Hollywood versus the Fanboy

I love film, and I love movies. I love comic books. More often than not I do not like movies based on our comic book heroes. I am a fanboy of sorts, but I seldom take issue with the director and or producers need ( their vision) to make the hero more in the NOW, rewriting, recreating, redesigning as they go to make the hero fit into a more marketable package suitable for mass consumption to the biggest demographic.

I think I dont like bad movies. Why spend 100 million bones to make crap? Even if your domestic and foreign market sales are three time that, it is still a turd. It shouldnt be about money, or points, or sequel rights. Fanboys dont care about that... comic writers, inkers, artists, editors probably dont either. Its about the character...the story... the meat.

I just found out about Shazam being in pre-production.. Hollywood has good ideas, but no one to bring them to fruition. Anywho, Bill Goldman had written a script, you know Bill, academy award winner Bill, writer of The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, Magic, All the Presidents Men, and for you that are unaware Good Will Hunting. I heard they tanked it and got the writer that penned Big Fish. Now that is internet forum rumor, so I am unsure if it has merit.

This is typical Hollywood dementia. Like when John Singleton, got picked up for Luke Cage. What the Hell? Why was he tapped? Tyrese linked to star... ? Just like Smith's ideas for Supes, were tossed, and the Ray Park driven Iron Fist faltered and died out.

The first Superman was good, a relative unknown surrounded by great character actors, (yes Gene Hackman, oh wait, academy award winner, Gene Hackman) and a great story to go along with it, written by Mario Puzo, yes that Mario.. that wrote....what was it... oh yes, The Godfather.

I know its a action flick. But character is first and foremost. A few good, maybe four, action sequences that wow the masses are key. They should stun and stupify the audience, but yet always return to the human element that draws us in. Billy Batson is 13, and he is Shazam. Who hasnt been 13? in love? wishing to be something that they are not? I'd pick Bill to write, and Rob Reiner to direct. He isnt an "action" director, but he does good character study. He should hire a good D.P., and get ILM to help plan his cool factor, and let the characters be themselves.

Tarantino could do the Luke cage bit, since he loves the 70's anyhow. It would be decent... but take the Rock as Cage, or an unknown. I dunno. Just ranting out loud. Cage is no man's bitch.

Check out www.aboutheroes.com for some skinny and everything comicbooky, from action figures, to reviews, and rants, podcasts, and yes interviews with some folks in the biz.

Blood and Thunder

As I have said before there was a time when I was an avid reader/collector of comics, and it shames me to say, that I have let my fervor die somewhat for many reasons, some not my own.

But there was that golden age for me, when I was digging on Simonson, and Starlin, and went from Thor to the Infinity Guantlet, then Warlock and the Infinity Watch.

I was impressed by the Blood and Thunder run, a twelve parter in several books, that took place after the Guantlet, and War, where the gems were thought lost. An unknown entity called Valkyrie, entered Thor's mind, scrambled his eggs, and once he obtained the Power Gem, he had unlimited power to fuel his godly power, and mystical hammer.

Artwork in the series is divided among good talent with stand outs, Tom Raney and Angel Medina getting their due.

Thanos joins the Watch in trying to help Thor, and after encasing the thunder god in a energy stais field, the Watch goes to Asgard so the all-seeing, all-knowing Odin can help. Needless to say Odin overreacts at seeing his favorite son encased in energy by the craven Thanos, and they almost destroy all of Asgard in a throwdown that rivals the Thrilla in Manilla, brought to life by Medina's fine penciling. Odin's mystical power and godly might struggles against Thanos and his technological domination.

Its worth the read and you can probably get the series for twelve to fifteen bucks in the bargain bins somewhere cause who really reads Warlock anyway... and Thor without Simonson is like... well... crap.

Heroes for Hire

I could do it you know. Write a decent script for Heroes for Hire, featuring the likes of Iron Fist, and Luke Cage Power Man, or just Luke Cage, or just Cage. I could do it tongue in cheek, maybe spoofing on black exploitation films of the day, or maybe even bring it to the NOW. Thinking the ROCK as Cage, anybody but Owen Wilson as Danny Rand, Iron Fist to you and me. Think seventies soundtrack... yeah you dig it. Think Earth Wind and Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, think Brick House, imagine the possibilities cause we want the funk, gotta have that funk.

Owen Wilson is almost as funny as Ben Stiller which is not very. He is almost as funny as being constipated. Now that I mentioned it maybe one of his lackeys is wooing Marvel to get the project moving.

Anywho, I got the idear looking through some action figures online surfing as I do.

Check http://visiontoys.nl if you are interested into looking at tons of action hero gear at respectable prices.

Cage should have the 'fro, no curl, or fade cause chicks dig the 'fro.

Ghost Rider Countdown

Now I know I should not have a countdown to a film based on the Ghost Rider. I think I set myself up for disappointment when Hollywood/Marvel want to ruin a possible franchise series of films with bad writers, scripts, and actors and so on. Oscar award winner, Cage heads the package bringing Johnny Blaze and the Rider to life.

And Cage is one of us, not borderline Shatneresque in overacting like early in his career, but he is a comic book nerd. Once he owned a collection of books were worth a bucket of bucks. More than you and I could count I am betting. Anywho, with him attached, I am starting to have expectations of possible goodness. Maybe he got some input, cause maybe he put up some money as a producer, maybe he wanted to use the "penance stare".

Eva Mandez is also easy on the eyes in a hot, latin, curvy, kinda way. I hear she acts too. But not to be outdone, look for a personal favorite of mine Sam Elliot. He started his film career in '69, in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, written by the writer that all writers wish to write like, Bill Goldman. I hear Fonda is in it cause it has a motorcycle in it, so it cant be all bad, cause he was, and is, an Easy Rider.

Writer/Director Mark Steven Johnson has had some successes at least as a writer with Grumpy Old Men and Simon Birch, but has had some downright failures in , Electra, Daredevil, Jack Frost, etc. Maybe Donal Logue can save his shortcomings with his philosophical whimsy. (I loved the Tao of Steve)

Anywho, am I setting myself here for a great fall, or can they make this into a film, rather than an hour and a half music video, chock full of product placement, with more effects than story?

Now, I know the movie will need the green screen, dont get me wrong, and I truly believe Cage would have set his head on fire if he could get away with it, and that is in fact why I want to see it, but with so many misfires, like Daredevil, Punisher, Electra, I have to wait to see what will arrive.

When I watch the trailer, I get a geeked out, and giggle at the possibilities. Still Geekin right now.

still geekin.

Art defines genre

Like most visual media, the art work contained both within and without can boost or cost you sales. Like most gamers I, as well as you, the friendly reader, have entertained the notion, or endeavored to create a game yourself either a loose adaptation of a game staple, be it d20, or its ilk, or conversely, perhaps a game unlike no other, a game unto itself.

I think some games achieved a success and or audience in their release largely because of the art was new, cartoony, or what have you. My biggest concern in my attempt would be of course, start up capital, but besides the obvious, of a small game in an ocean of games flooding the market, I would focus on solid artwork that would define my game, its genre, and gameplay.

Marketing the game as an "old school" throwback would be a technique to capture a section of gamers, already familar with old school games, and bring back some of the original artists famous to the genre. However, I would go another route if I had fat money cash.

I would go with Walt. Yes that's right. Walt Simonson. No other man does it better. If are not as believer start on Thor #337, and read the rest of his run, or the star slammers issues he did for Dark Horse or the graphic novel of the same name.

No one does it any better, and he writes most of the books he is an artist on. His unique take on the brainy Reed Richards, and his manner of eggheaded speak, rivaling a nonsensical stream of blathering consciousness is one not to miss. I think he adjusts the "positronic existentialators" on the Rosebud to no avail. He could help with the visual side of the game, as well as helping to shape its stage and players. IF he made a game I would buy it regardless of content. I wouldnt care if starting characters were insurance salesmen at a seminar.

As promised Bad Super Hero Names

I spent some time trying to compile some names, but there are so many I will probably miss some of the obscure. Anywho... here they are in no particular order:

1. Matter-Eater Lad

2. The Heap

3. Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel (same hero)

4. MiniMidget and sidekick Ricky

5. Fighting Fool

6. Stratosphere Jim

7. Rainbow Boy

8. Gay Ghost

9. The Whizzer

10.The Time Retarder

11. Stuporman

12. Crazy Quilt

13.Sand Hog

14. Ivy Menance

15. Red Blazer

I am just as guilty as other for bad names, and I favor using Johnny as a prefix. Here are some Johnny names.

Johnny Peril

Johhny Quick

Johnny Thunder

Johnny Rebel

Johnny Devildog

Johnny Dynamite

Johnny Cloud

I used Big Johhny Cool, later Big Johnny Freeze once I got some cooler stunt ideas.

Here is a list of properties that can be good ideas for movie projects, and hopefully someone will try to make these and not cast Ben Affleck... and in no particular order:

1. Camelot 3000

2. Kingdom Come

3. Metal Men

4.Milk and Cheese

5.Master of Kung Fu

6. The Tick

7.Heroes for Hire

8. Green Latern

9. Superman For All Seasons

10. Impulse

11. She Hulk (Byrnes version)

12. Astro City

13.The Spirit

14. Lobo

15.Star Slammers

ohotmu

Yes sportsfans Marvel is putting out the new official handbook of the marvel universe 80's style. Some profiles are going to be 5 pages of hero goodness. I am jazzed about it, and it comes out starting in January 2007. I had these long ago, and yes my brother commandeered them, and they probably lay in ruin on his bedroom floor.

I have hopes that the series will be all I ever dreamed that it could be, exploding with snazzy art and equally compelling writing. I was lucky enough to find Overstreet's in the attic while searching for Christmas presents that we have hidden from my daughter.

Anywho, I was on Jeff's Blog yesterday, as I am every day, and he had a snippet on the naming of heroes, and the DO's and Dont's of the process. I was really unaware of all the bad hero names that one could find if one looked. Overstreet is a good source for that. I will do a ten worst once I give the book a once over.

Captain Canuck will get my favorite Canadian hero award.

Rpg Settings and Campaign Ideas

Comic fandom aside, I read a book ages ago, called Warlands. Pat Lee and his brother put together a fantasy type series entailing the threat of impending invasion by Vampiric Legions that would most assurdley lead to world oppression and subjugation. Anywho there was a troop of good doers gathered together to stop them including the elfy chick. Its a decent read, sometimes sparse, but possible for a RPG setting. It's the beginning of the Midnight Campaign if you will, before the Tyrant lays waste to the planet. Cool Idea this Midnight... never been done, and wouldn't mind trying it, but the goons I play with are not good at "the downlow", or espionage like scenarios, for they are noisy, like beating pots and pans together and they would become unwilling thralls to the vile overlord.

Battle Chasers was a book that came out about the same time, and was done by Joe Mad. Better story here with Gulley, Garrison the swordsman, the obligatory old crotchety wizard, and the steam jack, war forged, battle golem, Edgar. Maybe his name wasnt Edgar. There was a red haired vixen in the mix named Red Monika who was up to no good mostly, but she had ample curves to the point of back breaking goodness. I lost these too along the way, and I think my brother is using them as coasters right now anyway.

Anywho... either could be a decent setting, and I was wondering if anyone had afanboy site, before the legals served the papers like what happened to the Lodoss War site.
I still have my pirated copies somewhere...

Comicbookdom and Movies

Duncan Rouleau, actor, writer, artist, fellow Illinoisan, and a whole lot more, is back to work drawing for DC's Metal Men. Duncan's style has been labelled unique, but I think it is more ..."liquid" or "volatile". I like it anyway. It's fast. It's fun. It's got it all. He has done alot of work for the big two, doing Supes, and the X-people. He, Joe Kelly, and Steve Seagle are in manofaction, a conglomeration of art, film, and animation with alot in development. I think they are responsible for the Ben Ten show. Here is a quick hit...http://manofaction.comicraft.com/.

On another note, Marvel is rehashing the Hulk due out some time next summer... I cant imagine it doing any more suckage then the last one. I couldnt even stomach the whole flick. I have not exactly been a fan of Marvel's or DC's attempts at bringing heroes to the silver screen, but they are getting better. Hulk image provided by nomichs as seen on Deviant Art. Mad props and golf clap for him. Awesome springs to mind. He got picked up by Bowen Designs.

Ghost Rider, Hulk, the Fantastic Four sequel, Luke Cage, Iron Man, Sub Mariner, Wolverine, and Deathlok are in production in one form or another. Maybe they can get... I dont know, maybe Bill Goldman to do a little doctoring, and or maybe turn in an original script. Its got to be more than just action. I like the first Matrix film. It really only had a few action sequences, the dojo, the oracle departure, and the rescue/escape of Morpheus. The story tied you emotionally to the characters. Too much action and everyone seems like Emilio Estevez . To little and I am sleepy. Conflict fuels the plot.

If someone made the Transformers, maybe the Micronauts are sure to follow. I always loved Bug. I wouldnt mind a Hellboy sequel which is forthcoming. Maybe I will add a list of comics that should be movies.

Feel free to give me some idears. Dont be scared.

Great Light Has Gone Out

Dave Cockrum has passed away. Artist, Genius, Creator, he is no longer with us.

I remember buying this comic myself as a wee lad eons ago. I wish I still had it. It's worth a ton of dough, not that I would have sold it. http://www.davecockrum.net is a tribute site and links to his gallery and tidbits including the characters he created.

He brought us Nightcrawler, Storm, Thunderbird, and others. He was the artist on several books, either cover, or interior, for the likes Spiderman, the X-men, Iron Fist, Star Jammers, and the Avengers.

Although he is not my favorite, I am more of a Simonson, and Romita Jr. fan, his influence, art and creativity will be missed. The world will be a little darker now. His legacy will live on.

Sleep well Dave.