Author: Glenn Hauman

UPDATE – Arnold Drake hospitalized

UPDATE – Arnold Drake hospitalized

  • News
  • February 28, 2007

Via Newsarama via Tom Spurgeon: "According to an e-mail disseminated by Ken Gale, the writer Arnold Drake was found collapsed in his home and is currently in intensive care at Cabrini Hospital." Drake is the creator of Deadman and Doom Patrol and wrote what is regarded as the first American grapic novel — with artist Matt Baker — back in 1949.

Send cards, letters and art to Arnold Drake, Cabrini Medical Center, 227 E. 19th St., New York, NY 10003.

UPDATE: Reports at 2:30 PM EST indicate Arnold is improving and should be moved out of the ICU within the next 24 hours.

More Green Lantern geopolitics

More Green Lantern geopolitics

  • News
  • February 28, 2007

David Ben-GurionWe bring you this from Kung-Fu Monkey John Rogers: "In researching [Blue Beetle] #14, I discovered that the Guardians of the Universe, the dudes who run the Green Lanterns — their appearance is based on Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. That means, in the DCU, the Jews just don’t control the media, they control the UNIVERSE."

Oh, I can hear the keyboards clattering away as people start rewriting their own versions of the GL Theory of Geopolitics, claiming that the Israeli flag is blue just like the Guardians’ skin, and Israel stands only because of its willpower and… hmm.

This makes the Zamarons some shiksa goddesses, nu?

Marvel’s 4th quarter

Marvel’s 4th quarter

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

Here’s the good news: Marvel’s publishing segment ended 2006 on a strong note with sales up 22% to $28.6 million and operating income ahead 35% to $11.6 million in the fourth quarter. For the full year, operating income rose 21% to $44.1 million, on a 17% sales increase to $108.5 million.

Trade paperbacks and hardcovers sold into both the book channel and the direct market led the gains. In the fourth quarter, comic book sales were bolstered by sales associated with Civil War. Sales also benefited from a strong increase in custom publishing sales. Marvel said that for 2007 it expects modest top-line and bottom-line growth from the publishing division.

And if all Marvel made its money from was its publishing arm, that would be great. However, Marvel makes the vast amount of its income from licensing — and here, it got clobbered. Its fourth-quarter net sales were $25.5 million, down from $81.7 million the year-ago period.

All told, Marvel Entertainment’s fourth-quarter net income dropped to $11.7 million, or 14 cents per share, from $25.9 million, or 26 cents per share, last year.

This has led to the stock price getting hammered: Shares of the Marvel closed Monday down 95 cents, or 3.1%, at $29.96, with a further drop on Tuesday of $1.63, or 5.4%, to close at $28.33.

You will be assimilated

You will be assimilated

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

Wired has started a new blog called Danger Room which, according to founder Noah Shachtman, will cover "what’s next in national security." No word about the coming Sentinel projects, or the looming human/mutant war… but they will be there.

(Via BoingBoing.)

This week in history: Babylon 5 pilot premieres

This week in history: Babylon 5 pilot premieres

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Fourteen years ago, the Babylon 5 two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", aired on the now defunct PTEN syndication network.

Created by J. Michael Straczynski before his more pronounced foray into comics with Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and The Book of Lost Souls, the pilot has many differences between the series that would air a year later, such as makeup (see right), music (The Police’s Stewart Copeland instead of Christopher Franke), and casting.

A tragic bit of trivia: the broadcast in the New York tri-state area was delayed becuase of the first bombing of the World Trade Center fourteen years ago today, knocking out transmissions throughout the region.

Abrams to direct Trek XI — official?

Abrams to direct Trek XI — official?

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

After more rumor that what the smoke monster is on Lost, J.J. Abrams will direct the Star Trek XI movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Abrams had already said that he was writing the script and producing the movie for Paramount, which is re-launching the Gene Rodenberry franchise with this the 11th Star Trek feature film. 

According to an oft-repeated yet not quite officially confirmed story,the movie is a prequel, taking place prior to the time represented in the original Star Trek TV series when both James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock are at the Starfleet Academy. William Shatner had stated he was approached for a cameo.

The film is set for release November 26, 2008, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the cancellation of the original series.

Univision exepcted to be fined $24 million

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Univision fine complices al rescateThe FCC is expected to levy a record-breaking $24 million fine against Univision for violating children’s TV regulations, per a New York Times report over the weekend.  Though the fine is still awaiting final approval by a majority of the FCC’s five commissioners, the Spanish-language broadcaster has reportedly signed on the dotted line agreeing to pay the fine as part of a consent decree in order to finalize the network’s $12.3 billion sale to Haim Saban’s investment group. 

According to the kid’s TV rules, stations are required to air three-hours of kid-targeted educational programming each week.  That said, complaints against Univision allege that between 2004 and the beginning of 2006, Univision and 24 of its stations labeled some of its programming as educational, but those shows included some adult-targeted telenovelas, such as Complices al Rescate with the adventures of 11-year-old identical twin girls.

Knitted Daleks

Knitted Daleks

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Knitted Dalek from Dr. WhoThis is specifically for Martha Thomases, our in house media maven and knitting nut: A knitted and stuffed Dalek from Dr. Who.

Can you feel the plush evil?

Cartoon characters invade classic paintings

  • News
  • February 25, 2007

Worth1000 is running one of their periodic Photoshop contests. This time, the contestants are asked to update an old painting, placing a cartoon character in the original work.

Pictured at right, we present The Dancing Hippo by Degas. Soundtrack, of course, by Allan Sherman.

Writers take on JLA movie

Writers take on JLA movie

  • News
  • February 25, 2007

Via Sci-Fi Wire, Variety reports that Warner Brothers has hired husband and wife team Kieran and Michele Mulroney to write the script for its hoped-for Justice League of America movie. It’s the first major action the studio has taken on the project, the trade paper reported. The studio isn’t saying which heroes may be included in the film.

Development of the film is complicated by the fact that Warner has already revived its Batman and Superman film franchises, with Christian Bale’s Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight and Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns and its upcoming sequel. The studio is also developing a Wonder Woman film.

Kieran and Michele Mulroney wrote the screenplay for the horror film Mirrors, which is in pre-production with Kiefer Sutherland attached. Kieran is also an actor, with credits in Enterprise, Seinfeld, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, among others.

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