ANOTHER Worthy "KICKSTARTER" Project

Check it out!
Comic about disabled war veterans with PTSD and life-altering injuries that fight crime, co-written by amputee and TV actor...
Read about it HERE .

SUPER Disappointment

(DISCLAIMER: I have been a SUPERMAN fan my ENTIRE life, since my older brother introduced me through his numerous comic books when I was a small child. I remember walking or riding my bike the mile up to the corner store once a month to check out the new arrivals on the comics rack, and wishing I could afford to take them ALL home. As an aspiring artist/cartoonist, I was fascinated by the colorful drawings and dynamic exploits of the pulp heroes, especially Superman.

Although I no longer regularly buy comics-- other than the occasional collected editions or specials-- the movie adaptations and incarnations are irresistible to me.)

Well, I went and used some of my "Premium Sitting Time" (due to my recurring debilitating lower-back issues) to go see Man of Steel. From the previews, I knew it would be visually stunning. Space. Battle scenes. Rockets. Explosions. I expected all of that. The movie delivered. In spades.

PLUS, They Got The Cape Right. Long, flowing, majestic. Like an ALEX ROSS painting. (Google it)

(SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen PoS-- I mean MoS-- yet, STOP READING!)

What I didn't expect was the gratuitous over-use of Russell Crowe's "JOR-EL", the Attention-Deficit-Disorder plot, or the TERRIBLE portrayal of Jonathon "Pa" Kent by Kevin Costner. He was so uninteresting and unlikable, I was kind of GLAD he got killed early on....

Even the handsome, well-built CAVILL can't watch this garbage...!

SURE, they HAD to re-tell the 'Origin of SUPERMAN'. Gratuitous sci-fi flick, with laser-battles galore. (BTW, Michael Shannon's striking resemblance to David Letterman made General ZOD a little distracting for me...!) I just couldn't get into it. Crash-landing on Earth, whole nine yards...

 The kid who plays the YOUNG Clark Kent DOES do a good TOM WELLING (TV's Smallville).

The movie jumped from 5-minute scene to 5-minute scene. No time to really build a connection with ANY of the characters. They touched on issues and scenarios without ever fleshing ANYTHING out.
General Zod's henchmen spoke with Russian accents...? Really..?
Jor-El 'sends his son to save them'...? Really...?
A 'Clark-on-the-lam' goes to church to ask a priest if he should surrender...? Really...?

A black Perry White, I'm okay with that. But with a diamond-stud earring...? Really...? Okay, I GUESS we can try a trendy update, but isn't he a bit OLD for that...?
The aforementioned out-of-character Jonathon Kent. He TRIED to be good, but it just didn't work for me.
Amy Adams-- Worst. Lois. EVER! (Corny team-up with holographic Jor-El didn't help, either...!)
The wanton destruction-- of both Smallville AND Metropolis-- was a bit much. Whole buildings and entire city blocks decimated, with NO mention of deaths or casualties...? Riiiight....
And the ending...?? Apparently, the people who wrote, produced and directed this movie NEVER READ THE COMIC. They missed the one character trait, the singular moral compass that has defined this superhero for 75 years.
Come ON....

But, maybe I'm wrong.... What do YOU think...?

A "Darker, Edgier Mickey"....?

Nice Read about "Characters".....
A good opinion piece about continuity, story, and personality.

Gritty, Icky Mickey

Check it out HERE.

The very prolific and influential comic book artist JOE KUBERT died last weekend. He was 85.
Read the full article HERE.

Also a pretty thorough read HERE.

When I was a young kid, I didn't appreciate his work because I thought it too 'sketchy' and sloppy. "How can people think that's good...?", I thought aloud. Later, I marveled at his body of work and the strong composition in his drawings. He was a master storyteller and and darn good artist.

MOEBIUS, Classic Comic Artist, Succumbs

Legendary French comic book/fantasy artist Jean Giraud, better known as "MOEBIUS", passed away this morning. He was 73.
Talk about an influential artist. I remember first seeing his work in the 70's "HEAVY METAL" magazine, and being just blown away. His composition and line work was extraordinary, and his ARZACH character (below) was even featured in the HEAVY METAL Movie.

Read the article in COMIC BOOK RESOURCES HERE .

How Did I Miss "Big Bang Theory"...?

 While drawing/working on projects out in my little music-room-turned-office/studio a few weeks ago, I had the television on as 'background noise'. Usually, I'm listening-to and/or watching Guy's Big Bite; Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, or else Simpsons & Family Guy re-runs. Typically, Family Guy was the lead-in to CONAN (Conan O'Brien) on TBS.
 This particular evening, I happened to catch a two-hour, four-episode block of a show called "The Big Bang Theory". I was pleasantly surprised, and THOROUGHLY entertained.

  The premise revolves around a group of upper-level intelligent (MENSA-type) twenty/thirty-somethings who are all comic/sci-fi enthusiasts ( what some would call 'geeks'). In their down-time, they hang out at the local comic book store. The show is FILLED with comic, cartoon, sci-fi, and cultural references that flash me back to a time and group of people that I used to know.

 The show is VERY entertaining, and I was compelled to e-mail several friends from my past to see if they had discovered it, as well. They laughed at me and said they had them on dvd, referring to episodes that were reminiscent of people we all knew and specific events that we either witnessed or were (usually willing) participants.

How in the world did I MISS this...? I will definitely be catching up on the re-runs, and I highly recommend it.

Speaking of being surprised, I forgot how much I enjoyed the "STAR TREK" movie re-boot from a couple of years ago. FX played it last night while I was working, and I was compelled to watch it again.

...And I enjoyed it again. Live long & prosper!

R.I.P. John Severin, Comics Legend

 The great John Severin passed away Sunday at age 90. He was one of my favorite cartoon artists EVER! I was first made aware of Severin from the "CRACKED" magazines my older brother Kevin would buy up at the corner store when we would make our monthly 'comics run' in the early 70's.

 His caricatures and style were inspiring to an impressionable young doodler like me. I was in awe of his line work and ability to get a likeness, yet maintain his definitive style. Below is a marriage of two of my favorite things from my youth: Cracked Severin art and Planet of the Apes:

I used to wonder: 'Man! This guy is GREAT! Why isn't he drawing REAL comics...?' Of course, this was before I was aware that he was a prolific member of MARVEL's "Bullpen" in the 60's & early 70's.

Read an article about him HERE .

Thanks, John, for your contributions to the comics industry!

Plenty of Explosions and Punches, But Sadly, GREEN HORNET Lacks 'STING'

FAIL


I went to the free preview of "The GREEN HORNET" last night, and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. The lame advertising tag line "They have to break the law to save it" was weak, and -as I feared- also signaled a weak plot.
As a fan of the original TV series (which was an adaptation of a comic which was an adaptation of a radio show), I was curious how the classic 'Kato' character (originated by the legendary BRUCE LEE) would be portrayed. I was pleasantly surprised by the stereotypically stoic-yet-comically-explosive performance by Jay Chou. He was a brilliant 'Kato'.

The title character, however, was a different story altogether. The Green Hornet needed to be strong and assertive. Seth Rogen tried, but he’s just goofy. (Also being the co-writer & co-producer, the humor was just ‘mildly entertaining’-- like anything else he does) The sets and 3D were very cool! The action was pretty good, but the gratuitous fight scenes were too few. It was as if the movie would ‘try’ to take off, but Rogen’s sub-par talent would just drag it back to mediocrity.

Legendary Comic Artist Dick Giordano Dies

Self portrait by Dick Giordano for Nov. 2003 tome

DC NEWS: SILVER AGE INKER/EDITOR DICK GIORDANO PASSES AWAY

- Comic Books Resources (www.comicbookresources.com/) reports that Dick Giordano, legendary penciler, inker, and editor for DC Comics has passed away at age 77. A freelance penciler and inker from the 1950's into 1965, Giordanobecame editor in chief of Charlton Comics, the company in which Steve Ditko created characters under his watch such as the Question and Captain Atom. He also gave first breaks to other legendary artistic talents such as Jim Aparo and writer Denny O' Neil. A New York native, by the end of the 1960's he had been hired by DC as an editor as well as an inker, always producing by deadline. He often worked alongside Neal Adams on runs on BATMAN as well asGREEN ARROW/GREEN LANTERN, among other projects such as SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN and SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI. He became Executive Editor in 1983 and held that position until 1993. During that reign, the two most famous works he authorized were "CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS", which helped create and cement the "cross over event" in comics, as well as Alan Moore's "WATCHMEN", where he encouragedMoore to create characters based on Charlton Comics characters rather than use those characters outright, to make it more timeless. Talent such as Marv Wolfman heralded Giordano as a "line editor" - an editor who advises without heavy handed orders. In his later years, he worked for Hero Initiative, an organization which seeks to help old retired comic book creators and artists. Current DCartist and Wildstorm editor Jim Lee stated how it was Giordano's brief words of encouragement in a rejection letter that helped Jim Lee continue to plug away and try to enter the industry (which he did, at Marvel Comics). Current top DC editor Dan DiDio called Giordano "an inspiration" and Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment, stated that, "Dick Giordano has left a lasting legacy as a comic book artist and as a DC Comics executive." His long time collaborator and friend Neal Adamsstated, "Inking my work was the LEAST significant thing that Dick did for-meant to me. I loved Dick like a brother and a friend. He cared for and loved me. I was made better by him. For a time, we were partners, on a handshake. NO ONE didn't like Dick Giordano and respect him. Who can say that? Look at that face. JUST,...look at it." Another giant of the comic industry, gone. R.I.P.