Writing a blog about DC’s “Wednesday Comics” got me so enthused for some awesome comics take it completely changed the subject of my next blog. When I was looking up information on the new DC weekly, I found this Robot 6 post about the upcoming Marvel “indie” anthology. Rumors of a Marvel Comics equivalent to “Bizarro Comics” or “Project Superior” have been floating around the Internet for a while and I’ve been anticipating its release ever since I first heard about it. While it has no announced release date and has been in production for years, I still can’t help be excited for this project right now.
The folks at Marvel have made mention of the project sparingly, just enough to let us know it still lives. Most of the information for the project has come from the creators, like when Corey Lewis posted a panel of his Longshot story on his blog or when Meathaus posted an excerpt of Dash Shaw’s Doctor Strange story on theirs. Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca originally did a Brother Voodoo story for the book but the pair has since tossed out the tale for a Machine Man one. This slow trickle of information has built my anticipation for the series, making me hungry for the scraps about the project I do get.
Occasionally, however, some big news about the anthology comes from Marvel itself. A little over a year ago, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada mentioned the coming of the “Marvel Underground” and listed names like Becky Cloonan, Johnny Ryan, Paul Pope, and James Kolchaka as contributors. Jump forward a year and while the book has yet to with the shelves, Quesada says the book is still in the works and has some preview art to prove it. The preview pages look great and if the stories are anywhere near as half as good as this Hulk comic I blogged about, then make mine “Marvel Underground!”
Oh, the wonders of photoshop. I try to avoid the countless YouTube fiascos that friends send me, but this one is really worth mentioning. My friend Adam found and sent me the above faux Thundercats trailer, and I have to admit it really is an achievement. By combining different footage of The Lord ofthe Rings, Chronicles of Riddick, X-Men: The Last Stand, Troy, and Garfield( plus about 20 more films), add a bit of cat makeup to the actors via photoshop, and bam, you got a pretty convincing Thundercats trailer. Watch for yourself. Lion-O is played by Brad Pitt via Troy. When he says, “We are LIONS!” it’s absolutely priceless. Panthro is played by Vin Diesel via Chronicles of Riddick and Hugh Jackman plays Tygra, morphed from his portrayal of Wolverine. However, it’s when they turned Garfield into into Snarf that I was convinced this is a masterpiece. I knew that Garfield movie had to begood for something.
While I’m talking about youtube videos, I mine as well mention Saturday Morning Watchmen.
Alan Moore better just be thankful Zack Synder didn’t make Watchmen a Hanna-Barbara cartoon. Still, you have to admit Ozzy and Bubastis as Shaggy and Scooby-Doo is pretty damn funny, and honestly, I think Silk Spectre would make a darn good Jem or Dazzler. So, thanks YouTubers!
Holy overstuffed long-boxes Batman, it’s a comic book yard sale! Are you looking for that Green Lantern/ Green Arrow issue where Green Arrow finds out that Speedy is a heroin addict. How ’bout that issue of X-Men where Gambit schools Wolverine in a game of basketball.
Well, this Saturday, March 28, cool cats Matt and Jeanie are hosting a comic book yard sale at the corner of South St. and Yale in Maplewood, MO from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Peruse through long-box after long-box of great comics without the villainous comic show cover charge. Maybe, you’ll even get lucky and find a copy of Fantastic Four #50 where Mr. Fantastic uses the Ultimate Nullifier to stop Galactus from devouring earth! By the way Matt, if you’ve got that issue of Fantastic Four, I suggest holding on to it. It’s worth more than 50 cents… Comics, posters, toys, videos and more will be available. Oh, my stars and garters!
>Fellow Star Clipper manager Nick and I share an affinity for hip-hop as well as comics, so it wasn’t too odd when we started speculating about what would happen if the characters in the Archie universe were rappers. It started when we were putting together our weekly special and decided to put a copy of Archie in the 90’s, which features on the cover a picture of Archie in a backwards baseball cap with the word “Arch” written in graffiti-esque letters, wearing a Riverdale football jersey, holding a microphone. Of course, while he’s busting a freestyle, he has a big ol’ smile on his face. That’s not to say that Archie and his crew wouldn’t be the hardest thugs in all of Riverdale.
Naturally, “Arch” is a master of rhymes (in Riverdale anyway.) So you could liken him to being the Chuck D of the group…. that is if Chuck D rapped about respecting the police, and 911 is nothing to joke about. Jug Head would be kinda out there like Del the Funkee Homosapien, Kool Keith, or MF Doom. He would primarily rap about hamburgers and space creatures. I think Veronica would probably be like Lil’ Kim, rapping about how rich and promiscuous she is. Betty, being a little less well to do than Veronica would be like the Lady Rage (Who rocked rough n’ stuff with her afro puffs) or old school queen Latifah, and primarily rap about being a strong woman who you don’t want to mess with. Then there’s Reggie, who would be all dapper don like Jay-Z, or Kanye West. Reggie wouldn’t have a whole lotta substance to his rhymes, but he’d bring a lot of style saying them. Then there’s poor Moose, who would be like Shaquille O’Neil trying to make it as a rap artist, and release an awful album like Shaq-Fu (Moose- Fu?) and go on to do even worse movies like Ka-Zam, or Steel, when he probably should have just stuck to being a jock.
Alas, this will only remain a hypothetical situation in Nick and I’s minds, much like the tangent we went on after theorizing about the Riverdale gang…What if the Batman family were battle rappers.
> In my quest to catch up on my Hellboy-related reading, I recently took a look at “Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus.” The collection stars mysterious hero Lobster Johnson as he helps protect a scientific discovery from the falling into the hands of Nazi agents and even worse foes. A pulp style infuses the whole series, from Johnson’s attitude to his network of assistants to a faux “yellow peril” archenemy. The creative team of Mike Mignola and Jason Armstrong weave these elements into a solid, but nonessential, read.
It is easy to compare “Lobster Johnson” to its cousins “Hellboy” and “B.P.R.D.” which is a real shame. Few comics have the mood and nuance pacing that Mignola can deliver in a Hellboy comic and “B.P.R.D.” combines great dramatic dilemmas with stellar art. This long-shadow cast by the line-mates of “Iron Prometheus” makes its solid execution and adventure-heavy story feel forgettable. The collection packs more action into its pages than most other Mignola work, giving book a slightly brisk pace. All of this lends to giving the story a fun mood, something that the art of Jason Armstrong surely helps. Although Armstrong pages lack the eeriness found in other Hellboy-related books, his style still manages to fit well into the cadre of artists who have worked on them. The art may not be as subtle or refined as some of his peers, but the pages pack an energy that keeps this pulp tale vital.
“Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus” should prove most memorable to “B.P.R.D.” readers, as the collected miniseries references and fills in many elements currently featured in “B.P.R.D.” storyline. I was caught off guard by how much so, in fact. For other readers, if they look for “Lobster Johnson” to deliver an action-adventure straight from the pulps then they won’t leave its pages anything but satisfied.
>After months of rumors spurred on by Kyle Baker’s mysterious “Hawkman” project, DC Comics has finally announced their next weekly comic series. I have to say I dig everything about the announcement from the broadsheet format to the stories being out of continuity to the talent and characters announced to work on the series. “Wednesday Comics” editor Mark Chiarello had great luck with unleashing creators of DC’s characters with “Batman: Black & White” and the “Solo” series. In both cases, the talent was free from continuity and let loose to tell whatever tale they wanted. The product of that formula made “Batman: Black & White” a fan favorite series and “Solo” created some of the most idiosyncratic DC tales to ever be printed.
DC Comics has had a rough time trying to recapture the success of the hit weekly series “52.” After the inability of “Countdown” and “Trinity” to grab audiences utilizing a format similar to “52’s,” taking the weekly series in a completely different direct seems like an incredibly wise move. While DC attempted to make previous weeklies special through important storylines, “Wednesday Comics” carries feels like a special event for completely different factors. “Wednesday Comics” emphasizes its special event status with its top shelf talent, unusual format, and short length. By moving the emphasis away from the series’ place in the DCU continuity, “Wednesday Comics” dodges the growing fatigue centered round “event” comics.
With such an eclectic list of acclaimed talent, it looks like their should be an excellently executed comic to suit any DC readers’ tastes. I find it hard to imagine a DC (or even just comic) fan that can’t get behind the promise of 14 x 20 pages (think the size of Sunday Press’ “Little Nemo” books). From what I have seen in the promo art and one some of the artists’ blogs, I know that I can’t wait for “Wednesday Comics!”
>I am happy to announce that William Kenny is our grand prize winner for the Watchmen art contest. William is also the artist and writer of the comic Demonwolf, which is chock full of swords, demons, and monsters. The first issue of this comic is available here at Star Clipper, and William has informed me the second issue is coming soon. Visit his website, www.ElevenstoneStudios.com and his deviant art site, http://www.WKenney.devainart.com where you can find more examples of William’s artwork. Thanks for entering William, and congratulations, you’re a talented guy.
Before it was even in production, Zack Synders’ Watchmen was going to be a hard film to make. Writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbon’s post-nuclear graphic novel was almost single handily responsible for changing the comic book industry as we know it. It helped open a flood gate of mature content and deconstructed heroes to your average funny book, which is not a small task to achieve. Now, over 20 years after its original release, the classic has finally been translated to the silver screen. Initially, Watchmen is a visually stunning adaptation, with spot-on characterizations of Alan Moore’s cast of misfit heroes and blockbuster action that demands widescreen viewing. However, despite its visual prowess, Watchmen was long ago coined the un-filmable graphic novel for a number of reasons. Thus, regardless of Synders’ excellent attempt, the original Watchmen remains un-filmable, crushed under the weight of its own story.
Watchmen was ultimately meant for the comic medium alone. The subtle nuances of Alan Moore’s craft and Dave Gibbon’s rendering are allowed the freedom to gradually expanded over twelve issues of brilliant comics. Yet, in the film, director Synder is force to compress every second of Moore’s complex nonlinear storytelling, and struggles to fit the main plot into the film. To Synder’s credit, he does an absolutely amazing job at what is the seemingly impossible task of telling Watchmen in 162 minutes. Still, the fact remains that Moore’s story is simply to vast, especially its exploration into quantum-physics, to fully explain its depth anywhere under four hours. Without expanded plot development or having previously read the graphic novel, broad audiences are going to ask what all the Watchmen hype is about.
This is not to say that filmgoers are not going to respond positively to Synder’s strengths as a filmmaker. Synder captures the essence of Moore’s vigilante team with his strong ensemble cast, and there are stand out performances from Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson and hands down to Jackie Early Hallie. Crudup plays the omnipotent demi-god Dr. Manhattan, and his soothing lonely voice embodies the characters disconnect from the common man. Crudup perhaps had the hardest shoes to fill in that Dr. Manhattan is nearly an impossible character to relate to even in the comic. His performance is stellar even if it is bogged down with physics and an isolating trip to Mars that causal viewers are bond to find somewhat confusing. Wilson plays Night Owl II, a Batman-esque hero who can only fully function in day to day life, and especially in bed with sexy co-star Malin Ackerman, if he is in his costumed persona. Just like in the comic, it is Hallie’s portrayal of sociopath Rorschach that steals the show. Closer to an anti-hero than superhero, Rorschach’s brand of black and white justice makes for the films most engaging character, and Hallie’s performance is frighteningly similar to Moore’s characterization.
Synder’s use of pop music throughout the film is sometimes genius, but at other times, comes off as absurd and unnecessary. First, his choice to use certain rock tracks, in particular Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” is a direct homage to the fans who know that chapter 10 ends with quoted lyrics from the song. This use of music actually helps illustrate how the film’s fictional world relates to our real world, and parallels the action in the scene as Moore intended. Also, Synder finds songs outside of Moore’s encyclopedic cannon that are perfectly fitting to his work. For example, his use of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “I’m Your Boogie Man” during a riot scene, is the perfect juxtaposition of funky period establishment and eerie foreshadowing of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s masterful take on the despicable Comedian. Yet, Synder also has some major missteps with song selection. The use of composer Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” during a scene in the Vietnam war, where a giant Dr. Manhattan is disintegrating Viet-Kong, comes across cliche. What more, because of the music audiences begin to lose their suspension of disbelief during a scene that is crucial to believe in the film’s one super-powered man. However, it is Synder’s trademark over-the-top sex scene and use of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah,” that comes off the most absurd and comical. Still, Synder’s choice of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They’re a’ Changing” during the opening montage, which is also the films best scene, is thoughtful and infinitely reflective of all the information the viewer is learning about the “Watchmen world”. Though Synder strays the furthest away from the book with this montage, it shows his mastery of the craft and is one of the main reason why his adaptation is a worthy effort.
However, it is Synder’s distinctive action sequence that will attract the most attention. Though exaggerated from Gibbon’s drawings, Synder’s action is another major reason to enjoy this adaptation. It is impossible to ignore that this is a story about costumed crime-fighters. Though Moore’s story deconstructs the superhero, it would simply being a boring movie with out some stylized ass-kicking. Therefore, your most entertaining elements are Synder’s well choreographed fights and slow-to fast editing.
The film adaptation of Watchmen is entertaining still, it’s somehow not fully whole. That is becuase, even with all of Zack Synder’s strengths, the film misses the overall ideological point Alan Moore was trying to communicate. The ending of Watchmen is crucial, and the film loses the comic’s point here. Updating, the squid disaster to Dr. Manhattan’s nuclear holocaust is necessary, and very arguably a better plot twist, but its overall outcome is changed in the film. Ultimately, Watchmen, the comic, is a look at heroism in a post nuclear world. Moore used the device of the “Super-Hero,” the most heroic figure in contemporary storytelling, to analyze the world during the cold war. What comes across is that even super-heroes are fragile and essentially humanly flawed when threaten by a world with an unstoppable weapon. Consequently, no one can be a absolute hero and escape basic humanity with the treat of this chaos, and you leave the book unsettled, questioning a cold war era America that is perhaps its own worst enemy.
Where the film fails is that it tells a story with a distinct hero and distinct villain. No one in the book is completely innocent, heroic or right, but the film would have you believe otherwise. To go back to the original point, the comic Watchmen is un-filmable because no hollywood producer would ever allow Moore’s open-ended ending to be the finale of the film. The one true watchmen is the graphic novel, and reading the book will do the story justice.
So, is Watchmen worth seeing? Absolutely! Its engrossing and entertaining, and because of Zack Synder’s efforts likely the closest adaptation of Watchmen the world will ever get on film. Will it change the film industry like the graphic novel changed the comic industry? Probably not, but no one really thought it would in the first place.
>OK, I was on the road in Memphis doing this ComicsPRO conference thingie, and the fact of the matter is, it takes a lot of time and effort and basically, I forget about almost everything else until it’s over.
So I forgot about the SC blog (well, not entirely – the hotel wireless was giving me static when I tried to post, and I didn’t have time for static from a stupid hotel wireless…).
Anyway, this means I’m going to post something like 4 or 5 blogs in the next 24 hours. Try to contain your excitement. It’s mostly out of date Watchmen movie posts. Sorry.
Frequenters of Star Clipper or our blog might recognize the above cartoon from our 20th Anniversary art show back in October. The strip is just one of the great factoids delivered in “Amazing Facts…and Beyond!” Since Jon blogged about the comic and its host Leon Beyond back in November, the future of the strip has become a fact of which even Leon is uncertain.
When economic hard times hit the St. Louis alt-weekly newspaper, the budget for “Amazing Facts…and Beyond!” vanished. While it has the potential to for a future return to the newspaper page, the team behind the fact-filled strip has decided to take the future of their strip into their own hands. They have set up a webpage where you can order commissions, subscribe to the strip, or even just donate to the cause of keeping the comic alive! For an “Amazing Facts” commission, you supply the topic and you can choose from any of the strips contributors (Kevin Huizenga, Ted May, or Dan Zettwoch) to deliver a factoid on the subject.
You should run over and contribute the “Amazing Facts…and Beyond” campaign so that they can keep delivering the facts!
One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
