Tagged: Universe

DVD Review: ‘Legion of Superheroes’ Vol. 2

Maybe the most surprising thing about how much I’ve enjoyed the first episodes of the Legion of Superheroes cartoon series is how little I enjoy the team’s comic book adventures. I always liked the concept of the Legion, but the futuristic team has too large of a cast and too complex of a history for me to jump into.

The cartoon series (from Warner Brothers and DC) fixes those two criticisms by hemming in the team size to a handful of key characters and streamlining the background: A young [[[Superman]]] is pulled into the future to help a fledgling group of heroes save the world. Simple enough.

In this second volume (containing the episodes [[[Champions]]], [[[Fear Factory]]], [[[Brain Drain]]] and [[[Lightning Storm]]]), the team goes through a series of challenges that manage to be kid-appropriate without being overly simplistic. Like the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, the Legion consists of standalone episodes but also builds a deeper narrative of themes and plots, giving it appreciable depth.

Particularly, this volume highlights the character development of Lightning Lad as he becomes a greater hero, and that of his brother, Mekt, as he becomes a villain. Meanwhile, Superman finds his powers have limits, which serves as a lesson as he tries to become the universe’s greatest hero.

I definitely wouldn’t put this series on the same level as [[[Batman: TAS]]], but it’s a fun, clever and exciting foray into the 31st Century.

EZ Street: Time For a Change?

EZ Street: Time For a Change?

  • News
  • March 5, 2008

Is there anything in the universe scarier than a blank page?  Danny doesn’t think so.  

In today’s brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell.  Scott and Danny have to change a tire.  Do they have to change anything else? 

Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: EZ Street

 

Russell T. Davies on ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Torchwood’ and ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’

Russell T. Davies on ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Torchwood’ and ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’

  • News
  • February 4, 2008

The Los Angeles Times has posted a fairly extensive interview with "Doctor Who"  Executive Producer Russell T. Davies, touching on everything from the upcoming broadcast schedule for various "Who"-related projects to the sexuality of "Torchwood" and his decision to distance himself from the "Who" fanbase.

According to the interview, the highly anticipated "Sarah Jane Adventures" – another "Who" spin-off project with a decidely younger target audience – will hit U.S. networks in April, along with the next season of "Doctor Who." The world of "Doctor Who" is quickly becoming a universe, according to Davies, and with the expansion comes some necessary sharing of resources.

"’Sarah Jane’ inherited some of our ‘Doctor Who’ monsters," Davies said. "We can’t afford new prosthetics."

Davies goes on to discuss the controversial sexuality of the more adult-themed "Who" spin-off, "Torchwood", as well as his unusual stance against becoming too entangled in fan message boards and fan-community response to the various series.

"I think we’re an unusual science-fiction franchise in taking a very big step back from fandom and having nothing to do with them. . . . Every program on the BBC has a message board on the website. I forbid it to happen on ‘Doctor Who.’ I’m sorry to say this, all the science fiction producers making stuff in America, they are way too engaged with their fandom. They all need to step back."

(Hat Tip: Outpost Gallifrey)

Free Online Alan Moore Documentary, Issue

Free Online Alan Moore Documentary, Issue

  • News
  • January 31, 2008

A few interesting bits of Alan Moore history have found their way online recently, and you won’t have to pay a dime for them.

AlterTube has posted "The Mindscape of Alan Moore," a 78-minute documentary about the creator of Watchmen and V For Vendetta that explores his growth as a storyteller and modern-day, magical… Well, you should probably just read the plot synopsis:

The film leads the audience through Moore’s world with the writer himself as guide, beginning with his childhood background, following the evolution of his career as he transformed the comics medium, through to his immersion in a magical worldview where science, spirituality and society are part of the same universe.

If you like what you see and want to purchase a copy, check out ShadowSnake Films.

DC/Vertigo has also made a full issue of Swamp Thing #21, the start of Moore’s critically-praised reinvention of the character, available online. It’s creepy as heck, but a great example of why Moore is one of comics’ living legends.

 UPDATE: The video no longer seems to be available on AlterTube, but it’s now available on YouTube. Go figure. So here you go: Free Alan Moore Documentary on YouTube.

Studio Tour: Pia Guerra of Y: The Last Man

Studio Tour: Pia Guerra of Y: The Last Man

  • News
  • January 31, 2008

It’s been a busy month for Y: The Last Man artist Pia Guerra. Wait, scratch that… It’s been a busy five years.

Now that The Last Man has concluded and Guerra has solidified her reputation as one of the industry’s most popular (and dedicated) modern-day artists, she can finally have some breathing room. Or can she?

In this feature at CBR, Guerra takes readers through a tour of her Vancouver studio, showing off all of the little bits and pieces of her workspace that have contributed to her success.

The whole area is like the Block of Requirement: there’s an artist’s supply store, a comic shop, mailbox outlet, coffee shop, a fabulous bistro, and even an MP’s office just downstairs. The caretaker is the coolest guy in the universe, he’s okay with us being there after hours (our usual work times) and from time to time he brings over fruit to share from his trips to the small market down the street. I really don’t know how we lucked out so well. It’s a great place to work.

Oh, and apparently she’s somewhat of a Doctor Who aficianado.

Abrams Shoots Hulk into Space…

Abrams Shoots Hulk into Space…

  • News
  • October 10, 2007

Now that I’ve got your attention, No: J.J. Abrams is not doing a line of Hulk books. Rather, he’s just announced that former Hulk star Eric Bana will be facing off against the new Captain James T. Kirk in 2008’s remake/reboot/re-imagining/re-whatever of Star Trek. Bana is signed to play Nero, the newest/oldest baddie who has a plan to take down Kirk and probably the whole enterprise.

So far, Abrams has been pretty good on keeping a lid on casting rumors and things we, the fans, don’t really need to know just yet. Back at ComiCon, he announced that Heroes‘ star Zachary Quinto would be playing our new Spock.. along side Nimoy, who will ALSO be portraying the role. This brings up theories that it could be a parallel universe, or alternate timelines, or they could all be lost on an island that has mystical powers… let’s hope it’s not that last one.

Also set star is Anton Yelchin (Huff) as young Chekov, Zoe Saldana (Pirates Trilogy) as the young Uhura, and it is rumored that Mike Vogel (from the new giant monster/alien/who knows movie Cloverfield/1-18-08) will take the helm as our new, less bloated James T. Kirk.

The film is currently set for a Christmas 2008 release.

Oh, wow. Secret Invasion.

Oh, wow. Secret Invasion.

  • News
  • September 19, 2007

Hey, you’ll never guess what Marvel’s doing next year!

Go on, guess!

Did I hear you say "ummmm… it can’t be as easy as another mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover, can it?" Of course it can. DC and Marvel have but one thought: between them: "hey, let’s do another mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover! The fans love it!"

Sadly, this one comes on the heels of that rarest of all superhero comics events: a mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover that actually worked. Mostly. Tony Isabella had a nice review of Civil War, and he says it at his own site.

Oh, this new thing is called Secret Invasion; Bendis is writing it; it seems to have something to do with Spider-Woman mating with Iron Man to create a bunch of radioactively charged exoskeleton robo-bugs that enter your comic book collection and rewrite the continuity-du-jour.

This one’s unique, though. It’s got a TRAILER! Well, at least that’s what Marvel’s calling it. It’s really just PowerPoint with public domain music, but it’ll only take a minute out of your life.

Not counting the NFL trailer that is attached to it.

Related: You might be a Skrull if…

Science-Fictional-Type Links & Things

Science-Fictional-Type Links & Things

  • News
  • July 17, 2007

Fantasy Book Critic reviews Warren Ellis’s first novel, Crooked Little Vein.

BestSF has reviewed a few magazines this week:

Don D’Amassa’s Critical Mass has new reviews on the Science Fiction page, including Blake Nelson’s young adult novel They Came From Below, Robert Charles Wilson’s Axis, and Charles Stross’s Halting State.

D’Amassa’s Fantasy page also has new reviews: Steph Swainston’s The Modern World, Charles Stross’s The Merchants’ War, and others.

And D’Amassa’s Horror page has new reviews as well: Scott Thomas’s Over the Darkening Fields, the new Tales from the Crypt #1, and more.

Nader Elhefnawy, at Tangent, goes off on a dumb Christopher Hitchens quote from Atlantic Monthly to the effect that SF has a “dearth of sex.”

Elhefnawy also had an essay at Tangent about Michael Moorcock and censorship.

The Space Review has published a transcript of the talk, and the following question and answer session, given by NASA Administrator Mike Griffin at the recent Heinlein Centennial.

The Contra Costa Times has an article on the huge science fiction collection at the University of California-Riverside.

Ben Bova’s regular column in the Naples News is devoted to talking about his own Campbell Award-winning novel Titan, Campbell himself, and science fiction in general.

The Salt Lake Tribune looks at the interesting phenomenon of Christian fantasy novels.

Neth Space is annoyed that so many titles begin with the word “the.”

SF Scope reports on editor and author Gardner Dozois’s recent quintuple bypass heart surgery. Details are few, but it sounds like he’s recovering pretty well – I certainly hope so, and send him all best wishes. (In happier Dozois news, he recently turned in a new original anthology, tentatively entitled Galactic Empires, to Rome Quezada of the SF Book Club, and I’m sure that book will be another winner.)

Cory Doctorow has another one of his periodic essays at Locus Online this week, all about different kinds of visions of the future.

The soul-searching about reviewing on blogs continues unabated into a second week, as Larry of the OF Blog of the Fallen explains why he reviews.

Similarly, Patrick, of Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, has a long post about reviewing, book giveaways, and blogging.

 

(more…)

Masters Of The Universe: The Movie — again

Masters Of The Universe: The Movie — again

Stringer Lisa Sullivan tips us off to this piece in Variety: Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film. Justin Marks (currently best known to comics fans as the scripter for the Green Arrow Super Max movie) is set to write the script. Silver will produce.

As ICV2 notes: "The announcement of a major new live action motion picture initiative based on a popular property from the 1980s just six weeks before the big screen debut of Michael Bay’s blockbuster adaptation of another 80s animated series, the Transformers, a property owned by Mattel’s biggest rival Hasbro, is certainly not just coincidental. It is further evidence of a trend that also includes Warner Bros. live action versions of the Speed Racer and Voltron animated series."

Taking license

Taking license

  • News
  • March 7, 2007

Let’s face it, we live in a hyper-capitalist society.  Everything’s a commodity, and the worlds of business and entertainment are so inextricably linked that items about business deals have all but become entertainment in their own right.

And that’s cool when a spinoff of a story is also another form of that story, as with the Superman: Doomsday DVD or the upcoming DVD coming out from Eagle One Media based on the Voltron: Defender of the Universe comics from Devil’s Due and utilizing those books’ content from the comic books from Devil’s Due Publishing. (Apparently Voltron is big business — not only is the "animated digital comic production" DVD due in June, but World Event Productions is developing "a new interactive series and the release of the first-ever OVA," and there’s even talk of a for-really movie.)

But when Marvel Entertainment decides it’s going to "own 2008" with tie-in products for the Iron Man and Hulk movies due out next spring, and signs deals with Hasbrow, Hallmark, Fruit of the Loom and other companies that make all sorts of stuff that isn’t storytelling — well, it just makes one hope that kids (and adults) who buy the stuff are busy making up their own scenarios as they’re being owned.

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