Hellboy II: The Golden Army

The sequel to the first incredible feature film adaptation of Mike Mignola’s horror hero Hellboy is on its way. The official site is live for fans to check in and see concept art, poster images and read the production blog.

Mignola describes the sequel thusly:

It’s not Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have been kind of shoved out of our world. I kind of equate it to the whole American Indian situation. The Indians were shoved onto reservations. You had your old, wise Indians who said, “You know, this is the way it is. We can’t fight anymore. We just have to accept our fate.” You then have your Geronimo character saying, “Or we could just kill the White Man.” That’s kind of the situation we have in the film. We have our elf characters resigning to the way things are and then there’s one saying, “Or we could take the world back.” The main difference is – what if the Indians had a nuclear warhead? The elves have their equivalent of the weapon that is too terrible to use. What if this guy decided to use it?

The first film, while a tad repetitive in parts (Hellboy punches monster, monster punches Hellboy… repeat), captured the characters from the comic book series quite well and also the detailed visuals as if they came straight from Mignola’s pen!

I have a lot of hope that the sequel will be even more successful.

The Batman ‘Green Lantern’

In an interview with ComicBookResources.com, producer Alan Burnett let a few secrets out for fans of The Batman cartoon. One of them is for the upcoming Green Lantern episode entitled Ring Toss.

“I like Kyle Rayner and I like Guy [Gardner] and I like John [Stewart],” remarked Burnett. “They each have their qualities that I like. But the idea here was that we were dealing with a young Batman so the young Green Lantern or the first Green Lantern was who we were going with.

“When we did the Flash episode, you didn’t know who he was under that mask. I always thought it was Barry Allen, so that was our approach and that’s why we went with Hal Jordan.”

The veteran writer said it was sheer coincidence that Green Lantern would be introduced on “The Batman” the same year the character enjoyed such an incredible following in comics due to the success of the “Sinestro Corps War” storyline. “That’s just a fluke, just a coincidence,” laughed Burnett. “But it worked out well because I wrote ‘Tales of Sinestro Corps Presents: Cyborg Superman,’ which was just one book out of a big story from Geoff Johns; an epic story, so I, strangely enough, got to do some homework for the comic book, which helped me get into the Green Lantern mode for doing this episode.”

Providing the voice of Green Lantern is Dermot Mulroney, whose breakout movie role was 20 years ago in “Young Guns.” His siblings Kieran and Michele Mulroney also co-wrote the screenplay for George Miller’s live action “Justice League of America” film. “Dermot’s the guy from ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ with Julia Roberts. I think this is the first superhero he has voiced and only his second time working in animation,” explained Burnett. “We also have Miguel Ferrer (“Twin Peaks,” “Robocop”) as Sinestro and the Penguin is in there too.

“In the story, through a series of circumstances, the Penguin gets his hand on the ring,” laughed Burnett. “That’s going to be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of good action in it. In fact, it’s one big fight in this particular episode because everybody is after the ring.”

The season has been great fun so far and many are sad to hear that this fifth season will be the last. In truth, the jury is still out on that one, but with most of the animation team working on the upcoming Spectacular Spider-Man series, I can’t see how a season 6 could work… or even a season one of the new Justice League of America.

But we can hope.

X-Men Direct to DVD prequels

Word on the street is that in addition to the upcoming theatrical releases of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Magneto (don’t those titles just flow through your head?), there will be a series of Direct to DVD market films in the same vein.

The idea is that ‘lesser known’ X-Men would get to star in their own film, get the origin story treatment, etc… without the cinema distribution price tag. It’s been done extensively with the Marvel Comics animated series and anyone who has ever frequented a Blockbuster Video can tell you that there is a healthy market for Direct to DVD films.

Currently, there is a rumor that the first X-Men Origins DVD film will be based on Juggernaut. This could explain why actor Vinnie Jones was quoted as saying he was slated to star in additional X-Men films.

But do we really need a Juggernaut movie? The origin of the comic book character is nothing very special. Charles Xavier’s step-brother finds an enchanted stone that gives him mystical abilities turning him into an unstoppable force of nature, a human juggernaut. Given that we can probably rule out that the movie’s Juggernaut is Xavier’s relative, that just leaves a shiny rock. Not much of a movie, is it?

So that leaves the issue open as to what X-Men should star in their own film.

First off, I suggest Storm. She got a terrible portrayal in the films by Halle ‘what’s my accent this time’ Berry and the character is rich enough that I think she could carry her own feature film.

There are all kinds of ‘beats’ to her story including being worshiped by a tribe in Africa as a Goddess and her youth as a pick-pocket in Cairo.

And there’s also the bit where she lost her powers and got a Mohawk. It stands out as one of my personal favorite moments in the entire X-Men series (right up there with the X-Men fighting Sentinels of the Classic Team, Cyclops blasting a squid and Wolverine… on his own at last). Honestly, the character has so much going for her you could do an entire series of film just on Storm… just not Halle Berry.

What do you think?

The Joker revealed!

Probably the sickest depiction of the character to date, Heath Ledger’s Joker from the upcoming Batman: The Dark Knight looks like he’s ready to give the caped crusader a real run for his money rather than stealing a parade or defacing paintings to an immediately dated Prince soundtrack.

… not that I’m biased or anything.

Watchmen movie Blog

The production of Watchmen, possibly the most important comic book movie ever made continues and so far… it looks incredible.

The production team has managed to retain so many visuals from the max-series that I’m beside myself. A comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that was initially intended to make use of newly acquired characters including Blue Beetle and the Question, Watchmen turned into something  far greater. Moore took his know-how from Swamp Thing and the many UK comics he’d worked on and Dave Gibbons grew 20 creative inches taller in one day. Both creators developed a comic book that is still regarded as one of the most definitive statements on super heroes to this day.

By showing the consequences of super heroes in warfare to the complexities of morality and even romantic relationships, this book tore the lid off of super hero comics and exposed its inner workings. Many fear that the  Zack Snyder (director of 300) film will be a travesty, but the director maintains his love for the original work and swears that he will stick by it.

If you follow the link to the  production blog, it looks like he’s 100% on the level.

Film opens 3.06.09

Year’s Best Comic Collections

As the holiday season quickly approaches with its noble traditions and loving warmth of family and charity, many of us are thinking ‘what comics should I buy’?

Don’t worry, I’m here to help. Here is a list of some of the best comic book collections released this year that belong on your shelf.

52, Vol. 1 52, Vol. 2 52, Vol. 3 52, Vol. 4 - DC Comics‘ biggest concept series to date tells the unlikely tale of a world without heroes. C-list characters abound in this remarkable series from Booster Gold to the Question and even Animal Man. With writing teams including Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Geoff Johns, each issue is incredibly moving and dynamic with character development and action in equal parts. If you buy one super hero comic book collection this year, it should be 52.

Criminal Vol. 1: Coward – Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have created the perfect pulp crime comic. This first collection covers the initial five issue story of Leo, a lifelong coward. The story starts out normal enough: a job is coming together and each member of the team has his or her own reasons for getting involved, but things quickly get out of control and lead to a spectacular comic that had me reading the entire story in one sitting.

Amazing Fantasy Omnibus- Before the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, there was Atlas Comics. The most imaginative and beautiful sci-fi/horror comics on the market, this was where Steve Ditko honed his wild line and Jack Kirby learned how to draw diapers on monsters. If you’ve never read any of the Atlas Comics, you’re missing out on a vital piece of comic book history, and here’s your chance to get it all in one place!

The Spirit- Darwyne Cooke’s amazing series following Will Eisner’s Spirit is a major accomplishment of the entire year in comics. Each issue is a love letter to the medium. This gorgeous collection with its die-cut cover is enticing even to someone who bought all the issues collected (including the excellent Batman/Spirit)! Superb coloring, fantastic pencils by Cooke and great inking by Jeff Bone make this the pinnacle of the comic book experience.

Army @ Love: The Hot Zone Club – Volume 1 (Army@love)- Rick Veitch has succeeded at making the ultimate satirical statement on modern life during war. I’m still getting belly laughs out of Veitch’s love for slapstick and the fact that he simply views his series as nothing more than a sitcom in the flavor of MASH. Well… MASH on acid, maybe! The series is exhaustingly irreverent and poignant all at once. With cover art depicting alluring and sexing ads coaxing the working middle class to join up in the military, the series is unflinching in its attack on the sensibilities.

Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis, Vol. 1: Faith in Monsters- Without a doubt, the most impressive series I’ve read by Ellis in ages, Thunderbolts tumbles out of the Marvel Civil War event. The Thunderbolts team consists of former super criminals hunting down super heroes who refuse to register with the government. The stories are smart and tightly written and as if the quality of Ellis‘ writing wasn’t enough of a surprise, Mike Deodato Jr. has turned in the art of his career! Seriously, this is one beautiful comic and the first collection will definitely make you a believer.

Popgun- The most incredible anthology comic to hit the stands this year is Popgun. Featuring Mike Allred, Rick Remender, Jamie S. Rich, Richard Starkings and much more, this anthology (dubbed the ultimate graphic mixtape) is a super achievement.

Madman Gargantua (Madman Comics)- Finally in one place, this hardcover coffee table book of the Gods collects the entire Madman series (I go into much more depth about Madman here). Mike Allred’s comic book masterpiece is retro, action-packed and full of the trippiest moments in comics since Kirby first donned his crown. A great read.

The Hanna-Barbera Treasury – (not a comic collection, but still worth mentioning) Take a trip back to your childhood with this superb collection of artwork from those fantastic Hanna Barbera cartoons including the Jetsons, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and more.

Avengers: The Initiative, Vol. 1: Basic Training- Another Civil War comic, Avengers The Initiative is about the super hero boot camp formed to train all those super heroes destined to guard each American state. Written by Dan Slott and drawn by Stefano Caselli, this has been a surprise hit of the year, and this collection is your opportunity to find out why.

Agents of Atlas (Marvel Comics, New Avengers)- Both absurd and superb, Agents of Atlas tells the story of a super hero team of Gorilla Man, Special Agent Jimmy Woo, Robot M-11, Marvel Boy and Venus formed between the 1940’s and 1960’s. A wild and wooly team of misfits taken straight out of the oddest period of Marvel Comics, this series written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Leonard Kirk, this is the perfect comic for a Marvel fanatic looking for a fun read outside of current continuity.

This is but a sampling, but you get the idea. From one who knows, all you need to do is buy one or two and it’s a slippery slope toward becoming a comic book fanatic.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Catching up With the Amazing Spider-Man

With the Civil War crossover event at Marvel Comics, many exciting changes were thrown at readers at an almost dizzying pace. One of those many stories involved Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man. A lifelong loner Parker found himself a member of the New Avengers. This brought many changes into the webs spinners life, including a posh new apartment for his wife and the ailing Aunt May as well as a new job, assisting Iron Man, Tony Stark. A brilliant chemist (once upon a time), it’s amazing that it took this long for Parker to climb the ranks of success as he had and work alongside the most brilliant businessman in the Marvel Universe.

Along with the new job and lifestyle came a new costume… much to the annoyance of many readers. A garish bright red and yellow affair, the only artist to ever draw this monstrosity properly was then artist on Amazing Spider-Man, Ron Garney.

The new costume was the peak of technological wizardry with its many prehensile mechanical arms (inexplicable called ‘waldoes’) and the ability to change design and color… though it was seldom used.But as any Spider-Man reader can tell you, all good things eventually go sour for Peter Parker and this was no exception. Convinced of his boss’ good intentions to back the super hero registration bill which would make unregistered super heroes criminals, Peter did the unthinkable and unmasked on live television. This caused numerous problems and also tipped off the incarcerated Kingpin that his most deadly enemy was now very vulnerable.

Things got worse when Parker realized that the heroes he fought alongside for so many years were being imprisoned in the Negative Zone… forever. This included former compatriot Daredevil and many other heroes that stridently opposed Stark’s crusade. If accepting a new and more profitable lifestyle was difficult, watching it all go to Hell was even harder. In the end, Parker joined the resistance to the bill led by Captain America and went to war. The war ended badly (as most do) and Spider-Man was once more a criminal and outcast of society.

Though he still operated with the New Avengers, the team themselves were fugitives from the law and remained in a kind of magical safe house provided by Doctor Strange.

But it got worse… an assassin hired by the Kingpin missed a key opportunity to kill Parker and instead winged Aunt May. Spider-Man donned his black costume and hit the streets looking for answers and cold-blooded revenge.

The road led to a one-on-one battle with the Kingpin in front an assembly of prison inmates. The fight ended with Spider-Man ready to kill the Kingpin by filling his lungs with webbing but he backed off; not because he has a change of heart, but because he wanted to milk the moment and watch the Kingpin sweat it out, waiting to die. The enraged and maskless wall crawler roared at the prisoners that he would kill anyone who came near his family and departed. A flurry of desperate measures to protect Aunt May and move her from hospital room to hospital room mounted with criminal activity until an exhausted and deeply disturbed Spider-Man paused outside of a stolen ambulance wondering how his life came to this.

And this is just the start of the most important era of the character’s life since his creation.

Next year Marvel Comics will begin a major event for Spider-Man called ‘Brand New Day’ that is so bizarre that I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it. Rather than introduce a slew of new monthly comics (as most ‘event’ comics do), Marvel will instead be canceling the other Spider-Man comics and instead only publish Amazing… three times a month. To my knowledge, this kind of thing has never been done.

Those interested in reading the series, but also save a few bucks can subscribe at Marvel.com which will greatly reduce the price punch. I’m just curious as to how they’re going to pull this off!

Recommended Reading:

The Road to Civil War (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four)
Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Back in Black
Amazing Spider-Man: Back in Black

The ‘Red’ Hulk

Just loosed upon the web, an image of the upcoming ‘Red’ Hulk by Daniel Acuna (Freedom Fighters). Word is still mum on exactly who the Hell this Hulk is, but the visual is very exciting. I know that planning for this Red Hulk has been in the works for about two years with an action figure surely on its way.

Ever since the heroes of the Marvel Universe shot the Hulk into space, the (not so) jolly green giant has enjoyed a brilliant spotlight of popularity not seen since the days of the Hulk TV program.

The Hulk’s adventures on the strange planet of Sakarr in Planet Hulk was such a gigantic hit that few believed it’s follow-up ‘World War Hulk’ would live up to its glory.

While World War Hulk disappointed some, but for me seeing John Romita Jr. delineate the most powerful heroes of Marvel Comics was treat enough and to be honest, it was a great read in my opinion. In the World War Hulk mini-series, Hulk set himself against the entire Marvel Universe by turning Manhattan into his own private arena. After battling the combined might of the Avengers, X-Men and a barrage of killer satellites, a defeated Bruce Banner is shown the prisoner of a deep-sea prison… so who can this Red Hulk be?

Until January’s highly anticipated issue #1, we’ll have to settle for the above image and speculate.

Recommended Reading:

Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk
World War Hulk: Front Line
Hulk: World War Hulk – Marvel Universe TPB (Incredible Hulk)

New Batman

As reported on ComicBookResources.com’s Lying in the Gutters:

The last two LITG columns… this one and this one, have covered the death of Bruce Wayne, his ascendancy as a Fifth World New God, and his replacement here on Earth. I can now tell you that the new Batman will be designed by Alex Ross and will see Jason Todd under the cowl. Poor Dick Grayson. Don’t you hate it when someone junior to you is promoted above your head?

Ever since the second Robin Jason Todd died in 1990’s mega event telethon Death in The Family, he’s enjoyed a boost in popularity. This is hardly the message a publisher wants to communicate to its reader (after you die, people will like you more), but there it is.

In 2005, writer Judd Winick re-introduced Todd as a new character called the Red Hood (taking the name from his ‘killer’ the Joker). It was a thing that was happening in comics at the time. Everyone who was anyone was coming back from the dead. First Oliver Queen, then Bucky Barnes, Hal Jordan… etc. Comic book fans hardly had the time to complain it was happening so quickly.

In Jason Todd’s case, there has yet to be an exact explanation for how he came back, but a ton of exhaustive detective work by Batman has confirmed more than his death, that this really is Jason Todd back from the dead.

As the Red Hood, Todd has been a ruthless crime fighting machine. No longer a fan of the tight green undies, he wears a low-profile leather jacket and a simple domino mask. In the DC crossover event Countdown, he has been identified as an ‘anomaly’ that must be eliminated. Along with Donna Troy, he has been enjoying a trip through the alternate Earths… or at least that’s what I hear. As you may have gathered. I recently ‘changed sides’ and have been making mine Marvel these days.

Grant Morrison is writing the upcoming DC Comics event ‘Final Crisis’ (which is exactly what you’d experience if you ate lots of turkey, three glasses of Chimay followed by a slice of pecan/chocolate pie like I did on Thanksgiving) , a crossover that promises to change everything and return DC Comics to a state of company-wide greatness the likes of which has never existed before. Part of this greatness apparently is the ascendancy of characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman to Godhood to replace Jack Kirby’s New Gods recently killed by Jim Starlin and DC editorial. This would leave the path open for understudies Wonder Girl (or Donna Troy) and Jason Todd to step up to the plate and finally become the heroes they always wanted to be… or whatever may occur.

It’s never safe to predict how these things can go. Who could have seen the aftermath of 1984’s Crisis on Infinite Earths would result in the Justice League by Giffen, DeMetteis and Maguire or that Byrne would take on Superman, Miller on Batman and Perez on Wonder Woman, redefining the characters for a new generation? Who knows how this ever lengthening Crisis started in 2004 with Identity Crisis will pan out.

But at least Jason Todd will get some screen time and maybe, just maybe, will not have to face off against fandom again and will instead get to shine.

Bat-speed-dial on the ready just in case.

Marvel Digital Comics Goes Live

Face front, True Believers! The new Marvel Age of Comics is here!

After ‘losing’ lots of dough to torrenting services that allow internet users to illegally download comics to their computers, Marvel Comics has made the decision as the first major comic book company to take back that money by making their catalog available online for a flat monthly fee. It works out to about $60 a year, but subscribers have access to roughly the entire Marvel Comics library going all the way back to the 1960’s!

On the launching day of Marvel Digital Comics, traffic was so intense that the site became locked up solid. Marvel Comics had planned for a healthy interest, but nothing close to the number of visits they saw.

This is a major effort to embrace the digital age and reach out web users who apparently have no interest in filling their home with loads and loads of comic books. Personally, I feel that the comic book reading experience is a tactile one and will continue to fill boxes with the bound paper goods, but for many that is incredibly old hat and on its way out. With the rising cost of monthly comic books (the average price is now $3!), maybe the printed word is on its way out and in short order only the digital realm will exist.

The future is now. Make mine Marvel.com.