October 2008 Archives

The acclaimed graphic novel "Preacher" will finally get its live action due since Columbia Pictures has picked up the rights for director Sam Mendes. Mendes is acclaimed himself for his work on "American Beauty," his first film as a director.

"Road to Perdition" followed starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. This was also based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins.

The comic followed a down and out preacher who received the power to speak with the voice of God.

Putting "Preacher" in the hands of Mendes may increase the chances of this one actually making it to theaters and not languishing in script development. Splashpage at MTV has more and a suggested set of cast members. (The name of actor James Franco was tossed out there.)

Cover image courtesy DC/Vertigo Comics

I read the "Da Vinci Code" and found it to be very entertaining despite the far-fetched plot. Millions of readers did as well. And while I did not read Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" many have told me that it is the superior book. The film adaptation by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer is due May 2009.

Entertainment Tonight has the trailer here or click the image above. 

This sentiment may have already been expressed by a few like-minded folks who left comment at Hero Complex, but actor David Tennant is the best "Doctor" since Tom Baker and I am sorry to hear he is leaving the series.

Get more on this from Hero Complex here by the way.

Personally, I credit SCI FI Channel for even making this worthwhile news in the U.S. The cable channel has drawn increasing attention over the years for its high-quality television productions of "Battlestar Galactica," "Dune" and "Eureka."

At least it earned attention from millions of fans like myself. Acquiring replay rights to 'Who' was an excellent idea. This is the longest running television science fiction show and the mythology of the character deserves a wider audience.

I had to play catch up and I have sacrificed hours of sleep watching seasons two and three of "Doctor Who." Tennant will complete his obligations for the coming 'Who' specials this season. Producer/writer Russell T. Davies leaves as well.

It has been speculated that new showrunner Steven Moffat may select Paterson Joseph of "Jekyll" to become the Doctor. If this happens he would be the first black Doctor... awesome.

Comic book writer Mark Millar continues to expand his brand beyond the printed graphic novel page to the big screen after the success of "Wanted." In an interview with Empire he pitches his idea for a "Godfather" Superman story (About  8 hours worth) that would span the character's life from Krypton to his last days on Earth.

Leave it to Millar to take a story to its extreme. (Re: "Superman: Red Son"). Warner Bros. has expressed a desire to make their next superhero film properties darker like "The Dark Knight" even if it threatens to counter the essence of the character.

Dark Superman? Superman noir?

Is this a good idea or should they let the Superman film franchise idea rest a while?

 

No way -- the guy from "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?" The dude who played the actor dude who was playing another dude of a different ethnicity in "Tropic Thunder?" He's going to be an even bigger star than before?

Marvel Studios says yes to all of the above. Actor Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark/ Iron Man in "The Avengers," based on the Marvel Comics superhero team. That means the "Iron Man" team comes along, right?

Jon Favreau will produce the film and Don Cheadle is confirmed to come back as Jim Rhodes (WAR MACHINE) after "Iron Man 2" which should hit the screens in May 2010. More details can be found here at Comingsoon.net.

This is a huge triumph for Downey and Favreau who have been on the fringes of the mainstream with their earlier works. Favreau directed "Made," "Zathura" and "Elf." "Elf" was the big boxoffice hit for Favreau earning $220 million worldwide.

More later.

By Ryan Riley, Correspondent

It is now one week before we vote for the next President of the United States and not surprisingly, it is still very much on all of our minds. One of the things I find fascinating about comic books is that, at their best, they showcase the overall mood of the world that they are reflecting (or distorting) in their stories. Indeed, as comic book stories are becoming increasingly relevant to the reality we live in, the medium of comics has become almost as effective as the motion picture in getting a message across.

I detailed one of the most spectacular examples of a comic book election in my column from last week on the "President Lex" storyline in DC Comics. But it isn't, in my mind, the most well-executed. With that in mind, I've detailed some of the best recent examples of the election process (and often the abuse thereof) in comics.

1. The Smiler vs. The Beast, Transmetropolitan

This story is currently available in Transmetropolitan: Year of the Bastard & Transmetropolitan: The New Scum.

In a future inundated with weirdness like restaurant chains that serves up cloned human meat, household appliances that can make any object imaginable and bowel disruptors, it falls on outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem to keep things real. After a self-imposed hiatus in the mountains, Jerusalem has returned to the city to spew his venom at an increasingly apathetic audience. But when the election comes around, he finds himself torn like never before. On the one hand you have the incumbent president, a.k.a. The Beast. During his time in office, the Beast has presided over an unprecedented increase in murder and poverty rates in the U.S. It sounds dreadful, but the Beast actually turns out to be the lesser of two evils in this election.

Gary Callahan, a.k.a. The Smiler, on the other hand, doesn't know the meaning of the word "integrity". He starts his path to the presidency by selecting a running mate with no stains on his record. He made sure of this by creating a clone and installing it as a senator two years prior. Once Jerusalem pulls the covers on these shenanigans, The Smiler successfully deflects the scandal and regains his approval rating by having his political director Vita Severn assassinated. Spider, who happened to be friends with Severn, suspected Callahan of having her killed. When Jerusalem confronts him with his suspicions in an official interview, the Smiler gleefully confesses to everything and goes so far as to threaten Spider's life once he gets elected. Unfortunately for Spider, the Smiler had all of his listening & recording devices nullified and erased, so he would have no record of his confession to use to prevent the Smiler from taking the oval office. And that is just the beginning of a term he spent attempting to delete precious freedoms from the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

2. Prince Charming vs. Old King Cole, Fables

This story is currently available in Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers & Fables: The Mean Seasons

The premise of the superbly-written series Fables is that many of the characters from the fairy tales we all grew up with, such as Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf and Pinocchio, have escaped from their conquered homelands and have been living in New York since the 17th Century. Since that time, their community (known as Fabletown) has only had one man as mayor, and that man is Old King Cole. The thrice-married (and thrice-divorced) Prince Charming, recently returned from travels abroad in Europe, sees a chance to gain access to unlimited wealth & power by calling for a special election and running for mayor of Fabletown. Charming, who has the special gift of wooing any woman he desires, applies his romancing tactics to the surprisingly similar field of electoral politics. This ability, coupled with some rather lofty campaign promises and a heroic showing in the battle against an invading army from their homelands, propelled him to a landslide election victory.

The question really wasn't whether Prince Charming would win the election; he always wins the object of his desire. Charming's rise to prominence is best summed up by an exasperated query from Dan Hedaya's character in the extremely underrated Tom Hanks movie "Joe vs. The Volcano": "I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"

3. Mitchell Hundred vs. Rudy Giuliani, Ex Machina

References are made to this election throughout the various collected editions of Ex Machina.

Ex Machina takes place in the present, but there tend to be a lot of flashback sequences, many of which take place in the year 2001. The protagonist of Ex Machina is Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer that encountered a possibly extraterrestrial device that exploded in his face. Shortly after the explosion, Hundred found that he possessed the ability to communicate with and command any type of machine (kind of like Micah from "Heroes", but not nearly as smooth). After a spectacularly unsuccessful career as the superhero "The Great Machine", Hundred decides to retire, reveal his identity and pursue a career in politics by running for mayor of New York as an independent. The polls of the time have him in dead last, but he gets elected by a landslide thanks in no small part to his saving one of the towers at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.

Hundred makes a far more effective mayor than a superhero, but his superheroic past and his powers ensure that he, like Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" films, keeps getting pulled back into his sordid past just when he thought he was out. Word around the campfire is that the character might be running for president in the book, so that should make for even more interesting stories.

4. Randy Fisk (a.k.a. Ravenshadow) runs for president, Rising Stars

This story is currently available in Rising Stars Vol. 3: Fire & Ash

Rising Stars is written by "Babylon 5" creator & current Thor scribe J. Michael Straczynski. It tells the tale of 113 people from Pederson, Illinois that gained superhuman powers from a cosmic event that manifested over the town when they were all in utero (in their mothers' wombs). Referred to by the rest of the world as "Specials", some of them went on to use their powers to serve their fellow man. Others let their powers go to their head and used them for selfish purposes. One of them, Randy Fisk, made a name for himself as the superhero known as Ravenshadow. Eventually, the amount of good that Fisk was able to do on his own reached an impasse, and he concluded the only way he and his brethren can truly save the world is if he were to run for president.

He ran in 2008 as an independent and was soundly trounced. He did no better in the 2012 election. So when he decided to run once more in 2016, everyone started to wonder whether he took too many blows to the head as a superhero. What no one counted on was a sex/murder scandal at would implicate both the incumbent president and his rival candidate. With the election just four days away, it was a choice between "...a murderer, an adulterer/blackmail victim...and a superhero." Who would you choose?

After a landslide election victory, Fisk moved to the next phase of saving the world. With the help of a fellow "Special" that can speak with the dead, Fisk went into a closed-door meeting with both the Senate and the House of Representatives and blackmailed them with all kinds of dirty little secrets like who really killed MLK & JFK, where Jimmy Hoffa is buried, etc. With this knowledge he ensured the full cooperation of the legislative branch of government. In the end, Fisk and his fellow "Specials" made the world a better place, but they were ultimately destroyed by the military/industrial complex Fisk cuckolded when he first took office.

Hail To The Chief

The stories mentioned above were (in my humble opinion) well-written and thought provoking. But in the end, we won't be able to elect a superhero to save the world. Our future president, whoever it may be, will ultimately be just a human being. It is that fact alone that emphasizes just how carefully we should select the people that lead us.

"Heroes" is in trouble.

It's not just you guys who think so -- it's my friends, my parents, my wife and even Entertainment Weekly who agree.

The results  from the poll I presented last week indicate that 33 percent of you think "Heroes" is only doing "OK." The bad news is that "Good" respondents are tied at 22 percent with the "Less than OK" choice.

"Bad" and the "Forster" option round it out with 11 percent.


Let's be honest, choosing "Less than Good" is a nice way of saying the show is something you may come back and download or watch on DVR later. And that means lower ratings upfront -- the barometer of a television program's worth to television studios. "Heroes" is averaging 9.4 million viewers and is down two million from last season.

EW provides a list of things the show could do to improve itself. This is nothing new to me or the fewer-of-you who are watching. This season "Heroes" has a habit of doing something well while everything else drops out around it. The Russian roulette scenes with the "puppet master" villain were solid last week. Then what happens is we get more Spider-Suresh/Dr. Jekyll, Sylar-knows-best and the comedy stylings of Hiro and Ando.

It's not the super powers... what really stretches credibility is having us believe that everyone else besides PETER PETRELLI is inept -- and it just aint true! 

Expect some origin stories in the coming weeks and if you are still a devoted viewer to "Heroes" try not to worry too much about 'Weekly' and its assessment of the show. They selected "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" as one of the shows that also needs fixing and suggested it just get back to having simple stories like a metal robot coming to kill John Connor every week.

You and I both know that would make the show progressively boring and silly as they miraculously escape a killing machine each and every week. In my opinion 'Sarah Connor' can give "Heroes" a lesson on how to balance multiple storylines and not play hopscotch over sharky waters.

Until next time.



Related: The villain revealed

              Confused and shocked

              Lots of action and more revelations

              Keeping the story on track

              The Heroes return tonight

              Heroes Watch: Looks like a fun season 

By Ryan Riley, Correspondent

As I write this article, it is less than two weeks until the presidential election on Nov. 4, 2008. With the economy in it current state of disarray, there is more at stake in this election for the American people than in almost any other election in our history. We were brought to this precipice by our current president, a man that, to the majority of his critics, has done a woefully inept job leading our country. In fact, some of his harsher, more emotional detractors have been known to describe his actions as evil.

But you have to wonder what would happen if the American people elected someone that made old "W" look downright noble and heroic. DC Comics explored this quandary in 2000 by having Superman's most ardent foe, Lex Luthor, win over both Al Gore and George W. Bush to become president. This story concept played out over the course of a couple of years throughout not only all of the Superman books but was also touched upon in almost every other book that DC puts out. Many of these tales are available in trade paperback form (and I will cite those throughout this article) and paint a pretty unique picture of what it takes to lead the free world in the DC universe.

How in the heck did he get elected?

The answer to that question is in the collection Superman: President Lex. Luthor, seething as he always does over the fact that Superman's presence on Earth diminishes his own achievements, decides to address the problem by becoming the leader of the free world. After he is elected he steps down as CEO of his own company, Lexcorp. Between (possibly staged) attempts on his live by various super-powered ne'er-do-wells, he managed to win the support of voters hungry for an alternative to the empty promises of both the Democratic and Republican politicians. The fact that so many people got behind Luthor as a candidate irked Superman like never before. The Man of Steel knew the true colors of his nemesis but was hampered by the moral issue of whether or not to interfere with the freedom of choice he has fought so hard to maintain. To add even more insult, Superman will be under the command of Luthor whenever the nation is in peril.

Superman's annoyance is increased (albeit unintentionally, for once) by Lex during and after his election, when he selects Superman's childhood chum Pete Ross as Vice President, his father-in-law Sam Lane as Secretary of Defense and semi-retired superhero Jefferson Pierce (a.k.a. Black Lightning) as Secretary of Education. Somewhere along the line he actually manages an impressive diplomatic coup by negotiating a trade agreement with Atlantis and proposed ground-breaking legislation for a moratorium on fossil fuels to Congress.

It's not the most well-known work from actor-producer and soon-to-be director Seth Green but his comic book "The Freshmen" co-created with Hugh Sterbakov is on the track to be adapted to a motion picture.

Splashpage MTV reports that Green, who also produces the hilarious stop-motion animated series "Robot Chicken," is planning to develop his comic published by Top Cow in 2005 as a film he will both write and direct.

I like to flip through whatever catches my eye on the comic store racks and that cover art on "The Freshmen" #1 was quite visually arresting.

I didn't know it was by Green but the story about a team of college kids housed together who acquire unusual and sometimes ridiculous powers made me smile. (There's a guy who drinks, makes himself sick-to-death hungover and can make you as ill as he is.)

The series didn't move me like "The Umbrella Academy" did last year, but I could see the potential in there being a live-action element if it was pursued by the creators. And here we are.

Green expects the film to be low budget -- around $35 million (that's low budget?) -- and he plans to gather the funds himself and perhaps bypass a few Hollywood production barriers to get it done. More details here.

(Article edited for clarity because I am sleep deprived.)

Spike TV's Scream Awards rewarded their picks of the best in science fiction, horror and comic books. Yep, they award comics. Congrats to the creators of one of my favorites (The one I don't shut up about) "Y: The Last Man."

But please check out this clip from the Awards show of a special extended trailer from the "Watchmen" film courtesy of Slashfilm.

There are some more visual clues in this clip that relate closely to the "Watchmen" graphic novel.

Those of you who watched tonight don't need me to tell you again that Robert Forster has joined the "Heroes" cast and wastes no time showing us why he is more bad news than Sylar ever was.

(CHEERS! APPLAUSE!)

All I can say is thank goodness and let's get this villains show on the road.
 
As I posted last week the regular "Heroes Watch" post will happen a little later in the week to give everyone some time to catch the show.

I am not revealing anything here and now so please watch the latest "Heroes" episode at their official site and if you feel inclined please let me know what you thought.

 

  

Actor Terrence Howard says being dropped from the "Iron Man" sequel and replaced by Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes was the "surprise of a lifetime."

He also comments on the reported implication that "it was about money." All this info is courtesy of an interview with NPR that you can listen to. 

The crew at Latino Review has a funny response to Howard as to what a "surprise of a lifetime" should really entail.

In other Iron-news Samuel L. Jackson says he will be back to reprise his bigger role in the sequel as Nick Fury. And to those who are stressing that Nick Fury is white in the Marvel Universe mainstream we all need to accept that Jackson is playing Ultimate Nick Fury as influenced by the Ultimate Marvel Universe and the actual personage of Sam Jackson.

And he's the biggest bada-$ in the acting game. Who else would be the Director of S.H.E.I.L.D.?


Related: 'Iron Man 2' gets Don Cheadle, loses Terrence Howard
 

"Max Payne," the movie based on the video game that looks like it has a touch of "The Punisher" and a pinch of "The Crow," chased "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" out of the top spot at the box office this weekend.

The $18 million estimated weekend take could be an indication of yet another profitable film for star Mark Wahlberg.

Yeah, his last movie was the widely panned "The Happening" from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, but that didn't stop it from making more than $163 million worldwide. The comparatively tiny $50 million budget made "The Happening" a winner for the studio who upped the coin but did nothing for the cats who had to sit in the theater.

I did see that one -- it'll take me a little while to trust M. Night again.

What "Max Payne" does for Wahlberg is keep him on the radar. And you should keep track of him since he is one of a number of actors who are taking on more challenging roles and not just the thin ones that are box office bait.

Remember Wahlberg in "The Departed?" He will also be in "The Lovely Bones" directed by Peter Jackson (LORD OF THE RINGS) based on the novel written by Alice Sebold who lived here in Long Beach for a time.

Hopefully, the actor also maintains a sense of humor about himself. Peep the sketch from Saturday Night Live below.

 


 

I believe everyone is a geek about something.

Seriously. Whether it's Hot Wheels, Barbie Dolls, Fantasy Football or the occasional designer accessory, it's gotta be something.

I had a colleague spend twenty minutes trying to apologize to me for referring to me as a geek and I did not think to let him off the hook by telling him "it's cool, we're all in that camp in some form or another."

Megan Fox is a cool geek because she gave the answer I could not articulate. Her geek cred isn't bestowed by her appearance in films involving fantasy or the supernatural like "The Transformers" or the upcoming Diablo Cody film "Jennifer's Body." She gets props because she's a fan of the kind of movies she is in.

In an article in last month's GQ magazine the reporter spent time with Fox at the San Diego Comic-Con and tossed out a wrong-headed dismissal of the fans who packed the convention hall.

Fox seems in her element here: She marvels for nearly ten minutes over comic legend Michael Turner's Batman sketches and, at one point, scolds me for an offhand comment about the nerds being out in full force.

"They're not nerds," she said. "They're just passionate."

You tell him Megan.

If you can get past the image of the actress on the cover in a bikini teasing you, check out the article. But no matter what, proudly remember her response and my suggestion that everyone is a geek about something.

Now I'll have to figure how many comics I have to hock to get that $125 Jonathan Richards hat on page 244. 

 

By now you happy few who are regular viewers of the "Heroes" TV series are probably telling a few others you know (like me) that the show is dangerously close to jumping the shark.

Get me some water skis.

Here's your SPOILER ALERT so please watch the latest "Heroes" here and come back when you're ready.



THE SITUATION: SYLAR is still partnering with NOAH to track down escaped super people. This time we get a cameo from another actor from "The Wire" who plays a guy who has the power to open miniature black holes. First, that is kind of a cool power and second, I wish the quality of the storytelling matched the impressive (for television) special effects.

CLAIRE goes out to fight villains and prove how bad she is. Does she still have to prove that? Let me be serious here - Claire was my favorite character on the show and not for her groovy cheerleader outfit either. Claire was scrappy and a stand up person with courage that belied her recuperative powers. Remember she took down the nuclear man with her skin peeling off and no idea whether she would survive to save everyone? Sure, it's easy to be brave when you don't die but she is a far cry from the victim we have seen since this season began.

Hayden Panettiere has some acting range so give her a chance to show it guys. Check out her video from Funny or Die here.

PETER has been silenced now that he has Sylar's power and cannot control his urges to steal powers. I'll back up. FUTURE PETER advises present Peter - The one I'm talking about - to take Sylar's power to help him avert future disaster. Now he's just another power vampire. How does that help with anything? The only smart thing he almost did was kill his deceptive mother.

Yeah, I said it. (Editors note: I meant that all in jest because his mom is sort of evil. And speaking of...)

DR. MOHINDER SURESH (BWAH! HA! HA! HE'S EVIL!!!) finally does something to silence the whiny MAYA. He puts her in a web cocoon. Suresh is apparently Spider-Suresh and now he is a full time villain. That is, after all, the name of this "Heroes" chapter.

By Ryan Riley
Correspondent

This will be the first in a series of interviews that spotlight comic book stores in Long Beach (sadly, a lot fewer than there have been in the past) and surrounding cities. After some deliberation, I felt it would be logical to begin this series with the store I frequent the most and am therefore most familiar with. That store is Pulp Fiction Books at 4501 E. Carson St., Suite 104 in Long Beach, located near the corner of Lakewood Blvd. & Carson St. I've been buying my comics from Pulp Fiction since they first opened their doors in 2003. Before they had opened I had blown my hard-earned money at various comic book stores, starting with the long defunct American Comics at Atlantic Av. in Bixby Knolls. I even served some time behind the counter as a comic jockey at Amazing Comics in Los Altos Center. Suffice it to say I've experienced the gamut of comic book shops and, more importantly, their proprietors and their regular customers. Some of them were pretty cool, and some of them make Jeff Albertson (a.k.a. Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons") look like Samuel L. Jackson.

I noticed an immediate difference when I first walked through the door. It should be noted that the main reason I found the place was the fact that my wife's favorite used bookstore and Chinese restaurant were right across the street. This was the first comic book shop I had ever seen that didn't devote at least half of its floor space to back issues.

Sure, there wasn't a heck of a lot of floor space to work with, but I could tell that there was a conscious decision to devote more display space to the rapid expansion of the graphic novel market. This was cool with me, since I gave up on collecting single-issue comics many moons ago.

The next thing that struck me was how knowledgeable yet unpretentious everyone in the store was. From the owner to the employees to the customers, it was a very relaxed comic book store experience. And the owner in particular was very open to helping out customers that weren't familiar with comics to find just the right comic, which aided my wife when she shopped there for my birthday and later for herself. The icing on this delicious cake is the fact that he consistently sells graphic novels at discounted prices, anywhere from 10% to 50% off the cover price. And so, without any further ado, here is my interview with the owner and operator of Pulp Fiction Bookstore, Mike Lerner.

Modern Mythology: So Mike, tell us a little about yourself.

Mike Lerner: Oh, I'm awful at those questions, let's go to the next question...
 
M.M.: When did you start reading comics?

Mike: When I was in elementary school, probably first or second grade. We're talking too far back for me to remember. I remember starting relatively early on Richie Rich, I don't know if that was the first. I remember early Flash, early Daredevil, whatever we could find at a 7-11 stand, Back then we shopped at 7-11, there weren't any comic book stores back then that I knew of. Pretty much whatever we could find is what we bought, until we found a comic book store, me and my friends.

M.M.: How did you get into the comic book business?

Mike: I guess you could say that it started when I was in high school. I was buying and selling in the days before the internet through a newspaper called Comic Buyers Guide. It was a national publication that had news and came out weekly. There were also ads in the back where people could exchange and sell back issues. There was also a convention in L.A. once a month at the Ambassador Hotel that at one point, believe it or not, had tens of thousands in attendance every month. It was gigantic, not like now where they have a much smaller version of that convention where you have maybe like 100 people show up, if that.

Now it's just a bunch of cheesy vendors. Back then, there were like 100 vendors. (The dealer presence there) was smaller than the San Diego ComicCon, but not that much smaller. Saw a lot of Hollywood stars there, they would bring their kids. I sold some stuff to Mike Farrell's (B.J. from the "M.A.S.H." TV series) daughter. At one point she was ordering stuff from me every month. It was a big convention, and between that and the Comic Buyers Guide I was doing a lot of business through mail order. I dropped out of comics in the 1990's, sold off everything around the time when the "Black & White" crash came, I saw the writing on the wall and dumped everything just at the beginning of that. I didn't pick up a comic for about 10 years.

No more indirect speculation based on scattered and varied interviews with filmmaker J.J. Abrams on his upcoming "Star Trek" film. The director answers questions and discusses the plot in a magazine article to be released tomorrow.

Of course, it is available online now at the Entertainment Weekly Web site.

There are some cool pictures depicting several cast members in their character get up. The cast includes: Chris Pine as Kirk, John Cho as Sulu, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Zoe Saldana as Uhura and "Heroes'" Zachary Quinto as Spock.

I have already slipped you some of the rumors on the plot a little while ago. If you read it then what you'll find in the EW article is that much of what was posted here is indeed true. (Don't check it out if you don't want a spoiler. The article also gives you a chance to turn back if you don't wanna know.)

I will say one of the most interesting parts of the article is Abrams admission that he is not a hardcore Trekker but sought the advice of Hollywood-ites who are. (Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman - the writers of "Transformers.")

Of course there is also an Abrams response to the William Shatner YouTube response to not being in Abrams' film. Check it out here.


Images Courtesy Entertainment Weekly



 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Neal Hefti, a Big Band trumpeter, arranger and composer of themes for the movie "The Odd Couple" and the "Batman" television series, has died. He was 85.

Hefti died Saturday at his home, said his son Paul Hefti.

Neal Hefti's notable achievements include the iconic theme of the 1960s superhero series "Batman," which became a Top 40 hit and won a Grammy Award in 1966 for best instrumental theme. He also composed music for "The Odd Couple," ''Barefoot in the Park" and "Harlow," which featured his classic track "Girl Talk."

Hefti was born Oct. 29, 1922, in Hastings, Neb., and played trumpet with local bands as a teenager to earn money.

As an adult, he worked with and arranged music for the greats of the Big Band era, including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Charlie Spivak and Harry James.

"He was one of the really great arrangers and composers of all time," radio and television personality Gary Owens, a longtime friend, told the Los Angeles Times.

--Associated Press

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports exclusive confirmation that the second half of the fourth and final season of "Battlestar Galactica" will debut Jan. 16 on SCI FI Channel.

The show creators suggested January would be the likely month of return but with all the changes going on in television schedules post Writer's Strike there was no way to be sure.

I call this good news (bad news for my wife) because now I have to go back into my obsessive pondering of the mystery of the Cylons.


Image courtesy SCi FI Channel  

  

Actor Terrence Howard will be replaced by Don Cheadle for the "Iron Man" sequel several news sources report.

According to the story in Hollywood Reporter there were some "financial differences" with Howard and the studio. That studio being Marvel. Some may call the early rancor in the comment sections of almost every story about this to be very pro-Howard and anti-Cheadle.

I sifted through scores of comments and found that to be true but only by a slight margin. Here's why...

Despite the dazzling success of "Iron Man"  ($570 Million worldwide), there are quite a few who were not fully satisfied with Howard's performance as Jim Rhodes in the film. Plenty of fans of the Iron Man character would probably not have minded someone else in the part who looked more like Rhodes. (One commenter threw out the name Michael Jai White, recently of "The Dark Knight" and not so recently the star of "Spawn.")

Others who are fans of Howard's work believed he wasn't given much to do. Put me in both camps. I didn't think Howard fit the role of Rhodes and I didn't think he had enough to do in the part anyway.

No matter who plays Rhodes it will be difficult if there isn't much of a role in the script.

My hope is that the character of Jim Rhodes is better developed by writer Justin Theroux so that whoever gets the part can bring more to it than buddy-flick comedy relief. In the comics Rhodes not only subs for main character Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) when he's dealing with his alcoholism, he gets his own armor and joins the superhero ranks as "War Machine."

Cheadle can do action or drama and to those who are worried about whether he is a physical match for Rhodes, consider this: Many stars are larger than life on screen because of the way the film is shot and their workouts and diets to make them look the part. Don't fool yourself into thinking Robert Downey Jr. is really buffed up like Stark is in the comics. 

Almost half of those who have taken the poll have said "Yep" to Johnny Depp -- The people have spoken and agreed that he should become the highest paid actor ever.

The 'yes' side of this took a narrow lead early in the morning and and never looked back. Check the chart out and you'll see that about 34 percent actually think Depp is not worth the money. About half that number thinks I'm jealous. Well... my answer to that is heck yeah. I wouldn't mind getting a payday like that. Why should movie stars get all the love?

It looks as if Depp will get his payday of $55.8 million to star in a fourth installment of the hit film series. What the plot will be for this next pirates remains to be seen, but Jack Sparrow is ready to take the helm.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the poll.


Editor's note: The 'Pirates' writer Terry Rossio says this sequel stuff is not true and is only a rumor. Perhaps. But at least we know readers of Modern Mythology would pay Johnny Depp his money.

Comics are expensive. The average price for a single 22-page issue can run you anywhere from $2.99 to $3.99. That makes those comics seem awfully thin for the green you're shelling out.

Now, what if that $2.99 book not only contained an engrossing story but had some of the most impressive artwork you could find in any comic being published today? Maybe that price wouldn't be so bad since you're collecting something that is a pleasure to look at.

Marvel's "Astonishing X-Men" teams one of the busiest writers in the game -- Warren Ellis -- with the Italian art sensation Simone Bianchi. The squad over at Comic Book Resources have an interview with the artist and more samples than I can show you here at Modern.

I caught Bianchi's work over on the ongoing "Wolverine" series. It was violent, vivid and not so realistic that I disconnected. That's the knock some fans, myself included, sometimes hang on the brilliant Alex Ross whose work is so real it can cause a subliminal cancellation of the comic storytelling experience.

I am an X-Men fan from the earliest days of my life and there are so many key moments in the series' history that I define by not only the storyline of the time but also the visuals on every page every issue.

I remember artists Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith and Jim Lee. When this run on 'Astonishing' is done, I may love or hate the story but I can say I will definitely recall Simone Bianchi's artwork.

Check out the interview here and if you can't afford those individual issues of "Astonishing X-Men" stay on the lookout for the inevitable collected paperback sometime next year.


Images courtesy Marvel Comics 

Can you stand it? I think Disney wants another "Pirates of the Caribbean." Are you out of your minds with excitement? No?

How about if I add that they are willing to pay Johnny Depp $55 Million to play Captain Jack Sparrow again? It would be the most bucks paid to an actor for a single project. I can't say who first reported this piece of news but I can recall standing at a magazine rack somewhere when I read it in a news brief in Entertainment Weekly.

This was a week ago and I am only writing about it now, so you can kick me for being late again. I must have blocked this story out of my head because like many of you I have been engrossed in the current state of Wall Street.

All that money for one guy for THAT sequel? I am among the folk who liked 'Pirates' for what it was -- A theme ride. I watched all three and without revealing anything to the four people left on this planet who have not seen the movies, I figured the story was justly completed and in little need of further exploration.

But when Hollywood is involved with a hit machine like 'Pirates' that makes billions worldwide I guess it can help any company offset the financial market blues. If this story is true then that Johnny is a shrewd negotiator.



Photo By Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Major 'Superman' comic news (Sort of)

There has been quite a scuffle in the web-o-verse about the BIG SPOILER (don't click if you don't wanna know) in the NY Daily News involving Action Comics #870. Don't worry I'm not going to give anything away. You can click here, see the cover and draw your own conclusions.

I'm gassed about comics getting more press than ever, but my fellow newspaper folk have to remember a big comic book story is just like most pop entertainment. You must cover them a little more like that big movie that's hitting the screens on Friday or even that highly-anticipated novel that may or may not have the death of a major character.

For many people who follow these storylines for a year, they want to find out what happens when they read it.


That's the dude from 'Friday Night Lights' and Wolverine!

Taylor Kitsch of "Friday Night Lights" did an interview with Media Blvd. and briefly discussed his part in the upcoming "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" film as Gambit. The same film that will star Hugh Jackman and a host of others in a story that will focus on the origin of the popular clawed mutant with the unbreakable bones.

Or just call it "X-Men 4," like Kitsch did in his interview when he described the film. What would I call it? I would call it "Wolverine 3" because I thought "X-Men" and "X-men: United" were the first and second Wolverine films due to all the character focus and screen time for Jackman.

With Gambit tossing his explosive playing cards and Deadpool competing with Wolvie for bada*$ status there are all kinds of possibilities for some great action in this movie. I hope studio politics don't grind this flick into dust like the last X-movie.

I wish Taylor Kitsch all the luck as Gambit.


'Green Lantern' film may get Ryan Gosling?

I certainly don't know much about this, but you can get the skinny at Latino Review. Ryan Gosling is rumored to be in the running to play the Green Lantern. Which Lantern you ask? Review says the character in the script is Hal Jordan and he is about 27-years-old and perfect for Gosling who is 28.

The big hurdle will be introducing the character to a general movie audience considering he is not as familiar as the Batman or Spider-Man.

All they need do is follow the "Ironman" plan. This Marvel comics character was known vaguely to the non-comics reader by, I don't know, OSMOSIS or what have you. What appeared to have worked was not the origin story, all the movies have those. What worked was the front row seat to the creation of the armor. That suit was the coolest thing I had seen on a movie screen since "The Matrix."

So here's Green Lantern and, you know, he has a ring that not only allows him to fly, it can create anything the person can imagine. Since I'm on the Matrix kick consider the Green Lantern to be what Neo may have been if he had more imagination.

However, this should not discourage the Wachowski Bros. from directing this movie if it's offered to them. I hope you're listening guys.

Once again, read more here. And check out some Green Lantern required reading by correspondent Ryan Riley here.

By Ryan Riley

As I write this on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008, it has been one day since the second of three scheduled debates between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain took place. It is appropriate that today marks the release of comic books that feature both candidates. The cover of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon #137 featuring the titular character standing next to and heartily endorsing Barack Obama released a third printing due to overwhelming demand. More importantly, IDW just released biographical comic books of both Obama & McCain. These books could prove to be the most accessible way to find out what forces shaped the way both candidates look at the country they have aspirations of running. As partial as I am to Obama, I am going to read both biographies in order to give the readers kind enough to check out this blog an unbiased review of each.

 

To start with, neither comic makes any pretensions of giving the readers any new revelations about either candidate. It does, however, frame the history of each of these extraordinary men in a way that is informative and engaging at the same time. Readers are given the option of purchasing the stories in two separate comic books or in a single, flip-book format with McCain's book on one side and Obama on the other. If you're the type of person that bags & boards all their comics you would probably do well to purchase the separate comics. Personally, I'm more a fan of trade paperbacks (I have an entire large bookcase full of them), so I opted for the larger flip-book. The price is pretty much the same for both, so the choice is entirely yours.

 

Presidential Material: John McCain

Writer: Andy Helfer

Artist: Stephen Thompson

Cover Art by J. Scott Campbell

 

The story of John Sidney McCain III begins in a setting that his campaigners have ensured that all but the most uninformed of people will be familiar with: In the middle of his stint as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Artist Stephen Thompson does a wonderful job with the artwork of the opening page, creating a haunting image of a dejected McCain on the floor of his solitary cell, leaning against the wall and wondering if he will ever leave the cell alive. Helfer's narrative details the events that led to his incarceration in a manner that manages to be both factual and inspiring. The narrative and the picture together are very powerful, and set a high tone that this biography manages to, for the most part, maintain. Helfer also opted against spoken dialogue in the book for the most part, only using it with actual quoted statements taken from news coverage. This gave the story a tone similar to a "History Channel" documentary (which I am definitely partial to, by the way). Thompson's artwork throughout could almost be mistaken for actual photographs if you squint enough, which just adds to the documentary feel of the comic.

The question was posed to me yesterday by a fan of the "Heroes" TV series who didn't watch this week.

"So how was Monday's episode?"

I looked at him and said "They went nuclear."

"Oh, is that all?"

This is the official SPOILER POINT and I will drop a picture here in between my brief observations for this week. And please use this link to this week's episode if you have not seen it.


And here we go.

So we get the present and future image of the mad scientist DR. MOHINDER SURESH when future and past PETER PETRELLI (pictured above) visits four years ahead.

Oh crap! Everyone has super powers - if you can afford it. Future Peter and CLAIRE have a brief and fatal meeting in the, uh, future. This sets up a super-powered battle royal (hopefully the first of many) between future Claire, KNOX, DAPHNE, SYLAR and the occasionally clueless present Peter.

It was the best moment of the show and in the presence of some fellow "Heroes" watchers at Geoffrey's Comics last night I heard several opinions echoing my own.

I know it's going to be hard for the producers to continue to afford this level of special effects and a cast this large, but it makes the show. Seeing the characters slip into their familiar roles is fine for an interlude but they must work it in with some significant confrontation.

Peter vs. Daphne, Knox vs. Sylar and Claire vs. dark hair and a leather outfit.

One other note tossed my way and a suggestion. We see the down side of future Suresh's experimentation and I'm not talking about him turning away MAYA. We couldn't see him clearly, but he looks like he may be severely mutated under that dirty hooded sweatshirt.

One of my friends, we'll call her RED. Red sees a picture of normal Suresh on my computer screen.

"Wow, who is that?"

"That's Dr. Suresh on the show Heroes," I say.

"Well Dr. Whatever-his-name is hot," she says.

A little advice for the "Heroes" producers - and I don't mind saying it - for your women fans you may want to think twice about messing up the face of your best looking male character on the show.

All in all a good week with a good ending. See you next time.

 
Related:  Keeping the story on track

               The Heroes return tonight

               Heroes Watch: Looks like a fun season

Yeah, I didn't catch on until recently.

Here we are reading and discussing the "Starman Omnibus Vol. 1" tonight and I'm the only one who did not at least try an issue when it was all the critical rage several years ago. I knew of its existence and heard good things but like many of us I became quite disillusioned with most comics in the nineties.

Oh, don't act like I was the only one. Trust me, we'll talk about the near-comic company apocalypse of the last decade another time. 

The "Starman" series by writer James Robinson ("Superman") and artists Tony Harris ("Ex Machina") and Wade Von Grawbadger does a retake on the Golden Age super hero by dropping his legacy into the lap of the outcast son who didn't want the mantle in the first place.

I can relate to not initially wanting to carry on the family business and the struggle the main character Jack Knight has with that.

This omnibus collects the first 17 issues of Robinson and Harris' "Starman" and the real value of their work has become apparent to me. It suggests a kind of realism. Shadow illusion creatures and belts that make you fly aren't part of the real world - unless you're self medicating - but Robinson manages something all the best creators of superhero fiction do...

They give you stories that could play whether you have the fantastical elements in them or not.

If you can handle the hefty $49.99 of the Volume one omnibus it's a keeper for fans of good comic fiction. (There are some used ones online too at around $25.)

If you stop by Geoffrey's Comics tonight come by and say hi.


Cover image Courtesy DC Comics  

I am not a charter member on the fan list of HBO's "True Blood" but I have not stopped watching it.

There must have been a bunch of people like me (4 million estimated regular viewers) because HBO has deemed the southern vampire series based on the books by Charlaine Harris worthy to receive a second season. And to its credit the cable network has chosen to continue a show with some (should I write it?) teeth. (Sorry about that, it's early.)

I can't say the twists and turns of 'True' are unexpected and I am not going to reveal too many specifics here until after the season ends considering that cable series have DVD and replay life after first-run. But these last few episodes have been surprisingly gory and the ending of yesterday's show left yet another bloody footprint.

And that's fine, because stuff with vampires in it is supposed to be a little scary isn't it?

As psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse actress Anna Paquin ("X-Men") has done a solid job and I could care less about whether she looks good with blond hair. (But some have mentioned it.) The real revelation, especially after this last episode, is the character depth of her vampire love interest Bill Compton played by Stephen Moyer.

My wife hates grisly stuff but even she watched and found Moyer's character to be quite sympathetic.

On the basis of a plot that is still a little thin I am not ready to call this show a must-see, but I will call it a must see it ONCE and you should do it for the sheer craft and dark humor. (This is not for the young ones, but I'm not sure the other vampire-based novel "Twilight" is either.)

I am still not forgetting this show is going head to head with "Dexter" on Showtime which wormed (sorry again) its way onto my must see list two years ago. But 'True' runs again late at night and then several times throughout the week which gives me a chance to keep an eye on it and not quite give up on the talents of producer-writer Alan Ball. 

  

By Ryan Riley

AOL/Time Warner, which owns both DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures, recently gave the green light for a live-action Green Lantern movie.

The movie will be directed by Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers and Sisters) and penned by comic book writers Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green.

Even though the track record for DC-based superhero movies is far from perfect (Bryan Singer's Superman Returns and Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin spring to mind), the recent success of Christopher Nolan's Batman films give me hope that they might actually do justice to my all-time favorite comic book character on the big screen.

I've been a fan of Green Lantern ever since I was a little kid. My first exposure to the character was on the cartoon series "Challenge of the SuperFriends", where the SuperFriends (known as the Justice League in the comic books) would fight the Legion of Doom (a grouping of the top villains in each hero's rogue gallery, not the wrestling tag team from the 1980's).

Even back then, I could sense that he was unique even among a colorful gathering of superheroes. I wasn't all that thrilled when the TV network that was airing the show replaced it with the earlier SuperFriends series from 1973. Marvin, Wendy and Wonder-Dog would have annoyed me even had I not been exposed to "Challenge of the Superfriends" first, so that annoyance was heightened because I was no longer getting my Green Lantern fix.

I wish I was there to check out the screening but the good news is that the Warner Bros. "Watchmen" film is living up to being as good as its trailer.

At least 25 minutes of it is.

I watch a lot of movies and if any film has a really good 25 minutes in it, that could make it more than adequate.

Reading the praise for the considerable visual talents of director Zack Snyder ("300") here at Collider only confirms what everyone who saw that impressive movie trailer observed... The kid has game.

Yeah, Snyder can bring the fireworks, but does he have a chance of making a story this complicated work as a three-hour film? (I can't imagine it any shorter than that.)

Frosty at Collider writes that the opening sequence is a storytelling marvel. And I don't want to ruin what you could get if you read the post here. There are also audio clips of Snyder discussing the film.

There is little new word on the spat between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. over the distribution of "Watchmen." Attorneys on both sides were instructed to collect their materials and prepare to appear in court (edit: go to trial) in January.

Despite all of the legal issues there is confidence it will work out and perhaps that's with both sides getting something out of it.

(Edit: A link to a New York Times piece that navigates the twisty details of the "Watchmen" legal struggle.)


Image courtesy Warner Bros.

 

Robert Downey Jr. expects to strengthen his reign as current king atop the action/fantasy films mountain in the lead role of the Guy Ritchie directed "Sherlock Holmes."

Props to Entertainment Tonight for having this video interview with Downey and making it embed-ready for those of us who will appreciate him discussing 'Holmes.' Sorry, it auto plays so just click the picture below.

The film will also star Rachel McAdams ("Red Eye") as a super-intelligent master villain and is planned to drop in 2010. I believe we can expect "Ironman 2" around that time as well.

All this goodness is after the actor publicly looked "The Dark Knight" in the eye and fearlessly told DC Comics what he thought about the Batman film. That took some guts because now Downey can also expect to forgo that role in the "Justice League" movie he may have wanted. (Yeah, right.)

But that's not the real evidence of Downey's bravery - He's got guts for taking on this picture under the directorial eye of Guy Ritchie.

Ritchie is the guy fans of slick visual film making love to hate and hate to
love. You may not want to say you enjoyed "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" or "Snatch" but you did. His miscues could be mentioned but he still has some style. Check the trailer to "Rocknrolla" and the interview with Downey below

 

I could not let the day go by without sharing this image of the variant cover of Amazing Spider-Man #573.

Ever since the retool of the storyline in the Marvel Universe involving Spider-Man - The dissolution of the Mary Jane marriage, A deal with Mephisto and other assorted plot gems - the comic has only nominally caught my attention.

But hey, grabbing attention is what a comic book cover is designed to do isn't it?

I don't know if I can afford the variant cover issue when it becomes available, but I do want one. Once again, I am not a regular reader anymore but it's STEPHEN COLBERT and Spidey!

When it comes to some things during this intense election year, I can be swayed.


Cover Image courtesy Marvel Comics