Finally, all of the Big 2 (DC & Marvel) comic movies have come out for the Summer and I’ve seen them all. There were definitely some surprises this movie season, as I found myself enjoying some movies more than I would’ve have liked to. I know earlier on, Jon was running a contest about box-office gross with these movies… Hopefully you clicked that link for the rundown of what I’m talking about, because I just want to get to Cap’s movie.
Starting off, we have Chris Evans staring as Steve Rogers aka Captain America. When the news was first announced that he was going to be Steve, a lot of folks balked at the thought of it. How could Evans be Captain America when he was the Human Torch? For a lot of people, there were various problems with that situation. He’s too small, too young, already been a Marvel hero, just wrong for the part, etc… But the thing is, Chris has the experience in the comics department. Including Captain America, Chris Evans has depicted five different comic book characters on the big screen. And no, the film, “Push,” doesn’t count as a comic book movie… But besides that, he was one of the best things about the Fantastic Four movies and he has a good energy about himself. For the folks who thought he was too small, he put on some muscle and got big. For those who felt that he was to young, you’ve got to remember that this is the start of a franchise. Steve Rogers was in his early 20s when he became Captain America in the comics, whereas Chris Evans just turned 30. So age isn’t a problem. And him being the Human Torch already doesn’t mean much if that film franchise is over and done with. It didn’t stop Ryan Reynolds from playing Deadpool in ‘Wolverine Origins” when he was already Hannibal King in “Blade 3.” (Both Marvel Characters) It didn’t stop Jon Favreau from playing two Marvel roles either. It happens. But for the last thing… When I put myself to task to see if I could cast a better Steve Rogers, I was at a loss. Who really is right for the part of Captain America? Well, for one thing, I couldn’t tell you who played Cap in the 1990 film without looking it up on the Internet (Matt Salinger). But I can tell you now, that I can’t see anyone else playing the role after Chris Evans.
But what about the actual movie? It’s what you should expect about a Captain America origin story. The basics are all there. WWII, The Red Skull, Super Soldier Serum, flag costume, shield throwing, frozen in ice, fin. (And before anyone gets mad at me for spoilers, it’s no secret that Steve gets frozen in the ice by the end of the movie. It has to happen. However, the road to that point is very different from how it was in the comics. Sorta. You’ll just have to see what happens there, but it’s an agreeable change for both the story and future entries into the film franchise. But for those not in the know, the movie is essentially the story of a young Steve Rogers as he tries to enlist to aid the war effort during WWII. Eventually, he “volunteers” to be apart of a secret military project to create Super Soldiers. It works, but unfortunately, he’s the only one (officially) to go through the process, due to certain problems that occur after his transformation. But it isn’t a straight shot into Nazi territories for Steve. No. Seeing as he’s the only Super Soldier, he’s shelved, only to become a public spokesperson for America’s war effort by becoming the character, Captain America. Loved by the public, despised by the soldiers. It isn’t until an impromptu hostage rescue that Steve Rogers becomes the Captain America we all know and love. And then it’s off to the races.
And the thing is, unlike Iron Man 2 and Thor, Captain America figures out what it takes to be the perfect blend of solo movie and precursor to the upcoming Avengers movie. We get a bit of the concepts established in the recent Thor movie, as well as heavy participation from Howard Stark (Tony Stark/Iron Man’s father). We learn about this Marvel Universe in a very natural way, and it works really well. This is easily the best superhero movie of the Summer, and there’s no convincing me of otherwise. If you were only going to go see one, it probably should be Cap’s movie. However, I encourage you to see them all. Make an opinion for yourself. It’s not like any of them were terrible. But there were a few surprises. X-Men: First Class was a decent movie. The characters used were mostly rubbish in terms of what a “First Class” movie should be, but the story was fun. Green Lantern wasn’t the greatest movie… But it wasn’t the worst thing either. It most certainly wasn’t Ryan Reynold’s fault for why the movie wasn’t all it could be, that’s for certain. And Thor survived being Thor. I know that people read Thor comics… But not that many talk about it. I personally don’t care for Thor unless he’s in a team book, and I’m pretty sure that there are a lot out there that have similar feelings. But the film ended up doing alright for itself.
So where does that leave us now? Well, for one thing, we have at least 3 superhero movies to look forward to next Summer. The Dark Knight Rises (Batman vs Bane featuring Catwoman), The Amazing Spider-Man (Franchise reboot starring rising star Andrew Garfield), and The Avengers (The culmination of three/four years worth of work towards the first major superhero team movie). Each one of these films has a teaser of some sort. The Avengers teaser is tacked on to the Cap movie after the credits, and will surely be available online if you wait long enough. So things are looking good. Hopefully, these films will continue to have success in the future. But who’s to know for certain?
I think it’s fair to say DC Comics is playing hard ball lately. In an effort to reach new readers and top Marvel comics in the sales charts, the company announced they’re relaunching their entire comic universe at the end of August. This huge re-imagining of DC’s entire line made national headlines and has taken a lot of attention away from their rival, Marvel. However, the icing on DC’s cake would have to be their cleverly placed Green Lantern ‘Got Milk’ Ads.
The other day, I was reading Marvel’s main summer event “Fear Itself” on my lunch break. When I got to the end of the issue I flipped the comic over and was shocked to see Ryan Reynolds in all his CG Green Lantern glory staring back up at me. There he was decked out as one of DC’s most popular characters on the back of a Marvel comic, creating an energy projection of a glass of milk. I laughed. This couldn’t have possibly been on purpose. I’m sure Marvel had to have had a clause in their advertising contracts that they wouldn’t allow advertisements with characters from their rival company. I walked out onto the sales floor thinking It had to had been a random printing error. Then I walked up to our window display. Since we place our comics on easels with the covers facing out the window, I saw a row of the same Green Lantern ‘Got Milk’ ad on the back cover of multiple comics over and over again. This had to of been a row of DC comics. I jumped in the window and checked each individual issue. Ghost Rider. X-Men. Captain America. Every single Marvel comic that week had Green Lantern on the back cover, all staring back at me. It felt like the last scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” where thousand of the same thing were staring back at you.
I’m typically a ‘make mine Marvel’ kind of guy, so DC really surprised me with this one. In a summer where Marvel should have either Thor, The X-Men or Captain America movie ads on the back of their comics, they’re advertising the Green Lantern movie. I’m sure Dan Didio, Jim Lee, and Geoff Johns are drinking a glass of milk while they’re laughing their way to the bank. It’s your move Marvel.
Here we are with part 12 of the series about my favorite products spun out of the world of comics. Today, I’d like to speak about a very special movie to me. You see, the primary reason I started writing about the adaptations was to eventually build up to the movie that I’m talking about today. But I felt that I should save it for my final pick, so I’d wait until 12 months had gone by until I dropped the bomb, but then, I just couldn’t keep up with the blogs. But finally, it’s here. The moment that only I have been waiting for. I present to you, one of my most favorite comic book adaptations of all time. 2008’s Speed Racer as directed by The Wachowski Brothers.
[BOOM]
Yeah, Speed Racer, the Warner Bros. Summer 2008 big tent-pole picture event that essentially tanked at the box office. That’s one of my favorites. Now, I know what a lot of you may be thinking. “You’re stupid, Fleet,” and I disagree. Let me explain why this movie worked so well. The original manga, Mach Go Go Go, was created back in 1958 as a weekly serial and was later adapted into a cartoon, which was eventually brought overseas in 1967. And let me tell you something. I don’t care what anyone says, that cartoon was soooooooooo boring. I know my mother was a fan of it during it’s original run, but when I saw them during my early-years Saturday morning cartoon sessions, I just hated it. And when I was older, I went back and watched it again. Not all of it, but a lot of key episodes. But the show was made so cheaply, which is totally how things were done back then, but I feel that this was cheaper than most imports at the time. And it certainly couldn’t hold a candle to a lot of the American cartoons that were out around that time that used similar methods to animate. I mean, I can go on and on about what I felt was wrong with the show, but post isn’t about that. It’s about how glorious the film was.
So let’s start off with the directors. The Brothers Wachowski. Whether you like The Matrix movies or not, you have to give credit to these guys for being innovative in how they film a movie. What most of us know as “Bullet Time” was not created by the brothers and existed long before 1999, however, one could argue that they were the ones who perfected it. And ever since that perfection, it’s been apart of our movie/game/television/cartoon/etc lives from then until now. I’d even argue that without The Matrix, there’d be no Inception. Or at least, not the way it was executed. So I think there’s a lot that we can thank Larry and Andy for, because if nothing else, those guys have vision. And that very same vision is brought to this film. Yes, the race sequences look like glorified Hot Wheels commercials, but how is that a bad thing? Bright lights, motion blur, absurd race tracks, funky looking cars, and explosions. All of that is awesome. And it’s a massive change in direction from the races that occurred in the comics/cartoon. In the show, it seemed like most of the races took place on flat roads that typically only ran in one straight direction. Sure, you had the cars with the goofy weapons, but what passed as action-packed back then is no longer exciting. I’ve spoken to a lot of “purists” who said that they hated the upgraded races the most, but I just don’t see how that can be. I mean, the regular races in the movie are cool by themselves, but then the special races (The illegal Casa Cristo 5000 and the movie’s finale Grand Prix) are where the sequences really shine. Essentially, the Casa Cristo 5000 is the race that plays to memories to those that have fond memories of the old cartoon. It’s the wide open race that included various homages to a lot of the series’ signature racers and their cars, as well as the anime only character of Snake Oiler. It was also the race that “allowed” the use of illegal weapons during the races. Weapons such as saw blades, tire spikes, and even a Wacky Races inspired beehive catapult. But it wasn’t all fun and games either. During a crucial point during the final day of the Casa Cristo, one special racer decides that he’s just gonna use a handgun. And then there’s the final race… But I think I’ll leave that for you to check out on your own, but if you find yourself invested in the movie, the final race may just bring a tear to your eye.
[That stupid pose that Speed is doing also made it into the movie.]
But let’s move on to the cast. And what a great cast it is. First up, you’ve got Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown, Milk) as Speed Racer. He’s just a solid actor with some nice range. The few movies that I’ve seen with this guy, he’s never disappointed me. Plus, it seems like this guy is always being nominated for an acting award. Anyway, his depiction of Speed is pretty decent. He comes across as a wholesome teen/adult (It’s never made clear how old Speed is…) with a hint of darkness in his soul, that comes out from time to time. Nothing twisted or EXTREME 90s, but you just get the feeling that this guy has been through a lot… Which… I guess is true. Then you’ve got Christina Ricci (Adams Family, Black Snake Moan) as his girlfriend, Trixie, who’s role is expanded from just being the eye in the sky. She comes across as a much stronger character than the one depicted in the show, plus she exudes some sort of sexual aura when she’s around the fast cars or violence. That’s pretty cool. And there’s a reasonable explanation for that, which is given during an early movie flashback into the young lives of Speed and Trixie. Then we have Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as Mom and Pops Racer. If you’ve got something bad to say about their acting abilities, then you’re crazy. Academy Award Best Actress Susan Sarandon may have the lightest role as far as the core characters go, but when she’s on screen, there’s no doubt that she’s Mom Racer and when the movie calls for warming emotion, you can count on her to get those results. As for Goodman as Pops Racer, it’s John Goodman. What more do you want? Also, he and Christina Ricci are responsible for my absolute favorite exchange of lines in the movie. It occurs after Pops tosses a ninja out of Speed’s hotel room. I’m not going to post it or write it though. Mostly because it’s terribly cheesy and I’m trying to get more people to watch the movie. So… Yeah. Rounding out the core Racer family is Tommy Litt (He played one of the bullies in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) as Spritle, Speed’s younger brother. Spritle and the family pet chimpanzee, Chim-Chim, are mostly around to keep the younger kids in the audience emotionally invested. His bits with Chim-Chim are amusing and their wild sugar-fueled ride though Royalton Industries forced a laugh or two out of me. My only criticism with Spritle comes at the end of the movie. Again, I wont spoil it, but it totally ruins the emotional payoff that the rest of the film was building up to.
Also on the cast is Matthew Fox (Lost, Smokin’ Aces) as the mysterious Racer X. This guy’s car is modified with twin chain-guns hidden under his roof. He’s also a ninja, for lack of a better term. As in the show, he aids Speed during his races and fights to take down the corruption in the World Racing League. In this movie, Fox plays Racer X as if he were a Batman who doesn’t have a rule about not killing people. Not to say that Racer X is murdering people in the movie, but it’s made very clear that he has no qualms about it. Helping Racer X in his fight against corruption is Inspector Detector, as played by Benno Fürmann. He’s just a cool guy in this movie. I’ve got nothing more to say about him. Then there Korean Pop Star Rain as Taejo Togokahn, a driver who is mixed up with the devious crime-lord-ish Cruncher Block (John Benfield). And rounding out the cast as the villain of the movie is Roger Allam as Royal Royalton. This guy totally crushes the soul Speed during a very cleverly cut sequence that combines combines a heated argument with a race that hasn’t occurred yet in the film’s timeline. And there are plenty of other great actors and actresses in this film, but I think two paragraphs is enough. But this movie may have been the most racially diverse cast as far as speaking roles go for the year of 2008. That’s always cool.
So we’ve talked about the cast, we’ve talked about the comic/cartoon, we’ve talked about the effects… I feel like I’m forgetting something, but this thing is long enough as is. But if you scoffed at this movie and decided it wasn’t worth your time. Maybe give it a chance the next time you have nothing going on. You’re gonna need about 2 and a half hours though. It’s a long one, but it essentially covers the entire Speed Racer story in one shot. There will never be a sequel. And even if the movie did a good job at the box office, it still wouldn’t have gotten one. Which is a good thing and I’ll tell you why. When you make a comic adaptation, most thought processes are to make a movie to set up a franchise. Often times, you’ll find a big name or two attached the to the main roles that sucks up a lot of the budget that could’ve gone towards better sets, costumes, effects, or even a better writer. Or maybe the franchise is set up so that you don’t get to see the stuff you really want to see, until the 2nd or 3rd movie. I know that a lot of hopes and dreams were crushed with Dragonball: Evolution was released, primarily because no one in their right mind would ever attempt to make another Dragonball film for a good while, which means that we probably wont be seeing a Super Saiyan on the big screen for long while. The same goes foe seeing a relevant Superman villain besides Lex Luthor or some random Kryptonian (Nothing against Zod) in a Superman movie. Or on the flip side of the equation, you might find some filmmakers who try to adapt a property that is too large to be done in one. I think this is something that I neglected to speak about when I covered Akira. While the anime did an alright job of trying to contain the entirety of the manga, there was simply no way it could be done. What I fear for the new Live-Action Akira that is in the middle of the casting, is that the filmmakers are going to try to adapt the manga, then about halfway through, it’ll turn into a mash-up of the manga and the anime. Making Frankenstein adaptations is generally poor form. But in the case of Speed Racer, the movie did the right thing. It was already a gamble to begin with, so I imagine that the thought process here was, “Go big or go home.” And “Go big” they did. They got a lot of up-and-comers for the lead roles, and they filmed entirely on Green Screen which saved on location costs. They budgeted properly, and they saved nothing for a sequel. No holding back seemed to be the motto of this movie and I wouldn’t want it any other way. So check out this extended trailer, and give Speed Racer some thought, if you hadn’t before.
And in case you forgot, this is the list of adaptations that I’ve covered as well as the date the blog was posted.
1. Howard the Duck (Live Action Movie) November 25, 2009
2. Akira (Anime) December 16, 2009
3. The Maxx (Cartoon Series) January 4, 2010
4. The Guyver & Guyver: Dark Hero(Live Action Movies) February 13, 2010
5. Josie and the Pussycats (Live Action Movie) March 26, 2010
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Live Action Movie) April 23, 2010
7. MIB: The Men In Black (Live Action Movie) May 26, 2010
8. Judge Dredd (Live Action Movie) June 26, 2010
9. Heavy Metal (Animated Movie) July 27, 2010
10. Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Videogame) September 1, 2010 (missed August by one day)
11. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World & Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game (Live Action Movie & Videogame) December 11, 2010 (oops)
12. Speed Racer (Live Action Movie) April… Today 2011 (double oops)
After reading the first issue of Marvel’s summer crossover event ‘Fear Itself’ it’s clear writer Matt Fraction is trying to achieve two goals: repeat the success of Marvel’s 2006 blockbuster ‘Civil War’ and capitalize on the current ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’ film hype. ‘Fear Itself’ might be a crossover event featuring the entire cast of the Marvel universe, but it’s central characters are without a doubt Thor and Steve Rogers – Super Soldier (Sigh…you can’t just say Captain America now that Bucky is also trotting around in the stars and strips). Regardless of the soon-to-be hollywood heroes in the leading roles, comic fans can’t help but worry that ‘Fear Itself’ is going to be just another crossover in a long line of convoluted mega events. Fortunately, Fraction has five-years of event formulas to emulate and I think the series will be a success if he chooses to learn from past mistakes.
‘Fear Itself’ begins with Steve Rogers in the center of political riot over new developments on ground zero in Manhattan. Standing up against the crowd simply as Steve Rogers, the hero can do little to calm the rioters and is disillusioned by the madness he is unable to stop. Later at Avengers tower, Tony Stark suggests a reason behind the mob mentality, “People are mad right now, and broke and they’ve been lied to and ripped off.” Fraction is being very straightforward with the social commentary here and definitely reminds me of Marvel Civil War’s political subtext, which was a huge selling point. However, it was odd to hear this sentiment from billionaire Tony Stark, a character who also has been built up to be arguably one of the most unlikable heroes in the last five years. Clearly Fraction is trying to build up Stark’s popularity again as he has him go on to suggest rebuilding Asgard’s castle as a economic stimulus for the struggling country. To Thor’s dismay, Odin refuses Stark’s plan and demands that the gods return to Asgard fearing a conversation he had with the Watcher about a dark prophesy that signals the requiem of the gods. When Thor challenges his father decision he is forced to relinquish control of his hammer Mjölnir and taken against his will back to Asgard. Meanwhile, the Red Skull’s daughter Sin summons an ancient evil called the Worthy to earth and without the help of the gods it may be to much for the Avengers to stop.
I think the key for ‘Fear Itself’ to be a successful company-wide event is for Fraction not to promise long-lasting outcomes to the Marvel universe. A lot of readers, myself included, felt burned when mega events like “Civil War” and “House of M” promised long-lasting changes that were quickly erased in the course of a few years. If Marvel won’t stick to their guns with some of their bigger editorial directions then I don’t want to read them. Therefore, if Fraction chooses to keep the plot big enough to include all the Marvel superheroes, but small enough to not have the conclusion drag on over the course of a few years, he’ll hit the nail on the head. This is a lofty task nowadays but I think Fraction is up for the challenge, and he’ll have plenty of readers with Thor and Cap as the stars. Hell, if Fraction actually makes this a standalone epic the only thing comic fans will have to fear is the next crossover event.
In the past decade it been argued that every summer is the year of the comic book movie, but 2011 may surpass them all. This summer we have four major superhero adaptations hitting the silver screen with Thor, X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Let’s review the trailers and make predictions on who will win the war of the summer comic movies.
Thor – Opening May 6, 2011. Directed by Kenneth Bragnagh. Starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natile Portman as Jane Foster, and Anthoney Hopkins as Odin.
The first comic film striking lightning this summer is Thor from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures. I have mixed feelings on how the God of Thunder will perform at the box office. Thor will either be an huge success, mimicking the high fantasy of Peter Jackson’s mammoth success with his Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or will suffer from being the most outrageous of all the comic films this summer. Can a Norse god/ superhero actually translate to box office blockbuster? By Odin’s beard, I hope so.
X-Men: First Class – Opening June 3, 2011. Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring James McAvoy as Professor X, January Jones as Emma Frost, and Michael Fassbender as Magneto.
Without a doubt, X-Men: First Class will be this summer’s wild card. This film is set in the 60s, but does not feature the actual first class of the X-Men according to comic continuity. There will be no Cyclops, Jean Grey or Iceman. Instead comic fans can expect Havok (without his awesome original costume), Mystique, and Darwin (created in 2006). Professor X is even going to have hair! This is a comic nerd’s nightmare. The movie will only fare well if movie fans are not sticklers for continuity, which if X-Men Origins: Wolverine is any indicator they’re not. Twentieth Century Fox might get lucky again with this one. It does have January Jones walking around as the scantily clad Emma Frost. However, of the four films released this summer I say absolutely stay away from this X-tragedy.
Green Lantern – Opening June 17, 2011. Directed by Martin Cambell. Starring Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, and Mark Strong as Sinestro.
Of all the films coming out this summer Green Lantern has the most expectations riding on it. While Marvel has had little problem launching most of their roster into movie super-stardom in the last decade, DC has struggled to bring their comic universe to Hollywood, with the obvious exception of Batman. If they can score a hit with movie fans with a character like Green Lantern who isn’t immediately recognizable to non-comic readers the flood gate could get open to some of their other properties. Unfortunately, the first Green Lantern trailer didn’t seem to be the hit DC was looking for. With it’s bad CGI, overabundance of characters, and Ryan Reynolds playing an uncharacteristically goofy version of Hal Jordan, comic fans feared this was going to be the biggest bomb of the season. Thankfully, a second WonderCon exclusive trailer hit the web and a sigh of relief was heard throughout Sector 2814. Green Lantern could surprise as the biggest hit of the summer, especially with Ryan Reynolds as the lead.
Captain America: The First Avenger – Opening July 22, 2011. Directed by Joe Johnston. Starring Chris Evans as Captain America, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull, and Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips.
With Rocketeer director Joe Johnston manning the Stars and Strips, Captain America: The First Avenger looks like it will be the best of the summer lot. Steve Rogers arguably has the easiest origin to understand among all the films. Plus, Marvel Studios can’t go wrong with a World War 2 flick in terms of box office revenue. The only thing I could see hurting Cap’s performance is superhero movie fatigue. I’m also a little surprised they didn’t premiere the film on fourth of July weekend for maximum patriotism. Either way my bet is on Captain America: The First Avenger to win the war of the summer comic movies.
Let’s make superhero summer fun. Here is what I’m willing to do: Vote on the Star Clipper blog (Blog Only) for one of the four films that you think will have the highest gross this summer. Name the film and what you think the opening weekend box office will gross. Opening Weekend box office counts Friday midnight screenings through Sunday sales. The person with the correct film and the closest box office guess without going over will get a $25.00 gift card for Star Clipper paid out of my own paycheck. No duplicate votes count, as in if you think Captain America will win with 60 million and someone has already posted that you can’t also vote 60 million. You would have to vote 59 or 61 Million. In the case that two of the films tie I’ll award two winners with correct votes. All votes are due May 1st. The winner will be announced after Captain America’s opening weekend.
In a disclosure that should surprise no one who’s read this blog for longer than a month, I’m a fan of Wendy & Richard Pini’s ElfQuest. So when I heard there was a trailer for an ElfQuest film, I was intrigued — and also horrified. As I may have mentioned, I generally dislike comic book-to-movie adaptations. Other than motion, what do films have to offer? A Hollywood version of a story as personal and idiosyncratic as ElfQuest would be a nightmare of misinterpretation and idiotic “improvements.” Wendy Pini (look, I know Richard is also credited as writer, but I’ve always considered the story Wendy’s — arbitrary decisions about creative teams are my specialty) crafted a sweeping story about tolerance, ecological stewardship, tradition vs. innovation, biological drive vs. personal choice and the redemptive power of love — let’s just say that it’s the kind of rich story that only ever arises from a singular vision.
Anyway, this is the trailer:
It turns out it’s not for a feature film — webseries vets Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe discovered they both shared love for the series and set about making a true-to-the-comic fan film, receiving the blessing of the Pinis as well as some financial aid. It looks good — actually, it looks rather excellent — but as a fan my first thought was “Where’s Skywise? And where’s Cutter, for that matter?” Apparently they couldn’t find any diminutive male actors pretty enough to be elves, so all you get is the female cast.
My second thought was, “Jeeze, if you’re not familiar with the series, you’re never going to get that all those forceful glances at each other are actually the elves ’sending,’ or communicating telepathically.” You also may not catch the menace of those three savage-looking dudes; they’re the humans who move in on the elves territory and force them to find a new home, which in turn becomes the Wolfrider tribe’s initial quest, or “elf quest,” if you will.
Obviously, the trailer isn’t intended to approach the scope of the entire series — it’s a labor of love that seeks to capture the feeling of the book, and maybe whet your appetite for the story. As brief as this is, and as confined as it is to the very beginning of the story, and despite lacking both male elves and trolls, it does have something of the feel of the Pini’s original. I think in fact that is has more going for it than anything Hollywood can come up with. As far as appetite whetting for a movie, I’m a pessimist, so I don’t know that it could do that for me. But if you’re intrigued and you want to see more of the original comic, the Pinis are cool about having the whole series online, which you can read for free at www.elfquest.com. I don’t recommend reading it that way. The series has been printed in several formats — I have a few of the original Warp Graphics softcovers as well as the majority of Marvel’s single-issue reprints from the late-80s, and even a few of the DC b&w digests from the early aughts. These last aren’t ideal, but you can still find them in shops (last I saw, a huge number were available on Star Clipper’s discount wall. Hint, hint.).
Incidentally, while poking around online trying to discover if someone in Hollywood was trying to make a full-on ElfQuest movie, I discovered this article from late 2010 discussing the making of the trailer and the Pinis’ involvement. It mentions that the film rights belong to Warner Bros., and that the attached writer/director of the moment is Rawson Thurber — he’s the guy that wrote/directed Dodge Ball: The Movie. Hollywood, this is why I’m a pessimist…
I don’t go see comic book film adaptations. Partly because I’m cheap, and partly because filmmakers always seem to confuse the origin of the character for the entirety of the character, as if there’s nothing more interesting about Batman than spending 40 or 50 minutes of the film working out the precise details of his childhood and how he actually became Batman. We get about 40 minutes of our hero actually being a hero with this method, which Hollywood loves because they believe it “sets up a franchise.” Hollywood loves to set up a franchise more than they desire to tell good stories, and if you don’t believe that, then how do you explain the impending re-boot of the Spiderman franchise barely a decade after it was launched?
Anyway, this was released last week
It could be a commercial for a new theme park ride, or a video game, or perhaps even a commercial for the local semi-pro men’s roller-hockey team season opener, but it is in fact the teaser trailer for the new Conan movie. I’ve been avoiding any news about this, because I don’t want to have to care about what I suspect will be a crappy modern Conan film. I’m fine with my Conan comics and re-reading REH’s original stories on a regular basis, and periodically re-watching John Milius’ seminal film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger — what do I need a new movie for?
But various family members saw the trailer and then bugged me about it: “Is this gonna be any good? Are you gonna see it? Will you take me? Will you buy me candy?” (the youngest nephew is single-minded). Maybe some of their excitement for what is honestly a crappy teaser commercial awakened my curiosity, and maybe I secretly want to like this, but after checking out the official movie blog www.conanmovieblog.com/conan-movie-facts/ , I am guardedly optimistic about this.
[CONAN DESCENDING A STAIRCASE]
I don’t know anything about the guy playing Conan (Jason Momoa) other than that he’s Hawaiian and apparently has a couple kids with Lisa Bonet — thanks, IMDB.com. Some online people seem a little hung up on the fact that a white guy’s not playing Conan, which is silly — Ron Perlman ain’t a red guy but he did all right as Hellboy (OK, I did see the first Hellboy film, but only because Mike Mignola was so heavily involved, and it’s a better movie because of it.) Speaking of Ron, he’s in this one as Conan’s dad, which is fine by me. More movies should involve Ron Perlman.
Poking around on that blog also reveals that the film will have nudity (check out those photo galleries if you’re older than 18), which is pretty much a requirement for a Conan movie. Where there’s nudity there’s generally an R rating, and if the filmmakers are all right with that, we can expect (hopefully) an R-level of violence. There’s a plot synopsis that’s based on the first screenplay draft (and seems heavily adapted from “A Witch Shall Be Born,” but dressed up with modern scriptwriter conflict resolution), so who knows how accurate it is, but it does seem promisingly short on origin story stuff and more concerned with battles, blades and broads. And that’s all I can reasonably expect from any Conan story, or film for that matter. So perhaps I’ll actually see this one in the theater. Crom knows if any movie is going to get me out of the house, it’s either going to be a Conan film or a Northlanders adaptation.
But none of you kids are coming with me; your mother will go full-on berserker if I take you to an R-rated movie.
When I was thinking about which comic I would pick to be adapted into a film I was a little stumped. Fleet suggested I pick Fear Agent since I’m constantly singing it’s praises, but I think Rick Remender’s space western would be better fit for a intentionally campy television series. Still at a crossroads about my decision, all was revealed to me this morning when I looked at my kitchen wall and the comic movie that needs to be made was right in front of me. Hanging above my microwave surrounded be Godzilla figures is a signed and numbered print of Daniel Clowes’ “Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron.” Anyone who’s read this surreal graphic novel knows that it goes without question that “Like A Velvet Glove…” is the perfect story to be adapted by David Lynch.
Clowes’ adapted movie work has quite literally been hit or miss. “Ghost World” being the hit. “Art School Confidential” being the miss. However, if adapted my the right director ( That being David Lynch), I’m confident “Like A Velvet Glove…” could also being a hit at least in the art house circuit. There really isn’t anything like this Clowes early graphic novel. Even trying to describe the plot is hard to do, much like a David Lynch film. A quick explantation would simply be that lead character Clay Loudermilk is searching for his estranged wife, Barbara Allen, whom he sees in a porno movie. Simple enough plot I guess, but that doesn’t account for the strange fish-like girl who falls in love with Clay, the man with shrimp tales coming out of his eye-sockets, or the dog with no head. That’s where David Lynch comes in to make the plausible seemingly implausible. Though I think Lynch would be best for the project, I also think director Jim Jarmusch could give him a run for his money.
As for casting, I could see Steve Buscemi reprising his role as a Clowes character and playing Clay Loudermilk. He always good at a sweaty, nervous oddball. However, if Hollywood would want to cast a more handsome leading man, I also think John Hamm could play a strong version of Clowes’ neurotic lead. If John Hamm played the lead his connection to St. Louis could easily land a screening at the Tivoli Theatre with a possible meet and greet appearance. That would certainly be exciting. Just think of a cerebral episode of AMC’s “Mad Men” where that rascally, old Don Draper is being asked to fertilize the eggs of a sickly fish-like girl on the bed of a hotel. That’s a comic movie I’d see!
John Ostrander and Tim Truman’s Grimjack is one of the meanest comic books to come out of the 80s. It began as classic noir with a science fiction backdrop but quickly matured into a bleak satire on modern life with frequent forays into the philosophical implications of impending mortality. John Gaunt, a.k.a. Grimjack, is an ex-gladiator, ex-wizard, ex-cop, ex-soldier, current mercenary and bona fide senior citizen who brings death to every one he loves — sometimes he’s even the one who kills his loved ones, but however it plays out, he’s always bad news. He drinks oceans of rotgut, he smokes constantly, he swears and he lives in a bar — all of that almost makes up for his penchant for Highland bonnets, but let’s allow an old man his eccentricities.
[WHATCHA DRINKIN’, GRIMJACK?]
Grimjack looks and reads like it was tailor-made to be transformed into a big-budget, special effects spectacular. Much of that is down to Truman’s depiction of Cynosure, the setting for every story. Cynosure is a multidimensional node, meaning all the many dimensions of creation manifest in Cynosure on a predictable schedule. This allows Cynosure to grow wealthy as a glorified trading post, since everywhere comes to it at some point. It’s populated by aliens, freaks, punks, geeks, gigolo unicorns, talking beavers, the hyper-wealthy and a great seething underclass.
[CYNOSURE IN ALL ITS GLORY]
Using contemporary (early 80s) Chicago as the bones of the city, Truman added a musculature of science fiction and fantasy elements — massive skyscrapers, floating pyramids, space ports, dragons — larded it with filth and then covered it in a skin of graffiti. High technology works in some parts of the city, magic works in others, gods and demons rub shoulders with sentient bats, and everyday schlubs just have to deal with it all. Cynosure looked lived in and dirty, and it was as much a character in the comic as it was a setting.
[BLACJACMAC]
The two-legged supporting cast was just as interesting and flawed. BlacJacMac is Gaunt’s smooth-talkin’ former partner in the gladiator pits (he bears a striking resemblance to late-70s Isaac Hayes and is married to a goddess), Roscoe is his dwarfish former cop partner and occasionally his current partner — when he’s not trying to run Gaunt in for various crimes, Gordon is the regular guy who runs Munden’s Bar (Grimjack’s home) and has a tangled history with his boss, and then there’s Bob the watchlizard.
[JOHN AND BOB]
He’s as hard-drinkin’ as ol’ Grimjack and smokes more, and he’s just as heartbroken. Nobody knows why he latched on to Gaunt, but he’s all Bob has so the lizardgator stays — and drinks, and smokes and sings when he’s really depressed.
As mentioned earlier, Ostrander’s stand-alone, hard-boiled stories of betrayal and general nastiness gave way to larger story arcs. The first of these, The Trade Wars, concerned the ultra-wealthy warring openly in the streets and affiliated dimensions for greater profits, while Mayfair (leader of the city’s secret police force, Cadre, and Gaunt’s former boss) attempts to set up former gladiator Dancer (Gaunt’s mentor in the arena) as the city’s ultimate tyrant. A political thriller that also involves massive, multi-dimensional battles between alien factions, and a small group of hard-bitten, tough-talking soldiers-of-fortune who have conflicting loyalties to ex-employers and friends — yeah, that’s a good, solid basis for a film.
[VOLUME 4 COVER]
Of course, as with most comic books in this modern age, there’s industry talk of a Grimjack movie — and there has been for almost two decades. It may never happen, in which case I direct you to IDW Publishing’s The Legend of Grimjack Volume 4, which features the entire Trade Wars saga. (Digression: Have you ever noticed that “Volume 4” of anything is always epic? Black Sabbath’s “Vol. 4,” Led Zeppelin’s “IV,” “Star Wars: A New Hope” — what is it about volume 4s?) Be warned that Truman left the book just before the actual Trade Wars began, and his replacement, Tom Sutton, had neither the feel for Cynosure nor a very good understanding of forced perspective. John Ostrander is a great enough writer to overcome mediocre art, however, but while you’re out there looking for Volume 4, you should probably consider the first three volumes of that series, which are all Truman.
Well… We sorta succeeding in doing another themed blog. Starting with Paul’s from last week and following through into this week. Now, when I first received the email from Paul about what comic I’d like to see made into a movie, I had to really sit down and think for awhile. You see, the majority of the comic films that I’d like to see have already been made, or are in the process of being made. So, that left me with a serious problem. What the hell do I want to see? About a week later, it hit me. Proof. I want to see Proof turned into a major motion picture.
So what is Proof? I’m glad I asked for you. You see, Proof is the story of a Sasquatch who works for a Secret Government Agency that is tasked with the capturing and protection of cryptids, which include such beauties as the Cottingley Fairies, the Dover Demon, dinosaurs and dodo birds. The idea is, John “Proof” Prufrock (the Sasquatch) was discovered by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and raised by former President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson taught Proof how to be classy. As a result, you’ll often notice that Proof is one of the best dressed characters in his comic or any other for that matter. Anyway, the story follows Proof on a mission of self discovery. Is he the last of his kind? Proof is often found reviewing the famed Patterson-Gimlin footage of Bigfoot in an attempt to find clues of others of his kind. At the beginning of the series, Proof is given a partner, a young FBI agent named Ginger Brown, who recently had a run-in with a Golem during a bank robbery. Together, they go on an assortment of X-Files-inspired adventures across the globe as they bring justice to those who are involved in the cryptid world.
Sounds awesome, right? It was one of the few Image titles to bring something new to the table in such a long time. So what’s the hold up? Why hasn’t this been optioned yet? I don’t know, but… What I do know is who I’d like to be in the movie. For starters, Keith David (The Thing, Requiem for a Dream) would be my choice for Proof. He has a booming voice, and he’s a pretty tall actor to begin with, which is a plus in this case. I say we give the man some height extensions in is costume and cast the rest of the movie kinda short, and we have a winner here. For the Latina FBI agent Ginger, I’d go with America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). The woman has some range that I feel most folks have ignored. But then, I’d put her in just about any movie to be honest. And for the small town sheriff, Elvis Aaron Chestnut, I’d have gone with Bruce Campbell if this were being made 15-20 years ago, but that just might be the fanboy in me. I think that if the guy could gain about 30 pounds and grew some thick sideburns, Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Sorcerer’s Apprentice) would make for a good choice. I got faith in the man. However, Jim made the suggestion that I include David Duchovny (X-Files, Californication) in the cast. I also think that he’d make for a good Elvis as well. It would be a nice treat for the fans of his Sci-Fi work, and I’d welcome it as well. But, Baruchel is still my top choice.
As for a director? My top pick would be Neill Blomkamp (District 9). Sure, he’s pretty fresh in the major films department, but from the few things that I have seen of his work, he has a good eye for a franchise like this. Plus, he’s good at stretching a budget and not having the result look like a pile of crap. I could see a solid trilogy of movies made out of the comic, and hey, it only ran for 28 issues, so its not like you’d have to cut a lot of content to make a trilogy work. If the special effects work went something like 70/30 for practical/computer generated, I wouldn’t frown. “Real” effects are almost always better than “computer effects”, so yeah. Sounds good to me. And that’s it for today…See ya next time.
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. 
