The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Ed Catto: Robert Loren Fleming’s Thrill Ride, Part 1

In the 80s, DC comics woke up the comics industry with Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and The Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons. Fans and retailers were anxiously awaiting the next big thing. Thriller, the comic that you couldn’t read fast enough, was supposed to be that next big thing. Management was excited about this fresh title. The DC marketing department got behind it and sent the writer on the road with a presentation. Distributors got behind the first issues. Comic shop retailers aggressively ordered the first issue.

And then…it wilted. Thriller wasn’t the next big thing. It doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of great things about the series. There certainly were. In the recent issue of Back Issue magazine, I looked at Thriller and the tumultuous backstory. As a fan, I always liked the early issues of the series, and now, understanding the backstage drama, I love it, and respect it, even more.

Series co-creator and writer Robert Loren Fleming wasn’t able to fully participate in that article. Since it’s publication, there’s been a resurgence of interest in Thriller. And now, I’ve finally caught up with Robert Loren Fleming. So, as podcaster Karina Longworth always says: “Join us, won’t you?”… for an extended look from at the tragedy of DC Comic Lost Classic Thriller.

Breaking into Comics

Robert Loren Fleming loved comics and was determined to break into the industry with his secret plan. It was the early 80s and he had started at DC as a proofreader. He loved working for the company and being a part of the industry. But he was impatient to become a comics writer. He eventually did and scripted favorites like the Flash and Ambush Bug. But it wasn’t easy to crack the code at DC comics.

“I found out pretty quickly it was kind of a closed shop – pretty hard to break in as a writer,” said Fleming. “It was really difficult to get a story sold.”

The legendary Julie Schwartz even had some advice for Fleming when he was pitching Superman ideas. “Julie told me to go home and not to think about any ideas. He told me twice, in case I missed it,” recalls Fleming with a chuckle.

Upon reflection, Fleming realizes it was a kind of a hazing ritual. If you weren’t tough enough to get through it, you weren’t tough enough to be a writer at DC Comics.

At that time there was an unwritten career path for young writers at DC. And as a proofreader, he was, more or less, on that long track. Aspiring writers would work on the corporate side for a while. Eventually, they’d be given their start with short story assignments for anthology comics. Writing assignments for the company’s prestigious superhero comics wouldn’t be offered for quite some time. If you showed talent and professionalism, you’d be awarded bigger assignments.

His Sneaky Plan

Fleming reasoned that the only way to break into quickly was “to come up with my own personal story and a big idea that it would be so good they have to take it.”

An idea was percolating in Fleming’s head for a new series that would showcase some of the things he loved: pulp adventures, an ensemble cast and a science fiction adventure that would shift away from the traditional superhero stories, dominating the market at that time.

“When I finished it, I took it to four or five editors. They wouldn’t even look at it.” Clearly, Fleming hadn’t yet paid his dues by working on smaller projects first. Looking back, Fleming realizes his secret plan was fueled by the audacity and courage that comes with youth.

He presented his idea to the top guy. “So I took it into Dick Giordano. <This was> jumping the chain of command,” said Fleming. Editor-in-Chief Giordano had no problem with Fleming bringing it directly to him. “He read the thing and 15 minutes later he bought it. Paul Levitz read it a few days later – he signed off too.”

Partnership with TVE

Levitz suggested that a young artist named Trevor Von Eeden be assigned to the series. At that time, the Marvel series Master of Kung Fu, by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy, was a big influence on Fleming. Fleming loved that series’ ensemble cast, the espionage themes and the casting of real people as comic characters. In fact, of the characters in his proposed Thriller series, Quo, was essentially Bruce Lee.

When Levitz showed Fleming the recent Batman Annual by Von Eeden, Fleming could see all of the elements he loved in Master of Kung Fu in the artist’s work. Fleming knew Von Eeden’s style would be perfect for Thriller.

Bucking the System

One of the things Fleming didn’t realize – no up-and-coming young buck ever does – is that you don’t gain a lot of allies internally by jumping over the established system. The editors at that time were not amused.

“It created a strong reaction against me,” said Fleming. “A very negative reaction. One of them (an editor) came out and said to Dick, ‘You’re not going to let Fleming write it, are you?’”

It got worse. The editors conspired to see Flemings non-traditional idea and audacious career tactic fail. They put a number of obstacles in the way of Thriller.

Off Target with The Green Arrow

One obstacle, in particular, was the Green Arrow. At that time, Green Arrow was one of the characters who was always a bridesmaid but never a bride. He was a supporting player in the Justice League of America, a co-star in the groundbreaking Green Lantern – Green Arrow series and a staple of backup stories. He was finally getting the go-ahead to headline a comic with a four issue mini-series, written by Mike W. Barr.

Fleming recalls that Trevor Von Eeden was assigned as the series artist, specifically to keep Von Eeden busy. He’s too busy working on this Green Arrow series. The idea was that he’d be so consumed with this miniseries, and it would take so long for him to draw, that the young artist would lose his passion for Thriller.

But that did not happen. This Green Arrow mini-series looked phenomenal. Von Eeden delivered work that was fresh and exciting. One would think that he spent an inordinate amount of time on it. In reality, Fleming explains, the opposite was true.

Unbelievably, Trevor Von Eden finished all four in an incredibly quick amount of time – something like six or eight weeks. And then both the writer and artist were ready for Thriller.

•     •     •     •     •

Next week we’ll explore more Robert Loren Fleming’s memories and observations about what happens when you actually, against all odds, arrive at the starting line!

Interested in the full article in Back Issue #98? You can snag it here.

20th Unleashes 19 Halloween Classics with New Cover Art

Treat yourself to hours of frightful fun with this exclusive Halloween Collection of 19 thrilling, chilling films with limited-edition art packaging by renowned artist/illustrator Orlando Arocena. Utilizing vibrant colors and a fervent imagination, Arocena’s striking cover art creations add the perfect touch of terror to these haunting horror titles. Choose your favorite Halloween hits, featuring Hollywood’s biggest stars, and start planning a killer movie night that’s sure to be a scream. It’s an eye-popping, spine-tingling collection to die for!

Fans who purchase any of the films at Walmart will also receive an exclusive coloring book featuring all 19 of Arocena’s designs.

Films available in the exclusive Halloween collection include:

  • 28 Days Later
  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
  • Black Swan
  • Carrie (1976)
  • Child’s Play
  • Devil’s Due
  • The Fly (1986)
  • From Hell
  • The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
  • Jeepers Creepers
  • Jennifer’s Body
  • Joy Ride
  • Killer Klowns from Outer Space
  • The Other Side of the Door
  • Poltergeist (2015)
  • The Return of the Living Dead
  • Victor Frankenstein
  • Wrong Turn

Young Frankenstein

John Ostrander: Riding With The King

Last Monday was the 100th birthday of the King o’ Comics, Jack Kirby. The young’uns among you might not know the name (or maybe they do; I try not to be a fuddy-duddy most days) but Kirby was a force unparalleled in the comics medium. If you need a primer, Mike Gold wrote an excellent column about him.

Even if you know Marvel only from the movies, you owe him. Captain America? Jack. The X-Men? Jack. The Black Panther? Jack. The Avengers? Jack. And so on and so forth. And not just at Marvel; King Kirby seemed to be everywhere. And not just superheroes; he did Westerns, monsters, romance. And so on and so forth.

I met him in person exactly once.

The first thing I need to explain is that, before I became a professional writer in comics, I was a bonafide geek. Yeah, I still am.

One of the big thrills when I first started was that at conventions I could meet my heroes as a fellow professional. In theory. Not as a peer; that suggested I was an equal and that was not how I felt.

So – it’s early in my career and I’m working the First Comics booth at the Chicago Comicon along with my wife, Kim Yale. We were the only ones working the booth at that moment. It wasn’t in the main room and we weren’t getting much traffic.

Then this small group of people walk by, talking among themselves, and in the middle of it is Jack Kirby.

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

(Point of historical accuracy: Back some 30 or so years ago when this story takes place, we never said “OMG!,” at least not in the Midwest. I just wanted to convey the impact of the moment in modern terms.)

Kim later said she watched me turn into a 14-year old fanboy complete with zits. I can’t imagine that was pleasant.

In the group, I spotted Julie Schwartz, himself a legend and an icon. There’d be no Silver Age DC without Julie. Possibly no modern comics industry.

I knew Julie a little through Mike Gold so I hiss at him, “Julie! Hey, Julie! Hey!”

Julie spots me and ambles over. “Hey, kid, how ya doin’?”

“Julie! Introduce me to the King!” I plead.

Julie looks at me like I’m demented and maybe, at the moment, I am. “It’s Jack,” he tells me. “Just go over and say hi.”

“No no no no no! I can’t I can’t I can’t! Don’t you see?! He’s the King!” “Hey, Julie! Help a guy out!”

Julie gives me a pitying look and says, “C’mon, kid.”

I walk over to the group with Julie and he does a nice intro of me. The King shakes my hand, says “HiHowareya.” I babble something about what an honor gee you’re my hero blah blah blah. And it’s over. The King and his group move on.

I wish I could say that I never washed that hand again but Kim would have insisted.

I doubt very much that the moment would have stayed with Jack Kirby but it has stayed with me in vivid detail for a couple of decades. Over the past few years, I’ve met some fans who treat me sort of like I treated Jack. (Trust me, gang; I’m not that impressive and I can give you references.) There was only one Jack Kirby and there will ever be only one Jack Kirby and he just turned 100.

Happy birthday, Jack. Long live the King.

American Gods Season 1 Comes to Disc in October

SANTA MONICA, CA – The critically acclaimed Starz fantasy series American Gods” Season One, produced by FremantleMedia North America, arrives on Digital HD October 6 and Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD October 17 from Lionsgate. From writer-producers Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Heroes) and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, American Gods Season One is a visual feast focusing on an ex-convict named Shadow Moon, and his sudden introduction into a power struggle between the Old and New Gods. American Gods Season One stars Ricky Whittle (The 100), Ian McShane (John Wick: Chapter 2, Deadwood), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events), Pablo Schreiber (13 Hours, Orange Is the New Black), Peter Stormare (John Wick: Chapter 2, Fargo), and pop culture icon Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, Hannibal).

When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew. Little does Shadow know, this storm will change the course of his entire life. Left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife, and suddenly hired as Mr. Wednesday’s bodyguard, Shadow finds himself in the center of a world that he struggles to understand. It’s a hidden world where magic is real, where the Old Gods fear both irrelevance and the growing power of the New Gods, like Technology and Media. Mr. Wednesday seeks to build a coalition of Old Gods to defend their existence in this new America, and reclaim some of the influence that they’ve lost. As Shadow travels across the country with Mr. Wednesday, he struggles to accept this new reality, and his place in it.

The home entertainment release of American Gods Season One features over two hours of exclusive extras including “The Road to ‘American Gods’” documentary, six behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary on the premiere and season finale episodes, God Squad Video Commentary, and an opportunity to explore the Crocodile Bar in 360 degrees. “American Gods” Season One will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail price of $39.99 and $34.98, respectively.

BLU-RAY / DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

  • “The Road to ‘American Gods’” Documentary
  • “Title Gods” Featurette
  • “‘American Gods’ Origins” Featurette
  • “Old Gods” Featurette
  • “New Gods” Featurette
  • “What Is ‘American Gods?’” Featurette
  • “Book vs. Show” Featurette
  • God Squad Video Documentary
  • Explore the Crocodile Bar in 360 Degrees with Commentary by Cast and Crew
  • Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew on the Premiere and Finale Episodes

o   Episode 101 with Creators-Writers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green and Director David Slade

o   Episode 101 with Actors Ian McShane and Ricky Whittle

o   Episode 108 God Squad Video with Actors Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley, and Orlando Jones

Marc Alan Fishman: To Boob or Not To Boob

A short one act play, in response to this recent hubbub during the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con.

To boob, or not to boob, that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind of cosplayers to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fans and parents

Or to take arms against a sea of tsk-tsks,

And by opposing, end them.

To diet (to fit in a form-fitting costume) – to sleep on the floor of your con hotel suite –

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That the display of flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d of the fans to see.

For those not playing along, let’s cut to the chase. This past weekend, a cosplay maven – with distinct permission to come in her much-worked-upon Silent Hill cosplay – was jeered and leered at by some in the crowd, and ultimately (and incorrectly) walked back to her hotel room to change.

Per her posting, she had gotten the proper clearances, but miscommunication amongst the staff of the convention center and the con itself led to her removal. To her credit, she took the whole debacle in stride. As she commented in the aforementioned post: she expects some of the reactions she gets in her guise. As is her opinion, the human body can become a work of art; as such, her costume (the effort clearly of many hours of construction and creation) is her craft. If convention attendees find her faux – décolletage to be too much so be it. She clearly takes proper steps to ensure she’s meeting the criteria to cosplay by the rules.

This of course begs us to ask questions. Is she bending the rules to the given extreme? Is a well-produced facsimile of a naked body part – aligned to some measure of a costume – an allowable choice of expression within the confines of a convention? And if you personally find something akin to the display of the naked human body to be unsettling or offensive, are your rights inherently more potent than that of the cosplayer?

Let’s be clear: I’m not a show-runner, and thank Rao for that. What I am though, is a parent. My children, ages five and one, were attending Wizard World Chicago at the same time this particular cosplayer was doing her thing. The cosplay-picture-posing thing… not the being politely escorted away thing. Now, amidst snapping pics and moments with Wolverine, Batman Beyond, Deadpool and the like, my children nor my wife happened to see the naked-esque participant.

But what if they had?

Would I be chiding the choices of a fellow artist? Hardly. As it were, I sincerely agree with her opinion. The human body is not offensive. A nipple or breast out in the air – be it constructed, make-upped, or otherwise displayed – is of no more or less value to me personally than an ankle or an earlobe. If the costume itself requires the display of one’s personal nether-regions (augmented as necessary), and it falls within the rules of the given convention? Let it all hang out!

It mostly comes down to the show-runner. So long as their rules are on display in some fashion, the responsibility will fall on the patrons of the con to choose whether they feel they can enjoy the show or not. For a more family-focused show, perhaps there will be need to be more specific about the display of human flesh. But as with all things: we are all in shared space at a convention. Choosing to air your negative opinion in any way shape or form will always be far more offensive to me than any exposed tit.

As a parent, perhaps I wouldn’t make a choice for my kids to see this particular cosplayer – moreso because she looked genuinely scary – but if they had seen her? So what. My job as a parent isn’t to protect my kids from the world. It’s to help them interpret, understand, and appreciate it.

With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary costume,

But that the dread of something after death –

The undiscover’d titty, from whose bourn

No traveler returns – puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others dress as yet-another-Harley Quinn?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard, their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action. – Soft you now!

The fair Pyramid Head! – Nymph, in thy orisons

Be all my sins rememb’red. Sorry I stared a bit too hard at your cosplay.

Martha Thomases: The Insufferable Inhumans?

Somehow, I seem to have inserted myself onto the Marvel “Friends and Family” list for preview screenings. A few weeks ago I got an advance look at The Defenders in a small screening room with about 25 people. On Monday, I went to an IMAX showing of The Inhumans with an audience of several hundred.

The environment in which I see a film influences the way I feel about it. I love going to screenings because they make me feel cool and sophisticated. The Defenders event was in the morning, with a group that included people I’d known for decades, in comfy chairs with excellent sight lines. The Inhumans was in an enormous theater, with an enormous screen, and hundreds of strangers (although there were some people I knew, including a new friend, an old friend and a really old friend.

Even before the movie started (and, to be fair, it’s not really a movie, just the first two episodes of an ABC television series), the mood was festive and celebratory. My date, ComicMix colleague Joe Corallo and I found our assigned seats and gleefully looked around to see whom we might recognize. Lots of people brought children with them, and they were thrillingly well-behaved. Before the movie started, we sang a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” to Jack Kirby, in celebration of his hundredth. The print was crisp, and the creator credits received applause.

If only I could tell you I liked the show.

I knew nothing about the characters beforehand. I did a little browsing online, and Joe told me a few things (including how great the Paul Jenkins run was). I would imagine that most people who will watch on the ABC television network are similarly ignorant, and the show would allow for that.

It is not good. And it’s not good in a way that makes it seem, to me, to be the anti-X-Men. People with mutant powers are exalted here and given high-status government responsibilities. Those with no powers are sent to work in the mines.

The Inhumans live on our moon, in a city at the border between the light side and the dark side. We first see the king and queen, Black Bolt and Medusa, in bed, where she is using her superpowers (magically manipulating her long hair) to excite him as much as network television allows. These two people are attractive and playful, so I was ready to like them. Also, the actress, who plays Medusa, Serinda Swan, looks like a grown-up version of Ann-Margaret in Pocketful of Miracles, one of my favorite movies.

We see them getting on with their royal responsibilities, as they walk up and down and through the massive castle. First up is a ceremony in which two siblings find out if they have super-powers. It is there that we meet Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus, who we know must be a bad guy because it is the same actor, Iwan Rheon who played Ramsay Bolton on Game of Thrones. Maximus seems to have no powers but is allowed to stay in the royal quarters because his brother is such a softie.

There is lots of back-and-forth travel to Earth, sometimes through a sentient wall and sometimes with a giant bulldog which I think has some kind of fan following (and, hence, anticipation) but which is just a big CGI dog in these first two episodes. There is a royal betrayal, a rebel uprising, and a great escape. Each character gets a chance to use his or her powers, sometimes to great effect, sometimes just because, I assume, Jim Shooter said every character must use powers within the three pages back when he was editor-in-chief at Marvel. Some powers, like being able to come back to life after being killed, seem like a narrative cop-out, a deus ex machina of the gene pool.

A lot more questions were raised for me than were answered. Where does the royal family get all the leather for their outfits? What are they digging for in those mines? Are terrific eyebrows a way to tell which women have super-powers? Where does the food come from? I would have preferred to see more of the city as a whole, and less of the king and queen walking up and down stairs. Also, why are we supposed to think the king and queen are good and Maximus is bad? Wouldn’t it be more interesting from his point of view?

I think that Inhumans wants to be the new Game of Thrones, but without the historical parallels, the multiculturalism, the armies, the enormous cast or the budget. Instead, it seems much more like high school writ large, with the cool kids getting to have a working source of light, and the rabble doomed to the underworld.

Will it get better? Will it be even worse when it’s on a television screen, not in a theater? Will there be dragons or just giant dogs?

•     •     •     •     •

mine-logo-150x84-7482452Just a reminder: It’s not too late to get in on our Kickstarter campaign for Mine! A Comics Collection to Benefit Planned Parenthood. This book will be full of cool stuff… including a story by Neil Gaiman and Mark Wheatley! You’ll be helping people around the country receive quality health care. We’re on track to hit our initial goal, and if we raise more than that, there will be lots more other goodies. So check it out, and pledge whatever you can afford.

We have to take care of each other.

Dennis O’Neil: Browsing Around

I’m guessing that comics began edging into my toddling into our flat when I was somewhere just north of infancy: five, six, somewhere in there. Paperbacks, though – different story. The first modern paperbacks weren’t published until 1935, just four years before I burst, noisily, into my parents’ existence. So, the publishing venue and I arrived at approximately the same time and we’ve both been around ever since. Mass market comics, the kind that printed original material, joined the party in 1938, a year before I did and lo and behold, there we are, comics, paperbacks and me, all growing old together.

Later, after I’d moved to a metropolis that hosted a relatively large number of bookstores, I would browse: enter the shop and just patrol the aisles, maybe lingering a bit in the science fiction and detective sections. (There were no comics sold in regular book stores – not yet. And the comic shops, the kind we know and love, we as yet unborn.) Sometimes I would even – o thrill! – buy something.

Then: something new, a new place for browsing – video stores. I’d been aware of them, these new browsing sites, pretty early on, I guess. I lived in a hip neighborhood and the nearest video renter gave discounts to writers and artists and if you think that Scrooge O’Neil would ever pass up that kind of sweet deal, well… Then a friend introduced me to some really big video places in Brooklyn – I’m taking seriously big – and there I was again, on the browsing trail.

End of story?

You know better than that!

We weren’t done with browsing, we children of the war, but our technique evolved. We began to do it, some of it anyway, with no wear and tear on our sneakers. Oh, don’t put it past me to half-kneel and check the titles on the lower shelves, but these days I’m more likely to have entered the store in search of the coffee counter than to buy books, which are more likely to arrive via electronics. So, yeah, we shop from the couch, in front of a computer screen like the one you’re looking at.

All done?

Not yet. One more venue should be acknowledged. It does not allow you to own something you want, it allows you to rent movies and television shows and maybe sports. It dwells somewhere in the vast cosmos of television land and I reach it by using something called a Firestick, though you may employ another modern miracle to do the job. And after Mari retires for the night, I sometimes sink into the couch and, yes, browse the hundreds of entertainment and information listings Firestick makes available.

Maybe next week we’ll say something about the content of those listings. No promises, though.

Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver Zooms for Home in October

CULVER CITY, Calif. – Fasten your seat belts as the year’s must-own action-packed thrill ride, BABY DRIVER, which just sped past $100 million at the box office, accelerates home on digital September 12 and on 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray & DVD October 10 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), this fast-paced and furiously stylish heist movie stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars) as a young getaway driver who steers to the beat of his own playlist. With an all-star cast that includes Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), Lily James (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Eiza González (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), with Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx (2004, Best Actor, Ray Charles), BABY DRIVER pulls up on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and digital with over two hours of tricked-out bonus features, including over 20 minutes of deleted and extended scenes.

Go behind the wheel of this summer’s biggest surprise box office hit with extensive bonus materials exploring its unique driving and music-infused production, including making-of featurettes on stunt driving with the cast, music, choreography, and orchestrating some of the best car chases in cinematic history.  Additional bonus materials include animatics, cast auditions and rehearsals, director commentary with Edgar Wright, and more!

Synopsis:

Baby (ANSEL ELGORT) – a talented, young getaway driver – relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (LILY JAMES), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (KEVIN SPACEY), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

From TriStar Pictures and MRC, BABY DRIVER was produced by Nira Park (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), Tim Bevan (Hail, Caesar!, The Theory of Everything) and Eric Fellner (Hail, Caesar!, The Theory of Everything). Executive producers are Edgar Wright, Adam Merims, Rachael Prior, Liza Chasin and Michelle Wright.

Blu-ray & Digital Bonus Materials Include:

  • Extended/Deleted Scenes – 20 minutes of extended scenes and a few moments that were dropped from the final cut.
  • Mozart In A Go-Kart: Ansel Drives – Ride shotgun with star Ansel Elgort as he works with the talented stunt drivers to become the ultimate getaway driver.
  • I Need A Killer Track: The Music – Explore how the film’s phenomenal soundtrack dictated both the writing process and all aspects of production on Baby Driver.
  • That’s My Baby: Edgar Wright – Follow Edgar Wright’s vision of Baby Driver from its inception two decades ago, to its ultimate realization on the big screen.
  • Meet Your New Crew: Doc’s Gang – Led by powerhouse Kevin Spacey, the cast assembled to form Doc’s gang is perfectly constructed with stars like Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as well as up and coming talent like Eiza González and Jon Bernthal. Go behind the scenes to see this talented group at work as they bring these characters to life.
  • Find Something Funky On There: The Choreography – With every frame of Baby Driver set to a specific beat it took precise choreography by the cast, crew and editors to create a cinematic dance like nothing that’s been done before.  Hear from the choreographer and filmmakers on this groundbreaking process.
  • Devil Behind The Wheel: The Car Chases – From closing down Atlanta’s interstates to creating eyepopping maneuvers for a variety of vehicles, witness the amazing craftsmanship and sheer determination that made the film’s incredible car chases possible.
  • Animatics – Check out over 35 minutes of the numerous pre-vis animatics developed by Edgar Wright as part of his meticulous preparation.
  • Ansel Elgort Audition – See firsthand the audition that proved without a doubt that Ansel Elgort was the perfect choice for Baby.
  • Annotated Coffee Run Rehearsal – Day one of production involved one of the film’s most elaborately choreographed sequences where every movement is carefully crafted.  Check out the preliminary rehearsal and see the behind the scenes movement in concert with Ansel Elgort’s on camera choreography.
  • Hair, Make Up & Costume Tests – In this stylized montage, witness the transformation of the actors through costume, hair and make-up tests.
  • Mint Royale – “Blue Song” Music Video – This music video directed by Edgar years ago for the band Mint Royale showcases some early inspiration for Baby Driver.
  • Complete Storyboard Gallery – See the elaborate storyboards developed for the film in this gallery featuring storyboards for the entire film.
  • Director Commentary
  • Filmmaker Commentary (Edgar Wright and Director of Photography Bill Pope)

DVD Bonus Materials Include:

  • I Need A Killer Track: The Music
  • That’s My Baby: Edgar Wright
  • Meet Your New Crew: Doc’s Gang
  • Devil Behind The Wheel: The Car Chases
  • Mint Royale – “Blue Song” Music Video
  • Director Commentary
  • Filmmaker Commentary (Edgar Wright and Director of Photography Bill Pope)

BABY DRIVER has a run time of approximately 113 minutes and is rated R for violence and language throughout.

REVIEW: Batman and Harley Quinn

Warner Animation’s just-released Batman and Harley Quinn is an interesting project from the standpoint of it being a more mature sequel to the Batman: The Animated Series while still fitting into the now cohesive DC Animated Universe. It has the look and feel of the classic series while the content and themes are vastly different in keeping with Harley’s prominence in all-things DC these days along with upping the stakes in a longer production.

That said, the production is very entertaining and a welcome 30th film in the line of animated projects (the DC Universe: 10th Anniversary Collection is expected in November).

It’s a lot of fun to have Bruce Timm, Harley’s co-creator back in action as a co-scriptwriter. Sam Liu is also back to direct so we have a lot of veteran talent to bring tremendous affection to the project and it shows in every detail.

Poison Ivy (Paget Brewster) has been connected with Jason Woodrue, the extra-dimensional Floronic Man (Kevin Michael Richardson), ever since Neil Gaiman put them in the same class in Black Orchid. Here, though, we think Ivy is out to save the world from man’s ecological folly but we get a larger, nastier, and more in control Floronic Man than we’ve seen in comics or animation. He’s out to make the world a verdant paradise, as long as he’s in charge.

They are after Alec Holland’s bio-restorative formula, the one that turned him into the Swamp Thing, and once they begin not-so-subtly robbing places to obtain it, this alerts Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Nightwing (Loren Lester). To find Ivy, they turn to her long-time gal pal, Harley Quinn (Melissa Rauch) who is now out of jail and off the grid. When Nightwing tracks her down, we find her in costume, but waitressing at Superbabes, a super-hero themed restaurant (those wall decorations were a set of decals DC sold back in the ‘70s, a lovely touch).

To convince Harley to help them, the pair fight and, in an interesting turn, wind up sleeping together, only to be found by Batman.

From there, the chase is on, leading them all to Louisiana where the film’s extended climax occurs. Along the way, they look for clues in a bar that features a motley assortment of thugs dancing to twins performing, which is amusing, but when Harley has to sing, we get her full song and then a fight, prolonging what should have been a far shorter sequence.

There are loads of asides, gags, and tips of the cowl to other incarnations of Batman and the heroes so pay attention. This is where Timm tends to excel, never taking his eye off telling a strong story. And yes, despite some plot drag in the middle, the themes are very strong here. We do get a totally extraneous appearance by Swamp Thing, although they avoided making him a deus ex machina. Still, the story sort of just runs out of steam rather than neatly tie things up. Do stay for the post-credits sequences which are just a hoot.

It is a real pleasure to hear Conroy and Lester together again and it’s all the more a shame Arlene Sorkin, Harley’s original voice, is absent from the reunion. Rauch is good, but her Bernadette bleeds through now and then.

Parents should be aware this is rated PG-13 for “sexual references” and “rude humor”, mostly in the form of Harley’s words and deeds – but really, did you expect any less?

The movie is available in a variety of formats including the 4k Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital HD and the collector’s set with a Harley figure. Word is, the 4K and Blu-ray are almost indistinguishable and the 1080p, AVC-encoded version is just lovely and well matched with the lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, featuring a top-notch score from Kristopher Carter, Michael McCuistion and Lolita Ritmanis.

The Blu-ray comes with the usual assortment of Special Features, starting with A Sneak Peak at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie (8:30), which is Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. I frankly am offended so much credit goes to Mike Mignola without author Brian Augustyn’s name being mentioned – and quite a bit of the art from the comics is actually from the Ed Barreto-drawn sequel.

There is also The Harley Effect (21:15), where her co-creators, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, discuss her origins and slow-building popularity until she is now one of DC’s most ubiquitous characters (effectively their version of Deadpool, put her on anything and it’ll sell); and, Loren Lester: In His Own Voice (11:46), talks returning to the role that made his voiceover career. We get the Sneak Peaks to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part I and II and Batman: Assault on Arkham. From the DC Comics Vault offers two well-chosen selections: Batman: The Animated Series, “Harley and Ivy” (22:23) and “Harley’s Holiday” (21:15).

Mike Gold: Mutt & Jeff & Marcia & Me

Do you remember the name of the first comic book you ever experienced? I do. It was a copy of DC Comics’ Mutt and Jeff, one of the very first daily newspaper comic strips and purportedly the first to be anthologized in what we today consider the comic book format. It was made as a subscription inducement giveaway.

This happened to me sometime around late 1953 or early 1954, when I was three years old. Okay, I was precocious (a synonym for “obnoxious”) but hardly anybody was that precocious. No, the comic book was read to me by my sister. Being almost seven years older, and much to her understandable chagrin, she was pressed into service as my babysitter. That certainly pegs her as precocious as well.

Marcia picked up a comic book from her stack, Mutt & Jeff #34, March 1952, and proceeded to read it to me. My sister had taste: that issue sported a cover by the legendary Shelly Mayer. Being only slightly out of toddlerhood, I learned how to recognize the shapes of the word “Mutt” and the word “Jeff.” DC ran the daily strips in two-page spreads, each one carrying the “Mutt and Jeff” logo. Page after page of them.

Proud of my achievement, I pointed to each logo and shouted, “Mutt and Jeff” over and over and over. For some reason, my sister/babysitter did not murder me on the spot.

What Marcia couldn’t have known at the time was that she had opened Pandora’s Box.

That initial experience led me to discover the comics in the newspapers, and over the next two years, those comic strips taught me how to read. This is actually quite bizarre as our paper of choice carried Pogo, Li’l Abner and Abbie ‘n’ Slats, and they didn’t quite speak English, at least not as we spoke it in the Midwest.

The newspaper strips led to my discovering comic books on my own – initially by finding Marcia’s own four-color stash, later by coercing my parents to buy me a comic book or two at the neighborhood drug store.

Of course, my love of comics led to many friendships and, ultimately, to comics fandom. A piece in the paper led me to fanzines, which led me to the conventions and then to advising comic shop retailers and organizing comic book conventions, and then to the first of two tenures at DC Comics, the co-creation of First Comics with Rick Obadiah … and to ComicMix with Glenn Hauman. With a whole lotta other stuff thrown in; allow me some modesty, okay?

Last weekend, I left the Chicago Wizard World show a day early to go to Detroit. Marcia Judith Gold Bashara had died at the age of 73, due to heart problems. I was fortunate enough to see her one last time on my way to the convention, spending a day with Marcia, her husband and my friend of 53 years Salem, and my wonderful nieces Heidi and Cheri.

Yeah, it’s really tough to type these words.

I used to tell people – usually, people writing articles about comics – that we comics people who were born during the baby boom and Fred Wertham’s anti-comics crusade decided to get into the racket as revenge for our parents’ tossing out our comics sometime in the mid-1960s.

And there’s some truth to that, but if not for my sister Marcia’s sharing her enjoyment of the comic book medium, I might not have had any comic books for my parents to toss.

For the record: about 15 years ago, I returned the favor by introducing Marcia to Will Eisner’s graphic novels. She absolutely loved them.

•     •     •     •     •

A tip of the hat to the many, many people who consoled me at Wizard World and to my fellow ComicMixers who helped pick up my load. And, most of all, to Maggie Thompson for consistently being there with her advice, her intelligence, her wit, and her charm. Which actually means “to Maggie Thompson for being Maggie Thompson.”

 

 

 

 

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks