Author: Rick Marshall

Jason Statham as the Sub-Mariner?

Jason Statham as the Sub-Mariner?

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Action-film star Jason Statham recently commented that he was involved in at least one meeting related to a Sub-Mariner feature film, and that he’d be more than happy to portray the big-screen counterpart of several comic-book characters.

According to this interview with IESB, the Transporter star "took a meeting" for Sub-Mariner, but expressed some uncertainty about his ability to fill the Marvel hero’s, umm… tights?

"I don’t know if I’d look right running around in a tight speedo with wings on my ankles," said Statham.

Along with expressing a desire to play The Hulk (but deferring to upcoming Incredible Hulk star, Edward Norton), Statham threw his name into the mix for a proposed remake of The Crow, the 1994 film whose star, Brandon Lee, met a tragic end while filming.

That was a good movie with Brandon Lee, although that was years ago. So if that one comes my way, bang! You know, there’s so many comic book movies out there and most of the time there’s only a handful of people who can do them any justice. Hopefully, they’ll come my way for one of them.

 

Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Grandpa Wolverine

Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Grandpa Wolverine

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Marvel recently announced plans to reunite Civil War writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven on an upcoming arc of Wolverine that takes the "ol’ Canuknucklehead" years into the future to a post-Apocalyptic Marvel Universe.

In this interview with IGN, Millar discusses the connections between Clint Eastwood, John Constantine, Hulk and Wolverine that influence his upcoming eight-issue storyline.

According to Millar, the arc begins with a Wolverine that has sheathed his claws and sworn off violence, but quickly becomes one of the bloodiest tales he’s ever scripted – quite the claim, given the page-after-page killing spree of Millar’s last turn on Wolverine, the ultra-violent "Enemy of the State" storyline.

I do have a theory on this. It’s that the guys that tend to do the funny animal comics in real life are really, really creepy. –laughs- They’re always really creepy! You feel uneasy around them like they’re undressing you with their eyes or something, you know? Whereas the guys that do the really violent stuff are always quite normal and quite nice. So I think we get it out whereas those guys that sit around drawing Bugs Bunny all day, you just end up a pervert. –laughs-

Millar goes on to hint at some of the current and future-born characters that will be making cameos in the arc, including Hawkeye, Bruce Banner and… Spider-Bitch?

Millar explains:

You see Spider-Man’s granddaughter in it. She’s called Spider-Bitch.

Check out IGN for the rest of the interview, as well as several pages of interior art.

 

Webcomic Interview of Persepolis Creator

Webcomic Interview of Persepolis Creator

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Even though I don’t live in Portland, OR, where CulturePulp creator Mike Russell’s "journalism comic strip" is based, I find his work to be an endless source of amusement. That’s why I was so pleased to see this recent comic based on an interview with Marjane Satropi, the creator of the critically praised graphic novel Persepolis.

Over the course of the interview, Satrapi takes Russell on a philosophical tour of both her celebrated graphic novel and the animated film based on the book that opened this week. It’s a wonderful bit of comics-on-comics appreciationand contains this highly quotable, made-to-be-sloganized piece of wisdom, courtesy of Satrapi:

I know one thing: culture and instruction are really weapons of mass construction.

In addition to Russell’s comic-based version of the interview, he also provides the full transcript of his 40-minute discussion with Satrapi.

Also worth checking out: this 2005 CulturePulp strip  about the upcoming (at that time) release of the film Aeon Flux.

 

Depp to Replace Ledger in Imaginarium?

Depp to Replace Ledger in Imaginarium?

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

SciFi Wire is reporting that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus director Terry Gilliam could be looking to actor Johnny Depp as a potential replacement for deceased actor Heath Ledger, who died during the filming of Imaginarium.

Quoting the British tabloid The Sun, SciFi Wire reported:

"There is a point in the film when Heath falls through a magic mirror," a studio source told the paper. "He could change into another character after that, and that is where Johnny would come in. It’s a weird, fantasy, time-travel movie, so Heath’s character could easily change appearance. It would be a poignant moment. Johnny’s not working at the moment, so everyone is praying he will do it."

As one astute ComicMix reader pointed out, this is only the latest in filmmaking troubles for Terry Gilliam. Depp was also involved in one of the director’s most notable film fallouts, a project initially titled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Gilliam’s tumultuous experience with Quixote was later documented in the film Lost in La Mancha – a great film for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes peek at how a series of unfortunate events can completely derail a big-budget film.

 

Tokyo Terrorized by… Loch Ness Monster?

Tokyo Terrorized by… Loch Ness Monster?

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

Sure, the marketing campaigns for The Dark Knight and Cloverfield have been impressive, but who would’ve thought that one of the best promotions for a recent film would come out of The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep?

Yes, one of the promotions for the kid-friendly Sony film has been causing quite a stir in Tokyo, and with good reason. Curious? Check out the video below and try not to wet yourself:

 

 

We’re told that this very cool effect is produced through the use of a massive water screen. To be honest, we didn’t have much interest in the film until this video popped up. Now, however, we’re… intrigued.

You win this round, Sony marketing department.

 

Perhapanauts Return With New Publisher

Perhapanauts Return With New Publisher

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the under-the-radar series The Perhapanauts, written by Todd DeZago and with art from Craig Rousseau, you owe it yourself to do so. Lucky for you, they’re returning to comics shelves in February with a new annual and a new publisher in Image Comics.

ComicBookResources recently featured a chat with the creators of the series, which focuses on a government-sponsored team that operates in secrecy and investigates supernatural events. The team is made up of living, breathing representatives of various cultural myths, including a sasquatch and a chupacabra.

Of course, this could also explain why The Perhapanauts might have found itself falling under a pretty large shadow at its previous publisher, Dark Horse Comics, whose well-established Hellboy and B.P.R.D. titles offer up stories that might seem similar from a back-of-the-book perspective.

According to DeZago:

… in the beginning people compared us to ‘BPRD’ and, when they debuted ‘Proof,’ Alex [Grecian] and Riley [Rossmo] were compared to us. But I think all three of them are very different books and, while they may tread some of the same ground — ‘Proof’ and ‘The Perhapanauts’ in particular — they are worlds apart. I would hope that anyone who wishes to make that comparison will pick up the books and see for themselves.

DeZago goes on to discuss why they eventually made the change in publishers and what they have in store for the Perhapanauts team down the road.

 

MySpace and BBC Reach Doctor Who Deal

MySpace and BBC Reach Doctor Who Deal

  • News
  • January 27, 2008

MySpace users will soon be able to view bits, pieces and even full episodes of BBC original programming, thanks to a deal between the two entities announced last week.

According to the deal, the site’s video platform, MySpaceTV, will present selected programming from the BBC, including interviews and episodes of programs such as Doctor Who, Torchwood and Robin Hood. The deal is the first of its kind for social networking site MySpace, which is heavily concentrating its efforts on video and multimedia development.

MySpace launched MySpaceTV in June 2007. The BBC video channel on MySpaceTV can be found at: www.myspace.com/bbcworldwide.

 

James Kochalka on Life, Music and American Elf

James Kochalka on Life, Music and American Elf

  • News
  • January 26, 2008

James Kochalka has done it all, and we are green with envy.

Playback has a nice interview with Kochalka, the creator of the award-winning daily comic American Elf, the adults-only Super F*ckers and a host of other comics – not to mention the frontman for the multi-album band James Kochalka Superstar. In the interview, the multi-talented Kochalka reflects on the ways Elf has both documented and shaped his growth as a creator, father and, well… superstar.

When I started the diary, I was still working my job as a waiter at the Chinese restaurant, then a couple months into the strip I quit. The strip covers my entire career as a full-time superstar. When I quit I said I was quitting to be a full-time superstar, instead of just part-time as I had been.

Kochalka also discusses the recent design overhaul of the American Elf website, as well as his upcoming projects in both comics and music. One such project, as he explains it, overlaps between the two:

Yeah, I have a song called "Dragon Puncher" and I wrote this book called Dragon Puncher and I just can’t find anyone to publish it. I really drew it to appeal to little kids, but the whole thing is fighting. The whole book basically is this battle. I think the children’s book publishers are freaked out ‘cause it’s all fighting, and the publishers of more adult stuff are freaked out ‘cause it seems like it’s for little kids. Everyone needs to lighten up cause it’s an awesome book.

Seriously, what’s not to like about punching dragons?

 

$100 Million Earmarked for Chinese Comics/Animation

$100 Million Earmarked for Chinese Comics/Animation

  • News
  • January 26, 2008

The People’s Daily Online is reporting that the Chinese province of Guangzhou has announced plans to spend nearly $100 million over the next four years on developing the local comics and animation industry.

According to the report, more than 120 comics and animation companies are located in Guangzhou, generating nearly a fifth of the nation’s total revenue in these industries. The plan would devote 180 million yuan (approx. $24.9 million) each of four years to development of domestic comics and animation projects, with 50 million yuan directed toward nurturing, recognizing and promoting new talent, and the rest toward new "development parks" for companies.

"There is a promising market for the comics and animation industry as the city has introduced a series of preferential policies to support and develop the industry," Fan Xu, director of the Guangzhou press, publication, and radio and television (copyright) bureau, said earlier this week.

 

Jack Harkness to Keep Torchwood Burning?

Jack Harkness to Keep Torchwood Burning?

  • News
  • January 26, 2008

John Barrowman, the actor who plays Capt. Jack Harkness on the hit BBC series Torchwood, says he plans to stay on the series as long as they’ll have him.

In this interview with SciFi Wire, Barrowman said he hopes to see a few more seasons come out of the darker, more adult-oriented Doctor Who spin-off series. He added that he has no plans to vacate his command of the Torchwood crew, either.

If I was asked to do Jack for the next five or six years I would do it with a big smile on my face, because I absolutely love playing him.

Barrowman also provided a few hints at what viewers can expect from the second season of Torchwood, which already premiered in England, but is set to air its first episode in the U.S. tonight, Jan. 26. SciFi Channel will broadcast the episode at 9 PM ET.

You’re going to also see much more of Jack’s history. Our time travel in Torchwood is different. [In] Doctor Who, the Doctor gets in a Tardis and travels. Our time travel is done through memory.

 

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