For fans of Christos Gage’s writing in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, you may want to consider his contribution to a sporty comic put together by Marvel Comics and ESPN. You get to see what happens when a mad scientist decides to clone basketball superstar Lebron James! It’s hoot of a story about a guy who knows a lot about shooting hoops. Get an overview from Marvel at NYCC here.
Filed under Marvel Comics
The propect of a new Joss Whedon TV show has thrown Glenn Hauman, over at ComicMix, into a campaign to save it from inevitable cancellation, even before the show is even on the air. Concerned for quality TV, that is never something TV executives quite grasp, Hauman is right to be overly protective. But how could this show miss? “S.H.I.E.L.D.” would be the TV version of “The Avengers,” one of the most successful movies of all time!
Anyway, as Deadline reported, ABC has greenlit the show with Joss writing the pilot and maybe, just maybe, directing it too. So, it will be fitted up by Joss Whedon and then it’s on its own. Come to think of it, I’m not sure this really rises to the level of a full on Joss Whedon alert but it’s definitely interesting. All in all, it’s basically going to be a show with all the power and the money in the world behind it that may still suck if it just doesn’t have that X-factor. And what could that be? Even more devotion by Mr. Whedon? The whole frickin’ cast from the movie? Well, something. Just too early to say what will happen here.
Filed under Comics, Joss Whedon, Marvel Comics, Television, The Avengers
It’s hard not to like Stan Lee. At 90, he’s an inspiring figure of energy. But, folks, you ought to know, if you don’t already, there’s Stan Lee but there’s also Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. For anyone versed in comics, they have some idea of how this story goes. Stan Lee collaborated on creating Marvel Comics characters and stories. But, at the end of the day, the payday, it was Stan who got sole credit for writing. Even when you have clear-cut examples of a 50/50 collaboration, Stan Lee got all the credit as writer and creator. Enter Arlen Schumer, who would like to share with you the true history of how things went down. You can read Michael Dooley’s piece on Schumer here. And you’ll want to read carefully and not miss out on these examples of Schumer’s lecture from Comic-Con. Click to expand! Yes, you can easily read them:
In an illustrated lecture, “The Auteur Theory of Comics,” presented at this year’s Comic-Con, Schumer explains the Marvel Method which, as a working method was cool and revolutionary: The artist lays down the art first and then the writer goes back and adds the words! Great. But not so great when it comes to crediting the artist. Schumer expands his argument in favor of Ditko and Kirby by explaining the auteur theory which holds that the artist was in charge of far more than mere illustration of the writer’s words. It’s more like the artist is in charge of all the details in a movie which overlaps into actual storytelling. There are numerous examples, to be sure, where the roles of writer and artist are more fixed but, in the case of Stan Lee working with Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, Schumer maintains it’s more like the early years of collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. There’s a wonderful recap of this lecture at the Jack Kirby Museum site.
So, that is not to put a damper of Stan Lee. Just a look at what history has to show us. You can take it any way you like. You can also enjoy more of Arlen Schumer’s explorations into pop culture at his site.
Filed under Arlen Schumer, Jack Kirby, Marvel Comics, Michael Dooley, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Is it the story that’s a little different from previous superhero movies? Loki, a god from another world, is bent on conquering Earth and it’s up to The Avengers, an unlikely mix of individuals with superpowers or super skills, to save the day. Nope, that is pretty much a standard-issue plot for superhero comics as well as movies. So, what is the twist to “The Avengers”? Wait for it….Joss Whedon!
There are a lot of Joss Whedon moments in this movie. Maybe they’re Whedon/Marvel moments but, still. I like the one where Stark momentarily has his hands on a ginormous alien ship resembling a spinal column. Just before he tosses it over to the Avengers gang to work over, he says, “I’m taking the party over to you.” Once the monster is in sight, Black Widow quips, “That doesn’t look like a party.” Or how about the moment when Captain America, at the height of the crisis, orders two of New York’s finest to secure a perimeter. One cop says, “Why should we take orders from you?” Captain America fights off like a dozen aliens before he can return his attention to the officer. The officer immediately turns on his heal and barks Cap’s orders to the rest of the police force. So, yeah, maybe you don’t want to say this exactly, but I will. The Avengers has been Buffified!
Marvel Comics was able to, one by one, create successful movies for a string of high profile superheroes that would lead to a team-up of these characters, just like in the comics. It is the talent of Joss Whedon that pulls this colossal venture together. As writer and director, Whedon has taken his quirky sensibility from his offbeat creations, like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and managed to tweak the superhero genre in just the right places. Okay, there was a misstep with the original “Hulk” but, in this latest Marvel flick, the Hulk steals some of the best scenes! Is that all thanks to Whedon? Well, here’s the thing, Marvel Comics has a long history of having a good sense of humor. They can be quirky in their own way. Whedon’s quirk and Marvel’s quirk found some common ground.
Yeah, in the end, it seems like a true blending of Whedon and Marvel. The Whedon touches are there, sprinkled throughout. You can find them in some of the more elaborate details to the basic plot. And you can definitely find them in the more irreverent attitude. You’d think Tony Stark had all the snarky lines covered already without the help of Whedon. But there are a few times when Robert Downey Jr. does get to kick around more hip humor as when he keeps warning a guy at the command center to stop playing Galaga at his post.
Whedon doesn’t deconstruct willy nilly. The story is very much something that easily gets the Marvel stamp of approval. You’ll find it mostly in the banter and one liners that come up at the right moments. You’ll find the Whedon vibe in the cocky way these guys fight. There’s one scene where one of the heroes is shooting in one direction and looking nonchalant in the opposite direction while still hitting his mark. There’s a hilarious scene that has the Hulk confronting the evil mastermind, Loki, who berates him for daring to take on a god. The Hulk simply bats him around like a ragdoll.
Marvel and Whedon are also very good about tackling the big themes and having characters talk out complex issues. Every evil genius always gets a chance to have their say. In Loki’s case, we get a credible look inside his head when he explains that he just wants to give humans what they really want: to be subjugated. Another example is a beautiful scene between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. where Bruce Banner is explaining his inner turmoil. He had reached a point where he’d had enough. He took a gun and put it to his mouth and pulled the trigger. But “the other guy” stopped it in time. Stark tells Banner he should take that as a good sign. Banner appreciates the sentiment but asks what good can the Hulk have in store for him. Stark tells him to find out. He might even enjoy it.
What a lot of folks love about Marvel is its gritty realism. This is New York City under attack, not Gotham City. It adds another layer for the viewer to invest in. And there’s some clever plot twists that demand that realism which Whedon and Marvel make pay off. In the end, you couldn’t ask for a better mix of quirk and good old fashioned superhero action.
Filed under Avengers, Comics, Joss Whedon, Marvel Comics, moives, Reviews
Scarlett Johansson is reason enough for me to see a movie. So is Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the stellar cast of “THE AVENGERS.” And what if you’re new to comics and would like to dip your toe into the Marvel universe? Well, there are quite a number of titles to choose from. Lucky for you, I have a suggestion for a fine place to start.
Marvel Comics delivers a credible movie tie-in with their three-part limited series, “BLACK WIDOW STRIKES.” The first issue finds our title character, Natasha Romanoff, undercover at a gentleman’s club in Moscow as she seeks out a bootlegger dealing in Starktech. This is written by Fred Van Lente, with pencils by Neil Edwards, inks by Rick Magyar and colors by Nick Filardi. It is basically a solid little piece of noir with a nice hard edge drawing style mixed in with the right set of garish color contrast and moody monochromes.
What’s cool about Black Widow is that she’s a babe with no regrets. We see a lot of sexy assertiveness, not just cheesecake. Black Widow is intended to be a sexual and powerful character. From what I’ve read, she never comes across has someone hobbled by her sexuality in the way, for instance, Catwoman seems to usually be. And that’s what we get in this opening issue. Natasha gets in over her head momentarily with the bunch of mobsters but soon sets things right again. She pulls off her enormous beehive wig to unleash a huge gun that knocks the bad boys out of the game. She kicks. She struts. She kicks again. And, before her life is yet again in danger, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally comes through and supplies her with a flying contraption for her big escape.
But she’s safe only for a few moments. Scantily clad, she must do battle with a bunch of ninja commandos. One close call after another, and she’s safe again, for the moment. There are few words to exchange during these passages. The art and the attitude are energetic. We believe in Natasha. Once all the damage has been done to her penthouse suite, she regains order and bribes the bellman to keep quiet.
The only mistake that Natasha makes is one and it is huge. She engages in conversation with the very person responsible for trying to get her killed. “Sofia” assures her that it was only business and that, well, given a chance, she’d like to explain herself. She also claims to be a fan, the sort of fan who would like to take her place. For some reason, this is too much for Natasha to resist and she agrees to meet with Sofia. This does not look good for Natasha but it sounds like the start of a pretty good little tale. The next issue is out May 16. Visit Marvel Comics.
Filed under Avengers, Black Widow, comic books, Marvel Comics
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Filed under Comics, Marvel Comics, moives
“THE AVENGERS” will be in with us soon. So, when does it come out? Honestly, I think that is the one question most people come back to, “Now, when does it finally come out??” Well, it’s MAY 4, 2012!! Don’t forget that date! If you’re somehow still new to this, Marvel and Disney have gone all out with this epic event. I really don’t expect to be disappointed.
It will be something to see, no doubt, for any movie fan. Quite possibly, “CAPTAIN AMERICA” was, and may end up remaining, the best of the bunch with such a solid and compelling story and acting talent. Then there’s the whole Robert Downey Jr. factor. “IRON MAN” would simply not be totally cool without him. Still, it’s all been leading up to this one big movie. How can you go wrong with Samuel L. Jackson? He could even make “SNAKES ON A PLANE” into something special. No, this time around it is really all about the Joss Whedon factor. How will Mr. Whedon handle this project? That’s the big deal, of course. We’ll all find out starting May 4, 2012.
Press goodies follow:
Filed under Avengers, Marvel Comics, movies
Go to GeekWeek for a chance to win the new releases of AVENGERS from Disney XD. All 20 microsodes from the first season have been streamlines into 13 standalone episodes on two volumes. GeekWeek is offering you a chance to win both DVDs. There are three chances to win. The grand prize winner will also get a classic Iron Man action figure from Entertainment Earth. All you have to do is contact them and let them know why you should win. Pretty easy, huh?
Also, let us know here at Comics Grinder how you feel about contests. You like a chance to win free swag? Drop us a line and tell us about it. We might just have a contest here too pretty soon.
After a hiatus, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips return for another round of “Incognito.” This one they’re calling “Bad Influences.” You know, these guys are at the top of their game for this type of crime fiction. Like they say in the comic, if you’re new to this, just go find the trades and catch up.
I like the way Brubaker slices and dices when it comes to set ups. Notice how, when obligated, he will provide a phoned in montage of Captain America and Bucky fighting the Krauts in the Black Forest, etc. It’s like he wants to poke holes through the process. In this comic, he has our hero go through a mad dash recap of some past capers and then drop kicks him into New York City like a rat off a sinking ship. That done, the fog of moral ambiguity can thicken unencumbered. Our hero is Zack. He used to be a super-villain and now, not so much. He has these powers. He’s not human. They’re not sure what he is. He would just like to kick ass as often as he needs to relieve stress. But first, some substantial and unexpected misadventure.
Like any good hard-on-his-luck Brubaker character, it’s not long before Zack has accidently killed a guy and set off the latest chain of events that will tear up his miserable life. Cool noir this is. And, yes, there is a babe and Zack and she become bedmates, but nothing more. In the best scene in the issue, Zack momentarily becomes vulnerable and asks Zoe for a favor. She is his boss, and he was hoping she could talk some sense into, Von Chance, a prick that also answers to her. Unforutantely for Zack, Zoe must remind him there really isn’t that much between the two of them. That is about as lucky as this guy gets. It won’t be long before Zoe has completely turned against him and it all goes back to a most unfortunate mistake that Zack could have avoided.
Among the regular tidbits at the end of the comic, it was nice to read that the “Incognito” movie is shaping up well and has Robert Schenkkano attached to write the screenplay. Schenkkano, and Christopher Hampton, wrote the screenplay for “The Quite American.” As you may know, that has an impressive performance by Brendan Fraser. And yet another brilliant performance by one of the greats, Michael Caine. The movie has lots of memorable dialogue, such as these last lines:
They say you come to Vietnam and understand a lot in a few minutes. The rest has got to be lived. They say whatever it was you were looking for, you will find here. They say there is a ghost in every house, and if you can make peace with him, he will stay quiet.
“Incognito” is published by Marvel and is part of their ICON line. Go get yourself a copy.
Filed under Ed Brubaker, ICON Comics, Marvel Comics, Sean Phillips
Just for fun: if Wonder Woman and Captain America suddenly had to fight, who would win? And I’m talking about what is currently running: the JMS Wonder Woman and the Ed Brubaker Captain America. My point? Well, I respectfully say here that poor Wondy is really drifting away from us. But it’s not too late. I really feel the story needs to pick up and maybe that means a rewrite and a shifting of course. Is that possible? Anything is possible.
The Correctness Superhero Smackdown is onto to something with their match-up of Cap and Wondy and they give it to Wondy. But, between the current runs, it’s gotta go to Cap. But I would be more than pleased to see Wondy give Cap a run for his money.
Filed under Captain America, comic books, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Wonder Woman
