Monday Mix-Up: “How I Met Your Mother” meets “Star Wars”
In honor of the series finale, not because JJ Abrams is planning this. We think.
Tagged: Star Wars
Green Lantern: The Complete Animated Series Due March 18
Warner Archive Collection continues to treat fans to Blu-ray™ releases of popular animated television with Green Lantern: The Comlete Animated Series coming March 18. The complete 26-episode series – on Blu-ray™ to best display the series’ stunning CG artistry – is now available for pre-order via Amazon.
Green Lantern: The Complete Animated Series is Warner Bros. Animation’s latest take on the intergalactic missions of Hal Jordan and his comrades in the Green Lantern Corps. Beautifully rendered on a breathtaking scale, Green Lantern: The Complete Animated Series is Warner Bros. Animation’s first completely CG-animated series.
Josh Keaton leads the way as the voice of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, alongside voice-acting stars Kevin Michael Richardson (as Kilowog), Grey DeLisle (as Aya) and Jason Spisak (as Razer). The stellar guest cast includes Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld), Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show, Resurrection), Phil Morris (Smallville), Brian George (Seinfeld) and many more.
Executive produced by Sam Register (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Ben 10), and Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), Green Lantern: The Complete Animated Series is produced by Giancarlo Volpe (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jim Krieg (Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox).
In addition to Blu-ray releases of Beware the Batman and the upcoming Green Lantern: The Complete Animated Series, Warner Archive Collection (WAC) has also recently distributed a DVD collection of Marine Boy, Season 2. WAC is also set to distribute The Jetsons: The Complete Third Season on DVD later this spring.
Read Every Issue of Starlog for Free
The complete run of Starlog magazine has been scanned and made available over at archive.org. For those unfamiliar with the publication, it began life as a one-shot magazine about Star Trek. After art directors Kerry O’Quinn and Norman Jacobs were left high and dry by the publisher, they took all the existing material and decided to turn it into a magazine celebrating all science fiction on television and film. O’Quinn reached out to his friend David Houston to edit the new publication, dubbed Starlog and it debuted in the first half of 1976.
At the time, other publications covering the field appeared infrequently or failed to gain newsstand distribution in sufficient numbers to thrive. These included The Monster Times, Castle of Frankenstein, and Cinefantastique. Covering only aspects of science fiction was Warren Publications’ Famous Monsters of Filmland so there was a niche to be filled.
Starlog’s approach was to mix episode guides with news and features, interviews and columns covering books to conventions. Houston set the tone and handed off the reins to Howard Zimmerman as sales figures showed increases so the mag went quickly to a monthly schedule. As a result, there was an audience in place a year later when 2th Century Fox’s latest offering, Star Wars, opened in May 1977. The issue sold out and the magazine’s place in the hearts and minds of fans was cemented.
Much as Star Wars ignited a new round of SF on film and the small screen, Starlog’s arrival signaled a new round of magazines, both domestic and international, to cover the genre. Over the course of its life, Starlog presented fans with their first looks at upcoming events and studios used it to tease fans. As a result, they were the first to have images from Paramount Pictures’ first Star Trek feature film and again were the first show off designs for the Enterprise-D.
Its success led to other titles such as Cinemagic for budding filmmakers and Future Life for those who liked hard science with their daily dose of fiction. The most successful of the new launches was 1979’s arrival of Fangoria which dared to go deeper in its coverage of horror and gore than FMOM. They were the first nationally distributed newsstand title to cover comic books, comic strips, and animation with Comics Scene. Starlog Press also developed a thriving back issue and mail order business along with guidebooks and other one-shots.
The company became a launching pad for many writers and artists as Ed Naha went to Hollywood where he cowrote Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; and DC Comics became the next destination for editors Robert Greenberger, Eddie Berganza, Mike McAvennie, and Maureen McTigue.
After Zimmerman stepped down as editor, Dave McDonnell, who joined staff in 1983, took over and ran with the title through good times and bad until the company was sold off and the print edition shut down. He gamely ran a web-based version of the title until that too was closed. The digital archive is a treasure trove of things that never were, columnists whose opinions stirred up sharp debate, and ran deep interviews that went beyond the basics. It never evolved with changing times and technology thanks to short-sighted business decisions so spinoffs such as a radio program, retail store chain, and branded direct-to-video films died aborning.
The magazine ha been rediscovered by fans through John ZIpper’s Weimar World Service which recently did an issue by issue blog.
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Star Wars Anime
Just remember, no matter how bad Droids and Ewoks were, it could have been much much much worse.
Thor: The Dark World Comes to DVD on February 25
Synopsis: Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World continues the big screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Cast: Chris Hemsworth (Marvel’s Thor, Marvel’s The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman) as Thor, Natalie Portman (Marvel’s Thor, Black Swan, Star Wars Episodes I-III) as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston (Marvel’s Thor, Marvel’s The Avengers, War Horse) as Loki and Anthony Hopkins (Thor, Silence of the Lambs, Nixon) as Odin.
Director: Alan Taylor (TV’s Game of Thrones, TV’s The Sopranos, TV’s Mad Men)
Screenplay: Christopher L. Yost (Revolutionary Road, Snitch)
Christopher Markus (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)
Stephen McFeely (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)
Story by: Don Payne
Robert Rodat
Producer: Kevin Feige, p.g.a. (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Iron Man Franchise)
Executive Producers: Louis D’Esposito (Basic Instinct, Marvel’s Iron Man, Marvel’s The Avengers)
Victoria Alonso (Marvel’s Iron Man, Marvel’s The Avengers, Big Fish)
Craig Kyle (X-Men: Evolution, Ultimate Avengers, Iron Man: Armored Adventures)
Alan Fine (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Iron Man, Marvel’s Thor)
Nigel Gostelow (Batman Begins, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Da Vinci Code)
Stan Lee (Marvel’s Iron Man, Spider-Man, Marvel’s Thor)
Release Date: February 4, 2014 for Digital 3D (Select Retailers) and Digital HD
February 25, 2014 (Direct Pre-book: TBC; Distributor Pre-book: TBC)
Bonus Features:
(3D Combo Pack, BD, DVD & Select Digital Retailers)
· Never-Before-Seen Extended and Deleted Scenes
· Gag Reel
· Exclusive Look – Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier
o Get an exclusive first look at the latest installment in the Captain America franchise and its incredible cast of characters, including Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury, Chris Evans, our hero Steve Roger’s, his new ally Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon played by Anthony Mackie, and a mysterious enemy from the past…the Winter Soldier played by Sebastian Stan.
· A Brothers’ Journey: Thor & Loki
o In this 30 min feturette go behind the scenes with filmmakers and cast as we explore two of the most iconic characters in the Marvel Universe with stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) & Tom Hiddleston (Loki), and journey through the key moments that have defined and endeared these characters to audiences around the world.
· Scoring Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World with Brian Tyler
o Go behind the scenes with the filmmakers and acclaimed composer Brian Tyler for a look at the creation of the movie’s stunning original score.
· Audio Commentary with Director Alan Taylor, Producer Kevin Feige, Actor Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau
· And More…
Ratings: PG-13
Feature Run Time: 1 hrs. 51 min. 53 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Languages: English, French & Spanish
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
Mike Gold: Comic Books Take A Hike!
It was a small notice in one of the media newsletters, a pick-up from Publisher’s Weekly: Marvel Halts Sales of Periodical Comics in Bookstores.
According to Media Bistro, “Marvel has ended sales of print single-issue periodical comics through trade bookstore channels. This will not affect the sales of book format graphic novels through those retailers. Several earlier accounts reported that Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble were dropping single-issue comics. According to Barnes & Noble spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating, the removal of single-issue comics from B&N and other book stores is Marvel’s decision.”
This is not the end of an era. It’s the final death throes of an ancient era, a time of candy stores, corner drug stores, newsstands and newspaper wuxtras.
And that’s okay by me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love print. I love those 32-page pamphlets. I enjoy going to the magazine racks at Barnes and Noble. But let’s note that the decision to pull the pamphlets from the two largest American bookstore chains was Marvel’s, not the retailers’. And Marvel is simply being realistic.
Newsstand sales, as opposed to direct sales to comics shops, sell only about one-quarter of the number of copies sent to the newsstands, on average. Or, to put this in more political terms (I am what I am), for every four trees chopped down for newsstand comics, only one gets turned into stuff people actually pay to read. And the publisher has to ship these books and may have to accept returns (that’s a long story; trust me). That’s a hell of a lot of oil being wasted.
And for what? Clearly, the publisher isn’t making much (if anything) off of newsstand sales. The news dealer isn’t making very much, and policing comics racks is work-intensive. Better that such material is sold as e-comics, which carry a carbon footprint of a baby oompa loompa, and in anthologies.
Yes, there’s a loss-leader argument, but it’s very dated. The argument goes “New readers and people who don’t live near comic book stores can discover the thrill of comics by stumbling across them at Barnes and Nobles.” Fine, except that most newsstand comics are from Marvel and DC, and both companies are completely obsessed with “event” (read: stunt) marketing that require a reader to buy dozens of comics in order to understand the epic story… and some of those issues often are sold only via direct sales. So there is no jumping-on point for newbies.
Mind you, I could be wrong but I don’t see Archie, Dark Horse, and other publishers that are not OCD-compliant exiting the market as fast. They have high visibility books, often with impressive pedigrees such as Star Wars. But the economics of comics publishing are such that I can’t see them holding on to returnable sales to general newsstands.
I see Marvel pulling out of traditional bookstores as the logical thing to do. It’s probably the harbinger of things to come.
Of course, the way these guys have been doing the past couple of years, it’s pretty easy to see Barnes and Nobles and Books-A-Million going the way of Borders, Dalton’s, and Brentano’s. That’s a major shame, but it’s a shame of a different color.
So if you’re dependent upon one of these outlets for your comics fix, go buy an iPad. It’ll be around a lot longer, and you won’t strain your back lifting long-boxes.
Oh, yeah. And Happy, Brave New Year.
THURSDAY MORNING: Dennis O’Neil
THURSDAY AFTERNOON: The Tweeks
FRIDAY MORNING: Martha Thomases
John Ostrander: Five Things You Need To Get Your Reader’s Attention
The toughest part of the story, inevitably, is the beginning. How do you get the narrative ball rolling? How do you get somebody’s attention so that they want, maybe need, to hear what happens next?
GUEST ESSAY BY AUTHOR MICHAEL A. GONZALES-B-BOYS, PULP CULTURE, AND BLACK PULP!
On B-Boys and Pulp Culture:
Black Pulp edited by Gary Phillips and Tommy Hancock
by Michael A. Gonzales
 |
| Michael A. Gonzales |
Planet Hip-Hop has always overflowed with folks into various forms of
pulp culture. Over the years, I’ve interviewed many rap artists and
producers who shared their love for Star Wars, crime movies, karate
flicks and the novels of Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines. Still, I was
surprised when Queensbridge legend Nas told me in 1999 that he had
once created a Black Pulp hero when he was a kid.
“I used to used to draw my own character called Sea God,” Nas told me.
“I copied the body of Conan the Barbarian, but had him standing on the
corner instead of in the forest.” Without a doubt, I’m sure Nas isn’t
the only one with a stash of drawings and/or writings detailing the
bugged adventures of urban champions.
Last year, when respected crime novelist/comic book writer Gary
Phillips invited me to contribute a short story to his latest project
Black Pulp (Pro Se, 2013), co-edited with Tommy Hancock, I immediately
thought of that long ago conversation with Nas and decided I too
wanted to create a hood hero.
Leaning back in my office chair, I closed my eyes and thought of my
own pulp filled childhood growing-up in Harlem: of listening to old
Shadow radio programs that were released on records, watching
blaxploitation and kung-fu flicks every weekend, devouring the
Marshall Rodgers/Steve Englehart’s version of Batman, discovering the
weird worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard, watching
Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon serials on PBS and falling in love with the
work of pulp artist supreme Howard Chaykin, the dude George Lucas
requested to illustrate the first Star Wars comic book.
After an hour of drifting on those dusty memories, quicker than I
could say, “Batman and Robin, Green Hornet and Kato or Easy Rawlins
and Mouse,” my own pulp heroes Jaguar and Shep were born. The lead
character Coltrane (Jaguar) Jones owns a Harlem rap club called the
Bassment and drives through Harlem cool as Super Fly in a fly sports
car. His murderous friend Shep, who just got out of prison, becomes
his badass sidekick as the two self-appointed crime fighters go in
search of a music minded kidnapper.
Although I’ve never been big on constructing strict outlines for
fiction, I knew that I wanted the period to be 1988, the last year
Mayor Koch was in office. Crack was at its height, Public Enemy’s
brilliant It Takes a Nation of Millions was rockin’ the boulevards,
Dapper Dan was creating his bugged designer fashions and New York City
was still on the verge exploding.
Recalling Fab 5 Freddy, who also appears in the story, telling me
about the jazz/hip-hop shows he did with Max Roach at the Mudd Club in
the 1980s, the finished story told the tale of a be-bop lover trying
to rid b-boys and their music from the streets of Sugar Hill.
While working on the story, I consulted with my good friend Robert
(Bob) Morales, himself an accomplished comic book writer, co-creator
of the black Captain America graphic novel The Truth and a pulp
culture aficionado. Although he was working on a graphic novel about
Orson Welles at the time, he always found the time to talk. Once, when
I thought the Paul Pope/John Carpenter-Escape from New York inspired
climax might be too crazy, Bob reminded me, “It’s a pulp story…there’s
no such thing as too wild.”
So, after several weeks of calling Bob, sometimes a few times a day,
and writing, “Jaguar and the Jungleland Boogie” was finally finished.
Sadly, Bob Morales died suddenly on April 17, so I’d like to dedicate
the story to him.
In addition to my b-boy/be-bop tale, Black Pulp has a cool line-up of
creators of color that include famed novelist Walter Mosley, who
penned the introduction, Gar Anthony Heywood, Christopher Chambers,
Kimberly Richardson, Mel Odom and others.
Black Pulp: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1484135717
Walter Mosley introduction:
John Ostrander: Improving On The Legends
There’s a constant desire these days, it appears, to try to improve on existing works. That’s not a bad idea except when it is a bad idea. A good character, a good concept, that’s been around for a while needs to have the barnacles taken off every so often to make it fresh and work better. Movies adapted from comics have to take a good look at the source material and then tweak and change it to make it work for the big/small screen.
For me, the problem comes when the concept is changed willy-nilly until you can no longer recognize it. When J.J. Abrams re-booted the Star Trek franchise a few years back, I was dubious but I genuinely enjoyed the result (as of this writing, I haven’t seen the sequel). I can understand many hardcore Trek fans not sharing my enthusiasm. For them, Abrams wandered too far from the zeitgeist of Star Trek. I think it was nephew Bill who said to me, “I love Star Wars. But if I wanted to watch Star Wars, I’d watch Star Wars. This is Star Trek.” (He’ll get his opportunity to see an Abrams Star Wars film in the future, if he’s so inclined.)
We see it all the time in comics. Characters are re-imagined on a constant basis. The only constant is change, it would seem. Change for the sake of change, however, is not always a good plan.
I’ve been as guilty of it as the next writer. Years ago, Marvel approached me with coming up with a new pitch for The Punisher. The fans had gotten burned out with the multitude of Punisher titles and the concept was moribund.
I’ll be honest; I wasn’t much of a Punisher fan. I felt he was one-dimensional and Frank Castle had wiped out enough Mafiosi over the years to populate a small city. I told them I’d try to come up with something and what I came up with was – Castle joins a Mafia family. I thought they’d never go for it, but they did.
Different? You bet. Wrong? Yup. Did the readers buy it? Nope. It wasn’t The Punisher. I had wandered off the essential concept.
I wasn’t on the book all that long (18 issues) and, late in the run, the concept of Castle switching sides was dropped and we played a different game – Castle, as a result of an explosion, had lost his memory. He didn’t know he was the Punisher, he couldn’t remember his family being killed, but he still had the same skills, the same instincts. Frank Castle was still The Punisher although he didn’t know it. This worked better but the series was cancelled before we could get too far; in fact, we wound it up in Heroes For Hire that I was scripting at the time. Perhaps if we had gone with the amnesia angle from the start, it might have worked better.
A revamp or a remake works if you can define what makes a given character to be that character. You want to get down to the basics, not ignore them. For example, we’ve seen in recent years three different versions of Sherlock Holmes, two set in modern times. They all work more or less because they all keep key elements of the concept.
Sometimes a revamp can be quite radical. Late in my run on GrimJack, I booted the character down his own timeline and into a new body, a new persona and a whole new supporting cast. His soul was the same but it gave me, and the reader, a chance to look at the character with fresh eyes. To my mind, it stayed true to the concept of the character and the location.
My rule of thumb: if you look at a character after a revamp and you could simply give the character another name, then you’ve wandered off the concept. So long as you remain true to the basic ideas that makes a given character unique until him/herself, then it doesn’t matter how radical their evolution. First, they have to be true to themselves.
MONDAY MORNING: Mindy Newell
TUESDAY MORNING: Emily S. Whitten
