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World Record Holders by Guy Delisle

World Record Holders by Guy Delisle

This is a flashback: you need to know that first.

Guy Delisle’s comics career has been mostly circling the lands of memoir – a series of longer, more serious books about his travels, created when he was a working animator and/or lived in interesting places of the world (Shenzhen , Pyongyang , Burma Chronicles, Jerusalem ), and a series of shorter, funnier books about his “bad dad” parenting style (User’s Guide , Even More , Owner’s Manual , Handbook ). His most recent major book, Factory Summers , was also in that mode: a look back at the job he went back to, several years in a row, while he was in school.

The outlier is his book Hostage , which is non-fiction and the story of one person’s time in a particular place, but was about someone else, not Delisle himself.

But Delisle’s first couple of books [1]  were stranger, quirkier things: two collections of short wordless comics, full of transformations and uneasy connections, Aline and the Others and Albert and the Others. They were originally published in 1999 and 2001, with North American editions in 2006-7. Like a lot of creators, Delisle started with shorter comics and then turned to book-length stories.

And he was making comics before the Aline and Albert stories – there’s a French book, Réflexion, back in 1996, which I suspect was short comics. If I were a betting man – and I am very much not – I would say some of those stories are probably in this book.

Which finally brings me to World Record Holders , a collection of Delisle’s short, mostly earlier comics. It was translated by Helge Dascher and Rob Aspinall and published in 2022. It collects twenty-two stories, originally appearing in various places – mostly magazines and anthologies, I think, with a whole lot in Lapin, a couple from Deslie’s 2002 French collection Comment ne rien faire, a handful in Spoutnik, and a few other scattered publications – between 1995 and 2014. But the 2014 story is an outlier; other than that, the newest piece is from 2007, and about three-quarters were published by 2002.

These are very much stories by a young creator trying new and different things; the art is mostly similar to Delisle’s mature style, but “similar” covers a lot of ground, and the level of finish varies a lot here, along with other details of line width and shading and use of blacks. That’s a lot of fun to see, and the styles generally work well for the individual stories.

It opens and closes with two short autobio stories, from 2001 and ’02, of Delisle – in very much his modern style – confronting the blank page early in his cartooning career. They make strong bookends, and also help bring the reader into the odder, quirkier material in the middle: most of these comics are not about Delisle at all…in fact, I’d be hard-pressed to make any overall statements about this collection, to say what it’s “about” in any comprehensive way. 

There are stories that may have been experiments, or try-outs, or explorations. Shaggy dog stories, artistic exercises, a few pieces of short autobio. A whole lot of a variety, in art and tone and matter and style – but all Delisle, all pretty successful, all enjoyable to read. And, yes, there is a title story – it’s buried, almost exactly in the middle, so you’ll have to find it to learn what records Delisle is talking about.

[1] In English translation, at least – assuming that means something for wordless comics. I see from Wikipedia that Delisle did a number of books in French that have never been translated, and I’m particularly intrigued by the “Inspecteur Moroni” series.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

CLassic Fleischer Superman Cartoons Remastered for Blu-Ray

CLassic Fleischer Superman Cartoons Remastered for Blu-Ray

BURBANK, CA (March 8, 2023) – Warner Bros. Discovery has meticulously remastered Max Fleischer’s treasured set of 17 animated Superman shorts from the original 35mm source elements. Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1943 will be available to purchase Digitally on HD and on Blu-ray May 16, 2023.

Superman made his comic book debut in 1938, appearing in Action Comics #1 (dated June 1938, but officially published on April 18, 1938), and the Man of Steel’s popularity grew with his subsequent radio program. Max Fleischer gave the world’s first Super Hero his initial animated spotlight, producing 17 theatrical animated shorts from September 1941 to July 1943 that further elevated the character’s profile, and added many significant aspects to his canon – including coining many of Superman’s patented catchphrases and attributes.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s advanced remastering process began with a 4K, 16-bit scan of Fleischer’s original 35mm successive exposure negative. Staying true to the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37-to-1, the highest quality raw image was then scanned and then entered into the recombine process – utilizing special proprietary software to merge the successive exposure Technicolor negatives into a single RGB color image. The end result are pristine animated shorts that have been restored to the animators’ originally intended production quality.

Well known radio actors Clayton “Bud” Collyer and Joan Alexander reprised their famed The Adventures of Superman radio show roles for the Fleischer/Famous Studios animated shorts as Superman/ Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively. Jackson Beck provided the voice of Perry White and the show’s primary narrator. Additional voices, many of whom had participated in the Superman radio program, were provided by Jack Mercer, Grant Richards, Julian Noa, Lee Royce, Max Smith, Sam Parker and Carl Meyer.

Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1943 will be available on May 16, 2023 to purchase Digitally in HD from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more, and on Blu-ray at major retailers both online and in-store.

EPISODES (AND PREMIERE DATE):

  • Superman (Mad Scientist) – 9/26/1941
  • The Mechanical Monsters – 11/28/1941
  • Billion Dollar Limited – 1/9/1942
  • Arctic Giant – 2/27/1942
  • The Bulleteers – 3/27/1942
  • The Magnetic Telescope – 4/24/1942
  • Electric Earthquake – 5/15/1942
  • Volcano – 7/10/1942
  • Terror on the Midway – 8/28/1942
  • The Japoteurs – 9/18/1942
  • Showdown – 10/16/1942
  • The Eleventh Hour – 11/20/1942
  • Destruction, Inc. – 12/25/1942
  • The Mummy Strikes – 2/19/1943
  • Jungle Drums – 3/26/1943
  • Underground World – 6/18/1943
  • Secret Agent – 7/30/1943

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

New Featurette – Superman: Speeding Toward Tomorrow – Superman’s exploits in the Fleischer series modernized the monomyth of the Greek godlike hero and expanded and romanticized the prevalent themes of sci-fi and fantasy. It was this combination of heartfelt storytelling, relatable heroes and amazing visuals that has endeared the Fleischer series to fans as one of the greatest superhero stories of all time. This featurette explores the visual storytelling as the lavish animation, with special attention paid to all the atomic age technology, pushes science fiction closer to becoming a powerful social and pop culture force.

Featurette – First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series – The Origins and Influence of This Groundbreaking Cartoon Series – A gathering of contemporary animators, comic book & animation historians, and legendary Fleischer artists examine these beloved shorts, focusing on the animation and the breakthrough techniques that created it, as well as studying the title character’s place in history.

Featurette – The Man, the Myth, Superman: Exploring the Tradition of Superman Heroes on the Page and Screen – A fascinating study of Superman-esque characters throughout history – in ancient myth, literature and film – that bring forth imaginative, super-human qualities, captivating audiences and enduring the test of time.

Pricing and film information:

PRODUCT                                                     SRP

Digital HD Purchase                                       $14.99 USA and CANADA

Blu-ray                                                            $33.99 USA, 39.99 CANADA

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Running Time: 145 minutes

REVIEW: The Adventures of Batman

REVIEW: The Adventures of Batman

Filmation caught lightning in a bottle. In 1965 or so, with no real money or track record, they bamboozled DC Comics into licensing Superman for animated fare. Just as the Man of Steel flew to his Broadway debut and Batmania was sweeping the country, they gave us Superman cartoons, followed by Aqualand and friends. Finally, in 1968, six months after the live-action series left ABC, CBS Saturday Morning welcomed The Batman/Superman Hour, mixing the 1966 super-doings with brand new 12-minute Bat-capades.

All 34 capers are now packaged in remastered form as The Adventures of Batman, a two-disc set from Warner Home Entertainment. At 10, I was delighted by these, even if some of the equipment and villains didn’t look quite on model, and even at that tender age, I recognized how many shots were reused to stretch the animation budget.

They played it straight and in animated form, worked without the camp element that propelled the live-action series to stratospheric heights. In a mere dozen minutes, we have a villain, conflict, death trap, battle, and quips between the Dynamic Duo. It was pleasing fare that went nicely with a bowl of cereal.

Olen Soule’s Batman was solid and serious with Casey Kasem’s Robin not sounding right. He just couldn’t vary his voice enough for the parts he played, which included Chief O’Hara. Ted Knight, the redoubtable narrator, does better with his Commissioner Gordon, Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter.

Dennis Marks, Bill Keenan, and Oscar Bensol were all animation veterans, with Marks going back to the beginning a few years before. They were joined by DC writers Bob Haney and George Kashdan, who both cut their teeth on the earlier Aquaman stories. Interestingly, they use the villainous heavy-hitters and add in Scarecrow, who never made it to live-action. Conversely, none of the live-action original foes are seen here. Instead, we get Simon the Pieman as a repeat offender.

Looking at them now, though, you see they were not terribly well-thought-out, and certainly, the conflicts and fights were pedestrian without the outrageousness of the ABC incarnation. It didn’t closely resemble either the Adam West-led series or the Julie Schwartz-edited comic books, so doesn’t particularly work well. This set is for nostalgia only.

The 1080p high definition transfer is definitely superior to the 2014 DVD collection but it also makes the limited animation more glaring. Thank goodness things move quickly enough you don’t pay attention. The best looking Batman is the Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez style guide art that graces the box. The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is perfectly fine for what we’re dealing with.

The two-disc set presents zero extras nor is there a digital HD code.

DISC ONE

My Crime Is Your Crime / A Bird Out of Hand

The Cool, Cruel Mr. Freeze / The Joke’s on Robin

How Many Herring in a Wheelbarrow? / In Again, Out Again Penguin

The Nine Lives of Batman / Long John Joker

Bubi, Bubi, Who’s Got the Ruby? / The 1001 Faces of the Riddler

The Big Birthday Caper / Two Penguins Too Many

Partners in Peril / The Underworld Underground Caper

Hizzoner the Joker / Freeze’s Frozen Vikings

The Crime Computer / The Great Scarecrow Scare

DISC TWO

A Game of Cat and Mouse / Beware of Living Dolls

Will the Real Robin Please Stand Up? / He Who Swipes the Ice, Goes to the Cooler

Simon the Pieman / A Mad, Mad Tea Party

From Catwoman with Love / Perilous Playthings

A Perfidious Pieman Is Simon / Cool, Cruel Christmas Caper

The Fiendishly Frigid Fraud / Enter the Judge

The Jigsaw Jeopardy / Wrath of the Riddler

It Takes Two to Make a Team / Opera Buffa

Marvel to Introduce 20th Century Studios Imprint Next Month

Marvel to Introduce 20th Century Studios Imprint Next Month

New York, NY— March 3, 2023 — Announced today with The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Comics will be launching its first-ever 20th Century Studios comic book imprint this April!

The new imprint will kick off with PLANET OF THE APES #1, on sale April 5, shortly followed by Marvel’s upcoming ALIEN and PREDATOR comic book series. Fans will see the 20th Century Studios comic book imprint reflected on PLANET OF THE APES, ALIEN and PREDATOR covers beginning with PLANET OF THE APES #1, ALIEN #1, and PREDATOR #2 in April and moving forward.

“Ever since we announced our Alien and Predator comics, we hoped to create a special space within our comics line to go even bigger and bolder and keep building on the iconic moments from these properties that we all know and love. This 20th Century Studios comics imprint, in collaboration with our friends at 20th Century Studios, is the perfect way to do that,” said C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief, Marvel Comics. “Now that we’re bringing back Planet of the Apes again through classic comic book storytelling, we are absolutely thrilled to officially launch this imprint for the fans, and we’re all honored to expand upon it in the coming months.”

Marvel Comics’ new imprint will draw upon 20th Century Studios’ award-winning and pop culture-defining franchises that have reached millions of fans around the globe, including iconic franchises like Planet of the Apes, Predator, Alien, and more.

“We’ve had a blast working with C.B. and his team and, as lifetime Marvel comics fans, it’s an honor to be a part of such an enduring creative legacy,” said Steve Asbell, President, 20th Century Studios. “We think fans will love the fresh takes on these beloved, iconic movies.”

For over 80 years, Marvel and 20th Century Studios each have established a legacy of storytelling that has lasted for generations. The 20th Century Studios imprint from Marvel marks the next collaborative chapter to bring those stories to life – new and classic characters, worlds, universes, and more – all in the grand tradition of classic Marvel Comics.

Marvel began publishing its latest ALIEN comic book series in 2021 and its latest PREDATOR comic book series in 2022, both to critical acclaim.

In 1996, Marvel partnered with Paramount Pictures to label their licensed titles as Paramount Comics, starting with an adaptation of Mission: Impossible, followed by Star Trek titles. The imprint lasted about two years.

Star Trek: Lower Decks S3 Docks for Home Video in April

Star Trek: Lower Decks S3 Docks for Home Video in April

The U.S.S. Cerritos crew is back when STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS SEASON 3 arrives on DVD on April 25. Currently sitting at a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS SEASON 3 includes all 10 episodes from the latest season plus exclusive audio commentaries from cast and crew, a look behind the episodes, a Season 3 Lower Decktionary and an entertaining voyage into Deep Space Nine.
 
Created by Emmy® Award winner Mike McMahan, Season 3 of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS challenges the U.S.S. Cerritos ensigns in (hilarious) ways they could never imagine, starting with a shocking resolution for Season 2’s epic cliffhanger finale. This 2-Disc collection includes every episode, along with over 45 minutes of special features. Also featuring guest appearances by Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
Special Features:      

Audio Commentary by Jonathan Frakes, Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan (Ep. 301)
                                    Docking at Deep Space 9 (Ep. 306)
                                    Audio Commentary by Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, Jack                                       Quaid, Eugene Cordero and Mike McMahan (Ep. 306)
                                    Audio Commentary by Barry Kelly, Kether Donohue and Mike McMahan (Ep. 307)
                                    Audio Commentary by Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, Jack Quaid, Jerry O’ Connell and Mike                                     McMahan (Ep. 308)
                                    Audio Commentary by Jack Quaid, Dawnn Lewis and Fred Tatasciore (Ep. 310)
                                    Lower Decktionary Season 3
 
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS SEASON 3 will also be available on Blu-ray™ manufactured on demand and digital.*
*Special features available digitally with the purchase of the full season. 
 
Specifications:           Widescreen Format
                                    English 5.1 Dolby Digital
                                    English SDH Subtitles
 
U.S. Rating:               Not Rated
 
Canadian Rating:     PG
 
Run Time:                 4:17:54    257:54:00

Storm Reid’s Missing Finds a Home in March

Storm Reid’s Missing Finds a Home in March

SYNOPSIS

From the minds behind Searching comes Missing, a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you. When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers…and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.

BONUS MATERIALS 
BLU-RAY™ AND DIGITAL

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Hunting for the MISSING Easter Eggs
  • Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes:
    • Storm Reid and the Challenge of MISSING
    • Misdirects, Online Crimes and the Social Media Mystery
    • The Screens that Rule Our Lives
  • Filmmaker Commentary

DVD

  • Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes:
    • Storm Reid and the Challenge of MISSING
    • Misdirects, Online Crimes and the Social Media Mystery
    • The Screens that Rule Our Lives
  • Filmmaker Commentary

Blu-ray™ and DVD include a digital code for movie and bonus materials as listed above, redeemable via Movies Anywhere for a limited time. Movies Anywhere is open to U.S. residents age 13+. Visit MoviesAnywhere.com for terms and conditions.

CAST AND CREW

Directed By: Will Merrick and Nick Johnson
Screenplay By: Nick Johnson & Will Merrick
Produced By: Natalie Qasabian, Sev Ohanian, Aneesh Chaganty
Executive Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Adam Sidman, Jo Henriquez         
Cast: Storm Reid, Nia Long, Joaquim De Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney

SPECS

Runtime: Approx. 110 minutes 
Rating: PG-13: Some Strong Violence, Language, Teen Drinking and Thematic Material.
Blu-ray™: Feature: 1080p High Definition / 1.78:1 • Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French (Doublé au Québec), Spanish, English & French (Doublé au Québec) – Audio Description Tracks 5.1 Dolby Digital • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Color • Mastered in High Definition.
DVD: Feature: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen • Audio: English, French (Doublé au Québec), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English & French (Doublé au Québec) • Audio Description Tracks Stereo • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Color • Some of the information in the above listing may not apply to Special Features.

Warner will Release 5 Superman Film 4K Steelbook Set

Warner will Release 5 Superman Film 4K Steelbook Set

Burbank, Calif., March 1, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, five films featuring the iconic DC Super Hero Superman – Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV – will be available for purchase in a five-film collection on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital on April 18.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Superman films star Christopher Reeve as the legendary “Man of Steel.”

On April 18, the Superman 1978 – 1987 5-Film Collection will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Packs will include an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature films in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with the feature films and special features in HD, and a Digital version of each film.

Ultra HD Blu-ray showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.

For the complete 4K Ultra HD experience with HDR, a 4K Ultra HD TV with HDR, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a high-speed HDMI (category 2) cable are required.

Ultra HD Blu-ray Elements
Superman: The Movie Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following previously released special features on Blu-ray Disc:
Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spangler
The Making of Superman – vintage featurette
Superman and the Mole-Men – vintage featurette
Super-Rabbit – 1943 WB cartoon
Snafuperman – 1944 WB cartoon
Stupor Duck – 1956 WB cartoon
TV Spot
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer

Superman II Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following previously released special features on Blu-ray Disc:
Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
The Making of Superman II – 1980 TV Special
Superman’s Soufflé – Deleted scene
Fleischer Studios’ Superman vintage cartoons
First Flight
The Mechanical Monster
Billion Dollar Limited
The Arctic Giant
The Bulleteers
The Magnetic Telescope
Electric Earthquake
Volcano
Terror on the Midway
Theatrical trailer

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following previously released special features on Blu-ray Disc:
Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz
Introduction by Richard Donner – featurette
Superman II: Restoring the Vision – featurette
Deleted scenes
Lex and Ms. Teschmacher head north
Lex and Ms. Teschmacher head south
The villains enter the fortress
He’s all yours, boys
Clarke and Jimmy
Lex’s gateway
Famous Studios vintage cartoons
Japoteurs
Showdown
Eleventh Hour
Destruction, Inc.
The Mummy Strikes
Jungle Drums
The Underground World
Secret Agent

Superman III Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following previously released special features on Blu-ray Disc:
Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
The Making of Superman III – 1983 TV special
Deleted scenes
Save my baby
To the rescue
Making up
Going to see the boss
Hatching the plan
The con
Rooftop ski
Boss wants this to go
Superman honored
Gus’ speech
Hanging up on Brad
Theatrical trailer

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following previously released special features on Blu-ray Disc:
Commentary by Mark Rosenthal
Superman 50th anniversary special – 1988 TV special
Deleted scenes
Clark’s morning
Jeremy’s letter
Superman’s visit
Nuclear Man’s prototype
Metropolis after hours
Lex ponders
Flying sequence (extended scene)
Battle in Smallville
Battle in the U.S.S.R.
Nuclear arms race
Superman’s sickness
Red alert
By my side
Lark and Lacy say goodbye
No borders
Theatrical trailer

About the Films:

Superman: The Movie
Academy Award winners Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman head an all-star cast in the fantastic, action-packed film that made Christopher Reeve an international star playing the greatest superhero of all time. From the doomed planet of Krypton, two parents launch a spaceship carrying their infant son to earth. Here he grows up to become Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet. But with powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary men, he battles for truth and justice as Superman.

An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies, Lethal Weapon, The Lost Boys), the film stars Academy Award winner Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront, The Godfather) as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman (The French Connection, Unforgiven) as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Glen Ford as Jonathan Kent, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, and Terrance Stamp as General Zod.

Superman was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Sound. The film also received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. In 2017, Superman was inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

SYNOPSIS
Superman II (Theatrical Version)
Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three superpowered Planet Krypton criminals Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman also returns as Lex Luthor in this sequel that features a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction, and visuals that astound and delight.

Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, The Three Musketeers), the film stars Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.
Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the film was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman. Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Sarah Douglas as Ursa, Jack O’Halloran as Non, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Susannah York as Lara, and Terrence Stamp as General Zod.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Director Richard Donner began shooting Superman II while concurrently filming Superman: The Movie, though the theatrical version of the film was ultimately directed by Richard Lester. In 2006, Donner’s original unique vision was released for the first time. Jor-El (Marlon Brando in footage cut from the theatrical version) appears in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the relationship between father and son. Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) plots more schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman (Christopher Reeve). With so many changes, large and small, including a different beginning and resolution, this version is an eye-opening alternate experience.

Directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.
Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the film was produced by Pierre Spengler and Michael Tau from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman. Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Sarah Douglas as Ursa, Jack O’Halloran as Non, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Susannah York as Lara, and Terrence Stamp as General Zod.

Superman III
Meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a naive computer-programming natural. For him, a keyboard is a weapon – and, as a result, Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his signature role, deepening his character’s human side as Clark Kent sees Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when the Man of Steel becomes his own worst enemy after exposure to Kryptonite, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Relive Superman III with all its heart, heroism and high-flying humor.

Directed by Richard Lester, the film stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane.
Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the film was produced by Pierre Spengler from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman. Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman, Jackie White as Perry White, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, Annette O’Toole as Lana Lang, and Robert Vaughn as Ross Webster.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Christopher Reeve not only dons the title hero’s cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie’s provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug the volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China.

Directed by Sydney J. Furie (The Ipcress File, Iron Eagle), the film stars Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the film was produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan from a story by Christopher Reeve & Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal and a screenplay by Konner & Rosenthal. The film also features Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, Jon Cryer as Lenny, Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield, Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man, and Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield.

BASICS

PRODUCT ERP
Superman 1978 – 1987 5-Film Collection $99.99
4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

Superman: The Movie
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Run Time: 143 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Physical Street Date: 4/18
Digital Street Date: 4/18

Superman II
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Run Time: 127 minutes
Rating: PG
Physical Street Date: 4/18
Digital Street Date: 4/18

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Run Time: 116 minutes
Rating: PG For sequences of action violence, some language, and brief mild sensuality
Physical Street Date: 4/18
Digital Street Date: 4/18

Superman III
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Run Time: 125 minutes
Rating: PG
Physical Street Date: 4/18
Digital Street Date: 4/18

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Run Time: 90 minutes
Rating: PG
Physical Street Date: 4/18
Digital Street Date: 4/18

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata

My problem is that I’m always comparing books with other books, or just wanting things out of them that they never promised. This is, of course, a Me Problem, and I try to tamp it down when it hits.

I have a major case today, but I’m going to try to be fair to Nayra and the Djinn , a fine new graphic novel by Iasmin Omar Ata with lovely colors, a positive story, and a message that will resonate with a whole lot of readers younger than I am. Nayra is officially published today; you should be able to find it in all the usual ways and places you find books.

You see, I recently read another book about wishes, Djinni-adjacent, connected to Egyptian culture and Islam – Deena Mohamed’s Shubeik Lubeik  – and anything I say about Ata’s YA book could well be me wanting it to be more like Mohamed’s book for adults. That’s a bad impulse! I want to make that clear. Each book, each story should be precise and particular – even things I might think of as flaws [1] can be important and specific to that book.

I’m saying all this to stop myself from doing it. Let’s see if I succeed.

Nayra Mansour is a younger child in a high-pressure Arab-American immigrant family. She also has only one close friend at school, Rami, and is being bullied – in the mostly psychological, nasty-names way that young women are most likely to attack each other. She’s feeling overwhelmed and increasingly unhappy, especially since it’s Ramadan.

She’s fasting all day, since that’s important to her, but that makes her hungry and cranky and tired – and also gives her bullies more things to use to attack her. It’s a vicious circle that only gets tighter, especially when her parents refuse to listen to her complaints – admittedly, she mostly does the nonspecific teenager-y “you don’t understand me!” yell rather than trying to explain in depth, and they are equally loud and stereotypically tigerish immigrant shouty parents – and just point to her high-achieving, seemingly perfect older siblings.

In case I buried the lede above: this is very much a YA book. Nayra continually fumes and runs away and has titanic, massive emotional swings. I don’t know exactly how old she is, but she is about as sixteen as it is possible to be. Readers who are many decades past their own equivalent life-stage may find they have less patience for that kind of drama, and may wish that Nayra was somewhat more constructive in her problem-solving.

But, instead, she meets a djinn, which the cover and title gives away. Marjan has their own issues and has fled the djinn world for reasons that won’t be explained for a while, but that stays secondary to Nayra’s problems. (Again: YA story. Big, overwhelming, all-encompassing drama.)

Nayra’s new friendship with the djinn supplants her previous friendship with Rami – parenthetically, I kept getting the vibe that the relationship was hugely more important to Rami than it was to Nayra, and wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a romantic thing, but the relentless focus on Nayra and her emotions leaves that unclear – but having Marjan in her corner generally does make things better for Nayra, as the month of Ramadan rolls on.

On the other hand, Nayra has also secretly applied to transfer to another school, to get away from the bullying. Her parents don’t know this, and would probably not be in favor: they don’t seem to be in favor of anything other than “shut up and be a perfect student.” And the bullying troubles are getting worse. And her schoolwork is taking a hit – from spending time with Marjan, from the bullying, from stress and anxiousness, from spending too much time reading about Arab folklore online, and from the physical stress of Ramadan.

So everything blows up, as it must in a YA story. It does end mostly happily, though Nayra still doesn’t explain things to other people in the ways I hoped she would. Still, she’s young: she has a long time to learn that skill, which will be hugely valuable. I hope she does.

As I said up top, Ata has a colorful art style that pops particularly well when showing the djinn world. The publisher compares their style to Stephen Universe, which I’ve never seen – it looks like plain ‘ol manga-inspired western comics to me, all big eyes and huge gestures, but I am One of the Olds. Nayra is a positive, energetic, very teen-aimed book where problems are resolved non-violently and people do eventually learn to understand each other’s differences, which are all good things. I found it a little too teenager for my personal taste, but I did stop being a teenager in 1989, so that’s only to be expected.

[1] I’m not the authority on flaws. Other people have different opinions.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Paul T. Goldman Season 1 arrives April 17 on Digital

Paul T. Goldman Season 1 arrives April 17 on Digital

From the director of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and the producers of The Disaster Artist, the undeniably fascinating series Paul T. Goldman Season 1 arrives on Digital April 17 from Lionsgate.

Electronic Sell-Through Street Date: 4/17/23
Electronic Sell-Through SRPs: $14.99

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
From the director of Borat Subsequent Movie film and the producers of The Disaster Artist, the undeniably fascinating series Paul T. Goldman Season 1 arrives on Digital April 17 from Lionsgate. This uniquely told true crime documentary miniseries follows Paul T. Goldman, a wronged man who discovered his grifter wife was living a double life. The groundbreaking series mixes fact with fiction to tell a bizarre yet incredible story. Paul T. Goldman Season 1 will be available on Digital for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
One man’s world is turned upside-down when he finds out that his wife has been living a secret double life. His efforts to uncover the truth thrust him into a labyrinth of fraud, deception, and criminality that transform him, in his words, “from wimp to warrior”.

CAST
Paul T. Goldman
Melinda McGraw The Dark Knight, Charmed, Mad Men
W. Earl Brown Deadwood, Preacher, The Unforgivable
Christopher Stanley Mad Men, Waco, American Horror Story
Michael Dempsey The Patient, The Connors, Killer Therapy

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2022
Title Copyright: © MMXXII Lions Gate Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: New Release
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Comedy
Closed-Captioned: English
Subtitles: N/A
Episodes: 6
Run Time: 240 minutes approx
Format: 16×9 (1.78:1) Presentation
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Audio

Hickman & Hitch Revive Ultmate Marvel

Hickman & Hitch Revive Ultmate Marvel

Two of the comic book industry’s most innovative and exciting creators are teaming up to reshape the Marvel Universe as you know it! This June, join writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch in Ultimate Invasion, a revolutionary four-issue saga that presents a surprising new chapter for Ultimate Comics and bold new strides for Marvel’s iconic heroes.

Launched over twenty years ago, the Ultimate Universe provided a contemporary take on classic Marvel characters and storylines. Known for its edginess and explosive action, the Ultimate Universe was home to some of Marvel’s most talked about and thought-provoking series of the 21st century. The Ultimate Universe reached its cataclysmic end in 2015’s Secret Wars, but nothing stays buried in Marvel Comics for long. Is it time for the Ultimate Universe to make its grand return? The Maker seems to think so and the Illuminati must form once again to stop him from his plans to destroy – or perhaps rebuild – the universe, with Miles Morales at the center of it all!

Hitch’s work on The Ultimates helped redefine super hero comics for the 2000s and Jonathan Hickman has successfully invigorated the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men in the last decade. Wait until you see what these two powerhouse talents have in store next! The debut issue will include new data pages by Jonathan Hickman – plus exclusive behind-the-scenes material on the world-building that has gone into this project!

“[Revisiting the idea of Ultimate Comics] couldn’t be replicating or revisiting what Bryan did in the original Ultimates — creating a streamlined, modernized version that would eventually become the spine of the MCU, and it certainly couldn’t be what I did, which was a final chapter of a pre-existing universe,” Hickman explained to Entertainment Weekly. “We also thought the very idea of Ultimate Comics needed to be inverted from what the original universe was — we wanted this to be something that could really only exist in the comic space: a new way of thinking about, and enjoying, a new version of the Marvel Universe. I’m pretty happy to say that it feels like we’ve accomplished those things and we’re very excited for everyone to get to read it.”

“It’s been more than 20 years since I started work on The Ultimates, a project that would have a big impact on my own career and beyond, so when Marvel came to me with the idea of revisiting the Ultimate Universe with the man who so brilliantly and spectacularly destroyed the last one, I was both feet in!” Hitch said. “Jonathan is a terrific writer of big, sprawling epics, and we’ve talked about working together more than once so for this new Ultimate Universe adventure to unite us is very exciting. I get to bring two decades of new experience as an artist and storyteller to this. It’s new, different and familiar. It’s big budget, high-concept, widescreen storytelling. I feel right at home.”

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