Spectacular Spider-Man- The Uncertainty Principle

For “The Spectacular Spider-Man,” Halloween arrives early this year –in the all-new Saturday, May 10 episode – but it still comes with all the traditional goodies, including a goblin, lots of spiders, a very large tombstone and even a black cat.

“The Uncertainty Principle,” this Saturday’s premiering episode at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB!/The CW, presents a number of perplexing situations for Peter Parker and Spider-Man as they both try to find clarity amid the masks, mysteries and menace of Halloween. While Colonel John Jameson struggles to land his damaged space shuttle, Spider-Man continues his ongoing battle with Green Goblin, who also threatens Hammerhead and Tombstone. Still, Peter’s greatest challenge will be facing the awful truth when he finally learns the Goblin’s “true” identity.

This week’s episode was an all out blockbuster that was full of plenty of action as well as twists and turns that show how far this series has come. The revelation of the Green Goblin’s identity was a shocker, but nowhere near as interesting as the fallout. Peter Parker’s life is getting very complicated and with the special hint toward next week’s episode involving a certain outer space black ooze, it’s not going to slow down any time soon.

If you are a Spider-Man fan, you have got to start catching up on this series. Each week a new episode is paired up with a repeat, so it’s a perfect opportunity to see what is becoming one of the best super hero cartoons on TV.

Upcoming Marvel Comics movies

If (like me) you knew well enough to stay in the cinema after the Iron Man credits finished, you will know that this is just the beginning for Marvel Studios. Now that they have wrested the keys of control from the hands of large corporations and movie studios, they are free to do as they will… and make their own mistakes? Perhaps.

But the promise of an Avengers movie lies nested in the deep planning of other films. As big wig Avi Arad has stated, Marvel Studios had no interest in simply plopping an Avengers film featuring complete strangers at the feet of a confused movie going public. Instead, the plan is to fully introduce the key characters in the super hero super group before plunging them headlong into an ensemble flick.

That said, it looks like this (thanks to Pardis Parker for the time table)

Iron Man 2 (Marvel) Scheduled for April 30, 2010 release
Thor (Marvel) Scheduled for June 4, 2010 release
The First Avenger: Captain America working title (Marvel) Scheduled for May 6, 2011 release
The Avengers (Marvel) Scheduled for July 2011 release
Ant-Man (Marvel) Writer/director engaged

So we have three long years to wait for a pay off for a post end credit sequence? It’s not that I mind, but… is it going to be worth it? If the films listed above (including next month’s dark horse Incredible Hulk) are as good as Favreau’s Iron Man, I’m in.

But any comic book fan can tell you that nothing is set in stone and the fickle winds of change are only months apart sometimes. Three years could mean anything for the Avengers.

All I know is that the day after I saw the Iron Man movie I saw my cousin-in-law’s children Seth and Ilan and they were ravenous for anything Avengers-related… how weird is that!?

Secret Identities

What is the deal with secret identities? Combining the allure of the theater and the danger of a cat burgler, a domino mask has been the calling card of super heroes for generations. Yet does it really accomplish anything? It reveals the subject’s nose, eye color, lips and cheeks. Surely… it hides nothing at all. Yet for anyone who has ever worn one of these masks it cannot be denied that it does something for the wearer. Super hero masks protect the hero’s identity while also presenting a new, stranger face to the world. It would take a much smarter fellow to delve into the true meaning of masks and heroes (like John Campbell) and I’m just too mad, but… wearing a mask does change you.

As a child I had hours of fun running into a bush or behind a door to change into my Batman Halloween costume only to emerge asking ‘where’s Jamie? I’m Batman.’

My brother mostly played along and that could be part of the key here. No one can really believe that Aunt May doesn’t realize Peter Parker is Spider-Man or that Jim Gordon has no idea his good friend Bruce Wayne masquerades as the Batman and how could Lois Lane not notice that Clark Kent is clearly Superman?? Are they all, like my brother, just good sports?

Aside from the absurdity of the idea and the evocative mythical relevance of the concept, secret identities are becoming as dead as the dodo. As evidenced in this summer’s blockbuster film Iron Man where Tony Stark throws caution to the wind and admits publicly that he is in fact Iron Man, the conceot just is not necessary any more.

Back in the day, a secret identity was a tool to extend a story of perhaps create some kind of drama that some nosey girl might find out our hero’s secret (it doesn’t take much to connect the dots to what this could really mean, does it?). Yet readers today are more excited about danger and violence to lose sleep over wondering ‘will Aunt May catch Peter in his uniform?’ The first step in  untangling this old trope was when Captain America publicly announced his identity. A bold move, it was eclipsed by the stunning storyline by Brian Michael Bendis where Daredevil’s identity was exposed, turning the blind lawyer’s like on its head. Likewise Tony Stark saw no reason to hide his identity any longer and after going public as the armored avenger he probably wondered why he didn’t do it sooner!

In an age where nosey girlfriends or immortal aunts are no longer plot devices, is the secret identity even necessary? In a recent issue of Batman, Bruce Wayne seems to be exposed before his finacee, but is there any real drama there or is it just another issue where Batman nearly gets outed (again) for putting on a silly outfit at night to beat up strangers?

What do you think?

A Cool Exec… with a Heart of Steel

I admit it, my hopes were low for the Iron Man movie. I saw a star-studded cast, a non-action flick director and a barely known super hero character and thought to myself, ‘this is probably gonna suck.’

I love being wrong (sometimes).

For those not in the know, Iron Man comes from the mysterious age of rebirth in the comic book industry called the Silver Age. By 1963, the super hero comic book characters had long lost their appeal. A weary Stan Lee decided that the medium was a dead duck and despite the stellar monster comics he was producing with Steve Ditko, Dick Ayers, Jack Kirby and Don Heck, it was probably time to throw in the towel. Before he called it quits, however, he decided to try something new. This experiment gave birth to what is called the Marvel Universe today.

Spider-Man, The Hulk, Doctor Strange, The Uncanny X-Men, The Mighty Thor were all huge hits for the little publisher that could. Feeling that he had the golden touch, Lee created a comic that he was convinced had no chance (just to show that he could sell anything). The comic would follow the adventures of an arms manufacturer/playboy. At a time when the world was waking up to the horrors of war, this should have been an unreadable and unsellable comic book.

Yet it sold like hotcakes.

Today the comic book properties of the 1960’s are franchises of the modern age, something few could have envisioned so long ago. The current film depicting the armored avenger took a noble stand on two distinct fronts. Firstly, it had a message about war and corporate greed. Secondly, rather than simply using computer-generated characters throughout the film, the genius of Stan Winston was used to produce real iron armor suits. This tactile approach to the technology really helps the film come alive and the bizarre gadgets that spring from Iron Man’s suit seem all that more fantastic while retaining a certain level of believability.

After premiering his deadly Jericho weapon device to the military in war-torn Afghanistan, his military escort is attacked, leaving the posh playboy not only trapped behind enemy lines, but also near death thanks to his very own weapons used by terrorists on the convoy. His cell-mate is an equally gifted inventor who, with Tony’s help, creates an entirely new power device grafted to Stark’s chest (and consequently keeping the shrapnel embedded in Tony’s torso from tearing his heart apart). After seeing the horror that his weapons have created, Stark vows to stop the violence being done in his name. Instead of creating weapons for his captors, he turns his missiles into a crude one-man walking tank. When he returns to the US, he is a changed man, driven to perfect his armor design and use his inventive mind to do something better than blow people up. But his business partner and mentor Obediah Stane (played to perfection by Jeff Bridges) is none too keen on the idea. It turns out that the terrorists who captured Stark did not do so by mistake. Eventually, it’s a war of ideals… and armor with Stane and Stark on opposite sides.

Despite its heavy message, the tone of the film is very light yet intelligent. Tony Stark is depicted as a brilliant and gifted ‘uberkind’ who dabbles in everything robotics to weapon design. A man of many talents, he’s also somewhat of an enigma and while he seems equally at home on a posh dinner event as a Denny’s, he’s also completely out of place with the common man. This aspect of his personality is so perfectly played out that the manner of his escape makes perfect sense. It’s this kind of understanding of comic book logic that really impresses me about this flick. At its heart, it’s a summer popcorn movie, but it’s also remarkable clever and respectful of the source material.

Robert Downey Jr. really seems to have found the perfect outlet for his character-acting skills. His energy and wit shine in every scene and yet make him all the more believable as an almost alien genius. Despite his good looks and charm, you just cannot look upon Downey Jr’s Stark as a ‘normal person,’ which is a boon to a super hero film. This version of Stark is just so strange that he uses the same hi-tech skills on rebuilding vintage cars as building a brand new power source (while listening to Suicidal Tendencies, I might add). His chemistry with Gwyneth Paltrow is also a joy on the screen. The two exchange quips almost daring each other to break character and admit a genuine emotion… and when it happens neither knows quite what to do. It’s an interesting slant on the tired will they/won’t they dynamic.

The effects and story itself come together to make what is the most appealing super hero film in a very long time. Not full of angst or ironic self-referential humor, Iron Man is simply a great action flick. I’m still chuckling to myself over the use of the 1966 Iron Man cartoon melody in the film.

See if you can catch it yourself!

This is the first of the Marvel Entertainment Studios films, paving the way for many more to come (if you stay after the credits, you will be treated to a very clear idea of what is coming next from the House of Ideas). A fantastic comic book movie, this is the best effort since Spider-Man 1… and that’s really high praise.

Iron Man and War Machine

(Above: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Terence Howard as Jim Rhodes)

Big old spoiler for this Friday’s premier of Marvel Comics’ Iron Man.

As fans of the comic book series can tell you, there is more than one armored Avenger in the Marvel Universe. After Tony Stark’s alcoholism took the better of him in the now classic ‘Demon in the Bottle’ making it impossible for him to wear the one-man army suit, he was forced to choose a replacement. Tony needed to look no further than his close friend from the Vietnam War, James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes. In the gun-metal gray suit bedecked with missile launchers and machine guns a-plenty, Rhodey was known as the War Machine. Eventually this storyline lead to a duel between Iron Men.

“The beautiful thing about Marvel is that they’ve always stuck with the tradition of staying truthful to the comics and loyal to the fans,” actor Terence Howard told IGN. “If you’ve read the comics you’ll know that that is the next phase, but there is another intermediate phase in there where he would have to put on his best friend’s suit for a period of time.”

Could this story play out in the eventual sequel?

THAT’s the Spirit?!

Comic book fans young and old at the NY Comic Con this weekend walked out on the early premiere of the trailer for Frank Miller’s Will Eisner’s The Spirit. In an interview with MTV director Frank Miller defended his film’s look by saying that he has ‘forged ahead’ with Eisner’s creation rather than produce what he calls ’something dusty from off the shelf.’

That’s all well and good, Frank… but from this trailer The Spirit looks far more like Sin City 2 than Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Not that this is a bad thing ( I fully enjoy Sin City), but… what’s the deal?

The film stars Sam Jackson as the villainous Octopus (never fully visualized in the comic book series), Eva Mendez as the love interest and devious Sand Saref (whose jaw nearly dislocates when asked a question by MTV) and newcomer Gabriel Macht as the title character Danny Colt/The Spirit.

For those not in the know, Will Eisner’s The Spirit is regarded by many as the Citizen Kane of comics. As perfect as a sequential work can get, the series ran in newspaper strip format in 1941. A lighthearted and theatrical piece, the strip introduced some of the most sophisticated tropes and techniques in comics that we take for granted today. Frank Miller has long been a devoted follower of Eisner’s teachings. The influence in his work can be seen in his panel transitions, line work and general sense of character in his style. A darker and grittier creator, Frank Miller’s film of Eisner’s creation is expected to be an extension of a more violent and modern pulp sensibilities.

Judge for yourself…

The Spirit opens January 19, 2009.

Iron Man premieres in Sydney to favorable reviews

The Iron Man film has premiered in Sydney Australia to…. modestly favorable reviews. Not rave reviews, mind… favorable reviews.

“Saw it at the Sydney premiere last night, and it’s truly a great comic book action film. Downey Jr is perfect, the CGI is really smooth (apart from the big fight between Iron Monger & Stark…they just can’t seem to make CGI at speed look really good yet). Hopefully the fans aren’t put out, because there’s a lot of humour there, and the fight with Iron Monger isn’t a long one. But it’s a great start to what should be a no-brainer franchise.”

To me it sounds like there will be more of the ‘oh aren’t we hilarious’ jokes ala the Saturday Night Fever dance routine in Spider-Man 3. Maybe if I were ready for that kind of silliness it would not have stung as much. Maybe not.

The film hits the screen in two weeks (on Free Comic Book Day!), so expect lots of dudes in cardboard robot costumes duking it out in the parking lot before hand. The Iron Man fight club is inevitable, isn’t it?

Honestly, I wonder what future generations will think (if anything) of this era of entertainment where cartoons, old TV shows and comic books are turned into mega-huge franchises… and promptly forgotten in only a year’s time.

Maybe there will be a landfill of big gulp glasses with a monument to Entertainment Weekly that children visit where they lament the wasted time and energy that could have gone into quality film productions and new ideas.

Still… I hope Iron Man doesn’t suck.

The Incredible Hulk

In case (like me) you missed it, here’s The Incredible Hulk trailer.

Created in 1963 by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, the Hulk has been a major mover in the comic book world for generations. Originally colored gray as an error, the jade behemoth is power and rage incarnate. Much like the Thing in the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee wanted to turn the tables on the status quot that stated monsters must be villains. In the Marvel Universe, the monsters were often flawed heroes.

The result of the nuclear scare of the Atomic Age and pulp comics of the era, the Hulk was a walking talking depiction of mild mannered Bruce Banner’s id. You want proof? Just look at the first appearance of the Hulk. His initial thoughts are not to destroy, but to pursue Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler in this sequel), the very object of Banner’s desire, only he was never man enough to admit it. Hulk is an embodiment of the rage found in the sensitive male typified by Banner. I mean look at the set-up of the comic. Banner is a frail awkward scientist on an Army base full of fit aggressive men trained for battle. When the Hulk comes out, his rage expresses itself wildly. Say what you will, but the Hulk is not an intelligent fighter. He often just flails with his massive arms and whatever he strikes usually breaks to pieces.

The massive level of destruction that the Hulk wrecks on the army base of General Ross is awesome. Again and again he matches the power of the military with bare strength and stamina. In the early age of the series we are told that there is little the Hulk cannot do, aside from live a normal life. He is constantly hounded by General Ross‘ men, labeled an enemy of the state based on his actions and even shot into a rocket into space (much earlier than Planet Hulk).

But nothing can stop him.

As the series progressed, the attention toward Banner wavered and the character all but disappeared from the series. The Hulk still despised his alter ego of the soft weak scientist Banner, but we never saw him. Instead, the Hulk became more intelligent and aware of himself. The line between Banner and Hulk softened.

This film, The Incredible Hulk, seems to be directed toward that ideal, of the usefulness of the Hulk’s destructive power. We see Emil Blonski (played by Tim Roth) utilizing Banner’s research to turn him into the monstrous Abomination (comic version to the right) we see ravaging Manhattan. Only the power of the Hulk that has been so misdirected and devastating stands a chance of stopping such an enemy.

But will it be a good movie?

Many movie viewers and comic book fans hated the first film by Ang Lee. This movie looks to be a crowd pleasing monster mash that will have the popcorn munching audiences seeing green all the way to their local Target. That’s not a snub, by the way. I like a good action film. Both the X-Men and Spider-Man franchises are at heart action films.

But will this one be any good?

Last year we had Fantastic Four 2 and Spider-Man 3 which were both disappointments. This year has the triple threat of Dark Knight, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

See you in line this summer to find out the long wait is worth it.

Recommended:

Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk
Incredible Hulk: The End (Marvel Premiere Classic)
The Incredible Hulk Omnibus, Vol. 1

Incredible Hulk Trailer

From comicbookresources.com:

Superhero Hype has a press release from Universal Pictures noting that “The first teaser trailer for hotly anticipated summer superhero epic ‘The Incredible Hulk’ will have its exclusive broadcast debut in a simultaneous ‘roadblock’ on seven networks on Wednesday, March 12. This first opportunity to see material from the motion picture will be aired at approximately 9:56 p.m. EDT/6:56 p.m. PDT on MTV, MTVU, MTV2, VH1, Spike TV, Nick at Nite and CMT. Following the on-air premiere, the trailer will be immediately posted on MTV.com for an exclusive period. The trailer will begin showing in theaters across the country on Friday, March 14, with prints of Rogue Pictures’ ‘Doomsday.’”

Starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross (I prefer Jennifer Connolly), Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky (expect him to steal the show) and William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, this film has been a virtual ghost in comparison to compatriot super hero flicks The Dark Knight and Iron Man.

As I’ve said before, I’m in that 5 person camp of tightly knit individuals who like the Ang Lee Hulk film. I firmly believe that one day it will receive the respect it deserves rather than being derided as ‘that terrible Hulk movie.’ Rather than a navel-gazing desert-set affair, this newer version of old jade jaws promises to be a wall-to-wall slam bang monster fighting affair.

Directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter) and written by Zak Penn (X2), this movie should deliver to the popcorn munchers around the world who yearn to see The Hulk fight it out with fellow monster The Abomination in the heart of New York City.

We all get our first glimpse this Friday.

Oh, and go see Doomsday.

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!