Tagged: Robin Hood

ALL PULP INTERVIEWS NOTED PULP ARTIST ROB DAVIS ABOUT SKY RANGER!

  • News
  • June 24, 2011

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, ALL PULP wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Next up is Lance star: Sky Ranger Art Director and Designer, Rob Davis.

AP: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you, your work, and Airship 27 Productions?

RD: I’ve been a freelance artist since 1986 working on such diverse projects as a Saturday morning cartoon adaptation for Marvel to Star Trek books for DC and Malibu Comics. Presently I’m the art director/designer for Airship 27, which encompasses the actual design and look of each of Airship 27’s books to cover and interior illustrations. I’m also a comics publisher using the Redbud Studio Comics imprint to sell “print on demand” comics through IndyPlanet.com. Yeah, I’m busy!

AP: How did you become involved with the Lance Star: Sky Ranger series?


RD: Through my design work for Airship 27. We have been the publisher of the prose versions of the tales of Lance Star through anthologies and eventually novels featuring the pulp-era air ace.

AP: Who is Lance Star? What makes pulp characters like Lance and the Sky Rangers appeal to you as a creator, a reader, and a publisher?

RD: Lance is another star in the pantheon of pulp heroes in that he has a definite sense of right and wrong and will fight to the end to defend the right. In the pulp age aviators like Lance were like today’s astronauts in that they were envied for their daring flight into the atmosphere. It’s interesting to me to see what the interest was of pulp era readers in these cousins of Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart.

AP: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

RD: As a reader it’s exciting to think about being able to carry my whole library of books with me in my new iPad. As a creator and publisher it excites me that we now have a new, thrilling and inexpensive outlet to get our productions out to the reader. The first few weeks after Airship 27 opened up our Airship27Hangar.com site we had phenomenal response! It’s exciting to put up another new book and see sales within just hours or minutes of the upload.

AP: As you are both a designer and artist, tell us a bit about your process for both the print and digital versions of the Airship 27 stories.

RD: Fortunately, there’s not much difference in the two. Since I have so many irons in the fire I don’t have a lot of time to devote to producing our digital versions. Mostly what I do is add the front and back covers to the interior PDF file that we send to our printing sources, reduce the file size (since digital screens need less resolution than traditional print) and then mark each page with a watermark to keep our books safe from pirating. The whole process takes less than an hour for each book. Add in the design time to create the online catalogue entry and within just a couple of hours we have a version of our latest masterpiece of New Pulp ready for viewing and enjoyment!

AP: Any upcoming projects you would like to plug?

RD: We have a number of different books in the Airship 27 pipeline. Right now my next illustrating gig for Airship 27 is calling to me: Robin Hood: Arrow of Justice written by Ian Watson, a very talented writer from the UK. This is the second of a three-part retelling of the Robin Hood legend and it is rollicking good fun! Ian is very gifted and his version of Robin Hood is a joy to read and illustrate!

AP: Thanks, Rob.

RD: Thanks for having me!

Release schedule for Lance Star: Sky Ranger tales on iPulp:

06/17: Lance Star: Sky Ranger – Vol.1 #1: Attack of the Bird Man by Frank Dirsherl (now available)

07/07: Lance Star: Sky Ranger – Vol.1 #2: Where the Sea Meets the Sky by Bobby Nash

07/27: Lance Star: Sky Ranger – Vol.1 #3: Talons of the Red Condors by Bill Spangler

For more information on iPulp Fiction’s offerings, please visit www.ipulpfiction.com

For more information on Airship 27 Productions’ offerings, please visit www.gopulp.info

For more information on Lance Star: Sky Ranger, please visit www.lance-star.com

For more information on Rob Davis, please visit http://homepage.mac.com/robmdavis/

The Comancheros

At a time when movie stars were truly larger-than-life and iconic, few stood taller and were more memorable than John Wayne. The Duke more or less played himself, the tall, laconic keeper of the moral code regardless of era or genre. He’s best remembered for his work in Westerns, ultimately earning his one Oscar for True Grit, a tribute to a career spent along the dusty trails of a bygone America.

Bit by bit, Wayne’s oeuvre is being preserved on DVD and now Blu-ray, with [[[The Comancheros]]] being the most recent offering. In time for the perfect Father’s Day gift, the deluxe package from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment offers up one of Wayne’s last big Westerns just as interest in the genre was beginning to wane. The movie is well regarded by many Western fans and Elmer Bernstein’s score has lived on, well beyond the film itself, used elsewhere ever since (including The Simpsons). It also has the historical footnote of being the final film from director Michael Curtiz, beloved for his earlier work on The Adventures of Robin Hood and Casablanca. He was laid low early on by cancer and Wayne himself took over much of the directing but refused credit. Second unit action sequences were handled by Cliff Lyons. The unfortunate many hands approach probably led to the film feeling incredibly uneven, talky without much punch to the dialogue sequences, and sluggishly paced for the first third. (more…)

‘Three Musketeers’ 3-D Film Builds Cast

‘Three Musketeers’ 3-D Film Builds Cast

Now that the Robin Hood legend has been mined once more for the screen, attention has pivoted from England to France as director Paul W.S. Anderson has begun casting for The Three Musketeers, a 3-D extravaganza.

To date, he has envisioned Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) as his D’Artagnan with Ray Stevenson (The Book of Eli), Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) and Matthew Macfadyen (Robin Hood) as Porthos, Athos and Aramis, respectively.

For the villains, it’ll be Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) as Cardinal Richelieu and Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) as Rochefort.  Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings) has been offered the role of the Duke of Buckingham. Milla Jovovich, Anderson’s wife, will portray Milady de Winter, Athos’ former lover.

The Alexander Dumas novel has been adapted for movies and television dating back to 1903 and was most recently seen in the crowd-pleasing 1993 Disney attempt. The Alexander Salkind two-film production is being dusted off for a Blu-ray release on June 1 from Lionsgate.

Anderson cowrote the script with Andrew Davies and the filming is expected to begin in September. Summit will release the film domestically but has yet to announce a date, which is likely to be in 2011.

This is the second modern adaptation with the other being mounted by director Doug Liman (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Warner Bros. with a 2012 release planned. No casting has been announced and this too will start shooting in the fall.

(more…)

Review: ‘Robin Hood: Season Three’ on DVD

Review: ‘Robin Hood: Season Three’ on DVD

BBC’s retelling of the [[[Robin Hood]]] legend began in 2006 and quietly ended in 2009, never quite living up to the hype and expectations. The series was incredibly anachronistic and its budgetary limitations were clearly evident throughout its 36 episodes. When the series was good, it was highly entertaining and when it was less good, it was tolerable.

BBC Video has just released the third season on DVD in the states so if you missed it on BBC America, here’s your chance to see for yourself how it all wrapped up.

The series began teetering during its second season, especially when Lucy Griffiths chose to leave the show and they killed Maid Marian, making for a major departure from the legend. Then we heard that Robin himself, Jonas Armstrong, announced he was leaving after the third season. As a result, we began hearing them all chant “We are Robin Hood”, setting up the expectations that once Armstrong left, the Merrie Men would carry on, keeping his spirit (and the series) alive. The BBC went so far as to announce a producer had been asking for a fourth season revamp but the third season ratings changed their minds.

We open the third season with Robin and company returning from the Holy Land where Marian was buried. He’s still smoldering with hatred, wishing nothing more than to gain revenge against Gisborne (Richard Armitage) for his love’s murder. And here’s the problem, for two seasons now, Robin, Gisborne, and the Sheriff (Keith Allen) have all had one opportunity or another to dispatch the other, ending the misery. In every case, they back off or get thwarted and by episode 27, it’s gotten very tiresome. Similarly, I’ve lost track of the number of times the villagers have thought ill of Robin and the men when they know better. Then there are the anachronisms in dialogue to appeal to modern day viewers.

On the other hand, this season set up several threads that at least provided a more interesting spine to stir things up than the second season did. The arrival of Friar Tuck (David Harewood) and Gisborne being sent away to explain his failures to Prince John in person start things off nicely. The return of the Sheriff’s sister, Isabella (Lara Pulver) and seeing her replace her brother changed things up nicely. On the other hand, the later revelation that Gisborne and Robin shared a heretofore unknown half-brother, Archer (Clive Standen), doesn’t do anything but shift the focus away from the regulars.

And that’s been a consistent problem along with the earlier issue over the enmity between our hero and the Sheriff. The Merrie Men (Alan, John, and Much) have been ill-served with little time spent on their characters. They fight, get captured, get freed, argue, and bring supplies to the townsfolk. We never circle back to John’s wife and son or learn more about the others. The writers and producers certainly did these three actors (Joe Armstrong, Gordon Kennedy, and Sam Troughton respectively) a disservice. Also, the fun byplay between Robin and Sheriff from previous years is all but missing. If anything, the actor to really shine throughout the three seasons is Armitage who has been conflicted between his upbringing, his loyalty to the crown and the Sheriff, and the unrequited love for Marian.

The show builds up to a major climax, bigger than the previous seasons and actually adds a punctuation mark that nicely brings down the curtain on the series.

The five disc set comes with A Legend Reborn a self-congratulatory behind-the scenes featurette, A New Look (a nice piece on the costuming), a piece on the Trebuchet: Creating Chaos and video diaries that are mildly entertaining.

As this entertaining but less than satisfying series ends, we can turn our attentions to yet another look at the legend with the big budget Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe feature this spring.

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Review: ‘The Mel Brooks Collection’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘The Mel Brooks Collection’ on Blu-ray

I first encountered Mel Brooks’ work, without realizing it, when I began watching [[[Get Smart]]], the wonderful spy satire he cocreated with Buck Henry (who just happened to be my father’s college roommate – small world and all that). It wasn’t until [[[Blazing Saddles]]] and being in high school before I could put a name to the madman who unleashed these wonderful works. From that point on, when I saw his name I was guaranteed to be there.

In time, I learned of Brooks’ career prior to Get Smart and understood the steps taken that led to the work that I adored. My respect for his determination as a writer, performer, and romancer only grew with time and understanding. There was no single style to his humor – it could be slapstick, word play, satire – and he blended it unlike anyone previously. Nothing was sacred and he continually pushed the boundaries until he burst past them in 1974 and never looked back.

When he left television for feature films and came up with the hilarious [[[The Producers]]], it seemed the longer form was equally suited to his madcap humor. He followed that with the underappreciated [[[The Twelve Chairs]]] and that was followed by Blazing Saddles, which as we all know, forever changed the rules for comedy. The film though, also derailed Brooks to a degree.

Rather than tell comedic stories, he embarked on a series of satires leaping from one genre to another with great success. Still, it wasn’t until he and his wife Anne Bancroft teamed for [[[To Be or Not to Be]]] did Brooks return to a straight comedy. And then he went back to satires until it was time to recycle his works for Broadway.

His career trajectory is handsomely available in a nine-disc Blu-ray box set, The Mel Brooks Collection
, being released Tuesday from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The discs — [[[Silent Movie]]],[[[ History Of The World Part 1]]],[[[ High Anxiety]]], To Be or Not to Be, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, [[[Young Frankenstein]]], [[[Spaceballs]]], and [[[Robin Hood: Men In Tights]]] — come in an 11” x 8” book, paired with a 120-page hardcover book celebrating his career.

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BBC Orders 2nd Season of ‘Merlin’

BBC Orders 2nd Season of ‘Merlin’

  • News
  • December 18, 2008

The revisionist take on Camelot, Merlin, has been given a second season order by the BBC according to Variety. The series, starring Colin Morgan as the young wizard, has aired on BBC’s coveted Saturday night usually take n by Doctor Who and Robin Hood. NBC already bought American broadcast rights and intends to schedule the series in the first half of 2009.

The premise has the series occurring during the days of Arthur’s father, King Uther, but Camelot already exists.  Merlin is an apprentice magician, not aging backwards, and befriends a young Arthur (Bradley James).  The series also features supporting characters played by Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman) John Hurt (Alien), and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy).

The series was developed by Shine, the BBC, and distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises and is now running in 112 territories. In the UK, its 28% audience share was considered above average, easily confirming a second season order.

BBC Plans New Super-Hero Series

BBC Plans New Super-Hero Series

  • News
  • October 27, 2008

The Stage is reporting that the BBC has asked Doctor Who director Joe Ahearne to create Superpower, a fresh take on heroes. Ahearne has previously written episodes of This Life, Ultraviolet and the forthcoming Apparitions.

The Beeb has commissioned stand-alone scripts and turned production chores over to Impossible Pictures, the people behind Primeval.

Ahearne told the paper he is a major fan of Marvel’s line of super-heroes which will no doubt be a heavy influence on the series. Having said that, he stressed the new show will be set apart from NBC’s Heroes or the BBC’s spoof No Heroics.

“It is a new and original super-hero idea which is not a send-up. All the super-hero stuff that is on TV in this country – ITV’s No Heroics, My Hero – British TV is happy to do if it is a send-up, but no one has done it for real. There is a particular gimmick in mine, which I won’t give away, but it means it will be refreshed every episode,” he told the paper.

The BBC is said to be arranging the production schedule to take advantage of the Saturday night prime time slot currently being used by Merlin and then followed by the third season of Robin Hood, meaning the new show would not be running until, most likely, the second half of 2009.

Robin in Media

Robin in Media

  • News
  • October 2, 2008

So if you checked our site yesterday faithful readers, you know that the CW has given the green light to a new live action series to replace Smallville (or join it if it continues for a ninth season). This series, The Graysons, woud focus on the life of young Richard John Grayson (called DJ in the show), who many of us know will grow up to become the first hero called Robin.

Whether you think such a show can work or not, it’s undeniable that Robin is a household name, partly due to his contant appearances in various media.  And that’s not even considering the fact that he’s gone through quite an evolution in comics, uniquely so compared to many other super-heroes.

In DC Comics, Richard John Grayson, known to everyone as "Dick", was a circus acrobat along with his parents. The Flying Graysons were a famous act in the traveling Haley Circus. But during a stay in Gotham City, a protection racket organized by mobster Tony Zucco tried to get money out of the circus owner. When he refused, the trapeze was sabotaged and Dick’s parents fell to their deaths in front of a live audience. The audience included Bruce Wayne, secretly the Batman, who took in the adolescent boy and aided him in bringing Zucco to justice.

Dick was a natural due to his inherent talen and years of training in athletics and acrobatics. This, along with his heart and determination, allowed him to pursuade the Batman that he was worthy of staying on as a full-time apprentice and, later, a partner. Wearing a costume that emulated his old circus outfit, Dick called himself "Robin." Originally, it was said this was because he was styling himself on Robin Hood. In later years, it would be said that "Robin" had actually been his mother’s nickname for him, either because he was born on the first day of spring or because as a child he never sat still and was constantly  "bop-bop-boppin’ around." Part of the reason he was called Robin and not given a serious super-hero name was because back in the 1940s, sidekicks were only given nicknames so that the writers would be able to save any cooler titles only for more serious super-heroes.

Over the years, Dick proved himself to be a formidable hero and a gifted detective, becoming leader of the original Teen Titans. As he entered adulthood, he was no longer satisfied being viewed as Batman’s kid sidekick and believing that the Dark Knight did not give him enough credit, he left Gotham to carve out his own life. Eventually, inspired by a story Superman had told him of a Kryptonian hero, Dick returned to his super-hero role under the new name of "Nightwing", an identity he has kept for nearly twenty five years now. He is well-respected in the hero community and was even made leader of the Justice League for a short time. And whenever Batman needs him, this black-clad acrobatic avenger is willing to return to Gotham to help out.

That’s the comics. What about his appearances in film and television?

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Crowe goes Both Ways in ‘Nottingham’

Crowe goes Both Ways in ‘Nottingham’

  • News
  • October 1, 2008

Ridley Scott’s Nottingham project has taken an odd as Russell Crowe confirmed for MTV that he remained not only committed to the film but was likely to play both Robin Hood and the Sheriff as  "a good old clever adjustment of characters. One becomes the other. It changes."

As development got bogged down, production was delayed an entire year, derailing Universal’s plans for a major film for 2009. The studio acquired the rights to Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris’s spec script in an aggressive bidding contest then assigned it to Scott. Early rumors had Christian Bale to play Robin Hood to Crowe’s Sheriff with reports indicating the Sheriff’s role was actually the heroic one.

Crowe playing both roles apparently is causing massive script rewrites, according to CHUD, so no production dates have been set.

"It’s one of those things where we’re taking our time with,” Crowe continued. “You don’t want to be doing Robin Hood unless you’re going to be doing it really f*cking well. It’s got to be the best one ever done otherwise you should do something else."
 

Actors Want Odd Parts

Actors Want Odd Parts

  • News
  • September 2, 2008

Competing Sherlock Holmes movies will be racing to see who can get before the cameras faster.  Guy Ritchie (Rocknrolla)’s version already has Robert Downey, Jr. on board as Holmes but now Russell Crowe says he wants to play Watson. He was quoted in Australia’s Daily Herald as indicating this desire although an anonymous source was cited. 

Crowe is looking for a project now that his Robin Hood film with Ridley Scott is on hold for at least a year.

Meantime, also in Australia, Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia was quoted by Showbiz Spy indicating his desire to play a decided adult Boy Wonder. "I always thought I would make a great Robin. I would love to be Christian Bale’s sidekick in Batman," he told the reporter. "Even when I was younger I never wanted to be Batman." Of course, director Christopher Nolan has already said for years now that his film version of the Caped Crusader will never feature a Wonder – boy, teen or adult.

This, on the heels of the absurd notion of Cher as Catwoman, means we have years of casting rumors to endure before Nolan mounts the third film in the franchise.
 

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