"The Losers" arrived at theaters this weekend, and the second not-mainstream comic book movie to launch in the last month or so wound up fourth, with $9.6 million, according to studio estimates. Across the Atlantic, the comic book's driving force, writer Andy Diggle, took it all in and then charred with Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips about watching his page creations come to life in Hollywood.
JP: Was there as much of a collaborative effort on "The Losers" between the comic book creators and the screenwriters as the "Kick Ass" writers enjoyed?
AD: It wasn't a huge amount, to be honest. The main difference in production style between this and "Kick Ass" is that "Kick Ass" is creator-owned. Mark Millar and John Romita own all the rights, so they get to choose who adapts it and how and all the rest of it. They have a producer credit on the film. Whereas for "The Losers," this was simply work for hire that me and Jock get to do by DC Comics. Which was fine, you know, at the time. We were just happy to have the work -- it was one of the first jobs that we ever did for American comics. It just means that we don't really have any control over the process. But, yeah, we actually became really friendly with the screenwriter, Peter Berg -- director of "Hancock" and "The Kingdom." We met with him in London when he was over visiting, four or five years ago now, and he was very keen to make "The Losers." But he had to go off and make "The Kingdom," so they brought in James Vanderbilt to flesh out the script. We then became quite friendly with Jamie and I'd pass on my feedback on the script, but he wasn't under any obligations to take my suggestions on board. Basically, it was Joel Silver signing his paychecks, not me.
JP: What's your assessment of the final, onscreen product?
AD: I think it's great fun! I really enjoyed it. It's different from the comic, but in some ways it's strangely similar. The characters really very much feel like the characters from the comic and the action sequences are very closely based on stuff I made up, but the actual connecting tissue is very different. It's a lot lighter, less grim, a lot less political. The difference in a 90-minute movie and a 32-issue comic is that in a long comic series, you have the time and space to actually burrow down into the background of what's going on -- into Max's plot. There isn't really time for that in a 90-minute movie -- and the movie moves like a freight train. I think, superficially, it's very similar, but once you get beneath the surface and start looking at what's underneath, they're quite different beasts.
JP: I read the comic and I thought there were key sequences, like the helicopter-jacking, that translated especially well.
AD: Yeah! That was a real thrill for me to see, you know. Seeing moments I invented and lines I invented and moments being played out exactly the same as I'd thought of them -- the finger gun and chopper-jack sequences -- all of that was a real thrill for me. When I was writing that stuff, it sort of played like a movie in my head anyway. I just have to freeze-frame it when I'm turning it into a comic. Seeing it actually move up on the big screen the way it did in my mind was great.
JP: The praise for your writing often cites how cinematic it is. How did you hone that sensibility and where did you get your start?
AD: Well, oddly enough, I learned to write by doing screenwriting courses. I mean, everybody always tells me that I write cinematically. I don't do a lot of interior monologues or captions and stuff, so I tend to just write visuals and dialogue, and that's inherently cinematic. I actually wrote my first screenplay before I wrote my first comic. Comic books and film share the same spot in my heart. I am a fan of screenwriting and I collect movie scripts -- and I'm writing a movie myself at some point.
JP: What's your most prized movie script?
AD: The most prized movie script that I have is the one I just received this week. I'm doing a bit of work on Peter Berg's "Battleship" movie, so I've just been sent a top secret copy with my name printed all over it. I'm not doing the script, I'm just helping out with some story work, fleshing out the background. I can't really talk about it, but it's kind of a big thrill for me.
JP: You did Green Arrow: Year One. There's been this talk about breaking the character out of "Smallville" and giving him his own show, or even a movie. What would your thoughts be on that happening?
AD: I don't really have any strong feelings about it. I don't really watch "Smallville" and hadn't picked up a lot of Green Arrow before I got the job. I obviously did some research. But I'd love to see a Green Arrow movie. I hear there's talk of this "Supermax" script that Justin Marks wrote to be turned into a film. I've read it, and it's really cool, but it's not really Green Arrow that you know. It could be any superhero, because once you get stuck in a prison, you don't have the bow and arrow, and that kind of defines him as a character. It doesn't surprise me that that never got green-lit. That one had a lot more interior monologue than most of my comics. It's a man alone, so you kind of needed to get inside his head. I didn't want to pull a Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" and have him talking to a beach ball or something like that.
JP: Of the comics that you either have written or are currently writing, which one is ripe for a silver screen adaptation?
AD: If I was to write it? I'd love to write a Green Arrow movie. I'd love to adapt "Year One" into a film -- that'd translate really well. I think you could do a great Adam Strange movie.
JP: I wondered about that ...
AD: Yeah, I think you could. But it would have to be an origin story. I don't think you can adapt what I did. My "Planet Heist," that story is set after he's been well-established as this man of two worlds. But that would work. There's been rumors of Joel Silver rebooting Swamp Thing for a long time. Imagine a CGI Swamp Thing with tentacles growing around him. You couldn't have made that film 10 years ago, but you could make it now... Yeah, lots of things! I'd love to see a British Hellblazer movie! Maybe reboot Constantine with Gary Oldman or Clive Owen or somebody like that.
JP: No "Judge Dredd vs. Aliens?" Stallone is hot again!
AD: [Laughs] Funny enough, Jock is working on a new Judge Dredd movie right now. They're making a new movie of it. It's written by Alex Garland, who wrote "28 Days Later." He's a big 2000 AD fan.
JP: Back to comics, any characters out there that you'd like to take a stab at writing?
AD: Well, I'd like to do some more "Hellblazers," maybe short stories rather than big arcs. I've always liked Nick Fury. I'd love to do a Nick Fury book. Not much about the younger Secret Warriors characters, but Fury himself saving the world and generally being cool and getting into scrapes. Umm, Blade. I'd love to do a Marvel Max Blade book properly. But I'm not a huge continuity junky ... I didn't get into the business so that I could write my favorite characters. I just love the medium of comics, and I've got stories of my own that I want to tell. I think once my Marvel exclusive [contract] expires, I'm quite looking forward to doing a bunch of creator-owned things, lots of short, sweet little stories, and working with as many different artists as I can.
IMAGES: The cast, and individual shots of Chris Evans as Jensen and Zoe Saldana as Aisha, in movie posters for "The Losers." (Warner Bros.) Covers of "Green Arrow: Year One" and "Adam Strange: Planet Heist" (DC Comics).
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Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to comes out on top -- that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands May 7 in the U.S., and every day until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film and a look at all things Iron Man.
"Iron Man 2" is still three weeks away, but if you want a different sort of adventure with the armored Avenger, check out "Iron Man: Extremis," the newest motion-comic epic from Marvel Knights Animation.
The six-episode motion comic adapts the landmark work by writer Warren Ellis and artist Adi Granov from the pages of the "Iron Man" comic books published in 2005 and 2006 that essentially reinvented the hero's origin and hardwired some of the key concepts and images that followed the character to the silver screen. If you're a fan of the first "Iron Man" film and curious about the comics heritage of Tony Stark, this is a great leaping-off point and an easy one to access.
The series will be available through iTunes, Zune and Xbox Live. The episodes are $1.99 each, or $9.99 if bought as a package. The first episode, which is 20 minutes long, went on sale this morning. The rest of the installments will be released biweekly through June.
Here is an exclusive first look at the trailer for the second episode...
This motion comic is the third from Marvel Knights, following "Spider-Woman" (Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev) and "Astonishing X-Men" (from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday). The still-nascent medium is halfway between still art and animation; the existing art from the page is given a kinetic essence with computer image manipulation, voice actors and sound effects.
The releases so far have been very faithful to the source material and, again, may be an intriguing access point for the casually curious who enjoy the Hollywood version of the Marvel universe and want to dig deeper.
Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to comes out on top -- that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands May 7 in the U.S. and every day until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film.
Don't expect a cliffhanger at the end of "Iron Man 2" -- director Jon Favreau says the the ambitious plan by Marvel Studios to create a latticework of mythology that connects all of its hero franchises eliminates the "to be continued" option.
"I want it to be completely self-contained because a lot is going to happen between now and the next chapter. You've got 'Thor,' you've got 'Captain America ' and you've got 'Avengers.' I don't know how all of that is going to impact this little handmade story of ours that we've been doing over the last two films."
Marvel Studios is attempting something unprecedented in the Hollywood blockbuster sector -- to make all of its films fit into a larger mosaic where the same actors and characters will appear again and again to create a sort of connective tissue. It began with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) popping up in "Iron Man" and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in "The Incredible Hulk."
But being on a team means sharing the ball; the "Iron Man" franchise will sit on the bench for the next few years to make way for the other movies in Marvel's still-narrow pipeline. That means some risk for the studio since the franchise is (so far) the only proven all-star on the roster.
For Favreau, meanwhile, the hiatus for the franchise and the need for Iron Man to be available for other storylines means he couldn't have the new film's credits roll on an unresolved story like, say, "The Empire Strikes Back" or "The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers."
"You want to leave some things open, you know, to be like a food cache for them to set things up that can be paid off later and lean toward where we think things are going," Favreau said. "But we can't leave it like 'Empire' where you're waiting to see it resolved. It's not a cliffhanger. We had to tuck this whole story in. And that be said, we had like eight different storylines going and opened up the door, especially with both the good guys and the bad guys, for a larger story to be told. That's just responsible filmmaking. But if you just watch this movie, it's self-contained. It's not like 'Two Towers.' "
Check back; we have some very interesting details on the specific ways that "Iron Man 2" fits into Marvel's interlocking mythology plan.
Photos: From top, Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 2" (credit: Merrick Morton /Marvel Entertainment); Jon Favreau at his Los Angeles office in 2008 (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For the Times); Iron Man by Alex Ross (Marvel)
Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity) and he always seems to comes out on top -- that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands May 7 in the U.S., and every day until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film.
Here's a new interactive trailer for "Iron Man 2." Hot spots within the video access deeper content on characters, the always-evolving armor suit and two key set-pieces in the film: the Race of Champions and Stark Expo 2010.
Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity) and he always seems to comes out on top -- that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands May 7 in the U.S., and every day until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film.
It's a Sunday here at the Hero Complex and in addition to this snappy exclusive image from "Iron Man 2," we have our weekend roundup of all the headlines regarding the most anticipated fanboy film of 2010.
Bigger than Batman?: That's the question posed over at our sister blog, 24 Frames: "According to just-released tracking surveys, director Jon Favreau's second installment in the Marvel franchise is showing astonishing levels of interest and awareness well ahead of its three-day opening next month. There are enough statistical indications to think that the first-weekend gross could top the $158.4-million haul for 'Dark Knight,' the current record-holder for the biggest (non inflation-adjusted) opening weekend and the gold standard for movie debuts." READ THE REST
Joystick action: There's a behind-the-scenes featurette on the "Iron Man 2" video game that we've been meaning to post. If you haven't seen it, it's just a click away.
From Russia with love: A nifty new "Iron Man 2" poster from Russia has been posted at Shockya.com. CHECK IT OUT
Good vs. evil: Is the Black Widowreally bad? Is Justin Hammer harmless? Is Whiplash merely misunderstood? Perhaps. Check out Robert Downey Jr.'s quote at ContactMusic: "I want to surprise people. There are some characters you may have heard are against Tony -- well, we try to flip those expectations." READ THE REST
Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity) and he always seems to comes out on top -- that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands on May 7 in the U.S., and every day until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film and all-things-Iron-Man.
"Iron Man 2" is more than a movie, it's a focal point for pop culture ... and pop commerce.
Today, we bring you an exclusive first look at some new fine-art prints that are about to be sold by Every Picture Tells a Story, the Santa Monica gallery that has a deal in place with Marvel to both reproduce classic covers as high-end wall art and to have new pieces created by both the stars of the comics field and mainstream illustrators who would bring a new wrinkle to the familiar heroics.
Above you see a print that is now available for pre-order from the gallery -- it's a high-energy portrait of Iron Man by Alex Ross, who will be doing a series within the gallery's Marvel Artworks brand called Alex Ross Visions. The one you see above is offered, autographed by Ross, in two formats: 21-by-17 inches/giclee on canvas for $825 or 18-by-24 inches/giclee on paper for $400.
Below are two pieces by Mike Kungl, whose Art Deco style has been brought to bear on Disney and "Star Wars" imagery in the past and, this time, brings a retro-mechanical vibe to Tony Stark's alter-ego and Black Widow. These are sold individually and autographed as 24"x19"/giclee on canvas for $475 of 18-by-24 inches for $350.
Fun stuff, great eye candy. Thanks for stopping by, check back as the countdown continues.
It's no surprise to learn that back in Ireland, young Kenneth Branagh -- who would grow up to direct film adaptations of "Hamlet," "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Henry V" -- fell under the spell of tales about royal family intrigue, ancient rivalry and clanging battlefields. What is unexpected, though, is that epic of obsession was by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, not William Shakespeare.
"Growing up, my single comic book passion was Thor," says the 49-year-old actor and filmmaker who surprised many industry observers by taking on the director's job on the big-budget adaptation of the Marvel Comics thunder god. "From my time in Belfast as a kid, that's the first time I came across that comic, really, exclusively, I don't know why, but it struck a chord. I was drawn to it. I liked all the dynastic drama."
For the uninitiated, the Marvel character Thor first appeared in the August 1962 issue of "Journey into Mystery" (it was a big summer for Marvel -- the first Spider-Man comic book hits stands that same month) as an odd mix of Norse myth and Marvel's distinctive brand of wildly kinetic cosmic melodrama.
With his winged helmet, magic hammer and odd old English diction, he fought evil aliens, ancient wizards and costumed crooks and even teamed up with Hercules in Marvel's no-borders brand of mythology.
"Thor," due in 2011, is filming now in Santa Fe, N.M., and stars newcomer Chris Hemsworth (who played the doomed father of James T. Kirk in last year's "Star Trek") will carry the magical hammer of Thor in the film, with Natalie Portman playing his mortal love, Jane Foster. Anthony Hopkins is Odin, Thor's father, and Tom Hiddleston plays the thunder god's duplicitous brother, Loki.
For both Branagh and upstart Marvel Studios (which arrived with a splash in Hollywood in 2008 with "Iron Man") the cinematic mash-up of Viking deity and 21st century do-gooder will be a singular challenge in Hollywood's crowded superhero sector.
The story is split between Asgard, the majestic and eternal home of the Norse gods, and the modern world, which Branagh says he views more as an opportunity than a challenge.
"Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world," Branagh said. "It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different.... The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."
It was a different sort of tension that put the film in headlines this week. Gatecrasher, a report in the New York Daily News gossip column, quoted unnamed sources that painted a picture of a sour movie set, with Hopkins making it clear to the crew that he thinks little of 26-year-old Hemsworth's acting skills and Branagh growing frustrated with the Oscar-winning elder's pessimism and complaints.
Hopkins was said to be outraged by the report. The 72-year-old Welsh actor issued this statement: “I am having the time of my life making Thor with Ken and Chris. They have made every day immensely fun and collaborative, and we're all puzzled that someone would fabricate a story suggesting otherwise. I'm proud to say that Thor has been one of the great experiences of my career.”
Branagh,meanwhile, went on at length about the esprit de corps of his cast, which also includes Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson and Stellan Skarsgård.
There will also be elements that will move forward with Marvel Studios unprecedented plan to create a unified universe of heroes and stories that spreads across films, including the upcoming Captain America movie in 2011 and "Iron Man 2," which arrives May 7 as one of the most anticipated movies of 2010.
"It's going very, very well," Branagh said Wednesday. "We're in New Mexico now where we have a contemporary Earth part of our story. I guess we're two-thirds of the way through the story and at this stage of the game what's surprising and delighting me is the way the cast, the ensemble, has fused together. It's kind of an interesting combination of very young and very experienced people and the double-up of that, it seems to me, is there is a lot of fire in the movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't try to be too solemn."
Branagh made a point to praise Hopkins as "an extraordinary actor with his Celtic passion and incredible technique" and said he has been a binding force for the film on the set and will do the same on the screen. The cast that plays Asgard's royal family are "people who can embody larger-than-life characters but retain at the center a natural, recognizable, human dynamic ... and these people run the universe."
Young Hemsworth will also star as "Thor" in the planned "Avengers" movie, the superhero team film where (if the current casting plan holds) the Aussie newcomer will have to hold his own with far more experienced peers -- Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man; Edward Norton Jr. as the Hulk's alter ego, Bruce Banner; and Chris Evans as Captain America.
Wednesday was a big day for Marvel Studios because director Jon Favreau wrapped up "Iron Man 2." Kevin Feige, Marvel Studio's president and producer on "Thor," was in a celebratory mood, but it was split with with anger over the New York Daily News reports, which Feige called "garbage."
Feige said the plan to meld the Marvel Universe on the silver screen will move forward dramatically now and he said there are some surprises in "Iron Man 2" that set up an unexpected bond to the "Captain America" movie that director Joe Johnston is doing early work on now in England.
"Now many of the pieces are in place ... with 'Iron Man 2' finished and 'Thor' more than halfway done, that lattice work is being built."
Feige said Branagh is proving to be the ideal choice for "Thor" -- the executive knew he would be after seeing the buoyant and accessible "Much Ado About Nothing," which made Shakespeare fun and funny even to "comic book fans like me," Feige said. He added: "You could actually laugh and understand all of it."
Check back. I will be posting a lot more from my Branagh interview.
PHOTO: Kenneth Branagh on the set of "Thor" (Zade Rosnethal). All artwork: Marvel
UPDATE: An earlier version of this post said Samuel L. Jackson would be in "Thor." He won;t. I trusted IMDB. My bad. I also scrambled Kevin Feige's title a bit, apologies for that.
Over at the Heat Vision blog, our distinguished competition anchored at the Hollywood Reporter, there was a major scoop Monday as Borys Kit reported that the casting scramble for "TheFirst Avenger: Captain America" is officially over. That role of the greatest patriotic superhero belongs to Chris Evans, a fellow with previous experience in the Marvel universe.
Here's an excerpt from Heat Vision:
Sources tell us the actor has not only accepted Marvel's offer, first detailed on Friday, but that the dealmaking moved so fast it's now all about dotting the i's and crossing the t's.
Marvel would not comment on the development, and CAA, which reps the actor, declined comment.
Evans was offered the role in Marvel Studios' production last week, but there was some question of whether he would accept. Factoring in to the choice was the fact that Evans played Johnny Storm, the flame-covered superhero known as the Human Torch in Fox's "Fantastic Four" movies.
The Fantastic Four films may reside in the Marvel universe in the minds of fans, but, of course, as a Fox enterprise, it's separate and distinct from the Marvel Studios continuity. Same goes for Sony's "Spider-Man" films and Fox's "X-Men" movies.
More interesting, to me, is the test ahead for Evans, who will have to tap a different side of his acting craft to play the intensely earnest, dedicated and wholesome Steve Rogers without letting the character drift into two-dimensional cornball. The "Fantastic Four" films were awful (especially the first one), but Evans did have a spark as the self-absorbed wiseguy in the group. It's a far tougher challenge to play an un-ironic hero in a period piece.
I remember talking to Gabriel Macht, who portrayed the title role in "The Spirit," rooted in another 1940s-era creation, and he moaned about the vintage dialogue and retro sensibility of a square-jawed hero who was plucked from the era of serials and dropped into a CG age. "You say it as honest as you can," he said with a tight smile. Well, we all know how that turned out.
"Captain America" is being directed by Joe Johnston, and when I spoke to him a few weeks ago, he said one of the big challenges of the project was finding an actor who could present two physiques on screen -- the "98-pound weakling" look of Steve Rogers and then the ripped-muscle frame of his heroic alter ego after receiving a dose of the ultimate performance-enhancing drug. Evans will be tested by that body-shaping, but also by the need to win the hearts and minds of 21st century movie-goers with an FDR-era champion; that will be especially interesting to watch as the movie ventures overseas, where the name of the film might smack of jingoism.
I hope the film does well. I think the maverick candor of Johnston is a breath of fresh air in Hollywood, and Evans (much like Chris Pine of "Star Trek") has a sly intellect at play behind his eyes that makes him fun to watch on the screen, even in those creaky "Fantastic Four" films. If the actor pulls off this double-duty in the Marvel universe on film, maybe he'll get a new nickname -- the torch of freedom. If he doesn't pull it off? Well, a demoted Captain America film will severely undermine Marvel's audacious plan to bring together all their franchise heroes for the Avengers movie.
This is a longer version of a story that will appear in the Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times and also on the cover of Brand X.
Through the years, comic-book films took audiences to all the predictable places, including the grim streets of Gotham City and the doomed spires of planet Krypton, but, a decade ago, a new type of comic-book film had the audacity to set its opening sequence in a truly unexpected place -- the gates of Auschwitz, where Jewish families were being marched through mud on their way to death and despair.
From those first moments, "X-Men" set itself apart from the entire Hollywood history of comic-book adaptations and marked the beginning of this current era of fanboy cinema, which has dominated the box office and elevated San Diego's Comic-Con International into something resembling a Cannes for capes.
"The opening, it really was a declaration of intent," producer Lauren Shuler Donner said of that sequence, which showed a terrified young boy exhibiting mutant powers as his family was separated by German guards. "It said to the audience this is a serious film, grounded in the realistic and the historic and somewhat dark. It was so smart. And it was all totally Bryan."
That would be Bryan Singer, the director of "X-Men" and its first sequel, who was sitting next to Shuler Donner in her office on a recent afternoon. The pair both had big smiles on their faces -- they had been reunited by an invitation to reminisce about the legacy of the July 2000 release, which they were happy to do, but the conversation kept veering into giddy plans for the future. Singer is returning to the "X-Men" universe, it's clear now, for a project called "X-Men: First Class"; it's all just a matter of timing.
"I had lunch with Hugh Jackman today," Singer said, and Shuler Donner, after asking for an off-the-record moment, pressed the 44-year-old filmmaker for details. A few minutes later, with the recorder back on, Singer said he is mightily enthused to work again with Shuler Donner, who has produced two X-films without him, the Brett Ratner-directed "X-Men: The Last Stand" in 2006 and the Gavin Hood-directed "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" in 2009.
"I genuinely like the people, and my personality meshes more with this universe than it does with other universes, I think; I see that now at this point," Singer said, no doubt referring to his defection to the DC Comics universe to make the oddly lifeless 2006 movie "Superman Returns." "I feel a connection to the X-Men characters and also the ensemble nature of the films. If you look at 'Usual Suspects'' or my last film, 'Valkyrie,' I feel especially comfortable with ensemble juggling. In the space between all the characters you can disguise a central thought that's hidden in all the discourse. I missed that with the singular relationship story of Superman. And, well, it always gives you something to cut to..."
More on the future of "X-Men: First Class" in a moment, but first let's cut to the past -- 1999, when the Hollywood approach to comic books was a far different one.
It was the year "Mystery Men" was released as yet another campy spoof of the masked-man sector. Still fresh in the public mind, too, was Joel Schumacher's "Batman & Robin" (1997), which stripped away any psychological elements of the orphan-turned-vigilante tale and instead gave the world the questionable innovation of putting nipples on the bat-suits. Marvel Comics, meanwhile, was a joke when it came to the silver screen, with only three wide-release films based on its characters -- "Howard the Duck" in 1986, "Punisher" in 1988 and "Blade" in 1999 (that last one was actually satisfying for movie fans but had very little in common with the comics and was based on a relatively obscure character from the "Tomb of Dracula" comics of the 1970s).
Considering all that, the plan for "X-Men" was nothing short of revolutionary. Singer and his team, working from a script credited to David Hayter, would take the mutant superheroes of the wildly popular "X-Men" comics and treat them as believable outsiders in a reality-based world. Instead of spandex suits, though, they were outfitted in black leather, following in the fashion-savvy footsteps of "The Matrix," which hadn't been a comic-book movie but certainly felt like one.
"Some reviews were brutal and some lovely, but we had a $21-million Friday, a record at the time, and we knew we had turned a corner," Singer said.
The movie became the opening salvo in an onslaught of superhero movies that were like night-and-day when compared to the films of the 1990s and earlier. "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," three "Spider-Man" films, "Iron Man," two "Hellboy" movies, two "Hulk" films and "Watchmen" all followed "X-Men" in tone and spirit. There are many, many more to come: "Iron Man 2" arrives in May, "Thor" has just begun filming, and "Green Lantern," "The First Avenger: Captain America," a third Batman film and reboots of Spider-Man and Superman are gearing up. That's just a few; there are three dozen other comics-based projects at various points in the Hollywood pipeline, which was unimaginable in the days after "Batman & Robin," when the source material was considered radioactive in studio boardrooms.
Shuler Donner has watched the legacy of "X-Men" grow but she says that, at the time, in the closing days of the editing process she wasn't sure what kind of movie Singer had on his hands.
"There wasn't anything else like this; all the other superhero movies were made with a different tone and we were nervous," Shuler Donner said. "You lose perspective, and now in hindsight it seems like the right choices were made but at time it was scary, believe me."
Singer was feeling the fear for sure. In the editing bay, at one point, the director wondered if the train was about to leave the track. "I was in the cutting room and I got up and went for a walk with [Twentieth Century Fox executive] Peter Rice and I said, 'When this thing fails critically and financially, I will never have the opportunity to make this kind of film again.' I was very depressed. Peter said, 'Well, let's just hope it doesn't fail. That was his advice."
Singer was no comic-book fan growing up; his compass point for heroic tales was Richard Donner's "Superman" film in 1978, which made it no surprise that he jumped at the chance to work with that director's wife on "X-Men" and then jumped ship after two films -- with the blessing of both Donners -- so he could re-conjure Metropolis for a new generation.
Even without the comic-book passion of, say, Sam Raimi, the director of the three "Spider-Man" movies, Singer knew that "X-Men" would need to win over the true believers who had been reading the comics for years. The characters of Wolverine, Magneto and Cyclops were hardly household names like Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, and the director believed that the Hollywood tradition of dismissing hard-core comics fans would be a disaster in this case.
"Ultimately, the comic-book fans are your first core audience, the ones that are going to embrace it and talk about it and embrace it or reject it," Singer said. "They were the first people we worried about."
Shuler Donner nodded. "If the fans didn't embrace us, we knew we were in trouble. We wanted a wider audience, but it began with the comic book fans. The approach was to do a more realistic approach to the characters that the fans loved. They second-guess us a lot, still, but we did win them over."
The film made a star out of Hugh Jackman, who was a late-in-the-game replacement for Dougray Scott, who was tied up on the set of "Mission: Impossible II."
Jackman arrived on the set late in the day and Singer took a good look at him. "I thought, 'Oh his face is rounder than I thought.' It was important that Wolverine have a round face and I thought Hugh's face looked longer in the tape I had seen. He also wasn't as huge as I thought he would be. My opinion was, 'Maybe this isn't as impossible as I thought it would be.' "
To make the final call, Singer had two cameras set up in the lobby ofRoy Thomson Hall, where the crew had been shooting a U.S. Senate scene that day. Jackman and Anna Paquin, who played young Rogue in the film, were seated in two folding chairs put side-by-side so they could run through a scene where they are driving in a pickup truck together.
On the second take, Singer stepped away from the monitor so he could just filter everything out and listen to Jackman's voice. A janitor working for the venue sidled up to the baby-faced filmmaker and, mistaking him for a production assistant, began whispering a question.
"He didn't want to bother anyone important, so he sees me, this kid, and walked up and whispered, 'Hey, is that the guy they got to play Wolverine?' And I thought, 'Hmm, this is the moment, take the leap.' I said, 'Yes.' The first guy to know was the cleaning guy. And he said, 'Cool.' It's a good thing he didn't say, 'Ugh, are you kidding me?' "
Singer offered the role to Jackman then and there. It took a month, though, for the actor to really find the feral center of his character.
"He's a real sweetheart," Singer said. "He's the most loving guy, and someone who came out of musical theater. I send some ridiculous note, 'I need anger, that rage, that Russell Crowe side, get into a fight with your wife or something.' The next day he came up to me and said, 'Bry, I thought about what you said but if I ever got in a fight with Deborra, I would show up for work in tears.' I realized that's the other side of Wolverine and we didn't want to lose that either -- he's a guy you wouldn't want to get into a bar fight with but you'd let him babysit your kids."
Jackman was the breakout star but the cast was an especially deep one. Paquin would go on to the success of "True Blood" and Halle Berry would a year later win an Oscar for "Monster's Ball." Ian McKellen (who had worked with Singer on "Apt Pupil") was a year away from his signature role as Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and, along with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" veteran Patrick Stewart, he brought a gravitas to the superhero film that kept it from slipping into a camp affair.
"I was a big Trekkie, so I was excited to go see Patrick and meet him," said Singer, who dropped by the set of Richard Donner's "Conspiracy Theory" to make his pitch to Stewart. "He didn't know much about the X-Men at all, we had to explain it all. As for Ian, he liked the idea of the movie because of the gay allegory -- the allegory of the mutants as outsiders, disenfranchised and alone and coming to all of that at puberty when their 'difference' manifests. Ian is activist and he reality responded to the potential of that allegory."
How did Fox respond to Singer's plan to start a superhero movie with a Holocaust scene and infuse it with subtext about the struggle of homosexual teenagers in modern America? Singer said there were really no battles to be won. "There was no particular expectation, really, or pressure -- it wasn't an enormous budget -- and there was no template because these characters were not Superman or Batman. There was no issue of content or even tone."
The reviews were generally good (the film stands at an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) but not fawning. For instance, Kenneth Turan, writing in the Los Angeles Times, was supportive but not dazzled: "While 'X-Men' doesn't take your breath away wire-to-wire the way 'The Matrix' did, it's an accomplished piece of work with considerable pulp watchability to it. And having a self-referential sense of humor ('You actually go outside in these things?' Wolverine says when face-to-face with an X-uniform) makes the special effects go down that much smoother."
The first "X-Men" film made $296 million worldwide, but its sequel, "X2: X-Men United," with the benefit of a bigger budget and story elements already in place, rang up $408 million worldwide and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The biggest win, though, was in the hearts and minds of Hollywood. As time went on, people began to see Singer's "X-Men" films as special. David Denby, in the New Yorker, wrote in praise of "the liquid beauty and the poetic fantasy of Singer’s work." Denby didn't feel the magic with replacement director Ratner, however, whom he dismissed as "a crude synthesizer of comedy and action tropes."
The third X-Men movie made the most money at the box office ($459 million worldwide) but many fans found it unsatisfying, and Shuler Donner, choosing her words carefully, made it clear that she is ready for Singer to come back to the mutant universe. "He has an authorship, I feel, and I love all of my directors but with Bryan I would send him e-mails saying 'Where are you? You should be here.' "
That's why Shuler Donner went to Singer with "X-Men: First Class," a prequel to the 2000 film that shares its name with the eight-issue comics series that began in 2006 and was written by Jeff Parker with art by Roger Cruz. Singer says the film will find its axis in the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the point where their friendship soured. It will also detail the beginning of the school for mutants and have younger incarnations of some characters with new actors in roles of Cyclops, Jean Grey, the Beast, etc. (He only shrugged when asked if Hugh Jackman might appear as Wolverine, the one character who doesn't age at the same rate as humans.)
The premise has compelling elements to it, Singer said. "Just doing younger mutants is not enough. The story needs to be more than that. I love the relationship between Magneto and Xavier, these two men who have diametrically opposite points of view but still manage to be friends -- to a point. They are the ultimate frenemies."
Before Singer can dive into casting, he has a rather large problem -- the fact that Warner Bros. has the filmmaker on the hook to direct "Jack the Giant Killer." Fox, flush with money from "Avatar," is eager to move forward with its mutant franchise in all of its permutations, so there are negotiations that need to be done.
Shuler Donner also has pitched Singer on doing a fourth installment of the previously established "X-Men" franchise and Jackman had that lunch with Singer to coax him into a project as well, which may or may not be a "Wolverine" film, which Jackman has said will be set in Japan and released in 2011. "I wish I could be four people," the director said with a moan. "I could make everybody happy."
Singer turned to Shuler Donner and said of "X-Men 4": "Hold that one off for just a little, I'm fixated on the other one right now." She nodded and answered, "I will, I will ... I'm holding it open with high hopes. It's totally different [from 'First Class'] and it will be so interesting for you."
At that point, Singer and Shuler Donner asked for some more off-the-record time to talk about the future instead of the past. Then, with the recorder rolling once more, Singer was asked if he believed his first mutant movie would be remembered as a pioneering moment in Hollywood.
"I don't know if people followed in our footsteps or maybe we were just the first of a group going down the same path together," Singer said. "I can tell you this: I remember when Marvel Comics was in bankruptcy and I bought stock for a friend as a joke. That was before 'X-Men' and it was one of the reasons we had so much freedom. And now Disney paid $4 billion for the company. That sort of caught my attention. I just think we made some good movies. And now we're going to make more."
PHOTOS: Top and sixth: Bryan Singer and Lauren Shuler Donner (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times); Second, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (Fox); Third, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Jackman and Halle Berry in "X2: X-Men United" (Fox); Fourth, Berry as Storm (Fox); Fifth, Bryan Singer and Ian McKellan on the set of "X-Men" (Attila Dory / For The Times). Seventh, "X-Men First Class" the comic book (Marvel).
Superman lifting a car? Not a big deal in today's comics, but when it's the Man of Steel lifting a car drawn on a "very fine"-rated 10-cent-issue of Action Comics No. 1, the deal is the biggest in comics history: $1 million.
Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the auction site ComicConnect.com, which mediated the deal, told the Associated Press: "It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence."
The buyer remains anonymous, as often happens in these big money deals. The book doesn't reach the record heights of Pablo Picasso's Boy with a Pipe (The Young Apprentice), which sold for $104.1 million at auction in 2004, or a bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti that sold for $103.4 million (or $104.3 million, depending on how you measure it), but comparatively, it's still a wonder.
How have other high-priced comic books fared at auction, you ask? Well, that's what Hero Complex (and Comic Link, where we got some of the figures) is here for. Most of these books fetched high prices not only because of the issues, but the state that they're in as appraised by the Certified Guaranty Company, or its CGC grade.
Amazing Fantasy #15 Sold for: $227,000.
You-know-who swung into our lives courtesy of this issue, and this specific, near-mint book was part of the noted White Mountain pedigree collection.
Fantastic Four #1 Sold for: $52,000
The origin and first appearance of the first family of Marvel Comics takes place here, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launch the Silver Age. There are only five graded 8.5 by CGC.
All Star Comics #8 Sold for: $20,000
The introduction of Wonder Woman, the greatest female hero in comics (no debate! unless you want to leave a comment). This 1941 issue is one of only five examples of All Star Comics #8 assigned a grade as high as 7.5 by CGC.
Sensation Comics #1 Sold for: $25,250
The Amazon with the golden lasso made her first cover appearance in Sensation Comics #1. This particular book, at least as far as anyone knows, is one of only six in the world that could be assigned a grade as high as 8.5 by CGC.
Showcase #23 Sold for: $15,928
The Blackest Night saga is currently taking the comics world by storm, and this comic has the second appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern at the center of it all, Hal Jordan. Apparently, this 1959 issue is extremely hard to come by, and it's even tougher to find one that can match the 9.4 grading that was given.
Anthony Hopkins is ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard. "For 'Thor,'" he pointed out, "I don't just play a father, I play the god-father."
Work is underway on the fourth Marvel Studios film, and Hopkins said he is enthused about working with the cast that is led by Chris Hemsworth (who played the doomed father of James T. Kirk in "Star Trek") as the Thunder God and Natalie Portman as his mortal love, Jane Foster.
Hopkins is taking on the role of Odin, ruler of Asgard and father of both the noble Thor and the nefarious Loki. The 72-year-old actor said it's a meaty role for him and, like his role in "The Wolfman," it allows him to test the tricky physics of paternal relationships.
"I'm very interested in that relationship between fathers and sons," Hopkins said. "My father's relationship with me was cold. He was a hot-blood character but to me, cold. When I was young, he expressed his disappointment because I was bad in school and all of that. He didn't mean any harm, but I felt I could never meet up to his expectations."
The morality tales and melodramas of Marvel Comics have a lot of fascinating fathers, and they have led to some memorable performances in Hollywood's adaptations -- Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn, William Hurt as Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross and Brian Cox as William Stryker spring to mind.
Hopkins, a native of Wales, has plenty of experience with sword scabbards and royal roles or antiquity. On that list of roles: He was Hrothgar in the Robert Zemeckis version of "Beowulf," Titus Andronicus in the 1999 film "Titus" and, way back in 1968, he made his feature-film debut as Richard the Lionhearted in Anthony Harvey's sublime "A Lion in Winter."
He said he has high hopes for "Thor" ( "Kenneth Branagh is such a terrific director and a wonderful guy to work with") especially because he finds a personal resonance in the Odin role.
"He's a stern man. He's a man with purpose. I play the god who banishes his son from the kingdom of Asgard because he screwed up. He's a hot-headed, temperamental young man --- probably a chip off of the old block -- but I decide he's not really ready to rule the future kingdom, so I banish him. I'm harsh and my wife complains and I say, 'That is why I'm king.' He's ruthless, take-it-or-leave-it. Women are much more forgiving; men are not so forgiving. I know in my life, my karma is, 'If you don't like it, tough, move on.' And I move on. I'm a little like Odin myself."
IMAGES: Top right, Odin and his thunder baby (Marvel Comics).Anthony Hopkins on the red carpet (Getty Images). Bottom, Hannibal Lecter behind bars. (MGM)
SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST REVEALS SEVERAL PLOT POINTS IN THE CAPTAIN AMERICA FILM
It's one thing to take Batman off the comic-book page and make his costume still look good in a live-action feature, but Captain America presents a far bigger challenge — the hero is essentially a walking flag, which might leave many average moviegoers giggling instead of saluting.
But director Joe Johnston and the team at Marvel Studios have a plan for "The First Avenger: Captain America," which is due in Summer 2011: They've added a new wrinkle to the classic mythology to explain why a scientifically enhanced super-soldier would venture out in the WWII battlefields in a costume that leans a bit heavy on the old Betsy Ross imagery.
"The costume is a flag, but the way we're getting around that is we have Steve Rogers forced into the USO circuit. After he's made into this super-soldier, they decide they can't send him into combat and risk him getting killed. He's the only one and they can't make more. So they say, 'You're going to be in this USO show' and they give him a flag suit. He can't wait to get out of it."
That's a whole new concept and it's one that sounds pretty promising. "It was never in the comics," Johnston said, "because they didn't really need it. In comics, he puts on the costume and the reader just justifies because of the nature of the medium."
Johnston told me all this when we sat down for lunch today at the Four Seasons Hotel. For an hour we chatted about his new film, "The Wolfman" (which you can read about next week right here at the Hero Complex) but I had to ask him a bit about the Captain America production. Filming starts in London at the end of June. "There's a lot of work we have to do on it," the 59-year-old director said.
And who will wear the costume and carry the shield? "Well, we're testing five or six guys," Johnston said. "The youngest is 23, the oldest is 32. Most of the guys in the war are just kids, 18 or 19, but we want to go a little bit older. We have to have somebody locked in before I leave March 1 for London."
A challenge, he said, is finding an actor that can play scenes as "98-pound-weakling" Steve Rogers and also pull off the brawny hero scenes, although some visual effects wizardry will come into play. Johnson has plenty of experience on that front as the director of "Jumanji," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and "Jurassic Park III" He also had art director credits on major Lucasfilm projects, including "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Empire Strikes Back."
Johnston also directed "The Rocketeer," an underrated 1991 film based on the retro-hero created by the late great Dave Stevens. I asked Johnston if he thought the vintage flair of that film might have caught the eye of the Marvel brain trust as they looked around for a filmmaker to handle a 1940s action movie.
"I think it's probably possible that it was an influence," he said. "I think they were looking for somebody that could handle the visual effects. I think that was a big part of it. And with visual effects, all you really need to know is what is possible. And these days, actually, that's almost anything. Not everything is affordable, but almost everything is approachable."
I wanted to come back to the idea of Steve Rogers as a reluctant performer with United Services Organizations, which famously brought Bob Hope and other entertainers to morale-boosting events for troops overseas.
"So he's up on stage doing songs and dances with chorus girls and he can't wait to get out and really fight. When he does go AWOL, he covers up the suit but then, after a few things happen, he realizes that this uniform allows him to lead. By then, he's become a star in the public mind and a symbol. The guys get behind him because he embodies something special."
There will be more than one costume in the film, too.
In the first USO sequences, the frustrated patriot will be wearing a version that is closer to the classic Jack Kirby-designed costume, but then later as the super-soldier hits the war zone he will be wearing a sturdier, more muted version that he makes himself that is more like battle togs. The stripes across his mid-section, for instance, will be straps, not colored fabric.
"He realizes the value of the uniform symbols but he modifies his suit and adds some armor, it will be closer to the Cpa costume in some of the comics in more recent years . . . this approach, it's the only way we could justify ever seeing him on a screen in tights, with the funny boots and everything. The government essentially puts him up there as a living comic-book character and he rips it off and then reclaims some of its imagery after he recognizes the value of it. We think it's the best way to keep the costume and explain it at the same time."
Steve Zeitchik has an article at our sister blog, Company Town, on the latest courtroom twist to the ramping dispute between Marvel's corporate captains and the estate of Jack Kirby, arguably the most important comic book creator in the history of the medium.
The battle between Marvel Entertainment and the Jack Kirby estate is bringing out each side’s inner Hulk.
The comic book publisher and movie producer, which was recently acquired by the Walt Disney Co. in a $4-billion deal, has unleashed a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the copyright termination claims made by the heirs to the iconic artist. It's the latest tactic in the fight over profits from some of the most lucrative superhero characters.
The suit against the Kirby heirs, filed in federal court in Manhattan today, is essentially a preemptive strike to halt the Kirby family’s bid to reclaim the characters. It follows a series of letters from Kirby estate attorney Marc Toberoff in September in which his clients notified various copyright holders and licensors of their intent to terminate copyright to a slew of properties at various points in the coming decade (when they will, in the heirs' view, become available).
Those properties include The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor, The Avengers and many others from which the movie blockbusters are adapted.
Jack Kirby was a renowned artist instrumental in the creation and shaping of these characters, his family argues, and is thus entitled to profits like any other copyright-holder. Disney has maintained that Kirby’s work was considered for-hire and that his heirs are thus not owed any further profits.
Like other heirs to 20th century comic book artists, Kirby’s progeny have become more aggressive in seeking to recoup their share of the profits ...
Walt Disney Co. completed its $4.24-billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment Inc. on Thursday, bringing Spider-Man, Iron Man and 5,000 other characters under the same roof as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Marvel shareholders approved the acquisition Thursday morning as expected.
Marvel Chief Executive Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter, who owned 37% of Marvel stock, supported it. He will oversee the Marvel business and report to Disney CEO Robert Iger. Iger said the deal can help Disney grow revenue and profit, saying in a statement, "The creative and business potential of this combination is substantial."
Marvel shareholders received $30 per share in cash, plus 0.7452 of a Disney share for every Marvel share they owned. Disney shares closed Thursday at $32.25.
That valued Marvel shares at $54.03 each, and put the purchase price at $4.24 billion. The deal is Disney's largest since it bought Pixar Animation Studios Inc., the maker of "Up" and "Cars," for $7.4 billion in stock in 2006.
Separately, Pow Entertainment Inc., a company led by Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, said it expanded a three-year relationship with Disney by giving Disney greater rights to its creative output and exclusive consulting services.
Disney, based in Burbank, will take a 10% stake in Pow for $2.5 million, it said. Walt Disney Studios' president of worldwide distribution, Bob Chapek, said it made sense to extend the relationship with the company partly because of Lee's "knowledge and familiarity of the Marvel Universe."
If you grew up as a comics fan in the 1980s, you probably also grew up a fan of parodist Fred Hembeck (I know I did) and his whimsical interpretations of classic Marvel and DC covers. We've been lucky enough to have Fred share his work with Hero Complex this year and here's the latest, a holiday blast-from-the-past that will bring a smile to your face. Check out more of his latest work at his website, and below you can find a directory of his Hero Complex contributions.
It has been a great year for the blog and we're looking forward to an even more heroic 2010.
This beautiful John Romita Jr. cover will grace the front of the Thor and Iron Man team-up that will hit stands on Free Comic Book Day on May 1. The issue is momentous -- it will be the start of a new era of Thor as writer Matt Faction takes over the thunder god's adventures. That's big news, so we got hold of star writer Fraction for more scoop on the his upcoming hammer time.-- Geoff Boucher
GB: Tell me a bit about Thor and how you viewed him as a fan - was he a key character for you growing up?
MF: There was one run-- Walt Simonson's-- that I thought hung the moon but, weirdly enough, the character wasn't a favorite particularly beyond what Walt did. And then, as an adult, a few years ago, I was at a friend's house and saw a Kirby/Giacoia original Thor page on his wall and... and it was like an array of lock tumblers just clicked into place in my head. Like -- the art, the character, the myth, the potential -- the whole thing came to me in a weird revelation. I got obsessed with the character because for the first time I felt like I figured out, I sort of innately understood, just what you could do with Thor. How big it was, what the potential was, what the book was really, or could really, be about. For the first time I knew what Thor meant. Believe it or not, this is just one of several completely insane-sounding stories that have happened to me regarding Thor since I fell into the big guy's orbit. I've reconciled myself with just buying the ticket, taking the ride, and sounding like a mental patient until I'm done.
GB: Stan Lee always made Thor sound like a Shakespearean actor but I always wondered if he might sound more like the Swedish chef. Describe Thor's voice as you find it? What do you draw on?
MF: There's almost a Victorian tongue, to me, when I close my eyes and listen for it-- there this odd, mellifluous and loping cadence in my head. If I was smart enough I'd write the whole thing in Iambic pentameter but, well, I'm not. And besides, onamonapeas are murder on the metrical foot. Although now that I think about it, maybe they're really lifesavers. Short a couple syllables? Slap a FLAPPABIPPITTYBLABOOM! in there...
GB: There are so many great supporting characters in Thor's mythology. Without giving away too much, can you mention some of the things you're excited about pursuing with those supporting characters?
MF: I'm most excited about getting off of Earth. There are nine worlds in the Norse cosmology, sort of, and lately the book has been spending a lot of time here in Midgard sweet Midgard. I want to take these amazing people, these characters that are so known and loved (at least amongst the pages of THOR), and take 'em up and down the world tree. And beyond! Hell, why stop at just our world tree? I've said too much.
GB: What do you love about Loki?
MF: That Thor loves him in spite of everything. That they were raised as brothers and before he went completely off the rails he was a sweet, cranky, mischievous, and most of all, funny kid. He was bawdy and witty and for all the brutality and ferociousness of the Norse myth cycles-- and, brother, believe me, that stuff can get brutal -- Loki was the trickster in the middle of it all, cracking jokes in spite of himself. I love what used to be; I love what's buried deep within him that Thor, for all of Loki's sins, can't quite let go.
GB: Does the "Thor" film tilt your approach in any way? It certainly won't plot-wise, but I'm curious if the casting decisions, approaches and general excitement of the Hollywood venture have any unexpected influences on your work.
Well, it's a lot of pressure being cast as "Thor" but really all I can do is hit the gym, learn the lines, and show up ready to work every morning. Why, what were you talking about?
FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post said that John Romita Jr would be taking over the art on Thor. The announcement Marvel made about Romita was limited to the single-issue Thor and Iron Man comic book above.
There's a deep list to consider. "Alice in Wonderland" springs to mind. And don't forget the new films in the "Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Toy Story" and "Narnia" franchises. I have high hopes, too, for the Hollywood adaptations of "Kick Ass," "Jonah Hex" and "Percy Jackson." And how about those revisitations to the three grand brand names of the 1980s: "Tron Legacy," "Predators" and "Clash of the Titans"?
Whew. It's going to be a busy year here at Hero Complex. We expect a lot of surprises but, as of right now, I'd have to say that the surest bet of 2010 is "Iron Man 2" in May. Why? Let me list the reasons: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockewell and the guy in this just-released poster for the Marvel Studios release....
What about you readers? Which films should we circle as the priority films for 2010 here at the H.C.?
Stressed about finding the perfect gift for that special Muggle, Trekkie, Twi-Hard, Jedi or Bat-fan in your life? Relax and read on: You've come to the perfect place at the perfect time, because this is the 2009 Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide -- just think of us as a sort of retail Yoda guiding you through the complicated swamps of holiday shopping. "Buy or buy not. There is no browse..."
"Star Wars" Garden Jawa: Do you know someone that has a gopher problem and a fixation of the George Lucas universe? Well, of course you do -- who doesn't? Just last month, the Garden Jawa ($35) went on sale exclusively at Star Wars Shop. Not even a cranky Bantha could resist this little guy, who is close to a foot tall and comes ready for the garden -- he's got tools tucked into his bandoleer and a garden hose clutched in one gloved hand while the other flashes a thumbs-up symbol that seems to say, "Howdy-ho neighbor, may the Force be with you!" For a new product, he's sure covered a lot of famous ground already; he also seems built for the long haul since he is molded out of all-weather resin.
Tim Burton's Oyster Boy light-up Journal: There's a towering pile of super-cool items from the gifted oddballs up at Dark Horse Deluxe in Oregon, and I had a tough time deciding which to include in the gift guide. In the end I went with one of the Tim Burton partner creations, the Oyster Boy light-up journal ($15), which is such a melancholy and unexpected gift that it will bring a brief flicker of a smile to the face of that pale friend of yours who loves rainy days, black clothes, the Cure and every Burton movie featuring a cemetery or castle scene. This 128-page hardcover journal just hit shelves in May but the character first appeared in Burton's 1997 book "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories" (yes, being old-school and relatively esoteric makes it even better). The cover shows Oyster Boy wearing his human mask and trick-or-treating beneath a starry sky -- and the stars light-up with sparkling lights embedded in the cover. You should check out the other Burton merch from Dark Horse, too.
"Star Trek" DVD: What's the best movie of the year? Well, we could debate that all day but I can tell you that, without a doubt, my favorite movie of the year was "Star Trek,' which brought the long-under-performing film franchise to maximum warp, perhaps for the first time ever. The DVD and Blu-ray releases live up to the film, too, and dollar-for-dollar, they may be the season's best gift for sci-fi fans. The extras on the two-disc version are strong, too; J.J. Abrams is one of the best in Hollywood when it comes to an erudite but accessible director's commentary that is neither self-aggrandizing nor snore-inducing. The gag reel is actually funny. The nine deleted scenes on the Blu-ray, meanwhile, are actually pretty intriguing and show that the film could have gone into some substantially different sections of the story. The birth of Spock, trimmed from the start of the film, is worth wacthing for sure, as are the grim sequences with Klingons -- although they do kind of remind me of Spartans from some interstellar version of "300." And, oh yes, I love that critic's blurb on the box. It's available as a single DVD ($29.99), a two-disc DVD ($39.99) and a three-disc Blu-ray set ($39.99). Available just about everywhere.
Scene It? "Twilight" for the Nintendo Wii:
OK, here's the one gift on this list that I wouldn't want for myself but, hey, a gift guide is about giving, not getting, right? "The Twilight Saga" is in a full-force in American pop culture right now and if you have a Twi-Hard on your holiday shopping list, this might be the perfect fit. Scene It? is, for the uninitiated, a very successful brand of trivia games that incorporate video clips in the game play, but this is the very first edition in the Scene it? series to be available for the Wii game platform. The Konami release just hit stores on Nov. 24 and costs $50, although there are better prices to be found out there. It is rated T for teen due to mild blood, mild violence, some suggestive themes and a drug reference, but there's nothing here that's not in the first film.
Marvel ArtWorks: The classic artwork of Jack Kirby seemed too powerful, too kinetic and too, well, cosmic, to fit on the pages of Marvel Comics in the glory days of the 1960s and now, thanks to the folks at Every Picture Tells a Story, some of the late artist's iconic images are getting the massive, archival display they deserve. Every Picture Tells a Story is a gallery in Santa Monica and they have secured a license with Marvel to turn key covers into museum-quality pieces of art. The first 10 limited-edition prints were released this year and they look amazing. New releases each year will present signature covers from different eras of Marvel's history; this first batch of canvas prints included the Hulk by Dale Keown, Iron Man by Joe Quesada and the Silver Surfer by Gabriele Dell'Otto. The cream of the crop, though, are two cover by Kirby: "Captain America' No. 100 and "Fantastic Four" No. 49. Only 70 of each were made (which is fitting -- this is the 70th anniversary of Marvel) and they are going fast -- they were also signed by Stan Lee, adding another layer of collectibility. The Kirby glycee prints are $850 each, prices for the other covers vary, but you can find them at at the gallery's website.
CHECK BACK THIS WEEK FOR PART THREE OF THE GIFT GUIDE
I celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary this month and it was such a treat for Tracy and me to reflect back on that autumn afternoon in Florida in 1993. The guest list was amazing -- Millie the Model was there, so was Tony Stark and Captain America -- but it was a pretty bumpy day, too; Doctor Doom used some gizmo to send an attacking army of super-villains with Kang, Electro, the Super Skrull, even some guy called the Melter. Oh wait, that's not right. That wasn't my weddingday, that was the nuptials for Reed Richards and Sue Storm in Fantastic Four annual No. 3 from 1965. Sometimes I get ... confused. But the new pills are helping. The Onion would understand. Here's an excerpt from one of their news stories ... -- Geoff Boucher
LA CROSSE, WI—Returning to his hometown to attend a cousin's wedding Saturday, Josh Sundling, 29, reportedly demonstrated on numerous occasions a vast, far more intricate understanding of the fictional Marvel Comics Universe than of his own family's genealogy.
Sundling, who cannot identify his ancestral homeland or the meaning of his surname, possesses extensive knowledge of the creation of superhero teams, the history of imaginary alien races, and the special powers of countless characters.
"We're from Sweden or Norway or somewhere around there," said Sundling, who when prompted can accurately detail the origins of each cartoon member of the X-Men, the Avengers, the Defenders, and the Squadron Supreme. "I don't know for sure. I never really asked about it."
Though Sundling reportedly reread several issues of Moon Knight recently and found himself enjoying the subplot of the hero's romantic involvement with Tigra, it is believed he did not realize his cousin was dating anyone until he received an invitation to the wedding ...
Who is the greatest living comic-book artist? Neal Adams gets my vote. His work for DC Comics in the 1960s and '70s still stands as a towering achievement, and he drew the perfect Bruce Wayne, the definitive Green Lantern and the most memorable Green Arrow. Adams remains a dynamic figure in the world of illustration (check out Adams' website if you haven't already), and his new passion is for motion comics, as he writes in this guest essay for Hero Complex. -- Geoff Boucher
New York, Union Square, 14th street, October 28th. It's not every day that a new medium is invented or created and usually it happens by accident, against the tide and is roundly ignored and criticized by the majority of the population.
You want to put sound with movies? Talkies?! A flash-in-the-pan! Comic books? That's not a medium, is it? They're written? And drawn? I thought they just sort of ... appeared.
And now the latest...motion comics? Isn't it enough that HALF of our movies are based on (heh) comic books, overnight, it seems? No? There are going to be motion comics? And what is that, a moving comic book? Yep! But isn't that ... animation?
Actually NO. Animation, as it is defined today, is hundreds of thousands of animation cells drawn by a studio of animation artists who adapt ONE creator's work to a simplified version -- a version that has as few actual lines as possible. Done well, it can be brilliant -- BUT, it can never be the original artist's work. Until now. Which brings us to the aforementioned Oct. 28th.
On that day the first "true" motion comic, the first issue of Marvel's "Astonishing X-Men," will be presented in a world premiere at 14th Street-Union Square as part of MarvelFest NYC 2009. It will be outdoors and projected -- yes, I did just say "projected" -- on the side of the massively large, now closed, Virgin Megastore.
Ladieeze and Gentlemen, you will actually see the drawings of artist John Cassaday come to life and move. You will hear the words of the writer Joss Whedon (of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dollhouse" fame) spoken by John Cassaday's drawings. (Well, OK, it's actors doing the actual voices coming from the drawings, but this is exciting stuff.) Also, to add to the excitement, there is a signing at the near-legendary Forbidden Planet comic book store as well as a Marvel-Disney costume contest.
It's a comic book come to life and fully drawn by your favorite artist and written by your favorite writer. "Impossible," you logically say. "No one artist could do all that work!" And, you'd be absolutely RIGHT. But, this is the Age of Computers and, more importantly, the Age of Brilliant Computer Operators. The BEST of these are at my studio, Continuity, and they manipulated the work YOU will see (or miss) on the 28th. (If you do miss it, you can purchase the "Astonishing X-Men" series via iTunes beginning that same day.)
Properly cajoled and manipulated, computers can do nearly anything. For us at Continuity, computers have taken John's drawings and made them talk, run, jump, punch and take a massive cosmic ray blast right in the labonza! As a result? A never-seen-before medium.
Welllll, that's not true, of course. Continuity has been doing this sort of revolutionary animation for years, Except yours truly is a dyed-in-the-wool comic book artist (and comic book writer, too). Who better to debut this new form? All this comes together as Walt Disney Co. is completing its $4 billion purchase of Marvel Entertainment. Did Disney buy Marvel in time to tap into the most incredible boom time in the comic book business, and will motion comics contribute to the Disney bonanza? A prediction: "Motion comics" will be a household name a year from today.
