Gerry Conway Likes Talbot Mundy

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,

Gerry Conway co-created The Punisher, co-created Man-Thing, co-created Firestorm and wrote some of my favorite Marvel comics, including a long run on Amazing Spider-Man. When he successfully transitioned out of comics and moved into show business, I still followed his career as he worked his way up the ladder. He’s recently been writing and producing for the Dick Wolf Law & Order empire, specifically on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Talbot Mundy, author of King of the Khyber Rifles, influenced a who’s who of writers with his tales of manly adventure at the edges of the sun-never-setting British Empire in the early 20th century. Fans included Robert E. Howard, Leigh Brackett, Robert Heinlein and Fritz Leiber.

Click to continue reading Gerry Conway Likes Talbot Mundy

My Wednesday Reading List

Posted by Kris Madden Categories: Collecting, Editorials, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

If you’re a “Punisher” fan, then you’ve already picked this one up, sped through the pages, and like me are already waiting for issue #2. However, if you haven’t picked up a “Punisher” comic before, this arc is already shaping up into something great, and with Garth Ennis and Steven Dillon attached, you really can’t go wrong. Also, don’t judge the character by his recent translations into film; while this comics bears the same name of the recent film about the “Punisher,” it is not based on the film.

My personal experience with “Punisher” comics is that they’re bred of hit and miss. In some versions, he is more hero than villain and in others he’s just a villain. Many have contributed to my wrapping paper collection. The Punisher’s anti-hero status has long been forged in the high mortality rates of his enemies. As with all great anti-heroes, a good Punisher comic always brings a good debate of what separates the heroes from the villains, much like Alan Moore’s main character in “V for Vendetta” or Charles Bronson in “Death Wish”. So if you’ve never picked up a Punisher comic, this would be a great place to start. Enjoy.

Click to continue reading My Wednesday Reading List

Punisher: War Zone - Movie Review

Posted by Joel Rosenberg Categories: Movies, Reviews, Marvel Comics,

Two hours of my life that will never come back.
 
I suppose I could end my review right there, but I won’t. I didn’t think the Thomas Jane “Punisher” movie was all that bad. My son called it a good old-fashioned guns and explosions movie. The Dolph Lundgren “Punisher” movie was beyond horrible. But, this one, under the Marvel Knights imprint, should have been a half decent action thriller. It wasn’t. The actions scene were okay. Sort of low grade, but based on what they tried to achieve, okay. The acting was wooden, to say the least, and I am sure Ray Stevenson wishes they had renewed “Rome”. I am also glad that Wayne Knight is collecting Sienfeld residuals.

But, God, couldn’t they get a high school graduate to write the script? I know screenwriting is the cheapest part of any movie, but still. I know a few people that would write a screenplay for free just to get the credit. The dialogue is insipid beyond belief. The parts that I think were supposed to draw a laugh didn’t and the serious parts did. Why Marvel is associated with this is a mystery to me. Guys, read the script first.

Why Is It So Darn Difficult to Make a Decent Punisher Movie?

Posted by Jonas Hinckley Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics,

I know that in the general scheme of things, getting any kind of decent movie made is something of a miracle, but when you look at the succession of comic-book-related movies we’ve had in the last decade or so, it strikes me as rather ridiculous that this Friday we’re about to get the third Punisher movie made since 1989, and from everything I’ve seen, it looks to be just as painful as the first two.

A slight caveat here, of course, is that I haven’t seen Punisher:War Zone, so it could actually be good… but if it is, the studio and their marketing team sure are doing everything possible to hide that fact, including the horrible and extremely loud heavy metal soundtrack that hits you when you go to the official movie site—click the link at your peril.

Click to continue reading Why Is It So Darn Difficult to Make a Decent Punisher Movie?

Read More | Punisher Movie Site

DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: Magog

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

This issue was written by Peter Tomasi with the art provided by Fernando Pasarin.  It’s a very good issue featuring Lance Corporal David Reid who was resurrected as Magog in the current “One World Under Gog” storyline. I liked the introduction of David Reid to the team by Geoff Johns and Alex Ross. The character is the great-grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt who was a part of the formation of the Justice Society of America (JSA). I love American history and I always love comic stories that weave real history into their storylines.

This issue has some JSA members following Gog on his “mission” to help the people of the world. The group comes across a river with dead bodies floating in it.  They discover that it has been poisoned by militants and it will kill everyone in the immediate area who use it for water if they don’t block it’s path.  The river is blocked by Gog and he and the JSA members make their way to locate the militants.

Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: Magog

Read More | DC Comics

JLA/Avengers

Posted by Joel Rosenberg Categories: Editorials, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

 

This week Diamond Comics shipped the paperback version of the classic JLA/AVENGERS saga. These came out in comic book form in 2003, but was only compiled in hardcover format for $75. Now we have a softcover at $19.99 and it is time to revisit this story.

I believed at the time that the entire concept was flawed. Kurt Busiek wrote a story in which every Avenger and every Justice Leaguer that ever existed made at least a token appearance. He succeeded in his mind, but not mine. By putting too many characters in a story, you lose the ability to focus deeply on any of them. Recall the series of Marvel/DC Crossover books. These stories usually had one hero and one villain from each universe and you had a real interaction among the heroes and villains. Remember Crossover One with a full Superman/Spider-Man story, Hulk/Superman, etc. You really got into how the characters reacted to each other. In Crossover 2 we had Batman/Punisher, Silver Surfer/Superman and Batman/Captain America. The other two books weren’t as good, but it is always fun to match heroes from different universes. In my opinion, confining the epic to 7 or so stars from each universe would have made things much less cluttered and a better read. Characters kept coming and going so quickly it is difficult to keep track.

The story itself starts as one of the generic contest of champions ideas we have seen a million times before. Mystic artifacts being sought by both sides being manipulated by cosmic beings. Ho-hum.

No real detail in the battles to get an artifact and the 12 items are quickly divided up. They we get a mish-mash of heroes from diferrent universes interacting in a confusing way and then A Crisis on Infinte Earths climax against the super-duper villian with everyone throwing in a few shots. Been to the Source, done that.

It was, I suppose, a noble effort and it is certainly a better buy at $20 rather than $75. But as the pundit said about Dicken’s Great Expectations, I hoped for more.