• Kevin Feige said that the goal is to hire filmakers and get scripts in before casting their upcoming movies.
• Feige also said that The Incredible Hulk lived up to their expectations and that the Hulk will make a return.
• Marvel doesn't believe they'll ever get certain other characters back due to specific contractual obligations (i.e. it's not likely Sony and Fox would let go of Spider-Man or X-Men).
• Thor and Ant-Man are their two highest priorities over the coming year.
• Feige wasn't able to comment about whether Jon Favreau was officially signed on to direct Iron Man 2.
• Dr. Doom won't be in the Avengers movie because he's part of the 20th Century Fox contract with Marvel.  He wouldn't comment about whether he'd be apart of a future sequel.
• He confirmed that a script exists for a Silver Surfer movie, but Feige said he believes Fox is going to wait and see how X-Men Origins: Wolverine does before commiting.
• Marvel has no plans to license out any other characters that haven't already been licensed out.

The opening credits of Push were shown, which recounts how the Nazis' experiments into psychic warfare beget an ongoing persecution of those with psychic abilities by government agencies. Dakota Fanning, who also stars in the film, narrates the titles sequence, which is comprised primarily of vintage newsreel footage of government experiments, warfare and civil unrest.

Hounsou spoke about his role as federal agent Carver who is out to hunt down the psychics. A scene was shown where Carver uses his ability to push memories onto people to make a man shoot himself. Belle's character Kira is, like Carver, a "pusher" who can push memories onto other people. She is the only survivor of a special drug that the government agency The Division has been using on psychics. Evans plays Nick Gant, a telekinetic (or "mover") gambler who has taken refuge in Hong Kong.

During the Q&A, McGuigan and Evans explained that there are other super-powered people including sniffers (who can sniff a glass and find out the history of the person who just used it), wipers (who can wipe your memory), and shadows (who can cloak a person). All the panelists cited the script as the reason why they signed on.

Read the rest here.

Moving to Knowing, director Alex Proyas presented exclusive clips from the film, which stars Nicolas Cage as a teacher who finds a time capsure that prophesises the apocalypse.  Proyas presented the trailer to the audience, which premired a few weeks back.  More highlights:

Proyas sang Nic Cage's praises and that he always wanted to work with him. Both director and actor wanted the character and story to be as realistic as possible, with Proyas citing The Exorcist as the kind of movie that melded realism with a fantastical premise that he and Cage hoped to emulate. The director also said that the relationship between Cage and his character's son is the heart of the movie. Rose Byrne plays the daughter of the little girl who, as seen in the trailer, wrote these terrible predictions down. Although Proyas refused to get into details about how they came up with the numerical code because it would delve too deeply into plot spoilers, he did say that they did research into various theories to lend some credence of scientific fact to the code.

Also, Proyas layed to rest the rumor that he would be directing the Silver Surfer movie.  From /Film:

“Unfortunately that is just a rumor. I don’t know where that came from,” Proyas told the crowd at Comic Con. “I do like Silver Surfer, but I’m not going to be doing it.”

Scarface – Devil in Desguise
Autores: Joshua Jabcuga e Alberto Dose.
Editora: IDW Publishing
Sem previsão de lançamento no Brasil

Na época da revolução de Fidel Castro (1960) o jovem Tony Montana aprende que a lealdade pode ser tão sensível quanto um gatilho. E, numa época em que todos os dissidentes eram executados por não seguir ordens,Tony se recusa aceitar qualquer uma e encarando sua execução como homem,acaba sendo convocado para ser um assassino de Fidel,e mais do que isso,também mostra a trágica infância desse personagem antes de se envolver com a CIA,a Cosa Nostra e com o cara que lhe deixou a tão famosa cicatriz.

E daí? Bom,é um achado para os fãs de Al Pacino,saber do passado e da escalada de um personagem que atravessou mais de 20 anos pra ter mais histórias,mas o que deixa a série boa?O fato de que o roteirista Joshua Jabcuga tem um histórico familiar com representantes da lei e muitas das histórias sobre máfia e bandidos, ele escutava na mesa,enquanto almoçava ou jantava, e seus parentes o levavam pra ver coisas que muitos só veriam quando adultos,ou nem isso,como ele mesmo explica “pra ver certas coisas,você precisa de um distintivo,outras,só com a arma”.Com todo o background do escritor fica fácil imaginar como vai ser esse prólogo e ascensão de um dos maiores gângsters do cinema.

Silver Surfer : Requiem
Autores: J. Michael Straczynski e Esad Ribic.
Editora: Marvel Comics
Sem previsão de lançamento no Brasil
4 edições

Por tempos imemoriais,Norrin Radd vem surfando pelo espaço e todo aquele blábláblá que você já está cansado de ler por aí,mas agora, todo o sacrifício,perdas e o caminho para a redenção chegam ao seu fim.Começa com uma mancha,uma tontura e em seguida,um diagnóstico.Aí você me fala “morte na marvel?hahahaha” mas este que vos fala,garante.Sim,este réquiem É de verdade.E também digo que esta é mais uma daquelas edições “O fim” que a marvel lança que realmente valem a pena serem lidas e guardadas,e este fanboy aqui comprará a edição encadernada,caso um dia saia.

E daí? Bom,essa é a pergunta que vale um milhão de dólares.Por que você gostaria de ver um personagem morrer?Talvez por que ele precise afinal “tudo tem o seu tempo”.Mas,de verdade, ninguém gosta de ver isso acontecendo.Essa jornada final de redenção leva o surfista a fazer seus últimos e memoráveis atos,culminando com um final emocionante,digno de partir o coração de quem chegou a ler a Graphic Novel by Moebius. J. Michael Straczynski conseque manter você atento na história,dando voz ao personagem por todas as edições enquanto relata a história por meio de outro enquanto tenta esconder o fato de que ele vai morrer enquanto todos sabem aonde isso vai (Réquiem,saca?ahn?ahn?) enquanto isso,o artista Esad Ribic (Loki) traz as imagens mais bonitas que já foram feitas para este personagem,talvez alguns aspectos desagradem quem ler a história,como a versão dele do quarteto fantástico,meio anos 50,mas el se redime no decorrer da história em Zenn-La e no espaço.Enfim,esta é a ultima história do selo “Marvel Knights”, um gran finale com surpresas e digno até a última página.

Você sabia que o surfista teve por volta de 695 títulos com o seu nome?

Scarface – Scarred for life
Autores: John Layman [Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness] e Dave Crosland [Bad Ideas Collected]
Editora: IDW Publishing
Sem previsão de lançamento no Brasil
5 edições

Bom,até onde me constam os autos,acho que a maioria dos leitores de 80 pra cá assistiram o filme (tudo bem que seja de 83,mas é um clássico), e muitos ficaram com aquele gostinho de “quero mais” depois do final.É aí que entra a proposta de John Layman, ressucitando todos os jargões e manias de Tony Montana. De alguma maneira MUITO estranha,Tony continua vivo e é pego pelo governo pra ajudar numa “caça às drogas” com dois policiais corruptos.No meio do caminho acaba encontrando sua amada Elvira e seu grande inimigo,Sosa. Lógicamente, ele volta ao seu vício por cocaína e ao crime, mas isso já era de se esperar.

Podia muito bem ser mais uma daquelas séries de “O que aconteceria se...” se não fosse pelo novo rol de personagens carismáticos e, claro, pelo novo e melhorado Tony Montana editado, revisado e melhorado,jogado no meio dos seus piores inimigos e se aliando com metade deles.Talvez muitos não conheçam John Layman mas podem confiar,ele já foi editor da Wildstorm e responsável por Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, Sentinel Squad O*N*E*, Xena: Warrior Princess, House of M: Fantastic Four, Gambit, Red Sonja/Claw ,todos bons trabalhos e está escrevendo Scarface,The World is Yours, o desenhista, Dave Crosland com seu estilo cartoon,consegue colocar as mais divertidas expressões em Montana e se você tiver curiosidade pode dar uma olhada no Myspace dele para conhecer mais ( http://www.myspace.com/hiredmeat ),vale a pena.De resto é vocês acompanharem o que acontece com toda a galeria de inimigos de Tony Montana,as reviravoltas e o incrível desfecho dessa história do Personagem.

Você sabia que,em particular, a frase "Say hello to my little friend" Foi tão repetida em filmes, seriados e jogos que ficou em 61º lugar nas citações mais famosas do cinema segundo a lista AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.?

For those who know nothing about this graphic novel (I didn’t until reading it), it is a retelling of the Silver Surfer character by his two creators. Instead of throwing him into the Marvel Universe populated with superheroes, they tried to introduce him to the “real” world. Did they succeed? I’d say so. While this book may be a bit dated, it is definitely a Stan Lee/Jack Kirby tale. Stan Lee maintains his slightly quirky writing and occasionally flawed logic, yet he hits the soul of the Silver Surfer perfectly. Like his two part Silver Surfer: Parable tale of the eighties (I’ll get around to doing that on Flashback one of these days) this is an introspective and interesting look at humanity from the eyes of a noble non-human character.

Like his original appearance in the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer is here the herald of Galactus, devourer of worlds. After finding Earth, he realizes that it is much like his old home Zenn-La, which causes him to regain much of his conscience. Refusing to allow Galactus to destroy a world populated by such a young and thriving race, he confronts Galactus and after an almost-futile battle, Galactus spares Earth, but exiles Norrin there. As Norrin learns about his new home and its natives, we get the earlier mentioned look and the good and bad aspects of humanity.

Aside from our own morals and foibles, it is through Galactus that Lee tries to define what exactly establishes good from evil, if the two even exist at all. Eventually, Galactus realizes that he needs the Silver Surfer, and the usually neutral entity must examine both his good and evil qualities as he decides what will make the Silver Surfer return to him. What follows in an entertaining and poignant story which ultimately ends in the Silver Surfer making a large sacrifice on behalf of humanity.

It must also be mentioned that while the comic book art of the seventies is nothing like today, Jack Kirby is nonetheless an impressive visual storyteller. Whether it is emotion, action, or even just scenery, it is easy to see why he was considered one of the greats of his time. Together, the story and art make this an enjoyable philosophical read. If you are a fan of the Silver Surfer, Stan Lee, or Jack Kirby and you can ever find it for a decent price, I’d highly recommend getting it.

Next week: Fantastic Four 63

-LOTRKing

Man, of all the Marvel comics heroes, the Silver Surfer was the one I most wanted to be when I was a comic book kid. I think I understand what it might feel like to be this guy.

uber geek confession: My Do-It-Yourself Silver Surfboard project

(Kids, don't try this at home...or, anywhere on planet earth, for that matter.)
While other kids were out playing and developing their social skills, I was trying to design my own "Silver Surfer"-style flying surfboard.

Armed with T-square, graph paper, and colored pencils, I spent hours in my makeshift laboratory/workshop/hideout, "The Black Shack." Batman and Superman had nothing on me when it came to the mysterious hideout; "The Black Shack" was my Bat Cave, my Fortress of Solitude...well, actually it was this rickety little shack in the sand-blasted outback of our house on Maple Street, but hey, a kid can dream. Right?

I drew up plans and searched for classifieds with titles like "Build Your Own Hovercraft," to augment my Vision. Such dubious ads were to be found in the classified ad section of magazines like Boy's Life.

For those non-Scouts out there, Boys Life was a magazine for wholesome young men yearning to grow into stalwart Americans.  (Yeah I was a Boy Scout...wanna' make something of it?) 

It was a great source for a particular ad that hyped the purported lift-capable hovercraft engines and fans that I planned to install into my flying surf board. I figured out a pre-Wii-era inertial steering mechanism. The palm-mounted steering device was wired to the board. Wireless really wasn't an option back in 1966 - as if was any part of this crazy scheme.

dead-men tell no tales

In the event of an unplanned seperation from my board, my palm-mounted steering device's wire would disconnect and the board would hover in place; sort of a "dead man's switch" arrangement. Yeah, yeah - it only took me a moment to realize that if I fell off my silver surfboard while threading between sky scrapers at 70 stories, that losing my board to some passing board thief would be the least of my worries. "Dead-man switch" indeed.

Thank God I didn't follow up on that particular brainstorm. Some things are best left undone.

-dj

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, it will be on PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii. To be honest I'm not liking the graphics myself, what is supposed to be next-gen it doesn't look that fancy, maybe its just the quality of the video, hmm check out the trailer here yourself and see what you think.

1. Board presence is usually a good thing unless you playing X-Statix, Hulk, or Hellboy.
2. We can try to arrange it so that our opponent's inability to eliminate Phyla is detrimental to his deck's plan of attack.
3. We could be gaining something from her constantly stunning and recovering.

Our first point is that Board presence is usually a good thing.  This is an obvious statement because decks have been battling for board  presence for years.  Many people run KO effects like Finishing Move to hurt their opponent's board presence, while others run recovery effects like Lanterns in Love to improve their own board presence.  Phyla helps our board presence without the drawback of extra card slots.  Gaining board position is healthy in most decks, but one type of deck that really benefits from it is a team attack deck.  After all, it's pretty hard to pull off a team attack with only one character.  Teen Titans, Outsiders, Legionaires and Avengers all have team-attack themes and would benefit nicely from Phyla's ability.  Normally when you think of Teen Titans team-attacking, you think back on the days of Roy Harper <> Arsenal, Sharpshooter.  The Titans decks back then were not true team-attack decks because they only team-attacked so that they would all ready when Roy's ability stunned their defender.  Their team-attacking was part of an engine, not an actual attack.  Modern Titans, on the other hand, don't have the same luxuries because Sharpshooter was not reprinted alongside Teen Titans Go!

Typically, in the past, to get enough characters on the board to perform multiple team attacks you had to flood the board with little characters on a later turn.  Phyla lets us stick more closely to our curve by starying around and keeping our character count up.  Since Titans and Legionnaires have both team attack AND cosmic themes, let's see if they have any cards that would be synergistic with Phyla...

• Legion of Super-Pets is a Savage Beatdown for a team attacker
• Legion World is a burn card similar to Playroom.
• Overwhelming Force prevents all team attackers from stunning.  It's a Bamf for everyone!
• Teen Titans Go readies your team attackers (non of whom probably stunned with a card like Overwhelming Force in your deck)
• Cunning Strategy is a Tim Drake stamped card that returns opponent's defenders to hand.
• Forged in Crisis is similar to Cunning Strategy, but it doesn't require your deck to play Tim Drake.
• Blinding Light replenished your cosmic counters when team attacking.
• Infiltrate lets you team attack protected characters, essentially giving your board flight.
• New Recruits searches for any character with cosmic, which would include Phyla.
• Science Police Central gives all cosmic attackers +2 ATK
• Youth of Tomorrow specifically teams up Titans and Legionnaires and allow for cosmic counter manipulation.
• Clash of Titans is a +3 ATK pump that replenishes cosmic counters.

These two teams bring some pretty clutch characters to the table as well.  Tim Drake <> Robin, Titan in Command has a chance to net you a card every time he team attacks.  There is also a three drop Tim that replenished cosmic counters and a four drop Tim that gives all team attackers +2/+2.  Add to the mix Tim's other legend card 'Follow the Leader' which gives all your attackers +2 ATK and I'd say it would be pretty easy to make this a Tim Drake legend deck.

On the Legionnaire's end of things you'd want to run the four drop Wildfire, Drake Burroughs who replenishes a comic counter to any cosmic character that recovers.  This combos extremely well with Phyla who'll auto-recover when she stuns - and reciever her counter back.  If only there was a way to give Phyla reinforcement and force our opponent to attack her without having to splash in Duty Calls and Wonder Woman, Deflection Diva!

Let's change gears entirely.  Team attack decks are fun, but annoying our opponent's is even better.  My second listed reason for keeping Phyla around involved making her presense detrimental to our opponent's plan.  Above I mentioned giving her reinforcement and forcing our opponent to attack her.  The best team I could think of for that was actually Heralds of Galactus.  On turn two you can recruit Silver Surfer and his Board and move them hidden with the Board's text.  Then, whenever Phyla loses her counter, Silver Surfer's Board can replenish it.  On four, The Human Torch, The Invisible Man can give Phyla permanent reinforcement.  To make sure this reinfocement lasts, we could use a card like Underground Movement, Team-Up to move the Torch hidden.  If you wanted to stick with Fantastic Four (The Human Torch's second affiliation), then Invisible Woman, Sight Unseen could move the Torch hidden when she comes into play on turn five!  This would be particularly brutal against a hidden rush deck that aims to kill on turn five.  They would have to waste at least three attacks on Phyla (if she's getting a second counter from Surfer's board) for a measley nine endurance.  That's pocket change for a deck aiming to do 40+ damage to you that turn.

My third point covered taking advantage of a character recovering over and over again.  To this end I briefly entertained splashing Phlya into the Thunderbolts team to use Speedball is dead on her.  I figured that we could use multiple copies of the card on her to make her something like a +6/+6 when she finally recovered the natural way.  This team-up would also allow us the use of Faith in Monsters with no real drawback to the card.  Anyway, I scrapped the idea as soon as I remembered this was Radioactive Man's team.  I didn't actually forget that, but I was hoping to find enough synergy with the Thunderbolts to make my case.  Alas, I could not.

My final cool collaboration for Phyla was mixing her with Lex Luthor, Master Manipulator.  He would stun her to gain 3 +1/+1 counters at no loss to your board.  If you run Wildfire as your four drop, she'll be constantly gaining her counter back and you can use Lex's ability multiple times!  I've always wanted to find a way to use this version of Lex, and now I can!

I'm sure there's countless other ways to abuse Phyla.  If you can think of any, drop me a line here.  Also, I wanted to warn my readers (all two) that I might need a week off to catch up with work, then I'll be back in full swing!  See you all in a week or two!

P.S. 3000+ hits on the blog... I'm officially a rock star!

Do you know somebody over 50 who is using the Internet?

It might be somebody who uses e-mail regularly to keep in touch with people, or has designed a website (perhaps on Blackpool4me), or has made efforts to learn about all things digital? Perhaps it could be someone who has set up a voluntary or community organisation that uses the Internet?

If so you could nominate them for the Silver Surfer of the Year 2008 awards. Browse to www.digitalunite.net for more details or click here.  Nominations have to be in by Thursday 31st July.

Sponsors McCarthy and Stone are offering a brand new lap-top for the winner and vouchers worth £250 for runners up.  Winners will be treated to an all expenses paid Awards Ceremony in London in October.

Come out a couple of years back and always wanted to read these. Going to read the first one soon and I'll post and tell what I think. Anyone else read these then comment and tell me what you thought ;).

  Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was the co-creator of the X-Men.

  He also created or co-created such heroes as Captain America, the Hulk, the Mighty Thor, the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer. He also had some involvement in Iron Man's creation and was lurking about the genesis of Spider-Man too.

  In other words, Marvel Comics would not have existed if not for Jack Kirby.

  And how much money has the Kirby Estate got from these creations? Peanuts! In his lifetime, Jack Kirby saw more money from a few minor appearances of his villain Darkseid in the Super Friends cartoon and action figures in the Super Powers toyline than he did from creating all these big Marvel heroes.

  So, it's not that surprising while movie audiences can spot Stan Lee's cameos in films like 2008's Incredible Hulk - the average person, even the average superhero fan has never heard of Jack Kirby.

 Captain America, for example, was created by Jack Kirby and his 1940s partner Joe Simon. And yet I've seen article after article claim that Stan Lee (who joined Captain America comics during its early run as an assistant to Simon and Kirby) was the sole creator of Captain America. For years, the title pages of Marvel Comics could proclaim "Stan Lee presents...". So, it's not surprising that most people don't remember the other people who created these comic book icons.

  The Marvel style of writing was for Lee to give a few plot ideas, and then the artist would go away and do his own thing, and Lee would dialogue the comic. Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko managed to get a co-plotting credit in his later issues. I don't think Kirby ever did, although important characters like the Silver Surfer never appeared in Lee's brief to the artist.

  And that's his superhero stuff. Kirby also worked on westerns, war comics and pretty much created the once-popular romance comic genre. Most comic creators with even a tenth of Kirby's output and influence would rightly be considered masters of the medium.

  Today I just finished reading Mark Evanier's new coffee table biography/artbook "Kirby: King of Comics". Admittedly, Evanier was too close to Kirby and his family for a wholly unbiased account and I gather this is only a tiny bit of larger work on Kirby that Evanier has planned. But still Kirby's life and work deserves to be celebrated, and it's wonderful to see Kirby artwork blown up to coffee table size.

  Kirby's art was dynamic. Heroes were bursting out of the pages. All superhero artists either imitate or consciously distance themselves from Kirby. And as for his work ethic, not only was Kirby's art gorgeous, but he could produce four times as much as the comic book artists of today. In the 1960s, he carried Marvel Comics - drawing most of the important books and often being assigned to coach the other artists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mister_miracle_%281971%29_1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Avengers4.jpg

 Here's classic science fiction writer Harlan Ellison waxing poetic on Kirby and an interview with comics' grandmaster. It features images of much classic Kirby art. No, it's not realistic. But it bursts off the page with energy that few comic book artists even come close to.

 If you're not familiar with Darkseid (who has since become a major bad guy in DC Comics) and the New Gods, well Darkseid is a helmet-wearing villain who controls a planet with a giant hole in it. He, and his antagonists on New Genesis, are powered by something called "The Source". And his main enemy is his heroic son, Orion - who was fostered by the good guys. In case this mythology sounds at all similar to a certain movie franchise. Darkseid and the New Gods characters first appeared in 1970-1, and Star Wars came out in 1977.

 I love comics. I love the artform, the medium. I think it is more interactive than film and TV, and I doubt its true potential has been reached yet. Even if most comics are admittedly crap, that does not mean the medium is stupid, silly and childish.

 And so it infuriates me that the average person has no idea who Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko or Will Eisner or Bill Finger or Curt Swan or Carmine Infantino or dozens of other names I could mention are. It bothers me that when Stanley Kubrick died, there were pages of tributes to his life and films. But when Eisner and Kirby died, they just got a few token articles.

 So, that's the reason for this entry. The foolish hope that maybe a few more people will know and care that a man named Jack Kirby once existed, and that he spent his life giving pleasure to millions of people who will never know his name.

  Now I'm hoping to find the new book on Steve Ditko - original artist and co-creator of Spider-Man. Ditko's a very different artist from Kirby but also deserves to be revered (well, for his art. Not so much for his Ayn Rand-inspired politics, although that certainly helped fuel some extremely well-drawn comics.)

  PuckRobin

I've been floating in between that head space most artistic people reach at some point in their lives. In inevitable top o' the mountain. We hear the sonorous voice that could be any number of black actors ask us that question: "What are you doing?"

(if aforementioned sonorous voice said "What is real?" then it would be Laurence Fishburne. He was also Mr. deep voice in Fantastic Four two. Betcha didn't know that!)

My only achievement this week was completely frightening a cute girl in a bookstore named Abby. There she was, walking around with a cute yellow bag, looking for books. There I was, looking for a new book to read with a great excuse to say hello. I'll scratch the details, but the conversation ended with me asking for her opinion on something. Not her number.

She reminded me that this city is a place for artists. She's the third girl i've met who works in an art gallery, but the first who actually looks like a piece of art. She reminded me of a little porcelain doll. The kind that have organs, and studied Art History in North Carolina. Yes, I frightened her, with my high-energy Jamaican wit and obvious comfort with myself. That ladies and single reader of this blog, is the most frightening thing to a woman, the idea that a man is comfortable with himself. Especially if he isn't forty-something and flush with mutual funds and crazy levels of disposable income.

Frightening miss A didn't bother me that much. I was actually glad I frightened her in some ways. I was glad that I came off a little too happy, too endearing, because the truth is I haven't felt like that in days. I was experience what my friends and i like to call "frownzing".

Frownsing: (adj. frown-zing) the act of, or activities related to frowning. Contemplating life, being generally jaded, or driven to watch porn. Facilitates lower states of energy, higher solitary presence at movie theatres and the Taco Bell line. Watching Sex and the City.

So not only was I happy to have met a cutie like Abby, I was happy to scare her away. It justified in my mind that my reality was doing the right thing. I was projecting an air of confidence I didn't have, even if the cute girl who works at the art gallery MIGHT have given me her number if i had just turned down the man-juice a notch.

Randomly, but not coincidentally, after I left the book store carefully protecting my copy of Lost World, I leaned against a wall and started talking to my friend on the phone. We were talking about the usual madness. Women, success, money, not having either of the three, you know the deal. At some point, Abby walked past--wearing a black shawl or something--but it was her. I saw her look at me, then look forward.

I made no attempt to say hello, or "de-man-ize" myself by saying. "Hey Abby!". I could just as easily do that by shouting "Hey Abbot!" for no reason, and i'd draw more stares. Abby walked off into the distance, reasonably tall and attractive, gone to probably manically paint in some studio apartment somewhere. Then I turned around and resumed my conversation.

The abbey thing reminds me of something. One of the key features of New York is women, women women. In fact this phenomenon can become a little bit annoying. Not the fact that the city is filled with beauties, but the fact that they walk so bloody fast. By the time you stop a girl to say hello, she's half a block away. Its that bad.

In the last few days, I've been sharing my apartment with super-author Michael Crichton. He's been in my bed, on my floor and once or twice in my bathroom. I've been reading a few of his books. I just read Next and Jurassic Park, and I grabbed Lost World yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm the laziest book reader ever--I don't like searching through books hoping i don't find a lemon--or if I'm just in a dinosaur/genetics mode right now. Either way, I need to feed my mind so I can start up my writing process. I need to kick start myself like an aging guitarist needs coke before a show. I need that high.

I think six to eight good books should get me writing again. Earlier this year, I read about fifteen or twenty books in the month of January, and not only did I write some of my most interesting blogs, but I was writing constantly. Ideas came from the depth of my insides, and spilled onto my keyboard into MS word and on dozens of tiny scraps of paper. I need that again. Time to contribute to the creative commons. I can "frownz" later

On a side note, this "scary" side of myself is pretty humorous. I went to a bar on Monday night and some girl started talking to me. A few minutes later the shortest Asian guy i've ever seen pats me on the back and tries to tell me to lay off the chick. (I didn't even know her name). I didn't find the event funny until two days later, when I remember some random dude asking me about his Russian friend who was visiting town. "You can see where i'm going with this right?" he says to me. It was hilarious. Not only was he cock-blocking me from a girl who's name I didn't know. But he was also being semi-threating about this girl, who spoke to ME and whom I didn't even remember.

.Maybe I really am scary

.Maybe I walk into places and people wonder who the f*ck is this maverick come to steal and impregnate our women! On Karaoke night nonetheless.

I wish.

Cheers to better days and less cock-blocking from dudes.

La svolta, dovuta a una scelta coraggiosa e potenzialmente rivoluzionaria per la storia del cinema è arrivata dopo i grandi successi dei film della Distinta Concorrenza (la DC Comics di Superman, Batman ed Hellboy) e dei film tratti dalle graphic novels di Frank Miller (Sin City e 300). Occorreva una scelta di campo per distinguersi e sfidare una concorrenza così agguerrita. Quale svolta? La decisione di inserire la continuity dei fumetti Marvel nei film per il cinema. Non si era mai tentata una cosa simile: inserire le storyline di una serie di film su personaggi diversi in intrecci più grandi che li collegano fra di loro.

Iron Man e l'Incredibile Hulk, a prescindere dalla qualità, sono i primi nodi di una tela che la Casa delle Idee ha iniziato a tessere prendendo in mano la produzione dei propri film diventando casa di produzione. Dopo i titoli di coda di Iron Man - forse il miglior film Marvel prodotto finora - Samuel L. Jackson, nei panni del direttore dello S.h.i.e.l.d. Nick Fury mette in piedi un cliffhanger niente male proponendo al genio milardario Tony Stark/Iron Man di mettere in piedi una squadra di supereroi (cioè I Vendicatori). Il personaggio di Tony Stark è presente anche nell'Hulk di Leterrier, interpretato sempre dal redivivo e assoultamente perfetto Robert Downey Jr. Si presenta stavolta nell'ultima scena del film per proporre, anche a nome di Fury, al Generale Ross/William Hurt di unirsi a loro per realizzare il progetto di cui sopra. E' chiaramente solo l'inizio di una storia che coinvolgera molti dei prossimi film Marvel, vale a dire Captain America, Ant-Man, Iron Man 2 e The Avengers, che saranno pronti nel giro di quattro anni.

La cosa mi lascia personalmente senza fiato. Quando ho saputo dell'uscita del primo Spiderman era già da non crederci per un Marvel-fan della prima ora come me, ma non speravo si arrivasse a tanto. Credo quindi che si possa dire che da ora in poi non si tratterà solo di valutare i singoli film Marvel, ma di considerarli anche in funzione di un affresco più grande che andrà formandosi di anno in anno. Esattamente come si fa con i fumetti. Sarà un universo Marvel alternativo rispetto a quello principalmente seguito dalle testate a fumetti, anche se molto simile ad esso.

Non trovate che sia un esperimento cinematograficamente senza precedenti e dalle potenzialità enormi? Si potrebbe temere il rischio di una deriva auto-referenziale col passare del tempo, ma la decennale esperienza della Marvel in fatto di continuity dovrebbe essere una garanzia di per sè. A meno che non facciate parte della dannata Distinta Concorrenza.

Sic semper Marvel.

Ya estamos a una semana de que se de inicio una nuevo expo de parte de Ecreativo ^^, y es Animex 2008 ( Su primera aparicion sustityendo al Starfest ), a grandes rasgos diremos que esta expo su tema central sera el Anime & Manga, a diferencia de su expo hermana que trata mas sobre Comic & Juegos de Mesa, pero nos vamos a centrar en esta convencion, "Animex 2008" que se llevara a cabo en Cintermex el 5 y 6 de Julio del presente año; asi que vamos a ver una reseña de todo lo que se ha a dado a concer que habra en esta convencion, para saber que es lo que se va a ver dar clic en leer el resto de la entrada

Invitados: Ninguna convencion de hoy se puede quedar sin invitados especiales, y esta no es la exepcion asi que empezemos por darle un vistaso a los presentes este 5 y 6 de Julio.

Voces de la Serie Naruto ( Doblaje Mexicano ): Asi es tal y como sabemos Naruto se esta transmitiendo actualmente por cable y las voces de doblaje no se hicieron esperar asi que para esta ocasion invitaron a las 3 voces principales de esta serie Naruto, Sasuke y Sakura!!

Como la voz de Naruto tenemos ah Isabel Martiñon quien naciera un 10 de Febrero de 1959 y de origen Veracruzano, algunos de sus trabajos en doblaje de Anime a la T.V son: Jaden Yuki-Juddai Yuki de Yu Gi Oh! GX / Naruto Uzumaki-Naruto ( Transformado por Sexy No Jutsu ), Anunciador de Naruto / Chiharu Mihara de Card Carptor Sakura y Card Captor Sakura Movie 2: The sealed card / Linna Yamazaki de Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 / Nabiki Tendo de Ranma 1/2 Movie 2 / Masaru Yada de Magical Doremi / Mimi Tachikawa de Digimon 1 y 2 / Lorelei de Saber Marionette J y Saber Marionette J to X / Bra de Dragon Ball GT / Zoe Orimoto de Toon World / Pierre de la OVA Agent Kira / Reina Muhel de Asobotto Senki Goku / Jun Matsudaira, Sakura Yamasaki de Blue Seed / Lilica Ebett de Burn up Excess y Burn up W OVA / Ecco,Reiko Kanonzaki de Corrector Yui / Edward Fong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV de Cowboy Bebop y Cowboy Bebop The Movie / Daphne, Mary Onodera, Princesa Ixqic, Shiori de  Cyborg 009 The Cyborg Soldier /  Pasta de Dragon Ball The Movie Curse of the Blood Rubies / Bulma de  Dragon Ball The Movie The Path to Power / Sarah McDougal de Love Hina / Mikage Matsunaga  de  Miracle Girls  /  Otome, Ashitori de Mirmo Zibang! / Madre de Zero, Teela Zarn Elmes de Pilot Candidate / Unazuki de Sailor Moon R / Jue de The Final Flight of the Osiris (OVA) / Hyde de Zatch Bell / Ben Tennyson, Ultra T, Loboben de Ben 10 / Otto Rocket de Rocket Power /  Marie de, Ed, Edd y Eddy / Carl Wheezer de Las Aventuras de Jimmy Neutrón / Dee Dee de El Laboratorio de Dexter /Shirley, La Medium de Coraje, el Perro Cobarde / Y otros doblajes que se me pasaron ^^.

Como Sasuke tenemos a Victor Ugarte quien es para los mexicanos uno de los mas importantes actorres de doblaje de anime siendo algunos de sus doblajes: Uchiha Sasuke de Naruto / Janemba en Dragon Ball Z The Movie 12 / Goten de Dragon Ball GT / Haru de Rave Master / Bocadin de Hamtaro / Joe Kido de Digimoon y Toon World / Shinji Ikari de Evangelion / Milo de Escorpion, Afrodita de Piscis de Saint Seiya La saga de hades / Uryû Ishida de Bleach / Salomon Goldsmit de Blood + / Dannyboy de Zatech Bell / Marik Ishtar de Yu Gi Oh! / Gary Oak de Pokemon / Dilandau Albatau de La visión de Escaflowne / La Pulga de Mucha Lucha / Billy de Billy & Mandy / Como vemos son menos sus trabajos ( aunque no lo son todos ), pero tiene participacion en mas personajes principales asi como un sin fin de peliculas que fueron dobaladas por el.

Y como Haruno Sakura tenemos a Christine Byrd, y como no recordarla por aquella voz de Helga en Oye Arnold!,  y actualmente poosedora del puesta en la voz de Sakura de Naruto pero tambien ha echo otros doblajes como lo fueron: Enyu de Inu Yasha / Madoka Wakamatsud de Full Moon / Shion y Djbell de Zatch Bell / Marty de Carayon Shin-Chan / Yasmine de Yu Gi Oh GX / Karin de Bleach / Opacho de Shaman King / Enfermera Joy de Pokemon Mewtwo VS Mew / Kyoko de Angelic Layer / Tambien dobla en series de telvision y series animadas ^^.

Lo recuerdas? Si es silver surfer de la segunda entrega en los 4 fantasticos!! y su actor Doug Jones estara presente esta convencion como invitado especial!! bajo su tutela tiene mas peliculas echas claro que si, y estas son : Batman Returns / El retorno de las Brujas / Mimic / Hannibal / Monkey Bone / La maquina del tiempo / Men in Black II / Adaptation / Hellboy / A series of samll things / Doom / El gabinete del Doctor Caligan / El joven del agua / El laberinto del fauno / Los cuatro fantasticos II / Proximamente a estrenarse tambien en HellBoy II / ^^ Actor de renoombre ahi estara conviviendo con nostros!!.

Azumi Kuwadate and Monkichi Irikura quienes se destacan en la musica  tecnoelectrica  y el performarence y teniendo mucho exito del otro lado del mundo e incluso ya teniendo mucho seguidores en Estados Unidos, teniendo su album que lleva por nombre Romantic Waves, y ademas de que simpre aparecen en la fiesta de Tokio titulada CyberMonster donde normalmente podemos ver a esta sin igual pareja. www.myspace.com/bespakumamero

Su pagina oficial es : www.myspace.com/bespakumamero, donde podemos ver algunas de sus obras ^^.

Ademas que son las convenciones si no tenemos lo que tanto nos gusta? que son esos trazos, lineas, bocetos, trabajos que nos dejan boquiabiertos con su detalles y su alto grado de arte ^^ asi es hablamos de los dibujantes invitados que en esta ocasion son 3: / Hector Sevilla / Jorge Molina / Raul Treviño /.

Ademas de que tendremos en vivo y en directo la presentacion de el segundo trailer de Angel Mario Huerta, quien es regiomontano y este trailer sobre su proxima pelicula titulada seres gensis.

Eh aqui una pequeña entrada al mundo que este invitado nos traera en su trailer a esta convencion:

" Un grupo de científicos, liderados por Gonzalo Vega, van al encuentro de ovnis. Se trata sobre una empresa mexicana que se llama Owal Tech, que desarrolla tecnología nueva y patentes, que tiene una división especial que se dedica a estudiar lo paranormal, y las investigaciones los llevan a desentrañar una serie de profecías mayas que dejó el rey Pakal en su tiempo y que se relacionan con lo que ocurrirá en el 2012."

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Concursos: Mi parte favorita de las convenciones en donde se enfrentan varias personas por demostrar quien es el mejor ^^, veamos un poco de lo que habra en esta ocasion para ponera  prueba nuestras habilidades:
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Cosplay!!

CONCURSO: Iron Cosplay
HORARIO: Sábado 18:00-20:00hrs

CONCURSO: Masquerade
HORARIO: Domingo 18:00-20:00hrs
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Grupos Musicales!!

Horario : Domingo de 10:00 AM a 15:00 Hrs.
Premios: 1er Lugar .- $5, 000 Pesos
2do Lugar.- Reconocimiento.

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Dibujo!!

Categorias:
Abierta: 14 años o mas
Infantil: 14 años o menos

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Moldeado de Plastilina!!

Categorias: Abierta: 14 o + / Infantil: 14 o -
Premios: 1er Lugar: 1, 000$ Pesos
2do Lugar 500$ Pesos y trofeo

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Kareoke!!
Horarios:

Viernes de 17:00 – 19:00 hrs.
Sábado de 17:00 – 19:00 hrs.
Domingo de 15:00 – 17:00 hrs.

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Loteria!! MinaRO??¿¿

Horarios: Domingo de 16:00  en el área de proyecciónes

Premios!!: Set de ítems especiales y manga de Ragnarok para cada ganador

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Animes Quiz!!
Fecha limite de inscripcion: 5 de Julio
Inscripcion en linea: Mandar mail a gruposekai@gmail.com con los siguientes datos: Nick, Edad y Sexo.
Horarios: Sabado 3:00 pm en la sala de Proyecciones

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Pokemon!! Torneo!! ( Quiero ser un maestro pokemon!! u.U)
Requisitos: El jugador debe de llevar su Nintendo DS y el juego de Pokemón en la version Perla o Diamante. Se jugara en Nintendo DS con los juegos Pokemon Perla y Diamante, la semifinal y final será en el Battle Revolution de Nintendo Wii.
Horario de inscripcion: Hasta el domingo a las 2 de la tarde

Horario del Torneo: Domingo a las 3 de la tarde en el Area del Circuito Pokemon

Inscripción externos : $50

Inscripción miembros con 1 a 5 medallas: $20

Inscripción miembros con 6 a 8 medallas: Gratis

PREMIOS:
Pokemon Mistery Dungeon Explorers of Time para Nintendo DS y $300 en efectivo.

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Para ver cada una de estas secciones mas detalladas visita la pagina oficial!!: http://www.ecreativo.com/animex2008/concursos.php

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Estas son solo algunas cosas que podras ver dentro de Animex 2008, ademas de CONFERENCIAS, AUTOGRAFOS, convivencias, mucho ambiente y muchas cosas mas.

Tambien por si quieres ser algo asi como un VIP puedes ver los PASES.
Tambien puedes checarte ya el PROGRAMA, de actividades que ahy para animex ya disponibles.
O puedes darte una vuelta por el FORO, para conctactar con mas gente, enterarte de actualizaciones o plantear dudas ^^.

Asi como tambien les invito a pasearse por la pagina principal donde encontraran toda la informacion mas detallada y mucho mas cosas esta solo fue una pequeña muestra de lo que tendremos la proxima semana.
http://www.ecreativo.com/animex2008/index.php.

Espero y les haya servido esta "pequeña reseña" ^^ sale nos vemos pronto por Animex 2008, saludos para todos  y nos vemos!! Sayonara!!
Reporto para ustedes Lloyd!!

Extra:

Ja, aber wenn es der Senior mit der Rechthabeautomatik gesagt hat, dann es doch stimmen - schließlich ist er zwangsweise!
Also, ich stelle mir ja Sachverhalte gerne bildlich vor:

Das muss ein Rummel gewesen sein, damals in der Wüste, als Regisseur David Lean das Casting für „Lawrence of Arabia“ gemacht hat. Hunderte von Leuten haben da mitgespielt, noch viele mehr waren zum Vorsprechen angetreten, und alles Kerle (Frauen kamen in der Welt des T. E. Lawrence ja nicht vor, deshalb wurden die auch im Film weggelassen).

Wahrscheinlich ließ Mr. Lean damals alle in einer Reihe antreten, so von hier bis über die nächste Sanddüne, und einer nach dem anderen hat sich gebückt, inklusive aller in Frage kommenden Kamele, nehme ich an. Ach so, ja: Die Besetzungs-Couch! Na, wahrscheinlich hat die Ehefrau von David Lean mit dem Strickzeug da drauf gesessen und gemeinsam mit den Gattinnen der übrigen Darsteller zugeguckt, wie ihr David und all die Bewerber sich den Ritualen des Filmgeschäftes beugten. Schließlich haben Senioren ja automatisch recht.

Widmen wir einen Moment des stillen Gedenkens dem armen Hape Kerkeling: Der hat ja auch schon Regie geführt. In „Willi und die Windzors“ und „Kein Pardon“ kamen FRAUEN vor! Der Arme! Was man nicht alles tun muss für die Kunst! Zähne zusammen, und ab auf die Besetzungscouch!

Der Herr der Ringe“ war dann auch wieder so eine Massenorgie. Okay, Ian McKellen, der olle Gandalf, wird begeistert gewesen sein, aber ob Regisseur Peter Jackson das auch so prickelnd fand? Egal: Augen zu und ab aufs Sofa!
Da muss man durch, die Senioren müssen doch recht haben!

Ehrlich, wenn man sich mit dieser Vorstellung so durch die Filmgeschichte hangelt, kann einem angst und bange werden! Ich will mal hoffen, dass unser kundiger Rentner zu seinen eigenen Kinozeiten noch nicht wusste, wie die Branche so läuft. Der hätte ja statt Popcorn eine Spucktüte gebraucht, um den Aufenthalt in einem Lichtspielhaus zu ertragen! Ich meine: Ilse Werner, Marika Rökk, Hans Moser, Inge Meysel ...
Ist ja schon gut, ich sage nichts mehr! Nicht, dass hier jemandem schlecht wird.

Aber ich weiß jetzt, wie nach dem Krieg das Wirtschaftswunder geschehen konnte: Das klappte damals alles nur wegen der streng geheimen Verquickung von Filmbranche und Sofa-Industrie! So Besetzungscouchen sind ja bestimmt schnell durch! Ja, weshalb ist denn IKEA so erfolgreich?! Ich finde, die Schweden sollten sofort ein Dankschreiben an unseren rüstigen Weisen aufsetzen und ihm eine Portion Smörrebröd überweisen.

Aber jetzt – wo wir durch unseren weisen Senior aufgeklärt wurden: Wer kann in Zukunft noch „Lindenstraße“ gucken, ohne vor Mitleid mit dem Geissendörfer zu zerfließen. Ey, wenn der Rentner recht hat, dann musste der mit der Mutter Beimer und ELSE KLING ...... Oh, du meine Güte!

Ich weiß nicht, wie es meinen Lesern jetzt geht, aber ich spiele mit dem Gedanken, meinen Fernseher zu entsorgen.

Secret Invasion: Three issues in, and we’ve had three big reveals: Spider-Woman, Yellowjacket, and Jarvis are all Skrulls! Bendis has been handling the story extremely well, and I can’t wait to see where he goes with it. Surprising to myself, I’ve also actually enjoyed Yu’s art in SI (though it still needs improvement). Who else might be a Skrull? Luke Cage, but I’m guessing he doesn’t know it, and will be heart broken when he finds out.

Fantastic Four: Millar/Hitch’s first arc was more than satisfying, and judging by the first issue of their second arc, it looks to be ten times more awesome! I love that Millar makes this series about the characters, not their adventures. And I love the way the Hitch draws Sue! What is there not to be happy about? ;) Fantastic Four is one of favorite monthlies, and one of my three “must reads.” (In other words, if you’re not reading it, pick it up immediately!)

Silver Surfer/Nova: I’m reading the current arc of Nova, simply because is features ol’ Norrin Radd, and boy is it spectacular. (Reviews can be found here and here, the second review isn't mine though.) I’m hoping what with the success of SS: Requiem and SS: In Thy Name, that if these three issues of Nova see a spike in readers, Marvel may consider giving Norrin his own ongoing again (finally!), or at least another mini-series (which could then lead to an ongoing). What with both Annihilation events, Nova, and Guardians of the Galaxy reinvigorating Marvel’s cosmic line, what better way to add to this corner of the MU by launching an ongoing for Marvel’s most famous Sentinel of the Spaceways?

Amazing Spider-Man: This is the most disappointing series that I am currently reading. Occasionally we get a glimpse of an issue that is wonderful, but it seems that the next is always a let down. Also, any regular readers know that I am very opposed to the dissolution of the marriage, and I still think that it can be reinstated, and we could still have spectacular Spidey stories. If Marvel has a greatest flaw right now, this is it. (Though I won’t lie, the upcoming “New Ways to Die” arc looks awesome.)

Mighty Avengers and New Avengers: This should be two groups, but seeing as how these two are simply telling back stories of Secret Invasion right now, these series serve the same purpose. While I enjoy the stories that have been presented thus far, I really wish Bendis would have made them a separate mini-series, like Secret Invasion: Origins, or something. One, that would let casual readers know that these stories are essential to Secret Invasion, and not “just another tie-in.” I mean, the Skrull queen posing as Spider-Woman was revealed in an issue of New Avengers, for goodness sake! These things are really too important to leave out of Secret Invasion. Likewise, I really want a good Avengers story fix. Mighty Avengers only gave us two quick arcs to meet the team, before diving straight into SI, and as enjoyable as SI is, I really want these series to get back to more adventures of their perspective teams ASAP.

Avengers: The Initiative: I think yesterday’s review of issue 14 sums up my feelings on this series. This is another one of my three must reads. Pick it up as soon as you get the chance (and ask Marvel to offer subscriptions to it!)

Captain America: Brubaker continues to weave a web of genius plot lines. With last month’s reveal of who the “Bad Cap” is and next month looking to have the “New Cap” vs. “Bad Cap” fight, along with the promise of a conclusion in September, this series continues to be an extremely entertaining read, and I can’t wait to see what Brubaker does with James after the conclusion of this monumental story line.

Thor: First, I have to admit to slight disappointment, as this series seems to have slipped onto a bimonthly schedule. Still, it is worth the wait. Thor is mythic stories infused with humor, and packed with a surprising amount of characterizations as only J. Michael Straczynski can do. Thor might just be Marvel’s best ongoing, and therefore is the final one of my three must reads. If you aren’t reading this, you are missing out, big time.

Invincible Iron Man: Two issues in, and I’m loving it! Matt Fraction is doing a brilliant job introducing new Iron Man fans to his current status quo, and keeping it plenty entertaining for regular comic book readers. My hope is that Fraction can reinvigorate this character like Brubaker with Cap or JMS with Thor, and if the first two issues are any indication, he just may succeed. If you loved the movie, you should probably be reading this.

Uncanny X-Men: Messiah Complex: Awesome. Divided We Stand: Mehh. Manifest Destiny: ??? While this last storyarc has been a bit underwhelming (note to future comic book writers: don’t use hippies), the dream team of Brubaker, Fraction, and Cary, along with the monumental issue 500 leaves me with high hopes for what is coming next.

Well, those are my current opinions, we’ll check back with another “Where Things Stand” in a few months! See you on Monday with a Flashback!

-LOTRKing

I love marvel films and these are some future ones I know about. They should be great.

Punisher: War Zone - December 5, 2008
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - May 1, 2009
Iron Man 2 - April 30, 2010
Thor - June 2010
Spider-Man 4 - May 2011
The First Avenger: Captain America - May 6, 2011
The Avengers - July 2, 2011

(Dates may change)

The film is a reboot, not a sequel. I'm sure you all know this much. My major problem comes from the fact that the whole paternal conflict, the whole storyline was shelved. And the movie has no script. It's simply, the comic story told as simply as possible. Nolte and Bana's scenes in the first film was the only saving grave of the whole movie and I like the conflict

Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Danny the Dog) directs so I already expected some great action sequences and sharp visuals. The movie impressed me a lot in that department and I'm sure fans who were looking for a more action-oriented Hulk the last time around, will be pleased. However the weak script was problematic for me. Sure, I enjoyed it and it was definitely worth the ticket price but I would've preferred a more complicated script or even just the inclusion of Nolte's storyline from the last film (without the weird poodles). The movie was fun, enteretaing and had some great climax moments. But at almost two hours, I would've preferred more action sequences (there are only 3), especially since the dialogue and the storyline they were focusing on was nothing special.

Cast-wise, Norton was nothing special and physically unfit for the role while Tyler was just not the Betty Jennifer Connelly was. Hurt's Ross was a complete asshole in this movie and there was no measure of salvation possible for him while Tim Roth was surprisingly pleasant and actually looked better in the action sequences than the Hulk did. I think Leterrier did a great job and I would love for him to do the followup, as long as someone other than Zack Penn is writing the screenplay (which doesn't seem likely).

On to the marvel Projects (in chronological order).

2008 - Punisher Warzone: Ray Stevenson (Rome) stars as the lead while Dominic West is Jigsaw. The plot seems good as Castle end up in the middle of organized crime in New York, bad blood and crime families. Julie Benz (Angel, Dexter, Rambo) in the mix as well as (hopefully as the baron of the Italian family or maybe the daughter). The plot seems perfect for the Punisher (reminiscence of Ennis' dark script of the comics) but the trailer didn't impress and I'm not sure Stevenson is well suited for the role. Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans) directs.

2009 - X-Men Origins: Magneto: This movie which could be quite enjoyable focuses on magneto's life in prison camp and how he came to be the fearful mutant the X-Men fight in almost all three movies. Unfortunately, David S. Goyer (Blade Trinity) directs.

2009 - Ghost Rider 2: After the horrid first film, there might be doubt over bringing Cage and Steven-Johnson back but currently there are no details except this release date.

2009 - Silver Surfer: Spin-off from the Fantastic Four movies, the movie will be directed by Alex Proyas (the excellent Dark City and the average I, Robot) which seems like a perfect fit for the punk sci-fi this film could be. Doug Jones might star as the surfer. Color me extremely interested.

2009 - The Hands of Shang-Chi: IMDB states the plot line as "Based on the Marvel Comics hero, a young Kung-Fu master learns his father is the world's worst criminal". Never heard of the comic and the director hasn't done anything I'm interested in.

2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Gavin Hood (Rendition) seems an odd choice to direct but Jackman is back as Wolverine and brings with him a bunch of mutants I was dying to see (Reynold's Deadpool, Beak and finally Gambit). I'm a huge fan of X-Men and am looking forward to this one.

2010 - Nick Fury: No director attached and the plot seems to be an origin story but unless Samuel L. Jackson is cast as Fury, I don't care much for this project. I doubt it's going to come out anytime soon anyway.

2010 - Iron Man 2: Jon Favreau might not return. Robert Downey might not return. And while, Maguire was Spider-Man and Cage was Ghost-Rider, Iron-Man was Robert Downey. The movie will not work without him and probably should'nt even be.

2010 - Ant-Man: Seriously? Aren't they getting a little carried away with the movies just so they can do a complete Avengers lineup? Edgar Wright (the unbelievably good Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) directs and although he's a perfect choice to direct the Scott Pilgrim movie (slated to be out the same time), I'm not so sure about him doing a serious superhero film. No actors attached.

2010 - Thor: Mathew Vaughan (Stardust) seems like a very bad choice since Stardust was a horrible "fantasy" movie. I like the idea of a fantasy epic but why not do a God of War movie? Thor is they gayest marvel character, not to mention in need of a serious language and wardrobe update. Any choices for the lead?

2011 - Spider-Man 4: No director and no actors attached. No script out yet either.

2011 - Captain America: Nick Cassavetes (John Q, The Notebook) directs and the choice to make this a period peice seems like a good one. Rumors of Gerard Butler in the lead are hopeful. Unfortunately Zack Penn is writing the script.

2011 - The Avengers: With a date like July 2011, we all know we're in for a long wait. I like the concept of introducing all the heroes in individual movies and then making the Avengers one. Seemingly Hulk might be one of them and Iron Man is definately on board. Thor, Cap and Ant-Man and if they play their cards right and follow the New Avengers path, Wolverine might join as well. But the concept of all these actors coming together seems too good to be true not to mention extremely expensive. Again the horribly simple Zack Penn writes.
Well, there you have it. All projects marvel has in production. I'll be back in a day or two with the entry I've been working on for over a month. See you then.

Spider-Man 4 uscirà a maggio 2011
La produttrice Laura Ziskin ha annunciato il periodo in cui uscirà Spider-Man 4: sarà maggio 2011. Tre anni per finire lo script, decidere cosa fare con il cast e girare il nuovo kolossal...

Addio allo spin-off su Silver Surfer?
Lo spin-off dei Fantastici Quattro dedicato a Silver Surfer sembra ormai dimenticato: anche lo sceneggiatore Michael Straczynski è rassegnato all'idea che il film non si farà...

FRONTIER(S) ( 2008 )
This French-made blood bath follows the familiar (and reliable) Texas Chainsaw Massacre template. On the lam after a heist during a riot sparked by a controversial Franco-election, four young criminals (one a pregnant, guilt-crippled girl) find their way to a peaceful-seeming (seeming!) inn, en route to Amsterdam. Unfortunately for them the place is thick with cannibal Nazis living in a bizarre familial cult. Within the first half hour the gore-splattered survival horror begins and there’s little time to breath on the way to the ultra-violent, though thought-provoking finale. Frontier(s) scores big with beautifully cold earthy cinematography, effectively inducing dread. There are plenty of visceral thrills and enough smart surprising moments, great charachterization and solid performances to make this a stand-out not to be dismissed as the kind of torture-porn crap pushed by Rob Zombie and Eli Roth.
***

ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED ( 2008 )
This made-for-HBO doc offers a fairly nonjudgemental look at the genius/perv director's 1978 conviction for the statutory rape of a 13 year old girl and the dramatic life that led up to it. Some time is spent on his devastation over the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, at the hands of Charles Manson's "family" -- but the primary focus is the rape case, the difference between European and American reactions to that case and the unbelievable legal clusterfuck that forced him to flee the country soon after. (He's never returned to America and would be immediately arrested if he did). There's some nice use of soundtrack music from his biggest hit, Rosmary's Baby, and judiciously doled out clips of his oveure. There are several illuminating clips from  old interviews as well as new interviews with the people that knew him best (not to mention, a few moments spent with the rape victim today). It's all surprisingly less skeezy than it sounds and probably one of the best bio-docs I've seen, on par with Crumb.
***

RECOUNT ( 2008 )
This made-for-HBO movie is a nicely-balanced all-star take on the weeks directly following the 2000 Bush/Gore election fiasco. No matter whose side you're on, you have to appreciate the straightforward stick-to-the-facts historically-accurate screenplay. Kevin Spacey is typically (almost mundanely) good as Gore strategist, Ron Klain and I enjoy Tom Wilkinson (as Bush's) a little more every time he pops up in a movie. The top performance, though, is from a practically unrecognizable Laura Dern as flighty, clueless, self-absorbed Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris. Things start to drag a little in middle and unfortunately we know how it ends but for a political movie, it's more entertaining than most.
**1/2

FANTASTIC FOUR, THE (2005)
Jessica Alba can’t act, Dr. Doom is about as menacing as a the Tin Man, the sfx are unimpressive and The Thing looks a lot like a dried-up clump of crumbling crap, but FF still has a few things going for it. Probably the most kid-ready of the Marvel Comics adaptations, this story delivers the genesis tale of the super team (in space…atomic mutation from a…space thingy…or something) made up of The Thing (Michael Chiklis), Alba’s Invisible Woman, Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic and Chris Evans as the Human Torch. There’s a little too much bitchy in-fighting and not enough clobberin’ time, but there’s something sincere about the way the story rolls that’s reminicent of Chris Reeves’ Superman. It’s a fun afternoon diversion that won’t stick with you for very long after the credits roll. **

4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (aka Fantastic Four 2) (2007)
Although I don’t remember anyone clammoring for a sequel, FF2 delivers what the original didn’t — particularly action and better effects. The mysterious Silver Surfer has arrived on earth to ultimately destroy it with his matter-mutating powers. But it turns out he’s really not a bad guy, and with a voice like Larry Fishburne’s and that sleek silvery surf board how could you hate him? Dr. Doom returns as nothing more than a minor plot device. Characters, having been clumsily and broadly defined in the original seem to make a little more sense this time and the authentic comic-booky writing keeps things light and fun. Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman’s wedding is a central focus, filling the comic book movie’s mandatory-seeming love-is-hard-when-you’re-a-superhero-story quota. As forgettable as the original but far more fun and a solid entry into Marvel’s impressive roster of superhero movies.**1/2

Sky Doll #'s 1 and 2 (****1/2)

I can't remember what exactly compelled me to order Sky Doll. It got an extra discount for the first issue, and was only a three issue mini, and despite the $6 cover price, the standard 40% off the second and third issues definitely made it seem a lot more affordable. I ordered these prior to seeing anything about them beyond the cover, and was heartened when I read the preview from the free Soleil Sampler that shipped a few months back. Well now we're two issues in and I feel comfortable enough to take a look at what we've seen so far. Some background: this is the first of the books translated and reprinted by the partnership of Marvel and French comics publisher Soleil. It follows the story of Noa, one of the titular Sky Dolls (who are basically religion-based sex robots) who manages to escape her fate and go on an adventure with two emissaries of the Lodovica papal regime. Lodovica is the twin sister of Agape, who has her own set of followers and has thus let to unrest and full out religious Civil War. I am very surprised and enthused by this book. I wasn't expecting this kind of story, rife with religious persecution and oppression framed by the desire for spiritual freedom for one that was not designed for anything of the sort. There's a lot more going on here, but that main theme is certainly enough to keep me interested. The six dollar price tag hurts, but each book is 44 pages with no ads, so that certainly helps to cushion the financial blow. But the main reason to pick these books up is Alessandro Barbucci, the artist of the series. This is a book of ceaseless imagination, from wild cityscapes to wild characters, and Barbucci fits so much character and uniqueness to all of it that you're seeing a world created in front of you eyes. The writing is much deeper than I was necessarily expecting, but the real draw is the art. The whole package is incredibly intriguing and imaginative, and were it not for the $6 price tag, this would be an easy five star review. Still, if you have any desire to read something entrenched far outside the box, get this. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Booster Gold #10 (**)

As this arc comes to a close, it really wasn't handled well at all. This is not the case of Geoff Johns alienating me via esoteric characters and past DC events (there's some of that in the reunion of the JLI, but I could work with it to the point of not being actively distracted), but rather the case of Johns and Katz just not writing very good comics. One of the big mysteries for this arc is why John Carter (Booster's father and one of the two wearers of the Supernova outfit) is a member of the Time Stealers (alongside the Black Beetle, Per Degaton and Despero)) despite being a complete failure and inveterate gambler in Booster's timeline. Well, we find out what's going on. And it lands with the unmistakable thump of being both illogical and convenient without having the emotional weight that a reveal should have. I was surprised, but disappointed. And then things kept going aggressively downhill. There were hints along the way of this issue that led me down a path that would have blown my mind and redeemed this story arc. It would have been more logical and far more interesting than what they decided to go with. As such, I officially no longer care about this series. They had me for a while, but there was always a sense of apathy behind it all after those wonderful first issues. I would heartily recommend the first trade to any DC fan, but only the hardcore Booster Gold fans need stray any further beyond those first six issues.

Nova #14 (*****)

Yep. This arc still kicks ass. And Wellington Alves is a pretty big reason for that. I love the way that he frames the Nova/Surfer fight from the scale perspective of Galactus, so they look like insignificant flies buzzing around his massive head. And I love the way that Galactus doesn't say a damned word to anyone because he's GODDAMNED GALACTUS and an eternal and essential cosmic being that has no time or concern to listen to the pleas of a flea like Richard Rider. And the way that Surfer is still completely ambivalent about being a herald again as he tries to find ways to complete his task without too much collateral damage or loss of life. Or the way that the Harrow was not forgotten, as has put our boy Nova into quite a predicament for the final issue of this arc. Or the way that the central conceit of Nova and the Worldmind bickering back and forth like some deranged buddy cop movie still hasn't gotten old after all this time. Abnett and Lanning are writing one of the best books on the shelves right now, and this arc has been masterfully executed. This is an epic scale, and that's what is necessary. And I love every second of it.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #15 (*****)

I haven't really reviewed Buffy very often. Don't really know why, but I guess it's never really struck me as a book that requires reviewing. That's all changed with the current arc. Drew Goddard wrote the hell out of the last fpur issues, and the climax we hit here is some whacked out crazy fun that brings me right back to the television series. This is easily the best arc of a series of good arcs from Buffy 8, and it's amazing how much these last couple issues (more so even than the ones written by Joss) have felt like the TV show. That wonderful mix of action, ludicrous situations, drama, humor. It's all back. And it might end up lessening my enjoyment of future issues, because I seriously doubt the quality is going to remain this high. Ah well, might as well enjoy it while I can.

Ink on two pieces of A4 copier paper. Drawn in 1992.

This took me a long time to complete due to the sheer number of characters. The Infinity War comic series together with it's prequel, the Infinity Gauntlet, were the two series which introduced me to the world of Marvel superheroes and super villains.

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]]> http://wcbr.wordpress.com/?p=632 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:00:40 +0000 rtarturo http://wcbr.wordpress.com/?p=632 By Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (Writers), Wellington Alves (Penciler), Scott Hanna (Inker), Guru eFX (Colors)

This is part two of the current Galactus/Silver Surfer arc. Nova has been trying to help evacuate the planet Orbucen. This planet is next in the serving line for Galactus at the cosmic smörgåsbord. Nova attempts to plead for a little extra time from the big fella but is intercepted by the Silver Surfer and, well, the rumble is on! It's a whale of a good fight and clocking in at almost half the issue, it's one of the longest battles I've encountered in any recent Marvel books I've read. Generally speaking, I feel that long fights in comics are good things! So huzzah!

When the battle concludes and a compromise reached, the rest of the issue focuses on Nova on the surface of the planet. We get a real cliffhanger of an ending with our hero stuck in quite a tight spot which almost seems impossible to get out of. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll be tuning in again in thirty days for the answer.

As I've gotten back into Marvel Comics over the past year I've found that while I may not always like what they do with the old standbys (Spidey, FF, Thor and others), I do very much like what they've been doing with their "B list" characters. Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Nova are among my favorite Marvel reads at the moment and this particular issue may well be my favorite of this run.

A big reason for my enjoyment is the art of Wellington Alves. Not only is the Surfer versus Nova fight nice and long but it is extremely well done. His figural work is first rate, dynamic, and fluid. They move and twist in space in believable ways. Alves also mixes up long shots and closeups creating a good action flow that moves nicely from one panel to the next. He employs a variety of angular panels reminiscent of Gene Colan on Dr. Strange, while treating us to two impressive splash pages (not including the opening splash). Alves is a new artist for me and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

Another feature of this series I really enjoy is the banter between Nova and the Worldmind. The Worldmind is dry and matter of fact in his statements leaving Richard Ryder to interpret the zingers tossed his way. This interplay is somewhat muted here as the tone of the book is rather serious - after all a world is dying, but it can be delightful and I would be remiss if I didn't mention it.

All told, a very enjoyable issue and I look forward to the conclusion of this arc. (Grade B+)

- Arthur Cooke