Robert Meeks: October 2009 Archives

Beside his regular work on "Batman: Streets of Gotham," DC Comics artist Dustin Nguyen creates short works that he posts at his blog or his site at Deviant Art.

As a Halloween treat, Nguyen posted a short comic story depicting some lyrics by the rap group "Geto Boys" from their hit "mind playing tricks on me" and interpreted it into a mugger's confrontation with the Batman.

"But this was no ordinary man.
He stood about six or seven feet--
--Now, that the creep I'd been seein' in my sleep."

It works perfectly.  Batman would definitely be a nightmare figure for any criminal.  Good work, Dustin!

Check out the one-page story here.
  

More than a hundred "undead" dragged  their way down Fourth Street on Retro Row Friday night for the 2009 "Zombie Walk."

A couple hours before the 10:30 p.m. event you could see dozens of anxious zombies sipping coffee or dining before they would get their walk on.

I didn't stay for the midnight screening of "Night of The Living Dead" at the Art Theatre this time -- I was afraid -- but I may have the courage to do it next year. 

Something for Halloween?  Here you go...

I admit I have not been able to keep up with every crossover title in DC Comics' "Blackest Night," and it's not because it's been uninteresting.

For those who aren't hip to the Night, it's the event series spun from the Green Lantern side of the story-verse where dead heroes and villains are brought back evil-zombie-style by some dark, terrible force.  And they go after old lovers, friends and enemies with the aim of feeding off your emotions (and the beating heart from your chest). These creatures are known as the Black Lanterns. 

And while I fully expect to catch up and find out what's going on with the other parts of the series, it would be a little too expensive for me to do that right now.

I have been following one of the spin-off books: "Blackest Night: Superman."  In this three-issue series, Superman, Conner Kent (the new Superboy), Supergirl and Martha Kent have to face their own undead demons in Smallville -- Earth-2 Superman, Earth-2 Lois Lane and the Psycho Pirate. 

There are some interesting moments that give Blackest Night fans a few clues on the weaknesses of the Black Lanterns.  I won't give all of those away but I have to say my favorite moment is in the comic excerpt above where Ma Kent tells zombie Lois to "get off her lawn!"

OK, she doesn't exactly say it that way but watching her throw down and not be some helpless victim was cool anyway.

Related posts:

Green Lantern makes with the scary stuff

Behind the Scenes With Kanye from We Love You So on Vimeo.

I know this confrontation is totally set up by director Spike Jonze ("Where the Wild Things Are") and music superstar (and current super villain) Kanye West. I consider this to be a public relations move --  a good one -- to remind us that West has quite a sense of humor ... despite his recent award show outbursts... and all of his, um, other outbursts.

Via Spike.com

In this film publicity image released by Paramount Pictures, a scene from the film, "Paranormal Activity," is shown. (AP Photo/Paramount)

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Paranormal Activity" has won a weekend battle of fright films over part six of the "Saw" franchise.

Paramount's upstart chiller "Paranormal Activity" went into nationwide release and took over the No. 1 spot with $22 million. That compares to just $14.8 million for the debut of "Saw VI," a franchise that has been an annual fixture before the October Halloween holiday since 2004.

It was the worst opening ever for Lionsgate's "Saw" series, whose previous low was $18.3 million for the original movie. Subsequent installments of the "Saw" franchise all opened at $30 million or better.

This time, horror fans simply gravitated toward "Paranormal Activity" instead of "Saw VI."

"'Paranormal' ate their lunch," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "There's no other way to explain it."

After four weeks in narrower release, Paramount slotted "Paranormal Activity" into 1,945 theaters. That still was just under two-thirds of the 3,036 theater count for "Saw VI."

"Paranormal Activity" raised its total haul to $62.5 million. The low-budget movie was shot for a reported $15,000 but has become a horror sensation because of online fan buzz. The fictional movie unfolds like a homemade documentary as a couple copes with apparitions and supernatural phenomena in their home.

It has a strong shot at topping $100 million, something none of the "Saw" movies ever managed. While "Saw," the grisly saga of a puppetmaster putting victims through savage moral tests, was embraced as a fresh twist by horror fans five years ago, it now is part of the Hollywood establishment compared to "Paranormal Activity."

"There's no question 'Paranormal' offered a fresh alternative," said Rob Moore, Paramount vice chairman. "This movie definitely has achieved a place in our culture right now."

The overall box office declined, with Hollywood revenues totaling $121 million, down 9 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" debuted with $42 million and "Saw V" opened with $30.1 million.

The box-office should get a jolt over Halloween as "Paranormal Activity" expands to as many as 2,500 theaters and Sony's "Michael Jackson: This Is It" heads into its first weekend after debuting late Tuesday night.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the Warner Bros. tale "Where the Wild Things Are," fell to No. 3, just behind "Saw VI" with $14.4 million. Spike Jonze's adaptation of the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak raised its total to $54 million.

Among other wide releases, Summit Entertainment's "Astro Boy" opened at No. 6 with $7 million, Universal's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" debuted at No. 8 with $6.3 million, and Fox Searchlight's "Amelia" premiered at No. 11 with $4 million.

"Astro Boy" features the voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage in a sci-fi adventure based on the Japanese comic book and cartoon series about a superhero child robot. "Vampire's Assistant" stars John C. Reilly as a centuries-old bloodsucker who takes on a teenage apprentice in a traveling freak show. "Amelia" is a film biography of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart starring double-Oscar winner Hilary Swank.

In limited release from IFC Films, Lars von Trier's graphic "Antichrist" had a modest debut, pulling in $73,500 in six theaters for a $12,250 average. The movie stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a couple whose relationship devolves into torture and self-mutilation after the death of their child.

Now that "Paranormal Activity" has a firm grip on audiences, Paramount is toying with the prospects for sequels or prequels.

"Given the success of this and the passion of the online community, I think our guys have got a number of different ideas they're percolating," Moore said. "Once we've gotten to the end of this run, we'll see what other fun we can have with this."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Paranormal Activity," $22 million.

2. "Saw VI," $14.8 million.

3. "Where the Wild Things Are," $14.4 million.

4. "Law Abiding Citizen," $12.7 million.

5. "Couples Retreat," $11.1 million.

6. "Astro Boy," $7 million.

7. "The Stepfather," $6.5 million.

8. "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," $6.3 million.

9. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $5.6 million.

10. "Zombieland," $4.3 million.

In this film publicity image released by Summit Entertainment, Astro Boy, voiced by Freddie Highmore, is shown in a scene from, "Astro Boy." (AP Photo/Summit Entertainment)

CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The animated "Astro Boy" is a shiny hodgepodge of "Pinocchio," ''WALL-E," ''Oliver Twist," ''Gladiator" and "Superman," with some obvious visual touches taken from "The Iron Giant." As its own entity, though, it's pretty forgettable.

Director David Bowers ("Flushed Away"), who co-wrote the script with Timothy Hyde Harris ("Kindergarten Cop," ''Space Jam"), gets some help from a lively voice cast that includes Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy and Nathan Lane, and the Art Deco look of the film's architecture has a classic appeal. But it almost feels like there are too many movies competing simultaneously in what is essentially a pretty standard tale of good versus evil.

The jokes aren't all that funny and the father-son relationship between Astro Boy (Highmore) and brilliant scientist Dr. Tenma (a typically lethargic and curiously cast Nicolas Cage) isn't all that moving. There's a lot going on, but none of it ever really grabs you. (Along those same innocuous lines, the movie is sufficiently bright and colorful for kids of all ages without ever being too scary.)

Based on the Japanese comic book from Osamu Tezuka that began in 1951 -- and influenced the anime genre as we know it today -- "Astro Boy" traces the origin of a young superhero. He began life as a regular kid named Toby, but after dying in a freak lab accident, his father brings him back to life as a robot containing Toby's personality, memories and Bob's Big Boy looks (as well as some tricky gadgets and powers that are never explained).

Once Dr. Tenma realizes -- duh -- that this eager-to-please robot version of his child is nonetheless inferior and sends him away, Toby flees the floating, gleaming Metro City and lands back on the now-trashed Earth below, where he becomes known as Astro Boy. There, he meets other orphaned children who grubbily root around for spare robot parts to bring back to their Fagin-like father figure, Hamegg (Lane). (The trash can that follows them around and looks like a pug is pretty darn cute, though.)

Astro wants to fit in with the others, namely the street-smart Cora (Bell), and forge some sort of normal life. But high among the clouds in Metro City, President Stone (Donald Sutherland) is after him for his Blue Core: a powerful crystalline nugget that Dr. Tenma implanted in his chest. You see, there's a Blue Core and a Red Core. The blue one provides a peaceful, benevolent strength, while the red one turns you into a ferocious killing machine.

The Dick Cheney-like president wants to control them both for his ironically named "Peacekeeper," a burly device intended to dominate Earth: "I've got an election to win and I need my robot to be a fighter, not a lover," he says early on.

Yeah, it's not a terribly subtle political metaphor.

And so the obvious inevitably arrives: Astro Boy must return to his home to fight the ultimate fight and face his ultimate destiny. He also might run into his dad again. You never know.

"Astro Boy," a Summit Entertainment release, runs 90 minutes. Two stars out of four.

"The Fourth Kind," a thriller about alien abduction based on a case in Alaska, stars Milla Jovovich who plays Dr. Abigail Tyler.  The trailer above appears to switch between taped footage from October 2000 and re-enacted stuff for the movie.  Notice, I said appears, because that old Hi-8 video looking stuff was probably re-enacted too.  I don't really know but it makes for an unusual and creepy trailer.

I'm still not sure whether I'm going to rush out and see this flick. However, anytime you say something is based on the actual case studies or what you're about to see is extremely disturbing, it's on like popcorn.

"The Fourth Kind" hits the screens November 6.

In this video Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars," "Heroes") gets the interview treatment form Comic Book Resources on her voice work on "Astro Boy," which opens Friday.

Bell, who voices "Cora," tells CBR interviewer Erik Amaya she considers herself lucky to work on "genre" films (the industry-speak for flicks that feature super heroes, wizards or science fiction elements). 

When Bell appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con a couple years back promoting "Veronica Mars" she was the most engaging of actors with the crowds.  And I do recall that she described herself as a fan of some of the genre projects she does.

Will this depiction of the legendary "Astro Boy" please fans old and new?  I may not see it right away because it's Wife's turn to pick the movie and I chose last week's film "Where The Wild Things Are."

Maybe I can sneak out and catch a matinee Sunday morning?  Hmmmm.     

Are the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" still relevant?  Nickelodeon says yes they are, to the tune of $60 million paid for the global rights to the one-time comic book property turned multimedia powerhouse.

Nick plans a new Turtles television series and a CG feature film to be released in 2012.

From the press release:

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon," said Adam Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.

The animated series running on CW4Kids, produced by Mirage Studios and 4Kids Entertainment will continue to run in the CW Saturday morning programming through August 2010.

When I read the Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comics series back in the eighties I couldn't imagine what it would become as a media property today.  As a change -- and I know this is totally unrealistic --  I would love to see a solid animated interpretation that's very faithful to the original comic.

But then it wouldn't be suitable for the multitudes of young TV and movie viewers who have embraced these characters as their own.  Oh well...

Read the full press release via tvbythenumbers.com

FILE - In this undated image originally released by HBO, from left, Kristin Bauer, Alexander Skarsgard,and Patrick Gallagher portray vampires in a scene from the second season of the HBO original series, "True Blood." (AP Photo/HBO, Jaimie Trueblood)

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Vampires have been an eternal force in Hollywood horror since silent-movie days, yet they have risen to new heights as the "Twilight" franchise, TV's "True Blood" and other incarnations put the bite on viewers.

In studio flicks, independent and foreign-language films and small-screen series, there are more bloodsuckers out there today than you can shake a wooden stake at.

With so many vampires afoot, will Hollywood's favorite night creatures lose their flavor with fans?

"Will there be a vampire glut? Will the vampire market crash? I don't know," said Chris Weitz, director of November's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," part two in the movie series based on Stephenie Meyer's vampire-romance novels. "It's kind of the only growth industry in America, that I can tell."

So many of Dracula's brethren are being sired nowadays that Weitz and his brother have dueling vampire films out this fall.

Paul Weitz's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" opens Friday, with John C. Reilly as a centuries-old bloodsucker in a traveling freak show.

While vampires have a strong pulse in Hollywood, some expect the genre could bleed out from overexposure.

"Sometimes there are trends with audiences and with film studios, TV stations, and they go wild, and they run like lemmings in one direction until they go over the cliff," said Werner Herzog, who directed 1979's "Nosferatu the Vampyre." ''The genre of vampire films in its darkness and in its nightmarish aspect is a genre that will be forever, but sometimes, you have an overload, an overkill, and when the heap gets too, too big, everybody starts to turn away."

In his 2007 Antarctica documentary "Encounters at the End of the World," Herzog wisecracked that he was not making yet another movie about penguins, a reference to a spate of films on the cold-weather birds.

Penguins reached a glut after only a handful of movies, but the sheer variety of vampire stories lends them superhuman durability for exploring the issues and fears of mortals.

"I think vampires are richer veins than penguins," Reilly said. "There's only so much you can do with penguins. They're cute. They can't fly. They live in snow and ice."

Vampires benefit from modern fans' hunger for fantastic stories. Otherworldly tales once were aimed mostly at specialized horror, science-fiction or fantasy audiences, with a "Star Wars" or an "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" occasionally breaking out to huge crowds.

Movie-goers today besiege theaters for out-of-this-world stories, from "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" to the latest adventures of Batman or the X-Men.

"We're at a supernatural height right now with superheroes and science fiction. I think it's all being embraced, with 'Battlestar Galactica' being a critical hit and 'Iron Man' being a huge mainstream hit," said Meredith Woerner, whose book "Vampire Taxonomy: Identifying and Interacting With the Modern-day Bloodsucker" hits stores in early November. "It's a great time where people are ready for some magic."

Vampires have been hardy souls on screen for ages, dating back to 1920s and '30s classics such as "Nosferatu," ''Vampyr" and the original "Dracula," with Bela Lugosi. Dracula has been played by countless actors, among them Lon Chaney Jr., Christopher Lee, Frank Langella and Gary Oldman.

Movies and shows such as "The Lost Boys" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" transfused teen power to vampire tales, helping to open the current vein of hip, pretty young dead things in the genre.

"What's particular about them now is it's coinciding with the optimum market for TV and film. It's that young market, it's kind of the 'Dawson's Creek' thing," said Michael Sheen, who co-stars as the vampire Aro in the "Twilight" sequel and played a werewolf in the "Underworld" vampire franchise. "Whereas in the past, I don't think that has been the case. The symbol of vampires has never quite hit that marketing gold."

Along with "True Blood," recent TV bloodsucker sagas include "The Vampire Diaries," ''Blood Ties," ''Moonlight" and Britain's "Young Dracula" and "Being Human."

Among recent and upcoming big-screen stories are "Blood: The Last Vampire," the horror comedy "Transylmania," Ethan Hawke's vampire armageddon thriller "Daybreakers" and foreign-language vamp tales such as Sweden's "Let the Right One In" and South Korea's "Thirst."

"Twilight" leads the way, its love story between an immortal vampire stud (Robert Pattinson) and a sensitive school girl (Kristen Stewart) proving irresistible to teen and older audiences alike.

So far, fans seem willing to devour as many vampire stories as Hollywood can dish out.

"The truth is, you can't have too many vampire movies, just like you can't have too many zombie movies. Each movie is capable of being allegories for different things," said "Cirque du Freak" star Reilly. "Ours is this whole other universe for vampires that have nothing to do with Dracula or good-looking teenagers making out. It's this crazy underworld that exists, more like 'Harry Potter' than 'Twilight,' because the regular human world doesn't even know they're there."

While their popularity may ebb and flow, vampires always will have a place in the audience's heart, said Nicolas Cage, who starred in 1989's "Vampire's Kiss" and was a producer on 2000's "Shadow of the Vampire."

"The vampire is always going to be fascinating," Cage said. "It's like the vigilante cop, or it's like the cowboy or the Western. It's part of the fabric of society."

I have no factual basis for writing this as I have not done a proper head count, but I think women dress up in costume a lot more than guys do at the comic conventions.

You know why?  I believe it's because they know they're gonna get a far better response when they dress up and look good doing it.  Case in point?  This picture is of model/reality show veteran Adrianne Curry at last weekend's Big Apple Con from The Superficial.  You can check out the gallery and you'll see that Curry also dresses as Wonder Woman and the Silk Spectre.

Some folks in the comments are knocking the authenticity of some of her costumes.  To settle this I examined all of the photographs and came to the conclusion that I don't give a darn.

 

Johnny Depp, right, presents Keith Richards with the Rock Immortal award at the "Scream Awards" on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

SANDY COHEN
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A larger-than-life snowglobe filled with murderous little girls, a "Battlestar Gallactica" spaceship and Marvel comic-book legend Stan Lee flying overhead on a bouquet of giant balloons -- just a few signs that Spike TV's "Scream 2009" is different from other awards shows.

The star-studded event, held Saturday at the Greek Theatre, honors the best in science-fiction, horror, fantasy and comic book-inspired movies and TV shows.

Fans voted online for the winners, so some of the year's most popular programs and big box-office hits took home trophies, including "Transformers," ''Twilight," ''True Blood" and "Star Trek." Stars of those properties and other surprise guests appeared throughout the 3 1/2-hour ceremony.

And then there was Keith Richards. Fans welcomed the Rolling Stones guitarist with a standing ovation as Johnny Depp presented him with the Rock Immortal award.

"I liked the living legend, that was all right, but immortal is even better," Richards said in an interview before accepting the honor.

Quentin Tarantino continued the celebration of the immortal as he paid tribute to "Night of the Living Dead" director George A. Romero with the Scream Mastermind award.

Tobey Maguire presented the Comic-Con Icon award to "Spider-Man" creator Lee, who waved and smiled from his spider-shaped balloon platform on his way to the stage. He thanked Spike TV "for creating the Scream awards and for telling the world how cool comic books are."

Jessica Alba, Kate Bosworth, Harrison Ford, Justin Long and Christina Ricci helped present the spike-shaped trophies. Morgan Freeman presented the Ultimate Scream award (essentially best in show) to "Star Trek" -- and William Shatner shocked fans when he stepped on stage to accept the trophy.

"J.J., I'll handle this," Shatner said to J.J. Abrams, seated in the audience, who also won best director and best sci-fi movie for "Star Trek."

"This movie was big," said Shatner, the original Captain Kirk on the TV series. "Imagine how big it could have been with me in it? ... I'll be waiting for your call."

HBO's vampire drama "True Blood" was a four-time winner, taking honors for best TV show, along with best villain for Alexander Skarsgard and best horror actor and actress for co-stars and real-life couple Steven Moyer and Anna Paquin.

"Twilight" also collected four awards: Best fantasy film, best fantasy actors for stars Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (who weren't in attendance Saturday) and breakout performance for co-star Taylor Lautner, who introduced world-premiere footage from the film's next installment, "New Moon."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" won three prizes. The film was honored for its special effects, while star Megan Fox was voted best sci-fi actress and Isabel Lucas was recognized for her breakout performance as an evil shape-shifting robot.

Since the ceremony wasn't televised live, stars were free to use four-letter words -- and Tarantino, Woody Harrelson and "True Blood" creator Alan Ball did. "Scream 2009" will be edited into a two-hour special set to air on Oct. 27.

Hundreds of fans dressed as vampires, zombies, mummies and monsters filled the seats inside the amphitheater. "Scream" is their show, said executive producer Casey Patterson.

"It's fun because of the fans. You couldn't point to a group more passionate, more invested, or more deserving," she said, noting that sci-fi, horror and fantasy films are often overlooked at other awards shows. "These fans have waited a long time to see their heroes honored."

On the Net:

http://www.spike.com/event/scream2009

I've shown you the above trailer clip of writer Joss Whedon ("Buffy the vampire Slayer" of course) and artist John Cassady's ("Planetary") motion comic for their story arc on "Astonishing X-Men."

Marvel announced plans to use a three-story former storefront in Union Square Park as a mega-sized screen to premiere the first episode of Astonishing during its inaugural "Marvelfest" event in New York Oct. 28.

Astonishing is the Cadillac of the of the bushel of X-Men comics Marvel releases every month.  Whedon and Cassaday's arc re-introduced the X-Men to the masked super hero universe.  It was a little off-putting for me at first because I don't think of the X-Men as traditional secret identity-style super heroes. They're really Xavier's private army/security force.  Think about it; How often do they save cats from trees or stop bank robberies?

Anyway, Cyclops puts the X-squad back into their costumes to help the characters deal with the more modern issue of having to maintain a positive public image in a world that still fears mutants.  Despite my poor job of a plot summary, trust me -- Whedon and Cassaday story presented the characters brilliantly.  Kitty Pryde (One of Buffy's character inspirations according to Whedon) tells off former enemy and current teammate Emma Frost as only she can.  

But this post is supposed to be about the motion comic...  Let's just call the "Astonishing X-Men" motion comic an animated mini-series.  The animators who worked on this project make the characters move quite a bit more than artist Alex Maleev's animators on the "Spider-Woman Agent of S.W.O.R.D." motion project.  Their mouths even move to go along with the dialogue (unlike the Spider-Woman story).  Check out the trailer from Comic Book Resources above.

Don't get it twisted, all of this is fine.  While I am a bigger fan of the Spider-Woman motion series, this other style on the X-Men piece may not work for me.  I like my image motion to be a little more comic book-ish with subtle motion and all the great audio performances.  But I am aware that this project is not made for guys like myself who have read comics for 30-plus years, it's made for that new-fangled iTunes audience who can watch movies on their phones.

And since "Spider-Woman Agent of S.W.O.R.D" topped the iTunes sales charts for animated TV episodes in its debut, it's a safe bet we will see this audience catered to a lot more.

If I hear good things about it I may even buy a few episodes myself.

Note: this video starts off in French for a minute or so but not all the way through.

There may have been some other behind-the-scenes videos for "Iron Man 2" but this eight-minute one from CanalPlus.fr is the first I've seen.

Director Jon Favreau and actor Robert Downey Jr. speak extensively about what and who Iron Man AKA Tony Stark will be up against and the ease of doing a sequel to a super hero film compared to the origin story set-up film.

In this new storyline, the military wants Stark's technology but the character is also acknowledged as being a hero.

"So he's living the life of someone who is both loved and detested," Favreau said in the video interview.

Downey Jr. discussed his experience working with filmmaker Guy Ritchie on "Sherlock Holmes" and that main character's bare-knuckle martial arts fighting skills. The kung fu practitioner told CanalPlus.fr that he was ready to rumble when principal photography began on "Iron Man 2."

"Anyone can put on a suit and kick ass but it's another thing to know how to fight," Downey Jr. said. "I came in excited to fight."

I hope he's ready, Mickey Rourke's Whiplash looks like he's going to be tough to handle.  The movie opens May 7, 2010.

And I'm sorry, but the "Superfriends" richly deserves this little homage/lampoon from "Family Guy."

I just caught this over at Hero Complex so thank you, Geoff Boucher and crew.

Note: The possibility of Bryan Singer directing another X-Men film has been the blog item du jour of the last few days and this is the AP story that sparked it.

MIN LEE
AP Entertainment Writer

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) -- Bryan Singer said Sunday he's interested in making another "X-Men" movie and has discussed the possibility with Twentieth Century Fox.

The American director made "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United," but passed on the third installment so he could make "Superman Returns." ''Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner ended up shooting that film, "X-Men: The Last Stand." South African filmmaker Gavin Hood made another spin-off, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which was released earlier this year.

"I'm still looking to possibly returning to the 'X-Men' franchise. I've been talking to Fox about it," Singer said at a talk at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival.

"I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast," he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine.

Singer said he enjoyed making science fiction and fantasy movies because they allowed him to discuss serious issues through entertainment. He said the "X-Men" series, which follows a group of mutants with superpowers who struggle to fit in with humans, is about tolerance and social structures.

He said he likes to "trick audiences into thinking they're seeing fireworks, but they're learning about themselves and listening to what I have to say."

"The excitement about working in science fiction and fantasy is -- the stories, if they are good, are about the human condition," Singer said.

Appearing at a panel discussion with South Korean director Kim Ji-woon, the American director also said he appreciated the creative freedom South Korean filmmakers enjoyed to make the final cut, compared to Hollywood, where directors must negotiate with studio executives.

Hollywood movie budgets are so high that "the risk is too great to leave it in the hands of a filmmaker," he said, adding that he "has a responsibility to help studios feel secure in their investments."

Singer made his name with the 1995 critically acclaimed thriller "The Usual Suspects" but later earned a strong following among comic books fans for his adaptations of popular comic book series.


ABOVE: American director Bryan Singer talks in the Open Talks during the Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 11. 2009. One of Asia's top film festivals opened Thursday by taking a lighthearted look at the South Korean presidency. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

And so the Long Beach Comic Con has come and gone leaving more than a few good impressions from attendees and industry professionals alike. 

BOOM! Studios editor Mark Waid ("The Incredibles," "Irredeemable"), Jimmy Palmiotti ("Jonah Hex") and small press veteran Dale Wilson (DWAP Productions) were just a few of the pros who said they were pleased that a comic con returned to Long Beach.

"It's a friendly city to be in to have a show and we jumped right on it," Wilson said.  "And it's turned out to be a great show. We're pretty happy with everybody that's here." 

When my co-workers ---  who have never really been to a comic convention --- asked me this weekend if L.B. Con is anything like San Diego Comic-Con International, I first have to explain the obvious difference in size. It's similar in many ways but the style of the Long Beach Comic Con is different from the one in San Diego.

It all depends on what kind of comic convention experience you're interested in.  I have a friend you'd have to kidnap before you get him back to another San Diego Comic-Con -- yet  he showed up in Long Beach Sunday.

Other people I know want to see a spectacle, so San Diego would probably blow them away.

I'll be gone for a bit on vacation and will be back in action next week.  Modern Mythology still has more to share on the Con so check back with us over the next few days.

Modern is more than a year and a month old, and I want to thank every reader and every contributor who visited and lent their ideas, creativity and time.  I've got a few new ideas, so now it's time to take this blog and make it better. 

Are you ready for another year?

The image above is from Picture is Unrelated -- but in my case it seems appropriate.


 

 

I have looked through the first wave of Long Beach Comic Con YouTube videos and most of them are a pretty cool but I like the one above.

If I am not mistaken, photographer Jeff Gritchen and I ran into these two young ladies right after the Stan Lee ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.

This video covers a few things but check out these three:
1.  It's cool to be a "pimp Boba Fett."
2.  Anthony Michael Hall is the man.
3.  Be a "cool nerd" not an "awkward one" (and definitely don't be a drunk one).

What category of nerd do I fall into?  I guess that just depends on who you ask.

Check out Jeff's photo on the right.  To see more Comic Con photos or to buy reprints click here.

We will have a report from the "Robot Chicken" panel, but I couldn't resist sharing a little something I recorded in the press room of the Long Beach Comic Con after the panel. 

Seth Green and Kevin Shinick (writer, co-creative director) of "Robot Chicken" remind us not to let our ladies go to a  comic convention alone -- all in good fun, of course.

Frances Delgado and her boyfriend Jose are really good sports.

Just like many visiting the LB Con this weekend I'm going to seek out a few of my favorite comic creators and Amanda Conner is one of them.

I only asked her a few questions on camera: How's the action-packed and humorous "Power Girl" comics series?  And some reaction from being the first woman artist to break into the Wizard Magazine Top Ten.

We even get a visual cameo from "Jonah Hex" writer Jimmy Palmiotti.

BOOM Studios is having a "Drink Up."

As the press release from BOOM! Studios says: "a 'Drink Up' is just like a 'Meet Up' but with people drinking."

This gathering is similar to what Editor-In-Chief Mark Waid and the BOOM! crew put on during the San Diego Comic-Con.  There's no need for tickets and it's an open event for fans and creators to meet and talk.

It starts 6 p.m. at The Auld Dubliner across the street (Pine Avenue) from the Convention Center.

Wait!  I forgot the occasion... BOOM! is announcing their new series "Incorruptible" and it takes off on the concept of Waid's other series "Irredeemable."  He tells you a little more in the video clip above.  I also asked the BOOM! editor about the moves they are making with digital comics.

Before this evening event Waid will participate in "50 Questions in 50 Minutes with Mark Waid" at the LB CON at 1 p.m. this afternoon.  Bring your questions to Room B and make 'em good ones.

It was a particularly good day to be a comics legend.

Stan Lee, mighty co-creator of a bevy of popular Marvel characters you already know and love (Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, etc...) graciously and hilariously received two proclamations.  Today, Oct. 2, 2009 is Stan Lee Day in the city of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The proclamations were presented this afternoon by writer-producer Jeph Loeb ("Heroes," "Ultimatum") representing the County of Los Angeles and Long Beach 1st District Councilman Robert Garcia for the L.B. of course.

"Not only am I a councilmember represeting downtown, I am also a lifelong comic book fan and self proclaimed comic book nerd," Garcia said. "And so I love Stan Lee very much."

Martha Donato, Long Beach Comic Con event boss, said they petitioned for Lee's Long Beach proclamation and The Hero Initiative did the same for Los Angeles and both came through.  We've mentioned The Hero Initiative before -- a non-profit organization that raises funds to support comic creators who are down on their luck.

Check out the video for highlights and some words from Stan "The Man" Lee.

Not much from me today, I have been collecting some interviews with comics creators and will grab some more tomorrow to post for you.  My head cold has slowed me down a little bit, but I am still in the game.

Reporter Phillip Zonkel and photographer Jeff Gritchen ran into Boba Phat, A.K.A. David James from Costa Mesa, who occasionally acts like he is drunken and cranky but he really is the fun version of the notorious Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett (see the video below I took at San Diego Comic-Con 2008.)  And pictured with Boba Phat is the "Tuscan Raver."  See the opening day LB Comic Con photo gallery.

Expect some panel coverage from the team tomorrow.

An extremely well-cropped image By Jeff Gritchen/The Press-Telegram

 

It's certainly no secret (now!) that 1st District Councilman Robert Garcia is a huge fan of comics and other popular arts.  And those of you who read Dave Wielenga's piece in The District are aware of Garcia's affinity for Superman.

When I spoke with Garcia last week he candidly broke down his attachment to the famous DC Comics character.

"I grew up reading Superman," he said. "And I just really always liked the character and think that in a lot of ways he was a kind of role model for me growing up as a kid."

Today, the Long Beach Comic Con makes its inaugural launch and the master of "true-believers," Stan Lee will be there for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that should happen around 3 p.m.  Garcia said he will be there as well and that he expects this show to be the first of many.

"I think Long Beach has rolled out the red carpet and we're happy to have them and we certainly want them to stay as long as they want to be here; which is, hopefully, a very long time," he said.

UPDATE: In addition to Garcia and Lee, Geoff Johns, writer of "Green Lantern," "The Flash" and "Superman: Secret Origin," will be at the ribbon-cutting along with our own local superhero The Knolls Ranger.

The Long Beach Comic Con Friday hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. today in Exhibit Hall B of the Convention Center.  There will be updates on the convention here at Modern Mythology and on the Press-Telegram Web site this weekend with regular contributor Ryan Riley, myself and reporter Paul Eakins.

Maybe I'll see you at the show.

Above right: One of the covers from "Power Girl" #2 by artist Amanda Conner courtesy DC Comics.  Conner and "Power Girl" writer Jimmy Palmiotti will be guest panelists this evening on the ComicsonComics.com live-show 5- to 6:45 p.m at the Long Beach Comic Con. Left: The cover to "Superman: Secret Origin #2."