise for ROTTEN and its creative team. Others include-

“A super-cool approach.” FANGORIA

“A must-buy … 5 George Romeros out of 5.” Ain’t It Cool News

“One of the strongest and strangest concepts I’ve ever heard, executed with horrific precision.” ED BRUBAKER
“It’s Deadwood by way of Stephen King. It’s Undeadwood. It’s witty, it’s disturbing, and it’s a must-read.” MARK WAID

ROTTEN is a multilayered event that at times is a western, a zombie tale, a detective story, an exploration of conspiracies, a horror masterpiece, and even a satirical comment on modern politics.   This fantastic comic adventure is now available in trade paperback from Moonstone!  Order from your favorite comic retailer today or order directly from Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/   


It’s time for you to get ROTTEN.


 ROTTEN
Story by Mark Rahner and Robert Horton
Art by Dan Dougherty
Single Issues and ROTTEN TPB #1 available now!
http://www.moonstonebooks.com/

MOONSTONE’S ‘PHANTOM’ GETS TWO BEST OF 2010 NODS!

ChronicleChamber.com, the leading Phantom focused site on the internet, centering on The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and the work of creator Lee Falk released its top 5 2010 Best Phantom portrayals and Moonstone Entertainment, Inc’s Phantom work filled two of the five spots.

Quoted from the site-
Now that 2010 is behind us and 2011 has begun with the promise of bringing more great Phantom stories CC has taken a look back over the past year to see which issues came up trumps. Some of the entries may even surprise you. At any rate, it’s sure the list will cause discussion. So, without further ado we present the top five issues of 2010.

Oh, and some spoilers are contained within, so if you’ve not read these issues you may want to skip their entries…

3. The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #12 (Moonstone Books)
Writer: Mike Bullock
Artist: Silvestre Syzilagyi

While it might not be the greatest issue Moonstone ever produced, it is what GWW #12 represents that earns it its’ place as our number 3. Moonstone’s Phantom series – both the first series and the Ghost Who Walks reboot – went from strength to strength over its’ seven year run. Arguably coming of age when Mike Bullock took over, the series proved that the Phantom still mattered in a modern world and that his adventures could be just as exciting now as they were back in 1936. Ending in the culmination of all of Bullock’s previous work on the series and Moonstone’s most ambitious story arc, The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #12 marked the end of an era. Moonstone was a company that was willing to try new things with the character and take him in new directions, all while staying true to his roots. Moonstone’s run will be remembered as one of the finest in the Phantom’s long 74 year history and GWW #12 is the issue with which Moonstone could say “look at all we accomplished.”

1. Phantom Double Shot: KGB Noir #1 (Moonstone Books)
Writer: Mike Bullock
Artist: Fernando Peniche

The reason Phantom Double Shot: KGB Noir is awarded first place is due to its simplicity. As we said in our review of issue one, putting the Phantom in a noir world seems like such an obvious idea it’s amazing no one had done it before. From the first page KGB is a rollercoaster ride of action, adventure and brutal battles. But what really sets this issue apart from the others is just how well it all fits together. While other series tried different things none felt as natural to the character of the Phantom as the noir setting of KGB. From the beautiful black and white art to the fast, brutal script, everything was pitch perfect. The greatest ideas are often those that prove to be the most simple and with this series Moonstone proved that you don’t need character evolution, status quo upset or any other myriad of things to make an awesome story. All you need is a simple idea, a top writer, a talented artist and a desire to try something just a little different.

Congratulations to Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. and all the creators involved in turning out some of the best efforts focused on one of pop culture’s most beloved characters-THE PHANTOM!

Moonstone Entertainment Inc. publishes comics and illustrated fiction designed to “awaken your sense of adventure”, featuring classic and new heroes in thrilling tales of adventure, mystery, and horror. For more than a decade, Moonstone Entertainment Inc. has created fine and distinct comic books, Graphic Novels and prose…books that are meant to be read.  Awaken your sense of adventure at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/

Review: ‘Merlin Season 2’

merlinbbc-s21-9454490When a show deviates too far from the source material, its fate is in the hands of the writing staff who can take the raw elements and run with them or spin their wheels and grind the freshness out of the subject matter. Much as [[[Smallville]]] ran out of steam six seasons back, its spiritual successor, the BBC’s [[[Merlin]]], quickly lost its way in the first season. The second season, out on DVD now from BBC Video, takes great legendary figures and turns them into maudlin soap characters. When the first season came to America, NBC tried it out and the low ratings relegated season two to SyFy where the mediocre can rule.

The second season picks up as Uther Pendragon (Anthony Stewart Head) remains closed-minded to the dangers around him, focusing on eradicating witches and wizards despite growing threats, with “The Witchfinder” being particular ludicrous.  After “Sweet Dreams” and “The Witch’s Quickening” you would have thought Uther would have reconsidered his stand but no, the writers don’t seem to want real character growth or characters to act like real people. Throughout the season, Uther continues to act like a moron most of the time, with touching scenes here and there to attempt to round him out. When he reveals he is actually Morgana’s father, it’s done so badly; she overhears and has new cause to hate him. That Morgana (Katie McGrath) has powers does not seem to change his mind and he is blind to Merlin’s own abilities. He’s further blind to the notion that Arthur has fallen in love with Gwen (Angel Coulby) despite the gap in their status. Instead, he’s a writer’s pawn acting like a bastard because it suits them.

Merlin (Colin Morgan), keeping his magical abilities a secret, continues his education under Gaius’ (Richard Wilson) watchful eye. His heavy burden weighs on him throughout the season and he struggles with it, which is about the only character growth we get until the final episode, “The Last Dragonlord”: where he reunites with his father and gains yet another burden. Until he can truly be a court magician, he will continue to appear like a whiny boy.

Instead, the most interesting character development in season two is with Morgana, who comes into her own power after letting her occult abilities bubble near the surface since the earliest episodes. As she learns her true origins and nature, she acts out, angered at those who hid the truth from her and finds herself at odds with Arthur (Bradley James) and Merlin, who had only shown her friendship and support. And Arthur continues to struggle in the shadow of his father, recognizing how cruel he can be. Instead, thanks to Merlin and Gwen, he is displaying a conscience that should make him an excellent king, if he can ever get over his own self-doubt.

All the foreshadowing about the adult roles we know them to play is rich material but the writing rarely lives up to potential. Instead, everyone is flat with little subtlety or surprise. All too often people are enchanted or tricked or misdirected to believe things that beggar the imagination. As a result, the season meanders without much to recommend it.

The five disc set comes complete with a lengthy Behind the Scenes look at the show plus The Making of Merlin, which focuses more on the character. The cast and crew offer up introductions plus there are commentaries but none of the usual deleted scenes or gag reels. You do get a photo gallery and wallpapers. Still, this is a disappointing show that has limped through to a fourth season (the third debuts this week on SyFy).

ComicMMX: 2010 in Review

  • News
  • December 31, 2010

So, that’s it for 2010. And what have we learned tonight, Craig?

Digital is coming, hard and fast. Comixology just announced (via press release) that at the moment there are more than five thousand comics in its store, and that that application has been downloaded over one million times from iTunes. You know what they aren’t saying? How many comics they’re actually selling. Heck, it’d be interesting to find out how many comics they’ve been giving away for free.

We do have some industry numbers: while graphic novel sales fell an estimated 20%, digital comics sales increased over 1000%. And it’s not just comics, either; Amazon announced that the Kindle has now outsold Harry Potter at their site– best guesses say they’ve sold 5.4 million to date. Barnes & Noble has announced that the Nook line of eReaders has become the company’s biggest bestseller ever in almost 40 years. And the iPad was the most wished for and most given (in dollar volume) Christmas gift this year, adding to a total of over 10 million sold in less than a year since its debut.

Archie’s polyamorous. Betty, Veronica, and Valerie? Daaaaaaaamn.

It seems there’s actually  a price point at which the fan base will say, en masse, “Holy cow, that’s just too expensive for me to buy.” DC says that’s $3.99. Marvel says that’s for DC Comics, their readers will gladly pay $3.99. We’ll see.

We all wondered what would happen when the best selling comics dipped below 100,000 a month. Now we’re wondering what will happen when the best selling comics dip below 50,000, the industry-leading Life With Archie magazine notwithstanding.

That’s the story of the year. Life With Archie goes magazine-sized, gets distributed to WalMart and Toys R Us and Target and such,and rapidly becomes the best-selling comic in America!

We also used to wonder when the manga boom would end or the market would become oversaturated. That would be “2010.”

DC President Paul Levitz may be too young to retire, even after having been in the industry for four decades. But he only quit his day job, as the legion of Legion readers are gladly aware.

America still loves zombies. We guess they’re deathless.

Nothing, apparently, can kill Batman – short of Joel Schumacher, of course. Nevertheless, he feels he now needs backups of himself all over the world.

Conventions are still going strong, and can make a huge impact. NYCC is hitting San Diego attendance numbers of three years ago, and Chicago’s one year-old C2E2 is hitting numbers of NYCC two years ago.

If superhero themed porno movies is all the rage, how come no one’s made one for Iron Man? You would think it’s just waaaay too easy to do. And let’s not even get started on Captain Hammer. Heck, Nathan Fillion might even reprise the role himself– <a target=”_blank” href=”

done porn before. Kinda.

What’s the biggest story of 2011? Ha! Watch this space.

What about you? What do you think were the big stories of 2010 in comics?

INTERVIEW WITH ‘WEEK IN HELL’ AUTHOR J. WALT LAYNE!

  • News
  • December 31, 2010
J WALT LAYNE-Author
 
AP: Thanks for being with us! Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became a writer?
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JWL: First thank you for the review and the interview. It is difficult for the novice to learn marketing and you guys are great to work with.
Y’know everyone says they started writing as a kid, and I know that’s true for me. I started telling and then writing stories as soon as I could hold a pencil. I learned to read and to write very early, and was reading a lot of classic literature late in elementary school. I used to drive my English teacher crazy with this very literary stuff when all she wanted was a theme about my weekend adventures. I wrote my first screenplay in Sixth grade, it was an episode of The A Team, it was terrible… Through High School I wrote a lot of Sci-Fi and combat stuff, war fiction and the super soldier stuff was big in the late 1980s. I didn’t write much when I was in the Army, but I did put on a lot of mileage.
By maybe 1999 or 2000 I was looking at taking it to the next level but I wasn’t quite sure what that was… I was writing a lot of very over the top stuff, but you don’t really know how to write anything beyond a few thousand words until you do it. My first real book project was an editing and rewriting gig with an old friend who was into mythos fiction. After that I was cranking out a lot of flash fictions and short stories over at www.zoetrope.com. It was one of those flash fiction contests that prompted my first novel.

AP: Who were some of the early influences on your writing style?

JWL: Good question, because I believe in a lot of ways you are what you read. I wasn’t allowed to play sports as a kid, so I spent a lot of time in my books and in my head. I read everybody from Judy Blume to Emile Zola. I loved comics, particularly horror and detective stuff. I read my way through Burroughs, Tarzan was my favorite. Robert Heinlein was and is a favorite, matter of fact I’m reading Glory Road right now. I discovered pulp in a box of comics and detective magazines bought for a dollar at a garage sale in the mid 1980s. It was racy stuff compared to David Copperfield. I still remember reading Paul Cain’s One, Two, Three for the first time. Wow.

When you’re a kid though, there’s a certain pressure to have an eye on what’s popular at the time, even if you’re not particularly concerned, and so I got into the fictional accounts and history of the Vietnam War. I read Platoon, Hamburger Hill, and Deadly Green, but the one that hit me hardest and still resonates is Body Count, by William Turner Huggett. He was writing a contemporary, gritty, war novel, but it was graphic in both its language, and depiction. He was a year out of Vietnam when he wrote it, the war hadn’t sat on his shelf long enough to mellow and age. In the service I read a ton of biographies about military people, all the bigger than life generals anyhow.
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In the last 10 years or so it has been a mixed bag, Spider Robinson, pulp anthologies, Becky Benston, Bobby Nash, and the dystopian stuff like Fahrenheit 451.

AP: Your first book, Frank Testimony, was released in 2006. Can you tell us a bit about what it’s about and how readers can get ahold of it?

JWL: Frank Testimony is a legal thriller set in 1950s Mississippi. I didn’t even know that book was inside me until it sort of exploded. It was about this time (December 29, 2005) when I was gearing up for the weekly flash over at Zoetrope. As it turned out there was no regular contest because of the holiday weekend. Another regular poster who hosted a site called The Redrum Tavern, posted a prompt, ‘Death’. The very second I started writing I knew something was up because it was just pouring out on the page. 40 days and 144,000 words later I had something that I had a sense was very special, to me at least. It wasn’t until I started getting reader feedback that I realized that I’d turned a corner as a writer.

Frank Testimony is the story of jealousy gone bad. Frank Burchill is implicated in the murders of his would be sweetheart Mae Whitaker and her father. If it was up to Sheriff Cobb, the prosecutor and other good ol’ boys Frank would have a one way ticket to the gas chamber. But Judge Hull smells a rat, a big one named Bobby Lee Russell who is almost genealogically predisposed to criminal mischief, Klan violence, and just being generally hateful and nasty.
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It is a big story, big characters, with a pretty good recipe for pulled pork and gatorbacks. Available at www.createspace.com/3352654

AP: A Week in Hell is your newest release and is the first in the Champion City series. What led to the development of this novel and how will future books carry the story forward?

JWL: Spade, Marlowe, and Hammer are all detectives in big cities, Gothams, Metropolises, everyone knows those places are dens of scum. Thurman Dicke is a big Slavic/German cop in a dying Midwestern blue collar city. Champion City is a big bowl of the low parts of Americana. It has a Tammany-esque political machine, restrictive ethnicity in neighborhoods, both Irish and Italian organized crime, dying industry, and dirty business. There are varying degrees of justice and as the top cop says: There’s a right way, a wrong way and the CCPD way.

The series will chronicle Thurman’s rise to glory, his fall from grace, and his redemption. Thurman won’t always be a beat cop, he won’t always work for CCPD, and there will be points when his white hat turns a very dark gray. He’s a bigger than life guy, and thus his highs are higher and his lows will be catastrophic. He isn’t a one man army, but he does what he has to do to get things done. I hesitate to say that each book builds on the last building up steam for the big finish, but the last book is already written, not set in stone… But I pretty well have it.

AP: The language and situations in A Week in Hell are pretty mature — was there ever a point when you were writing the story where you felt you were pushing the envelope too far?

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JWL: It is a bit more than edgy. I count the book as a victory, but in the future my narrative can be accomplished with much more ferocity with less explicit display. I don’t think it oversteps its bounds much more than any of the so called Neo-Pulp, but I’m trying to do something more traditional that loosing a hedonistic gorilla on an idyllic hamlet. The masters of the style got it there without the use of such devices and I should endeavor to do so.

AP: What do you think about the modern pulp revival? What role do you think the hardboiled genre has to play in its resurgence?

JWL: I think it’s about time. There was so much great stuff written that laid the ground work for people who are writing now. I think the best stuff is yet to come, and there’s some guy or gal out there writing right now, something that will get passed on by a big house that will turn the pulp community on its ear, just like pulp did to so called polite society 70 years ago.

I think that when a lot of people think of pulp they think of the hardboiled genre. They don’t consider that it was ever about Heroes, Villains, or Characters other than those considered on the fringe. I guess I fall in that camp also because I equate the hardboiled style to a language and landscape painted in shades of noir with the good guys and the bad guys being varying shades of gray, and evil being true black.
I think that hardboiled stories are going to be an introduction to pulp for a lot of people. A resurgence or renaissance of traditional pulp is a great thing, and opened the genre for a brand new generation of readers and writers, ushering in a new era. I think that there are also some negatives, depraved things that masquerade as pulp that aren’t are where warning labels and censorship will come into play.

AP: What’s next for you?

JWL: Rewriting and editing the second book in the Champion City Series. Then I have a WWII story that I am very interested in, that came to me first as an April Fools shaggy dog in a small town newspaper. I’m a history nerd, and the story of Operation Pastorius is an excellent foil for plausible deniability, gets good mileage for the war effort, and makes great conspiracy… Fiction with firm foundations in real history make for very gripping stories…
There’s also an opportunity to write another pulp horror story. A hardboiled mythos thing. Not sure of a lot of detail about that at this point its still written ona napkin with a coffee ring…

AP: If readers want to find out more about you and your work, where can they do so?

JWL:I’m easy to find, Author J Walt Layne on facebook. I’m being pushed to relaunch my blog at www.championcityontheweb.blogspot.com but I don’t know that I have enough going on to devote an entire blog to it.

ALL NEW BOOK CAVE-WRAPPING UP THE YEAR WITH RIC AND ART!

  • News
  • December 30, 2010

END OF THE YEAR WRAP UP ON THE BOOK CAVE

ALL PULP’S OFFICIAL PODCAST!!!!

12/30/10 ON THE BOOK CAVE!! The Book Cave Episode 107:The End of the Year
Check out ALL PULP’S official podcast, THE BOOK CAVE here-
http://thebookcave.libsyn.com/

Ric and Art review and wrap up 2010 with their thoughts, reviews, and comments on a year of THE BOOK CAVE!

Next week..and next year-The Book Cave goes to Mars!!

Review: ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’

The original [[[Wall Street]]] was a reflection of the times, showing how enticing working in the financial sector can be and how the huge sums of money involved can blind people to depths they will sink to chase it. It was a story about seduction and about family. That it came out when the markets were in the headlines gave it additional strength coupled with Michael Dogulas’ winning performance as Gordon Gecko. His “Greed is Good” was the most overused catchphrase in America until “Show me the Money.”

The sequel was almost demanded by the public because they needed some way to better grasp the enormity of the financial market meltdown that began in 2008. Director Oliver Stone was only too happy to respond. Revisiting the former lion of Wall Street in a new era would have made for a fascinating character portrait.

Unfortunately, the sequel, [[[Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps]]], doesn’t know what it wants to be. In some ways, its a repeat of the original as Gordon Gecko once more seduces a hungry, nave trader, this time played by Shia LeBeouf. In other ways, its a story of second chances as Gecko watches the situation that he prophecised and hungers to get back in the game and the choices he makes to accomplish the goal. It’s also a semi-documentary, retelling the Goldman Sachs story, but the message is clouded over with all the other storylines, notably Susan Sarandon as Shia’s mom, a nurse turned real estate speculator who is in over her head. While it reflects a true issue of the times, it doesn’t add anything and actually detracts from the core storyline.

The movie is packed with characters and events and threads but the film doesn’t mesmerize as the first did. Instead, it plods along and feels overlong, making one thankful for the scenes Stone did delete. Screenwriters Alan Loeb and Stephen Schiff needed to decide who to focus on and what was important rather than give us too much. Was it a story of family? Redemption? Second chances? Revenge? We got some of all those themes without feeling it was really about any of them.

Douglas is a welcome treat any time on the screen and he makes Gecko a far more sympathetic figure showing that eight years in prison really did change him. His efforts to reconnect with his daughter Winnie are strong. Played by Carey Mulligan, Winnie is also strong but can’t see that she has fallen for Jake (LaBeouf), too closely resembling her father. Emotionally hardened, Mulligan lets the shell crack bit by bit out of love for Jake and eventually her father. But she remains fiercely independent throughout but needed to have more of a point of view, rather than drift through the story. Josh Brolin is the real bad guy this time and he does a fine job, giving us someone to hiss and pin our personal economic misery on.

Overall, the story needed to be tighter and it needed to avoid repeating threads from the first film. Still, the Blu-ray, now out from 20th Century Home Entertainment, makes for an entertaining way of spending a cold winter’s night.

The blu-ray comes with a variety of extras that you won’t find on the standard DVD. As usual, Oliver Stone provides a fact-filled commentary track that is informative and enjoyable. Stone also conducts a roundtable chat with his cast so hearing the actors hold forth on the complexities of finance seems unnecessary. More fascinating is the 50 minute “Money, Money, Money: The Rise and Fall of Wall Street” feature that is a solid documentary on how the film reflects what really happened and touches on how business and Hollywood intersect. The Fox Movie Channel offers up five mini featurettes that can be skipped. As mentioned earlier, there are  15 deleted/extended scenes, none of which are missed from the final cut. Stone’s commentary here, though, nicely explains his choices.

Overall, the movie helps crystallize the issues we’re still grappling with and is better than one had feared but it still should have been better. The disc’s extras help provide valuable information but you really need to be a serious fan of the material to own this.

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