Comics Archives - Page 13 of 30

Paul Giamatti as Rhino in Amazing Spider-Man 2?

My friend Jennie posted a link to this story about Paul Giamatti being in negotiations for the role of Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. While he might seem like an unusual choice for a comic-book movie villain, Giamatti is a huge fan of the Rhino character and has been anxious to play the role for years. With some luck, he’ll be joining Jamie Foxx (Electro) in the next Spidey film.

I’m a huge, huge fan of Giamatti. Sideways is one of my favorite movies of all time and I’m a huge fan of his work in American Splendor. I’ve also enjoyed Giamatti’s comedic roles, such as Pig Vomit in Private Parts and Bob Zmuda in Man on the Moon. Many people believe that he’s one of the best character actors alive today and I agree with those people. If he’s a mark for Rhino then he should get the part. He’s talented enough to rock the hell out of it. Besides, it would make Sideways even funnier, since it would be a road-trip movie starring Rhino and Sandman.

What do you think of Paul Giamatti taking on Spider-Man as Rhino? Are you as jazzed as I am? Or do you think a dramatic actor measuing 5′ 9″ is no match for Spidey?

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GI Joe: Retaliation is Ninja-tastic

The latest trailer for GI Joe: Retaliation is awesome on several levels. Initially, it focuses on the conflict between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Generally speaking, cool things happen when Arashikage ninja go at it. In addition to a slick showdown between these two, a thrilling chase seen is shown, with Snake Eyes and Jinx escaping from a bunch of nameless, faceless ninja clad in red (the official color of cannon fodder?). The pair hurtle down zip lines, but really, the cool thing here is Jinx. Menacing ninja are cool, but sexy female ninja are even cooler. London explodes for a few seconds. Lastly, the trailer wraps up with some action featuring Bruce Willis and current WWE Champion, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

I’m hoping that Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow get lots of time to shine. That’s probably wishful thinking with Johnson and Willis being featured so prominently. *sigh* Some of my favorite GI Joe comics were ones that focused on the Arashikage Clan. The family has a rich and colorful history that ends in tragedy. The fall of the Arashikage Clan also ties together great characters like Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Zartan. That wish aside, the trailer is pretty sweet. This movie looks like big, dumb fun.

Check out the trailer when you have a chance and let me know what you think of it (please!).

Rogue, Iceman, and Kitty in Days of Future Past

Director Bryan Singer revealed that Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, and Shawn Ashmore will be in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. Presumably, they’ll be reprising their respective roles of Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Iceman. The cast is becoming awesomely impressive, with Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, and Jennifer Lawrence already confirmed. At the very least, the movie won’t be hurting for star power.

Page has the most challenging role, depending on how close to the comics Singer keeps the movie. She was charming in her small role in X-Men: Last Stand, but Days of Future Past will require her to play a broken and tragic character. Thankfully, she has the acting chops to kill it as alternate-future Kitty Pryde. I suppose Jackman will be working the most since he can play present-day and future versions of Wolverine, thanks to the character’s healing factor slowing down the aging process. That’s a convenient way to maximize an actor’s time.

Anyway, how do you feel about Singer getting talent from every X-Men film every made for Days of Future Past?

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Coffee Talk #560: Wolverine, X-Men, and Social Media

A few weeks ago, Comixology had a 99-cent sale on Wolverine and the X-Men. In November, I expressed my displeasure with the pussification of Wolverine, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first eight issues of the series. It’s full of charming characters, great humor, and thrilling action. In a modern twist, the world of Wolverine and the X-Men has been brought to life (or cleverly marketed, depending on your point of view) through social media. Here’s a rundown of why I’ve been enjoying the series and its social-media tie-ins…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Barbara Walters blading at President Obama’s inauguration, the Sacramento Kings probably moving to Seattle, or Mandy Moore looking surprisingly hot without makeup, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The Wolverine: I’m still annoyed that the formerly bad-ass Wolverine is now a school headmaster that’s pushing the agenda of mutants peacefully coexisting with humans, while Cyclops is heading up the militant faction. While he’s definitely part of the book and gets his name on the cover, the book really isn’t about him…and I’m totally down with that.

The Staff: Reading the faculty’s adventures and mingling has been more fun that reading about the headmaster. I’ve been a fan of the modern version of Kitty Pryde since Astonishing X-Men. Beast is always a delightful mix of brains, brawn, and a complex vocabulary; he’s been my favorite teacher thus far. As the first person that Wolverine asked to accompany him to the new school, Iceman is arguably the heart of the staff. I love that the book acknowledges his background as an accountant, though it seems like the “not living up to the potential of his omega-level powers” angle has been going on for decades. The school even gets special guest lecturers like Deathlok, who dazzled the class with ominous predictions in Future History 101. While they’re the people that are guiding the next generation of Marvel mutants, this book isn’t really about the teachers either.

The Students: Now this is what the book is about! It’s been so much fun meeting new students and seeing new characterizations of other young mutants. The troublesome Quentin Quire (Kid Omega) was (literally) roped into attending the school. It’s fun reading lines from a student that doesn’t want to be there; he reminds me of the “I Hate School!!!” people I knew. Idie Okonkwo (Oya) was a great character in X-Men Schism and I’ve enjoyed her continued development in this book. Kid Gladiator is a fantastic alien version of the jocular bully you knew in high school. My favorite student is Broo, the smart and innocent broodling whose sweet and naive heart masks an enormous potential for violence.

The students have characteristics that make them seem like super-powered archetypes of people we all knew in high school. They’re just written so well. It’s fun reading about characters with amazing powers that are unsure of themselves and trying to form their identities. It’s like taking the flame that is typical high school insecurities and dousing it with the fire that is being a mutant in the Marvel Universe.

The Villains: Also from the pages of X-Men Schism, the new Hellfire Club returns. These guys (and gal) are a guilty pleasure. There’s just something funny about a quartet of brilliant, wealthy, and murderous children that hate mutants. There’s no way that this team should work, yet it does — delightfully so. These young psychopaths are every bit as charming as the young students they’re trying to scar (killing them would be counterproductive to the immensely profitable selling of Sentinel robots to mutant-hating governments).

The Writing: Jason Aaron has rocketed to the top of my list of favorite comic-book scribes. Like many of my other favorites (Michael Bendis, Mark Waid, Joss Whedon, Peter David, etc.), Aaron’s dialogue is snappy and humorous. His characters are deep and interesting. Unlike most writers that are known for great characterization, Aaron is also good at plotting out exciting action sequences. It’s rare that a writer excels at both.

The Social Media: To breath life into the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Marvel set up this nifty web site that has cute class descriptions and staff bios. Following the Twitter accounts of the staff and students adds to the fun of the comics. Here are some of the peeps you should follow.

Official School Account (@JeanGreySchool): These are mostly updates from Headmistress Kitty Pryde, though other faculty members occasionally send out tweets. Stay up to date on Bamf-related damage and injuries (and a whole lot more) with this account.
Quentin Quire (@QQuire): Get the latest on militant uprisings, like Quire’s movement against “the draconian dietary restrictions regarding tater-tots,” by following the school’s resident troublemaker.
Broo (@_Broodling_): Cute and insightful tweets from the smartest kid at school…that doesn’t really have a clue.
Idie Okonkwo (@idie_okonkwo): Like the girl in school that always told you how much she hated herself, these tweets are from a nice young girl that’s convinced she’s a monster.

Check out the entire listing of Jean Grey School-related Twitter accounts here.

The Conclusion: So yeah, to my surprise, I totally love this book. The writing is stellar, the art is fantastic, and the characters are wonderful. Even though it’s a marketing function, I love that the school and the characters are given additional development through social media. I highly recommend giving the comics and Twitter feeds a read. If you’re already a fan of the book, please leave a comment and let me know why you dig it. Lastly, Broo rules!

Random Thoughts on The Dark Knight Returns Part 2

Following my review of The Dark Knight Returns Part I are (you guessed it) random thoughts on The Dark Knight Returns Part 2. Like the first installment, the movie does a fine job of retelling Frank Miller’s grim and gritty story. And like the first installment, the art is much cleaner than the source material and isn’t nearly as distinct, but is probably more appealing to mainstream viewers. With a run time of 72 minutes and 30 seconds, I was very much satisfied with the conclusion of the series, but wish it was released as one movie from the get go. Now without further ado, here are some random thoughts on The Dark Knight Returns Part 2.

Batman vs. The Joker: While Batman was taking a long hiatus, Joker found life without his rival boring and allowed himself to be locked up in a psychiatric hospital. The return of Gotham’s hero reinvigorated Gotham’s greatest villain and the results were ghastly. The movie did a great job at showing what a psychopathic fiend and remorseless killer Joker is. Unlike most animated comic-book movies, this one had a villain that was truly frightening. Joker felt dangerous and his murder spree felt grisly. The conflict between Batman and Joker was brought to a bloody and satisfying conclusion for viewers, but left the hero with more problems than ever. Good stuff.

Cold War is Cold: One element of the movie that has lost impact over the years is the Corto Maltese subplot. When the graphic novel was released in 1986, the conflict between the United States and Russia was arguably the biggest global issue of the time. In 2013, it feels like a short and uneventful chapter in a high school history book. It just doesn’t feel as big a deal as it did back then, which takes away from the story (though that’s hardly Miller’s fault). I just don’t think the subplot will resonate with younger viewers the way it will with people that grew up with Cold War fear. The important thing is that it serves as a plot device that sets the stage for The Dark Knight vs. Big Blue.

Batman vs. Superman: While Batman and Superman have clashed over ideologies for decades, The Dark Knight Returns was the first book I read that treated the conflict in a major way. The two heroes have very different ideas on how to serve people and defeat villains. The conflict comes to a boiling point in the movie and the two duke it out. Thanks to a nuclear explosion, some kryptonite, and a tank-like battle-suit, Batman is able to hold is own. The animated version of this battle doesn’t feel as tragic as the print version; the motion actually detracts from the drama and makes it feel more like a typical wham-bam cartoon. That said, it’s a pretty sweet fight scene with a great conclusion.

Resolution: While the movie concludes with lots of destruction and death, there’s a twist at the very end that gives viewers hope. Gotham is in shambles, Wayne manor is in ashes, and the hero is seemingly six feet under. Being the clever old bastard that he is, Batman finds a way to survive, comes to an understanding with Superman, and is ready to give Gotham a fresh start (from the shadows, naturally). For a grim and gritty movie, the ending is surprisingly uplifting.

Conclusion: Like I said in my review of The Dark Knight Returns Part I, I wish the entire movie was released at once. It would have felt more complete and satisfying. That said, I understand that a total run time of over 148 isn’t what most people want from a movie, especially an animated superhero one. As a whole, I loved the The Dark Knight Returns and have it ranked as my second-favorite animated comic-book adaptation behind Batman: Under the Red Hood. While the art is a little bit too clean, the movie stays true to the original Frank Miller comics and is a fine version of one of the greatest Batman stories ever told.

X-Men Relaunch to Feature All-Female Team (X-Women?)

Brian Wood’s upcoming X-Men relaunch will not have any men, making the book’s title a bit curious. Instead, it will feature an all-female cast. Initially, Jubilee will be the star of the show. Longtime Marvel readers will recall that Wood was the last writer for Generation X, which was a very Jubilee-centric book. The sparkly mutant will be supported by Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rachel Grey, Rogue, and Storm. X-Men #1 will hit comic book stores and digital services in April 2013.

Wood spoke with USA Today about his decision to go with an all-new, all-different, and all-female team:

I feel like as far as the X-Men go, the women are the X-Men. Cyclops and Wolverine are big names, but taken as a whole, the women kind of rule the franchise. If you look at the entire world as a whole, it’s the females that really dominate and are the most interesting and cool to look at. When you have a great artist drawing them, they look so amazing and always have.

Any thoughts on Wood’s female furies? Some fanboys are already going nuts about the decision. Personally, I don’t see what the fuss is about. There are so many X-Men books that you can easily ignore one if you don’t like it. The bigger issue, to me, is going with Jubilee as the centerpiece. I never really liked her and wish Wolverine would bring her back to the shopping mall where she was discovered. Oh wait, he can’t. Wolvie is a total puff these days.

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Super Mario Bros. vs X-Men

Artist Casey Edwards is selling prints of Super Mario Bros. characters decked out like X-Men. The complete set runs $30 and consists of four prints that feature two characters each. Here’s the lineup:

Mario as Wolverine
Princess Peach as Phoenix
Luigi as Cyclops
Yoshi as Rogue
Donkey Kong as Colossus
Diddy Kong as Nightcrawler
Blue Toad as Angel
Yellow Toad as Jubilee

The art is…more

Mario as Wolverine
Princess Peach as Phoenix
Luigi as Cyclops
Yoshi as Rogue
Donkey Kong as Colossus
Diddy Kong as Nightcrawler
Blue Toad as Angel
Yellow Toad as Jubilee

The art is adorable and I hope Edwards does well with these. Check out the image below and let me know what you think (please!).

Source via Geeky Tyrant

Dave Batista as Drax the Destroyer?

Former WWE Superstar Dave Batista is up for the role of Drax the Destroyer in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The casting would have been perfect when Drax was mentally crippled. (I’ve read Batista Unleashed and it brought me to the conclusion that Big Dave is a mental a cripple or a brilliant master of unintentional comedy.) Sadly, Drax’s recent characterization has him wielding lesser powers and his original, normal intellect level.

Still, there’s room for hope. ComicBookMovie noted that Drax’s backstory will be updated for the movie. Most recent superhero movies have had some comic relief and an idiotic Drax would fill that hole nicely. Out of the actors being considered for Drax, Batista would be the best idiot. He’s a natural fit!

Any thoughts on Dave Batista playing Drax the Destroyer?

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Coffee Talk #551: Worst Comic Book of 2012

I’ve always liked Deathstroke. He was always one of the most bad-ass villains in the DC Universe. He’s cold and calculating, but has a sense of honor (which you don’t find in mercenaries these days). From his numerous showdowns with the Teen Titans to his sheer awesomeness in Identity Crisis to the start of his latest book, I’ve been a fan. And then Rob Liefeld entered the picture…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Tebowmania sputtering in New Jersey, hoping that Fifth Harmony wins X-Factor USA 2012, or getting excited for Anchorman 2’s December 2013 release, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Even at the height of his popularity in the ’90s, I was never a Liefeld fan. His art — ridiculously large shoulders, squinty eyes, and pointy hair — just bugged me. When he took over Deathstroke in May 2012, his art still bugged me. He made Deathroke look like Cable with a different color palette. His renderings of Lobo and Zealot were even worse. That said, I was prepared for the art because he’s been drawing that way for decades. What I wasn’t prepared for was his mediocre writing. The early proving-myself-all-over-again issues of Deathstroke were replaced by wham-bam action. The thoughtful start was replaced with vapid mayhem. Liefeld’s issues of Deathstroke made me stop buying the book.

(To be fair, there are a lot of rumors about DC’s editors pissing off writers by not giving them creative freedom and often asking for last-minute rewrites. It’s entirely possible that Liefeld wrote some great stories that were mangled by the editors.)

The good news is that Liefeld has left DC. Hopefully Deathstroke will regain the mix of cerebral writing and visceral action that made the early issues so much fun. Looking back at my negative comic-book experiences of 2012, Rob Liefeld ruining Deathstroke for me tops the list.

Now it’s your turn! What were your least favorite comics of the year?

Warren Ellis, Gun Machine, and the iPad

Renowned comic-book author Warren Ellis wrote a blog post on how he used the Apple iPad to write a large portion of his upcoming novel Gun Machine. The post was a response to another one of my favorite comic-book scribes, Greg Rucka. Ellis used the iPad along with a “Logitech Zagg Keyboard Case for iPad,” PlainText, iA Writer, QuickOffice Pro HD, and the outstanding Dropbox cloud service.

There are a few takeaways here. First, I’m reminded of tech pundits that dismissed the iPad as a content creation tool. While I always viewed the iPad more as a consumption device (which is what most people use it for, primarily), I’ve been blown away by the amount of great apps that allow for content creation. There are some truly (insanely?) great music, office, and image editing apps out there. There have been several days when this blog has been updated through a combination of Clean Writer, Filterstorm, and WordPress. As far as content creation goes, the iPad has exceeded most people’s expectations.

Secondly, Warren Ellis has always been one of the coolest cats writing comics. (You must read his run on The Authority!) The fact that he wrote a large chunk of his novel on an iPad makes him even cooler.

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