Tagged: Red

Watch “Red 2” new trailer

RED 2

A sequel to the original sleeper hit movie Red, based on the DC Comics comic by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, Red 2 has come out with a new trailer today.

In Red 2, retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed, they’ll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills, and each other to rely on as they try to save the world—and stay alive in the process.

The movie stars Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs, Mary-Louise Parker as Sarah Ross, Brian Cox as Ivan Simonov, and Helen Mirren as Victoria. They’re joined this time around by Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Byung Hun Lee, and Neal McDonough. It’s being directed by Dean Parisot, and written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber, based on the comic by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer.

Watch the new trailer now:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCM3HhGUJsM[/youtube]

Martha Thomases: Judi Dench Is Not A Bond Girl

Like so much of the world, I went to see Skyfall this weekend. I went with my friend Karen, who hadn’t seen a James Bond movie in a few decades. We both had a fantastic time, and if you haven’t already gone and you like action movies, you should go, right now. This column will still be here when you get back. And, if you can’t go right this second, I shall do my best to avoid spoilers.

There are all kinds of reasons to enjoy this movie: Daniel Craig is a terrific Bond; the locations are exotic and beautiful; the set pieces, including the opening scene and the fight in the glass building, are inventive and exciting; the cinematography is glorious.

For the purposes of this column, I want to talk about a feminist reason to like it: M. Or rather, Judi Dench. Dame Judi is 78 years old, and, in this movie, she looks it. Her hair is gray, almost white. Her face is wrinkled. Her body, at least as it appears in the wardrobe assigned to her, is slack.

None of this makes any difference, because she is not a “Bond girl.” She is M. She is the head of MI6, and she is determined to do the best possible job she can. Her dedication is to her mission and her country. Because this is a James Bond movie, the emphasis is on her relationship with James Bond. However, this relationship, while cordial, is never less than professional, even when both of their lives are at stake. And it is the most compelling relationship in the whole movie.

Have we seen a female character less sexualized in a modern mass movie? The closest I can remember is Helen Mirren in the comic book-inspired movie Red (and also probably everything else she has done for the last decade). And even she is as famous for how she looks in a bikini (and at her age!) as for her formidable talent.

Both Skyfall and Red fail the Bechdel test because neither film has enough fully-realized female characters for either actress to have a significant conversation with another woman. Still, I think the success of both films bodes well for the acceptance of complicated, adult women in pop culture.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about comics. For the most part, older female characters at the Big Two, like Aunt May or Martha Kent, are mothers or mother-figures. Heavy women like Etta Candy are comic sidekicks.

The worst travesty is what has happened to my pal John Ostrander’s creation, Amanda Waller. Originally a tough, no-nonsense,solidly professional woman (see M, above), she was re-cast in The New 52 as a babe. Instead of wearing sensible suits appropriate to her job, she is no flaunting the tits and ass, with high heels that accentuate her long legs, which look even longer in her short, short skirts.

I suppose it’s possible this re-design was planned in advance of the Green Lantern movie, in which Angela Bassett played Waller in a role that was clearly supposed to mimic Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. However, Angela Bassett is in her mid-50s. Amanda Waller in the DC books? Not that I can tell.

There are lots of reasons that movies make more money than comics. There are a lot more places to see them, for one thing. We would do well to remember that another reason is that they portray a much broader perspective on reality, one which attracts more fans.

No sane person would claim that Hollywood isn’t a sexist, patriarchal boys’ club. The difference is that it’s a sexist, patriarchal boys’ club that wants to make a profit, and they are smart enough to know the best way to do that is to sell more tickets.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman

 

“Captain Marvel” and the real history of women’s aviation

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  • September 10, 2012

One of the ways writer Kelly Sue DeConnick is developing the new Captain Marvel is by giving her firm links to the history and culture of women’s aviation.  This approach combines the real world and Marvel Universe in a way that comics fans haven’t seen in several years.

In Captain Marvel #1, DeConnick introduces Carol Danvers’ flying mentor, Helen Cobb. Cobb is described as a record-holding pilot and a member of the “Mercury 13 program,” without giving a lot of details. Captain Marvel #3 is now out, and, while the plot of the first story line is still taking shape, it’s possible to talk about some of DeConnick’s sources.

Helen Cobb is almost certainly inspired by Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb,  a prominent woman pilot who became involved in an abortive effort to add women astronauts to the Project Mercury program in the early 1960s. Here’s what happened, according to two excellent books on the subject: Promised the Moon by Stephanie Nolen (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2002) and [[[The Mercury 13]]] by Martha Ackmann (Random House, 2003).

NASA commissioned a non-government organization called the Lovelace Clinic to do medical tests on the newly-chosen Mercury 7 astronauts. The director of the clinic decided that they were going to test women as well. There was more than scientific curiosity behind this decision. There was a commonly held belief that the USSR was training woman for space (which proved to be true) and scientists were establishing the basic principles for manned space flight.  Maybe it would be smarter to use women as astronauts, because they were smaller and used less oxygen.

During 1960 and ’61, Jerrie Cobb and 12 other women went through a series of tests and examinations. They did well, equal to or better than the men in many cases.  However, NASA refused to let the tests continue. Two of the reasons the agency gave were also presented in CM #3. The women were not trained to be jet test pilots and losing a woman in space would be a public relations disaster.

Cobb, and some of the other women, continued to fight the decision, even managing to organize a short congressional hearing on the topic.  Over time, NASA’s policies changed; Sally Ride, who died earlier this year, became the first American woman in space in 1983.  However, neither Cobb nor her associates ever made it.

Referring to the group as the Mercury 13 didn’t start until relatively recently. Cobb sometimes called them the Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees (F.L.A.T.s), but that wasn’t even accepted by everyone in the group.

In the comics, Helen Cobb eventually became a bar owner. Jerrie Cobb went in a very different direction. She was always extremely shy—in part due to a speech impediment—and she was further traumatized by her brush with notoriety in the early 1960s.  She eventually became a pilot for a missionary organization in  Latin and South America.

It should be noted, though, that the story in Captain Marvel #2 about Helen Cobb having to escape from a Peruvian general does have a basis in reality. After World War II, Jerrie Cobb did deliver surplus U.S military planes to various buyers in South America.

In addition, Helen Cobb refers to the Ninety-Nines in issue one. That’s a real-life organization of women aviators, co-founded by Amelia Earhart. The name refers to the number of prospective members who attended the first meeting, and not to be confused with the superhero comic based on Islamic culture.

To me, the Mercury 13 storyline is reminiscent of Truth:Red, White and Black the 2003 Captain America story where it is revealed that the super-soldier serum was secretly tested on African-Americans. It takes a little-known piece of actual history and shows its impact on someone in the Marvel Universe. And making the women’s aviation sub-culture part of Carol Danvers’ background makes her a stronger, more interesting character.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES WARRIORS OF MARS IN FEBRUARY 2012!

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  • November 9, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

THE NEWEST HIT-SERIES IN DYNAMITE’S WARLORD OF MARS LINE OF COMICS!

Cover Art: Joe Jusko

November 9, 2011, Runnemede, NJ – After the incredible critical and commercial success of Dynamite’s Warlord of Mars, Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, and Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom series, comes Warriors of Mars #1! Before John Carter another earthman visited the Red planet: Lt. Gullivar Jones. Now these legendary warriors are brought together for the first time! When Lt. Guillivar Jones happens upon a mysterious old man with a beautiful carpet he soon finds himself transported through space and time to the planet Mars where he meets the beautiful Princess Hera and a ferocious tribe of Red Martians bent on capturing her! Warriors of Mars is written by Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom writer Robert Napton, drawn by Jack Jadson, with covers by the legendary Joe Jusko and will hit comic stores February 2012!

“Gullivar was written first, but Carter cornered the market and became a legend,” says writer Robert Napton. “It’s Gullivar Vs. John Carter-let the battle begin! It’s a thrill to bring these two southern gents together on the same stretch of red turf and let them have at it. But it won’t be all blood and guts. There’s a story to be told. Many have heard of Gullivar of Mars, but don’t know who he is and how he’s a different sort of man from Carter despite being caught in the same otherworldly circumstances. This is one mash-up fans of pulp won’t want to miss.”
“We’ve found a smart and clever way to tie these two pulp heroes together and rescue Gullivar from relative obscurity and place him up on the dais among the greats,” adds Dynamite Editor Joe Rybandt. “We’re going to explore more of the eras of Mars with Gullivar, the past, present and future and Robert Napton has proven himself more than capable of spinning some excellent Barsoomian tales and we’ve paired him with a great new artistic find in Jack Jadson.”

Princess of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the first of his famous series, which initially began publication in serialized form within the pages of All-Story Magazine in February 1912. It is also Burroughs’ first novel, predating his Tarzan stories. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the story is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction.

Edwin Lester Arnold’s Gullivar of Mars novel, originally published as Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation in 1905, bears a number of striking similarities to Burroughs’ Princess of Mars. Both Gullivar and Burroughs’ protagonist John Carter are Southern United States soldiers who arrive on Mars by apparently magical means (magic carpet in the case of the former, astral projection in that of the latter) and have numerous adventures there, including falling in love with Martian princesses. Gullivar is a more hapless character, however, paling beside the heroic and accomplished Carter. Gullivar, in contrast, stumbles in and out of trouble and never quite succeeds in mastering it.

Robert Napton has written hundreds of comics. He is currently writing WARLORD OF MARS: THE FALL OF BARSOOM for DYNAMITE. In 2008, he adapted Terry Brooks’ DARK WRAITH OF SHANNARA as a graphic novel and wrote the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
Join the conversation on Twitter with #WarriorsOfMars

To learn more about Dynamite Entertainment, please visit: www.dynamite.net

Guest Review of the Week-ATOMIC ROBO REVIEWED!

  • News
  • November 1, 2011
ROBO POWER
A Review of Red 5 Comics’ Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science
by Andrew Salmon
“THIS ONE HAS GOT IT ALL!!”
Okay, we’ve all heard that before and, let’s face it, 99% of the time it turns out to be utterly false. But, oh, when a work falls into that precious, lofty, rare 1%, then you know you’ve found something truly special. One for the ages.
ATOMIC ROBO AND THE DEADLY ART OF SCIENCE belongs in that 1%!
Remember when comics were fun? That’s another one we hear a lot and I’m not knocking the good stuff being produced today. Grim and gritty is the way and when done well, it can truly entertain. The problem is that whenever someone makes a splash doing comics a certain way, everyone else follows suit and every comic you pick up begins to read and look the same. That can be a good thing if the quality of the work is on the page.
However too much of anything is not so good a thing and every now and then this reader likes to sit down and just get caught up in a story, be swept away in a yarn that has captivating characters, tons of action, laugh out loud humor and, because we’re talking comics, wondrous images.
This latest Atomic Robo collection is, in a word, fun. By that I’m don’t mean to say that it is merely light-hearted fluff but I am saying you won’t feel like you need a shower after reading it. This collection of the Deadly Art of Science arc contains the elements mentioned above. It does, in fact, have it all!
Also, unlike the previous four Robo collections, this one is pure pulp! Writer Brian Clevinger, artist Scott Wegener and crew have crafted a fantastic two-fisted wild ride set smack dab in the 1930s. And it is a hoot!
It’s about time we got to enjoy Atomic Robo’s origin as well. For those of you who don’t know Robo, he is the creation of Nikola Tesla and his time-spanning adventures have chronicled in the four previous collections – all of which I give my highest recommendation. If you want a preview of what his other adventures are like, the Free Comic Book Day Robo adventure, set in the present day, is included in the collection as a back-up feature and it’s indicative of what you’ve been missing if you’ve never gone adventuring with Robo before. But let’s focus on the Deadly Art of Science.
When we first encounter Robo, he is living with his creator in New York City, the year is 1930.  Robo is bored, seeking adventure – as any young robot would – but he is cooped up with his reclusive creator and can only dream of action and adventure until a run-in with pulp hero extraordinaire Jack Tarot opens the door for Robo’s adventurous life to come. Tarot is chasing down a gang bent on getting their grubby mitts on a crystal skull from Atlantis. I won’t tell you who is backing them!
Robo, finally getting this first taste of adventure, latches on to Tarot for the duration and the exchanges between the “gritty” vigilante and the wide-eyed Robo – especially when Tarot’s ace mechanic daughter takes a shine to Tesla’s creation – will have you on the floor laughing. But this beautifully crafted humor won’t take you out of the action.
Bungling, but eager, Robo tags along as Tarot and his daughter investigate the gang and Robo has to be careful Tesla doesn’t find out his creation has been sneaking out of the house… What’s that you say? A rollicking robot coming of age pulp adventure tale with gangsters, first love, humor, adventure, a giant robot with a bowler and action galore… Well, didn’t I tell you Atomic Robo belongs in that precious 1%? You’ll be on the edge of your seat, you’ll cheer, you’ll laugh your head off and you might even find a lump in your throat along the way. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science is one of the best pulp releases this year, certainly the best pulp comic release of 2011. Period. I defy you to put it down once you’ve begun. I know I couldn’t. This one, folks, is an absolute gem.

FORTIER TAKES ON TWIT PUBLISHING’S ‘PULP!’

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  • July 15, 2011

ALL PULP REVIEWS- By RON FORTIER

PULP!

Edited by Chris Gabrysch

Twit Publishing LLC

213 pages

I make no bones about loving anthologies as I’m a huge fan of the short story format.  And with pulp anthologies of this kind you are bound to find some really amazing nuggets as well as an assortment of lesser quality entries.  Overall, if the number of excellent, fun tales outweighs the bad, you’re in good hands. Which is why it is easy for me to recommend this book edited by Chris Gabrysch as the majority of the twelve included within are truly worth your perusal.

My favorite was easily “A Shot in the Dark” by Peter Michael Rosenberg which features a marvelous protagonist in Cairo based Chief Inspector Walaa Yousesef.  This Egyptian Hercules Poirot won me over from his first appearance revolving around the body of an English photojournalist found crammed in an old cabinet in her hotel room. I hope Rosenberg writes many more cases for this unique detective.

Another enjoyable entry was “Balalaika” by Jennifer Loring.  It deals with vengeful vampire stalking the citizens of an isolated Russian village.  It is well written and haunting in its depiction of rural Russian settlement and the horror visited upon it. Whereas “The Schitzel Connection” by Cyril C. Young Jr. had me in stitches.  It’s a cautionary tale wherein we are warned evolution can easily go backwards instead of forward depending on how much pretzels and beer one consumes.  If you can’t chuckle after reading this, there’s something totally wrong with you.

“Install” by Drew Wilcox is a scary tale of a cable guy’s visit to a very bad address. Horror shorts are hard to do but Wilcox pulls it off and this one really had me flipping pages to get to the end.  Noire crime stories were also well represented with two nifty yarns.  “Smooth as Sharkskin,” by Slade Grayson is a classic crime pulp story and delivers as neatly as its title portents while “My Date with Red,” by Tom Swoffer, is an oddball, highly readable story of a drug dealer scared witless done in a Quentin Tarrentino style.

As this collection is eclectic in subject matter, I was pleased to find “Montana Jack” by Dave P. Fisher, a no-frills classic western tale; truly superb writing.  Another contender for my favorite in this book.  Fisher really should stretch his writing muscles and try a full length western novel.  He’s that good.

And finally there is the fantasy comedy “Whatever Happened to the Dark Lord?” by Frank R. Sjodin that has some really hilarious moments and twists nicely on its own logic.

The remaining four stories did nothing for me at all; obviously not my cup of tea. One, a long crime piece, “Double Take,” by Chris O’Grady was competently written, but in his attempt to mimic other successful hard boiled writers, he completely homogenized his tale so that it comes across bland and spiritless.  Even the toughest, most cynical writers of this genre know you need to inject some melodrama to grease the plot wheels.

So eight out of twelve gives this collection a big thumbs up in my accounting.  Try a copy and let me know if you agree with me.  Or not?

Movie Review: ‘RED’

Movie Review: ‘RED’

For those of you who haven’t read the three-issue comic book miniseries Red, by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, don’t worry. The movie version is to the comic book as [[[Blade Runner]]] was to Philip K. Dick’s novel [[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]] That is, Red takes the comic book’s basic concept—a retired CIA assassin, Frank Moses, finds himself under attack and comes out of retirement to deal with the problem—and then spins it off in a new direction. In this movie’s case, that direction is a fast, fun film with a fantastic cast, great action, great lines, and more than a little bit of humor.

Let’s start with the cast. You’ve got Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren. That’s a fantastic lineup all by itself. But then throw in Mary Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss, and this movie could be about pretty much anything and it would still be fun. Hell, I’d watch that group doing an improv of strangers meeting in a supermarket checkout line!

But don’t worry about the plot. It’s there. Oh, is it there. And it all works. It’s straightforward enough to follow without a problem, but has plenty of depth to keep you interested. There aren’t any of those cinematic asides Hollywood is so fond of these days, either—I think there’s all of one flashback, and it’s short and to the point.

There’s also a lot of humor to this movie. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, especially with Willis and Mirren’s droll delivery, Freeman’s cheerful amiability, and Malkovich’s off-kilter antics. If anything, Malkovich steals the show, but only barely. This isn’t a group you can steal much attention from.

There’s a lot of violence, of course. But no real gore. No nudity either, and not much profanity. Plus the light tone and the romantic element offsets all the talk about killing and killers. The film’s rated PG-13 and I think that’s fair.

One of the best things about this movie is that you can tell everyone had a great time making it. Willis is definitely on as the calm, cool, slightly amused Frank Moses. Malkovich is perfect as the addled but still deadly Marvin. Parker is delightful as the confused but sweet Sarah. Mirren is wonderful as the wickedly serene Victoria, Freeman is endearing as the easy-going but utterly competent Joe, Urban is excellent as the focused and competent Cooper, and Cox is charming as the smooth-talking Ivan. And watch for a cameo by screen legend Ernest Borgnine.

Red is definitely a movie well worth seeing. If you’re anything like me, you’ll walk away grinning—and with a new appreciation for postcards from cities around the world.

NYCC: The Indy After Party 2010, Saturday night

NYCC: The Indy After Party 2010, Saturday night

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

After you’ve perused the aisles of merch and schwag, sat in the panels of talented professionals, and received autographs from all the D-Listers you can handle… it’s time to throw on your best Dragonball bowling shirt, and party with Indy creators in the Big Apple! Sponsored by Brooklyn Comics and More, Blue Line Pro, Red Zone Girls, and a handful of other awesome sponsors, the Indy After Party will be held Saturday, October 9th, at Blaggard’s Pub at 8 West 38th Street, between 5th and 6th avenue… just 6 blocks east (and 2 north) from the Javits Convention Center. 

The party is set to be awesome to the Nth level. With artwork, prizes, promo items, and a performance from the Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano and his band, the Ryans! And just in case that’s not enough fun to blow those socks right off your Chuck Taylors… there’s even a sneak peak of Summit Entertainment and DC Comic’s RED!

So, ready to show off your meticulous rendition of the robot to all the hip con-goers? Stop by the Indy After Party booth and pick up a pass! If you forget though, no worries. Tickets are available at the door for $5. The party starts at 8PM. Be there or be four equal sided polygon!

#SDCC: Overheard, Day 1

#SDCC: Overheard, Day 1

  • News
  • July 23, 2010

Continuing our world famous “stuff we heard in the halls” lists…

“I’m officially announcing it right now: I’m playing the Hulk in the Avengers movie.” –Jonah Hill at the Megamind panel

“They just recorded the folks in Hall H at #sdcc to use as crowd noise for TRON: Legacy. Man, the imdb page is gonna be HUGE…” —Vinnie Bartilucci

“You can’t write graphic novels thinking about the future movie. That way lies madness…or Mark Millar.” Warren Ellis at the Red panel (hat tip to Theremina.)

“I smell cigarettes and pepper spray… @warrenellis must be here.” —Matt Fraction

“My god has a hammer!” –unknown counterprotestor to the Westboro Baptist Church “crowd”.

“Very strange to hear Teller speak at length. I couldn’t get over the feeling he’s lip-syncing someone else’s soft-spoken voice.” —waxpancake 

If you have anything you overheard, send it to overheard@tips.comicmix.com. Hat tip to IntelGameOn for the pic.

Shooting Begins on ‘Red’

Shooting Begins on ‘Red’

  • News
  • January 19, 2010

Flush with cash from the Twilight films, Summit Entertainment is moving ahead with other projects and today announced work has begun on Red.

January 12, 2010 — Toronto, Canada – Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller Red, based on the WildStorm graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.

Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.

Red is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life.  That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.  With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Flightplan) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (Whiteout), the film is produced by di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian (Salt, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).  Executive producers are Jake Myers (Shanghai, Hollywoodland) and Gregory Noveck (Jonah Hex).  Di Bonaventura Pictures’ production executive David Ready serves as co-producer.

Red reunites director Schwentke with director of photography Florian Ballhaus (Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada) and Oscar-winning film editor Thom Noble (Witness, Thelma & Louise) who collaborated with Schwentke on The Time Traveler’s Wife and Flightplan.  Additionally, Red production designer Alec Hammond (Donnie Darko) and costume designer Susan Lyall (Rachel Getting Married) lent their talents to Schwentke’s Flightplan as well.

“I’m so excited at the phenomenal cast that Robert and our script have attracted,” said di Boneventura.  “I think audiences are going to have a great time.”

Summit’s President of Production Erik Feig said, “Red is that classic project with a little bit of something for everyone.  We are thrilled to see it come to vivid life with an outstanding cast, incredibly talented director, and top notch producing team.  It’s gonna be a good one!””

Red will film in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal photography.  The film is scheduled for worldwide release on October 22, 2010.

(more…)

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