Ben McKenzie plays a wealthy young man on a personal quest for justice in TNT’s hit series Southland. Now the actor heads to the streets of Gotham City as the voice of another rich young adult with a need for righteousness in [[[Batman: Year One]]], the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
McKenzie makes his maiden voyage into animation voiceovers as Bruce Wayne/Batman, the title character of comics legend Frank Miller’s classic retelling of the Dark Knight’s gritty, formative days.
Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated Batman: Year One arrives today, 2011 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Batman: Year One is also be available in a special download-for-purchase through iTunes, Xbox Live, Zune, VUDU HD Movies and Video Unlimited on the PlayStation Network & Sony Entertainment Network. (more…)
Acclaimed comic book creator John Byrne releases his latest creation, former MI-6 agent Michael Swann on October 19, 2011 when IDW Publishing’s Cold War #1 hits stores. In Swann’s opening 4-part adventure, “The Damocles Contract,” the former secret agent is called on to stop a defecting British scientist from granting the Soviets complete nuclear dominion over the free world…
Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” #1 Written and drawn by John Byrne Colored by Ronda Pattison Lettered by Neil Uyetake 32 pages, $3.99 In Comic Book Stores October 19,2011.
Said IDW’s Chris Ryall on his blog of the book, “This is Byrne doing a British secret service (well, former secret service, as you’ll see) agent in a period setting, which has been a blast so far, seeing him handle new characters and a time period he’s not tackled before. The vehicles alone in issue 3 are worth the price of admission.”
In addition to the standard color cover there will be a black and white cover and a stylized, almost propoganda-style variant covers for each issue. The first issue is also being released as a full variant b&w version as well as the regular full-color issue, too.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Byrne explained, “He operates on a freelance basis, and occasionally his former bosses call upon him to handle something that is perhaps a bit too messy for Her Majesty’s Government to be involved with. So he knows that when he is called upon, things have reached some dire straits. His response to this is usually very straightforward and brutal.”
On his website’s forum, Byrne shared a few more details. “Altho set in the early days of the Cold War, this is NOT going to be a history book. I am playing quite freely with the order in which things happened in the real world. And I will not be tying Swann’s exploits to any specific year or sequence of years. Those with an awareness of the history of this period may spot a few landmarks — one in most particular plays an important part as a sub-thread to my overall tale — but no reason to start checking the History Channel in order to be able to follow what’s going on in this series!”
Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” issue #1 is in stores on October 19.
Here comes THE MIRACLE SQUAD, the 1980′s indie comic that Pulp 2.0 has redesigned into a graphic novel. Thrill to the adventures of the cast and crew at Miracle Pictures, a poverty row movie outfit in 1930′s Hollywood, as they use all of their skills at movie magic to thwart a hostile takeover by a local gangster who aims to launder his dirty money.
Created by writer John Wooley and artist Terry Tidwell, The Miracle squad was originally published in 1987 by Fantagraphics. It has never before been released in a collected format such as this edition.
This collector’s treasure features:
The special preview and all four chapters.
John Wooley’s original essay on the B-Movies featuring all new photos and illustrations from his personal collection.
The original short story, “The Return of Mr. Mystery” which featured the first incarnations of the Squad.
Wooley casts the Miracle Squad serial with famous B-Movie greats from yesteryear.
A gallery of images by Terry Tidwell showcasing the development process for the series. Many of these images have never before been seen.
And much, much more!
All in all, over 50 pages of bonus features sure to thrill fans of the series as well as B-Movie enthusiasts!
PLEASE NOTE: A DIGITAL EDITION OF THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL WILL NOT BECOME AVAILABLE UNTIL 2012.
There have been few original characters created for the screen in the last decade that have been memorable enough to be welcomed back for at least an encore. The exception could well be Captain Jack Sparrow, with Johnny Depp taking the stereotypical pirate imagery and turning it on its head with a madcap performance that is brilliant. I still delight in the first film which had yet to be crusted with barnacles of backstory, mythology, and larger-than-life special effects. Its unexpected success required those to be affixed to the Black Pearl for the sequel and then it became a trilogy. Screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott were required to go back and fill in the gaps they unwittingly created, resulting in a somewhat convoluted mess.
The third film in the [[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]] series, At World’s End, nicely tied off several threads and gave Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner a bittersweet ending to their story. Freed from complications created in the bloated trilogy, Rossio and Elliott could have told us a nice new pirate story in On Stranger Tides, showing us new sides to Sparrow or the world of pirates in which he is but one of many such plunderers. After all, it was largely taken from a far stronger novel by Tim Powers. Instead, we get more magic and mythology robbing the fourth installment of any sense of fresh beginnings. And while I adore Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa, he was not required for the film.
Instead, the story could easily have been King George II dispatching Sparrow in search of the Fountain of Youth while encountering the feared Blackbeard and see what happens when legends confront one another. That core notion is lost within layers of other events (the missionary and the mermaid for example) and the screenwriters are mostly at fault, although producer Jerry Bruckheimer never knows when to leave well enough alone. Director Rob Marshall, joining the franchise for this film, brought none of the dazzle he used in adapting Chicago to the screen. (more…)
Pulp AdventureCon November 5th, 2011 Ramada Inn, Bordentown, NJ
Thousands of rare PULP MAGAZINES, vintage paperbacks and movie collectibles on display in this pleasant one-day show that attracts collectors and exhibitors from as far as New Hampshire and Virginia. Held the first Saturday of November from 10AM until 5PM.
Time: 10 am to 5 pm Admission: $5 Email us for information — boldventurepress@aol.com __________________________________________
Update — October 17, 2011
LORD OF THE TREES
ALEX SIMMONS and ERIC BATTLE will be joining us as special guests. As the writer and illustrator team of the syndicated TARZAN newspaper strip, between the years of 2000 and 2002, they provided Lord Greystoke with plenty of challenges of hair-raising thrills.
These strips appeared as part of the story-arc “Day of the Hunter”, which appeared in newspapers across the country from January 6, 2002 – May 19, 2002.
Follow the link to the Official ERB, Inc. and Tarzan® Webzine Site, Bill & Sue-On Hillman’s ERBzine, to read “Day of the Hunter” and more of the Tarzan newspaper strips.
Update — October 18, 2011
As of October 18, 36 tables are spoken for. That leave approximately eight tables remaining. Now is the best time to jump in, if you’ve been stalling. Our erstwhile vendors include Paul Herman, Rich Harvey, Rick Hall, Gary Lovisi, Darrell Schweitzer, Henry Greenbaum, Bruce Tinkel, Gale Heimbach, Ed Hulse, Martin Grams, Rich Greene, Bill Parisho, Brendan Faulkner, John Gunnison, Mike Chomko, Chuck Miller, Eric Battles, Rodger Lowenthal, Nick Certo, Cowboy Tony, Walker Martin, and Mark Halegua.
CLICK HERE … to read about past shows. Walker Martin provides a pretty comprehensive overview of the stuff you missed in 2008.
Because you demanded it, true beli– no wait, that’s the other guys.
But we’re here with the solicitations for DC Comics for Novemeber, coming soon to a Previews catalog near you. The New 52 keep rolling along, and we have the Sergio Aragones version of Batman immortalized in a statue.
Fast Company talks with Morgan Spurlock about his documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope (which comes with a companion book that Spurlock describes as “If Taschen made your high school geek yearbook”), how his generation liberated creativity for the basement-dwelling set, and how video games are the next gen’s comic books.
Organizers had routinely denied previous requests to document the event, fearing a public mocking of a misunderstood subculture. But that all changed when Morgan Spurlock Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold came calling with the support of his “geek dream team”: comics legend Stan Lee, Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles, writer Jeremy Chilnick, and wunderkind producer Joss Whedon Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly.
According to www.tvshowsondvd.com, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – Scaled-Back DVD Set announced with the Fan-Favorite 1st Season. The 6 single-sided disc package will be available in late January 2012.
Blast off to the 25th century with Buck Rogers, one of the most popular sci-fi heroes of all time! When 20th century astronaut William “Buck” Rogers (Gil Gerard) is awakened – 500 years after a deep space disaster! – to an Earth in recovery from nuclear war, he must join Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) against a galaxy of evil from the past, present and faraway future. Now with all 21 action-packed Season One episodes of the epic series the Associated Press called “razzle-dazzle good fun,” and featuring phenomenal guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis and Julie Newmar, you can join these legendary intergalactic crime fighters for an adventure you won’t forget!
Season 1 cast
In 2004, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released a DVD set of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – The Complete Epic Series, a 5-disc package (all double-sided DVDs) with the complete 2-season run of the show (32 episodes, including 5 double-length special episodes). The two seasons of the program were very different from each other, with the first 21-episode run (including 3 double-length installments) being based on Earth and having Buck, Wilma, and ambuquad robot Twiki (Felix Silla, The Addams Family‘s “Cousin Itt” and voiced by Mel Blanc, of “Bugs Bunny” fame) getting their mission directions from Dr. Elias Huer (Tim O’Connor) and the disc-like computer carried by Twiki, Dr. Theopolis (voiced by Eric Server, B.J. and the Bear). The opening credits were narrated by William Conrad (Cannon, Jake and the Fatman, and narrator on The Fugitive).
The second season (11 episodes, with the first two of them being double-length stories) had Buck, Wilma, and Twiki relocated to deep space, on board the starship Searcher, where they were led by Admiral Asimov (Jay Garner) and joined by Dr. Goodfellow (Wilfrid Hyde-White), the alien Hawk (Thom Christopher), and “superior” robot Crichton (voiced by Jeff Davis). This season was much less loved by fans, and likley has been most memorable for the (in)famous “off-think” scene (do a web search for that, if you’re not familiar with it). Since it was relatively short, however, Universal included it in their “Complete Epic Series” DVD release 7 years ago…a collection which is still officially in print as of this writing, and lists for $26.98 SRP. However, it’s become much harder to find than it used to be.
Universal has announced that on January 24, 2012 they will release Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – Season 1, a collection of JUST the original Earth-based season with Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis. It also includes a galaxy of guest stars that include Pamela Hensley, Henry Silva, Roddy McDowall, Buster Crabbe, Jack Palance, Tim Robbins, Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Markie Post, James Sloyan, Peter Graves, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gary Coleman, Ray Walston, Michael Ansara, Dorothy Stratten, Morgan Brittany, Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, Mary Woronov, Anne Lockhart, Dennis Haysbert, Jerry Orbach, Judy Landers, Julie Newmar, and Vera Miles. These 21 episodes running 1166 minutes come on 6 single-sided DVDs, presented in full screen video, English mono sound, and with subtitles in English, French and Spanish. The original complete series release had no bonus material, and similarly there have been no extras announced for this title, either. Before anybody asks about a Blu-ray version, we’ll just point out that nothing at all has been said by the studio about a high-def disc release of this show. Cost for the Season 1 DVDs are $24.98 SRP and you can pre-order it from Amazon currently for $20.
I was informed that the Atlanta-based network would launch a 24-hour “Cartoon Network.” The thought was mind-blowing! … I’d always been a reluctant follower of Hanna-Barbera’s post-1960 TV cartoon roster, but I’d always acknowledged how the potent narcotic of nostalgia could jostle my level of taste.
Ben McKenzie plays a wealthy young man on a personal quest for justice in TNT’s hit series Southland. Now the actor heads to the streets of Gotham City as the voice of another rich young adult with a need for righteousness in [[[Batman: Year One]]], the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
