Caped Crusaders 101

Migrated to FB

2014-07-25T10:36:00.003-07:00

Dear Caped Crusader Reader,

If you have found this page, please note that I have migrated to a FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/CapedCrusaders101?ref_type=bookmark

See you there!
J.

X Ex: Jean Grey Makes Cameo In Six-Second 'Tweaser' For 'The Wolverine'

2013-03-26T13:53:00.002-07:00

Via Yahoo: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/x-ex-jean-grey-makes-cameo-six-second-215029258.html

X Ex: Jean Grey Makes Cameo In Six-Second 'Tweaser' For 'The Wolverine'

By Frank DiGiacomo | Movieline.com – 23 hours ago

Wolverine 8

The trailer for The Wolverine doesn't hit until Wednesday, but director James Mangold has released a six-second tweaser trailer via his Twitter account that crams a lot into its extremely brief run time, including plenty toothy grimacing from Hugh Jackman and a glimpse of the adamantium-clawed antihero's unrequited X2 dalliance Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who sacrificed herself at the end of the movie.

By the way, if you freeze the scene — which you can do by clicking on the frame — Wolvie and Jean appear to be in the midst sort of gauzy romantic moment, which could mean it's merely a flashback as opposed to Grey's return as the Phoenix. (The mutant she eventually becomes based on Marvel mythology). Check it out and tell me what you think, Bub?

More on The Wolverine:

New Posters For 'The Wolverine' Show A Jacked Jackman − But Little Artistic Spark

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The Mandarin Isn't Talking Funny Anymore

2013-03-26T13:09:00.001-07:00

Via Yahoo: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/watch-mandarin-isnt-talking-funny-anymore-133006131.html

WATCH: The Mandarin Isn't Talking Funny Anymore

By Frank DiGiacomo | Movieline.com – 6 hours ago

Mandarin

There's yet another Iron Man 3 TV spot making the rounds, and, like the international TV spot I wrote about on Monday, it leaves the distinct impression that Ben Kingsley has dialed back the affected voice he was using in his portrayal of the Mandarin.

How Kingsley Dialed Back The Mandarin's Vocal Acrobatics
In this clip, Kingsley, in voiceover, uses his signature line, "You'll never see me coming," but this time he doesn't lead-foot the l's and r's. Instead, he breaks up the sentence with dramatic pauses, so he sounds appropriately dangerous as opposed to dangerous and destined to be a recurring Saturday Night Live character. Check out the second clip for Kingsley's original reading of the line.
A Disney spokeswoman still hasn't gotten back to me on whether a conscious decision was made to change the downplay the Mandarin's vocal acrobatics. If that ever happens, I'll update.
Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige Plays Superhero Shrink For Tony Stark:
In other Iron Man 3 news, Marvel Studios Production President Kevin Feige plays superhero shrink in an "Under The Armor" interview at Marvel.com and sheds some light on Tony Stark's mindset going into the movie. Noting that this latest installment in the Iron Man saga takes place after the events of The Avengers Feige says:

"Not only did he encounter all of those crazy characters with hammers and capes and shields and gamma-irradiated strength, but a portal to another world opened above his head. Tony Stark is a very scientifically minded guy who thought he was at the cutting edge of science, and suddenly learned in those brief moments at the end of “Marvel's The Avengers,” that there is an infinite amount that he doesn’t know.
I think that made him feel small in a certain way and I think even encountering those other super heroes in “Marvel's The Avengers” made him feel like he was not the most powerful person in the world, which I think Tony likes to feel like he is. He may be the smartest person in the world, but not necessarily the most powerful. So when we meet him at the beginning of “Iron Man 3,” he’s using the suit as a shell almost. It is a shell to shield himself from all of this new information, this new influx of reality that is crashing around him. At the same time, as tends to happen in good movies, another villain arises. And suddenly, when he’s sort of at a state where he’d much rather stay in his lab and work on his suits, something happens that forces him to get out of his house, to get out of his lab and even in some cases, get out of the suit, to confront this new evil."

More on Iron Man 3 & the Mandarin:

WATCH: Pepper Dons Armor & The Mandarin Sheds Weird Dialect In International 'Iron Man 3' Clip

Marvel Studios Says Iron Man 3 Villain The Mandarin Isn't Chinese, He's International

'Iron Man 3' Director Spills On The Mandarin & He Sounds Like....Mike Ovitz?

[Marvel.com]

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DC Comics Villains Getting Their Own Documentary

2013-03-26T13:07:00.004-07:00

Via Yahoo: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/exclusive-dc-comics-villains-getting-own-documentary-171627128.html

Exclusive: DC Comics Villains Getting Their Own Documentary

By Matt McDaniel | Movie Talk – 2 hours 50 minutes ago

The Joker, Sinestro, and Lex Luthor (Photo: DC Entertainment)

Superheroes get the glory. They get the girls. They get their name in the title. But without supervillains to fight, they'd just be guys running around in their pajamas.
Now the bad guys are finally getting their due, with the announcement that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment are commencing production on the feature-length documentary, "Necessary Evil: Villains of DC Comics." From Batman's legendary foes like The Joker and Bane, to Superman's arch-enemies Lex Luthor and Darkseid, the doc will explore over seven decades of evil plots and dastardly deeds.

Christopher Lee (Photo: Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images)And who better to narrate a history of bad guys than the esteemed actors who's played more villains than nearly anyone else in film history: Christopher Lee. There's no one else with a film career like his. From playing Dracula in Hammer horror films in the '60s, to a Bond villain in "The Man With the Golden Gun," to a Sith Lord in the "Star Wars" prequels, Lee is best when he's bad. And his deep, rumbling voice will be perfect to tell the story of the most wicked characters of the DC Universe.

Production will begin this weekend at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, and you can get in on the action yourself. Come to the convention dressed as your favorite DC villain and you might get included in the documentary. Filming will take place Saturday morning at the DC Entertainment booth (#801), so look your best -- or worst, as the case may be. And if you can't make WonderCon, there will most likely be more opportunities at the San Diego and New York Comic Cons later this year.
There's no release date set for the documentary, but you will get to see one of Superman's most dangerous adversaries, General Zod (played by Michael Shannon), on the big screen when "Man of Steel" opens everywhere on June 14.
Here's the full press release:

“Behind every great hero, there are a whole lot of villains.” – Geoff Johns

NEW DOCUMENTARY NECESSARY EVIL: VILLAINS OF DC COMICS
LEGENDARY VILLAIN CHRISTOPHER LEE NARRATES
BURBANK, CA (March 26, 2013) – The Joker, Bane, Deathstroke, Darkseid and Lex Luthor -- the scariest and most menacing villains in DC Comics’ universe -- take center stage in a brand new full-length documentary from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment (DCE). The joint announcement was made today by WBHE and DCE.
Christopher Lee, who has played the villain more times than almost any other actor, will provide his unique voice as narrator. His roles in more than 200 films include star turns as Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein’s monster in Hammer horror classics, Count Dooku in Star Wars, and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit films.
In this new documentary film, the malevolent, sometimes charismatic figures from DC Comics’ hallowed rogues’ gallery will be explored in depth, featuring interviews with the famed creators, storytellers and those who have crafted the personalities and profiles of many of the most notorious villains in comic book history.
Production begins March 30, to coincide with WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center March 29-31.
Noted Geoff Johns, best-selling author and DCE’s Chief Creative Officer, “DC Comics is known for many things, but chief among them is the compelling, diverse and legendary society of super-villains who populate its universe. From the monstrous Solomon Grundy to the brutal Black Adam to the charismatic Sinestro, there is no single greater collection of villainy in all of fiction. These villains are hugely popular comic book characters in their own right and, quite honestly, many are often times more popular than some of our iconic super heroes.”
Jeff Baker, WBHE’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, added “The DC brand is enjoying a huge resurgence thanks to the entire leadership team at DC Entertainment which is driving opportunities not only for new theatrical properties, but for brand extensions as well. This new documentary will reinforce this evolving strategy and leverage DC assets across the entire studio landscape.”
Johns also reiterated that this year’s initiative will be a turning point for DCE. “It’s time we deconstruct these complex and sinister antagonists and celebrate the role they play as the engine and energy of some of the greatest storytelling in comics. 2013 is the Year of the Villain at DC Comics.”
On Saturday, March 30th, fans attending WonderCon are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite DC Comics’ villain for an opportunity to be featured in the documentary Fans can join DCE at WonderCon at booth 801 with filming to take place Saturday from 10:30am – Noon. To find out more about where and what time to meet in the WonderCon DC Entertainment booth, keep checking the DC Comics Facebook (Facebook.com/DCComics) and Twitter sites (@DCComics).
Participation in upcoming ‘cons’ (Comic-Con International: San Diego and New York Comic Con) is anticipated, with a full release scheduled for later in the year.

See General Zod in the trailer for 'Man of Steel':

Ant Man and Doc Strange up next!

2013-01-25T18:45:00.003-08:00

From http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/ant-man-doctor-strange-lead-charge-marvel-phase-010729880.html (Jan. 25, 2013)

‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ will lead the charge for Marvel’s Phase Three

By Bryan Enk | Movie Talk – 1 hour 32 minutes ago

Photo: Marvel Comics

What are the two best adjectives to describe the third round of Marvel Films? For now, it's "small" and "weird."
It's the little guy who's first out of the gate after "The Avengers 2" bows during the summer of 2015, as Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige has revealed that "Ant-Man" will be the official party-starter for Phase Three of the superhero saga.
"'Ant-Man' is definitely part of Phase Three," Feige said in a recent interview with MTV News. "Like 'Iron Man 3,' it's certainly set in the Marvel Universe, but it's also through the lens of Edgar Wright -- which is the only reason we're making the movie."
Indeed, many Marvel fans feel that the only reason they're excited for an "Ant-Man" movie is because it's being made by the director of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." One can only imagine the bizarre energy and imagination he's going to bring to the story of Henry Pym, a brilliant scientist who invents a substance that turns him really, really small.
And what other new characters might be introduced to the expanded Marvel Universe during this third phase?
"'Doctor Strange,' which I've been talking about for years, is definitely one of them," Feige confirmed. "He's a great, original character, and he checks the box off this criteria that I have: he's totally different from anything else we have, just like 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' He's totally different from anything we've done before, as is 'Ant-Man,' which keeps us excited."
Stephen Strange was a neurosurgeon whose career comes to an abrupt end after his hands are damaged in a car accident. After tracking down a Himalayan hermit known as the Ancient One, Strange is taught the mystical arts and reinvents himself as Doctor Strange, the "mightiest magician in the cosmos."
A stand-alone "Doctor Strange" movie is still in the planning stages, and hopefully Marvel will remain "excited" about it enough to actually make it ... which certainly wasn't the case with the "Black Panther" movie, which seems to have been abandoned in favor of "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Anyway, let's not get too ahead of ourselves here. Before we delve into Phase Three, we have the Phase Two films to look forward to, starting with "Iron Man 3" (May 3) and followed by "Thor: The Dark World" (November 8), "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (April 4, 2014) and "Guardians of the Galaxy" (August 1, 2014). "The Avengers 2" (May 1, 2015) will mark the end of Phase Two, with "Ant-Man" (November 6, 2015) ushering in the next round of Marvel adventures.

‘Cosmopolis’ director gives ‘Dark Knight Rises’ a bad review

2012-08-16T13:14:00.002-07:00

Via Yahoomovies, 8/16/2012

‘Cosmopolis’ director gives ‘Dark Knight Rises’ a bad review

By Claudine Zap | Movie Talk – 1 hour 53 minutes ago

(photo:Getty Images/Warner Bros. Pictures)Count out one fan of "The Dark Knight Rises." The indie filmmaker David Cronenberg slammed supporters of the movie who call the blockbuster art, saying," I don't think they know what the f--k they're talking about."

The director was speaking to MTV to promote his new film, "Cosmopolis," starring "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson as a young billionaire whose rarefied world unravels in just one day.

[SLIDESHOW: 'Cosmopolis' New York City premiere]

Cronenberg's scathing words were picked up by the Hollywood Reporter and have been catching buzz.
In the interview, the filmmaker, who did direct a movie based on a graphic novel, "A History of Violence," elaborated on his opinion of the caped crusader.
"I don't think they are making them an elevated art form. I think it's still Batman running around in a stupid cape. I just don't think it's elevated. (Director) Christopher Nolan's best movie is 'Memento,' and that is an interesting movie. I don't think his Batman movies are half as interesting though they're 20 million times the expense."

Tiffs over movie content aren't new, of course. Spike Lee famously called out Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction" and the upcoming "Django Unchained") for using the N-word too much in his movies and wanting to be "an honorary black man."
For his part, Cronenberg did acknowledge that he respected Nolan's mastery of IMAX technology, calling it "really tricky and difficult to do." But he added that the movie was "boring." "A superhero movie, by definition, you know, it's comic book. It's for kids. It's adolescent in its core."
But perhaps the director would be fine channeling his inner adolescent. He admitted, "As an actor, I would play Batman."

Ben Affleck approached to direct ‘Justice League’

2012-08-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Via Yahoo...

Ben Affleck approached to direct ‘Justice League’

By Claudine Zap | Movie Talk – 2 hours 39 minutes ago

(Photo: Jim Spellman)It will take a super director to take on the superhero team movie "Justice League." Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has approached Ben Affleck to lead the DC comic book project.

Affleck isn't Joss Whedon, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" wunderkind who directed the megahit "The Avengers." And he's not Christopher Nolan, who brought back Batman in the "Dark Knight" trilogy's stunning reboot -- and who already said 'no' to a 'Justice League' movie.
But the 39-year-old Affleck is a successful director ("The Town"), an Oscar-winning writer ("Good Will Hunting"), and an actor who even suited up as Superman in the biopic about George Reeves (who played the superhero on TV) in "Hollywoodland."

Similar to the Marvel comic book-based "Avengers," "Justice League" would star a team of superheroes. Headliners could include the DC comic book characters Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash.
"Justice League" chatter comes along with news that Whedon has agreed to direct the "Avengers 2" movie.
Interest in "Justice League" on the Web sent a storm of comments to Twitter, leading the movie title to become a trending topic. Comments included, from
Steven Weintraub @colliderfrosty, "Ben Affleck has proven himself to be a great director. If he wants to do Justice League, I'm all for it."
ErikDavis @ErikDavis joked, "I will only back an Affleck-directed 'Justice League' movie if all the superheroes have thick Boston accents."
Seth Grahame-Smith @sethgs added, "For those who say there's no chance for peace in our time -- a Marvel character might direct a Justice League movie."
The Marvel character Affleck played is one project the actor might prefer people forget. The star took on the role of "Daredevil," a movie that he told MTV led him to swear off superhero films.
But Affleck's superhero past doesn't seem to bother Warner Bros. Sources told Variety that the actor and director is the only candidate to receive Will Beall's script.
Not that anything's certain. Variety says talks will happen in the coming days. One point to possibly iron out: Affleck has said in the past that he'd direct only movies in which he could also star. So could the A-lister be slipping into a spandex outfit for justice?
SlashFilm doesn't think so, pointing out that the director of "Argo" told England's Daily Record in 2010, "If there's anything I can promise you, it's that the years of superhero are behind me."
But directing a bunch of superheroes could be in Affleck's future.

For Obama and Romney, Gay Green Lantern Could Provide Guidance

2012-06-03T07:55:00.003-07:00

For Obama and Romney, Gay Green Lantern Could Provide Guidance
Yahoo! Contributor Network
By Ron Hart | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Jun 1, 2012
COMMENTARY | As Mitt Romney and Barack Obama gear up their campaigns and rally their bases (such as they are), I hope they both are looking to the story line of a B-Level comic book hero for instruction.
Today, one of DC Comics oldest characters, Green Lantern "came out" as gay. It seems to be largely a non-story. Indeed, the series author, James Robinson, said that Green Lantern's sexuality will not be part of upcoming story lines. Presumably, it would seem, because few really care.
On a recent episode of Real Time, Bill Maher spoke on how Americans increasingly aren't opposed to gay marriage. His basic premise was that President Obama's recent support of gay marriage was the right thing to do politically. Maher said, in part, "Of course, there are still millions of people in America who think that homosexuality offends God, or that pot leads to hard drugs. But, they mainly belong to a specific demographic called "people who will be dead soon.' "
Two specific incidents in my daughter's young life come to mine that give me optimism about the future of our society, even as a straight white man.
One occurred the morning after the 2008 election, when I realized that she would never wonder whether our country would elect an African American president. The other came was the morning in New York City in June of 2011. The night before had been marked by loud cheers on the streets. She asked what all the noise was about. My wife and I delicately began to explain what gay marriage was. When I asked her if she knew what 'gay' meant, her eight year old eyes squinted and said, "yeah…of course."
When I explained that they could now marry if they wanted to, she seemed confused and said, "Who would tell them not to?"
While certainly there is still a block of voters to be had by lamenting the fact that there is now a gay comic book super hero, that block is, to paraphrase Bill Maher, dying by the day.
DC Comics knows it will not lose one net customer of their comic books based on the fact that one of their long time characters is gay. If any groups plan to protest DC Comics, or boycott their products, it seems certain the fallout would be so small as to not matter to their bottom line.
Barack Obama has seemed to realize he won't either lose one vote as he somewhat haltingly supports gay marriage. He should state it forcefully now, and in the process take it off the table as a major issue in presidential politics. In turn, Mitt Romney would be well advised to strop defining marriage as something between "one man and one woman". His grandfather did not agree, and I suspect his grandchildren someday will not agree either.

Green Lantern relaunched as brave, mighty and gay

2012-06-01T07:38:00.004-07:00

Green Lantern relaunched as brave, mighty and gay
Associated PressBy MATT MOORE | Associated Press, June 1, 2012

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Green Lantern, one of DC Comics' oldest and enduring heroes no matter what parallel earth he's on, is serving as a beacon for the publisher again, this time as a proud, mighty and openly gay hero.
The change is revealed in the pages of the second issue of "Earth 2" out next week, and comes on the heels of what has been an expansive year for gay and lesbian characters in the pages of comic books from Archie to Marvel and others.
But purists and fans note: This Green Lantern is not the emerald galactic space cop Hal Jordan who was, and is, part of the Justice League and has had a history rich in triumph and tragedy.
Instead, said James Robinson, who writes the new series, Alan Scott is the retooled version of the classic Lantern whose first appearance came in the pages of "All-American Comics" No. 16 in July 1940.
And his being gay is not part of some wider story line meant to be exploited or undone down the road, either.
"This was my idea," Robinson explained this week, noting that before DC relaunched all its titles last summer, Alan Scott had a son who was gay.
But given "Earth 2" features retooled and rebooted characters, Scott is not old enough to have a grown son.
"By making him younger, that son was not going to exist anymore," Robinson said.
"He doesn't come out. He's gay when we see him in issue two," which is due out Wednesday. "He's fearless and he's honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said 'I'm gay.'"
"It was just meant to be — Alan Scott being a gay member of the team, the Justice Society, that I'll be forming in the pages of 'Earth 2,'" he said. "He's just meant to be part of this big tapestry of characters."
It's also another example of gay and lesbian characters taking more prominent roles in the medium.
In May, Marvel Entertainment said super speedster Northstar will marry his longtime boyfriend in the pages of "Astonishing X-Men." DC comics has other gay characters, too, including Kate Kane, the current Batwoman.
And in the pages of Archie Comics, Kevin Keller is one of the gang at Riverdale High School and gay, too.
Some groups have protested the inclusion of gay characters, but Robinson isn't discouraged, noting that being gay is just one aspect to Scott.
"This guy, he's a media mogul, a hero, a dynamic type-A personality and he's gay," Robinson said. "He's a complex character."
___
Follow Matt Moore at http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap
___
Online:
DC Comics: http://www.dccomics.com/

http://news.yahoo.com/green-lantern-relaunched-brave-mighty-gay-070052544.html

Slovak Batman lends helping hand

2012-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Slovak Batman lends helping hand (from REUTERS; March 10, 2012)

Zoltan Kohari, 26, lives alone in an abandoned building in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, without water, heat or electricity. For local residents he became known as the hero in a Batman's costume. While he has not fought crime yet, he does what he can to help residents to make their daily life easier.

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Photo By RADOVAN STOKLASA/REUTERS Thu, Mar 8, 2012

Spider-Man Musical ruined by Supervillians!

2012-03-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

Julie Taymor claims there was a 'Spider-Man' plot

By MARK KENNEDY | Associated Press – 1 hr 57 mins ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Director Julie Taymor has hit back at her former creative partners in "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark," arguing in court papers that she was the victim of a conspiracy to unfairly push her out of the production and that her one-time collaborators were secretly working on a rival script behind her back.

Taymor's legal team on Friday defended the Tony Award winner against claims in an earlier countersuit from producers, the latest installment in their bitter legal battle over financial rewards for Broadway's most expensive show.
"While secretly conspiring to oust Taymor and use and change her work without pay, the producers also fraudulently induced Taymor to continue working and to diligently make improvements," her team alleges.
Taymor, who was the original "Spider-Man" director and co-book writer, was fired in March after years of delays, accidents and critical backlash. The show, which features music by U2's Bono and The Edge, opened in November 2010 but spent months in previews before officially opening a few days after the Tony Awards in June. It has become a financial hit at the box office.
Producers shot back late Friday. "It's very disheartening for the former director of the show to take no responsibility for the consequences of her actions while, at the same time, trying to claim credit for the show's success," Dale Cendali, an attorney for the producers, said in a statement.

In November, Taymor slapped the producers — led by Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris — as well as Glen Berger, her former co-book writer, with a federal copyright infringement lawsuit, alleging they violated her creative rights and haven't compensated her for the work she put into the $75 million show. In January, the producers' filed a counterclaim asserting the copyright claims are baseless. The latest salvo is Taymor's team responding to that counterclaim.

In the legal filing, Taymor claims she was ousted not because she wasn't willing to cooperate with changes but simply to appease investors, sway critics to the idea that the show was being fixed, bilk her of royalties and "mask the producers' own failures."
The document says she was fired during a lunch meeting at The Lamb's Club restaurant by the producers, Bono and The Edge. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was hired to work on the book and Philip William McKinley stepped in to direct.
The filing quotes from emails between her and the producers, Berger and Bono and The Edge, painting a picture of a creative team very supoortive of Taymor's direction and vision. She also claims she had no part in the accidents that injured actors and embarrassed the production and that Bono and The Edge's frequent absences from the theater "hampered timely improvements."
The filing describes a behind-the-scenes atmosphere that was secretive and slightly paranoid. Taymor alleges that Berger was told to quietly work on changes to the story without Taymor's knowledge — called "Plan X" — that in an email Berger complained led him to lead a "double life" — both working with and against Taymor.

The document quotes Berger in an email to Bono complaining that "it's a bit draining" working for hours with Taymor "on scenes I know in my heart-of-hearts are wrong." Taymor claims she was unaware of any alternative story line until after being fired and yet she was to have final approval on the musical's book.

The stunt-heavy show has been doing brisk business ever since it opened its doors and most weeks easily grossing more than the $1.2 million the producers have indicated they need to reach to stay viable. Over the Christmas holiday, the show earned the highest single-week gross of any show in Broadway history.

Taymor alleges that the show has not been re-imagined and that what audiences are seeing at the Foxwoods Theatre is essentially the same show she directed. "The producers' current suggestion that they have created a 'new' show after a mere three-week shutdown is false and incredible," the filing says.

New Watchmen Series! Issues of Fidelity Abound!

2012-02-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

From Brian Truitt, USA Today, Feburay 1, 2012

DC gives Watchmen a graphic past

By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Updated 2/1/2012 11:57 AM

Comments

The masked vigilante Rorschach was originally created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in the original 1980s Watchmen series.

Who watches the Watchmen? This summer, it will again be a legion of comic-book fans.

Under its DC Comics banner, DC Entertainment is reviving characters from the beloved and seminal graphic novel Watchmen for seven prequels collectively titled Before Watchmen.

The comics will feature all of the heroes — and anti-heroes — who writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons created in the 1986-87 Watchmen series, which was later collected as a graphic novel. Those characters will star in miniseries by some of the company's top writers and artists, including:

•Rorschach by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo

•Comedian by Azzarello and artist J.G. Jones

•Minutemen by writer/artist Darwyn Cooke

•Silk Spectre by Cooke and artist Amanda Conner

•Nite Owl by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Joe and Andy Kubert

•Dr. Manhattan by Straczynski and artist Adam Hughes

•Ozymandias by writer and original Watchmen editor Len Wein with art by Jae Lee

Issues will be released so that there will be a new one every week, and each will include two pages of a separate, continuing backup story, Curse of the Crimson Corsair, by Wein, with art by Watchmen colorist John Higgins. A single-issue Before Watchmen: Epilogue will also be a part of the prequel series, featuring several of the writers and artists involved.

According to the Guinness World Records, Watchmen is the best-selling graphic novel of all time, with more than 2 million copies sold. However, Azzarello first read the series when it came out monthly in the '80s and was a huge fan 10 years before he broke into the industry.

Azzarello says he "dropped the phone" when DC co-publisher Dan DiDio called him last summer and asked if he'd write the fan-favorite character Rorschach, the vigilante clad in a mask with shifting ink blots who investigates the death of his old friend, The Comedian, in the original Watchmen story.

"He's the face. The guy who covers his face is the face of the franchise," Azzarello says. For the four-issue Rorschach series, he's teaming again with Bermejo, the artist from his Joker graphic novel.

"You're going to get the Rorschach that you know and want. It's a very visceral story we're going to be telling,'' Azzarello says.

Set in a bleak version of 1980s America where Richard Nixon is still president and powered beings have changed the fabric of society but are now considered outlaws, Watchmen created a legion of fans with its rich storytelling and deconstruction of the superhero genre. The phrase "Who watches the Watchmen,'' spray-painted on buildings in the original book, has become iconic.

Many of those readers view Watchmen as a sacred text that shouldn't be touched. Moore himself publicly stated that he wanted nothing to do with the 2009 movie adaptation by director Zack Snyder, or any sequels or prequels.

Gibbons, who was an adviser on the movie, has given his blessing. "The original series of Watchmen is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC's reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire," he says in a statement.

That approval, however, isn't as important as making sure all the Before Watchmen books work on their own, Azzarello says. What's key is "that we all get in there and we tell the best possible stories we can and we reconnect these characters. It's 25 years later. Let's make them vital again."

Action No.1 Goes for How Much??!!!!

2011-11-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

Yahoo News:

Action Comics 1 sells for $2.16 million in auction

By MATT MOORE | AP

The issue, graded at 9.0, was auctioned starting Nov. 11 online at www.comicconnect.com. The starting bid was just $1 but there was a reserve price of $900,000. Neither the name of the buyer nor seller was disclosed.

It's the first time a comic book has broken the $2 million barrier. The issue was published in 1938 and cost just 10 cents.

"When we broke the record in 2010 by selling the Action Comics No. 1, graded at 8.5, for $1.5 million, I truly believed that this was a record that would stand for many years to come," said Stephen Fishler, CEO of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Collectibles.

The previous record set in March 2010 was followed by the sale of another copy for $1 million. But neither of those issues was in as good a condition as the issue that sold Wednesday, though it's pedigree of setting records was already documented. Twice before it set the record for the most expensive book ever, selling for $86,000 in 1992 and $150,000 in 1997.
But in 2000, it was stolen and thought lost until it was recovered in a storage shed in California in April this year.
About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are believed to be in existence, and only a handful of those in good condition.
After it was stolen, Fishler said, collectors figured it would never be found or, worse, would be destroyed.
"Clearly, I was wrong. Not in my wildest imagination could I have predicted that this legendary, stolen Action Comics No. 1 would be found, graded at 9.0 and break the record a year and a half later," he said.
___
Online:
http://www.comic%href_on(http://www.comicconnect.comconnect.com

%href_off(

New Avengers promo

2011-11-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Via Yahoo:

The Hulk Gets a Fresh Start in ‘The Avengers’

By Matt McDaniel | Movie Talk – 17 hours ago

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (Photo: Marvel Studios)

In the past decade, there have been two attempts to bring Marvel Comics' "Incredible Hulk" to the big screen. And neither fully satisfied critics or comic-book fans with how they portrayed Bruce Banner, the mild-mannered scientist who grows into an uncontrollable green monstrosity when he gets angry. So when writer/director Joss Whedon (creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") was brought aboard "The Avengers" -- next year's movie that teams up the Hulk with fellow superheroes Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor -- he had both the opportunity and the challenge of giving the character a fresh start. Luckily for Whedon, he had a great Oscar-nominated actor, Mark Ruffalo, to help him redefine both Banner and Hulk.
See an exclusive character banner for 'The Avengers' >>
In a phone interview with me this week, Whedon told me that he met with all the actors in "The Avengers," -- including returning stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Samuel L. Jackson -- before he started working on the script to get their perspectives on their roles. But Whedon said that he did the most character work of all with Ruffalo, "because we really were starting fresh, but we were starting with something that had been embodied several times."
Whedon told me that he and Ruffalo both agreed that they wanted their version of Dr. Banner to follow the model established by Bill Bixby in the '70s TV version of "The Incredible Hulk," rather than how he had been portrayed in the more recent films. The character on the show, they felt, "was busy helping other people.... That was more interesting to us than the Banner in the first two movies who was always fixated on curing himself."
Once the actor and director found a common vision for how they would handle Bruce Banner's personality, they had to work out the other side of the role: the lumbering, destructive, out-of-control Hulk. Whedon admitted that he and Ruffalo fought over this. Physically. He said, "I mean literally we actually got some pads out and did some tussling. Just to talk about the physicality of somebody who has to control this thing, and the way he moves in space and the way he relates to the people and the objects around him. It was extremely fun."
Together, Whedon and Ruffalo worked out not just the dual nature of Banner's personality, but also the two sides to the Hulk's physical presence. Whedon said, "What we found was that he could be very bumbling and kind of awkward, but at the same time very graceful and in this almost transcendent control of himself." Their efforts should show on screen as well. While the Hulk will be a digital creation like in the last two films, this time it will actually be Ruffalo playing the big green guy. Using motion capture technology like in "Avatar," all of the Hulk's movements and expressions will come from Ruffalo.
You can get a brief look at Ruffalo hulking out in the teaser trailer for "The Avengers" below. Then click over to read the full text of my interview with Joss Whedon, where we covered working with Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, and why he spent as much time writing the big stunts in the movie as he did on the dialogue. "The Avengers" opens May 4, 2012.
Read the full Joss Whedon interview >>

Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Hemsworth in Marvel's 'The Avengers'

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/hulk-gets-fresh-start-avengers-003500379.html

Stan Lee Media, Inc. files suit against 'Conan'

2011-08-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

This from Entertainment Weekly, August 22, 2011:

Stan Lee Media, Inc. files suit against 'Conan'

by Annie Barrett

Stan Lee Media, Inc., a company founded by comic book legend Stan Lee, wants a judge to rule that it is still the rightful owner of the character Conan the Barbarian. In a lawsuit filed Aug. 19 in federal court in L.A. and obtained by EW, SLMI is demanding 100 percent of the film’s proceeds. The company claims its bankruptcy in 2001 would have prevented anyone from taking the rights to the Conan character away. In the suit, Stan Lee Media, Inc. claims the company was betrayed by a former lawyer who made an illegal deal to transfer the rights to another company that would later green-light this summer’s Conan movie. The poorly reviewed remake earned $10 million on its opening weekend, barely beating the debut of the original Conan the Barbarian in 1982.

COMMENT: Give the mostly negative reviews, you'd think Stan would disown this flick.
Rotten Tomatoes link: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/conan_the_barbarian_2011/

Lastly, Stan did NOT invent Conan, with was originally written by R.E. Howard!

Why Chris Evans Turned Down the Role of 'Captain America'

2011-07-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Why Chris Evans Turned Down the Role of 'Captain America'

by: Matt McDaniel (Yahoo, June 23, 2011)

'Captain America: The First Avenger' Paramount/Marvel

When Chris Evans was approached to star in a big-budget movie adaptation of one of the most iconic characters in comic book history, he said "No." Repeatedly.
In a profile of the 30-year-old actor in the current GQ Magazine, Evans revealed that when he was offered the title role in this summer's "Captain America: The First Avenger," he turned it down more than once. And what's even more surprising is that he didn't feel bad about it.

See the exclusive 'Captain America' trailer >>

Evans told GQ, "I said no a bunch, and every time I said no, I woke up the next morning so happy and content." But the creative team at Marvel Studios kept hounding the actor. Eventually, he did relent to meet with the studio and the director Joe Johnston ("The Rocketeer"), and after they impressed him with their plans for the movie, he realized the source of his hesitation.
"I was scared," Evans said in Entertainment Weekly. He says he felt like the role could be a no-win situation: if the movie failed, he'd be blamed, and if it succeeded, he could be pigeonholed as the star-spangled superhero. Plus, taking the role meant he would be under contract for both the highly-anticipated Marvel team movie "The Avengers" and several potential "Captain America" sequels.
His fears weren't exactly unfounded, either. He had already played another Marvel character, Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) in two "Fantastic Four" movies. And while the films were the biggest financial hits in his career so far, they weren't embraced by either the critics or the hardcore fans of the comics. Last year, Evans also appeared in two movies based on lower-profile graphic novels -- "The Losers" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" -- but neither hit it big at the box office.
Eventually, Evans made a choice to confront his apprehension head on. "I realized my whole decision making process was fear based," he told EW, "and you never want to make a decision out of fear." He signed on to play Steve Rogers, the scrawny but scrappy Army enlistee in World War II who volunteers to be injected with the "Super Soldier Serum" that turns him into the tall, strapping Captain America.

See new 'Captain America' photos >>

Even though "Captain America: The First Avenger" won't hit theaters for another month, Evans is already back at work for "The Avengers" alongside Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron Man"), Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") and Samuel L. Jackson. He told MTV, "When we did 'Captain America,' you're the only superhero on set," but when he saw the other stars in their costumes it was "the first time I really kind of geeked out."

Marvel helps market Cowboys... Jones's Super-Team?

2011-07-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Marvel Comics takes its game to Dallas

July 6, Yahoo Sports

DALLAS (AP)—The Dallas Cowboys are getting some super-powered support.
Marvel Comics’ heroes are throwing in with the Cowboys as the publisher’s parent, Marvel Entertainment LLC, expands its efforts to bring the characters into the world of professional sports.
Debuting Wednesday, the five-time Super Bowl champion Cowboys will offer apparel from T-shirts to caps that feature Spider-Man and Captain America, among others.
Jerry Jones Jr., the Cowboys’ chief sales and marketing officer, said the pairing of characters from Marvel with the team was a way to blend a well-known team with members of a famed super team, the Avengers, whose own members include Iron Man and Thor.
“We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to energize our fans, and what better way than to combine our brand with some of the all-time great Super Heroes that everyone has grown up with,” he said in a statement.
The move is part of Marvel’s growing effort to expand its characters’ appeal in new markets and to fans outside comics, too. Earlier this year, it started offering NBA-themed apparel in conjunction the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
“We continue to expand our consumer products into new distribution channels through this exciting partnership with the NFL’s most popular franchise,” said Paul Gitter, president of Consumer Products for North America at Marvel Entertainment.

Captain America's name dropped out of concern over anti-American sentiment.

2011-07-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

July 6, 2011

'Captain America' keeps full name in most of world

AP – 2 hrs 30 mins ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Captain America will keep its patriotic full title in most of the world when the superhero adventure hits the big-screen.
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios gave distributors around the world the option of shortening the title of "Captain America: The First Avenger" to simply "The First Avenger," out of concern about anti-American sentiment.
But the only countries that took them up on it were Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.
In other territories, the movie will go out with the full title, a sign that the brand value of the Marvel Comics hero trumps any potential anti-U.S. feelings in some parts of the world.
Movie titles often are changed in foreign countries for cultural reasons or because the original names don't translate well. In French-speaking countries, "The Hangover" and its sequel were titled "Very Bad Trip."
Starring Chris Evans as the patriotic super-soldier, "Captain America" opens in U.S. theaters July 22.

Too Many Men in Tights? 5 Reasons the Superhero Summer Has Been a Bust

2011-07-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

from Yahoo News June 30:

Too Many Men in Tights? 5 Reasons the Superhero Summer Has Been a Bust

by: Daniel Frankel

'Thor,' 'Green Lantern,' and 'X-Men' Paramount/Warner Bros. Pictures/20th Century

Why aren’t the superheroes delivering audiences this summer?

Dropping more than 65 percent in its second weekend from an inauspicious $52.3 million premiere, Warner’s DC Comics-based “Green Lantern” proved that moviegoers’ appetites for superhero fare has mortal limits. (Though Warner is already developing a sequel.)
“Thor” fared much better, but it's not the hit other Marvel properties have been. Same for the reboot of “X-Men.”
In fact, none of the superhero franchises this tentpole season have fared anything like the model that inspired them: the gargantuan hit that was “Iron Man,” whose sequel did even better. ($585.2 Million in Global BO)
Also read: 'Men in Black 3': Delays, Script Problems and Will Smith's Really Big Trailer
So what’s the story? TheWrap investigated and found five reasons why superheroes are struggling this summer.

TOO MANY MEN IN TIGHTS
Moviegoers have seen too many movies featuring heroes in tights saving the country, planet or alien worlds.
In fact, each of the three comic-based films released this spring/summer has debuted to more domestic box-office revenue than the next.
Also read: 'Green Lantern' in 3D: Accounted for Only 36% of Attendance, 45% of Box Office Revenue
The Onion summed up this narrative repetitiveness the best. Several days before “Green Lantern’s” premiere, the comedy group released a satirical entertainment news segment that was comically full of vague generalities that could pretty much fit any superhero film.
“Warner Bros. executives say the movie will remain faithful to the comic books, adapting a classic plot line in which the Green Lantern encounters a conflict and overcomes it using his Lantern powers!” read the cheery faux ET newswoman.
So yes -- “Green Lantern” looked like every other superhero you’ve never heard of that’s been released so far.
“I think the public is tired of [bad] mega-budget movies, and social media has given them the tools to warn their friends to ignore $100-plus million domestic marketing campaigns,” said a marketing executive at a rival studio who was clearly put in an ill humor by all of this.

NOT ENOUGH YOUNG DUDES GOING TO MOVIES
Perhaps no other genre has been as affected by the sharp decline in consumption by what has been traditionally the most active moviegoing demographic -- men under 25.
Also read: Review: 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' Can't Get It Up
For “Green Lantern,” for example, men accounted for 64 percent of the opening-weekend audience, but only 37 percent of the audience was under the age of 25.
For “X-Men: First Class,” only 46 percent of the audience was under 25; for “Thor,” it was only 28 percent.
“It’s a huge problem,” said one studio distribution executive, referring to the flight of younger males from the multiplex.
“I keep banging the drum about it to anyone on the lot who will listen to me.”
Now, so are we.

3D IS DRAGGING THE GENRE DOWN
While converting “Green Lantern” to 3D only added to production costs in excess of $200 million, it’s questionable how much benefit was gained at the box office.
Only 36 percent of ticket buyers chose to see the movie in 3D on opening weekend, despite the fact that more than half of the movie’s initial screen count -- around 3,200 screens -- were showing the film in 3D.
For “Thor,” 43 percent of moviegoers chose the non-IMAX 3D option.

RYAN REYNOLDS & CHRIS HEMSWORTH ARE NOT ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Robert Downey Jr., an Oscar-nominated actor with something to prove after well-chronicled drug problems, brought his innate charm and comic timing to "Iron Man," setting the bar high for future actors in comic book roles.
It helped that he was working with a good director with a light comic touch (Jon Favreau) and a good script.
Neither "Green Lantern" star Ryan Reynolds or "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth could measure up to that standard. Nor, for that matter, are Martin Campbell and Kenneth Branagh known for their comedic touch.
These projects are comic book adaptations, remember.
THEY’RE CALLED SECOND-TIER SUPERHEROES FOR A REASON
Few properties beyond “Batman,” “Spider-Man” and “Superman” have established the kind of broad popularity needed to create a worldwide hit at the box office. “Iron Man” is proving to be the rare exception,
Fox had some success adapting “Fantastic Four.” But the studio’s attempt to extend the franchise beyond the second installment, “Rise of the Silver Surfer,” effectively ended when the sequel dropped more than 65 percent on its second weekend.
And in 2008, Universal tried re-adapting Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk” with Edward Norton in the starring role. The movie got off to a $55.4 million start. But it too dropped more than 60 percent in its second weekend and never spawned a sequel.
The good news for the box office: ew installments of Batman and Spider-Man are due out next summer, with fresh incarnations of Superman and Iron Man following soon after.

Comic Book Publisher As Super Villain

2011-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

from the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26observer.html?_r=1

Marvel Superheroes and the Fathers of Invention

Rosalind Kirby Estate

Jack Kirby in 1965. His heirs are fighting for the rights to his work.

By BRENT STAPLES

Published: June 25, 2011

The comic book industry began life in the early 20th century as the province of con men who stripped artists of their creations, then moved on to the next mark. The artists who were paid virtually nothing for work on characters that are now worth billions at the movies are nearly all dead. But their heirs are beginning to speak for them through a federal copyright law that practically invites descendants to sue for ownership interests in characters whose current value could never have been imagined at the moment of creation.
Courts have already granted a share of the copyright for Superman to the heirs of a co-creator, and sided with Captain America’s creator in another copyright fight. These cases are small fry compared with the battle now being waged between Marvel and the heirs of the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby, who breathed life into such pop culture icons as the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and the Silver Surfer.
Of course these court battles are about money. They also force the modern entertainment industry to reckon with the often amoral practices of the old comics workshops. And they raise deeper questions about how to credit creative works produced at a time when even the most talented artists were treated as serfs.
Marvel pioneered a new method of comic book production. It broke with the industry’s tradition of requiring artists to draw almost by rote from a pre-existing script. Instead, it gave its best creative minds wide artistic latitude.
The Marvel editor Stan Lee sometimes offered general ideas for characters, allowing the artists to run with them. Mr. Kirby plotted stories, fleshing out characters that he had dreamed up or that he had fashioned from Mr. Lee’s sometimes vague enunciations. Mr. Lee shaped the stories and supplied his wisecrack-laden dialogue. And in the end, both men could honestly think of themselves as “creators.”
But Mr. Kirby, who was known as the King of Comics, was the defining talent and the driving force at the Marvel shop. Mr. Lee’s biographers have noted that the company’s most important creations started out in Mr. Kirby’s hands before being passed on to others, who were then expected to emulate his artistic style.
Mr. Kirby’s life experiences informed the look and feel of the genre. The cinematic movement in his narratives came out of his experience as an animator. The crowded fight scenes in comics like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men are reminiscent of his boyhood days as a street fighter on the Lower East Side during the Depression.
In 2009, shortly after Disney agreed to buy Marvel for $4 billion, the Kirby heirs filed notices of copyright termination. They argue that most of Marvel’s film earnings involve Mr. Kirby’s creations — and that therefore they have a right to a share of the copyrights.
Marvel counters that Mr. Kirby’s work falls under the rubric of “work for hire” — meaning it was done under the direction, supervision and control of the company — which, if true, would invalidate the family’s claim. But that could be difficult to demonstrate at trial, given the poor record-keeping of the era and what is known about how Mr. Kirby worked.
According to court documents, Marvel’s predecessor company fired nearly all of the art staff in 1957 to save money, making Mr. Kirby an independent operator who sold his work to the publisher. If this case comes to trial, Marvel’s star witness would likely be Mr. Lee, former chairman of Marvel Comics. In his 2010 deposition, Mr. Lee seemed to suggest that Mr. Kirby was little more than a talented foot soldier who followed the whims of his boss.
Mr. Lee sang a different tune during the Marvel glory years of the 1960s, when he sometimes described Mr. Kirby as an equal in the creative process. In a 1968 interview later quoted in The Comics Journal, Mr. Lee talked about brainstorming with Mr. Kirby, who, he noted, needed “no plot at all” to produce stories: “He just about makes up the plots for these stories. All I do is a little editing. ... He’s so good at plots, I’m sure he’s a thousand times better than I.” Analyzing published articles from that period, the writer Earl Wells, in his famous 1995 essay “Once and for All, Who Was the Author of Marvel?,” said the record “yields as much evidence that Kirby was the author as it does that Lee was — much of it in Lee’s own words!”
In the years since Mr. Kirby’s death in 1994, the once lawless comics business has been transformed into an industry where creators are more fairly paid, credit is clearly apportioned and rights are meticulously spelled out in contracts. The kinds of legal confusions that have recently flared up in the comic book realm are unlikely to ever be seen, say, in the burgeoning world of online games, where corporate authorship is firmly locked down.
It is up to the courts to decide the legal questions at the heart of the Kirby copyright case. There is no doubt that the King of Comics contributed far more to Marvel — and pop culture — than he has received credit for.

Reviews for Green Lantern are in, and they are NOT good!

2011-06-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

From Rotton Tomatoes

(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/green_lantern/#)

Critic Reviews for Green Lantern

The result makes the movie seem assembled from bits and pieces of other superhero yarns rather than existing on a plane of its own.

Caped Crusaders 101

Migrated to FB

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DC Comics Villains Getting Their Own Documentary

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Ant Man and Doc Strange up next!

From http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/ant-man-doctor-strange-lead-charge-marvel-phase-010729880.html (Jan. 25, 2013)

‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ will lead the charge for Marvel’s Phase Three

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Slovak Batman lends helping hand

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Zoltan Kohari, 26, lives alone in an abandoned building in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, without water, heat or electricity. For local residents he became known as the hero in a Batman's costume. While he has not fought crime yet, he does what he can to help residents to make their daily life easier.

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by: Daniel Frankel

Comic Book Publisher As Super Villain

from the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26observer.html?_r=1

Marvel Superheroes and the Fathers of Invention

By BRENT STAPLES

Published: June 25, 2011

Reviews for Green Lantern are in, and they are NOT good!

From Rotton Tomatoes

(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/green_lantern/#)

Critic Reviews for Green Lantern

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Wonder Woman Dumped! TV show dies....

NBC Reportedly Passes on 'Wonder Woman' Pilot

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New Conan the Barbarian trailer!

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