PIMPERNEL'S BLOG

The blog is dead, long live the blog

2010-11-17T12:51:00.002Z

So my new blog went online here this morning.

I decided about a month ago to close Pimpernel's Blog.

I have a bunch of reasons... some of which i talk about here on the new blog.

Mostly i just want to get a little more serious about my writing.

Also it seemed silly to continue hiding behind this "Pimpernel" screen persona moving forward... it isn't a name that has any sort of relevance to me beyond being useful at one point for signing up to forums with some degree of anonymity.

Most of what i blog about here i'll still be blogging about over there... so it's more like a relocation and rebranding than a closing.

I also have a bunch of other stuff coming that i'm really excited about, and i think you guys will like.

Hopefully you guys will follow me over to the new blog and continue reading.

Coming soon...

2010-11-08T15:02:00.003Z

That Damned Elusive Pimpernel

2010-10-18T13:59:00.002+01:00

I have been neglecting the blog rather badly of late, for which i apologise. All i can say is that i'm working on great and terrible things... secret things... things that hopefully you will likey.

I fear i've said too much...

Monster Swag

2010-09-10T12:59:00.012+01:00

Dave Flora just might be one of the nicest guys in comics.

I've been a fan of his for some time now, in particular his Ghost Zero and Doc Monster characters, and i try to support his work whenever possible here on the blog.

I even made some fan art.

I'm such a fanboy.

I'm going to interview Dave sometime in the next few weeks, and i'm working on a review of Ghost Zero to go along with that hopefully. All of which is long overdue... but in my defence i'm very lazy.

Anyway check out the fantastic swag that arrived through my mailbox the other day...

I've wanted to own some of Dave's artwork for ages but wasn't able to afford anything, so i'm flattered and incredibly happy that he made me a gift of these gorgeous pieces!

Just in time for my birthday later this month too! September 23rd if anyone out there is feeling generous.

I told you he was a nice guy.

Please check out Ghost Zero here and show your support. I think the Doc Monster blog is down for the time being, so if you get the chance pester him for more of that character too. And finally you can follow Dave's serialisation of Feast Of Blood here.

Under The Influence

2010-09-10T12:32:00.003+01:00

It seems like everyone is doing these influence maps at the moment so i thought i would jump on the bandwagon...

It was harder than i thought, and i'm sure i missed out a whole bunch of stuff.

Also there are lots of artists that influence me... Duncan Fegredo, D'Israeli, Francesco Francavilla, Dave Flora, WJC, Thomas Boatwright, INJ Culbard... that i only discovered in the last couple of years, so it feels a bit funny putting them on there with people that have been an influence since i was a wee boy. Check back in a few years tho and it might be a different story.

It is a pretty useful tool tho, as just putting it all together made me focus more on some of the ideas floating around inside my noggin. I'm thinking i might do some more of these... one for each of the comics i'm working on currently.

Anyway if you guys want to try making your own influence map you can find the template here on DeviantArt.

The U.S.R.A. Wants YOU!

2010-09-02T17:11:00.006+01:00

While i'm on the subject of Francesco Francavilla i can't not mention his fantastic new creator-owned thing.

A month or so ago Francesco held a Giant Robot month over on his sketch blog, out of which came the idea for something called the United States Robot Army.

USRA started out as a series of fun pinups and images featuring giant robots in a WWII setting, and now Francesco is working on developing those images and ideas into a proper story.

I can't wait.

It's ridiculous how talented this man is at coming up with stuff that i need to buy.

Check out his Pulp Sunday blog for more info on USRA and Black Beetle, his other creator-owned character, and to show your support.

Congratulations II

2010-09-02T16:31:00.004+01:00

More belated congratulazioni go out to Francesco Francavilla for joining the new Detective Comics creative team. Apparently Francesco will be doing the art for a new series of Commissioner Gordon backup strips...

Here's what writer Scott Snyder has to say...

"I’m a huge fan of Francesco’s work and have been for quite some time. His style is dark and daring with a good amount of noir to it, but there’s also a striking physicality to his art - his characters always look very real, very vulnerable and human. Which is why I always thought he’d be perfect for the job; because this story is dark and dramatic with some big revelations, but it’s also about Jim Gordon, the man, coming to terms with some very tough skeletons from his past… Or rather, one skeleton in particular - someone who has just now returned to Gotham, too… So I simply could not be more excited about Francesco’s involvement."

Francesco is easily one of the best artists out there at this sort of thing, and i'm sure he will have a blast on this gig.

Again this couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

I just hope he remembers us little fellas when he is rubbing shoulders with the bigwigs.

Congratulations

2010-09-02T16:16:00.003+01:00

Just wanted to say a great big belated congratulations to Anthony Schiavino on hooking up with DHS Literary.

"How does one start a post like this? The excitement is pouring from my finger tips as I punch out the keys one after another.

So let’s get on with it.

DHS Literary, Inc. run by agent David Hale Smith is now representing my work, and more to the point, Sergeant Zero. I’ll let David and his client list speak for themselves. What I will say is how very excited to be a part of the stable."

It's a much deserved break for a really hard-working creator, and couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Check out his website here and show your support.

Casting Call - Fantastic Four

2010-08-24T14:55:00.026+01:00

A bunch of casting rumours for the new Fantastic Four reboot have been popping up lately. Gotta say i think the names thrown out there so far are not very promising.

Adrien Brody or Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Reed Richards?

Amber Heard or Alice Eve as Sue Storm?

Bruce Willis or Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of a CGI Ben Grimm?

Meh.

At times like this i can't resist a spot of armchair casting.

Reed Richards - Jay Karnes

I know this one is a hard sell so hear me out.

Reed Richards is more of an intellectual than an action guy. Also he is meant to be a mature father figure... the clue is in the hair. I would like to see a more intelligent reboot that focuses more on Reed's love of science and technology. A bit like Dr Who with more clobbering.

Jay Karnes isn't a "name" actor and he doesn't look like the sort of square-jawed type you see fronting superhero blockbusters usually.

As Detective Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach on the Shield he was quirky and charming and vulnerable and totally nailed the socially awkward intellectual thing. In shows like Burn Notice and Sons Of Anarchy he went on to show a totally different side of himself, playing more bad-ass characters and coming across as cocky and funny and intimidating.

I think the man is a damn fine actor and would be a perfect fit for Reed Richards.

I mean he even has the hair.

Sue Storm - January Jones

A much easier sell.

January is a talented actress with that classic Grace Kelly image, who also seems to be quite mature and classy for her age.

I admit that her appearance in Mad Men sold me on this one. I really enjoy the earlier FF comics and i would love to see a movie that mixes that 1960s feel and aesthetic with the modern day.

Johnny Storm - Justin Timberlake

A few years ago i would have been the first person to scoff at this idea, but it turns out the man can act, and boasts a pretty credible filmography.

Anyway is there really much acting required with this one? I mean wouldn't the man basically be playing himself here? A version of himself that can catch fire at will, but y'know what i mean.

And he is a couple of years younger than January Jones, so i think he makes a convinving younger brother for her.

Of course it doesn't hurt that he is popular with the ladies.

Ben Grimm - James Gandolfini

I think this one is a no-brainer, especially seeing as the character will be CGI this time.

Gandolfini has the deep rumbling voice and the heavy Noo Yawk accent.

Also see Where The Wild Things Are for an example of how the man can give a fantastic rounded performance without ever appearing on screen.

Dr Doom - Kevin Durand

Okay this one might also be a hard sell.

I figure whomever is playing Doom will have to rely almost entirely on their voice.

Kevin Durand has become something of a cult figure thanks to his role on Lost as the creepy mercenary Keamy.

What really caught my attention tho was his performance as the the archangel Gabriel in Legion recently. Rubbish movie, but one in which this guy was absolutely riveting. And it was mostly his voice. It was really bloody creepy, with an unusual style of delivery.

Add to this the facts that Durand is a talented actor and pretty imposing physically.

And there ya go.

Personally i think they should just hire Steven Moffat and Alfonso Cuaron and let them do their thing, but i don't think i have a say in the matter.

Redesigning Cappy

2010-08-24T14:34:00.003+01:00

Jut wanted to share this fantastic Captain America redesign by Genesischant over on DeviantArt...

I love the helmet and shield, and that jacket is just awesome. Clearly a lot of thought went into this, and it's one of the best costume redesigns i've seen. It would have been nice to see something more like this in the movie.

Tired Of Sparkly Vampires Part II

2010-08-24T14:03:00.003+01:00

I heart this...

Originally posted on Twitter by the great Eric Powell, and appearing soon on a t-shirt near you apparently.

Millar Hoping to Hit Mainstream In A Big Way

2010-08-23T00:46:00.026+01:00

A bunch of CLiNT magazine news has been popping up as we approach the september release.

Check out the trailer for starters...

And Mark Millar has been bigging up the magazine to CBR...

"I'm hoping 'CLiNT' hits the British mainstream in a big way. It's been years since anyone tried a really wide, new launch in the UK and I feel there's an enormous gap in the market for something like this."

"There just isn't nearly enough work in this country for an enormous number of talented people who are looking for a showcase. Even '2000AD,' probably the greatest British comic of all time, is only selling about 10 or 20 percent of what it used to hit. I want to give people a place they can work here without going to the States. I want to try and rebuild the UK scene with an entirely new business model from what's been tried in the past and get the supermarkets (where 70% of todays sales are) excited about comics. I'm going after a whole new audience here, people who've never been in a comic book store before. I'd like to create a whole new generation of British fans who will hopefully love this stuff and then try comic stores as they become more addicted. Like most people, I started as a newsstand reader too, and I want boys today to do the same."

It was also revealed that Frankie Boyle's strip will be called Rex Royd, which was described as a fucked up version of Lex Luthor or something. I can almost picture this in my head already.

Apparently UK funnyman Jimmy Carr will be contributing to the magazine too. No word on what form that contribution will take, but i assume it will be a comic strip or something.

In addition to the comics strips there will be a number of features...

"I've got a team of seven feature writers, and they're going to be writing about 15-18-pages of each issue. Fun stuff, like interviews and stuff that reads like 'Esquire' or 'Bizarre' or whatever. It's stuff that people like me and you are interested in. It's more mainstream than 'Wizard,' but at the same time it's full of geekiness in some form"

More interesting to me personally tho is the new talent that Miller is hoping to attract. It seems there are two ways that budding creative types can submit their work to the magazine...

"What I also want to do is find all that new talent in the comics industry. There must be another Alan Moore or Dave Gibbons out there for this generation, but he's working in his day-job and doesn't know where to pitch. It'd be nice if they were British, but they wouldn't have to be. What I'd like is to see submissions from people - they can post their work on my Millarworld site. What I'm asking is for people to create three, four or five-page stories in the style of 'The Twilight Zone' and showcase their talents in an easier and faster way for me to look at. That's why I created the 'Space Oddities' format, similar to what '2000AD' did years ago with "Future Shocks'. This was a wonderful training ground for new writers, I started there myself. Alan Moore started there. Peter Milligan, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison and all these guys started on 'Future Shocks' and graduated onto bigger things once they proved they could tell a story."

"We're also looking for a new iconic character who can get his own strip outside the short stories, so what I'd suggest for anyone who fancies it is to write the first 11-page episode of what they'd like to be a continuing series, and again, link up with an artist. If there's anything good enough, we'll buy it and use it. Try to think in terms of a 33-page story, but give us the first 11. If it's good, we'll buy it. It's that simple. But it has to be a real iconic character in the way that Kick-Ass is iconic or Judge Dredd is iconic. It's got to be a good title and a good vision of a lead character."

Hmmm.

I'm off to buy the 2000AD Future Shocks collections to work out how to tell a decent short story.

Check out the full CBR interview with Millar here, and Millar's website is here.

Inglourious Shadow

2010-08-22T23:53:00.007+01:00

Over at Pajiba earlier this month there was a rumour that Quentin Tarantino is the latest name attached to direct the new Shadow movie, with Sam Raimi still producing.

"This comes as big a surprise to me as anyone, because I don’t know where Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino’s movie pathways have crossed, and so far as I know, The Shadow has never been mentioned among the 27 dozen projects that Tarantino has always been obsessed with. Maybe he loved original radio show and the pulps (which do seem up Tarantino’s alley), and maybe he saw Siavash Farahani’s script and decided that, if anyone could erase the memory of Alec Baldwin’s atrocity, it’d be him. Maybe Tarantino just loves the challenge. Or maybe he’s just added this to the huge pile of future possibilities and has no intention of ever directing. All I know is that, for the moment, he is being discussed (and this is a two-way discussion) and or already attached as the future director of The Shadow."

More here.

I don't know about this.

I love most of QT's films, and he has proven he can handle action, but i'm not sure his style is the right fit for this sort of thing. It's a bit too self-consciously cool and stylised y'know?

On the other hand, as Pajiba notes, there is a very fair chance QT will have moved on to other stuff in a few weeks or so anyway, so at this stage there's no use in worrying.

Mountains Of Madness: A Popular Destination

2010-08-22T17:27:00.004+01:00

While we are on the subject of AtMoM i thought i would share this sneak peek from INJ Culbard's upcoming graphic novel adaptation of the same...

It has a nice Hergé feel to it that i'm loving.

I have been very much enjoying the Sherlock Holmes adaptations Culbard has been doing with Ian Edginton, so i can't wait for this solo effort. I've been following the progress over on his blog, and the book is shaping up nicely.

Del Toro And Cameron Head For The Mountains Of Madness

2010-08-22T15:36:00.008+01:00

I was all excited to read that Guillermo del Toro will be doing a stop-motion version of Pinocchio with musician/composer Nick Cave. I love both those blokes and i'm sure they will do something amazing with this story. I'm also hoping that Mike Mignola will become involved with the project in some form... he is friends with the director and has collaborated with him on a couple of different movies now, and he often cites Pinocchio as a favourite and a major influence.

All very exciting.

And then a couple of days later i heard some news that blew the Pinocchio stuff out of the water totally.

Guillermo del Toro will be directing HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu classic At The Mountains Of Madness. With James Cameron producing.

Holy moley.

AtMoM is the story of a 1930s scientific expedition to Antarctica, which stumbles across the ruins of a lost civilisation and makes a series of discoveries that are both horrific and disturbing.

Now this news isn't entirely a surprise, as GDT has been trying to get this movie going for years now, and has made no secret of it being his dream project. It is however a big deal that Cameron has jumped aboard the project.

Speaking a while back GDT said...

“There are two things I’ve been battling all these years: period and R-rated, and a very tough ending, so the studio is very scared of period obviously, he’s very scared of the budget and an R-rating, and the first conversation I always have is, ‘Does it have to be R?’ and I go, ‘Yes.’ ‘Does it have to be period? Does it have to be Antarctica? ‘Yes.’”

It seems like Cameron's involvement has turned the situation around and convinced the studio to go ahead with this thing finally. And not only that, but the film will be a big event movie filmed in 3D and everything.

I don't think i've ever seen this much talent and money thrown at an HPL story, but it's about time frankly. Considering his stature as one of the most talented and influential horror writers of all time, his cinema presence has been thoroughly shitty.

Hopefully AtMoM will be the first HPL movie to live up to the source material.

Oh and while the studio is throwing money at this, i think they should throw some in the direction of this guy.

I heart GDT and his awesome movie choices.

Suckerpunch Trailer

2010-08-20T15:35:00.003+01:00

I think i just had a crisis in my pants or something.

Stuff I Like: Paul Pope's Battling Boy

2010-08-20T13:43:00.010+01:00

It seems like i've been waiting since forever for Paul Pope's Battling Boy.

If you are unfamiliar with the project here is how the artist described it back in 2008...

"Battling Boy is the son of a god or a super hero—it is left unspecified—who comes down from the top of a mountain (or rather, from inside a cloud/UFO contraption/contrivance from above a mountain top) at this father's behest, in order to rid a giant city from it's plague of monsters. Hercules had his labors, Batman has his Gotham, Battling Boy has his Monstropolis."

"Monstropolis is a city the size of an entire continent—and it is absolutely overrun with monsters. These are horrible, Grimm's fairytale, Beowulf-ish monsters, awful things. Child-stealers. Plus some of the vampires and mummies and wolfmen we remember from the old black and white Hollywood horror films. Which—if you remember—aren't very funny."

And apparently there is a fifty page fight scene in this thing.

Anyway take a look at some of the gorgeous art...

Recently colourist Nathan Schreiber gave fans a glimpse of some of the first coloured BB artwork here, and it looks stunning.

Also over on the ever-excellent Bad Librarianship blog Mark Kardwell posted this print that he came across...

As Mark notes this was supposed to be a poster for TCAF 2010, so if anyone knows if the poster was actually made or if it is available for sale anywhere please leave a comment.

I have no clue when or in what form this will finally see the light of day, but i do know that it looks and sounds bloody amazing, and i'm sure this will be Pope's magnum opus.

Okay back to sitting on the edge of my seat...

Boiling Point

2010-08-19T23:42:00.008+01:00

According to the Hollywood Reporter last month (wow i am so behind of late) J.J. Abrams' production company has picked up the movie rights to Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett's Boilerplate.

"Boilerplate purports to tell the story of the world’s first robot, who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I."

It's a fun character that has been around for a while online. Guinan created a fantastic website about eleven years ago to try to drum up interest in a graphic novel featuring the character, which attracted a bit of a cult following. Apparently some gullible folks even fell for the faked images on the site and believed the robot to be a genuine part of history.

More recently there was an illustrated-novel-coffee-table-book-thing released last year called Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel, which i recommend highly.

I love this character and think this could make a fantastic movie if handled correctly.

Worthington Is Dan Dare

2010-08-18T03:25:00.020+01:00

Variety confirmed last month that man-of-the-moment Sam Worthington has been cast as Dan Dare.

I call that a fail.

Dare is a British institution. Our answer to Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon, throughout much of the 1950s/1960s he was our most famous and popular comicbook character, and influenced many of the top writers and artists working today.

As i said in an earlier post on the subject, the character is more-or-less the stereotypical stiff-upper-lipped RAF officer type... the sort of character that would have been played by Michael Redgrave or Roger Moore or one of those guys back in the day, and should be played by the likes of Michael Fassbender or Ralph Fiennes today.

Sam Worthington is just wrong.

Also it's like casting an Australian as James Bond y'know?

And more importantly i have seen most of Worthington's movies, and it pains me to say that he seems to be totally lacking in charisma and/or personality. I mean he is like a walking prop or something.

And yet people keep casting the guy.

Meh.

Apparently the new movie will be based on the recent Virgin miniseries by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine, which in itself is less than promising. I mean it was a nice little series with some gorgeous artwork, but it wasn't very representative of the character and seems like an odd choice on which to base a relaunch. It's a little bit like relaunching the Batman franchise and using the Dark Knight Returns as the foundation.

Anyway, between this and the casting and the fact that the new movie is being produced by the folks behind the awful Clash Of The Titans remake, i am not filled with confidence. Of course i could be wrong and this could turn out to be the bestest movie ever... but i won't hold my breath.

Which is a shame as i have wanted to see a Dan Dare movie since forever.

LoEG: 1969

2010-08-18T03:05:00.005+01:00

Here's a look at some art from the upcoming second instalment of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century.

Pretty self-explanatory.

Great stuff from O'Neill as usual. I love the new-look Nautilus.

I'm in two minds about where Moore has taken the LoEG series, but it's still one of my favourite comics and i'm looking forward to seeing where this new story is going.

The Rocketeer Returns

2010-08-18T02:42:00.005+01:00

More catching up peeps... which is what i should rename the blog.

Anyway it seems that sometime next year IDW will be putting out a new four issue Rocketeer anthology. It will have three stories in each issue, plus pinups, and some of the biggest names in the business are working on the thing.

CBR spoke to editor Scott Dunbier a bit about it...

"Mike Allred is writing and drawing his, Kurt Busiek is writing a story for Michael Kaluta, John Cassaday and Darwyn Cooke are both writing and drawing their stories. There will be some pin-ups by Geoff Darrow, Art Adams, Jeff Campbell, Mike Mignola, a bunch of different guys."

"Rocketeer is one of those books that is not hard to talk people into doing. The Rocketeer is one of those characters like Batman - everybody wants to do a Batman story."

And if the miniseries sells well then IDW might consider doing more Rocketeer in some form.

I love me some Rocketeer so this is All Good.

Slaine: the Horned God Fan Trailer

2010-08-10T00:23:00.007+01:00

Okay no more 2000AD after this one.

It's an oldie, but i wanted to share this fan film trailer for a Slaine: the Horned God movie...

Slaine is hands-down my favourite 2000AD character. A sort-of celtic version of Conan borrowing heavily from Cú Chulainn and Irish mythology. At the time the Horned God was an epic masterpiece that felt like the end of an era. It made a superstar of Simon Bisley and hooked me on comicbooks for life.

If this was done right it could make for an amazing movie.

Blue Meanie

2010-08-10T00:05:00.005+01:00

Might as well continue the 2000AD theme with a snippet of test footage of an animated Rogue Trooper from the folks over at the Freakish Kid studios.

No reason other than Rogue Trooper kicks ass and the guys were between projects.

I can't embed the footage so check it out here on their blog.

I wish this was coming out for really.

Rogue Trooper was one of my favourite 2000AD characters, altho i admit i don't read the comics much now.

Basically he was a genetically modified soldier fighting in some neverending future war, and he was a badass motherflipper week after week.

I think i might need to track down some trades now or something actually.

Karl Urban Is The Law

2010-08-09T23:49:00.004+01:00

More 2000AD news.

A number of sites were reporting a couple of weeks ago that Karl Urban has been offered the role of Judge Dredd in the upcoming reboot. Apparently a deal is close to being done, but at this stage it seems like just a formality.

Movieline talked to him about the film briefly...

"I’ve been reading Dredd for over 25 years. When I was 15 years old working in the pizza parlor, the manager I worked for was heavily into it, and he switched me on to it."

"I can say that the producers behind this movie are being 100% faithful to the source material. The creator is involved as a consultant, and the artist, Jock, who’s done some incredible work…he’s also involved in the development stage."

"It’s going to be hardcore and gritty. I feel most happy for fans of Dredd who are finally going to get the Dredd movie they so richly deserve. I can tell you that hypothetically — and this just gives you an idea of where our heads are collectively at — if I was to go see a movie called Judge Dredd, and the actor who played Judge Dredd was to take his helmet off and full-on reveal his face and identity, I would puke in my popcorn."

"Dredd is enigmatic, the faceless representative of justice. His prevailing attitudes, his strength of moral character, and the strength of his actions are what speak volumes for that character."

I'm not sure about this. I mean he doesn't strike me as Judge Dredd material particularly. And despite his height he has quite a small frame, which makes him look less than intimidating.

On the other hand i like the guy and he is a talented actor who seems to be very passionate about the character.

He just isn't Adam Baldwin y'know?

I suppose i'll wait and see how he comes across in costume tho.

Anyway the movie is shaping up quite nicely. It is to be directed by Pete Travis, with the talented Alex Garland doing the screenplay.

Here is some of the reader review from the Playlist blog...

"MEGA CITY ONE is plagued by a new drug, SLO-MO, it slow’s everything down and producers visually stunning images, with time that moves at one percent normal.
Dredd has a rookie shadowing him for the night (CASSANDRA ANDERSON), she has some special abilities that the CHIEF JUDGE thinks could be very useful, however her JUDGE APTITUDE test scored just put her below a pass. It’s up to DREDD to see if she has what it takes to be a Judge and one night to do so."

"The pair investigate a multiple homicide in PEACH TREE BLOCK. A place ran and controlled by the MA-MA CLANG. After busting one of Ma-Ma’s henchmen, Ma-Ma takes control and locks the entire place down, she seals the place with concrete shutters -- and no way out. Ma-Ma also tell’s everyone within the block to KILL THE JUDGES, or their families will suffer. Ma-Ma is the ultimate force in Peach Trees, more than the law, so everyone complies. Dredd and Anderson have to survive, holding onto their prisoner and try and escape the block. They begin on the ground floor and work their way up the 200 or so floors."

"It’s a very action heavy script, with some amazing sequences that will make any Dredd fan happy...this is a gritty film, that plays the world we are in as a realistic future, a very dark, unpleasant crime ridden world as Dredd explains ‘Tweleve serious crimes reported every minute. Seventeen thousand per day. We respond to around six percent’. The famous ‘I am the law’ makes a few appearances."

"It never felt too long or too short, It’s just right. The pace is fantastic and if shot well would make for one visually stunning piece upon release."

I wasn't too enthused about the idea of a new Dredd movie to be honest, but on the whole it is starting to look quite promising.

Stickleback movie next please guys.

The British Are Coming

2010-08-09T23:18:00.010+01:00

It looks like the folks behind British anthology comic 2000AD are making a big effort to break into the American market again.

Apparently there will be a new American edition of 2000AD called 2000AD Presents. It will not feature Judge Dredd, who appears in every issue of the British edition, but will instead focus on introducing some of the comic's many other character's to American readers.

Also they will be expanding their graphic novel program, printing two titles a month through to 2011 at least.

All fine for my buddies overseas, but as a Brit for me the most exciting news was the announcement that Grant Morrison's Zenith will be collected in a new edition finally.

"Another reveal was that Richardson is in very early stages of finally releasing Grant Morrison’s magnum opus “Zenith” in a collected edition. This comic, which has never been released in a definitive one-volume edition, is often referred to as Grant Morrison’s best work and is highly sought after by collectors, with rarer volumes sometimes fetching hundreds of dollars on the secondary market."

"Confusion over rights issues has left this book in limbo for decades, but Richardson said it is one of his main priorities, aside from the “Judge Dredd” film, to get the rights sorted out as soon as possible."

I remember reading this stuff the first time round and it was amazing. I have been waiting for it to be collected since forever.

Really exciting.

Check out CBR for more on all of this.

Tired Of Sparkly Vampires?

2010-08-09T23:14:00.001+01:00

I found this fantastic promo for Mike Mignola and Chris Golden's new Baltimore series over at Comic Attack...

And in answer to the question: yes.

It's about time someone made vampires creepy again, and these are the guys to do that very thing.

Issue one of this came out last week and if you haven't bought it already then i suggest you rush out and find a copy.

Warlord Of Mars

2010-08-09T23:12:00.000+01:00

Dynamite already boasts an impressive lineup of pulp properties including the Lone Ranger, Zorro, Green Hornet, Buck Rogers, the Phantom, Flash Gordon, and Mandrake The Magician. In october they add John Carter to that list, with the publication of the first issue of their new Warlord Of Mars series.

Press release...

Princess of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the first of his famous series, which initially began publication in serialized form within the pages of All-Story Magazine in February 1912. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his Tarzan stories. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the story is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. This series is written by Arvid Nelson and is illustrated by Stephen (Avengers/Invaders) Sadowski and Lui Antonio, and features covers by Alex Ross, Joe Jusko, Lucio Parillo, and J. Scott Campbell!

"We're trying to stay as true to the spirit of the originals as possible," says writer Arvid Nelson. "The novels are told as the "memoirs" of John Carter, the main character, and the comics will be told the same way. I think Mars is going to be something really special. We're doing this adaptation the right way, and I'm so excited for people to read it!"

"This is a project that we've been working on for quite a bit," says Dynamite Entertainment President Nick Barrucci. "We plan to capture all the grit and action of the original, while expanding the story with brand-new elements, exploring the back story and earlier events of this classic tale! To allow the series to be accessible to fans old and new, we are offering the first issue at the Introductory Price of $1.00 for the full ENTIRE 32 page comic, as well as dedicating both of the Dynamite front gate folds of the October shipping Previews Magazine to our launch. Get on board for the biggest comic book launch in October!"

And here is a look at the Joe Jusko cover and some of the interior art by Stephen Sadowski and Lui Antonio...

Pretty.

I'm definately checking this out as i love the books, and Dynamite have a pretty decent track record with this sort of thing.

The Goon Trailer

2010-08-09T23:10:00.001+01:00

I suppose i should start on some of that stuff i've been putting off finally. It's late and probably most of you have seen it all elsewhere before now, but maybe some of you will have missed one or two of these items or something.

Anyway to kick off with here is the new Goon movie trailer...

And here's the poster...

Big fan of the Goon. I can't wait for this it looks amazing.

Move Along, Nothing to See Here

2010-08-09T23:05:00.003+01:00

Okay so just wanted to say that the Ben Caldwell interview isn't happening. Ben is a lovely guy and i want to thank him for all his cooperation, this is not his fault, but circumstances and blah blah blah not happening.

Sorry folks.

Tintin Pantoja's Princess Of Paradise

2010-08-09T11:18:00.009+01:00

I contacted Tintin Pantoja the other day asking if she could tell me a little bit about her rejected Wonder Woman manga pitch from a while ago, and she was kind enough to reply with the following...

"There's not much to say. I've always liked the concept of the character, and really enjoyed the early issues George Perez did. Manga was at the height of its popularity, and I thought it would be fun to put the two together. It's been described as "by the numbers manga-like" - I'll take that as a compliment!"

"I extracted the elements that zinged with me and ran with them: a magical princess, magic powers, lots of strong female characters, a whole pantheon of supernaturals to play with, the whole epic fantasy side that Perez brought to the story."

"Most of all, I loved the conflicts the character represented: mother versus daughter, child versus adult, tradition versus modernization, warrior versus pacifist, female versus male, and the outsider/immigrant versus the native/indigenous culture. Unlike Superman or Batman, Wonder Woman came to America as a near-adult, so she'd be a complete stranger to the new world. I just felt complete empathy with all of that."

"Anyway, it was a fun brain exercise. I sent it to a couple of editors at DC that I'd met at SVA, but nothing came of it, so I just posted it on my website for the hell of it. You're the first person that's mentioned it in a long time actually."

And here's a look at some of the artwork...

It sounds like it would have been interesting reading, and the art is lovely. Makes me wish DC were a bit more adventurous when it comes to publishing multiple versions of their characters.

Check out the full pitch here, and to see more of Tintin's art her main website can be found here.

Cheers Tintin!

Wonder Woman's Villains Part II

2010-08-08T19:23:00.008+01:00

A little late because i've been working on some other fun stuff that i can't say much about, but here is the second part of my villain thing...

Gundra

Gundra is a nazi valkyrie.

Because sometimes being a valkyrie just isn't hardcore enough y'know?

Originally in the comics it was said that the Germanic deities were brought to life by the "mad desires" of the German people during WWII. I suppose they were sort-of psychic manifestations of all that Wagnerian bullshit Hitler was so keen on peddling.

A new version of the character was introduced sometime in the 1970s. I don't know much about this one, but i did some googling and it seems she was "summoned" by Hitler somehow using the Spear Of Destiny. More or less the same situation as the first version to all intents and purposes.

So not the "real" Germanic deities technically.

I think it might be wise to ditch the stuff about "mad desires" and "psychic manifestations" as it isn't really fair to Germany. It is easier to just say that Gundra is a valkyrie.

Also if you are going with the genuine valkyrie approach i don't think she needs to also be a nazi... it's overkill and unnecessary.

I would hesitate to have any of the Germanic deities actually physically appear for the same reasons i mentioned when talking about Ares previously. On the other hand monsters and minor mythological characters are fair game in my opinion, so using this villain could allow you to throw everything from Jörmungand to frost giants at Wonder Woman. Mythology is supposed to be Wonder Woman's niche within the DCU, but rarely does she deal with anything outside of Greek mythology. In this respect she needs to be more like Hellboy.

Another interesting thing with the mythology is the keres connection. In Greek mythology there are these obscure creatures called the keres, terrible spirits that hover over the battlefield feeding on the souls of men. Basically they are like a more vicious and darker version of the valkyries, and it is speculated that the two types of creature share a common origin in some older and more pagan form of mythology. Both names translate as "choice" or "the choosers" roughly. Ben Caldwell subtly made this connection in his Wednesday Comics story, and i think JMS is teasing a similar connection in his current story, but i think it is something that needs to be explored more fully as it is fun and interesting and links Gundra to Wonder Woman a little more closely.

Of course it might also be interesting to take an entirely new approach to the character. Instead of a real valkyrie she could be a nazi super soldier modelled on the valkyries for patriotic/propoganda purposes. In this scenario you can bring in characters like Paula Von Gunther and the Red Panzer to create more storytelling opportunities.

Regardless of the details, valkyries are just awesome, and pitting one against Wonder Woman leads to more awesome.

Osira

Osira is an odd one from the 1970s.

Basically she was an alien who crashlanded in ancient Egypt and was worshipped by the Egyptians as a deity. Apparently her schtick was bringing "peace" to the entire world by somehow eliminating free will and compelling everyone to love her and do her bidding. A bit like Jasmine in season four of Angel really... altho if you haven't seen that i suppose the reference will mean nothing.

In ancient times she tried this trick, but an old priest somehow was able to resist and imprison her in a tomb, where she lay trapped for centuries. In 1942 she was released by accident and pulled the same thing, halting WWII in it's tracks, so Wonder Woman was faced with the moral dilemna of restarting the war and causing millions of deaths if she tried to restore free will, which is interesting.

It was a bit vague in the comics as to what her powers were exactly. It seemed like she had some pretty strong psychic ability obviously, and some level of control over matter and energy.

I think this character could be used to look at the bigger issues of religion and tolerance, as well as more personal stuff like conformity and identity.

Of course even tho she isn't really a deity the character is linked to Egypt and Egyptian mythology. Also mummies and tombs specifically. A lot of opportunities there.

Also the character is just begging to be tied into all that Erich von Däniken ancient astronaut stuff, which then potentially opens up opportunities with the lost continents of Atlantis and Lemuria and Mu, as well as various ancient mythologies globally.

It would be fascinating to see Wonder Woman all alone in a world that worships Osira as a deity. A world where Osira has turned hearts and minds against Wonder Woman. Again it is something she can't fight just by punching and kicking.

Queen Clea

Queen Clea was monarch of the Atlantean outpost of Venturia, which was hidden deep in the bowels of the earth somewhere beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Clea was a cruel tyrant who wanted to conquer the other Atlantean outposts and create a new Atlantean empire or something.

After her initial defeat she went on to recruit a bunch of other Wonder Woman villains to form the supervillain team Villainy Inc, which was the first supervillain team ever to appear in comics incidentally.

In the 1990s a new Clea was introduced in the comics, with a similar story and trajectory. Sadly this one is caught up in the rubbish "Hippolyta was Wonder Woman in the 1940s even tho it makes no sense because we like the idea of a WWII Wonder Woman but we kinda wrote ourselves into a corner when we rebooted the character in the 1980s and ditched all that stuff" bullshit from the John Byrne era.

Another problem she faces in the comics is Aquaman. Atlantis is Aquaman's thing so far as TPTB at DC are concerned, which is fair enough, but it does mean that within the context of the DCU Queen Clea no longer makes much sense. I'm not aware if the comics have even addressed how the character fits in the current continuity, so using her could become pretty messy.

I'm sure there is a way to sort all this out tho with some creative thinking.

And in the movies of course you wouldn't have this issue getting in the way.

Originally all Atlanteans were said to be much stronger and tougher than the rest of us, but the character had no actual powers or anything. In the 1990s Phil Jiminez hinted that she might be some sort of sorcerer, and also gave her a magic trident thingy. I don't think the character needs to be more powerful tho, and the trident doesn't make much sense as Atlantis isn't an "undersea" nation and has no connection to either Greek or Roman mythology.

I think this character could be amazing potentially.

Again i would use the Atlantean connection to bring in some concepts from ancient astronaut theory. Hyperborea, Mu, Lemuria. Associations with ancient mythology. In the comics Venturia is located beneath the earth, so you can also throw in the mix elements of hollow earth theory. Agharta, Shamballa, the troll-like Dero, vril energy. And if you make these connections then the next "logical" step is to incorporate the nazis, their search for vril, all the stuff about nazi UFOs, and characters such as Paula Von Gunther and Red Panzer.

Clea could be a goldmine frankly.

I think this character offers the potential for some pretty epic storytelling. I mean this is a queen with an entire nation at her command, so think war and massive battles and all that stuff.

Zara: Priestess of the Crimson Flame

Zara was the high priestess of the Cult Of The Crimson Flame, a mystic cult that idolised some sort of spirit that appeared as an eerie voice and a hovering crimson flame when manifesting physically. In reality tho it was all trickery. Zara was a fraudster who used illusions to fool the cultists into doing her bidding. Apparently she was an Arabian whose father sold her into slavery when she was young. As a result she grew up hating men of power and directed her energies towards schemes of revenge, often involving kidnapping and/or brainwashing the children of such men.

In the 1980s of course a new version of the character was introduced, which was much the same except that her mystic/magic abilities were genuine and didn't involve trickery.

It isn't much of a stretch to equate the cult with the sort of anti-capitalist/anti-west movements we see today. And Zara is from the Middle East, which ties into all that stuff neatly. It might be an uncomfortable area for some writers, but i think this character offers a valuable opportunity for tackling some of the most important issues of our day in a meaningful way.

As i said before it would be interesting to see Wonder Woman take on something that cannot be defeated by punching and kicking.

How do you fight an idea?

What use is force against brainwashing and indoctrinisation?

On a lighter note there is the mystic angle to explore, if you go with the idea of the character's abilities being genuine. Maybe you could look into theosophy or something. Maybe Zara is channeling vril energy. Maybe it is something to do with mythology... a djinn that Zara is able to summon or something.

I think there is more than enough there to keep both Wonder Woman and the writers busy.

The Snow Man

Basically the Snow Man was no such thing. In reality "he" was a woman named Byrna Brilyant, a school teacher in a small farming community, who dressed as a fat man and tried to extort money from the local farmers using a bizarre freezing ray.

Apparently her father had been an inventor, and before his death he was working on something called "blue snow" which he claimed could benefit mankind in some way. It was sort-of like "super" liquid nitrogen, and could freeze anything it came into contact with instantly. Byrna decided that the invention would be better suited to benefitting her bank balance tho, so made it into a sort of snow cannon with which she froze most of the farms in the valley. If the farmer's forked over all their cash she would unfreeze their farms, and if not maybe they could take up ice-hockey or something.

I understand why people have trouble taking this character seriously.

I think the basic idea is sound tho: a cold-themed character called the Snow Man, who is armed with some sort of freezing weapon.

I mean the weapon doesn't need to fire a snow-like substance and the character doesn't need to be a school teacher... those are just details really.

As for the whole man/woman thing i think the character should just be a big butch type in a heavy overcoat with a scarf and hat. It wouldn't be difficult for her to pass as a man to hide her true identity.

I think with a bit of thought put into her schemes and motivations this could be a fun character.

And every superhero needs a cold-themed villain.

Hypnota

Another woman disguised as a man... characters like this seem to appear a lot in Wonder Woman comics. I don't know the reasons behind this ruse, but she had a little fake goatee and everything.

Hypnota The Great was a stage magician whose latent psychic powers were unlocked in the form of a "blue electric ray of dominance" after being shot in the head and undergoing surgery. Apparently now she was able to mesmerise people with a glance, so of course she turned to crime... selling mesmerised victims to slave traders from Saturn. Seriously. And she enslaved her twin sister and forced her to become her accomplice unwillingly.

Hypnota is fun and odd and kinda silly.

I think she has potential tho really. Imagine for instance an audience of a hundred people at one of her shows... she could mesmerise them all and implant the suggestion that whenever they hear a certain sound they go commit a bank robbery or something. I think the beauty of the character is that she could be behind a crime spree or a murder or whatever and literally nobody would know she had anything to do with anything. Hypnota could be like a puppet master that nobody remembers.

And the old-school stage hypnotist costume and name, along with the transvestism, just adds a bit of colour to the character and makes her more entertaining.

Badra

Awful name.

Badra is the sole survivor of an apocalytpic civil war which made her home planet go bye-bye. Arriving on our planet she discovered she now had superpowers, and set about forming a criminal gang. A sort-of evil version of Superman essentially.

Interestingly she was one of the few classic villains to ever beat Wonder Woman in a straight fight.

I don't have much to say on this character as she only ever made one appearance way back in the 1940s.

I mention her here as i think she is an ideal blank slate. A Superman-level villain with little baggage. A superpowered princess from a vicious warrior society. As i mentioned in the casting thing i think it would be fun to see her as a sort-of Lobo crossed with Paris Hilton or something.

The Mask

Another villain with a rubbish name, this character forced her victims to wear masks rigged with poisonous gas, which could only be removed safely using a certain key. It turned out that the Mask was Nina Close, a timid and mousey woman abused by her asshole millionaire husband, who cracked one day and developed a split personality. Close went on to use the masks to extort millions from her husband and various other victims.

A version of the character appeared in the comics recently it turns out, described as "an abused wife who murdered her husband and now uses his fortune to empower similarly victimized wives and mothers" apparently.

As i said the name is pretty generic and boring. On the other hand i love the mask thing and think this is what makes the character so interesting. I mean with those nasty S&M-style devices it's like she is a twisted feminist version of the bloke from the Saw movies or something.

I think it would be fun to have a more "down to earth" villain as a change of pace from all the nazis and aliens and mythology.

And of course the character allows writers to address issues such as abuse and domestic violence.

The Angle Man

Angles Andrews was a mobster and criminal mastermind whose schtick was inventing elaborate schemes based on some sort of angle or something. Andrews was known as "the man with a million angles" amongst the criminal fraternity.

In the 1950s Bob Kanigher started phasing out the original villains created by William Marston, and for most of the next decade he focused instead on one-off villains that were either ridiculous or boring. Angle Man was for some reason the one villain that was allowed to become recurring. As such i think he is a more important character than he is given credit for usually.

In the late 1970s another version of the character appeared, and this time he wore spandex and carried a set square that could warp time and space. I'm not making this shit up y'know.

I think we should just ignore the new version and hope he goes away.

As i said this is quite an important character in that he was pretty much the only decent villain to come out of the Kanigher era. Also he is one of Wonder Woman's few male villains, and i think it would be smart to have more of those in the mix.

I agree with the opinion that Wonder Woman shouldn't be fighting run-of-the-mill mobsters and street-level criminals most of the time, but i think there should be at least one such villain for her to tackle, and i think Angles Andrews is the guy.

Dr Cyber

In the late 1960s TPTB decided Wonder Woman needed a groovy makeover, so they took away her powers, her costume, and her supporting cast, and turned her into a jumpsuit-wearing karate-kicking shadow of her former self.

Dr Cyber was Wonder Woman's main villain throughout this era.

Dr Cyber was the mysterious mastermind behind a vast criminal organisation. I suppose she was a sort-of modern Fu-Manchu or something. Most of her schemes were bullshit and she often appeared to die at the end of each story. After her first encounter with Wonder Woman she recieved terrible burns all over her face, so spent a lot of time and energy from then on trying to transfer her brain into Wonder Woman's smoking body... every woman needs a hobby. In later appearances she took to wearing a suit of cybernetic armour, which went some way to justifying her otherwise incongruous name finally.

I-Ching was the sole survivor of an ancient sect which was massacred when Cyber raided their monastery in search of rare jewels. Ching became Wonder Woman's Mr Miyagi and the two of them went after Cyber and her organisation.

A new version of Dr Cyber was introduced in 2002, and it is impied that this one is an actual cyborg. I don't know much about this version as she didn't appear in the Wonder Woman comics and not much was done with her really. Apparently this version also popped up in the JLU cartoon.

As much as i hate this era of the comics i must admit that Cyber has a lot going for her potentially. I like the Fu-Manchu vibe, i like the asian connection, and i like the armour.

One thing i would suggest would be to bring in the technological stuff earlier so that her name makes some sort of sense. Maybe she is also an inventor and uses advanced tech or gadgetry in her schemes or something.

I would also think about using the character to try exploring asian mysticism and mythology. In the comics the brotherhood that I-Ching belonged to knew the mysterious art of blending magic and science, and i think it makes sense for this to be the reason Cyber raids the monastery. Make her into some sort of techno-witch... like Dr Doom with boobies.

And of course Wonder Woman doesn't have any other Chinese villains, so giving this character one foot in the field of asian magic and mythology creates a new set of opportunities for future stories.

All done.

Hopefully you thought this stuff was fun and interesting. It would be nice if i managed to make a couple of you think that Wonder Woman's villains really aren't too shabby.

Wonder Woman's Villains

2010-08-04T04:43:00.054+01:00

Wonder Woman has no villains.

It's something i hear all the time, and often from talented people that i otherwise respect enormously.

I find the statement to be really annoying. It's a lazy thing to say, and people keep saying it to the point where the myth is being perpetuated and people are starting to think of it as truth.

I think the first time it really bothered me was when it was said by Joss Whedon. I mean i love Joss and think he is an incredible writer, so it frustrated me that he either couldn't be bothered to do his research, or wasn't willing to use a bit of imagination to see the potential in Wonder Woman's rogues gallery.

In fairness as i said before he isn't alone in this... everyone from Gail Simone to Nicolas Winding Refn has said the same thing.

It was the comments from Refn that made me want to write about the issue.

A Wonder Woman movie at some point is inevitable, and i would like to think that whomever ends up directing the thing will make an effort to do it right.

Wonder Woman has some of the most fun and inventive and memorable villains in comics. Of course she has her share of ridiculous villains too, but even those have the potential for greatness with a little thought and effort. I mean for instance look at how deeply silly most of the Flash's villains appear to be, and yet his rogue's gallery is rated right up there with Batman's or Spider-Man's by your average comicbook fanboy.

Remember there are no bad characters, only bad writers.

I wanted to do something like an open letter or something. I wanted to write something that people might stumble across and find informative, and that somehow might go a little way towards redressing the balance of ignorance.

At least that is the idea.

So here are Wonder Woman's best villains, along with some of my thoughts on them...

Ares

Ares is Wonder Woman's most important enemy. In the roman form of Mars he was the character's first real villain in the comics, and has been a major part of every version of her origin story. He represents everything Wonder Woman opposes... violence, anger, hate, bullying. I find it frustrating when people say Wonder Woman has no arch enemy like the Joker or Lex Luthor, when clearly it is this guy. You can't ask for a more fitting or compelling arch enemy than the god of war really.

And he has to be one of the finest villains a writer could ask for.

Ignoring for a moment how powerful and scary this guy is, there is the fact that he can serve as a metaphor for exploring a whole bunch of issues... the nature of violence and aggression, the war of the sexes, fate and free will. A half decent writer should be able to find plenty to say through this character.

Also there are a number of fascinating mythological/historical connections that are begging to be explored further. Ares is the father of Hippolyta in mythology for instance, which if carried over into the comics would make him Wonder Woman's grandfather. Ares is also the main deity worshipped by the "real" Amazons historically. I think there's a lot of mileage in those ideas.

A pet peeve of mine is when deities are shown as pretty much just regular people wearing white robes and sandals and squabbling amongst themselves. I don't see anything mysterious or interesting about that. It's old and boring. Worse still is the deities-living-amongst-us approach where they wear jeans and have tattoos and work in Burger King. It was a novel idea when Gaiman was doing it in Sandman, and it was even still kinda novel when Whedon was doing it in Buffy, but now it appears everywhere and it is old and boring trying too hard to be edgy and interesting.

I don't wanna see Ares in an Armani suit.

I think Ares needs to be taken the other way. We need to see less of the guy. Make him sort-of like Sauron from the LotR movies... a menacing presence that is felt rather than seen. And when we do see him we see a huge armoured monster of a man with a sword of flame and a voice like thunder. More mysterious, primal, threatening.

I see him as old and angry and fucked off that the world is moving on without him, and i see him becoming wilder and more primal the angrier he becomes... like a wounded bull or something.

And finally there is the bonus that Ares can be linked to a number of other Wonder Woman villains and characters, such as the Silver Swan and Nubia, in ways that i think would make those characters more interesting. I think for instance a Silver Swan who is corrupted and given powers by Ares is a little more credible than one who has cybernetic implants and a huge pair of completely impractical mechanical wings.

In the comics Ares is never allowed to be as cool as he could/should be. In the comics Wonder Woman will always play second fiddle to the more popular characters like Superman or Green Lantern, and so her villains will never be allowed to be more powerful or more threatening than theirs. Which is a shame, as Ares should be able to swallow Darkseid or Sinestro with one bite.

In a movie you wouldn't have to worry about such restrictions tho.

Paula Von Gunther

I feel bad for Paula Von Gunther.

Ares might have been vital to Wonder Woman's origin, but throughout most of the 1940s/1950s he tended to work through henchmen, and it took him a while to really come into his own and be a threat in his own right. I think it is safe to say that throughout the early comics Baroness Von Gunther was Wonder Woman's "true" arch enemy.

And that sucks, as she is almost completely ignored today.

Of course it is difficult to work nazis into modern stories convincingly, so i can see why most writers leave her on the shelf. On the other hand characters such as Captain Nazi and the Red Skull still pop up regularly in comics, and Mike Mignola used the nazis very effectively in Hellboy. Cryogenics, time travel, bitter old wrinklies hiding out in South America, neo-nazis... i'm not sure how best to approach the issue, but it can be done.

And i think it should be done, as Paula was a fun character. A deliciously nasty and slightly kinky spy, she was a brilliant inventor and a ruthless mastermind.

Paula is also a perversion of everything Wonder Woman stands for. I mean she is strong, confident, independent, and technically the embodiment of the feminist ideal, but she channels all that into hate and violence. In that sense she makes for an ideal "evil Wonder Woman" character.

Another idea that might have some mileage is the fact that modern Germans want nothing to do with nazism... the nazis had their time and the world has moved on without them... there is no place for them today. Which is something they have in common with the Amazons.

A smart move would be to bring in some of the conspiracy theory nonsense that surrounds the nazis... about how some of them fled to South America, or were absorded into NASA and various major industries, or went on to control some of the most powerful and influential businesses and institutions in the world... and then there is all the secret experiment and supernatural/mythology stuff to work with too. A lot of potential there.

You can also link the character to various other Wonder Woman characters, such as the nazi Red Panzer and Gundra the valkyrie, to create even more opportunities.

Wonder Woman needs more "intellectual" and science-based villains to balance out all the mythology. I think Paula fits the bill perfectly.

Red Panzer

A lot of what i said about Paula Von Gunther also applies to the Red Panzer, so there's no sense in repeating.

Basically this character is a nazi version of Iron Man. A guy in a robotic suit of armour tricked out with all sorts of nasty weaponry. I think what makes this character worth dusting off is that, in additon to being a genius mechanic/inventor and therefore intellectually threatening, he is also one of the few Wonder Woman villains that is powerful enough to be credibly physically threatening. And of course the robot armour offers a cool visual opportunity.

I think a neat idea with this character would be for him to be a shrivelled little old dude kept alive inside this suit artificially. As if the only thing keeping him going is literally his hate and his intelligence/technology.

Cheetah

Cheetah is a mess to be honest.

In one form or other the Cheetah has been around in the comics since the 1940s, and is Wonder Woman's most well-known villain arguably. Some fans even think of her as Wonder Woman's arch enemy.

Basically there are two versions of the Cheetah.

Originally the Cheetah was a mentally unstable socialite called Priscilla Rich who had a breakdown and fixated on killing Wonder Woman when she upstaged her at some charity event or something. Priscilla had no powers and dressed in a silly Cheetah outfit for some reason. When non-comicbook-reading peeps think of the Cheetah they are thinking usually of this version of the character, as this is the version that appeared in the Superfriends cartoon and was exposed to a wider audience outside of comics. Priscilla was briefly succeeded by her niece Debbie Domain, but that was short-lived thankfully.

In the 1980s Wonder Woman and her villains were all revamped extensively. A new Cheetah called Barbara Minerva was introduced, and this one was a vain archaeologist with the ability to change into a were-cheetah... an ability given to her by an African plant deity. Seriously. Barbara was succeeded by a guy with no penis, but that was short-lived thankfully.

I think with this villain the first thing you have to do is consolidate and simplify. Priscilla is a fascinating character with lots of mental issues and neuroses and stuff for writers to work with, but as a villain her abilities and look are weak. Barbara on the other hand is a dull character with fantastic abilities and a look that is really creepy. It isn't hard to see where i'm going.

I would choose Priscilla as the Cheetah, as she is the original and i think she is entitled frankly. Give her Barbara's abilities and background in archaeology and she would be extremely interesting and full of possibilities.

Of course this new take on the character would need a new origin, as the plant deity thing is just ridiculous. Googling i came across a North African cheetah deity called Mafdet. Apparently Mafdet was the first feline deity, being much earlier than even Bastet and Sekhmet. She was an avenger and goddess of execution, ripping the hearts out of wrong-doers. Now not only is that far cooler than some plant thing, but it makes a lot more sense and creates more opportunities by opening up North African and Egyptian mythology for future stories.

Incorporating Mafdet the Cheetah could now become a vain and arrogant archaeologist who is unstable mentally. Maybe she suffers some slight from Wonder Woman for whatever reason, either real or imaginary. And then while robbing a tomb in North Africa she is somehow turned into a were-cheetah avatar or champion of Mafdet or something. Cheetah then uses her new abilities to become some sort of monstrous vigilante and enter into a psychotic rivalry with Wonder Woman.

I have no clue how TPTB would set about introducing any of this stuff into the comics, but there are always ways y'know? And i do think this or something similar needs to happen with this villain, because as i said before she is a total mess and kinda silly.

It would be easier to do this in the movies of course.

Also i think it would be ideal for Wonder Woman to have a villain that is motivated almost entirely by the sort of hatred that comes from envy and vanity.

Dr Psycho

I love Dr Psycho cos the guy is so damn vile and creepy.

Another one of Wonder Woman oldest enemies, he has been appearing in the comics since the 1940s and has changed surprisingly little over the decades.

Psycho is a psychic medium and occultist who hates women passionately. He can influence people psychically and force them to do or think or see whatever he chooses. He kidnaps women and tortures them pschologically and physically for long periods of time, often forcing them to do humiliating and degradging things until he breaks them. He kept his fiancee slave in this manner for many years. As a medium he is also capable of manifesting physical forms using the ectoplasm of his victims, which is both cool and creepy.

What could be more perfect for Wonder Woman than a villain that is all about lies and misogyny right?

Psycho has a lot to offer in terms of threat. I mean he can screw with Wonder Woman's head and he can turn almost anyone into a henchman or an assassin, and those are situations she can't just punch her way out of the way she might normally. Also his ability to create ectoplasmic forms means he can be a threat physically. Imagine Wonder Woman fighting off a half dozen massive ectoplasmic brutes the size of the Hulk for instance.

So much stuff to work with there.

Giganta

Giganta is ridiculous but fun.

In a lot of ways she is the perfect example of everything that is wrong with the Wonder Woman comics. I mean she started out with a silly but serviceable origin: she was an ape artifically evolved into a big brute of a woman by some nutty scientist and his nutty invention. Giganta was big and strong and aggressive, but she couldn't become an actual giant and she had no actual powers or anything.

And then the character appears in the Superfriends cartoon, and the folks behind that decide she needs to be more powerful, so they give her the ability to grow to giant size and make up a really lame origin about magic dust or something. It catches on with the viewers and now people expect Giganta to actually be giant y'know?

So TPTB decide to make the comicbook version more in line with the cartoon version, but the comicbook origin doesn't account for any powers and the cartoon origin is just crappy. A new origin is cobbled together that tries to tie everything together, and fails miserably. Now Giganta is a scientist suffering from some blood disease. Instead of putting her energy into trying to find a cure or something she decides to transfer her consciousness into Wonder Woman's body. It inevitably doesn't work, and she ends up transferring herself first into a gorilla, and then into a circus strongwoman with the totally unexplained ability to grow to giant proportions.

And someone at editorial thought all this was a Good Idea.

I suppose what i'm saying is that Giganta needs a new origin badly. I have no idea what that origin might be, but maybe whoever is tasked with the gig could try looking into adrenal gland experimentation, which is suggested in The Science Of Superheroes as an alternate method for the creation of the Hulk. Or something.

Anyway once you get past the origin this character is a lot of fun. Maybe not much of a challenge intellectually, and i'm not sure she would be able to carry an entire movie or comicbook arc as the sole villain, but who doesn't want to see a 100ft woman knocking over buildings and stomping tanks and all that? Giganta has size and brute power going for her, which makes her a major threat in ways many of Wonder Woman's other villains are unable to be.

Giganta is Godzilla with boobies.

Also there's no saying the character has to become dumber the bigger she is. At the end of the day in some versions of her origin she is a scientist, and smart enough to invent whatever the heck caused her condition, so a decent writer could come up with more developed motivations and ambitions and schemes for the character.

And her condition does suggest opportunities for tragic storylines and themes that might be a little more dramatic than just smashing and stomping.

The Swan

Another character that is a total mess. I feel like i'm repeating myself, but this is how it is with Wonder Woman villains.

Originally the Silver Swan was a ballerina called Helen Alexandros, and she was an ugly duckling. Angry and bitter she struck a deal with Ares: for as long as she served the war deity she would be made beautiful and strong and able to fly, and if she was able to kill Wonder Woman she would be allowed to stay that way permanently.

I tend to omit the "silver" when referring to this version of the character, to distinguish between her and the later cybernetic versions.

In the 1980s a new version of the character was introduced called Valerie Beaudry. Valerie was horribly deformed and was manipulated into taking part in an experiment which made her beautiful, but which also turned her into a living weapon with hypersonic abilities and a big clumsy pair of artificial wings. After a while Valerie sorted her head out and turned her back on villainy.

Vanessa Kapatelis was the most recent version of the character. Vanessa was a supporting character in the comics since the 1980s and was like a little sister to Wonder Woman. It would take forever to explain how she became a villain, so lemme just say that she was secretly subjected to mental conditioning and numerous surgeries over a long period of time by a bunch of villains working together, eventually becoming a sort-of psychotic cyborg with a big clumsy pair of artificial wings.

Now all three versions of the character are promising, but two of them are saddled with big clumsy pairs of artificial wings. I think the wings are ridiculous... and furthermore the origins of the later versions of the Silver Swan don't really explain how the characters are able to fly.

I think the Helen Alexandros version is the most elegant and cohesive take on the character, and that this is the version the movies and comics should be following. All of her powers are plausible if you claim they work magically. Also Helen is the only version of this villain that is actually a genuine villain... the other two were manipulated into it and went on to reform and be decent people. Currently this means there is no active Silver Swan in the comics, which is absurd as this is one of Wonder Woman's most popular and well-known villains. In order to bring back Valerie or Vanessa the writers would need to keep coming up with increasingly unlikely excuses. Much simpler to just use the original y'know?

Also Wonder Woman is often referred to as the champion of Athena, so with Helen as the champion of Ares i feel there is a nice symmetry.

Of course all three versions are all about bitterness and resentment and loneliness and (moreso with the first two) the shallowness of modern culture and the pressures that women feel to be thin and pretty, so there is a lot there for a writer to sink his teeth into dramatically.

Dr Poison

Poison was Wonder Woman's first actual costumed villain.

Originally the character appeared to be a creepy grinning guy dressed as a surgeon, but it turned out that was just a "clever" disguise and the doctor was in fact the beautiful Princess Maru, an axis saboteur and spy.

Much later in the comics a new version of the character was introduced half-heartedly. Apparently she was the granddaughter of the original... but TPTB didn't bother giving her a proper origin or anything and she was just there to make up the numbers in the new incarnation of the supervillain team Villainy Inc.

Recently Ben Caldwell reinvented the character for his run on Wednesday Comics. Princess Maru was now an ultra-nationalist right-wing terrorist who, in a nod to the disguise-wearing gender-bending antics of the 1940s version, was rocking a tattooed androgynous heroine-chic look and disguising her face with a gas mask. It was an inspired design with a lot of thought and research behind it, and unsurprisingly i think this would be the best version of the character to move forward with.

In all incarnations Dr Poison has no unusual abilities other than being an expert in poisons and toxins, which doesn't make her much of a threat on her own physically. I see her as more of a thinker and schemer, and most writers should be able to conjure up some pretty major threats involving poisoning water supplies or causing viral outbreaks or creating hordes of zombies or something.

And of course with Ben Caldwell's version the character does have an entire paramilitary organisation to call on, in the form of the Black Dragon Society, which does make her somewhat more physically threatening.

In terms of drama and themes Poison is all about corruption and impurity, which again is the opposite of Wonder Woman.

Also pretty sure she is racist, or else why join an ultra-nationalist organisation?

Poison is one of my favourite characters cos she is so odd and creepy. It's a real shame that she isn't treated with due respect in the comics, but hopefully that will change some day.

Circe

Circe frustrates me as she has so much potential but is rubbish in the comics and appears far too often. One could be forgiven for thinking she is Wonder Woman's only enemy.

Originally the character was based on the Circe from Greek mythology. In mythology she was a witch living on the island of Aeaea who turned men into animals using potions and incantations. In the comics the character was much the same, except that at some point in history Hippolyta somehow banished Circe to a distant planet called Sorca. It was the 1940s and that shit happened all the time in the comics back then.

In the 1980s the character was rebooted and the stuff about Sorca was dropped in favour of sticking closer to the Greek mythology. Circe was now also a worshipper of Hecate the witch deity. I suppose TPTB decided she should be more powerful or something, as for some reason Hecate decided to transfer her soul to Circe and make her some sort of demi-goddess-thingy. Oh and there was some prophecy that made her think Wonder Woman was destined to kill her, unnecessarily explaining why the two became enemies.

Circe in either version is a sadistic man-hating witch basically.

I think what i find most annoying about this character is that all this fantastic mythology is there for the writers to play with, but they don't seem to research anything, so all of the character's schemes and enchantments are generic and boring and often silly.

I mean for instance the character isn't even Greek.

Circe was a princess from Colchis, which was an ancient kingdom near the Black Sea. It's like saying the Celts were Romans just because the Romans wrote about them sometimes. It might seem like nitpicking, but the two cultures are very different and this affects everything from what the character wears to which deities she worships.

Colchis was considered to be a wild and pagan place by the ancient Greeks, full of magic and mystery. It was where Prometheus was chained to a mountain for eternity. Circe's brother was the keeper of the Golden Fleece, which hung in Colchis in the sacred grove of Ares. It was also the area some of the Amazons were said to have come from.

And then there is Hecate, the witch deity. Also not Greek. Much older and more interesting. Apparently the Greek deities were afraid of Hecate and took care to show her respect and not offend her in any way. Circe's association with her could lead to some fascinating opportunities and allow the writers to work with magic and mythology that is a little more colourful and mysterious and exciting than the familiar and often boring ancient Greek stuff we see normally.

I see Circe as being a bit like an evil Kate Bush, or Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange or something. Absolutely nutty after all that time alone on her island, and really bloody creepy.

In a lot of ways the character is like a twisted and bitter version of Wonder Woman... they both come from ancient cultures that the world has moved on and left behind, both come from the same region near the Black Sea originally, both live on mysterious islands hidden away from the rest of the world, both are princesses, both are "feminists" in their own way. It is logical to assume Circe might be angry that the new world embraces Wonder Woman while she is forgotten and alone on her little island, which has to be humiliating for a princess right?

So Circe has a lot of potential to be a much more powerful and interesting enemy.

Fury

Okay technically this character isn't a villain.

Again this is going to get very messy.

Originally Fury was Hippolyta Trevor, daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, who inherited all of her mom's abilities and became a superhero. And then in the 1980s TPTB decided to scrap everything and start over with a new continuity. As you've probably noticed already this is where a lot of the problems surrounding Wonder Woman's villains stem from, because they didn't put a lot of thought into the new continuity.

Anyway for some reason they decided to keep the character around after the reboot, but they were starting over from the beginning with Wonder Woman so it was impossible for her and Steve to be the parents of this character that was in her twenties already. And so the writers created Helena Kosmatos, her new mommy.

Apparently Helena was a Greek woman whose brother collaborated with the Italian Fascists and was responisble for the deaths of their parents or something. Helena swore revenge and somehow struck a deal with one of the Furies, the spirits of vengeance from Greek mythology. And to cut a long story short, she ended up becoming possessed by this spirit, which would transform her into a blood-crazed monster whenever she became angry.

It's this version that i think would work well as a sort-of villain. A decent woman with a monster trapped inside her... it's tragic and full of possibility.

And the visuals could be amazing.

Just modernise the origin a little and ditch the daughter.

Interestingly tho, and speaking of the daughter, the original Hippolyta Trevor went on to become a central and fascinating character in Neil Gaiman's Sandman. She sets in motion the events that lead to the death of Dream, and is the mother of the child that becomes his successor. It's a frustrating truth that Wonder Woman villains are often some of the most compelling and popular characters in comics... just not in Wonder Woman comics unfortunately.

And that's all for now.

I didn't realise this thing was going to turn out to be so long.

I had to split the list in half, so there's another ten coming in the next day or so hopefully.

Caldwell's Manga Wonder Woman Pitch

2010-08-03T03:40:00.012+01:00

As promised a few days ago Ben Caldwell has put the pitch for his Manga Wonder Woman on his blog.

Of course it doesn't give much away about the actual story, but it does reveal a few details that are quite interesting.

Ares seems to be the main villain, with Dr Psycho also in the mix somehow. Caldwell's Psycho is a nutty scientist working on a bunch of bizarre experiments, such as ectoplasmic assassins and pyschic tanks and that sort of thing.

It looks like Caldwell has created a new character called Eris, a "heavily armed Japanese schoolgirl" that is described in the notes as Ares' divine assassin, who seems like she would be a lot of fun.

Apparently a certain brooding billionaire playboy makes an appearance too, maybe setting up a love triangle?

As you would expect the pitch is full of nice ideas and it seems like a lot of thought and research went into it. It sticks close to the spirit of the original comics, but it seems fresh and contemporary. I like for instance that the Holliday Girls are now a worldwide internet fan club rather than a college sorority. I think there is enough in there to make the comic attractive to older readers, but more importantly it is also extremely kid-friendly.

Oh and of course, the art is very appealing. It's not too manga or too cartoony.

All in all this sounds fun and entertaining and i really hope DC are smart enough to run with the thing.

Check out the entire pitch here on his blog.

You can support Caldwell's Wonder Woman by reblogging/retweeting as much as possible, and pestering DC here on Twitter or here on Facebook. Also you can sign up for the Facebook "cause" here.

Oh and keep watching for that interview, which i should have soonish.

Possibly.

One For The Kids

2010-08-03T02:04:00.019+01:00

Just a quickie to mention a couple of bits from DC's Kids Panel from the recent SDCC.

Apparently when asked about the possibility of seeing more comics targeting girls the response from Dan DiDio was...

"We had a Wonder Woman one that was pitched that we're going to go back and revisit, and we might go back to 'Supergirl's Cosmic Adventures in Sixth Grade.'"

Hmmm.

At least they are entertaining the possibility.

I don't think the pitch they are talking about is Ben Caldwell's Manga Wonder Woman, as it was submitted only recently.

I doubt it is Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone's idea either for some reason.

I think it is more likely they are talking about Tintin Pantoja's manga pitch from a while back, since CBR are saying here that she has removed the pitch from her website lately.

Pantoja is a fantastic artist and she has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into her take on the character, but i think it's a little bit too manga for my tastes, and i'm guessing probably a little too manga to fit in with DC's Johnny DC line too. I wish DC would just give in a start a manga line for stuff like this, but that's another story.

I think Caldwell's idea is the strongest and most interesting of the three. It is manga enough to appeal to fans of that sort of thing, but not so manga that it would alienate non-fans or feel odd as a Johnny DC comic. Also his work on Wednesday Comics attracted a lot of interest and there is a genuine buzz surrounding the guy.

Of course an all-ages Wonder Woman comic by Darwyn Cooke would have sold like hot cakes, but from his comments i'm thinking that bird has flown already.

Anyway Didio went on to say that "all the kids books are loss-leaders for the company" but that DC is committed to continuing the line and consistently making it stronger.

I think if DC were able to sell the kids books outside of the direct market they might make a little money. I mean most parents aren't going to go out of their way to buy a $2.99 comicbook from a dark and seedy specialty shop, but they will absolutely buy the same comic if it is on a rack next to the checkout in their local supermarket, or in a newsagents or a regular bookshop or something.

Just take a look at the comments on this blog and on other websites whenever an all-ages Wonder Woman comic is mentioned, and you will see there is definately a market for that sort of thing.

I'm just saying.

My goodness how the time has flewn

2010-08-03T01:20:00.004+01:00

Okay as usual i've fallen behind with everything. I was hoping to do another couple of posts on Wonder Woman before wrapping up with the Ben Caldwell interview and moving on to all that juicy SDCC stuff.

I'm still waiting for the interview to come in, which is my fault totally, and the post i've been working on about Wonder Woman villains is turning out to be bloody massive. I should have everything done by the end of the week tho hopefully.

I didn't start this impromptu Wonder Woman month until about a week into the month tho, so i'm fine with cheating slightly.

Anyway all this talk of Wonder Woman has had me digging out my old superhero comics lately. I don't read much superhero stuff any more because the few characters i like tend to be treated rather shabbily. My favourite three superhero characters are Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and the Freedom Fighters. More like two characters and a team i suppose.

So now that Wonder Woman month is almost over i'm thinking of doing something with one of the others. It turns out both have stuff coming up in september, so i'm not sure which one to run with. It'll probably be Captain Marvel tho as he is hands down my favourite superhero. If you have any ideas for entries or articles or interviews lemme know in the comments and i'll see what i can do, or if you would like to submit something that would be awesome.

Anyway i suppose for now i better finish those Wonder Woman articles...

Is Goyer Wonderful?

2010-07-27T12:51:00.009+01:00

An interesting Wonder Woman movie rumour came out of SDCC at the weekend. I'll just quote from the source on this...

"We're hearing that at ComicCon sometime in the next 48 hours or so WB/Legendary are going to announce Goyer and a "Wonder Woman" film for 2013. What's Goyer's role going to be. As a director? A writer? We're honestly not sure, the intel is fuzzy."

More info here.

Hmmm.

Well SDCC has been over for a couple of days now and i haven't heard any more on this, but that doesn't mean there is nothing to it necessarily.

On the other hand if there was an announcement to be made, either at SDCC or sometime afterwards, wouldn't Joel Silver be the one to make it? He has owned the Wonder Woman movie rights for over a decade now, and has been actively trying to put something together for just as long. As far as i'm aware he is currently working with newcomers Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland on reworking their spec script from a couple of years ago. I know there was some mention last year of DC exercising more direct control over their movie properties, including recalling properties such as Captain Marvel which had previously been outsourced to other studies, but i'm not sure that applies in this case as Silver actually bought the movie rights.

I dunno.

Anyway i'm dubious about this, as Goyer isn't the most thrilling choice to write or direct a Wonder Woman movie. I mean he is really good at a certain type of movie, but he is also pretty much a company guy. I can't imagine him putting his heart and soul into the material, and i think the character needs someone who will do that and treat the material with imagination and sympathy. And i read earlier this week that DC flat-out refused to let him direct the new Superman as they didn't think he was good enough... which doesn't inspire confidence really.

I still say give it to Nicolas Winding Refn.

Well At Least It Would Sell In Scotland I Suppose

2010-07-26T15:44:00.014+01:00

Over at Comics Should Be Good last week fellow Scotsman Martin Gray wrote a nice little column calling for an all-ages Wonder Woman comic. Martin claims that, with all the media attention the character has been getting recently, now would be the perfect time to try attracting some new readers.

"I suggest there's room for another portrayal of Diana, one more in keeping with her place in the public imagination - an all-ages, classic Wonder Woman. It would give a traditional Diana a presence on the comic shelves while we're waiting for the all-new Emo Chick to find the funny. It would provide an entry point to superhero comic books for young girls and boys who would love to read about the lady on their lunchboxes, but have parents wise enough to steer them away from age-inappropriate material."

Absolutely.

I mean i'm under no illusions about the selling ability of Wonder Woman. I know she has trouble selling one title a month, and there is no way she would currently be able to support multiple titles like Batman and Superman do... altho there was a time they said the same thing about the JSA, so with the right approach who knows?

But an all-ages title is a different thing entirely. Wonder Woman merchandising is big business, and most of it sells to people who don't read the comics. I see Wonder Woman lunchboxes and shirts and knickers and stuff for sale all the time in mainstream shops and supermarkets. I think an all-ages Wonder Woman comic is exactly the sort of thing you would buy for your daughter/niece/self if you saw it while waiting in line at the checkout, or while picking up your daily newspaper.

Anyway Gray also goes on to suggest that Ben Caldwell may be the right man for the gig, citing his work with the character on Wednesday Comics, and the Wonder Woman children's books by Nina Jaffe which he illustrated a while back.

"Ben Caldwell has certainly earned a shot at a regular DC book. His Wonder Woman strip in Wednesday Comics suffered from over-ambition, with too many panels crushed into the half-page slot - but the ideas were wonderful. Caldwell gave us his spin on Diana's background, friends and foes and showed a real love of the character and lore. With 22 pages to play with, his appealing artwork could breathe."

"There's real wit in the work and I'd love to see his talents applied to a classic Wonder Woman."

I couldn't agree more.

And of course Caldwell already has his manga-style Wonder Woman ready.

If that sounds like your cup of tea then please support Caldwell by reblogging/retweeting as much as possible, and bugging DC here on Twitter or here on Facebook. Also you can sign up for the Facebook "cause" here.

Also you can find out more about Caldwell's Wonder Woman Manga over here on his blog.

Are You Sure This Shade Doesn't Make Me Look Trashy?

2010-07-24T15:16:00.010+01:00

I haven't posted in a week or so, but my mom is out of hospital now so i should have more time to catch up with everything. I have a few more Wonder Woman posts i wanna do over the next week, and maybe some more fan art or something. I also am still waiting for the Ben Caldwell interview to come in, altho i hear he has been having computer issues so that might take a bit longer than i was expecting.

I have a bunch of different stuff i want to mention coming out of SDCC too, but i figure i'll wait until the con is over and things settle down before i start on that.

Meantime here is a strumpety looking Wonder Woman by WJC from a while back...

...nicked from his ever-awesome blog.

Because even a crimefighting amazon from ancient times needs to feel good about how she looks.

I wonder where she keeps her mascara and lippy tho?

Wonder Woman Variant Cover Tributes

2010-07-14T17:19:00.008+01:00

Apparently DC are doing a number of covers on various titles this year that celebrate their past and pay homage to some of their most famous characters.

Recently Adam Hughes did this incredible variant cover to Wonder Woman #600...

...that sort-of became lost in all the costume/reboot controversy. It's an absolutely beautiful piece, as you would expect from Hughes, and a fantastic tribute to the iconic cover of the first issues of Sensation Comics, which featured Wonder Woman's first solo appearance.

A few days ago here on his blog JH Williams III revealed his take on the equally iconic cover to the first issue of Wonder Woman's own series...

...which will be a variant for the upcoming Wonder Woman #603.

I think the original is one of my favourite covers of all time, and Williams is usually amazing, but something about the proportions on this one feels a bit off. It's still a really nice homage tho.

Great to see these old covers getting some love.

Oh and here's a spot of shameless self-promotion: my own version of the Wonder Woman #001 cover...

Hope you guys enjoy.

Caldwell's Wonder Woman Manga featured on Robot 6

2010-07-14T16:39:00.006+01:00

Apparently Comic Book Resources mentioned Ben Caldwell's Wonder Woman Manga on their Robot 6 blog the other day.

Check it out here.

Also this blog got a little mention too... woot!

You can support Caldwell's project by reblogging/retweeting as much as possible, and pestering DC here on Twitter or here on Facebook. Also you can sign up for the Facebook "cause" here.

And finally you can find out more about Caldwell and his Wonder Woman Manga over here on his blog.

Casting Call - Wonder Woman Part II

2010-07-14T13:56:00.003+01:00

And now for the "also ran" characters.

Wonder Woman hasn't had a stable supporting cast in decades. I think when most people think of her supporting cast they think of Steve and Etta, but for whatever reason DC seems determined to fight that and consign those characters to history.

Good luck with that.

As i mentioned in previous posts, each new writer that takes over the comic ditches her supporting cast and introduces an entirely new set of characters, and often these new casts are boring and unmemorable and are themselves ditched whithin a few months. What makes the situation worse is that the writers also tend to relocate Wonder Woman, so that the various casts are scattered all over America and are impossible to integrate.

Another thing that happens is that Wonder Woman's history and backstory has been reinvented so many times, and with so little thought and planning, that some of the supporting characters become a convoluted mess of contradicting continuity.

Meh.

So, of all the many Wonder Woman characters that are too boring or too messy to make it into the movies, here are the least crappy ones...

Donna Troy - Mia Maestro

Donna Troy is a bloody nightmare. Which is a shame, as i quite like her as a character, and she has a fantastic costume.

Originally "Wonder Girl" was a total accident. When Bob Kanigher was writing Wonder Woman during the 1960s he would often do stories featuring Wonder Woman's adventures as a little girl, hence the name Wonder Girl. Unfortunately some bright spark failed to realise that Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl were the same character and wrote her into the then-new Teen Titans comic. Oopsy-daisy. Since then all kinds of increasingly complex and ridiculous origin stories have been devised for the character in an attempt to make her a seperate entity. Most of these origins are so intricately entwined with geeky comicbook continuity that they would be impossible to do in a movie... i mean i literally can't even begin to explain her current origin story.

On the other hand the character has become a big part of the Wonder Woman mythos, so i wouldn't be surprised if TPTB tried to fit her in somehow.

And if they did then i think Mia Maestro would be perfect for the role. She has a lot of the qualities that are necessary for the role of Wonder Woman, but is more petite, which of course works well for what is basically a younger and/or more girly version of the character.

Artemis - Christina Hendricks

Another character whose backstory gives me headaches.

Artemis is a rival of Wonder Woman's... basically she is Faith to Wonder Woman's Buffy.

Apparently when the Amazons were banished to Paradise Island not all of them went peacefully. Some of them wandered off on their own and formed a seperate tribe that somehow lived in "our" world for centuries without being noticed... which isn't very likely. It's a dumb idea that was tacked on to Wonder Woman's origin in the 1990s, and it needlessly makes everything a lot more complicated than is necessary.

I suppose you could just ditch most of this and make Artemis a regular Amazon who doesn't like Wonder Woman for some reason, and that would be much easier. And she is inexplicably popular amongst the fans.

I think Christina Hendricks would be ideal for this because, well, they don't come much more amazonly.

In fact if i thought Christina would look convincing with dark hair, and would be willing to tone up a bit in the gym, i would totally cast her as Wonder Woman.

I hope we don't see Artemis tho, as characters that are essentially "evil" versions of the protagonist are so predictable and lazy and appear in almost everything. Wonder Woman has a bunch of villains that are far more interesting.

Io - Catherine Bell

Ah... Wonder Woman's short-lived ill-advised lesbian love interest and Amazon blacksmith/armourer.

Greg Rucka is a decent writer, but he has some sort of wish-fulfillment obsession with writing lesbians into all his comics. Wonder Woman isn't a lesbian, but i don't think Rucka saw the memo. Suffice to say he was trying to steer the character in that direction, but editorial nipped it in the bud before that particular storyline got going.

Nothing much was ever done with this character and she is pretty boring. I don't see TPTB agreeing to a bit of sapphic slap-and-tickle in what will probably be a PG-13 summer blockbuster, so seeing Io in a movie is unlikely.

If she did appear in some form tho i suggest Catherine Bell for the role, as she has that statuesque/amazon look about her.

Nubia - Rosario Dawson

Nubia was originally Wonder Woman's "twin sister" who was kidnapped and raised by Ares to be a bit of a bitch.

Which doesn't make much sense.

In later comics she was an amazon champion who was charged with guarding the gates to the underworld, and who was thought to have died centuries before Wonder Woman was born.

Basically she is a sort-of evil Amazon similar to Artemis.

Again the character has a backstory that is probably too complicated for the movies, and there are more iconic/interesting villains out there to choose from.

If she were to appear tho i think Rosario Dawson would be the right amount of fiesty.

Helena Sandsmark - Megan Gallagher

While Helena and her daughter are technically important characters, they are not very interesting or memorable ones, which is true of Helena especially. Basically they are a rehash of Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis, but instead of the daugher becoming a villain she becomes the new Wonder Girl.

Megan Gallagher is a genuinely likeable actress that oozes maternal qualities.

Cassie Sandsmark - Hayley McFarland

Helena's daughter, and future Wonder Girl.

I don't think having Wonder Girl in the movies is a smart idea. It takes way from the uniqueness of you heroine, and it unnecessarily complicates everything. If you are determined to stick a Wonder Girl in there tho for merchandising or spin-offs or whatever then i think Donna Troy should have first dibs seeing as how she was the original y'know? Otherwise it's like choosing Tim Drake over Dick Grayson.

If you're going to go with Cassie tho i think Hayley McFarland would be fantastic. Great actress for her age, and she looks like she could actually be Megan Gallagher's daughter.

Rachel Keast - Cch Pounder

Keast was a member of Wonder Woman's embassy staff during Greg Rucka's run, and to be honest none of those characters were very interesting or memorable. Popular with fans tho for some reason, which says a lot about the general quality of Wonder Woman supporting casts. I doubt they would ever turn up instead of Steve and Etta as a supporting cast, but i could just about see them being slotted in somewhere as minor characters or cameos or something.

Pounder is one of my favourite actresses, and i wouldn't be surprised if Rucka actually based this character on her.

Alana Dominguez - Justina Machado

Another member of the embassy staff... the secretary if i remember rightly.

Machado looks like the character and is a fine actress.

Jonah McCarthy - Noah Wyle

A newbie on the embassy staff, Jonah is the likeable everyman who turns out to be a government spy sent to keep tabs on Wonder Woman.

Few people do likeable everyman like Noah Wyle, and he looks similar to the character too.

Peter Garibaldi - Kurtwood Smith

Another embassy staffer. Pretty forgettable apart from the one storyline where Medusa turned one of his sons to stone... which is unlikely to make it into the movies anyway.

Kurtwood Smith can do stern professional and warm family man easily.

Ferdinand - Abraham Benrubi

Y'know despite being a frikkin' minotaur this character really wasn't that interesting. He was the embassy chef and sometimes would act as a sounding board if someone needed to talk something over.

It's a dude with a bull head, so pretty much anyone can play the guy. I chose Benrubi cos he is big and has a deep voice, but he is a total softie.

I Ching - Hiroyuki Sanada

Stereotypical fighting monk mentor type whose ancient sect was wiped out by Dr Cyber looking for magical artefacts or something. Highly unlikely to appear in a movie.

Sanada doesn't look much like the character, but the man is the height of awesome.

Trevor Barnes - Harold Perrineau

Barnes was an attempted love interest that didn't really work out because the fans didn't take to him for some reason. Every so often DC remembers they left Wonder Woman without a love interest in the 1980s and tried to cook one up, but none of them are very memorable and they all seem slightly forced and annoying.

Perrineau looks like the character and, in the unlikely event he ever made it into the movies, could probably even make him semi-likeable.

And that's that... every Wonder Woman character that is worth casting, and a few that aren't. I hope you enjoyed the rundown, and lemme know what you think of my suggestions.

Casting Call - Wonder Woman

2010-07-10T13:26:00.452+01:00

I love a bit of casting.

Wonder Woman is an usual one to cast tho, as everyone has a different opinion on who "should" be Wonder Woman, but few people have any real understanding of who the character is supposed to be or what sort of qualities the role might require.

Inevitably people cast whatever hot actress they want to have the sex with that week, or whatever actress is big in Hollywood currently.

It's ridiculous.

I made up a casting list a while back for when i was doing those Wonder Woman fan art photomanipulations, as i needed to figure out who i was going to use for each character. Since then some of the actors i would have chosen have become too old, and others no longer fit the image i now have of the characters, so the list is always changing.

Anyway at this moment in time this is how i would cast a Wonder Woman movie...

Wonder Woman - Sarah Shahi

It's harder than you might think to find a really stunning "amazonian" actress that is also okay at acting. I mean plenty of fine actresses are beautiful, but not in that "amazonian" way that should stop you in your tracks and leave you panting. And there are lots of "actresses" that have the look but can't act for toffee... that's right i'm talking about you Kelly Brook. Not so long ago Monica Bellucci would have been the absolute perfect choice for this role, but alas TPTB couldn't get their shit together and now she is too old, which is heartbreaking. I'm not convinced there is a known actress out there at the moment who embodies all the necessary qualities totally.

I think Sarah Shahi is one of the few actresses who comes close to possessing all those necessary qualities. Obviously she has the looks and the curves, but she is also a talented and versatile actress. She has a strong screen presence, oozing confidence and maturity. She can do bad-ass convincingly. She is sexy without being skanky. She looks like a woman... unlike a lot of the young actresses who are suggested for the role, who look like they could do with a few more years maturing.

I know from experience that a lot of people are looking for an all-American Lynda Carter type for this, and Shahi obviously has a more exotic look thanks to her Persian heritage. I would argue that this also works in her favour tho, as surely the last thing an Amazon should look like is all-American?

Steve Trevor - Alexander Skarsgård

Wonder Woman's will-they-won't-they love interest.

Steve is another tricky character to cast. He has to be a fun character in his own right... a laconic two-fisted Indiana Jones type military guy. Of course you don't want him to overshadow Wonder Woman in her own movie, but you also don't want to tone him down to the point where he is just wet and pathetic and annoying.

Skarsgård has the looks, does the cynical world-weary Indiana Jones thing perfectly, and knows his way around a sardonic quip. He also comes across as a bit more sensitive/vulnerable than your typical square-jawed type. I think he could pull off a character who is capable of heroics in his own right, but who also must believably play second fiddle to Wonder Woman when necessary.

And you gotta give the ladies some eye-candy y'know?

Etta Candy - Sara Rue

Wonder Woman's BFF and a student at Holliday College.

Etta is genuinely bonkers. She is sassy and loud and eccentric and quirky and probably pretty damn annoying.

Sarah Rue physically resembles Candy and pretty much plays the character in everything she has ever done, so this one is a no-brainer really.

Not that i'm saying Rue is fat and annoying. I think she is quite a hottie actually.

Colonel Darnell - Terry O'Quinn

Steve's superior and a father figure to Wonder Woman.

Darnell is your typical stuffy paternal military type. Pretty much anyone can play the role really. I'm opting for O'Quinn because he is awesome, and because i miss the 'tache.

I have a whole theory on the 'tache and how it was holding his career back, but now is not the time...

Hippolyta - Monica Bellucci

Okay a couple of points here that will make me unpopular with the fans.

I know the overwhelming majority opinion is that Lynda Carter should be cast in this role, but i don't agree. I just don't think she is that good of an actress, and she is looking her age too much to pass for a stunningly beautiful woman who supposedly stopped ageing in her prime. I love Carter but i think it is time to move on... i mean they didn't cast Adam West in any of the Batman movies right?

Anyway as i said before i think Monica Bellucci is the greatest Wonder Woman that never was... which makes her perfect for the role of Wonder Woman's mother. And because the character doesn't age it doesn't matter that she is only a few years older than whomever will play her daughter.

Julia Kapatelis - Glenn Close

Julia is not a member of the original supporting cast created by William Marston, and isn't particularly memorable in her own right, but i think that if they want to boost the supporting cast for the movie then Julia would be one of the most logical additions. She is a professor of antiquites and a single mother, which creates a couple of interesting opportunites for storytelling.

A smart move would be to base her at Holliday College and have Etta working with her as an undergraduate or something. It slots her into the original cast quite neatly, and allows her to act as the go-to-girl for information/exposition on whatever mythology might pop up in the story.

As a single mother who takes Wonder Woman under her wing, she also acts as a sort-of mother figure or mentor.

Glenn Close looks like the character, and i can't think of anyone better to juggle being a professional, a single mother, and a mentor.

Vanessa Kapatelis - Elisabeth Moss

Julia's daughter of course also wasn't part of the original cast, but would be a logical addition along with her mother.

Initially the most important thing about Vanessa is that she totally lacks confidence and is withdrawn and shy. Wonder Woman befriends her and teaches her confidence and self-esteem, so that she comes out of herself and blossoms... which is the perfect way of showing an aspect of Wonder Woman that might otherwise become lost amongst all the monsters and ass-kicking.

Elisabeth Moss is going through pretty much the same thing with her character on Mad Men right now, so she would nail this easily. Great actress.

Also in the later comics Vanessa's story becomes darker and more tragic, and culminates with her becoming the villainous Silver Swan. I can totally see Moss pulling off a bitter and jealous young woman whose mind has been broken by brainwashing.

Phillipus - Sonja Sohn

Phillipus is Hippolyta's general and right-hand-woman. It's not a big role really.

Sohn can do wise and intimidating effortlessly and is probably totally over-qualified for the role.

Mala - Amanda Seyfried

Mala is Wonder Woman's best friend on Paradise Island. Another role that isn't very big.

Again Seyfried is perfect for the role, altho overqualified ridiculously.

Ares - Ian McShane

God of war and total bastard... obviously.

Ian McShane is charming and cunning and intense and intimidating and really bloody scary. Imagine Ares with the simmering fury of Al Swearengen... he would eat Wonder Woman alive.

And that voice is downright menacing.

Paula Von Gunther - Franka Potente

Paula was Wonder Woman's original arch-villain... a sort-of nazi Lex Luthor.

Obviously this character is not likely to be used unless the movie is set during WWII or she is reimagined as a modern neo-nazi or something. Which is a shame as she was Wonder Woman's number one villain for a long time, and she is a deliciously vile and sadistic type

Potente is a damn fine actress, she is a hottie, and she is German... fits like a glove really.

The Red Panzer - Ben Foster

The Red Panzer is basically a nazi version of Iron Man, which could be awesome, so it's a shame he is also unlikely to appear in the movie for the same reasons i mentioned above.

As for Ben Foster: either read what i said about Ian McShane and apply it to this guy, or go watch his terrifying performance in Alpha Dog.

Cheetah - Tricia Helfer

A vain and arrogant socialite who loses her marbles and fixates on killing Wonder Woman, or a vain and arrogant archaeologist turned into a werecheetah by some whacky artefact she comes across, depending on which version of the character you favour. Or you could roll them all into one without too much hassle.

In terms of casting there isn't much of a difference between the various Cheetahs. Basically you are looking for a sexy and slinky femme-fatale type who can turn bitchy and petty and nasty.

Helfer is more than capable of pulling this off, and she is hot as hell into the bargain.

Dr Psycho - Peter Dinklage

A sadistic woman-hating psychic psychopath.

Okay so the picture i chose doesn't make it obvious, but google the character and you will see that Dinklage looks uncannily like the guy. It doesn't hurt that he is also a fantastic actor.

I really think they should stick with the character being a dwarf, because what's scarier than a psychic dwarf right? But if they choose to go with a "regular" actor i think Kim Coates would be an ideal alternate.

Giganta - Nikki Cox

I don't see them pulling off a "serious" Giganta, so i'm assuming if she ever appears in a movie it'll be in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Nikki Cox has the right sort of look and a slightly bigger/butcher build, as well as quite a loud personality, all of which works for this character.

Altho WTF is going on with her lips? Sort that shit out before you cast her in anything.

The Swan - Amber Heard

Or the Silver Swan as she is known usually.

Originally the Silver Swan was an ugly woman made beautiful and given powers by Ares, in exchange for becoming his champion or something. In later comics she was a deformed and insecure woman whose husband performed a series of experiments on her that turned her into a freak. And later still Vanessa Kapatelis was brainwashed into becoming a freaky cyborg version of the character.

Obviously i suggested above that Elisabeth Moss should play Vanessa, so if you were going with the last version it would be her in the role.

However if you are going with either of the other two versions then i suggest Amber Heard. She looks all innocent and pretty, but if you have seen her movies (i won't spoil anything by naming the one i have in mind specifically) you will know she can turn nasty big time.

Dr Poison - Bai Ling

A sick and twisted freak into chemicals and self-experimenting.

Originally the character was a WWII Japanese spy, but it wouldn't be too hard to update her for a modern setting. I would suggest Ben Caldwell's creepy ultra-nationalist right-wing terrorist as inspiration.

I think Bai Ling would be perfect for the role because, frankly, something about that woman is just freaky. Sexy... but freaky. And a little bit creepy.

I used a picture of Poison out-of-costume for comparison, as i think the fat-suit-and-scrubs costume itself is pretty lame, and i wanted to show how my choice of actress compares with the actual character. Again i would suggest updating the costume by basing it on Ben Caldwell's gasmask-wearing tattooed heroine-chic version of the character.

Circe - Asia Argento

Circe is a bitter and sadistic man-hating witch from ancient times, who was banished to a mysterious island with a bunch of her human/animal creations.

I cast Asia Argento as i think the role requires someone with a bit of genuine edge and attitude, and someone who is slightly odd and creepy. I think Asia would be totally convincing as someone who practices all kinds of bizarre pagan magic. I think unlike a lot of female actors, who seem to think pouting makes them look mean and threatening, she would come across as believably dangerous.

Fury - Jaime King

There are a couple of different versions of Fury, and neither of them are "evil" necessarily. I'm assuming that if the character ever did make it into the films it would be the Helena Kosmatos version. Helena was a regular woman who became possessed by one of the Furies of Greek mythology.

Jaime King is quite good at doing angry.

Gundra - Henriette Bruusgaard

Gundra is a Valkyire, which is about all you need to know really.

Henriette Bruusgaard was the heroine in a little Norwegian horror movie called Manhunt/Rovdyr. She is super-hot and has the sort of statuesque figure you would expect from a Valkyrie. Of course she is also a fine actress, and genuinely Norwegian, which doesn't hurt.

Osira - Necar Zadegan

An alien who crashed in ancient Egypt and was imprisoned until modern times. Osira has vast mental powers, and brought "peace" to the world by effectively telepathically enslaving everyone.

Necar Zadegan is exotic and beautiful and one talented actress. As Dalia Hassan in 24 i think she showed she has what it takes to play a character that is majestic and quietly commanding.

Hypnota The Great - Tilda Swinton

A cross-dressing stage magician who uses her mental powers for eeeviiil.

When it comes to women who look like men Tilda Swinton is at the top of the list right?

The Snow Man - Kathy Bates

A cross-dressing scientist who uses her scientific inventions for eeeviiil.

Kathy Bates is second on the list right?

Queen Clea - Lake Bell

Cruel Queen of a lost outpost of Atlantis.

Another exotic beauty. Not much to say except i think Lake Bell would fit the role perfectly.

Zara: Priestess of the Crimson Flame - Morena Baccarin

An Arabian cult leader and fake mystic.

It seems like most of Wonder Woman's villains have red hair for some reason, but that doesn't make much sense in this instance if the character is supposed to be Arabian or Middle Eastern.

I suggest Morena Baccarin, as her looks fit more with the character's roots, and what she is doing over on V at the moment is not a million miles away from the brainwashing antics of Zara and her cult.

Dr Cyber - Joan Chen

Criminal mastermind and modern Fu-Manchu.

Joan Chen is gorgeous and talented and something about her acting style creeps me out a little bit. I dunno what it is, but she has a wierd delivery or something. I think she could make a uniquely creepy Cyber.

Badra - Kat Dennings

Badra is essentially Superman or Lobo... she came to earth as the sole survivor of a doomed planet.

I haven't actually read this story, but she is described by Wikipedia as being "cruel and stylish" so i imagine her to be sort-of like Lobo crossed with Paris Hilton or something.

Kat Dennings has the right sort of attitude for this i think, and of course she is hot as hell, so i think she would be ideal here.

The Mask - Kristin Davis

Nina Close was a timid housewife who was psychologically abused by her husband until she snapped and developed split personalities, then went on a crime spree.

Kristin Davis has that nervous twitchy high-strung energy that i think would be ideal for this sort of character.

Siren - Alicia Witt

An amoral nutcase who discovered an ancient wooden armband thingy that gave her the ability to control people with song. It makes more sense in context.

Alicia Witt looks like the character and is musically inclined, so i choo-choo-choose her for the role.

The Angle Man - Sam Rockwell

Ignore the ridiculous later versions of this guy. Originally he was Wonder Woman's Riddler... a criminal mastermind who relied on elaborate and intricate plans and always had all the "angles" figured out before his opponents. He was also more than a little smug and sleazy.

Did someone say smug and sleazy? Oh that'll be Sam Rockwell then...

Andro - Kim Coates

A wierd all-powerful alien dude.

Kim Coates has a bit of an odd otherworldy look and delivery. Also a really good and creepy actor.

Veronica Cale - Ally Walker

Veronica Cale is a not-very-good Lex Luthor type whose various schemes never seemed to go anywhere, so i'm not sure why she was so full of herself and so vain and arrogant.

Ally Walker is good at playing a total bitch. I mean really good at it. She could take quite a thin character like this and give her some proper bite.

Wow... i didn't realise how long this thing was going to become!

And there's more!

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of my Wonder Woman casting list, in which i'll cast the characters that are too boring or silly or messy to make it into the movie.

Redesigning Wonder Woman

2010-07-09T15:50:00.066+01:00

It's bad news for those of you who aren't into all this Wonder Woman shit, as i'm extending my little theme thing for the entire month.

In fairness that makes the situation sound worse than it is... like i have so much to say on the subject that i need a full month. I really only have about a half dozen or less items i wanna do, but i'm going to have to spread those out over the month now because my mom went into hospital the other day so i don't have so much free time to blog.

Oh and one of those items is the Ben Caldwell interview i promised, rather than yet another whiney fanboy rant from me about this or that obscure thing. I have a few of Ben's answers back already and it's interesting reading. I'm sure even if you couldn't care less about Wonder Woman you will enjoy what the guy has to say.

Anyway in the meantime here is something i have been tinkering with since that new costume was unveiled last week...

Allow me to be all explainey.

Personally i don't like the Diana Prince secret identity as a full-time thing. I figure the character is open and proud of who she is and where she is from, and doesn't feel the need to hide or disguise herself or try to blend in with western culture. Also i don't see her as someone who buys into the whole fashion thing. I think that probably she has her own clothes that she brought with her, and she is comfortable with wearing some combination of those in most situations.

So for her basic casual day-to-day outfit i went with one of those Greek/Roman toga/dress thingies. It's simple and elegant and classic and fits in with her culture and heritage. It also wouldn't be too out of place walking down a modern street... i mean for instance i found pictures of a bunch of celebrities wearing very similar dresses while googling for references.

Same thinking with the Roman sandals.

I stuck a bunch of decorative bits on the dress to make it a bit more interesting, such as Greek/Roman patterning on the edges, a bunch of stars, and a version of the character's classic eagle logo based on a Ben Caldwell design.

Oh and no tiara... tiara's are more of a formal thing right? I figure when dressed casually she would slip off the tiara and clip it next to her lasso at her side.

Great thing about the casual outfit is that you can throw an overcoat and a hat and glasses on over it and look like most other women out-and-about if necessary. Handy for sleuthing.

With the "regular" outfit i wanted to avoid the massive breastplate thing. I have seen and done a lot of Wonder Woman fan art in my time, so trust me when i say nobody can make that thing work. Adam Hughes only gets away with it by not really ever drawing the chestplate properly. It looks fine flat on paper, but it doesn't work in 3D with boobies in the way.

I also wanted to address the criticism that, in the real world, with her familiar costume, her boobs would be popping out every five minutes or so... which i'm sure would win her a bunch more fans, but would be a bugger to get past the censors.

I decided i wanted to bring in more of a Scythian/Sarmatian look for this version of the costume, as techically the Amazons were not Greeks really. I went with a lamellar corset/breastplate thingy made from leather scales. Often these have decorative panels at the top, which allowed me to have a space for the logo, and to raise the logo up off the breasts and give the whole cleavage danger zone a little more coverage.

I tried a lot of different versions of the logo, but in the end went with something really simple that could be a "WW" or a stylised eagle or a whole bunch of other things depending.

I like that she can just slip this on over her everyday clothing/toga-thingy, like a cop putting on a bulletproof vest, and there you have her costume for superheroing.

With the tiara i wanted to make it less massive and awkward and shrink it down to something more like they actually might have worn back in the day.

And finally for more dangerous shit i figured she could use a more traditional breastplate, with that nice big Ben Caldwell eagle logo on there. If you have an entire breastplate sculpted to fit her torso, and the eagle is engraved into it, then that'll work fine. It's just when you try to do the "classic" Wonder Woman breastplate, that has to fit around her breasts and also be attached to a fabric bustier, that you run into issues.

Uh... so yeah that's about all i can say.

Oh except that's Sarah Shahi in the costume, but more on that when i blog about casting.

I hope you guys enjoy.

Pimpernel's Pictures - The Wonder Woman Mega Edition

2010-07-03T19:29:00.008+01:00

I thought i had posted some of my Wonder Woman fan art here on the blog before, but it turns out not really.

A few years back when i was moderating the Bluetights Wonder Woman forums i started a series of character pinups reimagining pretty much every Wonder Woman character i could think of. I wanted to do most of them in a WWII pulp style, then do later characters in the style of whatever era they made their first appearance in the comics.

I had a bunch of stuff all worked out, like how to integrate different versions of certain characters, how to weave together all the supporting casts that various writers introduced, and how to update the villains and make them genuinely threatening.

I warned you i was a fanboy.

I became bored with it all after a while and moved on to other stuff, but here's a bunch of them...

Maybe i'll finish the series some day.

Or maybe i'll start a new series that reimagines the characters in a more contemporary way.

Or maybe i'll just get laid and do something else less embarassing.

Anyway for those who are interested we have from top to bottom: Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, Ares, Baroness Paula Von Gunther, the Cheetah, Giganta, the Snowman, Hypnota the Great, Dr Psycho, Fury, Nubia, Keith Griggs, the Swan, and Queen Clea.

STUFF I LIKE - Ben Caldwell's Wonder Woman Manga

2010-07-01T16:57:00.025+01:00

I mentioned Ben Caldwell's Manga Wonder Woman yesterday, so i thought i would share some of the concept art behind that project today.

Basically so far as i can tell Manga Wonder Woman came from his working on the character for the Wednesday Comics anthology. It's an idea for a series he is putting together to pitch to DC... hopefully successfully.

As with Wednesday Comics he has put an astonishing amount of thought and research into this thing. Just browse his blog and read some of the little notes scribbled in the margins of his design sketches, which hint at some very exciting ideas and snippets of story. He seems to have taken the characters back to basics, then tweaked them ingeneously and subtly to make them seem much more fun and interesting than they have been in a very long time.

Here's a look at his version of Hippolyta...

And here are some of his really fun/creepy villain makeovers from the Wednesday Comics storyline...

He even makes the invisible jet seem cool...

And to finish off here is a look at a page from the manga...

I'm sure you will agree it looks stunning.

I so wanna see this comic come to fruition, so please help out by reblogging/retweeting. I'll probably have a Facebook "cause" set up sometime over the weekend too, which folks can join and show their support.

I'll be posting an interview with Ben sometime in the next week hopefully, so until then please check out his blog and show the guy some love.

Sign the Man Up Before He Changes His Mind

2010-07-01T07:36:00.005+01:00

Here's some Wonder Woman news i actually came across before all the JMS reboot stuff of yesterday.

Apparently director Nicolas Winding Refn told Movieline last week that he is not only interested in directing a Wonder Woman movie, but it is something he is pursuing actively.

"Wonder Woman, I really want to make. That, I’m hoping, will be my $200 million extravaganza — if I even get close to it. That’s why I say, “Well, let me go make Drive [a thriller shooting soon with Ryan Gosling]. Let me start the ball rolling within the system."

Now this is a huge deal for Wonder Woman fans. Most directors won't touch the character with a barge pole it seems, so for one to actually step forward and volunteer for the gig of his own accord is most unusual.

More unusual still is that Refn is a really talented director. A genuine auteur whose films are strange and challenging and beautiful and disturbing. And seriously violent and bloody.

He seems to have given some thought already as to how he would tackle a Wonder Woman movie...

"I think that when Christopher Nolan did the Batman movies, I think he very cleverly went back to the source material and took themes that had maybe not been exercised. And he was able to make very good and successful films with them. So I think the audience is very much out there. It’s just how you do it. And I think that some of the films that have worked over the years have worked for different reasons than people sometimes think they do."

"And where Wonder Woman on one hand is a great female character who can be included in many great fight scenes, she doesn’t have great villains against her. OK, so you create some. She doesn’t have a Joker or those classic Batman kinds of guys. But she does have her whole world that she comes from, which is fascinating. The whole idea of a woman who is basically more powerful than any man — and who will always be that, and comes from a society of women who are more powerful than men — is an interesting theme that I think can be very contemporary."

"Well, that’s when it gets interesting, because you have to create a great countervillain to her. They tried in Catwoman — with not particularly good results. The trick with Wonder Woman is to find that antagonist who worked so well in the Batman concept — his villains are equally if not more exciting than Batman himself. Here, it’s basically coming up with who would be a great counterpart to Wonder Woman. Is it her mother who’s the real enemy? Something that’s biblical in a sense."

I don't agree with his comments regarding villains of course, but then i don't think he has done much research at this stage so i'm not going to judge the man too harshly.

He has some interesting ideas and honestly i don't think Wonder Woman will attract a better director than this guy.

I say have some balls and give it to the man and let's see what he does with the gig.

The '90s Are On The Phone And They Want Their Costume Back

2010-07-01T04:40:00.022+01:00

Sooo... how about that JMS Wonder Woman reboot eh?

Some thoughts by JMS on the controversial new look...

"It’s a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior, in partial answer to the many female fans over the years who’ve asked, 'how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?'"

"It reflects her origins in both the outside world and the world of Amazons: tough, elegant...a street-fighter’s look which also incorporates elements of her classic design. It reflects the two sides warring for ultimate victory, and underscores the path she must take."

"It’s a Wonder Woman look designed for the 21st century."

"The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side...and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work... letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer."

And in case you somehow managed to miss it, here is a chunk of the official press release...

"The Gods, for reasons of their own but which may have something to with their survival and perhaps the survival of Earth itself, have changed the timeline. In the new timeline, years ago the Gods removed their protection from Paradise Island, and left it vulnerable to attack," Straczynski shared in the press release. "And attacked it was. Led by a dark figure, a veritable army descended upon the Island, equipped with weapons that could kill even the Amazons. Outgunned, doomed, Hippolyta gave over her three-year-old daughter to a handful of guardians who spirited her away as Hippolyta led one last desperate battle against the forces that had come to destroy all she had created. In that final battle, she and most of the Amazons were killed, though some managed to escape."

This new direction will also bring Wonder Woman into opposition with new enemies.

"It’s now nearly twenty years later. Diana has been raised in an urban setting, but with a foot in both worlds. She has little or no memory of the other timeline. She knows only what she’s been told by those who raised her On the run, hunted, she must try to survive, help the other refugee Amazons escape the army that is still after them, discover who destroyed Paradise Island and why ... and if the timeline can be corrected or not," Straczynski wrote in DC's official materials. "She also does not yet have access to her full powers, but will be gaining them as she goes. Along the way, she will face a range of enemies — human and otherwise — who we have not seen before."

Essentially, both the new look and new direction amount to a rebirth, wrote Straczynski.

"This is Wonder Woman reborn, literally and metaphorically: fast, elegant, tough, smart ... the savior of her people, their guardian and protector ... avenging the fall of Paradise Island, searching to discover why Paradise Island was abandoned by the gods," Straczynski told to the publisher. "In the end, what she discovers will change her life and the world forever...and she will come face to face with a decision that will mean life or death for the entire human race."

Now i could post at length about why i'm not a fan of this reboot and why a year or so down the line it will be undone with yet another reboot taking the character in yet another different direction, but that seems like a lot of effort.

Suffice to say this is exactly what i was talking about in my previous post. A new writer waltzes in, throws out everything the previous writer was doing, and introduces a bunch of new stuff that has no relation to the character or her history.

Now i'm not saying JMS is a bad writer, as i have a lot of respect for the guy, and i'm not saying the storytelling will be crappy.

What i am saying is that it won't be Wonder Woman.

And if the only way you can sell a Wonder Woman comic is by effectively sticking Wonder Woman's name on a comic that isn't Wonder Woman, then really you are doing something wrong.

As i mentioned in my previous post i think the problem with Wonder Woman is that most writers don't take the time to understand the character or why it is that she doesn't seem to be working. I think the standard response seems to be to throw out the old stuff and try something radically new.

Check out some more of JMS' comments on the new reboot for instance...

"Wonder Woman is a terrific character, strong and bright and compelling, and she should be selling in the top twenty on a regular basis. But for the last few years, despite some really good storytelling, she's selling in the low 70s; the numbers have been in free-fall. Starting from May 2009 to the present, the book has lost 500-1000 readers per month. Over the last two years, it's lost over one-third of its readership."

"What that says is that new readers aren't sampling the book, and many of those who have been reading it, have dialed out or lost interest. This is one of the surest signs that the stories, as good as they are, have become too insular. This isn't a reflection on the character, the writers or the fans, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's a perception issue, and as a friend of mine once pointed out, sometimes the only way to see clearly through a stained glass window is to punch a hole in it."

"The second reason for a big shakeup is that frankly, it's long overdue. Her look, her dynamic and the sorts of stories being told have ossified over the years. Other characters have had their image buffed and altered over the years, but absent the regrettable mod look of the 60s, Wonder Woman looks pretty much the same now as she did in 1941. The resultant question being, if you were to design Wonder Woman right now, as though she had never existed before, what would she be like? So there's the timeliness issue."

I agree with many of the observations JMS makes... Wonder Woman is not selling, she has become much too insular, and something drastic needs to be done with the character... but i think the conclusions he comes to are faulty.

I mean to use his own analogy there is another, much more obvious, way to see through a stained glass window: clean all the accumulated dirt off the thing.

Instead of trying to reinvent the character yet again why not just go back to basics, strip away all the rubbish, and look to what made the character a success in the first place?

Is that so hard?

Wonder-Rant

2010-07-01T03:13:00.025+01:00

Okay this is much longer than i intended originally, and quite a bit more soapboxy.

It's also the first of several Wonder Woman posts i will be making this week, prompted of course by that reboot.

Sorry.

I haven't mentioned this on the blog before, but i'm a huge fan of Wonder Woman. Or rather i'm a huge fan of the idea of Wonder Woman. I was the moderator of the Wonder Woman forum for several years over at Bluetights, where i became site admin eventually. I was even going to create a Wonder Woman website at one time, which would have been amazing.

But i sort-of turned my back on the character around the time i realised the comics were never going to live up to the image of the character i had in my head... which means around the time Gail Simone took over the writing. I still thoroughly enjoy and often read the old stuff from the 1940s, and i eagerly await both Adam Hughes' All-Star Wonder Woman and Ben Caldwell's Manga Wonder Woman, but i no longer read the main Wonder Woman comics that are in continuity.

And the why of it is controversial and will no doubt make me unpopular amongst fans of the character: i don't think any writer since William Marston has understood the character well enough to write a decent Wonder Woman story.

Allow me to explain.

In my mind Wonder Woman is one of the coolest comicbook characters out there. You have an adventurous two-fisted laconic Steve Canyon hero type crashing on an uncharted island during WWII, where he discovers a lost race steeped in ancient myth and mystery. He meets and falls for their champion, a beautiful and exotic woman with wonderous powers and the ability to kick epic amounts of ass, and the two run away together to fight a GOD and stop the world from ending. It's a pulp fairytale. It's Burroughs and Howard with some Dent and Caniff thrown in the mix.

It's a whole lot of unfulfilled potential.

Now that all seems sort-of obvious to me, so i don't see why writers have traditionally had such a hard time understanding the character, but such has been the case since way back in the day.

William Marston has a lot of detractors, and sure his stories have more than a faint hint of kink about them, but he also had a clear and consistent vision of his character which was original and fun and entertaining.

When Bob Kanigher took over from Marston in the 1950s he seems to have had no idea how to handle the character, and very little respect for what Marston had created so painstakingly. Kanigher ditched most of Marston's characters and concepts and wrote stories that became increasingly silly and campy. It is a trend that has been repeated throughout the years by pretty much every writer that has taken on the character... ditch whatever the previous guys did and start from scratch with a new vision.

Rarely do these new visions consult the original blueprint, and if you're going to try to rebuild something without looking at the blueprint then you're going to put it together wrong.

Wonder Woman has been put together wrong so many times she is a mess of contradictions and seeming stupidity that is compounded every time a new writer comes along.

Wonder Woman can fly but she has a jet.

Wonder Woman is a warrior but she claims to be all about peace and harmony.

Bullshit.

All that stuff came about because of people ignoring William Marston and making up their own stuff that they thought was cooler.

And the writers are at it too: Wonder Woman has no decent villains of her own so i need to make some new ones.

Again bullshit.

Do some research on the thing you are supposed to be writing... there are dozens of bizarre and grotesque and memorable villains in the comics for you to work with already.

Oh and while we are at it: the Amazons are not Greek and renounced violence.

But people are lazy generally when it comes to researching and understanding the character. Most are not going to look back further than the television show. And i understand that. Researching anything is a pain in the ass and takes a lot of time to do properly. I just think that when it comes to writing the character you have a responsibility to go back and look to the blueprint... work out what the character was supposed to be about, what made her tick, how her world fit together, and what made her popular in the first place. I mean that's just good writing practice y'know?

Consistent failure to do this has resulted in a lot of Wonder Woman comics that are downright shitty.

It's an unpopular opinion because some people have come to like the later comics and see them as somehow more "valid" than the earlier stuff because they have been around for so long.

I sympathise but i don't agree.

I mean the fact of the matter is that Marston's Wonder Woman sold like hotcakes, and since people started deviating from that original blueprint she just hasn't sold successfully.

Which is what happens when you, for instance, remove a character's supporting cast and villains and don't replace them with anything memorable or lasting. You can't take the insides out of the car and expect the car to keep working. Batman just isn't Batman without Alfred and Gordon and the Joker and Catwoman and all those other familiar characters.

I'm not for a moment suggesting we recreate Marston's Wonder Woman slavishly. I think that would be a terrible idea. But i do think we need to return to his core ideas, strip away all the bullshit and contradicting baggage that has become associated with the character, and work forward from there with some careful thought and planning.

It's a pulp fairytale.

Or just give Ben Caldwell the job of writing the main Wonder Woman comic, as that man is working unsung miracles with his tweaking of classic Wonder Woman characters and villains for Wednesday Comics and his upcoming Wonder Woman manga. He somehow makes Wonder Woman feel new and fresh and current, but also classic and true to her creator's vision. Just check out his blog.

Who Is The Mysterious Fantômas?

2010-06-30T16:45:00.004+01:00

Well it's Vincent Cassell... but we are supposed to keep it quiet apparently.

It seems my froggy neighbours are trying to win my affections lately. Not content with worming their way into my heart with the gorgeous and sure-to-be awesome Adèle Blanc-Sec movie due out soonish, they also have a remake of the classic movie serial Fantômas in the works.

Fantômas was one of a handful of bizarre anti-heroes that popped up in France in the early part of the last century, some of whom i might blog about at a later date hopefully. He was a sociopathic and sadistic master of disguise, a super-criminal that terrorised an entire nation. He was a total dick of a man. He was also hugely popular and influential.

I bought the original serial a few months back and loved every moment of it, so i'm excited to hear that it is getting the remake treatment.

Most of that excitement stems from the fact that Christophe Gans is the man steering this thing. Gans is the bloke behind Brotherhood Of The Wolf and Silent Hill, both of which had some fantastic visuals and atmosphere.

I'm also excited about Cassell filling the character's diabolical shoes, as his was the first name that popped into my head when i initially heard of the remake. I think he will make a fine Fantômas.

And the ever-reliable Jean Reno is also onboard, as Fantômas' nemesis Inspector Juve presumably.

In a recent interview Reno revealed...

"For the moment we do not have a script so it is only a project. They said it's going to be in 3D so nothing is signed. So it is bad luck if we talk a lot of that."

Uh... so sorry if i'm jinxing the movie by blogging.

But 3D? Really guys? I mean something like Flash Gordon i can understand, but is 3D really going to enhance this sort of movie?

Anyway trickery or not i'm genuinely really excited about this, and not just because the ridiculously easy-on-the-eye Monica Bellucci, being Gans' former leading lady and the current Mrs Vincent Cassell, is a safe bet to pop up in the movie in some form or other.

Flash I Love You, But We Only Have Fourteen Hours To Save The Earth

2010-06-30T16:14:00.005+01:00

Breck Eisner spoke a little about the pre-production on Flash Gordon while talking up one of his other projects here recently...

"Flash Gordon is a total passion project for me. We've just extended the option and the studio's very committed in trying to make it happen. It's just a gigantic 3D experience with years of prep, it’s one of those movies you get once in a lifetime to make and for me it's been a passion of mine since I was a kid. If I could pick and just control everything I would love to make Flash Gordon, it's really kind of my dream job, but it's multi-year, in terms of writing and designing."

Not very revealing, but there ya go.

I have a crazy idea: why not not make it in 3D and have it done quicker? You can make more of 'em that way.

Yeah i'm over the 3D experience already.

Indiana Jones And The Debunked McGuffin

2010-06-30T14:58:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago there was some news on the next Indiana Jones movie which i forgot to mention.

I know a lot of people hate the last movie and see it as an insult to the original series, but i'm not one of them. I'm not going to get into it all again here, but suffice to say the haters should probably just ignore the new movies and stick to rewatching their box sets of the original trilogy if that'll make them happy.

I'm looking forward to another instalment, and hopefully yet another after that to wrap up this new trilogy.

Of course just because i thought the last one was fine doesn't mean the next one can't turn out to be ass. As with every movie you have to judge on a case-by-case basis.

So how is the next one shaping up? I'm mixed on the recent news.

According to the folks at Stuff the series will be heading back to it's roots by favouring physical effects and action over CGI, which was one of the major criticisms levelled at the last movie, and one of the few i tend to agree with.

"...this will be a blockbuster made in the old fashioned way rather than the CGI efforts of the last movie."

Good news.

On the story front things are potentially a little more worrying. Apparently our hero is headed to the Bermuda Triangle for his next adventure.

I don't mean to be a killjoy but... um... wasn't that phenomenon debunked pretty soundly several years ago?

And what is an archaeologist going to be able to do on a stretch of open water?

My guess is that the movie will really be about Atlantis, and that the bearded ones intend to locate an outcrop of the sunken island at the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. I know George Lucas has flirted with the idea of Atlantis for some time, so it would make a lot of sense if this was the case. Also Atlantis fits in with the 1950s B-Movie ancient astronaut direction the series took with the last movie. I think this approach could work, but if i'm wrong about Atlantis then i'm not sure how the heck else they would go about making the Bermuda Triangle not suck as a McGuffin.

So i suppose wait and see on that one.

"George and Steven have been working on a script and it's almost there. Harrison is on stand-by for filming next year. This looks like being an emotional and exciting conclusion to the franchise, with Indy facing his biggest challenge yet."

It's nice that we don't have to wait forever for the next instalment, but i do hope they are not rushing things through just for the sake of being able to squeeze in another movie. I mean with the last one it took decades for them to come up with a script that everyone involved with didn't hate, so it seems a little unusual that they have done it again in only a couple of years. Maybe the process was easier once they figured out the majority of the wrinkles (no pun intended) with the last one tho?

I dunno.

Also... conclusion? Hmmm. I would prefer another one to round out this new trilogy. I'll cross my fingers.

Meanwhile i'm remaining cautiously optimistic.

Corben Hellboy Art For Sale

2010-06-30T14:34:00.004+01:00

I think i mentioned before that i have to buy my comics online because i live in the ass-end of nowhere. Altho buying online is never going to be as much fun as being able to go to an actual store and browse, i have to say the site i use is pretty damn awesome... it's run by some really nice folks that are always helpful and willing to put in that little bit extra effort to help me get what i want, which is cool cos i'm a pain in the ass who tends to want a bunch of stuff they don't stock.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out last week that they are also offering for sale a bunch of original Hellboy art by Richard Corben. I can't afford any of it alas, so i thought i would give a shout out to you guys, as i know most of you are fellow Hellboy fans and might be interested in buying. I think they also have a Mignola LoJo cover on the site too, and some pre-Hellboy Duncan Fegredo stuff. Well worth checking out.

Anyway they are called Reed Comics and you can find them here.

Lets Roll Kato

2010-06-25T17:01:00.004+01:00

So the Green Hornet trailer is online finally...

I'm reading a lot of seriously negative comments on various sites about this trailer, but i don't see what all the hate is about.

I understand this version of the Green Hornet maybe takes some liberties with the character and seems to be a bit more comedic/goofy in tone than some fans were hoping for, but i don't mind that so much. We were never going to get a 1930s Dark Knight. I think as much as pulp fans love the character, we have to acknowledge the fact that Green Hornet isn't the cultural icon that Batman or Spider-Man is. Most people just don't care that much about him, or aren't even aware of him at all.

I think this movie looks fun, has some nice action and likeable characters, and it will probably have quite a broad appeal, which is no bad thing.

And let's be honest, at least it's not the Kevin Smith version...

Gordon's Alive!

2010-06-25T16:58:00.000+01:00

Dynamite seem determined to corner the market in pulp comicbook publishing. Already their impressive stable of characters includes such icons as the Lone Ranger, Zorro, Green Hornet, and Buck Rogers. Recently they controversially poached the Phantom from under the noses of Moonstone, the other major publisher of pulp comicbooks.

Now it seems they are adding Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician to their collection, as they announced recently that they have acquired the licenses to those characters from King Features Syndicate.

I'm not sure where this leaves Ardden Entertainment, who released their own Flash Gordon miniseries last summer and had scheduled a second miniseries for sometime this autumn. Will both companies publish Flash Gordon comics simultaneously, or has Dynamite done the same to Ardden as they did to Moonstone with the Phantom?

Who knows?

What i do know is that i wasn't a fan of Ardden's take on the character, so i'm hoping Dynamite will come out with something more to my liking.

As for Mandrake... well i've never really read anything with him before, but i'll probably check out the Dynamite version anyway.

Here's a bit from the press release...

"Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician are two great additions to the iconic characters we currently publish: Green Hornet, The Phantom, Buck Rogers, Zorro, Project Superpowers, The Black Terror, Death Defying 'Devil, Masquarade, The Lone Ranger and all of the titles we are proud to publish," says Dynamite President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. "We promise to devote the same passion to these King Features properties as we have done so consistently throughout our publishing history, beginning with The Last Phantom".

Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934. The strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash Dixon (1935 to 1939) by H.T. Elmo and Larry Antoinette and Don Dixon and the Hidden Empire (1935 to 1941) by Carl Pfeufer and Bob Moore. The adventures surrounded Flash Gordon, a handsome polo player and Yale graduate, and his companions, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov. Dynamite's comic book story begins as Earth is bombarded by fiery meteors. Dr. Zarkov believes the meteors are from outer space and invents a rocket ship to locate their place of origin. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale, whose plane has crashed in the area, and the three travel to the planet Mongo, where they discover the meteors are weapons devised by Ming the Merciless, evil ruler of Mongo.

Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk, which began June 11, 1934 and has been distributed by King Features Syndicate since its inception. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. Mandrake is a magician whose work is based on an unusually fast hypnotic technique. As noted in captions, when Mandrake "gestures hypnotically," his subjects see illusions, and Mandrake used this technique in his battles with a variety of gangsters, mad scientists, extraterrestrials and characters from other dimensions.

Dynamite's pulp titles have been a bit hit-and-miss. I thought the Lone Ranger, Zorro, and Green Hornet: Year One were excellent. On the other hand Buck Rogers was a bit meh, the other two Green Hornet titles are rubbish, and i'm not keen on how the new Phantom is shaping up so far. It'll be interesting to see how they handle these new acquisitions, and which category they ultimately fall into.

Fincher to Helm The Nautilus

2010-06-21T12:53:00.005+01:00

Y'know with Hollywood seemingly intent on churning out crappy remakes and/or pissing on some of my favourite characters/books/comics it's nice to be able to report something positive for a change.

It seems McG will no longer be directing the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake. Apparently his first choice for the role of Nemo was the spectacularly wrong Will Smith, so i think we dodged a bullet with this one.

Best of all tho is the news that he is set to be replaced by David Fincher. Now that is exciting.

It is somewhat surprising that Fincher would tackle a family-friendly summer blockbuster, but apparently it was him that approached Disney about doing something like this in the first place, so he must be looking for a change of pace or something.

His take on the movie is said to be akin to Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back... big and visually dazzling.

My interest just went from zero to eleven.

Check out the full article here.

The Gungle Book

2010-06-21T12:39:00.003+01:00

Righto lets see if i can finish catching up today.

I was excited to see the other week that WJC has hooked up with Blank Slate, who will be publishing a book based on his fantastic Gungle strip sometime early next year.

I've mentioned WJC and Gungle a bunch of times on the blog, and i'm a huge fan, so this is wonderful news and i want to say a big fat congrats!

Of course i'll keep you guys updated on this, but in the meantime check out WJC's blog for more on Gungle and his other oddball creations. If you're lucky there might still be some Gungle pages for sale too.

Sam Worthington to Ruin Another Of My Favourites

2010-06-20T15:38:00.007+01:00

Almost done with the old news folks.

Heat Vision revealed a few weeks back that Sam Worthington is attached to star in and produce a new movie based on Rider Haggard's classic victorian adventurer Allan Quatermain.

And it'll be set in the future.

Oh dear.

Quatermain was the hero of King Solomon's Mines and went on to feature in about a dozen further adventures. More recently he was one of the main characters in Alan Moore's League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and was of course one of the main inspirations behind Indiana Jones.

However the new movie is described thus...

"DreamWorks' version is set in a time in which humans have left Earth and sees Quatermain return to the planet from a sojourn in space, embarking on another "King Solomon’s Mines"-style adventure but on a planetwide scale."

More details here.

Hmmm.

I mean okay it sounds interesting and it's the sort of thing i would probably enjoy.

It's not Allan Quatermain tho.

If you have such an interesting idea why not just go with it on it's own merits? I don't think there is any need to attach the name Quatermain to something like this... it's not like the name is going to draw more punters the way a more "familiar" household name might. And attaching the name to something like this means we are robbed of any chance of seeing a more "faithful" adaptation for the forseeable future.

Also i'm really not seeing whatever it is everyone else seems to be seeing in Sam Worthington. He has been thoroughly bland in everything i've seen him in frankly.

Phantom, Dan Dare, Nemo, Quatermain... i wish Worthington would just stay away from my favourite characters.

Faith No Momoa

2010-06-19T16:01:00.005+01:00

A while back now Latino Review posted some first-look pictures of Jason Momoa as Conan in the new movie...

...more of which you can see here.

Meh.

I would say he looks disappointing, except i wasn't expecting much from him anyway.

It's a shame that despite all the money being thrown at this thing it still looks about as crappy as that direct-to-video Kevin Sorbo Kull movie from a few years ago. And it's not like a decent Conan movie would be so hard to make: Mel Gibson seems like a no-brainer to direct a violent and bloody fantasy epic, and Brian Thompson was born to be Conan.

Al Williamson Passes Away

2010-06-19T15:38:00.003+01:00

I'm sure most of you know by now that Al Williamson passed away last weekend, so again this is old news, but i wouldn't be much of a pulp fan if i didn't at least mention it here.

Williamson was one of the greats and he will be remembered fondly.

Check out Comic Twart for some fantastic tributes to the man and his art.

Mark Millar is a Bit of a CLiNT

2010-06-18T17:44:00.002+01:00

So... here's one of those older news items i missed recently.

Mark Millar announced a couple of weeks ago that he is to launch a new magazine aimed at 16-30 year old guys in the UK, and it'll be called CLiNT.

Y'see it looks a bit like "c*nt" if read from a distance. It's irreverent and edgy.

Here's the press release...

Comics by two of the UK’s most outspoken TV personalities and burgeoning writing talents – Jonathan Ross and stand-up comedian Frankie Boyle – will feature in CLiNT Magazine, an exciting new joint venture between Kick Ass creator Mark Millar and Titan Magazines. Millar’s sequel to his cult comic and smash hit movie will also feature in the monthly title to form a stunning line-up of stories.

“This is The Eagle for the 21st Century,” declares Millar, whose genre-busting Kick-Ass scooped the number one movie spot in America and whose previous work includes Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. “I’ve worked on everything from Spider-Man comics to the Iron Man movie for Marvel in New York, but what really excites me is the gap I see in the UK market at the moment. There are absolutely no comic-books aimed at 16-30 year old guys and I think CLiNT has potential to make an enormous impact, bringing a new type of magazine to a new generation.

“I want this to be edgy and irreverent, the kind of thing guys will be passing around lunch-halls and common rooms, and there’s nobody I’d rather have creating new characters for CLiNT than Jonathan and Frankie. They’re both brilliant writers and will surprise a lot of people with this stuff. The last thing you’d expect from Jonathan, for example, is a vampire strip, but he pulls it off amazingly. People are going to love this.”

Millar is also launching his sequel to the hit Kick-Ass movie in the first issue of the comic. "Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall" has been scheduled for production in 2011 for a 2012 cinema release, but fans of the first movie can find out what happens two years in advance by picking up CLiNT.

The 100-page magazine will be packed with interviews and features from movies, games and television as well as four serialized comic-strips. The biggest names in entertainment will be featured every month and some will even be sticking around to write sci-fi, humour or horror stories after they’ve been interviewed and quizzed.

“We can’t say who else is involved at this stage,” says Millar. “Jonathan, Frankie and I will have our stories serialized over the first six months, but we have the most insane line-up of creators ready to come in and join us. You’d be amazed how many people who work in film and television want to be comic-book writers. It’s very exciting and we think we’re creating something potentially enormous here.”

I'm not sure what to make of this one.

I think he is right about there being a gap in the market for this sort of thing. I think we do need an outlet that showcases and nurtures homegrown comicbook talent, and we do need something that is aimed at and will reach a wider/mainstream audience.

I have a couple of fears with this venture tho.

I worry that this will be a laddish vanity project by a bunch of old blokes trying too hard to be young and trendy. I mean these guys are in their forties/fifties. And it doesn't reassure that Millar and Ross in particular are known for their juvenile sense of humour.

I also worry that Millar is making such a big noise about going after people from the movie and television industries. I understand to a certain extent that those people will help sell the magazine, but on the other hand i don't think those are the sort of people that need this sort of opportunity. I think we should be encouraging new talent, rather than indulging established talent from other mediums.

On that second point i note with slight relief that Millar is calling for amateurs to submit short stories here on his site...

"New or established. Young or old. I don't care. The only specification is that your little short stories have to be good and you need to pair up with a collaborator and post your FINISHED SUBMISSION below as a sample. Note: I don't want to see general art samples. This is where you submit a two or three page story for our consideration in the magazine. The cream of the cream will get printed in the magazine and you'll get a decent page-rate. I want to find new talent here and, like the old 2000AD training programme, all new guys will have a year on short stories before graduating to anything bigger. You need to learn your way around a short before you get your hands on a feature."

"So go for it. My all-time favourite TV show is The Twilight Zone so that kind of thing with a clever twist or a great high-concept is mainly what I'm looking for here. I'm also looking for something that normal, very mainstream readers would understand and enjoy. The rest is up to you, my friends."

Which is a step in the right direction and somewhat reassuring.

As i said i think we do need something like this over here, but i'm not sure if CLiNT will be that something. I'll be keeping an eye on it and hoping for the best tho.

I'm Not Dead Yet

2010-06-16T14:33:00.011+01:00

I didn't realise it had been so long since i last did any blogging.

As some of you will know i became an uncle recently. A couple of weeks after giving birth my sister had to move into a new flat, and then last week she had to return to work, so i've been busy helping with the moving and decorating and looking after the baby. I seem to spend a lot of time covered in either paint or baby-sick lately. Pretty exhausting.

I didn't expect this stuff to take up so much of my time, or to be away from the blog for so long.

So... yeah... sorry about that folks.

Anyway things are starting to settle down so i'm going to try to ease back into the swing. Over the next few days i'll be catching up on some older news items that i missed, then i'll move on to some new items and reviews and stuff by the weekend hopefully.

Hopefully.

Appetite For Destruction

2010-05-19T12:25:00.004+01:00

I'm still trying to catch up with older posts as i've been busy babysitting and decorating.

A couple of weeks ago now Comic Book Resources ran an article on Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's Destroyer, which i didn't want to let slip by. Destroyer was a Marvel Max miniseries from 2009, in which Kirkman and Walker dusted off an obscure pulpish character from the 1940s and made him more fun and funny and violent and relevant and intelligent and touching than most of what is on the shelves currently.

"What Kirkman does in "Destroyer" is take some of that aggro-superhero energy and apply it to a protagonist in decline. A hero who has reached the end of his story, and though he's still punching strong and destroying everything in his path (monsters and super-scientists and evil cabals, moreso than Nazis), he's got a finale in sight and he knows it. Kirkman takes the Stan Lee foundation and builds a humanity on top of it. Instead of revamping the Golden Age character as a bright young thing for the new millennium, he pretends that Keen Marlow has been smashing supervillain faces for decades. He imagines that Destroyer stories never stopped being told. He imagines an entire post-WWII history for the character -- mostly implied but not directly explored in this series -- and tells a story about an old gunslinger, not quite ready to go out with a bang."

More here.

Destroyer was one of my favourite series of last year, but at the time it felt like i was the only one reading it, so it's nice to see the series get a bit of recognition here.

Obviously i recommend you all go track down a copy of the hardcover, or the paperback which is out some time this week apparently.

And you really should check out Cory Walker's fantastic art here on his blog.

A Little Happy

2010-05-12T19:37:00.003+01:00

Just to balance out all the death and whatever, here is my niece in her own little flapper-style headband...

Uncle Pimpernel has been stuck on babysitting duty lately while her mom prepares to move into a new flat.

Not that i mind of course...

Doris Eaton Travis Passes Away

2010-05-12T18:04:00.007+01:00

And now my last piece of depressing news for the day.

I was bummed out to discover that Doris Eaton Travis died yesterday. Doris was the last of the famous Ziegfeld Follies Girls.

She was 106.

If you haven't heard of the Ziegfeld Follies here is how Wikipedia describes them...

"The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air."

"Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held. The shows' producers were turn-of-the-century producing titans Klaw & Erlanger."

"The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville variety show. Many of the top entertainers of the era (including W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams, Will Rogers, Ruth Etting, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Gilda Gray, Nora Bayes, Sophie Tucker, and others) appeared in the shows. The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for many beautiful chorus girls commonly known as Ziegfeld girls, usually decked in elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff Gordon or Ali Ben Hagan, which became the talk of Broadway the following day."

Doris was the youngest girl ever to join the Ziegfeld follies when she was hired at the age of fourteen. After performing with them for a few years she went on to appear in a number of silent movies, before turning to dance instructing and opening several dance studios. She continued to appear on Broadway regularly throughout her life, and became a strong supporter of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising organization. At eighty-eight she earned a bachelor's degree in history. At ninety-three she joined the other four then-remaining Ziegfeld Girls on stage, and was the only one who could still dance.

She was one helluva lady.

With her passing i can almost feel the Jazz Age slipping that little bit further away into history.

Please check out a wonderful video of Doris performing here. I would have embedding it on the blog but whomever uploaded the video has disabled that option unfortunately.

And now i'm done with the sad.

Frank Frazetta Passes Away

2010-05-12T16:52:00.004+01:00

Continuing with the sucky news...

On Monday the world became a little more mundane, as Frank Frazetta passed away at the age of eighty-two.

Of course the man was legendary. His art graced countless comics and movie posters and book and album covers, and his depictions of characters like Conan and John Carter are definitive. I think it is safe to say his incredible art was an influence and inspiration to an entire generation, and more than posibly any other artist his images of savage barbarians and exotic women helped shape the public perception of fantasy.

He will be missed sorely.

Peter O'Donnell Passes Away

2010-05-12T15:50:00.006+01:00

I'm still behind with the blog after a super-busy week, but i wanted to take some time to pay my respects a couple of legendary figures who passed away recently.

I was sad to read that Peter O'Donnell, mystery writer and comicbook creator, died on the third of May, a week after his ninetieth birthday. I haven't been able to find a cause of death, but he had been suffering from Parkinson's for a number of years apparently.

O'Donnell is probably best known as the creator of the popular and iconic British pulp heroine Modesty Blaise, whose newspaper strip was syndicated all over the world for more than four decades, and who has featured in numerous books and movies. Quentin Tarantino was even interested in making a Modesty Blaise movie at one point, with Neil Gaiman scripting.

I'll write more on Modesty and O'Donnell at some point hopefully.

O'Donnell is survived by his wife and two daughters, and my thoughts go out to them.

He may be gone, but his characters are as popular now as they ever were, and his legacy will live on.

Dodson Becomes a Deviant

2010-05-09T20:35:00.004+01:00

Just saw the other day that Terry Dodson has a DeviantArt account finally.

I like Marvel movies but i tend not to read their comics, so i don't often see much of Dodson's art. It's a shame as i love his style... he is like a less cheesecakey Adam Hughes or something.

I'm eagerly waiting for the english language version of Songes that was announced a couple of years ago...

...but until then i suppose i'll have to settle for his awesome DeviantArt account and his blog.

He Forgot His Kit, So Now He Has To Do It In His Underpants

2010-05-09T18:42:00.004+01:00

Is it so hard to make the Phantom look cool? I mean first SyFy came up with that awful rubber hoodie thing that made the character look like a futuristic dildo, and now Alex Ross hits us with this...

I mean... for real?

Did he forget his costume?

Is there a bloke following him around tipping fresh buckets of blood over him when he dries out?

I mean i see that Ross was going for a more primitive and scary take on the character, but it doesn't work when you pair that look with the modern elements of the boots, belt, mask, and colts. It's a ridiculous design.

And the worst thing is that the Phantom's traditional costume is one of the coolest costumes in comics. It's simple and iconic. I'm not a fan of the purple admittedly, but changing that to the original grey or blood red that was used in some of the earliest strips isn't rocket science.

I can only hope this is some sort of temporary interim costume or something before the character has a chance to throw together something better.

Meh.

Check out the press release...

As we begin the series, there is no Phantom. The historic line stops at Kit Walker the 21st, who has forsaken the mantle of The Ghost Who Walks and is enjoying a life with a growing family, while handling the day-to-day affairs of the Walkabout Foundation, a philanthropy created by one of the previous Walkers/Phantoms to help support charities benefiting Bengala, and the surrounding nations of continental Africa. The Walkabout Foundation was funded initially by pirate treasure from the very first Phantom's origins. The organization is symbolic of every young Walker's world-spanning journey from the Skull Cave to the "outside world," becoming educated and awaiting his destiny to one day take up the costume and crusade of the Phantom. Except that this Kit refused to take up the domino mask, rings, and Colt .45s of his father upon Kit Sr.'s death. Alex Ross' beautiful and dynamic vision promises to bring the concept of the Phantom to the 21st century, and it could not be in better hands.

"Being a fan of the Phantom for many years, I've had a vision for a long time of a stylistic change and a dramatic way of illustrating him," said Alex Ross. "Finally through Dynamite Entertainment and working with Scott Beatty, I'm able to fulfill this artistic concept and give a very personalized spin on one of the greatest superheroes of them all."

"Wearing the Skull Ring carries a lot of responsibility, for both Kit Walker and the writer chronicling his adventures," added writer Scott Beatty. "Lee Falk's Ghost Who Walks predates both Superman and Batman, and remains one of the most popular superheroes in the world. I'm already several scripts in on my run on THE LAST PHANTOM, and I can tell you that with every word I write, I know that the Jungle Patrol--its membership in the millions--is watching to make sure their favorite costumed hero is in good hands."

"The Phantom is one of the first ‘masked' heroes to come out of the 1930s," said Dynamite President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. "This story is a passion project for all involved. Scott Beatty has worked with us to bring to fruition some of the crispest stories Dynamite produces, and Alex has been an integral part of the Dynamite family. Bringing on Eduardo Ferigato on art chores, whose execution is perfect for this story, with a grittiness that's near a ‘Mignola-esque' art style, we're ecstatic to have the team in place on on a series we're hoping to be a signature Dynamite series. "This is the journey of today's Kit Walker, who is working towards making the world a better place through the Walkabout Foundation. But, can he escape destiny? And where will this adventure bring him," said Barrucci.

The Phantom made its American debut as adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk (who also created Mandrake the Magician) and syndicated by King Features. through the years, King Features adapted the popular feature into many forms of media, including television, film and video games. It stars a costumed crime fighter operating from the fictional African country, Bengalla. The Phantom is the 21st in a line of crime fighters that originated in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was murdered during a pirate attack. The only survivor of the attack, Christopher was washed ashore on a Bengallan beach, and swore an oath on the skull of his father's murderer to dedicate his life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty and injustice, with his sons and their sons set to follow him. Making a costume based on the image of an old jungle idol, he became the Phantom. When he died, his son took over the role of the Phantom, and so the mantle would be passed down to new generations, leaving people to give the mysterious figure nicknames such as "The Man Who Cannot Die," "Guardian of the Eastern Dark" and "The Ghost Who Walks," believing him to be immortal. Unlike many fictional costumed heroes, the Phantom does not have supernatural powers of any kind, but relies on strength, intellect and his reputation of being an immortal ghost to defeat his opponents.

As i've said before i want to like the Phantom, but most of the modern takes on the character have been sadly underwhelming. I was hoping Dynamite would buck the trend, but this design doesn't fill me with confidence.

A Lesson In Noir

2010-05-09T18:01:00.004+01:00

Comic Book Resources ran a nice little interview with inker/illustrator Shawn Martinbrough last week. Martinbrough has a new book out called How To Draw Noir Comics, which is pretty self explanatory.

In the CBR interview he talks through the process of drawing noir, and also a little about his recent work on Marvel's Luke Cage: Noir miniseries.

"I wanted this book to describe my approach to storytelling by using shadow and lighting instead of reading like a traditional art instructional book. I find that when you give someone step-by-step instructions, they tend to mimic what is presented rather than thinking about what is presented. I also wanted write the entire format of the book as a narrative story by establishing how I started drawing, my different levels of schooling, my entry into the comic book industry and the different types of projects I’ve worked on. The challenge was not to overload the book with too much text. I’ve seen other art instruction books that just have a staggering amount of text in huge blocks. Like an actual graphic novel, there should be a nice balance between words and images."

It's interesting reading and his book sounds like a must for all fans of noir/pulp comics, especially those working in the business.

Oh and while i'm on the subject, can anyone reading this tell me if i need to have read much/any Marvel previously to be able to enjoy these noir minis? I'm thinking of picking up the Luke Cage one in trade.

WJC's ABC title page

2010-05-09T16:11:00.005+01:00

A couple of weeks ago i posted about WJC's ABC Warriors contribution to the 2000AD fanzine being put together by Will Kirkby. Well here's a look at the title page for that...

...and it kicks all sorts of ass.

IMO nobody draws the ABC Warriors better than Simon Bisley (altho i do have a soft spot for Kevin Walker's gorgeous painted art from the 1990s), but WJC comes damn close.

And of course he pisses on the eye-hurtingly awful art of Clint Langley, who single-handedly ruined both the ABC Warriors and Slaine and turned me off 2000AD to this very day.

Keep an eye on WJC's blog for more.

City of Spies

2010-05-08T12:46:00.007+01:00

More catching up today.

I stumbled across this interview last week about a new graphic novel called City Of Spies, which looks pretty interesting.

Here's the official publisher synopsis thingy...

"Mystery, intrigue, and pastries abound in this World War II spy tale."

"Evelyn typically satisfies her longing for adventure with the help of a pencil and a sheet of paper. But when she makes a new friend, Tony, she’s happy to abandon her art for a real-life search for spies. When the two accidentally uncover a genuine mystery, it looks like Evelyn might end up in the kind of adventure she writes in her comics!"

And from the CBR article...

"The germ of it came from a late friend of mine, an elderly woman who grew up in a wealthy but dysfunctional household, much like Evelyn in our book. She said that when she was a kid, she used to hunt for Nazi spies on the upper east side of Manhattan during the early 1940s. I casually told Laurence this over dinner one night, and he immediately said, “That would make a great movie.” We stayed late at the restaurant, sketching out the rough story on the tablecloth, then spent the next year writing it."

"Discovering a Nazi spy ring was a event big and heightened enough for a graphic novel—especially the revelation of what the ring is working on, which I won’t give away. But it was also important emotionally that Evelyn act in real life to complete her conscious quest to be a hero and her unconscious need to separate from her indifferent father, to, in other words, start growing up."

"You could definitely say Evelyn is the protagonist of the story and that she and Tony are the heroes. But the book’s main themes are figuring out heroism in your own terms and learning how to accept who you really are. So even though they’re both grownups, Lia and Brendan struggle with the same issues as Evelyn. We thought it made for a better story that all of the characters have to learn to let go of the relationships and insecurities that are holding them back. By doing that, they all become heroes – and find love and a new kind of family unit at the end."

Just my sort of thing.

Also i love that Hergé-esque art.

Hellweek

2010-05-08T12:30:00.005+01:00

I've been too busy to post this week so i have a bunch of catching up to do today.

Mucho Hellboy this week to celebrate the release of the Hellboy In Mexico one-shot, which my LCS failed to stock. Meh.

Here on Francesco Francavilla's other blog it's been Hellboy week all week, with fantastic pictures of Big Red every day.

Meanwhile over here at the Comic Twart blog Hellboy is the theme of the week, and there's been some really great art from the guys there.

Check 'em out.

Brave New World

2010-05-01T20:32:00.000+01:00

CBR's regular weekly BPRD/Hellboy column has a look at the first cover to the next BPRD series, which will be called BPRD: Hell On Earth - New World. Or Hell On Earth: New World. Or Something. It marks a turning point for the comic, with a new direction and a bit of a facelift/rebranding.

As you would expect it's another gorgeous image from Guy. I don't think he knows how to draw badly.

Not so sure about the new title/logo tho. It's a bit of a mouthful, and seems unnecessary.

Anyway can't wait to see what this new direction has in store...

Pruning

2010-05-01T19:39:00.005+01:00

Uh... so it turns out i can only follow 300 blogs on blogger?

Balls.

Just spent the last hour or so unfollowing blogs, and i've updated my blog list on the left there. I tried to unfollow only blogs that were now dead, or ones i didn't visit often or didn't have much interest in any more, and i managed to lose about half. Inevitably tho it will turn out i've deleted a bunch i didn't mean to.

If your blog was dropped then i'm sorry, it wasn't personal y'know?

Fox Looking to Go Incognito

2010-04-30T00:43:00.004+01:00

According to Deadline's Mike Flemming, 20th Century Fox has acquired the film rights to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Incognito.

Incognito was a hardboiled pulp twist on the superhero thing, with former supervillain Zack Overkill stuck in witness protection and beginning to develop a conscience... until his former partners-in-crime track him down and everything goes pear-shaped quickly.

"He’s not your typical villain and I was trying to blend the trappings of pulp, comic and noir genres. Zack was raised to be his world’s equivalent of a supervillain. We’ve all seen the story of a good person who goes undercover and gets corrupted. This is a bad person forced to live among regular people, and how he’s affected by that. He once ran around with a mask, but now he’s got the fake name and the fake job. My goal was to have you rooting for him as he grows a conscience."

I thought Incognito was one of the best comics of the last couple of years, and i recommend it highly. It could make a heckuva film if handled right, so i'll be interested to see how the studio tackles it.

Might i suggest a certain Mr Matthew Fox in the lead role?

Brubaker's site is here, and here is Sean Phillips' blog.

armies of zeppelins and Jules Verne-esque submarine battles and things like that

2010-04-29T18:11:00.008+01:00

Comic Book Resources has a brief article here with Mike Mignola about the Baltimore comic series due in august...

"Once we started doing the Baltimore comic, we started realizing, 'We've got a whole world to create.' Kind of like how with 'B.P.R.D.' we found the structure of the world altering, we really had to do that with 'Baltimore' because we were saying, 'Suddenly, the plague hit, and World War I stops mid stride,' but it's also this kind of steampunk World War I. There's a lot of fun stuff we're able to trot out. We're showing how the world collapses, but we're also showing how in our version of World War I, there were armadas of submarines. It really embraces that whole steampunk feel so of course there would have been armies of zeppelins and Jules Verne-esque submarine battles and things like that. This first miniseries feels like the tip of the iceberg."

And also a look at another cover from the series...

Mike is really excelling with these covers. I love everything about this puppy.

Baltimore is going to be awwwe-sommme...

Denis McLoughlin's Hardboiled Covers

2010-04-29T14:15:00.018+01:00

Yesterday i said i wanted to cover more British pulp and noir on the blog. Well i also want to start posting more pictures and art and stuff that i find inspiring. I thought today i would kill two birds with one stone by posting about Denis McLoughlin.

McLoughlin is just the sort of figure i was talking about yesterday. He was one of our most talented and creative artists/illustrators, with a career spanning decades and ranging from comics and annuals to magazines and book covers and a host of other stuff... but somehow he has slipped into obscurity.

I discovered his work quite by accident only last week, and became an instant fan.

His hardboiled covers are masterclasses in composition and lighting, inventively evoking a dark and atmospheric world of lust and murder and footsteps following you down empty streets.

I ordered a copy of The Hardboiled Art Of Denis McLoughlin, so no doubt i'll try to write a proper post about his life and career at some point once i've read that. In the meantime Peter Richardson over at Cloud 109 has a fantastic article on the man here, along with plenty of gorgeous images.

Wikipedia also has a pretty decent in-depth entry.

Here are some of my favourite McLoughlin covers for you to feast your eyes on...

Many thanks to Peter Richardson for allowing me to repost these here, and i really can't recommend his blog enough, as there is plenty of interesting stuff on there.

A Dash Of Limey

2010-04-28T19:16:00.007+01:00

I have never claimed to be an expert on any of the subjects i write about here on the blog. In fact i'm just a regular guy discovering a lot of this stuff for the first time, feeling my way blindly, and hoping to share my enthusiasm with others.

I'm in my early thirties and took little more than a passing interest in pulp and film noir until quite recently. It was Hellboy and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, both of which i discovered at about the same time at university, that stirred my curiousity.

And now i'm hooked obviously.

I've mentioned a bunch of times that i'm working on my own comic, set just after WWII in Britain. I want to try writing a thoroughly British take on pulp/noir.

I was unsure at first if it would even be possible to pull off such a thing. I mean those genres feel so... American. And i wasn't really aware of pulp or film noir traditions in this country.

I've been doing some research into the subject and discovering lots of interesting stuff along the way.

It turns out we do have strong pulp and film noir traditions over here, but they are much neglected and slipping into obscurity. Whereas American pulp icons like Howard or Lovecraft or Dent are well known to fans, their works reprinted in lavish editions and their influence acknowledged by scores of modern writers/artists/film-makers, few people know or care about the likes of Edgar Wallace and Talbot Mundy. And while the average movie fan can probably reel off a list of a half dozen American film noirs without too much thought, i'm sure most would struggle to name more than one or two such British movies.

So as i discover more about British pulp and noir i'm hoping to share it here on the blog, and in my own amateurish and bumbling way i'll try to spotlight some movies, books, characters, and creators that i feel deserve some love.

I hope you guys will enjoy.

If not i will cry.

Xenozoic and Storms in New Fleske Catalogue

2010-04-27T11:24:00.004+01:00

Just saw the new catalogue from Fleske Publications the other day. It has a bunch of interesting books on/by artists like James Bama and Joseph Clement Coll. Most exciting for me tho was the Mark Schultz stuff.

Apparently Schultz has a new edition of Xenozoic Tales coming in october. It isn't made clear in the solicit, but judging by the pagecount i assume this collects the entire series available previously. Good thing too, as those old Dark Horse editions are going for around £50 each on eBay.

Also still available is the gorgeous Xenozoic print, in both regular and fancy signed/numbered editions...

And finally there's a look at the cover for the upcoming Storms At Sea...

...which won't be out until next year, and which i'm so excited about i might burst.

Download the PDF catalogue here and have a browse, or if you go here you can check out the Fleske Publishing blog.

ABC... Easy as WJC

2010-04-26T15:57:00.006+01:00

More WJC news.

Apparently Will Kirkby and a bunch of fellow artists are putting together a 2000AD fanzine, which will feature classic characters from the legendary British anthology comic such as Rogue Trooper and Judge Death. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Personally tho i'm most excited about WJC tackling the ABC Warriors.

Here are a few pictures he did of some of them a while back...

Good eh?

I love these characters and can't wait to see what WJC comes up with for the fanzine.

You can read a bit more about the project here, and you can find Kirkby and WJC's blogs here and here respectively.

Gungle Hunting for Free

2010-04-26T15:43:00.005+01:00

Ooh look at this pretty little thing. WJC has a PDF mini comic available to download for free here. It's called Gungle Hunt, it features jungle girls and assorted jungle beasties and a big-assed tuba thingy, and it is fantastic.

Download, enjoy, then go here and show the man some love.

Vampires and Lobsters and Phalluses! Oh My!

2010-04-24T16:59:00.005+01:00

Apparently last weekend at C2E2 there was a BPRD panel that spoke a bit about the direction the series will take after the current arc is over, and also touched on other related series and books like Baltimore and Lobster Johnson...

"I don't know that I put any serious thought into creating a pulp magazine guy, but I woke up one morning when we were in Italy for a signing at a convention and told my wife, 'I just came up with a great name for a character: Lobster Johnson.' And she, as she does, just stared at me blankly…I had no idea why that sprang into my head, but I knew the character would not be a lobster and he'd have nothing to do with lobsters. At one point, I'd planned on doing a Conan-type barbarian character called Lobster Johnson because you can stick that name on anything, but finally when it came time to have a pulp character, I thought, 'What am I going to call this guy? Well, there's Lobster Johnson, which is the only hero name I've come up with. I guess that's who that guy is.' It really sounds like I don't know what I'm doing, doesn't it? It's amazing I've gotten as far as I have."

Best of all tho was this sneak peek at the cover to the first issue of the new Baltimore series...

I feel all tingly just looking at it.

Check out CBR's coverage of the panel here.

Black Beetle - Kara Böcek Part 11

2010-04-24T13:23:00.003+01:00

New Kara Böcek!

Also all this week Francesco has been running Pulp Fest Week over on his Pulp Sunday blog, featuring pinups of various pulp characters and new Green Hornet and Kato covers.

It's Good Stuff.

Here Comes The Sun

2010-04-21T16:27:00.016+01:00

A little while ago i ran across a reference online to a character called Sun Koh, described as being the nazi Doc Savage. My interest was piqued so i did a little digging. I don't speak any German unfortunately and i have a hard enough time getting my hands on the real-deal Doc Savage books (thanks to the frustratingly unhelpful staff at Nostalgia Ventures) so i couldn't find out much. I did discover that the nazi label is an unfair one however, as most of the nazi stuff was added later when the tales were rewritten during the Hitler years. I also discovered that Sun Koh was at one time a pretty big deal in Germany.

Anyway thanks to Paul over at Bish's Beat for drawing my attention to this new collection of Sun Koh stories from Age Of Adventure.

"Dr. Art Sippo resurrects a lost hero from the German pulps. Called the "German Doc Savage" by pulp historians this highly controversial character is introduced to Western audiences in a blend of adventure, political intrigue, and intelligent fantasy. Includes Dr. Sippo's original 3 part origin saga and two never before seen adventures! A MUST READ for any pulp or Doc Savage fan."

Sounds promising, and i can't wait to see what the deal is with this character, and if he deserves all the fuss that surrounds him.

Hellboy Becomes a Burden

2010-04-21T16:04:00.008+01:00

Man i'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these pun post titles.

More C2E2 news from CBR.

Apparently Hellboy will be crossing over with Beasts of Burden, Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson's acclaimed series about a group of four-legged supernatural investigators.

"Mike told us to feel free writing it as Hellboy guest-starring in our book. I think he's going to be very disappointed when I kill Hellboy off and reveal that everything that you know about Hellboy is wrong, that he's fated to be a deli owner in Baltimore. Nothing to do with any Beast of the Apocalypse stuff. Just gonna be slicing pastrami and stuff, then pass away from cancer. And I'm bringing Roger the Homunculus back. I think that's my right because I like the character, and I'm an aggrieved fanboy who thinks he knows better than the creator of the character."

"We're going to basically put our animals over Hellboy, to use a wrestling term. He's going to have to job. Because, like any crossover, they have to fight. That eats up pages and is very easy to do; writers love that," Dorkin said. "They'll see each other, then they'll mistake each other for Galactus or something - Ra's al Ghul - and then they'll fight. And Hellboy of course will lose, because it's our book, and it'll just be very sad. And Roger the Homunculus will come back, because that, to me, is the point of the book."

Beasts Of Burden is much better than i make it sound. I thought i would hate a comic about a bunch of cats and dogs investigating bizarro shit, but it totally won me over with just one issue. It's Good Stuff and i highly recommend you check out this and the upcoming trade collection.

Anybody Wanna Draw Hellboy In China?

2010-04-21T15:32:00.012+01:00

I don't know why i haven't covered more Hellboy here on the blog. I mean Hellboy and BPRD are hands down my favourite comicbooks, and i have a total hero-worship-man-crush on Mike Mignola and Guy Davis.

Meh... better late than never.

Mike had a panel at C2E2 last weekend apparently.

"My goal with 'Hellboy' was, and still is, to eventually cover all the different geographical areas and do the folklore specific to those areas. There's about a 45 or 50 year gap between when Hellboy appears on Earth and when the first Hellboy story takes place, so, little by little, I'm throwing stories into those years. Those are 50 years of Hellboy just being a guy roaming around the world fighting monsters."

"More and more, it's a matter of me finding another artist and finding out what they are drawing. If someone came to me and said 'I'm really interested in China,' I would be really excited. At this point, what I'm going to be doing with 'Hellboy' myself as an artist is different from the roaming around the world folklore stuff, so I'm looking for someone to draw China."

He doesn't really reveal anything new or earth-shattering, but it's still pretty interesting reading.

Check out the full article here.

The Whistling Skull

2010-04-21T14:52:00.014+01:00

According to the Robot 6 blog Wildstorm announced last weekend at C2E2 that B. Clay Moore and Tony Harris have a new "pulpy 1940s noir wartime London story" in the works...

"The Further Adventures of the Whistling Skull is a thoroughly modern book with dark, twisted roots. Its pulp inspirations are buried in landfills with original copies of PHANTOM DETECTIVE and WEIRD MYSTERY, but the book digs a little deeper into its characters than your grandfather’s pulps ever did," said B. Clay Moore. "And in our world, a guy who wears a skull for a face is the closest thing to normal you’ll find."

It sounds bonkers. Good bonkers.

Moore and Harris also spoke to Comic Book Resources at length about the project.

"Nobody knows how old the guy is or who he is or if he's wearing a mask or if he's a ghost or what, but when things go wrong, he's there to make them right."

"There have been seven different men who have been the Whistling Skull. And we actually begin our story with No. 7. The Skull's sidekick Brickfist is actually Nigel, the son of No. 6. When a Skull dies, he has to have already chosen his successor and named him in his will and testament. And upon his death, the will is sent unopened to the person's name that's on it. And it happened to be John, who is No. 7."

"John grew up in the same neighborhood with Whistling Skull No. 6 and he and Nigel became childhood friends. So when John and Nigel grow up and get to be young men, Nigel's father ends up being killed – or disappears, you don't really know. And then his will is sent to John because he knows that John and Nigel are very, very close friends. But a condition of John becoming the seventh Skull is that he has to take on Nigel as his ward."

"We try not to get too mired in backstory. We just throw the reader right into the middle of the adventure, much like John and Nigel have been. You literally see them on their very first outing as the Skull and Brickfist. You really get to see them stumbling through it like idiots and kind of finding their way and trying not to screw up 60 years of history of the Whistling Skull."

"John and Nigel are kind of like a weird-ass, fucked-up, backwards Sherlock Holmes and Watson during World War II. With a little bit of mysticism and magic and craziness all mixed in."

Read the full interview here.

Heh... thankfully this sounds nothing like the "pulpy 1940s noir wartime London story" i've been cooking up recently.

I love Moore and Harris, and i love this period and setting. I think this could be something really special, and i can't wait to check it out.

WJC Does The Mekon

2010-04-21T14:35:00.010+01:00

Dan Dare's nemesis the Mekon shits me right up y'know. I mean look at the creepy little bugger with his shifty eyes and his big bobble-headed bonce. He is such a dick.

Warwick Johnson Cadwell sure knows how to draw him.

Uslan And The Shadow

2010-04-21T13:42:00.014+01:00

At C2E2 last weekend MTV spoke to producer Michael Uslan about the upcoming Shadow movie

"It's in the process of being developed, and as you know, the first Batman movie took 10 years to be developed. These things have their ups and their downs, and you don't want to move forward unless everything's right and everybody's ready to go."

He went on to say that Sam Raimi was still attached to the movie and, altho he wouldn't clarify if Raimi was directing or only producing, he did downplay recent rumours that David Slade had come onboard as director.

"The Shadow comics were the thing that propelled Sam into becoming a comic book fanatic," he said. "So to be aligned with him and [co-producer] Josh Donen on this project has been magical. Sam has a passion for it and an understanding of it."

"I've been a huge Shadow fan since I was a kid. It was the first comic I ever wrote that broke me into the field. He's always been near and dear to my heart."

I really hope Raimi directs this, as he seems to have had his heart set on it for years now.

Also of course, as a fan, a Raimi-directed Shadow movie would kick all kinds of ass.

Colour Me Mysterious

2010-04-21T12:41:00.014+01:00

Matt and Scotty over at Mysterious Adventure Magazine are holding a sort-of competition to find a new colourist for their wonderful indie pulp anthology...

"Scotty and I have decided to throw two uncolored pages out there so that anyone who wants to give it a shot at coloring them, can do so. We're not going to give out a bunch of restrictions and provisions. There's no house style we're looking for- simple cell shade? crazy over rendering? Do whatever you do best...Do whatever services the line work best...because that's how we're going to pick our winner! Keep things in mind like setting and scene transition, atmosphere, and all the other things that make a truly gifted colorist good at what they do."

"So what's this contest for? To put it quite plainly...if you really kick butt on these two pages, you win the unpaid gig of coloring the full 21 pages for us. Isn't that nice of us? But seriously, you'd be a member of the team and if history has served, just about everyone who has participated in MAM related content so far has had doors open for them out there because of it."

"The only thing that we ask is this: if you are chosen, please be willing and able to finish those 21 pages in a timely and efficient fashion to be discussed later.Instead of bugging all of our colorist friends, we wanted to do bit of a talent search. Worst case scenario, a bunch of different people see your work."

"We're still talking prizes and bonus participant stuff, so hopefully a little mystery is incentive as well."

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity.

As Matt says it could open a few doors, and at the very least it'll be a fun way to kill a couple of hours.

If you are interested in having a go you can find the uncoloured pages and more information here on the MAM blog.

Sergeant Zero In Hell

2010-04-20T11:58:00.003+01:00

The new Sergeant Zero short is online now over on the Pulp Tone website here.

It's a solid little story with some great art by Dave Flora.

Go check it out.

Adèle Blanc-Sec Sure Is Easy On The Eye

2010-04-16T18:03:00.008+01:00

I managed to find some bigger versions of the Adèle Blanc-Sec movie posters at last, so i thought i would share them here...

Also IO9 has a great gallery of pictures from the movie, including a couple of rather less-than-modest shots of Mademoiselle Blanc-Sec in a state of undress...

Nice eh?

If nothing else this movie is certainly going to look amazing.

I'm more excited for this by the day.

Go here to check out the full gallery.