First post of 2012, and the first one in many many months. Free moments to purge my thoughts have been few and far between. We have moved back to the United States and now have a little girl on the way!
2012 is an enormous year for pop culture and general geekery. March fires everything up with John Carter from Disney and The Hunger Games from Summit Entertainment. The summer brings The Avengers film from Marvel and The Dark Knight Rises from Warner Brothers. The end of the year comes to an amazing climax with the first film in the two part adaptation of the Hobbit.
While I fully anticipate at least four of the five films to be massive hits, I think Dark Knight Rises might be the film with the most to lose. Odd considering that it is the finale of an insanely successful franchise. I feel this way because the expectations for this film coming off of The Dark Knight and it's astonishing performance have become almost unreasonable. Even if The Dark Knight Rises is great, it may still be a failure in certain respects because it did not capture the zeitgeist in the same fashion as it's predecessor. It is easily the most anticipated film of the year. As such, any backlash it faces will be swift and loud. I think Christopher Nolan will ace this one, but when your perch is the top of the mountain, any fall is magnified by it's sheer height.
John Carter is definitely the one with the most to gain. Disney can launch a franchise from this one and the early buzz, as footage is completed and test screenings go up, is gaining positive momentum. As I blogged over a year and half ago, I have a soft spot for this franchise and am desperate to see it do well. The climb is most certainly an uphill one, but the reward could be tremendous. My only other spot of bother is that Carter's success could be greatly hampered by The Hunger Games opening a mere two weeks later.
2012 should be fairly amazing for so many , many reasons.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Verdict: DCnU 52- Animal Man #1
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Travel Foreman
One of the unqualified successes of the first week of the new DC Universe has to be Jeff Lemire's reboot/launch of Animal Man. Lemire keeps a sliver of the Grant Morrison "Meta" Animal Man in the shape of an interview between Buddy Baker and Jeff Lemire. See what he did there? Lemire's story is very strong and does a fantastic job of setting the tone of what could be the creepiest and enthralling of all the new titles. It also creates the vibe set by Morrison's run on the title before the Vertigo imprint was created as a home for such types of stories.
Travel Foreman is a superstar in the making. His art previews for this book are what finally convinced me to jump onto this title. While Jeff Lemire has been a name in discussion for a couple of years now, I haven't really warmed to his storytelling. In Foreman, he has a perfect collaborator to drive his type of story forward. Foreman's art evokes many of the greats like Mignola, Keith, Sienkiewithhimer (Sorry, spelling Bill's last name is a nightmare. ) It is beautiful and unnerving.
I have read a review where the reviewer couldn't stand the story or the art, but based on her other reviews of the new 52, it became fairly obvious that she preferred standard, traditional superhero stories with standard, traditional superhero art. She gave it a 2.5 out of 5, whereas I call this one a masterpiece and the kind of book that DC needs to push hard as part of it's resolve to change the landscape of it's own universe.
Verdict: 5 out of 5.
Art: Travel Foreman
One of the unqualified successes of the first week of the new DC Universe has to be Jeff Lemire's reboot/launch of Animal Man. Lemire keeps a sliver of the Grant Morrison "Meta" Animal Man in the shape of an interview between Buddy Baker and Jeff Lemire. See what he did there? Lemire's story is very strong and does a fantastic job of setting the tone of what could be the creepiest and enthralling of all the new titles. It also creates the vibe set by Morrison's run on the title before the Vertigo imprint was created as a home for such types of stories.
Travel Foreman is a superstar in the making. His art previews for this book are what finally convinced me to jump onto this title. While Jeff Lemire has been a name in discussion for a couple of years now, I haven't really warmed to his storytelling. In Foreman, he has a perfect collaborator to drive his type of story forward. Foreman's art evokes many of the greats like Mignola, Keith, Sienkiewithhimer (Sorry, spelling Bill's last name is a nightmare. ) It is beautiful and unnerving.
I have read a review where the reviewer couldn't stand the story or the art, but based on her other reviews of the new 52, it became fairly obvious that she preferred standard, traditional superhero stories with standard, traditional superhero art. She gave it a 2.5 out of 5, whereas I call this one a masterpiece and the kind of book that DC needs to push hard as part of it's resolve to change the landscape of it's own universe.
Verdict: 5 out of 5.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
John Carter Teaser Trailer- Reaction!
If you want to see nerdsplosion, you need look no farther than the newly released John Carter trailer from Disney. I have blogged about John Carter before and my deep abiding love for the series, but this is the first true attempt to bring the world of Barsoom to life with any kind of muscle behind it. We can all forget the Antonio Sabato Jr./Traci Lords version. Better to pretend that one didn't exist.
So the trailer hits and there are a ton of questions. By admission, this is an adaptation. Director Andrew Stanton is bringing us a fully realized, breathing version of the hundreds of art prints by fantasy artists around the world. Keep that in mind. Every piece of art is an interpretation. So it goes with this film. There are plenty of people ready to leave this one on the doorstep and walk away based on a teaser trailer that lasts a minute and a half. Why? Because it doesn't have x y or z. They have already gleaned the entire story from this trailer and have decided it doesn't meet their needs. Excuse me if that sounds a bit ludicrous.
Others bemoan the look of x y and z. Again, this is an interpretation. I think a lot of people get caught up and assume that a film is suddenly new canon for a story that already exists. If you want the original with no changes and no deviations, then the books are there. They remain as accessible and relevant as always, but almost 100 years has passed since Burroughs created the original story. I would be angry if Stanton and company didn't make changes to match the culture we live in now just as Burroughs wrote for the culture of a 1912 society.
Having said all that, I feel cheated. Only a little and it is only because this is a teaser. I want the whole film now. Right now playing on my TV. The fact I have to wait eight more months becomes interminable. The trailer does it's job. It gives you just enough to make you say "What the F&*$ was that" and re-watch for the copious minute details. As I have gotten older my desire for strict adherence to a specific story has wained. I can already tell you that many of the things I saw in the trailer did not exist n the original novel or any of the first three for that matter. Thankfully I don't care. As I said, if I wanted to be slavish I can just reread the books.
Taylor Kitsch is in for a huge career boost if this lives up to it's pedigree. He is a charismatic actor that plays the reflective warrior well. I have only seen Lynn Collins in one movie, so I have no expectations of her, but the trailer shows off some good moments between them. Barsoom doesn't look quite as I expected it to, I thought they would put a bit more red into the shots. I think the flyers look very cool with their huge solar wings shooting off to the sides. I will be curious to see how the costumes look in the final film as I was surprised to see them stick John in his cowboy boots. Frankly, he looks a lot like a certain barbarian getting ready to make his own return to the screen soon.
All in all, I never could have anticipated what I saw. I knew this was an adaptation going in, I had read descriptions online, but seeing it was something else entirely. More than likely we can expect another trailer around the holidays to start fleshing out the story and show off the Tharks in greater detail. John Carter may open in March, but it will still feel like another hundred years to me.
So the trailer hits and there are a ton of questions. By admission, this is an adaptation. Director Andrew Stanton is bringing us a fully realized, breathing version of the hundreds of art prints by fantasy artists around the world. Keep that in mind. Every piece of art is an interpretation. So it goes with this film. There are plenty of people ready to leave this one on the doorstep and walk away based on a teaser trailer that lasts a minute and a half. Why? Because it doesn't have x y or z. They have already gleaned the entire story from this trailer and have decided it doesn't meet their needs. Excuse me if that sounds a bit ludicrous.
Others bemoan the look of x y and z. Again, this is an interpretation. I think a lot of people get caught up and assume that a film is suddenly new canon for a story that already exists. If you want the original with no changes and no deviations, then the books are there. They remain as accessible and relevant as always, but almost 100 years has passed since Burroughs created the original story. I would be angry if Stanton and company didn't make changes to match the culture we live in now just as Burroughs wrote for the culture of a 1912 society.
Having said all that, I feel cheated. Only a little and it is only because this is a teaser. I want the whole film now. Right now playing on my TV. The fact I have to wait eight more months becomes interminable. The trailer does it's job. It gives you just enough to make you say "What the F&*$ was that" and re-watch for the copious minute details. As I have gotten older my desire for strict adherence to a specific story has wained. I can already tell you that many of the things I saw in the trailer did not exist n the original novel or any of the first three for that matter. Thankfully I don't care. As I said, if I wanted to be slavish I can just reread the books.
Taylor Kitsch is in for a huge career boost if this lives up to it's pedigree. He is a charismatic actor that plays the reflective warrior well. I have only seen Lynn Collins in one movie, so I have no expectations of her, but the trailer shows off some good moments between them. Barsoom doesn't look quite as I expected it to, I thought they would put a bit more red into the shots. I think the flyers look very cool with their huge solar wings shooting off to the sides. I will be curious to see how the costumes look in the final film as I was surprised to see them stick John in his cowboy boots. Frankly, he looks a lot like a certain barbarian getting ready to make his own return to the screen soon.
All in all, I never could have anticipated what I saw. I knew this was an adaptation going in, I had read descriptions online, but seeing it was something else entirely. More than likely we can expect another trailer around the holidays to start fleshing out the story and show off the Tharks in greater detail. John Carter may open in March, but it will still feel like another hundred years to me.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The beautiful chaos of 2000AD
Comics are most definitely an art form. If you can call a crucifix in a jar of urine art, then surely you can allow some room for comics, yes? One of my favorite parts about collecting comics and it's art is trolling through the vast amount of back catalogue available and discovering the early days of artist x, or the great inspirations of artist y. I think that beyond all, the early years of 2000AD and Judge Dredd encapsulate the former.
I have had a love for the Judge Dredd character and world since the early nineties. When I first learned about the character, the World was preparing for the all encompassing stink that was the Sylvester Stallone film. To be fair, it sounded pretty cool. I ended up falling into my standard obsessive behavior and began devouring what information I could. In the middle of Oklahoma, the choices were somewhat limited. This was in the dark ages of course before the advent of the internet.
I even have an old drawing I did of Dredd back in the day, which at the time was one of my better attempts. I never really knew the true joy of Dredd and his 2000AD brethren until recently when I started getting the Judge Dredd Complete Case Files from 2000AD and Rebellion press. It is awesome, campy, fanboy love. The stories feel like a lot of other independent comics of the time. There is a fair amount of corny humor and beat you over the head storytelling, but in the middle of all that, you see the writer's working towards some great social satire and the art is off the walls bonkers.
There is a book called, "How to draw comics, the Marvel way" full of the method used by the John's Romita and Buscema. Everything is orderly, dynamic and one of the better references of the time. It's a great intro into how to develop a cinematic feel for the medium. 2000AD acts if books like that never existed. Every page is eye blisteringly full. Characters fall out of panels. Each page is so crowded that at first you have no idea where to look because your brain is processing so much visual stimuli. the stories are all the better for it. It feels like the sprawling, claustrophobic megalopolis that Mega City 1 is supposed to be. You can see the spittle flying from the lips of the villains hurling insults at the Judges and the grim steely visage of Dredd's chin.
The true shame of all of this is that 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine no longer function in this manner. The stories are far more cohesive with modern dialogue, but the art no longer seems to push the boundaries in the fashion of old. It resembles the American comic structure, and it seems lesser for it. Don't get me wrong though, They are still introducing some of the great artists of the future who will leave their impression on the industry for years to come. Part of me still misses the chaotic independent style that permeated Dredd in his earliest adventures.
I have had a love for the Judge Dredd character and world since the early nineties. When I first learned about the character, the World was preparing for the all encompassing stink that was the Sylvester Stallone film. To be fair, it sounded pretty cool. I ended up falling into my standard obsessive behavior and began devouring what information I could. In the middle of Oklahoma, the choices were somewhat limited. This was in the dark ages of course before the advent of the internet.
I even have an old drawing I did of Dredd back in the day, which at the time was one of my better attempts. I never really knew the true joy of Dredd and his 2000AD brethren until recently when I started getting the Judge Dredd Complete Case Files from 2000AD and Rebellion press. It is awesome, campy, fanboy love. The stories feel like a lot of other independent comics of the time. There is a fair amount of corny humor and beat you over the head storytelling, but in the middle of all that, you see the writer's working towards some great social satire and the art is off the walls bonkers.
There is a book called, "How to draw comics, the Marvel way" full of the method used by the John's Romita and Buscema. Everything is orderly, dynamic and one of the better references of the time. It's a great intro into how to develop a cinematic feel for the medium. 2000AD acts if books like that never existed. Every page is eye blisteringly full. Characters fall out of panels. Each page is so crowded that at first you have no idea where to look because your brain is processing so much visual stimuli. the stories are all the better for it. It feels like the sprawling, claustrophobic megalopolis that Mega City 1 is supposed to be. You can see the spittle flying from the lips of the villains hurling insults at the Judges and the grim steely visage of Dredd's chin.
The true shame of all of this is that 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine no longer function in this manner. The stories are far more cohesive with modern dialogue, but the art no longer seems to push the boundaries in the fashion of old. It resembles the American comic structure, and it seems lesser for it. Don't get me wrong though, They are still introducing some of the great artists of the future who will leave their impression on the industry for years to come. Part of me still misses the chaotic independent style that permeated Dredd in his earliest adventures.
Monday, June 20, 2011
The love and hate... Assassin's Creed franchise
Love: The concept of Assassin's Creed, the story of Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed II, and in AC: Brotherhood.
Hate: The stupid-ass sci-fi plotline shoehorned onto the story to explain how we are watching events in the past unfold.
Let's be clear, I love playing the Assassin's Creed series. The first game was a beautiful broken mess, but it showed amazing potential. The fact that they not only lived up to the potential, but exceeded it for ACII is still astonishing. They also created one of the most charismatic characters in any video game ever. I would play Assassin's Creed All-Star tennis if it had Ezio in it. The very idea of following this character throughout his lifetime and not just over a period of a few days or even a few weeks gave the audience an emotional tether that has only strengthened with the continuation of his story in AC Brotherhood, and soon to be completed in AC Revelations.
I can play the games for hours just running across the rooftops of Italy. Then, I have to finish the game and I get ripped out of the blissful trance I spend my playtime in. The endings of all three Assassin's Creed leave a lot to be desired. Sufficed to say I end up rubbing my eyes and muttering to myself. And that can't be good can it? I think the worst sin of the franchise is loss of momentum once you reach the end. Ubisoft has crafted this engrossing storyline carrying you throughout some of the most important years in Italian history, and then they dump you into an anticlimactic poop puddle.
I don't know what it is about endings that is so hard. It seems like so many games fail to bring all of the game mechanics to play in what should be a test of everything you have learned in your experience with the game. In Assassin's Creed II, we got a fist fight with the Pope that is even sillier than it sounds. Then in Brotherhood, we got a much more thought out boss battle against Cesare Borgias, only to be sent into an extended platforming sequence that was just pointless and boring. All of this mind you, leads you to Assassin's Creed overarching mythology that makes you sit through a somewhat ridiculous story about mankind's alien progenitors. I don't care! I was having such a good time with the political intrigue. Why? Why, must I be forced to play trial and error platforming missions that do nothing but anger me and leave me with a rather weak conclusion?
Obviously, Ubisoft cannot go back and erase the past. But Revelations needs to deliver a satisfying ending for Ezio no matter what plate of steaming you-know-what they leave for us at the end to serve as the true 'ending' of the Apple of Eden storyline. Ultimately the game is no longer about Desmond. I know they have an extended sequence set up to play as Desmond running across a virtual landscape, but Ezio has taken on a life of his own, and is owed a conclusion fitting one of the great heroes in games.
Hate: The stupid-ass sci-fi plotline shoehorned onto the story to explain how we are watching events in the past unfold.
Let's be clear, I love playing the Assassin's Creed series. The first game was a beautiful broken mess, but it showed amazing potential. The fact that they not only lived up to the potential, but exceeded it for ACII is still astonishing. They also created one of the most charismatic characters in any video game ever. I would play Assassin's Creed All-Star tennis if it had Ezio in it. The very idea of following this character throughout his lifetime and not just over a period of a few days or even a few weeks gave the audience an emotional tether that has only strengthened with the continuation of his story in AC Brotherhood, and soon to be completed in AC Revelations.
I can play the games for hours just running across the rooftops of Italy. Then, I have to finish the game and I get ripped out of the blissful trance I spend my playtime in. The endings of all three Assassin's Creed leave a lot to be desired. Sufficed to say I end up rubbing my eyes and muttering to myself. And that can't be good can it? I think the worst sin of the franchise is loss of momentum once you reach the end. Ubisoft has crafted this engrossing storyline carrying you throughout some of the most important years in Italian history, and then they dump you into an anticlimactic poop puddle.
I don't know what it is about endings that is so hard. It seems like so many games fail to bring all of the game mechanics to play in what should be a test of everything you have learned in your experience with the game. In Assassin's Creed II, we got a fist fight with the Pope that is even sillier than it sounds. Then in Brotherhood, we got a much more thought out boss battle against Cesare Borgias, only to be sent into an extended platforming sequence that was just pointless and boring. All of this mind you, leads you to Assassin's Creed overarching mythology that makes you sit through a somewhat ridiculous story about mankind's alien progenitors. I don't care! I was having such a good time with the political intrigue. Why? Why, must I be forced to play trial and error platforming missions that do nothing but anger me and leave me with a rather weak conclusion?
Obviously, Ubisoft cannot go back and erase the past. But Revelations needs to deliver a satisfying ending for Ezio no matter what plate of steaming you-know-what they leave for us at the end to serve as the true 'ending' of the Apple of Eden storyline. Ultimately the game is no longer about Desmond. I know they have an extended sequence set up to play as Desmond running across a virtual landscape, but Ezio has taken on a life of his own, and is owed a conclusion fitting one of the great heroes in games.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Best worst toy year ever?
2011 will undoubtedly go down in most collector's minds as the year the economic realities hit the hardest. We've seen prices on figures sky rocket across all scales. the 6" scale alone has seen Mattel's Green Lantern Movie Masters hit shelves at a whopping $18.00 a figure. Considering that you throw in a "Collect and Connect" figure built in 14 pieces along with that and you have one of the most expensive mass market toy lines ever produced. While the 3.75" range is holding close at around $10.00, we are still seeing a steady rise as companies like Hasbro keep finding new ways to raise the bar on the industry's most dependable scale.
While it seems the 6" scale is hitting the average collector the hardest, the 1/6 scale collector is being priced right out of house and home. 1/g scale has always been an indulgence market, but now it seems like every new release from Hot Toys is coming in at an average of $180.00, with every DX release hitting at around $225.00. Of course, you get what you pay for, but the demands of such a high end hobby are beginning to take their toll. Most collector's now find themselves having to choose only the most near and dear figures to add to their shelves. Sideshow is keeping things relatively close with their G.I. Joe line, but as they begin to explore the more complex pieces of the Star Wars universe, their production costs go up, and so do the bottom line prices for consumers.
While we live in an enthusiast's nirvana, the sobering reality is that the market is saturated with product, and few can keep up. It is quickly becoming a rotational hobby as collector's acquire and dispense with their treasures nearly as soon as they receive them. Very little time is left to enjoy them before something new arrives to hoover the money from their wallets.
The year has also seen the death of two really promising lines that on a personal note, I will sorely miss. Due to unknown factors, Bioware has canceled the second series of figures from DC Direct's Mass Effect 2 line. It is an absolute shame as the first wave is actually very very good. Some great characters have been left on the table, and we are certainly worse off for not having them. The second blow was especially painful to me as we lost Enterbay's Prison Break figures. While they managed to get T-Bag out the door, Michael and Lincoln fell victims to unscrupulous factory practices, or at least that is what we were told. While Hot Toys versions will have to do, Enterbay was moving into sublime territory with the work that had gone into realizing Michael Scofield's tatoos from season one of the cult TV classic.
The year isn't half over and Hot Toys still has Indiana Jones, Thor, Spider-Man, more Iron Man, more Bruce Lee rolling out. In addition we are awaiting word on the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman, the Christopher Reeve Superman, and the revelation of a tease from months back regarding a galaxy far, far away.
Mattel is putting a lot of stock in Green Lantern hitting hard, and in the resurgence of Voltron. DC Universe is still being talked up after 19 waves of figures. WHo can say how far they willl go. Masters of the Universe Classics has proven to be a juggernaut for sure.
Hasbro continues their own uber toy lines in Marvel Universe, Star Wars Vintage Collection, and G.I. Joe. Having the Marvel film license gives them tremendous momentum through the next year.
Bandai pulled the big coup in nabbing the revitalized Thundercats brand. Mattel would have sold their sister for that license. Bandai looks to be pulling out the stops for this one, and the Classic 8" figure line looks fantastic despite the lack of depth in initial release.
Yes, 2011 is one of the best years for collecting ever, this after a 2010 where we wondered if it could get any better. The old adage of "Careful what you wish for" springs to mind.
While it seems the 6" scale is hitting the average collector the hardest, the 1/6 scale collector is being priced right out of house and home. 1/g scale has always been an indulgence market, but now it seems like every new release from Hot Toys is coming in at an average of $180.00, with every DX release hitting at around $225.00. Of course, you get what you pay for, but the demands of such a high end hobby are beginning to take their toll. Most collector's now find themselves having to choose only the most near and dear figures to add to their shelves. Sideshow is keeping things relatively close with their G.I. Joe line, but as they begin to explore the more complex pieces of the Star Wars universe, their production costs go up, and so do the bottom line prices for consumers.
While we live in an enthusiast's nirvana, the sobering reality is that the market is saturated with product, and few can keep up. It is quickly becoming a rotational hobby as collector's acquire and dispense with their treasures nearly as soon as they receive them. Very little time is left to enjoy them before something new arrives to hoover the money from their wallets.
The year has also seen the death of two really promising lines that on a personal note, I will sorely miss. Due to unknown factors, Bioware has canceled the second series of figures from DC Direct's Mass Effect 2 line. It is an absolute shame as the first wave is actually very very good. Some great characters have been left on the table, and we are certainly worse off for not having them. The second blow was especially painful to me as we lost Enterbay's Prison Break figures. While they managed to get T-Bag out the door, Michael and Lincoln fell victims to unscrupulous factory practices, or at least that is what we were told. While Hot Toys versions will have to do, Enterbay was moving into sublime territory with the work that had gone into realizing Michael Scofield's tatoos from season one of the cult TV classic.
The year isn't half over and Hot Toys still has Indiana Jones, Thor, Spider-Man, more Iron Man, more Bruce Lee rolling out. In addition we are awaiting word on the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman, the Christopher Reeve Superman, and the revelation of a tease from months back regarding a galaxy far, far away.
Mattel is putting a lot of stock in Green Lantern hitting hard, and in the resurgence of Voltron. DC Universe is still being talked up after 19 waves of figures. WHo can say how far they willl go. Masters of the Universe Classics has proven to be a juggernaut for sure.
Hasbro continues their own uber toy lines in Marvel Universe, Star Wars Vintage Collection, and G.I. Joe. Having the Marvel film license gives them tremendous momentum through the next year.
Bandai pulled the big coup in nabbing the revitalized Thundercats brand. Mattel would have sold their sister for that license. Bandai looks to be pulling out the stops for this one, and the Classic 8" figure line looks fantastic despite the lack of depth in initial release.
Yes, 2011 is one of the best years for collecting ever, this after a 2010 where we wondered if it could get any better. The old adage of "Careful what you wish for" springs to mind.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Thor, God of Thornder...em Thunder
I think I am about as excited for the opening of the Thor film as I am about any film this year. Early word is pretty positive. I worried Kenneth Branagh might get lost with all the effects work despite whatever great direction he gave to the actors. Branagh is Mr. Shakespeare and he can pull a good performance out of just about anyone (Keanu Reeves excepted). Having seen his super-lush take on Hamlet back in 1997, I knew he could handle the epic scale.
It is a huge relief that reviews are good, as I had any number of reservations about how this one would turn out. I am excited for my nephew to get to see this at 7 years old. His head will be swimming for weeks on end as my brother eggs him on.
It is a huge relief that reviews are good, as I had any number of reservations about how this one would turn out. I am excited for my nephew to get to see this at 7 years old. His head will be swimming for weeks on end as my brother eggs him on.
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