Tue Sep 29, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

MGM's Cash Woes Imperils 'The Hobbit'

Bankruptcy not out of the Picture

Deadline Hollywood’s Nikki Finke broke the news that MGM is having severe cash flow issues and may have trouble financing eagerly awaited films starting with The Hobbit two-picture project along with the next installment in the revitalized James Bond franchise.

MGM execs held a conference call with their lenders and admitted this year’s releases missed their targets and left them short of operating capital. "The implication was that it's teetering on bankruptcy," one source told Finke. The studio reportedly stuck its hand out and begged for $20 million just to cover immediate needs plus the $150 million they budgeted for the Guillermo del Toro-directed adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

The call, she reported, did not go well. As a result, the equity holders have seemingly given up on the studio with bondholders suspecting the studio is overvalued given their poor track record and management. Bankruptcy is a possibility but no one wants to see the once venerable studio go under or lose valuable rights, such as Bond.

Should the unthinkable actually occur, studios are poised to swoop in and fund the existing projects. Pre-production continues Down Under with full casting for The Hobbit expected in the coming months. The next Bond film is also in the works with a 2011 release being eyed.

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Tue Sep 29, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

'Primeval' Gains Unexpected 13 Episode Renewal

New Episodes due in Early 2011

Primeval, the much loved but low-rated British series has been given a fourth season order after ITV1 cut a deal with the digital channel Watch. According to a report in the Guardian, the series will be co-funded between the two with an order given for 13 new episodes, to be shown in two arcs.

After the third season aired earlier this year, ITV canceled the series, leaving production firm Impossible Pictures, scrambling to salvage the show which has a strong following as witnessed by licensed  books, audio adventures and a possible American feature film to be produced by Warner Bros.

The shows will air in early 2011 with BBC Worldwide handling international distribution. American fans most recently watched the series on BBC America. The current season was released on DVD on September 15.

The Guardian noted, “Watch – which already airs sci fi shows Doctor Who and Torchwood – will repeat it soon after and then premiere the fifth series later the same year, followed by ITV1.”

The full cast is expected to return including Hannah Spearritt, Andrew-Lee Potts and Jason Flemyng. Adrian Hodge remains showrunner.

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Tue Sep 29, 2009 — by Mike Gold

Legend Irwin Hasen Creates Graphic Novel

What will you be doing when you're 91?

The legendary Irwin Hasen, co-creator of DC’s original Wildcat who is best known for his work on the classic newspaper comic strip Dondi, has written and drawn a 128-page graphic novel. Not bad for a guy 91 years old.

Loverboy, which purports to be something of a dramatized autobiography, will be released by Vanguard Publishing in December. Joe Kubert and Neal Adams contributed cover blurbs; Irwin has been a teacher at the Kubert School.

In addition to Wildcat and Dondi, Hasen had been a regular contributor to the golden age versions of Green Hornet, Green Lantern, The Flash and Justice Society of America, among many others.

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Tue Sep 29, 2009 — by Mike Gold

Robot Chicken Goes Jughead

Probably Won't Need To Be Bleeped, Though

Archie Comics is perhaps the most innovative publisher around these days, although for many comics fans they’re beneath the radar. That’s a shame; folks are missing out on some great stuff.

Some fans are aware of their New Look digest books (“Ultimate Archie”?), and Mike Uslan’s Marriage of Archie and Veronica has made headlines. For me, well, I’m looking forward to their upcoming crossover with the 1950s/60s Archie Comics characters: Cosmo the Merry Martian, Super Duck, Seymour and friends. But the stunt they’ve just announced is the most provocative one yet.

Tom Root, co-head writer/ co-producer of Robot Chicken and co-creator/executive producer of Adult Swim’s new Titan Maximum parody series, is writing the 200th issue of Jughead. Yeah, that’s volume two of Jughead; you know how comic book numbering goes these days.

Both Robot Chicken and Titan Maximum are, to put it politely, hardly family fare… unless your family has the name “Manson” in it. The Adult Swim broadcasts are heavily bleeped – the DVD releases are not – and they tend to be quite violent and, dare I say it, irreverent. Oh, and extremely funny. Which probably tells you more about me than you wanted to know.

The story, “Something Ventured, Something Gained,” starts out with Jughead trading his, ahh, metabolism to a witch for a mega-cheeseburger. Bizarre wackiness ensues: Archie tries to cut a deal to trade the witch his awesome wholesomeness to restore his best friend to normalcy, Betty and Veronica try to cut a deal to restore Archie’s purity, and so on. All the while, Jughead actually gains weight!

It probably would have been easier for the Riverdale crew to just drop a dime on Sabrina, but hey, count me in! After all the mindless, in-perpetuity crossover events from DC and Marvel, I can use a self-contained book-lengther!

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Tue Sep 29, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

'Superman/Batman: Public Enemies' on Sale Today

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is released today in a variety of formats: Blu-Ray Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download that same day.

As you know by now, this animated feature is based on the Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness graphic novel collecting Superman/Batman #1-6. Bruce Timm is executive producer. Michael Goguen is supervising producer. Sam Liu is directing a script written by veteran Stan Berkowitz.

In the film, United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime,” Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit help – to stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

ComicMix will be reviewing this in the near future. For now, enjoy the clip below.

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Mon Sep 28, 2009 — by Mike Raub

The Point Radio: 'Smallville' -- What To Do With Chloe? Ask Allison Mack!

Plus The New Improved Zod

SMALLVILLE Season 9 is now underway but what lies ahead for Chloe Sullivan, the longest running (next to Clark Kent) character in the series! Actress Allison Mack shares the path her character is taking, plus "bad girl" Cassidy Freeman (Tess) explains why she and Erica Durance (Lois)  will never be friends and newcomer Callum Blue talks about his new take on long-time villain Zod.


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Mon Sep 28, 2009 — by Andrew Wheeler

Two Bleak Futures: David Ratte's 'Toxic Planet' and 'Ball Peen Hammer' by Adam Rapp and George O'Connor

Everything is going to hell. Everything is always going to hell, and always has been, of course, but it’s going to hell even more now than it ever has been, and quicker, too. And so we get ever more stories about those hells – like these two very different books that I have to talk about today. They even both have people with gas masks on the cover!

Toxic Planet

David Ratte

Yen Press, August 2009, $12.99

Sometime in the future, the world is so crowded and polluted that everyone wears gas masks all of the time, and the natural world is essentially forgotten. Toxic Planet is a satire – and a broad, obvious one at that – so there’s no point to asking what kind of food these people eat; it’s not designed to show how this world actually works, but to make obvious points about our own world.

Our hero is a factory worker named Sam; his blonde wife and aged grandmother are never named, but that’s OK; they’re all such broad characters that real names are superfluous anyway. Other characters include an unnamed owner of the plant and his young son, the President of the United Global States, who is an odd combination of Bush and Sarkozy, and the union rep Tran, who gets to be the voice of reason (reason here being very much a relative concept). Later on, Sam’s long-lost parents – they’re ecologists, which is about as popular and mainstream in this society as a combination of Muslim, Communist, and child molester would be in darkest Alabama – return from the countryside (yes, the world is completely polluted everywhere, and yet there’s still an unspoiled “countryside,” but don’t ask), with his younger sister Orchidea, and they get to be the even more obvious voices of reason.

Toxic Planet is funny here and there, and dull and axe-grinding equally as often. And it’s really much, much too long for the message – yes, we all agree that polluting the entire planet, declaring war on defenseless countries, and similar things are Really Bad, but we don’t need to keep seeing heavy-handed double-reverse sermons on the subject over and over for more than a hundred pages. Ratte’s world isn’t clever or interesting; he just wants to make it dirty and unpleasant, and he succeeds. The one interesting part of watching the axes grind are the times when Ratte’s French ideas of what’s obvious and true – so much so that he doesn’t have to say them, just have his characters parroting whatever he considers the opposite – aren’t at all clear to a North American audience, and so the reader can’t quite tell what he’s so worked up about.

Ratte’s art almost makes up for that, even laboring under the constraints his writing has given it – no faces, only gas masks, and characters who have to be differentiated mostly by hairstyle and typical clothing – with an appealing lightness and energy. But Toxic Planet is the kind of book that can make a reader want to drive a SUV to McDonald’s for lunch and then go prospect for oil in a wilderness, just out of spite.

Continue reading Two Bleak Futures: David Ratte's 'Toxic Planet' and 'Ball Peen Hammer' by Adam Rapp and George O'Connor ›

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Mon Sep 28, 2009 — by Matthew Weinberger

'Surrogates' underdeliver, Shuster and Ignatz Awards, and other ComicMix Quick Picks

Quick Picks for a slow Sunday:

• Today was former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter's 58th birthday. Thanos was unavailable for comment.
• Comic book movie Surrogates flopped in theaters, earning only $15 million over its opening weekend--which is nothing for a big-budget movie like this.
• They announced the winners of the Ignatz Awards, given for achievement in comics and cartooning, at the Small Press Expo; and the winners of the Shuster Awards, given to outstanding Canadian comic creators, at the at the University of Toronto as part of the Word on the Street National Book & Magazine Festival.

What'd we miss? Tell us in the comments.

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Sun Sep 27, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

Review: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' on Blu-ray

X-Men Origins: Wolverine kicked off the summer season and much of the film review that follows originally appeared on my blog. This past week, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the movie on DVD and Blu-ray, both containing a digital copy as has become standard these days. Since his introduction in 1974 through 2000, people were fascinated by Wolverine. He was a feral, edgy character at a time few other costumed crime fighters were. There was a tragic element to him since he could not recall his past. Through the years, writers teased us with bits and pieces about him, letting us know he was long-lived and had gotten around. But, just where did this Canadian come from?

After the success of X-Men in 2000, it became apparent there would be other mutant movies and the issue of Logan's origin was no doubt going to be addressed. In 2001, Bill Jemas said the time had come to tell the origin. Better Marvel control the origin elements rather than some unfamiliar screenwriter so in many ways, his miniseries, Origin, was a pre-emptive strike. And maybe it was just time.

The Paul Jenkins version beat out several others and became the one Andy Kubert drew in his gorgeous style. This is now the origin, like it or not, that every licensee is obligated to follow. All of this sets the stage for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a solo project that invited movie audiences to see where Logan came from and how he had his skeleton covered in adamantium.

Good thing there was a roadmap to follow because the changes from the comic showed that in other hands, telling his origin could be disastrous. Far too little is spent setting up James Howlett’s life in Canada before his claws first popped out. The family dynamic is given such short shrift that it felt sketched rather than written. I was particularly bothered by the decision to make Howlett and Victor Creed brothers, an unnecessary and overused Hollywood trope.  Yes, Sabretooth is Wolverine’s great comic book nemesis but he had nothing to do with the origins and shoe-horning him here doesn’t fit.

We know they’re both mutants, both feral in nature, something not well explored by the script. The title sequence successfully shows us how they stayed together, reached adulthood and seemingly stopped aging, but continued to sate their natures by going from war to war. Why they left Canada for America is unexplained nor are we properly shown how they began drifting apart and why Victor relished fighting while James had more of a conscience.  Had the movie taken the opening montage and really delved into his origin, we would have had a more dramatic character-driven origin rather than this testosterone-fueled film overstuffed with extraneous mutants.

James and Victor wound up as part of mutant military brigade under the command of William Stryker. We get to see some mostly familiar mutants including Wade Wilson, whose jabbering was perfect. Anyway, James reached his limit with the squad’s brutality and walked on them, and his brother. In the intervening six years, he found a quiet job as a lumberjack along with the love of a good woman, Kayla Silverfox, until his past came back to haunt him.

Stryker has manipulated James so he agrees to undergo the transformation into a living weapon. A military reason for the Weapon X program as opposed to the evil scientific cabal is another Hollywood cliché that was irritating and Stryker as the mastermind never seemed smart enough or motivated enough to be a real threat.

Bonded to adamantium, James Howlett has now rejected his past, adopting the name Logan and the codename Wolverine (the animal name came from that other Hollywood touch, a story told by his lover in the scene before she is killed). Now seeking Creed, who killed Kayla under Stryker’s command, the second half of the film becomes a revenge tale.

Continue reading Review: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' on Blu-ray ›

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Sat Sep 26, 2009 — by Matthew Weinberger

High school cosplay, 'Venom' movie, and the rest of the ComicMix Quick Picks

Quick Picks for 9/26/09

They're quick, they're...picked, they're the stuff we didn't get to today:

• The Venom movie may or may not be moving forward. Maybe. Well, they wrote a script. That they may not use. Exciting, right?
• A Minnesota high school encouraged its students to dress up as superheroes during their Homecoming week. At last, the LARPers weren't the only ones wearing capes to school.
• Today's comic book birthdays: Louise Simonson (Writer, New Mutants), who turned 63 and Tom Veitch (Writer, Star Wars: Dark Empire), who turned 58.
• Smallville and Dollhouse premiered to series lows. After Heroes' premiere fizzled, should we be getting worried about the future of genre television?

As always, this is an open thread. What did we miss?

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Sat Sep 26, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Dancing in the aisles at New York Anime Festival

No, really. The energy level here is amazing.

We'll have more for you later, but man, I am impressed by the reaction.

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Sat Sep 26, 2009 — by Matthew Weinberger

ComicMix Quick Picks for September 26, 2009

Freshly picked from only the finest and most pedigreed blog bushes, here's the stuff we didn't get to yesterday:

• Entertainment Tonight visited the set of Iron Man 2, and has video.
• The Chicago Tribune's pop culture blog, of all places, has a fun round-up of what Battlestar Galactica actors are up to these days. Highlight: Mark Sheppard (Romo Lampkin), by law, must appear in every scripted series shot in North America. You  no doubt enjoyed him in "Burn Notice," "Leverage," "Dollhouse" and "Warehouse 13" (and those are just a few of his recent credits). Look for him next in the series premiere of USA's "White Collar" (Oct. 23).
• A quick update on the status of the Orphan Works bill. For those not familiar, the update itself has a good quick summary. It starts like this: In 2004, Google announced its intent to digitize all of the world’s 80-100 million books – and to make most of them commercially available as orphaned works. The plan has been controversial since its inception.
• TokyoPop has released their winter publishing schedule. February will see a slew of new releases, which is a good sign for the industry, right?
• There's not much else to report because everyone is at Small Press Expo 2009 or New York Anime Festival this weekend. Expect fuller writeups from us on these later.

What'd we miss? Consider this an open thread.

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Fri Sep 25, 2009 — by Mike Raub

The Point Radio: SMALLVILLE Season 9 Blasts Off

SMALLVILLE Season 9 premieres tonight on The CW and before you tune in, hear just where the year will take us direct from writer/producers Kelly Souders and Brain Peterson and Erica Durance shares her plans for Lois and how she got the "seal of approval" from a former Ms Lane. Plus there are details on DC's direct to DVD plans and the real "secret origin" of the quintessential Batman, Kevin Conroy.



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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys

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Fri Sep 25, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Venezuela to fine networks that air 'Family Guy'

Just in from the AP:

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan authorities plan to impose fines on cable television companies that refuse to stop airing the animated television series "Family Guy."

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami says the program should be pulled from the airwaves because it promotes the use of marijuana.

He said Thursday that cable networks that broadcast "Family Guy" would be fined by Venezuela's telecommunications regulator if they refuse to dump the program.

And you all know what the folks at Family Guy think about that sort of thing, right?

You don't? Maestro, take it away...

If you haven't seen it, here's the episode in question.

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Fri Sep 25, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Paul Kirk, Manhunter-- er, Senator?

Jesse Ventura was elected governor, so why couldn't a costumed mystery man serve in the U.S. Senate?

Paul Kirk, the late Senator Ted Kennedy's temporary replacement, shares a name but (probably) not the predilection for vigilante crime-fighting, with Manhunter, a DC character with an interesting history. 

In the comics, Paul Kirk used decides to become a crimefighter when his friend, Empire City police inspector Donovan, was murdered by the supervillain known as the Buzzard. He wore a superhero-like red costume with a blue mask. While he had no superpowers, he was an above average athlete and possessed superior tracking skills. Later, he went off to become a big-game hunter, but was killed by an elephant, then brought back to life by a secret society intent on ruling the world (insert obligatory Obama/ACORN reference here) and set up to lead an army of clones of him, but he rebelled and brought down the Council in a story chronicled by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson.

That doesn't seem to describe the real-world Paul Kirk, but who knows? He could be a man of hidden talents.

Or it could be yet another one of those Paul Kirk clones running around...

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