Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files

New comic book will pay tribute to Michael Jackson

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:33:27 +0000

A NEW comic book is to pay tribute to king of pop Michael Jackson.

The publication from US publisher Bluewater Productions will trace the star's life from his rise to fame as a musical prodigy with the Jackson 5 until his untimely death on Thursday.

The special collectors' edition biography comic will feature highlights from his musical career and cover his enigmatic private life.

William Shatner's new comic book makes debut

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:22:19 +0000

A NEW COMIC BOOK series co-written by Star Trek legend William Shatner and based on his best-selling TekWar novels has now been launched.

The TekWar Chronicles, penned by Shatner and writer Scott Davis for publisher Bluewater Productions, is loosely based on the original 1989 novel. The first issue of the monthly title arrived in stores today.

The 78-year-old actor, best known as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek TV series and movies, said the stories were "full of intrigue, mystery and sex...my favourite subjects."

The Chronicles will follow disgraced 22nd-century police officer Jake Cardigan who is mysteriously released from prison into a changed world. He tries to put his life back together only to be lured back into the dark world of an illegal, mind-altering digital drug called Tek.

Jessica Alba and Robert Rodriguez buy film rights to The Insiders

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:42:35 +0000

JESSICA ALBA is no stranger to comic book adaptations, having played Susan Storm aka Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four films and exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in Sin City.

She also played genetically-advanced supersoldier Max Guevara in James Cameron's Dark Angel sci-fi TV series.

The 28-year-old is now reported to have acquired the screen rights to The Insiders, a series of graphic novels created in 2002 by Jean-Claude Bartoll and Renaud Garreta and published by Dargaud.

According to ICv2, the news originated on a number of French websites.

Alba's partner in the deal to create film and video game adaptations of the books was named as Sin City director Robert Rodriguez.

The best Marvel Comics covers of all time

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:02:14 +0000

THE FRONT of The Incredible Hulk 340, which depicts a raging Wolverine and was published in 1988, has come top in a Marvel Comics countdown of the best covers.

The comic featured an epic battle between the clawed mutant and the green goliath. Readers voted the cover the best one in Marvel's history in a poll held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the publisher.

The cover of Amazing Fantasy 15, in which Spider-Man made his debut, was in second place. The 1962 comic sold so well that the hero was given his own series the following year.

In third place was Uncanny X-Men 141, from 1981, which showed an older Wolverine and images of many X-Men either captured or dead in the dystopian Days of Future Past storyline.

Transformers star Megan Fox admits being a comic book geek

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:09:48 +0000

HOLLYWOOD babe Megan Fox, who stars in upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has admitted being a comic book enthusiast.

Fox, seen here with Shia LaBeouf at the London premiere of the new Transformers film, told Hollywood Insider: "My sister used to collect comics when I was a kid, so I got obsessed with it through her. And I really like to draw so I'm obsessed with with a lot of the artists that do comic books.

"It's just a good world. It makes me feel good. I love Comic Con. I loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was such a big part of my childhood. I just enjoy it. I don't know how you couldn't enjoy it."

Asked which were her favourite titles, she said: "Fathom was one of my favourites. Danger Girl can be ridiculous, but sometimes it's funny. Midnight Nation is really interesting."

The 23-year-old is attached to star in an adaptation of Fathom, about a marine biologist who discovers she belongs to an aquatic race.

She is also in Jonah Hex, based on the DC Comics title about a disfigured bounty-hunter, in which she plays a prostitute called Leila.

X-Men writer and Coraline producer to adapt Deadworld comic

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:22:56 +0000

DAVID HAYTER, who voices Solid Snake in the Metal Gear games and has writing credits on X-Men, X2, The Scorpion King and Watchmen, is to help adapt the zombie comic book Deadworld for the big screen.

In March, he and producer Benedict Carver founded Dark Hero Studios, a company (named after Hayter's role in 1994's Guyver: Dark Hero) aiming to make horror and fantasy films, comics and video games.

Hayter and Carver have now teamed with Bill Mechanic, the former Fox chairman who heads production company Pandemonium, to breathe big-screen life into Deadworld. Mechanic most recently produced animated fantasy hit Coraline.

Reality show star launches new comic book

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:30:06 +0000

A NEW comic book is being launched by American actor and reality TV star Reichen Lehmkuhl.

The 35-year-old is a former Air Force captain who moved into acting after he won the fourth series of US reality game show The Amazing Race.

He is now penning a new action adventure comic, The Wasps, and is also set to star in a film adaptation of the story.

Stan Lee to launch new superhero via phone and internet

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:05:08 +0000

THE CRIMEFIGHTING creations of superhero supremo Stan Lee have brought decades of pleasure to comic book readers and in recent years have been blockbuster successes on the big screen.

Lee, the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics, co-created Spider- Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, Daredevil and Doctor Strange during a burst of activity in the 1960s. All except Strange have been brought to the big screen and that character might well be on an upcoming film schedule.

These characters were invented at a time when comics were widely read, allowing many of these heroes to become household names.

Lee (pictured), sensing the shifting sands of the superhero genre, is now working on his next concepts using the strategies and technologies of this age rather than relying on comic books.

Roy of the Rovers aims to score again with new collection

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:57:16 +0000

KEEPING football alive during the off-season, Titan Books hopes to net a winner with its new collection The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1970s, out on June 21.

The book is a bumper collection of 70s stories from the classic British comic strip about the life and exploits of fictional footballer Roy Race, star player for Melchester Rovers.

Readers can join Roy Race as he competes to win the £30,000 Goal Rush Challenge, learns how to play American Football, tackles the problem of hooliganism head on, and struggles to control Melchester's latest signing - the fiery, arrogant but highly talented Paco Diaz!

New comic book reveals life story of Oprah Winfrey

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:47:02 +0000

A COMIC BOOK series looking at the lives of powerful women is to feature talk-show queen and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

She is to appear in Bluewater Productions' comic book series Female Force, which has so far released issues focusing on Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.

An issue devoted to Diana, Princess of Wales comes out in July and one on Condoleezza Rice in August. The Oprah issue is published in September.

Winfrey, 55, now reportedly earns $385million a year (more than seven times the annual earnings of Simon Cowell) and has a net worth of more than $2.7billion. She was ranked the richest African American of the 20th century.

Oprah rose from a childhood of poverty and abuse to become a millionaire at the age of 32. She lives on a 42-acre estate in Montecito, California, and owns nine other homes.

Bluewater Productions publisher Darren G Davis said: "She turned her wounds into wisdom and survived an abusive family to become one of the most powerful and influential people in the world."

Star Trek Countdown: prequel comic book fills in the gaps

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:16:59 +0000

WITH any film comes an online industry of obsessive analysis by fans - and the new Star Trek is no exception, having been at the the centre of the usual nitpicking and plothole accusations.

Issues raised in debate have included the depth of characterisation for the villain Nero and also the film's plot device, the mysterious 'red matter' that can create black holes.

Well, if you want more answers, the Star Trek Countdown prequel comic book series from Titan Books and IDW Publishing is just the thing for you.

The four issues are now collected into one graphic novel, with a RRP of £9.99 (though mine was on sale at a reduced price).

Danny McBride to write and star in Hench adaptation

Sat, 30 May 2009 02:15:13 +0000

AMERICAN comedian Danny McBride is to star in a Warner Bros film adaptation of the graphic novel Hench.

The new AiT/Planet Lar graphic novel was created by Adam Beechen and Mario Bello.

Variety reports that McBride is also set to write the screenplay with Shawn Harwell, with whom he penned several episodes of his HBO comedy show Eastbound And Down.

In the poignant comedy adventure Hench, the 32-year-old actor, producer and writer will play football player Mike Fulton whose career is ended by injury. With a wife and kid to support, Mike searches for a new job to make ends meet and ends up becoming a henchman for supervillains such as the Red Baroness, Cosmonaut and Hellbent.

McBride, who was in Tropic Thunder, next stars opposite Will Ferrell in Land of the Lost, a big-screen parody of the 1974 TV series.

Die Hard to get a prequel - in comic book form

Sat, 30 May 2009 01:41:46 +0000

THERE'S an unrelenting trend for turning comic books into movies - so it's something of a surprise to see the reverse happening for a change.

Boom! Studios has announced it is publishing a comic book prequel series to the four-film Die Hard franchise which starred Bruce Willis as New York detective John McCLane.

The first issue of Die Hard: Year One hits stores in August. It's written by Howard Chaykin, with art by Stephen Thompson and a set of variant covers including the one pictured here.

Boom!'s description of the project, as mentioned on Comics Continuum, is as follows: "America's greatest action hero is translated into the sequential art form for the first time! Every great action hero got started somewhere. Batman Began. Bond had his Casino Royale. And for John McClane, more than a decade before the first Die Hard movie, he's just another rookie cop, an East Coast guy working on earning his badge in New York City during 1976's Bicentennial celebration... and the Summer of Sam. Too bad for John McClane, nothing's ever that easy."

There's a suspicion that this comic will end up being turned back into a movie, especially with the passion for prequel films at present - this year, we've had three already (Star Trek, Wolverine, Terminator Salvation) and there are many more in the pipeline, with an Alien origin story the one most recently mentioned.

UK to get Spielberg's Tintin ahead of USA

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:53:18 +0000

THE internet today went into excitement mode over the new Steven Spielberg adaptation The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn...only to realise it will be another two-and-a-half years before the film is released.

The movie, based on the adventures of the Belgian comic strip character, will come out in the UK and all other overseas territories in late October or early November, 2011, ahead of the US release on December 23 that year.

New prequel comic to Terminator Salvation

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:32:35 +0000

A NEW prequel comic to the Terminator Salvation movie is being launched in the UK on May 28.

Titan Publishing's new comic book series is the official movie prequel set in 2018 and follows the adventures of the resistance in the lead-up to Terminator Salvation.

The bumper 68-page launch issue of the UK version of the comic book is packed nwith movie news and behind-the-scenes features, as well as Terminator Salvation facts, competitions and posters. The first issue comes with a free cyborg grabber arm.

Also available is Terminator Salvation: The Official Movie Souvenir Magazine, a companion guide to the film containing cast interviews and features on stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard and Helena Bonham Carter, plus interviews with the producers and director McG about the making of the movie, and concept artwork. The magazine is on sale from June 4.

The Terminator Salvation movie, starring Christian Bale as resistance leader John Connor, is released in the UK on June 3.