1RightOpinion-Comics

Civl War Fallout: The Initiative Week 3, "Sorry About That Cap."

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 18:52:00 +0000

Well if it’s Thursday, it's time for our weekly Marvel Civil War recap. Compared to Captain America’s death, it was a pretty slow week. That being said, I will briefly go through each book listing them in what is my right opinion of Crappiest to Best.

Ghost Rider #9 hit the shelves this week with the “Casualties of War” banner. This issue goes a long way to fulfill Joe Quesada’s words, “Death should mean something…” by bringing back Jack O’ Lantern. He has been dead what, three months? Of course it’s not really him but Satan possessing his body (hate it when that happens). If you don’t read Ghost Rider usually, don’t waste your time.

Moon Knight #8 also is listed as a “Casualties” title. This is due to the random appearance of Captain America. Apparently before he died, Cap wanted to take some time off from running from the law to hunt down Marc Spector. Cap just wanted to tell him that he didn’t like his methods and to stay out of the Civil War. Then he leaves without even a goodbye. If you don’t read it, don’t buy it.

Thunderbolts #112 is a pretty good read. Warren Ellis is the savior of this book. He has taken an otherwise ridiculous premise and made it enjoyable. Let me first say that I am sick of Norman Osborn. Why is this guy not rotting away in some prison? He does not deserve a second chance—let alone a hundredth. His psychosis is getting a little old as well. Oh no, he is talking to himself, I wonder what’s going to happen?

Am I the only one that doesn’t buy it? Would America really embrace these killers? The Thunderbolts started with a group of villains pretending to be good guys. Now it’s a bunch of bad guys being forced to take care of the government’s dirty work. For some reason we are supposed to believe that people love them. They have action figures for God’s sake. Kids love Venom and Penance and hate Captain America? I don’t think so.

Marvel likes to brag that they are a mirror of the “real world” with super powered individuals in it. Well in the “real world” we reject Supreme Court nominees and Presidential candidates if they inhaled 30 years ago. We crucify them if they were ever divorced or got a hard on. But we are to believe that Tony freaking Stark could become the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has so many skeletons in his closet (and in the ground), it is unbelievable.

New Avengers #28 clears up the confusion several of us had last week. Spider-Woman goes back to rogue Avengers to tell them Cap isn’t dead. He is in The Raft. With the help of Dr. Strange they go to free their leader. Once there, Wolverine gives him a sniff and immediately knows that the body isn’t Cap’s. Yep, Ms Marvel lied. Iron Man pops out of hiding with a few hundred buddies to arrest them. I have really enjoyed the New Avengers from the beginning. However, I really don’t like Leinil Yu’s artwork. It just doesn’t work for this title.

Punisher #5 also came out this week, but for some reason it did not have a “Civil War” banner. It clearly is related to the story—a lot more than Ghost Rider. I wonder if Marvel is trying to throw us off. Castle sees Captain America get killed on the jumbo-tron in Times Square. I’m telling you, he is going to be the next Captain America. Previous issues showed us the Punisher’s love and respect for Cap. We know he does have Cap’s cowl. I’m just saying.

Check out the interesting cover from an old What If:

Marvel Spotlight: Civil War Aftermath is something you should pick up this week. I usually pass on most spotlight books. However, this one provides a great recap of the events of Civil War. This is especially great if you haven’t been going to the clinic to sell your plasma so you could afford to buy every book with the “Civil War” logo. Check it out.

Civil War: The Confession is probably the best book of the week. Buy it quick because it is pretty hard to find. It was never solicited in Previews and a lot of stores did not know about it. It gives us a pretty sobering picture of Tony Stark pouring his heart out to the corpse of Steve Rogers. However, I do think it is a little to quick for Stark’s change of heart. It is almost as quick (and convenient) as Cap’s change at the end of Civil War. Still a good read.

With all the Captain America talk last week, I didn’t get to talk about the other “Civil War” titles. I want to comment on two of them.

First, Fantastic Four #543 was a piece of crap. There is no other way to put it. Yeah, I understand that it is the 45^th Anniversary of the FF. But, we are supposed to believe that Doom actually sat down for a television interview! Oh, and the fugitive Luke Cage was interviewed as well. Give me a break. I also think it is a little to quick for Sue to run back to Reed.

Lastly, let’s talk about The Mighty Avengers #1. The majority of the emails I received about this book were complaining about the same thing…you guessed it, the thought bubbles. Wow, I guess you guys hated them. I really wanted to defend Bendis. I really like his stuff. He is a great writer and will do great on this book, but the bubbles have to go. I am also having a hard time with looking at these guys as heroes. I don’t think they are. As good intentioned as they may be, they need to be held accountable for their actions.

What do you think?

Richard

30 Second Movie Review: Frank Miller's 300

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:31:00 +0000

I have not been a big fan of comic book movies. Other than Spider-Man and Batman, there hasn’t been too much to brag about. Even the X-Men movies—which I enjoyed—left a lot to be desired. Frank Miller’s 300, on the other hand, is every thing it should be.

Live action and CGI have finally reached perfection. Panel by panel, blood splat by blood splat, this movie creates a perfect mirror of Miller’s graphic novel. It is all that Sin City was not. The cinematography and special effects are eyegasmicly beautiful. Yes, I am saying decapitations and gallons of blood are beautiful.

Here are a couple negative reviews that describe everything I love about the movie:

“300 is just a silly, yet melodramatic, cliched, comic-book version of Gladiator with Frank Miller art direction.” Neil Springer, JAM! Movies

300, even with its impressive vistas of computer-generated soldiers, is just a throwaway epic. Stephanie Zacharek, Salon Arts & Entertainment

Excuse me, but that’s the point. This is not a historically accurate geopolitical epic. It is a just a good old fashioned get your money's worth of a roller coaster. Perhaps a mention in the opening credits of its graphic novel origins would have helped. At least the Marvel Movies start with the Marvel logo and flashing comic pages.

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times understands perfectly what 300 is trying to accomplish and reviewed it accordingly:

“If you thought "Gladiator" was a bit too stingy with the bloodshed, if you felt "Sin City" could have been more stylized, if you hate it when the masses refer to graphic novels as "comic books," this is your day.”

So if you love Frank Miller stuff, see this movie. If you love a good ass-kicking movie, see this movie. If you want that, "I need to run up the steps of Philadelphia's Museum of Art because I just saw Rocky II feeling," see this movie.

One word of warning, you might not want to take your girlfriends and wives with you. It is definitely not a “date movie.” You will have to watch 3 or 4 Sandra Bullock movies to make up for it. And who wants to do that?

Richard

Civl War: The Fallout, "The Death of Captain America?"

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:25:00 +0000

Tuesday I made the mistake of reading Civil War: The Initiative #1 before I read Captain America #25. On the synopsis page it mentioned the assassination of Captain America. What? Did I misread Civil War #7? A few pages later Ms. Marvel tells Spider-Woman that Cap wasn’t dead. He was hidden on The Raft where people were trying to save his life. Okay, no big deal.

Then I read Captain America #25. What another great read from Ed Brubaker. His Cap run has been one of the best ever. If you haven’t been reading it, you should check it out. I was a little upset that I already read The Initiative. There was no sting. I already knew that he wasn’t dead.

Side Note: Marvel, please return to the practice of putting little blurbs in comics that warn us, “Don’t read this until you read that?”

So when the phone calls and emails started Wednesday morning, I would laugh and respond, “Am I the only one who read The Initiative?” Cap clearly isn’t dead.

I didn’t realize he actually was dead (for now at least) until the news coverage started. At first I thought it was a blown out of proportion press release. Then I watched the Joe Quesada interviews on CNN and ABC.

CLICK HERE to watch the CNN story.

CLICK HERE to watch the ABC story.

I gotta say, I really like what Quesada has done at Marvel. He gets a lot of crap, but he has been a great catalyst for the mainstreaming and maturing of the comic genre. I agree with what he said in the CNN interview. Death does have some meaning in the Marvel Universe now.

As usual, the bitching has begun. Fanboys everywhere are screaming, “This is just a publicity stunt.” Of course it is! All good storylines are. Who would read comics or watch TV shows or movies without them? I know no one stay’s dead in comics—nor should they. Not only have most of our heroes been around longer than us, they will still be fighting long after we are gone. To keep this stuff fresh, things like “dying” have to happen.

So do yourself a favor and quit whining. Yeah right, you’re going to quit reading comics. You’ve said it before. Why don’t you let yourself enjoy it? Have some fun. When they do bring Cap back, you can bitch again, buy it again, and love it again. Just like you did with the return of Hal Jordan and Colossus.

So enough of the kisses and hugs...

WHY THE HELL DID THIS NOT HAPPEN IN CIVIL WAR #7! The whole comic world went crazy with the boring anticlimactic ending of Civil War. If you’re going to kill Captain Freaking America, make it the ending of the biggest story in recent history. That would have been awesome.

I feel better now that I got that out of my system.

So tell me your thoughts. What do you think is going to happen? What do you think should happen?

I have a strong feeling that The Punisher will be Captain America for awhile. If you remember, in Civil War #7 he picked up Cap’s cowl. If done right, this could be cool. I’m sure Bucky (I mean, The Winter Soldier) will chase him around fighting for Cap’s mantle. It would have the whole Azrael is Batman vibe.

Check back every week to get my right opinion on the ongoing saga. I promise to wait until Thursday morning. This will give you a chance to read the comics first. It should be a lot of fun.

Richard

Hey, one more thing. I am going to a screening of Frank Miller’s 300 tonight night. Check here Friday and I will let you know if it is worth your eight bucks.

Frank Miller's 300 Movie, "These Ain't Your Daddy's Comics Anymore!"

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 06:56:00 +0000

With the release of Frank Miller's 300 movie, comes the usual complaints...

"Comic books are too violent."
"Comics are supposed to be like Archie."
"Comics aren't for kids anymore."

MercuryNews.com had this recent article, "Comics woo adults (and kiss off kids)." It points out that recent comic books have been successful due to their being more "edgier." However, the comic industry may be alienating the younger generation and therefore the future of comics.

I couldn't disagree more.

I have been selling comics for 16 years, and have tried dozens of ways to get kids to start reading comics. I invested money in comics geared toward kids, and nobody bought them. I tried to offer older back issues to parents and children. They didn't want them. I even wasted time at conventions arguing with comic creators about whether Batman and Superman should use the word damn. None of it worked.

No matter what we do, the majority of kids are just not interested in comics. Yeah, with five or ten bucks allowance you can buy 3 or 4 comics. However, the same amount of money will rent a video game for a week. It will also buy about 10 songs for their iPod. There is no way comics can compete (especially with the ever increasing paper costs).

So can we really blame the publishers for targeting the older readers who happen to have more disposable income? Of course not. On top of that, compared to movies and TV, comics really aren't that bad. For the most part, they would be rated PG13 or TV14. Still parents and the media complain.

The biggest obstacle to the public acceptance of comics is the public perception of comics. The same parent who won't let their child read Batman because he is now the "Dark Knight," will sit with their kid on Monday night and watch 24. Come on, Jack Bauer might as well be Batman. He is only missing the cape and cowl. And Batman doesn't make a practice of torturing people!

The other half of the civilian world (by civilian I mean non-comic fans) think comic books are only for kids. This is fed by things like the 1970s Batman television show and cheesy movies made by Joel Schumacher. However, these same people set their TiVos to record Lost and Heroes.

In my right opinion, the comic industry needs to embrace their maturity, not apologize for it. We need to advertise the fact that comics have great stories and deal with adult themes. Let’s tell the world know that most of their favorite TV shows are created and written by comic book writers and fans.

Somehow the video game industry has been able to reprogram the public. It is now understood that it is mainly adults who play video games. The vast majority of Xbox players are in their 20’s and 30’s. Does this cause anyone to question the future of gaming? No, it sells more games. We need to do the same thing for comics.

What do you think?

Richard

Finally, A JLA Movie! "Wonder Twin Powers... Activate!"

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:05:00 +0000

It was 46 years ago that The Justice League of America first appeared in The Brave and Bold #28. Almost immediately, fans started fantasizing about the movie. Well our prayers have been answered, and we have the success of “X-Men: The Last Stand,” to thank for it.

An insider tells me, Warner executives are tired of Marvel making more successful movies than DC. After the last X-Men movie, they green lit the JLA movie. After much searching, they hired Kieran and Michele Mulroney to write the script. Kieran is best known for writing the screenplay for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

In 2002 Warner began developing a Batman vs. Superman movie. I have been told the director—Wolfgang Peterson—quit the project to make "Troy" after much frustration. Warner shopped for a new director and finally buried the idea with the success of both “Batman Begins” and “Superman Returns.”

Currently, all three members of the “Holy Trinity” of the JLA have movies in the works:

The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” will again star Christian Bale. My sources tell me that Frank Miller, not Chris Nolan, may be directing the movie. Heath Leger (A Knight’s Tale) will play the Joker. (keep the Brokeback Batman jokes to yourself). Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking) will play Harvey Dent/Two Face. It is also rumored that Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherri Baby) will play Rachel Dawes instead of Katie Holmes. (You would think after having L Ron Hubbard’s baby, Tom would let her out of the dungeon.)

The new Superman movie, “Superman: The Man of Steel,” will again star Brandon Routh and be directed by Brian Singer. The movie would have been shelved if not for its international success. Executives are demanding a shorter more action packed movie. I am told that we should expect several villains.

The Wonder Woman movie’s release date has been moved to 2009. Joss Whedon is no longer the director. I have been told that he was pissed that Wonder Woman had a crappy origin and fought shitty villains. Eva Green (Casino Royale) is presently the favorite to play the Amazon princess.

With these members of the Justice League already on the big screen, will the same actors play the heroes? Do we want a JLA movie with different actors? I have already complained about Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) being cast as Bethany Cabe in the new Iron Man movie. Am I the only one who cares about continuity? In my right opinion, if an actor appears in the same “universe” as two different people, one of them better be a clone.

I’m also worried it may be tricky to make this movie believable. In a live action movie, it is difficult to make flying characters using heat rays and magic rings appear realistic. On top of that, there is going to be an equally powered group of villains. This is why we didn’t see much flying in the X-Men movies. With little effort, this movie could become a laughing stock.

Good or bad, we want the movie. You can’t get cheesier than the 1970’s Super Friends and they currently are some of my favorite DVDs. I can't wait!

Richard

Check out this fan created JLA Movie Trailer:

Marvel Civil War, No Bang, No Whimper. "Can't we all just get along?"

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 01:59:00 +0000

Civil War #7, the final chapter of the Marvel Comic series, hit the shelves this week. Has it lived up to the hype? Was it worth the delays? Let’s review the whole series from the start.

The Story So Far

The first issue of Civil War set a perfect stage. It starts with the New Warriors filming the latest episode of their “reality” television show. For the ratings, they decide to capture a band of villains on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Microbe is ignored when he points out that these guys are, “…way out of our league.” Chaos ensues and concludes with Nitro blowing himself up. Unfortunate for the New Warriors (and kiddies on a bus) the explosion destroys a large chunk of Stamford Connecticut and is telecast live on TV.

This event leads the US government to pass the Superhuman Registration Act. No longer would the government allow those with super powers run around unbridled. This forces the heroes of the Marvel Universe to quickly take sides. Those in favor of the act line up behind Iron Man. The heroes concerned with maintaining their freedom are forced underground and form up behind Captain America.

The second issue kept the surprises coming. In the last few pages, Spider-Man takes his mask off and reveals to the world that he was Peter Parker. Wow! Who the hell saw this coming? Of all the super heroes in the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man needs his secret identity. He has the most to lose. His family is not made up of other superheroes and he can’t protect them with his money. They (and he) are totally vulnerable.

Tony Stark convinces Peter that it is his only choice. By not complying, he makes Mary Jane and Aunt May coconspirators. Tony would help him protect his family. Besides they lived in Stark Tower now.

The third installment was one hell of a fight. It ended with one of the best final pages in history. The God of Thunder, Thor, appears after a long absence and is ready to kick some major ass. It was spectacular. The buzz was ecstatic!

The first few issues of Civil War provided a much needed shot in the arm for the sickly comic industry. Tons of magazines, newspapers and television shows ran stories on the event. New readers were daily walking into comic book stores for the first time. Not even the recent deluge of comic movies was able to do that. Even more surprisingly, many of the disgruntled comic fans of the 1990s were returning.

The issues Civil War raised could not have been timelier. The parallels between the Marvel Universe and our own were easy to identify. The Patriot Act, the torturing of war criminals, the definitions of terrorists and freedom fighters, were all reflected. And as it is in real life, there were no villains in black and heroes in white. The Marvel super heroes, like us, were living in the shades of gray.

Then the delays started. Blamed on a hundred different things, Marvel pushed back the release dates for the remaining issues. Fans and store owners alike were outraged. But it didn’t slow sales. As usual, many quickly said it was all a sales ploy. However, it seemed the delays were to accommodate Steve McNiven. His tremendous art was taking longer than anticipated.

Issue four hit the shelves with mixed emotions. The art was stellar (as usual), but the story seemed rushed. It could all be summed up as one big fight that climaxed with the clone of Thor killing Goliath. Surprise, controversy erupted. Some accused Marvel as being racist and others said Marvel was playing it safe by killing a useless character. (Read my blog about it)

Issues five and six also seemed rushed, and like issue three nothing significant happened. They were mostly summaries of what was occurring in the regular titles. Reed and Sue Richards separated, Spider-Man realized he was wrong and turned on Stark, and the Thunderbolts new roster were a band of “controlled” super villains. Fans gave it a pass. It’s okay. We all understood that Marvel was building up momentum for the epic final battle in issue seven. Feel the anticipation.

The Story Now

A few days ago I got my hands on a copy of Civil War #7. I read it immediately. It was impressive from the very beginning. Captain America smashed Bishop’s head in the ground after yelling, “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” Ha, Ha! Awesome! Turn the page…

Then it was over. It was over and nothing happened! All the build up! All the controversy! The months of delayed gratification! For this!? It not only didn’t end with a bang, it didn’t end with a whimper. It barely ended with a fizzle.

In a nutshell, Captain America quit. Some random civilian causes Cap to realize all the destruction their Civil War had caused. So he quits. He says, “We’re not fighting for the people anymore…” pulls off his mask and allows himself to get arrested. WTF?

He can’t do that. That is not the way Cap goes down. Good or bad, that’s not the American way. Keep in mind; Cap is not just responsible for himself, he is responsible for the lives of all the heroes who have given up their lives to follow him. Damn, Peter Parker alone goes from the proverbial frying pan to the fire and then flops out into hell.

What if Captain America had this attitude during World War II? What if after we stormed Normandy or we saw the destruction in Europe he decided to just quit? Hey, Hitler might be evil incarnate, but think of the real estate. I know a lot of you think I am blowing this out of proportion, but I’m not. What about personal freedoms? What about standing up for what’s right? Are the rights of the many worth more than the rights of the few? Is peace our goal regardless of the cost?

Possibly Mark Millar is trying to comment on the current fiasco in Iraq? I hope not. It really doesn’t work as a solution. I am more inclined to believe that he was forced to bring the whole thing to a quick resolution. But that sucks as an answer as well.

To me, the best part of Civil War has been the tie-ins. Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Black Panther to name a few, have been great. I can’t imagine trying to read Civil War without reading all the other stories. In fact, reading them all made the whole series a lot better.

What do you guys think? Am I way off?

Do you think they are going to kill Aunt May? The new issue of Amazing seems like they might. I believe Civil War should have ended with the death of Mary Jane. What a perfect way to show that heroes need their secret identities.

What do you think will happen with Tony Stark? Is there any way he can be trusted again? I think not. This might be a good opportunity to turn him into a villain. Probably not with the new movie and all.

Let me know your opinion.

Richard

I'm Back...Just in time for the end of Marvel's Civil War!

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:06:00 +0000

Okay, okay. I'm back. Thanks for all the great posts and emails. Yes, I know I have been gone for quite a while. No, I haven't given up. Here go the excuses…

As most of you Atlanta, GA readers know, my wife and I have sold our comic book store. After 16 years of sweat and toil we have finally let our baby go. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we knew it was the right one to make. Our focus for the past few years has been developing our web business. After trying to be dual focused for so long, we knew it was time to dedicate ourselves full time to it. So the day after Thanksgiving, my wife and I signed the final papers and sold our baby (or teenager) to the new parents. We have been competitors and friends of theirs for years and are very happy with our choice.

I want to make it clear that I am in no way leaving the comic book industry. I am now dedicating myself to writing. If things go as planned I should be able to let you know about a few up and coming projects I have in the works. And with all the extra money I am going to receive when I prove I am the father of Anna Nicol’s baby, it should be a lot easier.

Also, as I mentioned, we are dedicating ourselves to our online business. For those of you who don’t know, we sell comic books and related items at http://www.heroesdirect.com/servlet/StoreFront . It has been quite tedious getting all the web design and inventory management figured out (any volunteers out there?). Until we get it finished, we would appreciate any support and business you can give us. We have a pretty strong customer base right now, but can always use more.

Much like a regular store, we take preorders from Previews (this way you can get discounts), or you can set up a pull box with us. Just give us a list of the titles you want and we will pull them weekly for you. Every time you get $25.00 or more in your box, we will mail them to you with FREE shipping! That’s right FREE! This way you get all the benefits of a local store and aren’t screwed with shipping. If you are interested check out the web page and drop us and email.

To all our former brick and mortar customers, I want to take the time to thank you. We did not get the opportunity to thank most of your personally. This is our only regret. You guys have been our family and we will always be grateful.

For all you guys who aren’t from Atlanta and want to read more gossip and crap about comics, I’m getting there.

So much has happened since my last posting. Joss Whedon is no longer doing the Wonder Woman movie; so we don’t have to worry about the bad Diana choices. Then there’s that Ghost Rider movie….the new Fantastic Four….300... Oh and did you hear HBO is going to make a series out of the Preacher comics. And, Brian K Vaughan is going to start writing for the television show Lost.

Check back tomorrow, I have just finished reading the end of Marvel’s Civil War. I have been dying to bitch (I mean talk) about it. Viva Captain France....I mean America....oh...I'll wait till tomorrow. (and yes I am joking...take it easy my French friends.)

Richard

Wonder Woman: From The JLA to The OC

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 12:08:00 +0000

Are you ready for this, Joss Whedon has chosen the OC’s Rachel Bilson to be the new Wonder Woman.

Oh my God, why? She is totally wrong for this role. She is too young and way to small to be an Amazon. How in the hell are we supposed to believe she can fight—much less kick anyone’s ass? I’m sure this news is causing Linda Carter to roll over in her grave. Oh wait, she’s not dead yet. Or is she?

I was very happy when I heard Joss Whedon was directing Wonder Woman. I enjoyed watching Buffy and I even liked Angel (at least the first season). I really liked Firefly and was upset when it was cancelled. I think he has done a wonderful job writing Astonishing X-Men. I was even pleased that he scheduled to take over Runaways from Brian K. Vaughn.

So why would a comic friendly guy like Whedon choose Rachel Bilson? I have it from a good source that he has been struggling with the Wonder Woman script. He wants this movie to be as good as Batman Begins but frustrated because Wonder Woman’s origin and villains aren’t as cool. So in desperation he is returning to his roots. Wonder Woman will look and feel a whole lot like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It seemed for quite some time Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was scheduled to play the Amazonian princess and was pretty upset when she was not chosen. Whedon had also considered Charisma Carpenter for the role. I had even heard that he seriously considered American Idol winner Katharine McPhee.

Perhaps Joss was inspired by This wonderful scene from the OC:

Did you watch it? To me it makes the choice even worse. She would be great as Donna Troy maybe, but NOT Wonder Woman!

Whedon might as well make this movie a series on The WB. Hey it worked for making Superman a teenage heart throb on Smallville.

So who would I choose for the role? I’m glad that you asked. If the movie was being made 15 years ago, Demi Moore would have been perfect. If it was made 10 years ago I would have chose Lucy Lawless. Catherine Zeta-Jones would have been great 5 years ago. In my right opinion, there is only one woman perfect for the role today, Kate Beckinsale. She’s the right age. She has already established that she can kick some ass, and she would look amazing in the Wonder Woman outfit.

Join me in bombarding Warner Brothers and Joss Whedon with emails. We can force a change of this ridicules choice before they start filming.

Later

Iron Man: Foggy and The Phoenix CLONES?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:28:00 +0000

Some more Iron Man Movie News.

Director Jon Favreau (Foggy from Daredevil), has asked Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from X-Men) to be the love interest for Tony Stark. She would be playing Bethany Cabe who first appeared in Iron Man Vol. 1, #117.

Cabe and Stark meet at a convention and quickly become romantically involved (fancy for "get it on"). Cabe is also one of the first people to figure out that Iron Man is not just Stark's body guard but Stark himself. She is also the woman who helps Stark overcome his alcoholism.

I am not sure Janssen is the right choice. We all know that Famke has the talent and body to be in a superhero movie (and apparently a post sex-change dude in Nip Tuck). However, come on, she's Jean Grey for God's sake! For us geeks it was hard enough seeing Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in Punisher after she was in the X-Men movies. But now that I think about it, who cares? They are both easy on the eyes.

To fix this, all Favreau needs to do is have her be a clone of Jean Grey. That way Foggy and The Phoenix can "get it on!"

Also, Terrence Howard will be in the movie as Jim Rhodes (War Machine).

The Movie is set for a May 2, 2008 release.

What do you think?

Foggy Says, "Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man!"

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 07:28:00 +0000

In case you haven't heard by now, Robert Downey Jr. will be Iron Man in the upcoming Jon Favreau movie.

My initial reaction to this news was not very good. In fact, I thought it would be a disaster. However, it has started to grow on me. For obvious reasons, Downey would be perfect to portray Tony Stark fighting his demons.

Even though Downey is a tremendous actor, I am not totally sold on whether he will be able to pull off the billionaire industrialist role. I am afraid he might come across as a parody of the "evil rich guy." Tony Stark is not a Wall Street (greed is good), type of guy. He is a subtle mix of Hugh Hefner and Richard Branson.

I am always confused as to why most comic book movie directors show no respect for the rich history available to them. There was absolutely no reason why Batgirl was not Commissioner Gordon’s daughter. By the simple act of making her related to Alfred, Joel Schumacher, spit in the face of 60 years of established storyline.

I do however, feel that most stories need to be updated for a new generation. Marvel has done this successfully with their Ultimate line of books. A perfect example is Sam Raimi’s decision to alter how Spider-Man produces his web. It was much more believable than a teenager inventing spring released gadgets that he attaches to his arm.

I feel the best thing going for this movie is Jon Favreau. Like Sam Raimi and Christopher Nolan, he is perfect to direct this movie. I can't think of anything he has made that I didn’t like. He also seems to be going out of his way get input from the fan base. I just hope he is faithful to Iron Man’s 40 year history.

But tell me this; if Favreau has a role in the movie, will he have to explain why Foggy Nelson (his role in Daredevil) has a clone elsewhere in the Marvel Universe?

What do you guys think?

Pride of Baghdad: The Lion King Meets Apocalypse Now!

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:19:00 +0000

In my opinion, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD is a must read!

I finished it last night and I was blown away. I sold out of it immediately when it was released a couple weeks ago. So when I got my shipment this week, I broke my own rule and grabbed the first one.

This graphic novel is based on a true story you probably remember from the news a couple years back. In 2003 a pride of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during one of the US bombings of Iraq. This story follows The Pride’s short journey into freedom.

Artist, Niko Henrichon (Barnum!), creates a beautiful and believable world that has the cuteness of The Lion King but the horrifying reality of Apocalypse Now.

Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways) again proves that he is one of the best of the new generation of writers. His dialogue flows so naturally and effortlessly, and best of all, his use of metaphors doesn’t get in the way of the story.

I must say that I was a little surprised that Vaughan took the high road and avoided being too political. It would have been easy to turn this into a Bush bashing story. Whether you believe President Bush is a liberator or conqueror, it would be hard to disagree with his subtle points. No matter how right or wrong this war may be, there are—and will continue to be—innocent casualties. It is easy to forget about them when we refer to them as collateral damage.

Many people are missing the subtleties of Vaughan’s symbolism. In my right opinion, he is not declaring Saddam Hussein and his ilk as victims. Yes, the Iraqi military liked to use the term, “The Lions of Baghdad.” However, this particular pride of lions represent the guiltless Iraqi people who were enslaved by Hussein. In fact, one of the stories main protagonist, remembers a brutal attack she received by certain “brother” lions. Uday and Qusay perhaps?

This parable also uses other animals to symbolize various countries of the world. The bear represents Russia and The Pride deals with him similarly to Iraq’s dealings with Russia. Also, note the actions and words of the monkeys, the turtle, the horses and even the birds. Let’s discuss who they represent.

The graphic novel format is the only way this story could be told. It wouldn’t have had the same impact as a monthly series. My only complaint is minor. The story reads a little too fast. You could easily read it in one or two sittings. However, this is mostly due to the great flow of the story. You really should read it more than once to catch all the nuances.

Go pick it up at your local comic shop. If they don’t have it, ask them to order it for you. If that doesn’t work, contact me and I will sell you a copy and mail it to you for free.

Later

Marvel Civil War: Clones, Racists, and Skrulls, Oh My?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:23:00 +0000

CLICK HERE For The NEW Complete Marvel Civil War Review. (updated 2/21/07)

The following post was written after Marvel Civil War #4.

Where the hell are the real Tony Stark and Reed Richards? There is no way these people are the same guys we have all grown up reading.

How will we be able to look at Iron Man as a hero again?

No matter how you slice it, Reed Richards is responsible for the death of Goliath. He’s going to have to be held accountable.

I hope and pray that Marvel will give us a good explanation as to why everyone is acting so out of character.

Before you think I am breaking my own Commandment #7, let me state that I am really digging the story so far. It reads, looks and flows like a great movie. It has continually been unpredictable and given us some of the best cliffhangers in comic history. Nevertheless, I am starting to get worried as to how this thing is going to end. I do know...

The 5 worst ways to end Marvel's Civil War:

1. Peter Parker regains his secret identity when Ben Reilly returns to don the Spidey garb. This will allow both Spider-Man and Parker to be seen in public together.

2. We find out that these events never even happened. This super-power hating world is contained in a tether ball owned by Franklin Richards.

3. The Scarlet Witch wipes the mind of everyone on Earth and returns things to normal. Nah, they would never do anything that ridiculous.

4. We find out that Richards and Stark are from Bizzaro World. Damn, they actually might be acting screwy because they are from the Negative Zone.

5. Everyone’s a Skrull!

Regardless of how they end Civil War, Marvel needs to let it stick. I am sick of everything conveniently going back to normal.

In recent years, DC has been much better at character development than Marvel. Most Marvel books have been pretty much like a Star Trek episodes—totally interchangeable.

Now let me explain the picture at the top of this blog.

First, I want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY a fan of the Confederate flag or the South’s role in the real Civil War. I do however; think this picture shows just how idiotic some people’s views are concerning Marvel’s Civil War.

You see, I read a lot of blogs and forums, and over the past week I have been shocked at one recurring theme. It seems some of our fellow comic fans are convinced that the guys at Marvel are racists.

Apparently, Thor (who is a white supremacist wet dream—blond hair, blue eyes), killed Goliath because he was black. I thought it was a joke the first couple times I read it. By the fifth and sixth time, I was dumbfounded. What kind of glasses are you wearing to read Civil War #4 that way? In my opinion, you have to be quite a bigot yourself.

If the guys at Marvel were racist, do you think Luke Cage and Jessica Drew would have married and had a baby? Would Black Panther be a pivotal member of the Illuminati? I don’t think so.

Wait…Now that I think about it…Marvel did keep Bishop in Jerry Curls way to long.

What do you think?

10 Commandments For A Strong Comic Industry

noreply@blogger.com (1 Right Opinion Comics) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 20:01:00 +0000

So here we go.

For several months now people have told me that I should blog. I wasn’t sure whether they meant it as a compliment or some type of insult. Who knows? Who cares? The only certain thing is...“I gots me some opinions!” Better than that, my opinions are always RIGHT!

Ancient History

I have been in the Comic Book retail business for over 16 years! Believe me, I've seen it all. I was here for the rise and fall of Image (yes, I consider them fallen). I survived Marvel’s attempt to take over comic distribution with their Heroes World debacle (thank God Perlman’s gone). My store barely scraped by when Wizards of The Coast released Fallen Empires (several stores went bankrupt).I even made the huge bucks with the Pokemon craze. Never will there be anything like it again.

Recent History

The past few years have been rough for the comic industry. Many thought that our life support plug had been pulled, and we were beginning a long and painful death. Year after year, comic sales were down. Many of the fans quit reading comics all together. Many woke up and realized that they were raped by the industry in the 90’s.

Many of the comic faithful decided to just start buying trade paperbacks. Why not? You could buy them immediately after a story arc ended. Other readers discovered eBay. You can always find some idiot who is selling stuff for less than he paid for it (even before the fees).

Out of desperation, comic stores began evolving into “gaming stores.” Unfortunately, this only made the comic fan feel less respected. Now they had to wait in a line of Pokemon brats buying ten cent common cards. A few more loyalist quit reading.

Over the past few years games have begun loosing steam. Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic sales are way down. This was due in part to distributors selling product online under fake names. Also, quite a few gamers were switching to online games.

As usual, panic and lack of sales have caused stores to close their doors. The few that remained (mine included), began moving to smaller stores and cutting back quite a bit on gaming space. It is hard to justify paying extra rent when customers are buying their stuff online and want to use you for the free space.

Today

In the middle of the carnage along comes Infinite Crisis and Civil War. Could it be that comics are back? Sales are up, and long lost readers are back. Great art has finally been combined with great WRITING. Things are looking good.

How long will it last? Is this just a fluke? I hope not. And I have a few ideas on how to keep it strong. And by the way, my opinions are always right.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

FOR A STRONG COMIC INDUSTRY

1. Publishers: Thou shalt keep the focus on great writing.

With the increase in sales, please don't go crazy with all the alternate cover bullshit. Yeah we’re making extra money, but don’t go to crazy. This resurrects our evil nemesis, SPECULATOR MAN.

I always want to choke the guy who walks in and says, "Oh, I don't read comics, I collect them." Thanks buddy. It's guys like you who screwed up comics in the 90's. How many copies of Death of Superman do you have? Got any early Image stuff?

2. Publishers: Thou shalt limit the gimmick crossovers.

We all love the universe changing events. But let’s keep them to big stories. Once a fan realizes that you are only trying to sell more books they feel screwed. God, didn’t we all feel screwed in the old Infinity Gauntlet days? Or Deathmate….echh!

The awesome thing about Civil War and Crisis is that you don’t have to read every tie in comic. However, if you do choose to read them you get a bigger picture. And you realize that there is a lot of awesome books these days.

3. Writers: Thou shalt remember continuity and keep it holy.

Dammit, if Spider-Man transmogrifying (love that word) into an actual spider in Spectacular; he needs to be an arachnid in Amazing! It drives us crazy! At the very least give us a blurb in regards to timeline.

4. Writers: Thou shalt commit to adults with trees.

Okay, I know the tree thing is lame.

Thank God the publishers have finally realized that only adults read comics. If a kid gets $5.00 for allowance, he is renting a video game (or maybe buying crystal meth).

We as an industry need to duplicate the marketing of video games. America now understands that it is adults who play Xbox and PlayStation.

Side note: Writers, as a personal request, don't get too wordy; I like to finish a comic in one sitting on the toilet. My motto: “One crap…one comic.” Thanks.

5. Readers: Thou shalt honour your local comic shop.

Why in the world are you buying your trade paperback at Borders? It is available in your comic shop on the same day, and for the same price. Technically even cheaper if you count that $5.00 latte.

Worse than the trades—why in hell are you buying Spank-Me Boy #1 at Kroger??? Come on! Your comic shop is barely making money as it is. Not to mention that they just might have a comic called Spank-Me Boy. I remember a few years back when one of my pull guys got a copy of Leather Boy #1. But I digress (oops, that is Peter David’s line).

6. Readers: Thou shalt not covet discounts.

Support the store that gives you the best service and has the most choices. People aren’t in the comic business for the money. We are in it because we love comics! Most of us would make more money if we managed a Blockbuster or asked you if you wanted fries with that instead of boards.

Let’s say you’re someone who reads 20 comics a month and you go to a shop that gives you 10% off. Based on the now standard $2.99 a copy, you’re saving $6.oo. That’s only $1.50 a week. Not that big a deal. But multiply that by 1oo customers and your comic shop owner may not have to eat Alpo.

7. Wannabe Fan Boys: Thou shalt not bear false witness against other creators.

In other words, Quit bitching! I am sick of hearing how you would have done it better. If you can “do it better,” then do it for Christ’s sake! Maybe you are not being kept down by the Man. Maybe you just suck! Self publish, put your stuff online or do something! That being said, be sure to check my blog every few days where I will break this rule repeatedly.

8. Store Owners: Thou shalt not kill thyself.

QUIT BEGGING FOR BUSINESS. You are committing suicide if you are giving heavy discounts! You will never sell as much as Wal-Mart. You will never make your money in volume.

Let me try to hit this home. First, let’s assume you have mastered the art of ordering. You sell out of everything you order perfectly. Second, let’s assume your comic discount is 50%.

Next, figure out what percentage of your operating income is spent on rent, payroll, taxes, utilities, and all the other crap. If you have all that under control, it is almost impossible that it would be less than 40%. So if you’re perfect, you got 10% left!

What discount do you offer your customers,10%, 20%? Do you give free boards with your comics? You’re losing money! I would love to discuss this further. If you’re interested, let me know?

9. Store Owners: Thou shalt have no other loves above your first.

Did you really get into this business to babysit Yu-Gi-Oh kids? Do you like spending all that money on disinfecting your game room from the gamer funk? If you love gaming, great! If not, stop the madness.

10. All of Us: We shalt allow others besides Diamond.

Diamond Comics Distributor is a monopoly, plain and simple. This is NEVER good. Much of the chaos in our industry is a direct result of Darth Geppi’s Empire. Let's unite the rebel alliance!

There... problems solved. Obey these commandments and the comic industry will last forever!

Let me hear from you. I welcome all discussion. Feel free to comment or ask questions. I will try not to be so verbose in the future.

Do you own a comic book store? Do you want to? Drop some comments or questions.

Later!