Russ Maheras writes an incredibly detailed essay over at Pop Culture Squad about visiting Steve Ditko at his studio in the Times Square district, right around the corner from DC’s offices:
Steve was a fairly-thin, gray-haired older man. His thinning hair was combed back, and he wore narrow-frame glasses. He was wearing a short-sleeved soft-plaid shirt (with pocket) that buttoned up in front, a white t-shirt, and slacks. He stood nearly erect and appeared in excellent health. He was alert, moved deliberately, and had no signs of any age-related issues. His hearing was fine, and his mind was very quick and very sharp.
Read the entire thing– it’s as good a description as we’re going to get.
There is little doubt that Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a fun movie, exceeding
everyone’s expectations. It deserves its Oscar, its box office success, and its
pioneering an animated path for Marvel to explore.
The film, out now on disc from Sony Home Entertainment, celebrates
what it means to wear the suit. Everyone knows Peter Parker and his story so
here, the masses are introduced to Mile Morales (Shameik Moore), who has been a
part of the comics since 2011 and his world has been merged into the core
Marvel Universe, making him a permanent addition.
We also meet other iterations of Spider-Man, each from a
separate parallel universe, and these days the general public is fine with the
concept of a multiverse. Writers Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman play with it, by
having each of the main Spiders do a narration that emphasizes their variance
from the well-known origin. In a nod to the film, Marvel had the messy and pointlessly
bloated Spider-Geddon event that
shows too much is never better.
Wisely, the film starts on Miles’ world, which is clearly
not the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he gains his powers just in time for the
Green Goblin to kill his world’s Peter Parker (Chris Pine). All of the
hullabaloo is sparked because the Kingpin (Liev Shreiber) is using dangerous
technology to access the multiverse to find a replacement Vanessa and Richard,
having lost his wife and son in a car crash.
Miles, unsure of how to use his newfound abilities, is
visited at Parker’s grave by the Peter B. Parker Jake Johnson) from a different
world. Together, they agree Fisk has to be stopped, using the data on a damaged
flash drive. As the story unfolds, we meet that world’s Doc Ock, Olivia
Octavius (Kathryn Hahn), the Prowler (Mahershala Ali), and Aunt May (Lily
Tomlin), the latter far more with it and supportive of her Peter’s heroic life.
The unlikely duo of young teen and overweight and far
older adult is joined by Spider-Woman, a heroic Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld),
Spider-Man Noir (Nicholas Cage), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), and Peni Parker
(Kimiko Glenn), who controls the robotic SP//dr:. Here’s where the brilliantly colorful
movie excels by rendering each of these characters in a unique style. Noir is
merely in black and white, Ham is two-dimensional animation, and Peni is pure
anime.
There’s running, jumping, and fighting along with way too
many things blowing up. The final third is pretty much pure action and if there’s
any fault, the multiverse exploding threat is too over-the-top for these
heroes, who deserve threats better scaled to who they are.
That said, the 117 minutes zip by with a strong score
from Daniel Pemberton, and leaves us with a brand-new hero in Miles, who
embraces the mantle he has inherited. By all means, stick through the credits
for a hysterical nod to two more Spider-Men.
The film is available in numerous formats with retail
exclusive editions at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. The standard Blu-ray,
DVD, and Digital HD combo pack is the most common and offers up a superior high
definition transfer. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is up to the noise made by
characters bickering and things going boom. Word is the 4K Ultra HD version is
even better, naturally. The 3D Blu-ray will be released separately on April 10.
There are some fine special features here, starting with
a short feature, “Spider-Ham Caught in a Ham” (4:11), which is
amusing enough but should have been funnier.
There’s an Audio Commentary — featuring directors Bob
Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman with producers Phil Lord,
Christopher Miller — which details the four-year process of going from concept
to finished film and the 800 technicians, artists, actors, and crew to make
this CGI film a reality.
The most interesting option is to play the film in its
Alternate Universe edition, which integrates deleted scenes, pencil tests, and
more. You can see the creative process at work, which is a treat, and adds
about 5 minutes to the run time.
Additionally, there are the usual behind the scenes
features: We Are Spider-Man (7:51), Spider-Verse A New Dimension (5:09), The
Ultimate Comic Cast (15:02), Designing Cinematic Comic Book Characters
“Heroes and Hams” (7:45), Designing Cinematic Comic Book Characters
“Scoundrels & Scorpions” (5:11), Spider-Verse Super Fan Easter
Egg Challenge (5:02), and Sunflower music video by Post Malone & Swae Lee (3:00)
Fittingly, there is also a Tribute to Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko (8:34), both of whom we lost in 2018.
As we continue to add to the chaos at the top of DC Comics…
Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara has been ousted after an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations….
Tsuijhara, 54, had been with Warner Bros. for more than 24 years. He became CEO in early 2013 and became chairman position later that year. Tsuijhara, the first executive of Asian decent to head a major Hollywood studio, led Warner Bros. to have its most profitable year ever in 2017.
However, also under Tsuijhara’s tenure, Warner Bros. struggled to produce DC superhero films at the same caliber of its counterparts at Disney and Marvel Studios. It wasn’t until 2017’s “Wonder Woman” that the studio found true success, taking in $821 million in ticket sales worldwide. A year later, “Aquaman” became the first DC film to cross the $1 billion mark.
As high-ranking
executives at the most famous record company in the world, it was essential for
us to project the utmost professionalism at all times. We talked in hushed
tones nodding politely at staff whom, when we approached lowered their heads
once pass the whispered comments began.
Denys
Cowan and I were walking the halls of Motown Records. Denys had just joined me
at Motown Animation and Filmworks as Senior Vice President. I was giving him
the ten-cent tour of Motown’s brand spanking new offices as we discussed plans
to take over the world.
“My god, they nodded at us.”
“We’re
so blessed.”
“Long
live the saviors of Motown.”
“Nay,
saviors of the entertainment industry!”
“NAY
NAY THE WORLD!!”
“WHY
Y’ALL KEEP SAYING MY NAME?” Said, Nay Nay.
Nay Nay commented that we “Looked like GQ cover models.” Denys was in Armani, I wore Boss— we both got a bit of a chuckle out of that.
When
we were out of earshot, Denys stated; “GQ cover models? Yeah, right.”
“As
if we would stoop that low,” I answered. “GQ would bow down before us,
“he stated. “Damn Skippy.” was my reply. “Who do we bow
down to, my good man?” That I said in my best English accent. Denys
responded in kind, “Us? Why no one my good sir.”
A few
moments later we were both on our knees before royalty chanting in unison.
” WE’RE NOT WORTHY.”
That
is a true story.
Mostly.
All of the above happened except for the bowed heads savior talk whispered comments GQ model reference English accent etc. Denys was in Armani, I did wear Boss. I was giving him a tour of the new Motown offices he was starting work at Motown.
Who
among you believe the part about being on our knees before royalty chanting in unison?
WE’RE NOT WORTHY?
Really?
Y’all think Denys Cowan perhaps the most underrated yet still influential person to ever grace comics and Michael Davis may be the most undervalued personality in comics would bow down to anyone?
Y’all tripping.
The
rest of this narrative I assure you is all true…
Denys and I settled outside the executive suite studying some Al Hirschfeld originals. Motown has fantastic work from renowned visual as well as recording artists on their walls.
After a moment, we decided to say hello to our bosses— Jherl Busby, then Motown’s President and CEO and Clarence Avant, Motown’s Chairman at the time. Their offices were next to each other, and if we were lucky, we’d be granted an audience.
This is the real world, you don’t just walk into the offices of two of the most powerful men in entertainment no matter what you see on TV. We were met by Charisse Browner and Tomica Woods— guardians of the gate so to speak.
“Clarence
isn’t in, and Jherl is with somebody,” Charisse said. Jherl’s door was open, and we could see the
back of someone talking to him but couldn’t make out who.
Tomica
chimed in with, “I’ll check back with you later after I put you on their
schedules” That was that. Denys and I were leaving when I happen to glance
again in Jherl’s office, the man talking to Jherl’s had turned I could see him
clearly now.
Royalty.
I
tapped Denys on the shoulder and nodded towards the figure. When Denys saw who
it was, he both looked at each other and knew what we must do, in doing so we
would risk our lives.
Trying to get past one BLACK WOMAN you risk bodily injury we had to get past two. This was over 20 years ago— today Charise runs a serious media business, and Tomica runs Ruthless Records.
Y’all
get that? RUTHLESS RECORDS.
The
ladies sensed something was up by the stupid way Denys and I were eyeing
Jherl’s guest. Before they could act, we bolted from our spot just beating
Tomica into the office.
“WE’RE NOT WORTHY.” “WE’RE NOT WORTHY.” We shouted kneeling in front of one of the greatest filmmakers who ever yelled “CUT!”
The Duke.
Mr. BILL DUKE.
I did write “Y’all tripping” when I asked who believed Denys and I would do that, I NEVER said we didn’t. Hell yeah, we did. We did because we knew then just how badass Mr. Duke is.
Most
know Mr. Duke as a powerful actor, and he is that.
Starting with Car Wash where he portrayed fierce young Black Muslim revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar (formerly known as Duane). His acting work has graced American Gigolo, Commando, Predator, followed by Action Jackson, The Limey, Exit Wounds, Menace II Society, Bird on a Wire, Payback, X-Men: The Last Stand, National Security, Get Rich or Die Trying, Bad Country, and Mandy.
Many know the films he’s directed— The Killing Floor, A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, The Cemetery Club, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Those are just off the top of my head, there’s many more, among them his A&E Network original film, The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery. In 2007 he directed the reenactments in the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
Mr. Duke is a serious part of Pop Culture— I’m glad to say even if the general public isn’t aware of that, comic book fans are. Mr. Duke is the only person the Black Panel (TBP) at San Diego Comic-Con International has ever devoted an entire segment too.
That’s a big deal not as big as being nominated for the Palme d’Or France’s film honor, but a big deal nevertheless.
There
was quite a buzz at Comic-Con when Bill, (who couldn’t walk 6 feet before a fan
stopped him) appeared on TBP. Comic book and fans of pop culture have great
respect for Mr. Duke and know all his work well.
Most
can’t name another well-known actor who’s acting work is as well-known as his
directing effort. That’s part of why I love comic fans. We know our stuff.
If you want to know the influence of Mr. Duke among comic fans, ask any fan who delivered the line “You done f***d up, you know that don’t you?” They will know who. The general public may not know the man, but they know the line.
This makes the casting of Mr. Duke as Agent Percy Odell in Black Lightning a genius move by the CW. That shows respect for Tony Isabella’s creation, respect for comic books and most importantly respect for fans of comics.
I’m often critical of how Hollywood treats comic book content, and its creators. Perhaps I should amend that to say Hollywood movie studios treat comics like crap because TV studios seem to do it right. That awareness makes me believe only the sheer stupidly of DC Comics keeps Static (Shock) off the air.
DC Comics: “You done f***d up, you know that don’t you?”
Note: Those of you who follow my writing know I don’t edit swearing, although I face a constant roar of those, who say I should clean up my act. I tried to defend it by pointing to writers who also use profanity and why it’s relevant in their work and mine still, the chants endure. Now I tell those who seek to PC my work to kiss my Simon and Schuster imprint.
No doubt you’ve noticed the *** instead of the word. Before anyone gets very happy (or sad), I edited my words on the off-chance Mr. Duke will read this. He doesn’t much care for profanity unless the conversation story or narrative clearly calls for it.
I can’t debate that because like I said: when it comes to Mr. Duke, I’m still not worthy.
BURBANK, CA (March 14, 2019) – It’ll take the unlikely unification of the Dark Knight and the Heroes in a Half-shell to overcome combined villainous forces afoot in Gotham City in the all-new, feature-length animated thriller, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Nickelodeon and DC, the film arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital starting May 14, 2019, and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack on June 4, 2019.
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be available on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack ($39.99 SRP) and Blu-ray Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP), as well as on Digital ($19.99 HD, $14.99 SD). The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc featuring the film; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film in hi-definition. The 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a digital version of the film.
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles finds Gotham City reaching new levels of danger when Shredder joins forces with Ra’s al Ghul to enact a nefarious plan – leading to the team-up of the Dark Knight and the Turtles to combat the combined might of the Foot Clan and League of Assassins!
The Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all-star cast is led by Troy Baker (Batman: Arkham Origins, The Last of Us) as the voice of both Batman and the Joker – making Baker the first actor to ever play both roles in the same film. Opposite Baker are the Ninja Turtles themselves – Emmy Award/Golden Globe Award/SAG Award winner Darren Criss (American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Glee) as Raphael, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) as Michelangelo, Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie) as Donatello, and Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes Cartoons, The Woody Woodpecker Show) as Leonardo.
Other
key members of the voice cast include Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
as Batgirl, John DiMaggio (Adventure
Time, Futurama) as Mr. Freeze, Tara Strong (Batman: The Animated Series, Teen
Titans, Teen Titans Go!) as Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob
SquarePants) as Penguin, Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911!) as Bane, Cas
Anvar (The Expanse) as Ra’s al Ghul, Keith Ferguson (Foster’s Home
for Imaginary Friends) as Baxter Stockman & Two-Face, Brian George (Seinfeld)
as Alfred, Ben Giroux (Hart of Dixie) as Robin, Andrew Kishino (The
Lion Guard) as Shredder, and Jim Meskimen (Parks and Recreation) as
Commissioner Gordon & Scarecrow.
Jake Castorena (The Death of Superman) directs Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from a script by Marly Halpern-Graser (Mad,Batman Unlimited, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo). The film is inspired by the comic book series “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II (published by DC Comics and IDW Publishing) and is based on characters from DC and Nickelodeon. Ben Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is producer. Executive producers are Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan. Sam Register and Chris Viscardi are executive producers.
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Enhanced Content
Ultra
HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital
Cowabunga, Batman! When Comic Worlds Collide (Featurette)– Super hero crossovers have inspired some of the most unique comics of all time. Explore the concept of the crossover, and see the creativity that ensues when the worlds of Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet.
Fight Night in Gotham (Featurette) – DC animated movies have continued to push the realism of hand-to-hand combat on-screen. Take an exciting look at both Batman’s and the Ninja Turtles’ fighting styles, and how the creators make it feel like you’re in the fight!
A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, Batman: Hush – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will also be available on Movies Anywhere. Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts.
Fans can also own Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via purchase from digital retailers beginning May 14, 2019.
BASICS
PRODUCT
SRP
4K UHD Combo
Pack
$39.99
Blu-ray Combo
Pack
$24.98
4K and Blu-ray Street Date: May 14, 2019
EST Street Date: June 4, 2019
Blu-ray
Languages: English, French, Spanish, German
Blu-ray Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian
Disney has reinstated James Gunn as the writer-director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and I’ve confirmed it with Marvel and Gunn’s camp.
Gunn was fired last July by Disney after alt-right journalists hyped a bunch of decade old social media missives that made light of pedophilia and rape. Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn.
BURBANK, CA (March 11, 2019) – A bold, new take on DC’s famed Super Hero team – from executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Greg Walker, Sarah Schechter and John Fawcett – comes to Digital on March 21, 2019 when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Titans: The Complete First Season. All 11 thrilling episodes of the DC UNIVERSE digital subscription service’s inaugural live-action series will be available for purchase ($24.99 HD SRP) from digital retailers. Pre-orders for the digital release are available now.
Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be Super Heroes from across the world of DC as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Former Gotham City vigilante Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could unleash Hell on Earth. Joining them in their quest are the mysterious Starfire and loveable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes while battling villains, demonic forces … and encountering familiar faces from across DC’s legendary canon.
“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to offer fans the opportunity
to own this all-new, live-action series that follows a band of fearless DC
Super Heroes uniting together from every corner of the universe,” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice
President, Television Marketing. “The unique and dark take to this classic tale
will have strong appeal to DC Super Hero fans.”
Summary judgment at last we’ve received, And our victory has been finally achieved. The judge ruled at last that our book is fair use And so we’re allowed to mash-up Trek and Seuss. We don’t want to brag. And we will not gloat. Allow us instead, to gratefully promote— We thank the lawyer who brought sound defeat To DLA Piper— we think Dan Booth’s sweet! Michael Licari helped us out as well, And Ken White lit his signal, which really was swell. We thank all our backers who gave us their aid, Which helped us to battle our legal crusade. You all gave support as the motions dragged on, Without you it’s impossible to have boldly gone.
Tomorrow IDW releases their second Star Trek: Discovery annual. This year’s Discovery annual focuses on the character of Saru and takes place after the events of the first season but before the arrival of the USS Enterprise. Like all Discovery comics, it was written by comics veteran Mike Johnson and Star Trek: Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer, with art by Angel Hernandez.
