This trailer dropped Tuesday morning so you've probably seen it already but if you haven't...
I have to say it appears to be a bit more of a gritty Spider-Man picture than what we've seen in the prior films by Sam Raimi. Although, the Raimi flicks had some dark moments.
Perhaps it's too soon for another set of films but an argument can be made that in this era of instant information the movie remake window can indeed be smaller. And look at what me and my fellow Spidey-geeks get: Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and young science prodigy Peter building his mechanical web shooters!
Also, the director's name is Marc Webb.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" in 3D stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and opens July 3, 2012.
And here is a very short look at "The Avengers" Super Bowl teaser from Marvel's website.
The images new to me in this clip included flying (alien?) vessels and Captain America and Thor together post-combat. I expect a bigger segment to be presented during the actual Super Bowl XLVI.
Among my friends, this film needs to get its groove back in the buzz department. "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Prometheus" are generating a lot of interest so Marvel Studios better bring it.
And since I feel bad the above clip is a shorty, here's the first full "The Avengers" trailer via Comic Book Resources I previously ran a few months back on Modern Mythology.
Rebecca Garland holds a focus group with area teens at a Barnes & Noble book store. (Scott Varley / Staff Photographer)
By Kelly Puente Press-Telegram
LONG BEACH - In a time of "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" fanatics, getting young readers excited about books written over a century ago isn't an easy task.
But with Disney's action-adventure "John Carter" hitting theaters next month, fans hope the movie will turn a new generation of readers on to the classic character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early 1900s.
That's the hope for Long Beach mother Rebecca Garland, who fell in love with Burroughs' series of fantasy/sci-fi books after seeing a special screening of "John Carter" in December.
"I just devoured the books, one after the other," she said. "My kids love them, too."
Garland, who was laid off from her job as a teacher at Long Beach's
Lafayette Elementary in 2010, became involved in the John Carter Teen Reading Project this year after meeting fellow fan Michael Sellers.
The project, created by Sellers, aims to create special focus groups to find out whether today's teens can enjoy reading Burroughs.
On Thursday, the project held its first focus group at Barnes & Noble in Long Beach. About a dozen local teens discussed the book "A Princess of Mars," on which the new Disney movie is based, and filled out a questionnaire about what they liked and didn't like.
So far, the feedback has been positive, Garland said.
"What we're finding is that boys and girls equally love the book," she said. "They like the book because it doesn't read like it was written a hundred years ago. It's very easy to get into, and it's very addictive."
Students who participated in the focus group will get to see a special pre-screening of the Disney movie March 3.
Published in 1917, "A Princess of Mars" tells the story of Earthling John Carter and his adventures on planet Mars. The book is part of a series that skyrocketed to popularity in the mid-20th century and inspired such writers as Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke. The series was also the inspiration for James Cameron's blockbuster movie "Avatar."
Burroughs, who died in 1950, is best known for creating Tarzan, the famed jungle hero.
While the books have dwindled in popularly in recent decades, Sellers, a Los Angeles- based filmmaker, believes the new movie will rekindle an interest in the visionary author.
With the help of Garland, the reading project plans to find more teens and hold more focus groups to get students excited about reading.
Alana Lardizabal, a 14-year- old Lakewood High student, said she joined the focus group out of curiosity. The teen said she loves "A Princess of Mars" because of the action, romance and amazing attention to detail.
"Everything he describes I can totally picture," she said. "It's like being in another world."
A new thrill ride with a blast-from-the-past name is coming to Mall of America - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock.
The ride will open in March at the megamall's Nickelodeon Universe. It promises to "take riders 70 feet in the air in a matter of seconds, reaching up to 25 miles per hour," the park posted on its Facebook page.
"Each rider will control their seat, which can rotate wildly like a plane propeller or a gentle teeter-totter...making no two ride experiences the same," the Facebook post said.
Dan Jasper, Mall of America spokesman, confirmed today that the new ride will open in mid-March.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a popular craze in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the four main characters - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael - haven't been so visible in recent decades.
But Nickelodeon is planning to revive the franchise, and will introduce a new computer-generated animation series on its network, sometime in 2012. A feature film is also said to be in the works. So the ride's name is aimed at helping to revive the Turtles brand.
The world's most famous fictional "Sailor Man" returns to comics to deliver knuckle sandwiches to the bullies and make bean-pole ladies swoon.
Writer Roger Langridge and artist Bruce Ozella will helm IDW's "Popeye" set to debut in April. Veteran creator Langridge, of the award-winning "Muppet Show Comic Book" and "Thor: The Mighty Avenger," sites the pipe-chompin' character as an influence on his comics work.
From the press release
"Ever since I was a kid, the two cartoonists who have had the biggest influence on me have been Carl Barks and E.C. Segar, so getting a chance to write Popeye is quite a thrill," said Langridge.
"I'm especially pleased that IDW have decided to go with a
Segar-flavored interpretation. As much as I like some of the later
versions of the character, for me, it's those early strips where the
magic really happened. Just as well Segar drew everybody with big feet,
because Bruce and I have some enormous shoes to fill!"
Vintage furniture store, Warehouse 1333, will showcase "Steampunk," a genre-bending mixed- media art exhibit, featuring emerging artist Pete Ramirez and mixed-media creations by several other artists. Saturday Jan. 21, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Also, a treasure hunt and live music. 1333 Redondo Ave. Long Beach, CA. 90804 562-494-1333. http://www.warehouse1333.com/
Comics publisher IDW announced this week the release of an exclusively digital comic series to a variety of platforms set to debut Thursday Jan. 18.
"Transformers: Autocracy" from writers Chris Metzen and Flint Dille and artist Livio Ramondelli will be a 12-part series releasing 8 pages every two weeks through June 2012.
Each "episode" of the digital comic is .99 cents and will be available on the iPad, iPhone, Android and good old fashioned World Wide Web.
From the press release:
Autocracy features the stunning TRANSFORMERS writing debut of Chris Metzen - SVP, Story and Franchise Development at Blizzard Entertainment and one of the main creative minds behind the company's Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes. Metzen is joined by co-writer Flint Dille, a fan-favorite for his work on the original TRANSFORMERS animated series.
"This project is a dream come true for me," said Metzen.
"I've loved the TRANSFORMERS brand all my life - and the chance to take
these characters for a drive with my good friend Flint has been an
incredible privilege. But I think it's Livio Ramondelli's gritty,
cinematic vision that really brings this story to life."
I noticed something about my buying habits in the last few runs I've had at my local comic shop(s).
As I pick through the racks I usually grab a few regular reads and whatever new books I've heard about via word-of-mouth. There's little time to hang out (Wife, amazingly, completes her shopping at Trader Joe's in about 20 minutes). And because my time is so limited, I often rely on gut decisions, grab some titles and get the heck out.
After several trips to the shop I noticed my nightstand, dining room table and the floor next to my bed have amassed a pile of "Batman" books. And when I say "Batman" books I'm talking "Nightwing," "Batwoman," "Detective Comics" (yeah, even a couple copies of "Batgirl").
I looked at my stacks of books and the stacks don't lie.
For the most part, the Bat ratio in my recent comic purchasing skewed toward the
Gotham side of the force. Sure, credit the New 52 comics launch but there's something else going on here ---- The stories seem a lot easier to
follow than just about any ongoing series out there.
Batman comics are their own segment of publishing and can be followed without scads of DC Universe crossover continuity. I do admit to being less than thrilled with the appearance of The Flash in a recent issue of Batman:The Dark Knight. I also noticed writers David Finch and Paul Jenkins dragged him off the stage in a ... well, flash.
Anyway, a tip of the hat to the Batman book editors. On to what I'll be looking for this week:
Batman (#5) hits stores today and continues the "Council of Owls" story and the exploration of Bruce Wayne's family history. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have kept every issue since the comic's relaunch an entertaining, page-turning mystery.
Fables (#113) drops as well and continues to astonish me with its huge cast of characters and their incredible depth. I'm late to discover this series but I am fast becoming a devotee.
Morning Glories (#15) still has me intrigued but has managed to lose me a bit. I need to read some back issues for a recap (if I can find them!). The series, however, is still a favorite. I would direct any comic reader who enjoyed the twisty mysteries of "Lost" to give this one a go.
And the newest issue actually came out last week but I'm checking the racks for Wolverine and the X-Men. It's apparently so good it's converted my X-Men-hating friend into a reader.
So be on the lookout for those and in the meantime I'll try to keep my funny books off the floor.
ABOVE: A cover for Batman #5 by artist Greg Capullo.
