The Umbrella Academy

Super hero comics, as anyone can tell you, are the toughest comic books to create. The reasons behind this difficulty are obvious. The comics of the 1960’s (AKA The Silver Age that gave us Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and the Justice League of America) are viewed as definitive of the genre, yet dated and ‘uncool.’ The grandeur of super hero comics is so ingrained in the medium that if you look too hard you’ll miss it. In short, super hero comics appear to be easily written and constructed fictions, but they are nothing of the sort. This has lead to another approach, to write intensely intelligent super hero comics for those who dislike traditional action comics. To create post-modern and referential super hero comics actually requires so much skill and ability that there are few good examples (The Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison and The Foot Soldiers by Jim Krueger chief amongst them). So what do you do?

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba (of Casanova fame) decided to do the one thing no one ever expected, make a genuine yet modern super hero comic. It’s all there. The awkwardness of adolescence and feeling of isolation… the bleak impotence of super powers and an absolutely absurd setting for it all to take place in. It’s like a comic that I half remember from as dream and feel sadness upon waking to realize that it was all in my head… except it is real and available at my local comic shop.

The scripting by Gabriel Way is simple and astounds me in the fact that it never tries to impress the reader in the way that most early comic writers do. His characters, the orphaned super children who form the Umbrella Academy are each near cyphers upon which the readers can implant their identities yet at the same time rich in their personalities. While the boy trapped in an ape’s body known as Space Boy is so wonderful, I could tell you so little about him that he would appear to be ’simple,’ but he’s hardly that. It’s this ability to make it all look so easy that impresses me so much.

The art by Gabriel Ba and covers by James Jean create a kind of strangely twisted storybook world where children drink coffee in diners with monkeys.

The seven main characters are such a reluctant group of ‘heroes’ that they never even appear together in action once in the whole series. Numbered 001 through 007, they each have unique abilities and talents that are promptly exploited by their adoptive father, Hargreeves.

The Future (005) disappears into the time vortex only to find himself the only survivor in an apocalyptic world. How he returns is still a mystery to me, but the kid creeps me out! The Rumor (003) has actually attempted to put her superhero past behind her and start a family, with mixed results. The Seance (004) spent most of his adult life in an asylum, which he dearly misses. The monstrous Horror (006) is represented in the book almost entirely by a statue commemorating his death. 007, a talented violinist, is constantly belittled by her family to the point where she divorces herself from them. The golden child known as Space Boy (001) lives in isolation on the moon, waiting for the call to action. Oh, and his human head has been transplanted onto an ape body. The Kraken (002) seems to have embraced his action/adventure life as a kind of sodier of fortune, yet like most ‘tough guy’ types has an almost adolescent level of emotional maturity.

The awkward family is drawn back together for their father’s funeral… with disastrous results. An old villain from the past strikes at the Umbrella Academy, drawing them into an absurd fight with robots in a carnival setting not out of place in an old Justice League of America comic or Arnold Drake’s Doom Patrol. This only serves to further divide the family. Aside from The Kraken (002) and Space Boy (001), none of the Umbrella Academy are exactly suited for action. I mean, what exactly does the Rumor (003) do??

Vanya (007) is so angered by the ambivalence of her family toward her that when the evil Conductor approaches her to join his ‘The Orchestra Verdammten,’ she’s actually touched that she finally has a purpose. However, her purpose is in playing her violin to signal the end of the world, something The Future (005) is all too familiar with.

The series is full of innovation and inspired fun that has not been seen in modern original super hero comics since Astro City first appeared on the stands. At a time when super hero comics are starting to show their age, it’s great to see an original comic book series breathe new life into the genre.

Look for the collected edition of all 6 issues this Summer/Spring from Dark Horse.

Spectacular Spider-Man Preview

Attendees of WonderCon got an early preview of the upcoming KidsWB! cartoon series the Spectacular Spider-Man.

According to ComicBookResources contributer Erik Amaya, the series “places Spider-Man at the start of his junior year in high school. There he is pushed around by jocks, but has friends in the form of Harry Osborne and Gwen Stacy. While Harry is played in a fashion similar to his feature film counterpart, Stacy is conceived as Peter’s intellectual equal. In fact, both receive an internship at the local university, working for Professor Connors. There they find Eddie Brock, a friend who graduated from their high school the previous year. Peter hopes the internship will help him make some money to help out Aunt May — until Eddie tells him the job pays nothing.

“Meanwhile, Harry’s father, Norman Osborne, has made an enemy in the form of the Vulture, who attempts to kidnap Norman. His plan is thwarted by Spider-man. While the two clash above New York, Spider-man is chased by mercenaries working for a shadowy figure.”

If that sounds like the early 1960’s Marvel Comics Spider-Man to you, it’s because it’s meant to. The series is intended to perform as a primer for Spider-Man, a back-to-basics approach that will bring in new viewers and allow the animators to play out their favorite era of the web slinger with new twists.

So, uh… like Ultimate Spider-Man… only, no Bendis. Isn’t it weird that we are seeing so many ‘back to basics’ takes on Spider-Man these days? Was JMS’ run that bad?

Viewers can expect great stories and some stellar animation from the folks behind the newest The Batman cartoon series.

The Spectacular Spider-Man premiers March 8th on local CW affiliates.

Phoo Action

The new BBC Three series based on characters designed by cartoonist extraordinaire Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz, Tank Girl, etc) featured in the strip ‘Get The Freebies.’ In the program Whitey Action and Terry Foo team up to form an unlikely crime-fighting duo in order to thwart The Freebies Gang in a strange London of 2012 after the assassination of the Queen. I’m not sure if it’s a great show, but it is the most accurate attempt at re-creating the art and madness in Hewlett’s art thus far.

It’s a mish-mash of mixed up images and pop culture references (’all your base belong to us’ appears in a news broadcast) that has garnered a mixed reception from the press.

But it makes for a great trailer!

Doctor Who Minimates

It had to happen, didn’t it?

At this year’s Toy Fair, the attendees were treated to an early preview of the upcoming Art Asylum Minimates released by Underground Toys based on the new Doctor Who series.

From the Doctor and Martha to all the aliens including The Cybermen, this series should take off like gangbusters. Action Figure Insider has the full scoop.

Designs were also shown for a minimate based on Doctor #9, Christopher Eccleston. It’s a great design, down to the short hair, facial expression and the buttons on his leather coat!

In addition, the off-Broadway start of the spin-off program Torchwood, John Barrowman’s Captain Jack, will be immortalized in 2 inch plastic as well (they even replicated his over-quaffed hair!).

If there’s a lil’ Owen in the future, he’s mine!

Kirby: King of Comics!

At the recent Wonder Con event, long time collaborator of Jack Kirby’s, Mark Evanier, unleashed his newest dedication to his dear departed friend, ‘Kirby: King of Comics.’

One of the most important figures in the comic book industry, Jack ‘King’ Kirby was involved in the Gold, Silver and Bronze age of comics. A co-inventor of Captain America and almost the entire Marvel Universe, he is an icon to the comics world. Aside from his achievements and skill as a storyteller, he touched many a comic book fan and professional with his warmth and optimism in the future. A true visionary and dreamer of the upmost, Kirby is without a doubt, comic book royalty.

The book is a jocular and free-wheeling biography of Jack Kirby along with some stellar prints from Jack’s archives. Evanier used the book’s release as an excuse to form a Kirby panel at the Convention, citing that they’d just talk about Kirby throughout the other panels anyway.

It did not take long for the panelists going in telling their ‘Kirby tales.’

From Comicbookresources.com

Kurt Busiek got the ball rolling: “I didn’t read comics as a kid; I started at fourteen when everyone else was getting out. I started reading “Fantastic Four,” the version by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler, and “Marvel’s Greatest Comics,” which at the time was printing the “Him saga (from “Fantastic Four” #s 66 and 67). I didn’t think there were writers and artists; I thought there were just stories and characters. I thought the people were up in Marvel’s offices saving the very best stories for “Marvel’s Greatest Comics;” it wasn’t that they were doing that; it was just that they were reprinting Kirby stories.

His favorite story? “The Glory Boat” (from “New Gods” #6) or “Mother Delilah” from “Boy’s Ranch” #3. Busiek also threw in some support for Evanier’s airline, having had “a great experience. But I also eat cole slaw and candy corn.”

Darwyn Cooke began… “I read comics as a kid and picked them up again at thirteen. The first Kirby I was aware of was (‘Fantastic Four’ #s 62 and 63) the two-parter, ‘Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst.’ Being a Neal Adams fan, I thought I wasn’t supposed to like this art, because the draftsmanship wasn’t as sharp. It took me a while until I realized that what it was that I liked was the energy that radiated from the drawings. There was one shot of the police running down the street to trap the Sandman, and then firing a cement cannon at him, so that all was left was a few pebbles tumbling and the top of his head. His favorite story, though, was “Flower,” from “Kamandi” #6.

(Paul) Dini said that “The first time I was exposed to Kirby, it was a negative experience. I would read the comic books down at the barber shop and the first one I remember was an issue where the Thing had just saved the world, and there he was on Yancy Street, and they were egging him. And I thought, ‘That’s a heckuva way to treat a guy who just saved the universe. It’s back to Uncle Scrooge for me!’ When I was in college, there was a used book store that had a stack of ‘Fantastic Fours,’ especially the ones with the story where the Silver Surfer fought Dr. Doom (FF #s 57-59), and I thought, ‘These are great!,’ and I bought as many as I could and took them back to my dorm to read. Later in Boston, I roomed with Richard Howell, who had a bunch of stuff, especially Kirby’s romance comics from the 50s, and those had killer splash panels.” His favorite is also “Mother Delilah.”

What’s your favorite Jack Kirby story?

At Amazon

Kirby: King of Comics

Grant Morrison on Batman

On 2/22, Zach Snyder conducted a great interview at Newsarama with Invisibles and New X-Men scribe Grant Morrison on his current dream job, Batman.

After taking the then nowhere DC Comics title of Doom Patrol and raising it to the rafters, the Scots comic writer won over a veritable cult of fans with his Vertigo series ‘The Invisibles.’ The Invisibles was a sophisticated comic posing as an action series that examined everything about modern life from alien invasions and government conspiracies to personal realities that in many ways predated the malleability of identity online. After the Invisibles, Morrison unexpectedly went to Marvel and wrote some of the best X-Men comics ever. For a hat-trick, he wrote the awe-inspiring We3 and the ambitious mega-story ‘Seven Soldiers of Victory’ (both for DC Comics).

Anyone who has read Arkham Asylum knows that Grant Morrison has heaps of love for the cowled detective. Since he took over the Batman title, Morrison’s run on the title has been an explosion of new ideas, old plot devices and heart-stopping cliff-hangers.

In short, it’s a good time to be a Batman fan.

Grant is one of the most brilliantly gifted writers in comics today. His writing is sometimes sentimental, other times bombastic in a way that mirrors his love for Jack Kirby’s Super Powers, but never boring. As he enters 2008 with Batman, his plans remain vast, yet he has not let go of that inner fanboy that read comics in the wee hours.

… it’s basically trying to push Batman to the limit, to take him to emotional and physical places he’s never been before so we can really see how strong he is. The stronger a hero is the greater the challenges he should face. We want to put Batman under real pressure, to give readers get a better, more dramatic insight into the incredible physical and moral strength he does possess when the going gets rough.

So the idea behind “Joe Chill” and the current storyline is not only to expose weak spots that Batman himself has been unaware of for a long time, it’s to develop certain elements of his biography which may have been overlooked for a while and make those elements central to his undoing. It’s a story about karma in the strictest sense of the word – in his efforts to understand the derangement of his arch-enemy, the Joker, the young Batman inadvertently sets in motion an unstoppable chain of events which now threaten to destroy him utterly.

When I started this story, my first idea was, “What if all the Batman adventures from the 1930s until now were all part of one guy’s life, and he’s really gone through all this stuff, and it’s happened over the space of, say, 15 years, potentially?” To make it all work and still keep Batman at his peak, I settled on him being about 35 right now, so let’s say he’s been Batman since he was 19 or 20 years old.

Now try and imagine all that continuity squeezed into fifteen years. What you have is a guy who started his mission really well and was doing a great job, and then Robin comes along and that makes the job even better, the two of them start cleaning up the streets.

Then things begin to go a little bit wrong when Dick Grayson reaches college age and leaves. And then you have a succession of different Robins with disastrous results and consequences. You have the Joker’s paralyzing Barbara Gordon, you have Bane breaking Batman’s back, No Man’s Land…(laughs). All that’s supposed to have happened in the last few years of one man’s life!

When I first heard that Morrison was taking over the main Batman title, I had no idea that he would stay as long as he has and that it would be as great a ride as it has been.

Read the entire interview here.

Captain Marvel and the Secret Invasion

Captain Marvel #3 (of 5)-
By Brian Reed and Lee Weeks

You all listened to me and picked this series up, right? Over at Amazing Tales in Raleigh, the store owner told me how surprised he was that customers were buying #3 (just released on 2/20/2 and asking of he had any copies of #1 and #2.

The reason?

Skrulls, my friend. Skrulls. This mini-series follows a bewildered and time-tossed Captain Marvel taken out of his life at some indistinct time before his death.

A somewhat lackluster super hero (loved by many, unknown by more), Captain Marvel was a cosmic hero from Marvel’s bronze age in the 1970’s. He died from Cancer in the fantastic ‘Death of Captain Marvel’ graphic novel published in the mid 1980’s.

But last year, with no explanation, he popped back into reality. So far our hero has resisted SHIELD psych profiling and fought enemies that should have died long ago. But then again… so should Mar-Vell. And he also seems very confused about who he is. He spends all of his time staring at a painting as if it can unlock something hidden deep in his psyche.

The series has taken a major turn as Mar-Vell and Iron Man have been ambushed atop the SHIELD heli-carrier by Skrulls masquerading as Kree warriors (the Kree and Skrulls have been at war for generations). This places Tony Stark in an awkward position. Thanks to Spider-Woman, he knows that there is a massive conspiracy by the Skrulls to invade the planet. That conspiracy involves the devious shape-shifting Skrulls masquerading as high-profile super heroes and super villains. But since Tony cannot be sure who is and is not a Skrull, it’s a secret invasion.

Another reference to Marvel’s past, the green skinned, pointy eared and lumpy-chinned Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 where they sought to discredit the Fantastic Four by posing as them and sewing havoc. Many many years later, that same plot device is being employed on a much larger scale.

The plot of the Captain Marvel miniseries is further thickened when a captive Skrull (who drops the Kree facade and reveals his true face) confides in Mar-Vell that he is an imposter.

Is Mar-Vell a Skrull? If so, what can this mean for the upcoming major Marvel Comics crossover event this spring? Across the way in the sister series, Ms. Marvel (also written by Brian Reed), readers also got a major shock.

What with the mixture of apathy and satisfaction from the fan community in reaction to the last two major crossovers ‘Civil War’ and ‘World War Hulk,’ this could be another major win for Marvel Comics or at least a chance to win back those readers beleaguered with the ‘Civil War nonsense.’

The set up (a universe of heroes who cannot trust each other being invaded by shifty alien shape shifters) is great. I have high hopes that the follow through is even better.

Watchmen The Movie is in the can!

Over at the official Watchmen Movie Blog, director Zack (300) Snyder has announced that principle photography has been completed for what could be the biggest comic book film to ever be released… or not.

That’s a wrap!

I promise to refrain from getting too sentimental, but I want to take a moment to say thanks to the Watchmen cast & crew. You have all been phenomenal. It has been quite an experience and I could not have done it without the hard work and determination of each and every one of you. A film adaptation of Watchmen has been in the works for almost 20 years and thanks to you, it is finally in the can. It has been such a pleasure to be surrounded by a team that is so dedicated and that has given 110% each and every day. I am extremely grateful for the level of attention to detail put forth by each department to capture all of the texture that makes Watchmen the incredibly unique property that it is. Although we still have a lot of work to do in post, the shoot has been an experience I will not soon forget!

Thank you,

Zack
P.S. While I’m in the process of thanking people, I figure it’s a good time to say thanks to the Watchmen fans for all of their continued support. Since the crew got wrap gifts, I figured you deserved a little something as well. So, to bring a little closure to the previous “Storyboard” blog, I’ve included a frame from the film that shows what it looks like when it all comes together. Thanks!

I’ve been cynical about many things this year and while I’m usually right when I can smell a bad thing coming… this time I’m going to ignore the warning signs and embrace hope. Snyder made a spectacular adaptation on Frank Miller’s 300. Despite that success, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s The Watchmen is admittedly the Citizen Kane of comic books. It’s often said about the book, but it’s actually true. Watchmen is one of those rare things that actually lives up to its reputation.

Because of the grandeur of the project, Snyder is really going to have to dig deep to find the chutzpah to pull this off. He has been quoted as saying that he totes the Absolute Watchmen around with him and looks upon it as a blueprint for the film he has created. If you look at the storyboard and the inset panel from the comic and compare it to the frame above… he’s telling the truth!

That’s some dedication!

Next March, we’ll see if that dedication pays off. In any case, he created the film no one else managed to create, including Terry Gilliam. That’s gotta be worth something!

Doctor Who- Planet of Evil

This DVD collects all four episodes of the often overlooked story from Season 13 of the Classic Doctor Who series. When producer Philip Hinchcliffe took over the reigns of the program from Barry Letts, he inherited Tom Baker’s opening season twelve and all that had been planned for it. As such, he felt frustrated that he could inject more of his own touch to the program from the beginning.

But he more than made up for it in the following Season 13. With stories including ‘Terror of the Zygons,’ ‘Pyramids of Mars,’ ‘Brain of Morbius’ and ‘Seeds of Doom,’ ‘Planet of Evil’ gets lost in the deck of excellent stories. This was the often referred to ‘Gothic Horror’ era of Doctor Who, reflected in modern stories like ‘Impossible Planet,’ and ‘Human Nature.’

A self-admitting mixture of Forbidden Planet and Jeckyl and Hyde, ‘Planet of Evil’ is mainly known for the creepy alien planet set constructed by Roger Murray Leach who went on to work on many other stories. Tom Baker’s Doctor is less of the clown he would eventually become and 100% bug-eyed ‘Tom Baker the Alien.’ His synergy with co-star Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) is evident even so early on in their collaboration.

The story is a lovely mix of atmosphere, action and horror… with the usual ‘you can’t be serious’ effects/acting moments such as the misfire scene where the monster’s grand entrance looks more like Joe Cocker in a music video. But this is the Classic Doctor Who which is 9 parts ‘it’s amazing’ to one part milk shooting out of your nose unintentionally hilarious.

From the extras on the disc, including commentary by Tom Baker, Hinchcliffe, Sladen and Prentiss Hancock are the usual smörgåsbord of information and enjoyment. Honestly, if you’ve never purchased a Doctor Who DVD, you have no idea how much info you can put on a disc. From information text at the bottom of the screen, production profiles, making of documentaries, etc… it’s truly amazing.

It’s important to note that the last episode of this story (a story hardly regarded as a classic or a major viewing success) gathered 20% of the total viewing public of Britain. That’s 1 in 5 people, something the much vaunted new Doctor Who can only hope for.

Coming Soon Trailer

Released on DVD March 4th

Doctor Who - Planet of Evil (Episode 81)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie details

A recent article in Variety Magazine announced the cast of the upcoming X-Men prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Twentieth Century Fox has added three more superheroes to “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” with Ryan Reynolds set to play Deadpool, “Friday Night Lights” regular Taylor Kitsch to star as Gambit and hip-hop artist will.i.am joining the cast as John Wraith.

Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston and Lynn Collins round out the cast as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, Col. William Stryker and Kayla Silver Fox, respectively.

Hugh Jackman reprises the role of Wolverine in the “X-Men” spinoff that Gavin Hood is lensing in New Zealand, Australia and New Orleans. Pic bows May 1, 2009.

David Benioff penned the script, which would reveal the origins of the Wolverine character and introduce other mutants not yet seen in the “X-Men” franchise.

Marvel has been eyeing the possibility of casting Reynolds as Deadpool, an assassin with self-healing powers, for some time with the idea of spinning off the character into his own film series should the character prove popular among moviegoers.

Fox and Marvel have also long wanted to add the card-throwing character of Gambit to the “X-Men” franchise but could never find a way to give him enough screen time among the many other mutants that have appeared in each film.

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am will play Wraith, a mutant who has the power to teleport, and is another test subject of the Weapon X program that created Wolverine and other mercenaries. It would be his first film role.

Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter are producing with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner John Palermo. Marvel’s Kevin Feige exec produces.