The Avengers Overseas: Breaking Box Office Records

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics,

So... this is happening: The Avengers is killing it at the overseas box office.

Those lucky overseasers got it first and they're filling up the Marvel treasure chest with a whopping $185 million so far.

Rolling Stone reports that the movie "has it all. And then some."

Click to continue reading The Avengers Overseas: Breaking Box Office Records

ElfQuest Movie: No Go

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Independent,

This was posted by WaRP Graphics employee “Wendy Masque,” on Elfquest’s official Facebook page:

“After close to four years of suspense - and longer than four years of your much-appreciated interest and support - the word has come down from Warner Bros. And the word is ‘no.’ Their simple explanation is that they don't want to compete with The Hobbit. This was a possibility, among several, that we were prepared for. It is a relief, at last, to know.”

Sad news for fans.

Movie studios make similarly-themed competing movies all the time (Armageddon and Deep Impact, anyone?) so that can’t be the real reason. In fact, it sounds like movie studio bs.

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Tintin by Steven Spielberg

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies,

The Adventures of Tintin won the Golden Globe award for Best Animated Feature Film.

You know who didn’t get thanked in Steven Spielberg’s acceptance speech for Tintin at the award ceremony Sunday night? The guy who created Tintin: Herge.

Spielberg did say that Hollywood gave him (and Peter Jackson) a chance to turn this “80 year old series of wonderful books into a motion picture.”

It’s hard to be too critical. He had less than a minute to thank people and it probably is prudent politically, socially and financially to thank the people who actually greenlight movies first.

But it would’ve been nice of him to slip in a little Herge mention with all the bankers and executives.

[Artwork: Tintin by Herge]

Read More | Spielberg's Speech

Weekend Reading: Kirby, Ditko, Cowboys & Aliens And Marvel Comics

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics,

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that the Kirby family lost its claim in court to the copyright to characters Jack Kirby created. As usual, Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter has the best analysis.

Now let’s see what else is out there.

Cowboys: Deadline continues to do the number-crunching on this week’s comic book-inspired film, Cowboys & Aliens. The early results show an under-performer.

Blood: And over at Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston looks at the long journey getting Cowboys & Aliens from concept to screen.

Ditko: Tom McLean at Bags & Boards doesn’t post as often as he should, but when he does, it’s worth reading. His latest is a review of Blake Bell’s Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko from Fantagraphics. This is a beautiful snip: “Could Ditko be a first-generation fanboy, an 83-year-old whose life was spent obsessing first over comics and later over a juvenile political philosophy that only makes sense within a self-imposed bubble?”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Kirby, Ditko, Cowboys & Aliens And Marvel Comics

Top 10 Surprises in Green Lantern

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, DC Comics,

Admit it, ever since Warner Bros. announced the possibility that Jack Black was going to take DC Comics Green Lantern and give it that Nacho Libre feel, you've wanted to see a green man fly.

I did too, but I was a little surprised by what was in the film once Jack dropped out and muscular heartthrob Ryan Reynolds jumped into the CG tights. Here then are the Top 10 Surprises awaiting you in Green Lantern.

10. Due to product placement deal, Green Lantern now referred to as “Coleman Green Lantern”

9. Green makes everyone's ass look big

8. Oa has a Starbucks and a McDonald's

7. Next Green Lantern chosen by internet vote

6. Did anyone tell Hal that most of his new friends are CGI?

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First Look: Chris Evans as Captain America

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Movies, Marvel Comics,

You know that when the shiny, new Spider-Man reboot reveals a first look at its costumed hero before you do, you're a little late to the party.

Finally, Marvel Entertainment released the first image of Chris Evans in complete red, white, and blue Captain America garb. While it's clearly an altered derivation from its comic book counterpart, I much prefer this modernized uniform with the obvious, borrowed pattern and design (was I the only one who couldn't contain giggles at the sight of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern?).

What do you think of the 2011, real life Captain America?

Read More | E! Online

Weekend Reading: Jaime Hernandez, Green Hornet & Girl Genius

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Television,

Let’s roll...and punch 2011 in the face!

Maggie: Over the holidays, Tom Spurgeon starting running his annual interview series. He stopped at #20 and it’s one of my favorite comic creators ever, Jaime Hernandez of Love & Rockets. They talk about digital comics, work-for-hire, deadlines, formats and Jaime’s process. Great stuff. As someone who’s met Jaime on several occasions and read whole issues of L&R direct from the original art, I enjoyed the heck out of this interview. (In fact, I heartily recommend the entire Comics Reporter Interview series for this season. You can find the list of all 20 interviews and their links here.)

Hornet: If you’re looking forward to the new Green Hornet movie with Seth Rogen, or have been following the GH comics from Dynamite, here’s some fun stuff courtesy of Evan Lewis at Davy Crockett’s Almanack: a collection of vintage GH collectibles. I want everything shown here.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Jaime Hernandez, Green Hornet & Girl Genius

Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Thank you internets, you’ve been great this week. So let’s share that bounty with others:

Mighty Samson: Writer J.C. Vaughn has a preview of Mighty Samson #1 at his blog. Shooter’s involved, Patrick Olliffe is the artist. Dark Horse is the publisher. I’m in!

Here’s a little more about the series at Comic Attack.

Shadow: Novelist James Reasoner has a Forgotten Book that’s a must have for fans of Maxwell Grant’s The Shadow: Gangland's Doom: The Shadow of the Pulps, by Frank Eisgruber Jr.

British Comics: Matthew Murray at Comics Beat goes all out for the new Dandy and breaks down its contents.

Peanuts: Zach Weiner finally lets Charlie Brown kick that football.

Peppers: Mark Evanier lives the sitcom life.

3-D: Ricky Sprague at Project Child Murdering Robot tells how Marvel Comics (in 3-D!) turned him into an atheist. Bonus: 3-D artwork on the internets!

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian

Weekend Reading: Batman, Tintin, Starlog and Jerry Bingham

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

A big week on the internets, so let’s get right to it.

For me, the big news is that my pal Jerry Bingham is illustrating a 5-part story in Batman Confidential, starting in issue #50 that went on sale this week. If you’re on the fence about it, here’s a multi-page preview of it that’ll make you wish Jerry drew more comics. Fans of Batman: Son of the Demon rejoice!

Batman: Over at Project Child Murdering Robot, Ricky Sprague comments on the upcoming Christopher Nolan Batman movie with some language that might be NSFW but SWR (still worth reading)! Bonus shout out to Batman: Year One: “It was among the first of the modern age comic book character reboots that now seem to occur every other year or so. Mr. Miller's hardboiled writing was at its peak, and Mr. Mazzucchelli is one of the best illustrators ever.”

Biff! Bam! Pow!: Bob Greenberger at ComicMix tackles the eternal question: Is Legends of the Superheroes any good? “You have to love kitsch, bad writing, awful acting, and comic books to enjoy (or endure) these specials.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Batman, Tintin, Starlog and Jerry Bingham

Red: Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, DC Comics,

Gee, what movie should I see this weekend?

I could, of course, see Jackass 3-D because you can never see enough footage of people getting kicked in the balls. And in 3-D it might feel like I'm doing the kicking.

Hereafter looks cool, and I'll get around to seeing that shortly. Conviction has that kind of mid-October Oscar bait feel to it, where everyone is suicidal or finds salvation through tragedy or suffers from a tragic disease yet still finds time to teach us about life. But I'm not falling for that this weekend.

Click to continue reading Red: Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner