Wight Noise

Eric Wight is a great artist, a swell guy, and featured in an interview on the USA Today.com site, of all places, because of his work that was used on Fox's The O.C.

I like to give a shout out to Eric and whatever he's up to whenever I can, so consider yourselves informed!

mike

Comic Book Cavalcade

I'm back with more reviews of books that I purchased and read this week. I don't plan to make a regular thing of this because there are so many (and I mean, so many) people out there doing this already, and so much better than me, but we'll see how it goes. If I really enjoy it or there's a positive reaction to it, I'll likely keep up with it. So, without further ado...
Planetary #22 by Ellis/Cassaday (DC/Wildstorm)

To say I enjoyed this issue is like saying that rain is wet. There have been two books written by Warren Ellis where he could do no wrong for me: Planetary and Transmetropolitan. Add the blisteringly gorgeous pencils of John Cassaday and you have yourselves a bona fide modern classic.

In this issue, Warren and John give us their take on The Lone Ranger who, in the Wildstorm universe, is reimagined as The Dead Ranger. The Ranger's story ties into that of William Leather who is one of The Four who have been captured by Snow and Planetary, and is being tortured by Snow while he relates the tale you're reading to his captor.

Confusing? Only if you haven't read the last 21 issues.

This story doesn't really further the overarching plot much but it's a fun read nonetheless. Ellis and Cassaday have said that the series will be extended a couple of issues, and I think it is to allow stories like this one to be told without disrupting the pacing they've established through previous arcs.

This issue is also kind of cool because I believe it is partially the brainchild of Cassaday who told me in a recent interview I did with him:

CASSADAY: That particular issue came from a conversation Warren and I had about what genres we hadn't tackled and I threw out the idea of the Western story. A specific Western story. That's all you get, I'm afraid. It's one I'm tremendously looking forward to.

Because of the nature of the story, this issue could probably even be read as a standalone, to get a flavour of what the series has to offer. There are no real big bangs or 'You must see this ending' type hooks, but if you dig what you see between these covers, you'll definitely want to go back and hunt down the stories you've missed up 'til this point.

Hmmm...that's all I got in me for today. I'll post some more tomorrow, I think.

mike

Brando Speaks From The Grave

I thought this was an interesting little bit of info regarding the upcoming Godfather game from Electronic Arts. I had no idea that there was an upcoming Godfather game, and I'm scratching my head trying to figure out who decided we needed a game based on Mario Puzo's and Francis Ford Coppola's gangster epic, but who am I to argue with EA's licensing group.

James "Las Vegas" Caan is lending his voice to the game, as is Robert frickin Duvall, who totally refused to appear in the third film for reasons I can't remember (probably financial knowing Hollywood) but finds the virtues of video games enough of a lure to reprise his role. The big shocker in this news bit for me was finding out that Brando had actually done some voice over work for the folks at EA before he died, and left them permission to use it as they see fit. Kind of creepy, kind of cool.

You be the judge.

mike

More Galactica From Moore & Crew

I've known about this for a while now since I've been watching and monitoring the reimagined Battlestar Galactica as it aired on SkyOne in the UK, but since the US and Canadian airings have only reached epsiode 4 or 5, I figured it's appropriate to mention the shows 'official' announcement of a second season renewal. It's actually just another 6 eps, but the show's like the highest rated show on Sci-Fi, so I see more episodes coming down the pipe whatever the word seems to be.

Personally, this is my new favourite show on TV. The intensity of the stories, the way it's shot, the actors cast, the scripts written...they all just sort of blend together to make what I truly believe to be some of the best sci-fi to ever hit the tube.

If you haven't checked this show out because of the cheesy '70s version, shame on you. You're missing out.

mike

Constantly Constantine

Keeping up with the coverage on the new flick Constantine (which has opened in Asia already, but is still 9 days away for us) there's a great interview with Keanu over at the Dark Horizons site which, I believe, comes from the press conference after the premiere or a sneak preview or something.

One of my..no, I'd have to say this one is my fave interview with 'Canoe' so far on the subject.



mike

Canadians are Dull Lovers?

There are times where the quiet, polite Canadian image goes a bit too far, I think, like in this poll that was recently taken by the makers of K-Y products.

This has a head shake factor of 7.5.

mike

Angel of IDW

Finally some words and pictures regarding the new Angel mini-series coming from IDW called "The Curse". Check it out here.

SBC's Markisan Naso also interviews writer Jeff Mariotte on the mini here.

It's so weird that DHC lost the license for Angel, but not Buffy. I'll have to ask them about that.

mike

Updating the Dispatch

It may be of little interest for non-Keith Giffen fans, but I've just this very second updated The Daily Dispatch, a Giffen related newslist, with some new interview material, news and release dates for upcoming Giffen books.

Since I did say at the beginning of my blogging experience that I would mention any website updates that I made, I figured...what the hell.

Check it out if you're a Giffen fan or curious about The Defenders, Hero Squared, I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League and any of his other projects.

mike

Comic Swag

I hit my LCS this weekend and picked up a handful of tasty fun comics. Since I've switched to the monthly trip - as opposed to the weekly, or sometimes daily trip down - when I do manage to find some comics I'm excited about, it is a pretty cool thing for me.

I'll probably post reviews or something once I get them all read and everything, but here's a list just to whet the appetite (cuz I know you're all on the edge of your seats, aren't ya!?!)...

Bear #1 by Jaimie Smart (SLG)
Flaming Carrot Comics #1 by Bob Burden (Image)
Planetary #22 by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (DC/Wildstorm)
Astonishing X-Men #7 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)

And I also got a Comics Journal there, too. Can't remember the number but it had an interview with Ed Brubaker in it - looked decent. October/November issue, I think.

Anyways, that's it for me for now. Be back with another scintillating post - same bat time, same bat channel!

mike

Johnny Demonic

Ha!

I get a kick out of that. First time I saw that name used in relation to Keanu's new flick, Constantine, was in this article here.

While I know they can screw this film up royally, and we'll never know until Feb. 18th, I have to say that I am eagerly anticipating this adaptation of the DC Comics character. Possibly moreso than any other comic-related film of the last couple of years if what I've seen in the trailers, and the stills, and the interviews (which I've been following pretty closely) are any sort of basis for judgement on the film.

Loyal fans of the series predictably howled in consternation at the defiling of Constantine’s origins. And there were other challenges. First-time director Francis Lawrence was music video guy until he came on board for Constantine.. Even Reeves had reservations about bringing in an acolyte of MTV.

I know a lot of people are complaining about the changes, but it sounds to me like they have come up with a nice riff on the character and his world. Granted, I am also am one of the few people I know who actually does enjoy watching Keanu (ever since seeing The Matrix back in '99) so I'm likely to be more forgiving since I'm rarely fazed by the 'wooden' acting of Mr. Reeves.


Anyways, it's a 10 day countdown from today, so you'll probably be hearing more about Our John in that time until I can get an actual review of the film up. It's anybody's guess which way it'll go but I'm crossing my fingers.

mike

Outbreak

Hey there...

Spent most of my weekend fighting off a computer worm and some malware on my computer so I'm not really in the mood to spend any more time on the computer than I have to.

Damn thing still isn't completely disinfected, but I'm done. Going to go watch TV or read some comics or something.

mike

Lost In Translation

So I'm in a funk, feelin' moody and trying to figure out what to do with myself when I spy my brother's copy of Lost In Translation that I've had on my shelf for the last...I dunno...5 months. I decided to pop it in because, come on, when you're in a funk what we all really want is more gasoline for the fire to burn that mood down to the ground until it's nothing but smoldering ashes, right? And from everything I've heard about the film, it sounded like it was just the thing to do the job.

The movie sat somewhere between exactly what I expected and nothing like what I thought it would be, and I appreciated it more for it. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson put in two fine and very real performances and Sofia Coppola proves once again that she is a better writer/director than she ever was an actor. I mean, that ending she pulled off? That was just sweet - and if you saw the movie and liked it, you know what I'm talking about.

I just loved how quiet this movie is, and so lonely and so sentimental. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, it just pulls me in. It's like full immersion viewing for me. Lost in Translation just left a real impression and I look forward to when I get the opportunity to watch it again. A movie this nuanced can only get better the more times you watch it.

I should also give a special shout out to the music underscoring Coppola's movie, particularly the lush and ethereal music courtesy of Kevin Shields. I'm hooked on "City Girl" at the moment which, I think, is track 2 on the soundtrack if my memory isn't completely failing me at the moment.

Hmmm...Maybe I should see if my brother has the soundtrack, too.

mike

R.I.P. - John Vernon & Ossie Davis

It's kind of weird and very sad that so many blog posts of late are death announcements - Eisner, Carson, the list goes on. Someone (I think it was Will Pfeiffer) even said that, to him, it felt like his blog activities had become more like obituary writing than anything else, and it is for that reason that I have tried to stay away from getting caught up in that (especially when so many others are saying it so much better than I).

I'm gonna break that rule for one post (we'll take it on a case by case basis from here on out, k?) because I have just caught wind of two deaths in the industry this week, and considering my previous Batman post, I figured I'd start in by saying a hearty goodbye to actor John Vernon who died Tuesday at the age of 72.

Although most people remember him for his portrayal of Dean Wormer in Animal House, I remember him for his voicework. John lent his voice to many animated series over the course of his career, and I was always a fan of his Rupert Thorne on Batman the Animated Series. He was there right in very the beginning of the show and continued to play the character right up until the last STV feature, Mystery of the Batwoman.

Another sad loss this week was that of Ossie Davis, who was found dead in his hotel room - he was 87. Ossie wore many hats over the course of his life. He was an accomplished actor, writer and director and, if I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember hearing that he was also very involved with the civil rights movement. The article I linked to a line or two ago referred to him as a true renaissance man, and I think that term is a fitting one.

The last thing I saw Ossie in was the brilliant Bubba Ho-Tep opposite another fine actor, Bruce Campbell. The two were great together, and Ossie's performance as John F. Kennedy was memorable, to say the least.

mike

The Batman Strikes Back!

I'm right in the middle of watching the last three episodes of Warner Bros. new animated Batman series, The Batman. I had some trouble getting into the earlier episodes - the first 10 episodes, to be perfectly honest - mostly because of some of the revisions they made to Batman's rogues gallery. Characetrs like Scarface, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin and even The Joker are pretty strong departures from what we've come to expect from, not only their comic book incarnations, but their animated ones as well.

There's something about these last three eps, though, that just has me, officially, hooked on the show. It's like the storytelling that made the previous animated Batman so strong and amazing has finally seeped into this series and taken off like a bullet train. The final scene in the season finale "Clayface of Tragedy" just had me excited to be watching again. It was all character bits and nuanced and well done. I don't know if the writer, Greg Weisman, or the episode's director is to credit with that, but it works. Bats is now my fave animated DC show next to the Teen Titans, so I say bring on season 2 anytime, WB. Bring on The Batman!

The comic version of the show is also showing some promise as of issue #4. Up until now, every Batman comic series based in/on the animated universe has been a must buy/must read sort of thing but that changed with the launch of The Batman Strikes! The artwork is great, and really captures the look of the show, but the stories have tended to be dull and formulaic (not unlike the television series, I guess), and have featured many of the characters from the first episodes of the show. Now that I think about it, that could have been at the root of my problem with The Batman Strikes!

Another plus of the comics are the covers by Jeff Matsuda which are to die for! I'm including a pic of the 6th issue's cover down below as an example. Looking forward to this ish...



mike

Enterprise's End

Check out this link for the gory details.

I guess we now know how long you can make a show that's only so-so last, no matter what its legacy.

mike

The Métis Rebel & The Jew

Hey everyone...

I've got a couple of words to say about a couple of recent TPBs that I've read, so here goes...


LOUIS RIEL by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly, 2003)

I must say that the prospect of reading this book on this particular figure of history didn't exactly rev me up, but I had read so many good reviews of Brown's exploration of Riel's life and times that I figured it would be worth a shot. I actually live in Saskatchewan where the Riel Rebellion essentially came to a close, and it would not be a stretch to say that up until reading this book, I was sick to death of hearing about this part of our local history. All through grade school we learned about Riel and Dumont, and we went to Batoche, I think, once a year - or at least it seemed that way - to watch the Mounties do their thing on the horses and to get heat stroke from being out in the hot open prairie for too long before wearing hats to protect you from the sun and drinking water to rehydrate you were fashionable.

Now, considering the East/West cultural divide in my country, it's not surprising that there would be such interest here in a regular Joe, a Métis, who could be such a pain in the collective arse for the East and the Federal government, but the story just never had much resonance for me. Chester Brown has managed to change that, however, over the course of his 240 page book. The story moves quickly and does not get bogged down in too many explanations of events, or trying to capture precisely for the reader what it must have been like in Manitoba or Saskatchewan in the 19th century. Brown is here to tell us about the life of Riel, and he accomplishes that efficiently and in an entertaining way.

The Little Orphan Annie influence to his style for this project also adds something that I haven't been able to put my finger on just yet, but the simplicity and clarity of his linework truly helps to augment the storytelling.

Time Magazine called this book one of the Top 10 of 2000 which is great (although in my opinion a little bit of an exaggeration) but it is definitely worth hunting down and checking out if you're looking for something different to read.


FAGIN THE JEW by Will Eisner (Randomhouse/Doubleday, 2003)

I am a HUGE fan of Will Eisner, but I have to say that after reading this book I don't feel as though I can rightly give it my endorsement (as if that's worth anything). Considering recent developments regarding the late, great sequential artist, I know it will be like unto heresy to say that, but I truly just couldn't find the hook that would carry me through the books 174 odd pages.

The book tells the story of Fagin the Jew, a character in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, and the purpose of it is to go between the lines of the Dickens classic and shed some light on this unscrupulous character. Eisner hoped that by doing this he could enlighten people to the popular stereotypes of Jews in literature and help them to look beyond that stereotype and see the human being instead of the label - a strong theme in much of Eisner's work, a man of Jewish faith himself.

I found that, at times, Eisner's fairy-tale-like style of storytelling kind of got in the way a bit, here. While the artwork is stunningly beautiful and his use of crisp figures and washes in the backgrounds did a marvelous job of creating a rich environment for his characters to exist in, the jumping back and forth between Dickens' tale and the one that Eisner was trying to tell just didn't blend very well in my eyes. I think I would have been more interested if Oliver Twist was less of a central character in the latter half of the book, but knowing Eisner and his love of stories, there may have been an ulterior motive in mind, possibly to get you to go out and read some Dickens as well!

I think if the story focused on Fagin and had him dip in and out of Oliver Twist's world rather than try to integrate them, it would have been a far more effective book. As it stands, it looks great and has some great stuff in it, but as a whole I just can't say it takes my breath away or that I will seek it out again someday.

Hmmm...that's it for this time. I'd be interested to hear comments from anyone who may have opinions on these books, so feel free to do so.

I'll probably be back later with another post, so maybe see you then!

mike

Spank Your Monkey!

I couldn't help but link to this when I saw it. And this commentary from the SG site is just gold.

I think I'm also becoming quite addicted to their interview section. Daniel Robert Epstein does most of them, as far as I can tell, and I really like his stuff. It's brief, but he manages to cover a lot of ground and get to the meat and potatoes of the interview without dilly-dallying.

There's also just an amazing group of people bieng put under the hot lamps on this site. Ewan McGregor, Bronwen Hughes, Bill Murray, Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, Ray Harryhausen, Alan Moore, Seth, Audrey Tautou and a slew of other authors, bands, cartoonists, publishers, filmmakers and actors.

And that's without even mentioning the naked goth chicks elsewhere on the site...

mike

More Wonderfalls Stuff and Screw-On Head News

Kind of on a Wonderfalls buzz with the DVDs out (getting them today!) and the webcast yesterday. I ran across a great interview with show creator Bryan Fuller on the Suicide Girls website. Bryan talks about his two shows (the other being the Showtime series Dead Like Me) and the animated Screw-On Head series he's working on with comic legend, Mike Mignola.

Forget all that Paul Greengrass does Watchmen news, check this interview out! It's good stuff, and if you've ever read Screw-On Head, you just know this is going to be a fun show.

Gotta fly. Be back later. Enjoy.

mike

Wonder Why the Wonderfalls?

I've had kind of an interesting evening.

Just as I was preparing supper for the family unit, I stumbled across a news bit on Sci-Fi Wire referring to an online chat with the cast and crew of Wonderfalls that was supposed to happen on the 1st of February. The whole thing was a promotional event celebrating the release of the show on DVD and just about everybody was supposed to be on hand to interact with the fans.

So, being the curious bloke that I am, I clicked through to see if my ability to interpret time zones was still functioning and, as it turned out, I was just in time to catch the webcast.

Caroline Dhavernas, William Sadler, Tyron Leitso, Tracie Thoms, Lee Pace, Bryan Fuller, Todd Holland and others gathered for the event, which I believe was sponsored by the wonderful www.savewonderfalls.com website. Dhavernas, Sadler and Pace were beamed in from New York, Tracie Thoms was calling in from San Francisco and the rest of the gang were hanging out in LA.

I think it's great that so many of the cast and crew were available for this. A DVD launch is not usually something that draws out the talent to confab with the internet savvy fan base, but the folks involved with the show still have such a strong connection to the series, as well as each other. They were a very close-knit group and they obviously enjoyed working with each other because they seemed to love playing together as well. And I guess there was even going to be more of them present, but Tim Minear, Wonderfalls' showrunner, was shooting a new pilot that featured a couple of the ex-cast members, so they were unable to attend.

As a fan of the show, it was very cool that managed to get a question in to the group. When you're doing one of these online chat things, it's not always easy to get a word in amidst the chaos, but this was a very well organised WebEx Meeting and the people attending were great. Kudos to everyone involved.

A much appreciated, and needed, tribute to the show.

If you haven't checked out the show, do so a.s.a.p., you won't regret it. And while you're at it, check out the savewonderfalls website, there's some cool stuff there to browse through.

I'm probably going to pick up my DVD set tomorrow afternoon while the kids are off at school. Gonna have to set aside some DVD time this week, I think.



mike

4 Colour Films

Rachel Weisz says a few brief words about the upcoming (and in these parts, anticipated) adaptation of DC Comics' John Constantine: Hellblazer.

And Sci-Fi Wire has this bit from Alan Cumming commenting on how not sorry he is that Singer will not return to helm the third X-Film.

mike