It’s been a good week for J. Michael Straczynski. First, his Changleing film opened to good notices and box office. Then he was announced as the writer for the forthcoming remake of Forbidden Planet. Now, the New York Comic-Con has announced him as its first Guest of Honor. The growing convention will be held at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan the first weekend of February. Featured guests announced to date include Mark Brooks, Bob Budiansky, Cliff Chiang, Tommy Lee Edwards, Larry Hama, Kris Justice, ComicMix’s Frank McLaughlin, Robert Place Napton, Ivan Reis, Alex Robinson, Christian Slade, Herb Trimpe, Ron Wilson, and Leinil Yu.
This year’s Halloween might be dominated by Heath Ledger Jokers, but a few years from now, expect Robby the Robot to be the costume to beat.
That’s right, sports fans, Fordbidden Planet is coming back to theaters with a fresh relaunch. The Hollywood Reporter says that fan-friendly scribe J. Michael Straczynski is writing the script for Warner Bros., with Joel Silver producing through Silver Pictures.
Released in 1956, Forbidden Planet features a space expedition to a far-off colony populated by scientists. When they arrive, they find only the troubled Dr. Morbius and his daughter. Morbius, now smarter due to alien technology, warns that there’s an invisible monster terrorizing the planet. Dubbed a "monster from the id," the scientist, his daughter and the expedition’s captain band together to fight the creature and survive the encounter. Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen starred in the picture. The longest lasting effect of the film on popular culture is Robby the Robot, a silly little android that has warmed hearts for many years. (Journalistic integrity, as you can see, has been checked at the door. I just love Robby the Robot!)
Plans for a Forbidden Planet remake have been in the works for a while. THR sums it up quite well:
"Warners picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years."
J. Michael Straczynski is famous to fandom for his comics work on The Amazing Spider-Man and his current run on Thor. He’s also the mastermind behind beloved sci-fi television series Babylon 5. In the film world, JMS worked on Ninja Assassin for the Wachowski Brothers, and has long been attached to a Silver Surfer adaptation for Fox. Soon, he’ll take over The Brave and the Bold for DC Comics, integrating classic 1940s era "Red Circle heroes" into the DC Universe.
If anyone can pull off a Forbidden Planet remake, it’s JMS. Despite being outdated by modern technology, any sci-fi lover that watches Planet can see just how easily the film would translate in a contemporary audience. It’s premise, that we ourselves are our greatest weakness, is a timeless motif that can resonate with audiences of any generation. As far as inevitable Hollywood remakes go, this is one that might actually be quite good.
If you wanted that original T.I.E. fighter miniature from Star Wars, you missed your chance. You could have outbid the person who spent $402,500, and it would have been yours. At an auction in Calabasas, CA, on July 31 and August 1 from Profiles in History sold a variety of items for more than $4.1 million.
It would be nice if, now that I’m in my mid-50s, I could stop worrying about whether or not I’m popular. Sensible people get over this in junior high, average people stop in high school, and only a few truly insecure carry it through to college. Grown-ups, who have jobs and responsibilities and hobbies, rarely let such thoughts cross their minds.
And then there’s me.
One of the most exciting things about this political year is the way outsiders have been welcomed, especially by Democrats. The leading contenders for the nomination are a black man and a woman, both of whom are decidedly wonky in their approach to politics. A Latino man ran a great campaign, and is assumed to be on the short list of possible vice-presidential candidates.
This is exciting, and for reasons far beyond the political (although, if this trend means the war will be over and people can stop getting blown up so frequently, and maybe in this country we can have health insurance, that would be great).
Mostly, I can spend ignore these insecurities that have lingered for decades. When I can’t, I try to use my experience for good. By relating to outsiders, I find common cause with racial, ethnic and other minorities who are not always invited to society’s metaphorical proms.
Comic Book Resourcestalks to producer Tony Panaccio about the recent Heroes Initiative DVD, featuring a conversation among Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, and Kevin Smith.
CBR’s Mayo Report crunches the numbers on comics and trade paperback sales in July. Bottom line? Marvel is selling a hell of a lot of TPs collecting series that barely ended.
The Wall Street Journalthinks that women might buy more comics if given more of the stuff they’d like.
The Bookseller – the magazine of bookselling in the UK – points out that manga is huge over there, too.
Comics Worth Readinglooks at the Carey/Liew/Hempel Minx original graphic novel Re-Gifters.
Panels and Pixelsinvestigates Fletcher Hanks’s I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets.
Chris’s Invincible Super-Blogreviews this week’s comics, starting with The All-New Atom #15.
Brian Cronin of Comics Should Be GoodreviewsShe-Hulk #21, writer Dan Slott’s last issue.
Cronin also reviews the first part of the latest everything-will-change-forever storyline, “One More Day,” in Amazing Spider-Man #544. (And does anyone else start singing Les Miserables songs every time he hears that title?)
Suspension of Disbelief (which I haven’t seen updated much lately, so I hope it’s back) looks atSpirit #5, and that old bad-plotting standby, beating a guy until he signs a contract/confession/whatever.
Think the San Diego Comic-Con is big? It’s only the third largest comics gathering in the world – and number one is Japan’s Comiket, held twice a year in Tokyo. This past weekend, about 550,000 people were there.
Forbidden Planet Internationalreports on graphic novels at the recent Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Publishers Weeklyreports on the recent land-rush business in movie rights for graphic novels.
Canada’s National Postreports on the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
The Chicago Tribunetalks to Douglas Wolk about whether comics are getting any respect.
The LA Timeshas noticed that some comics have been “slabbed” by CGC. Once again, the mainstream press runs about a decade behind events in the comics world…
Comics Reviews
Graeme McMillan of The Savage Criticsadmits that he’s a latecomer to Ultimate Spider-Man, but he likes #112.
Comics Reporterreviews an anthology comic from a few years back, Reactor Girl #6.
Ivan Brunetti nearly became the new cartoonist for Nancy in 1994 – and Mike Lynch has posted the thirteen-page magazine article from 1999 where Brunetti explains the whole thing.
Forbidden Planet International has a story about Orbit’s recent announcement that they are teaming up with other elements of the far-flung Hachette media empire to launch a new manga line, the Yen Press, in the US and UK.
Either the Star-Tribune or the Journal-News (both names are on the page, various places) talked to Neil Gaiman about that Stardust movie.
Publishers Weeklytalks with George R.R. Martin about the graphic adaptations of his “Song of Ice and Fire” novellas.
John Mayo of Comic Book Resourcesattempts to explain how everything sold in June, and what it all means.
The Beat is having flashbacks to Thursday at Comic-Con. (My flashbacks are usually to the Boer War, but I understand what she’s going through.)
Greg Burgas of Comics Should Be Goodreviews a bunch of graphic novels.
The Onion’s A.V. Club interviews Bill Willingham, writer of Fables.
Book Fetishreviews Mike Carey’s first novel, The Devil You Know.
The Agony Column gets off its literary high horse long enough to take a look atStar Wars: Death Star by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry.
News of the Obvious Department: Monsters & Criticshave perpetrated the headline “New novel gets bad review.” Coming soon: Pope Is Catholic, Bear Shits in Woods.
Robert Ullman (who draws the illustrations for the “Savage Love” sex-advice column, and a lot of exceptional pin-ups on his blog) recently drew a fun Watchmen-world cover, which is our illustration today.
Library Journal’s 8/15 list of reviews leads off with a look at The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet and also includes an extensive Graphic Novels section.
Comic Book Resouceschats with Shannon Wheeler about his new book Screw Heaven, When I Die I’m Going to Mars. (Which, quite by coincidence, I just reviewed here on ComicMix.)
Marvel’s publicity machine is hinting so broadly that Mary Jane Watson-Parker is about to die that I almost suspect it’s an elaborate bait-and-switch. (Check out the cover for Amazing Spider-Man #545, for one example.)
The Beat has two big posts of San Diego photos, for those of us who weren’t there and those of you who can’t remember. She also provides her hard-won wisdom on the gauntlet that is the annual Comic-Con.
Comics Reporterreviews Jeff Smith’s Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil series.
SlayerLitinterviews Dark Horse editor Scott Allie about the Buffy comics. [via Newsarama]
Cory Doctorow reviews Richard Kadrey’s novel Butcher Bird at Boing Boing.
Historical fantasy author Alice Borchardt has died at the age of 67; she turned to writing as a second career after working in nursing for thirty years. Borchardt was also the older sister of Anne Rice.