Monthly Archive: May 2008

Are Comic Books Hurting Movies?

Are Comic Books Hurting Movies?

In about 355 BC, Aristotle laid down the ground rules of theater in Poetics, with the notable rule that "opsis," or spectacle, is the least important element, and should never come before plot, character or theme. Nowadays, the summer movie season is all about spectacle. The bigger the better, with Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingodm of the Crystal Skull just the latest to bring excitement to the silver screen.

But not everyone’s pleased. Writing on the Huffington Post, Jack Donaldson says the rising influence of comics movies has been negative because of the explosion of computer animation in all types of films.

By their very nature these films rely on effects a lot, making them commonplace and just not that impressive. When you watch a computer generated Iron Man climb to the reaches of Outer Space, it’s not nearly as impressive as trying to figure out where Chris Cooper’s teeth went, or Gary Sinise’s legs. It’s not that I have a thing for missing limbs … I have a thing for special effects that make the real world seem a little more spectacular. What does a 100-foot wall of sand, with a face and fists, that is set on destruction in Spider Man 3, really do for anyone? It seems that more and more movies are made like last year’s Transformer’s, which showcased almost no action scenes that featured real actors, and I’m not impressed.

While I certainly understand the sentiment, I’d say it’s misplaced anger, as the use of CGI was already spread far and wide before comics movies gained traction. Really, it was the evolution of CGI that allowed for believable superhero movies.

And if you look at the best comic book movies, they excel because of quality stories (see Iron Man and the first two Spider-Man films), and the computer animation simply adds a little spectacle, just as Aristotle intended.

Happy Birthday: Kobra and Jason Burr

Happy Birthday: Kobra and Jason Burr

The Burrs were vacationing in India despite Mrs. Burr’s advanced pregnancy. Her condition attracted the attention of the Cobra Cult because the timing coincided with a prophecy about a man who would lead them into the Kali Yuga, the fourth age of the world. He would be one of a pair of Siamese twins, and Mrs. Burr was carrying such a pair.

When they were born and then separated on May 25, the cult stole one of the newborns (Jeffrey) and made it look as if he had died during the operation. Devastated, the Burrs took their remaining son, Jason, home with them.

Jeffrey was raised as Lord Naga, also known as Kobra, and began setting his plans for world domination in motion as soon as he was fully grown. Unfortunately for him, the twins retained a psychic link, and the authorities soon realized this—they recruited Jason and began using his link to foil his brother’s plans.

Kobra eventually killed Jason, but was killed himself by Black Adam and Atom Smasher years later.

 

 

ComicMix Columns for the Week Ending May 25, 2008

ComicMix Columns for the Week Ending May 25, 2008

Hope everyone’s having a nice three-day weekend, and that we all remember that the real focus on Memorial Day ought to be putting an end to the sheer folly of war, so that someday we won’t have to mourn all those whose lives have been lost in its perpetuation.  Oh, and of course, outdoor grilling and summer movies and retail sales. 

Here’s what our columnists have been selling you — for free! — this past week:

Remember the barbecue sauce!

Wes Molebash Reimagines ‘Oedipus Rex’

Wes Molebash Reimagines ‘Oedipus Rex’

A while back, I spoke with You’ll Have That webcomic creator Wes Molebash about YHT, Zuda Comics and various other subjects, and it looks like the talented writer/artist has been keeping busy since that interview. This set of new character designs recently popped up in his Flickr gallery, and I can’t help but direct some attention to them.

The set is titled "The Legend of Eddie King," and Molebash provides the following description:

For my Interdisciplinary Arts class I had to create a modern adaptation of Sophocles’ stage play "Oedipus the King". Here are the character designs I created for the adaptation.

For my adaptation I wanted to use the vintage/rockabilly/biker scene as the backdrop for the story. Instead of becoming king of Thebes, Eddie becomes the sole proprietor and leader of a biker gang/bar called The White Knuckle Society. The Society was formerly lead by his father, Louis, who has been mysteriously murdered . . .

Here’s hoping we get to see the final product — and that it earns Molebash an "A" on the assignment, of course.

 

Happy Silver Anniversary, Return of the Jedi!

Happy Silver Anniversary, Return of the Jedi!

Twenty-five years ago today (and six years after the original Star Wars opened) the summer movie season of 1983 blew wide open with the finale to the Star Wars saga — if you don’t count the re-releases, the three movie prequels, the multiple animated series, the books, the comics, oh, you get the idea.

And what do we remember from the film? Do we remember the escape from the Sarlaac? Do we remember the light saber duel between (spoiler) father and son? Do we remember Leia’s slave girl outfit?

Well, of course we remember the outfit. But we also remember the true heroes of the film, as memorialized here:

 

 

I think I speak for everyone here at ComicMix when I say, "yub yub".

Stuart Gordon’s ‘Stuck’ Unstuck, by Michael H. Price

Stuart Gordon’s ‘Stuck’ Unstuck, by Michael H. Price

 

A general release has been too long in coming for Stuck, Stuart Gordon’s mordant and mournful film about a traffic accident and its criminal aftermath. I began picking up on the raves shortly after a film-critic comrade, Joe Leydon, caught the picture at 2007’s Toronto Film Festival and published a favorable review in the show-biz tradepaper Variety. Joe suggested a “carefully calibrated theatrical rollout” but added: “… difficult to tell whether [the] sardonically edgy pic will reach many mainstream auds before fast-forwarding to homevid.”

Now comes word of a Dallas opening, June 6, for Stuck – three months after a well-received showing at the American Film Institute/Dallas Festival. ThinkFilm, the distributor, keeps hedging about an opening in nearby Fort Worth. I have pressed for a film-fest slot or a commercial engagement in Fort Worth because that is where my newspaper’s core readership dwells. And because Stuck owes its dire inspiration to a real-world ordeal that took place in Fort Worth.

“Why, we couldn’t show a movie like that in Fort Worth’s very own film festival,” one leading light of the FW-based Lone Star Film Society told me last fall after I had recommended Stuck as a centerpiece for a November 2007 event. “We’re here ‘To Preserve and Present the Art of the Moving Image’ – just as our Mission Statement declares – not to dredge up any horrible memories.”

“Yeah, well,” I answered – once that “yeah, well” injunction kicks in, any such exchange is doomed to deteriorate – “an occasional reminder might do us all some sobering good. And besides, the film uses the local case only as a springboard. Changes the locale and fictionalizes a lot. More an inspiration than an explicit reflection.”

“I’d be careful how I used that term, ‘inspiration,’ if I were you,” came the reply. “Anyone who would find inspiration in such a ghastly occurrence has no business being allowed to make movies.” (Guardians of the Culture, take note.)

 

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Happy Birthday: Carmine Infantino

Happy Birthday: Carmine Infantino

Flash Fact: Born in 1925 in Brooklyn, New York, Carmine Infantino might have been expected to go into music—his father was a musician, though he also worked as a plumber—but turned to art instead. While still in high school Infantino started working for Harry Chesler’s comic-book packager. Next he became an art assistant at Quality Comics. His first actual drawing job came at Timely Comics in 1942, where Infantino inked "Jack Frost" in USA Comics #3. After finishing high school Infantino continued to work for several places before finally landing a staff job at DC as the regular artist on the Golden Age Flash, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and the Justice Society of America.

He is probably best known for his work creating the second Flash, Barry Allen, and his distinctive red uniform. In 1967 Infantino became an art director at DC, and was promoted to editorial director a short while later. In 1971 he became publisher, but eventually left that position to go back to drawing on a freelance basis. He retired in 2005, though he still appears at comic book conventions. Infantino has won a National Cartoonists Society award and twelve Alley Awards, including a special Alley in 1969 for being the artist who “exemplifies the spirit of innovation and inventiveness in the field of comic art.”

ComicMix Radio: Crisis in The Trek Universe

ComicMix Radio: Crisis in The Trek Universe

We continue our look at the ongoing world of Star Trek fiction with news of a massive crossover event that will have major effect on all aspects of Trek, from Archer to Janeway, plus:

— Comics And The Movies – Flash Gordon & Buck Rogers?

— Captain America returns to WWII

— Yes you did see that in Iron Man!

Toss another dog on the holiday bbq and  press the button!

 

 
 
 
And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!
New ‘Incredible Hulk’ Film Footage

New ‘Incredible Hulk’ Film Footage

MTV Movies Blog recently posted a new clip from The Incredible Hulk, featuring a meeting between Betty Ros (Liv Tyler) and Hulk interrupted by a trigger-happy attack helicopter.

 

 

So, my question: Do the Hulk effects look better or worse this time around? I’ve posted some screenshots from the high-definition version of the trailer after the jump.

You can watch the high-definition version of the clip here.

The Incredible Hulk hits theaters June 13.

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