NEWSARAMA.COM: BATWOMAN FIRST LOOK
“After her debut she will be DC’s
highest profile homosexual character and perhaps the highest profile
homosexual character in comic books.”
Just what I was afraid of..
NEWSARAMA.COM: BATWOMAN FIRST LOOK
BATWOMAN FIRST LOOK
DC Comics has given Newsarama a look at art from July’s 52 #11, the debut of the new Batwoman character.
The new character is already gaining notoriety in the press outside of the usual industry circles – including the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Gay/Lesbian magazine Out’s website and the Drudge Report
- because of her sexual orientation. After her debut she will be DC’s
highest profile homosexual character and perhaps the highest profile
homosexual character in comic books.
Click on the thumbnail images to see larger versions of them (by artist Joe Bennett), and click right here for our weekend interview with DC’s Dan DiDio with much more details about the character…
ARAD RESIGNS AS CHAIRMAN/CEO OF MARVEL STUDIOS, WILL STAY ON TO PRODUCE – NEWSARAMA
Isn’t this interesting…
ARAD RESIGNS AS CHAIRMAN/CEO OF MARVEL STUDIOS, WILL STAY ON TO PRODUCE – NEWSARAMA
ARAD RESIGNS AS CHAIRMAN/CEO OF MARVEL STUDIOS, WILL STAY ON TO PRODUCE
Press ReleaseMarvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL), a global
character-based entertainment and licensing company, today announced
that the company has entered into a new arrangement with Avi Arad to
independently produce films for Marvel under his own production company
banner, Avi Arad Productions. In this new capacity, Mr. Arad will
remain actively involved in Marvel’s upcoming film slate, including
Iron Man and Hulk, the first two films anticipated to be financed and
produced by Marvel under its new film financing slate. Mr. Arad will
also remain attached to produce various licensed productions, including
the upcoming Spider-Man 3, scheduled for release next year, and
subsequent sequels. Consistent with this restructuring, Mr. Arad is
resigning from his corporate positions as Chairman and CEO of Marvel
Studios, Chief Creative Officer of Marvel and a Marvel director, but
will continue to serve as Creative Advisor for Marvel through the
remainder of 2006.Michael Helfant, President and COO of Marvel Studios, and Kevin Feige,
Marvel Studio’s President of Production, will lead Marvel Studios and
its continuing development of a growing slate of feature films,
television and other entertainment projects. Mr. Helfant, an
industry veteran with over 17 years of production experience, was
recruited to Marvel last year to manage the expanded scope of studio
operations; and Mr. Feige, recently appointed President of Production,
has worked side by side with Mr. Arad for the past eight years during
Marvel’s impressive production run.“I have helped to build Marvel into a very special company, and on the
heels of the tremendous success of X-Men: The Last Stand, I felt like
it was the right time for me to move away from the day to day corporate
responsibilities in order to focus on what I love best – creating and
producing. I am leaving behind a great team to run the studio, and I
expect to remain actively involved in the development and production of
many Marvel films in the years to come,” said Mr. Arad.Mort Handel, Marvel’s Chairman of the Board, commented, “Avi has been a
driving force at Marvel, and he and his team are credited with
producing some of the highest grossing films in history, including this
past weekend’s blockbuster X-Men: The Last Stand and Spider-Man, Hulk,
and Fantastic Four. His vision and leadership will be missed, but we
understand Avi’s desire to pursue a broader array of opportunities and
wish him the best of luck. Going forward, we are fortunate to have a
deep bench led by Michael Helfant and Kevin Feige who will assume the
bulk of Avi’s company responsibilities.” In addition, Sid Ganis, a
Marvel Director, Independent Producer and the President of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will assist Marvel during the
transition.Michael Helfant, who joined Marvel in November 2005, has over 22 years
of entertainment industry experience, most recently as COO of Beacon
Pictures, a major independent motion picture production company whose
recent feature film releases include Open Range, Raising Helen and
Ladder 49. Prior to Beacon, Mr. Helfant was Senior Executive Vice
President of Dimension Films (SPY Kids, Scream and Scary Movie
franchises, and The Others), a division of Miramax Film Corp. from
1999-2002. Mr. Helfant also served as Executive Vice President, Head of
Business Operations and Acquisitions at Interscope Communications, Inc.
(Runaway Bride, Pitch Black, Mr. Holland’s Opus and Jumanji), and
Senior Vice President of Sovereign Pictures, Inc (Reversal of Fortune,
My Left Foot, The Commitments and Cinema Paradiso). Mr. Helfant started
his career as an entertainment attorney with Loeb & Loeb in Century
City. Mr. Helfant is a graduate of the JD/MBA program at UCLA.Kevin Feige has over ten years of entertainment experience, including
eight years developing feature films and entertainment based on Marvel
characters. He joined Marvel Studios in 2000 as Executive Vice
President and was recently promoted to President, Production. He has
been actively involved in Marvel’s feature film projects, serving
as Executive Producer on X-Men: The Last Stand, Spider-Man 2, The Hulk,
The Punisher and Fantastic Four; Co-Producer on X-Men: United and
Daredevil and as a production executive on Spider-Man. Prior to joining
Marvel Studios, Mr. Feige worked for Producer Lauren Shuler Donner and
Director Richard Donner at The Donners’ Company. While
there, he worked on films including Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones
and the hit romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, directed by Nora Ephron
and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. He then transitioned into
development which led to an Associate Producer role on the film that
revamped the comic book genre, X-Men. It was there that he started his
work in the Marvel Universe, developing the X-Men feature for two years
with Lauren and Director Bryan Singer, and serving as the film’s
Associate Producer. Mr. Feige graduated from the University of Southern
California’s School of Cinema-Television.
MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 CONTINUED IN INVINCIBLE #33 – NEWSARAMA
I love Kirkman’s work on Invincible, but I hated the Marvel Team-Up issue. It was really bad.
MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 CONTINUED IN INVINCIBLE #33 – NEWSARAMA
MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 CONTINUED IN INVINCIBLE #33
Press Release
“The Villain Behind Invincible’s Trip to the Marvel Universe Revealed at Last!”
BERKELEY, CA — 24 May, 2006 — In a crossover of
unprecedented proportions, MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 featured the first
meeting of Invincible and Marvel’s Spider-Man as the unwitting
Invincible was plunged through reality after reality with only a hint
as to how or why. At the end of that issue, Invincible returned home in
search of answers, and with INVINCIBLE #33, those answers are finally
coming!Since INVINCIBLE’s 2003 debut, the world Robert Kirkman has shaped
around the series’ title character has become home to an ever-growing
cast of colorful characters, but for all the foes Mark Grayson has
faced, none have ever attained “arch-enemy” status. Only in the pages
of MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 was an enemy beyond Invincible’s control hinted
at, which was exactly how Kirkman had planned it.“When it came time to do the Invincible appearance in MARVEL TEAM-UP
#14, I really wanted it to be something special,” explained Kirkman.
“In too many instances, a crossover doesn’t mean a thing, and as long
as I had a say, I wanted to make sure this story would affect
INVINCIBLE for years to come.“In TEAM-UP #14, Invincible mentions a guy named Angstrom Levy who’s
throwing him through a ton of dimensions in an effort to wear him down.
Problem is, ol’ Invincible isn’t tiring in the slightest, so Angstrom
turns his attention to the people Marks cares about most. And if you
think my other book, THE WALKING DEAD, is brutal, you haven’t seen
anything yet! Angstrom is turning out to be one bad dude!”Readers familiar with Angstrom Levy from earlier appearances may recall
that he initially seemed more or less like a standard-issue human
menace, but following events in INVINCIBLE #24, he’s been given
somewhat of an upgrade. And fittingly, Kirkman and regular series
artist Ryan Ottley turned to an old friend when it came time to give
Levy his new look.“I remember Robert wanted a villain who looked as evil as he acted,”
recalled Ryan Ottley. “And while I dug the overall idea, I had a hard
time conceiving him. Luckily, your friend and mine – INVINCIBLE co-
creator Cory Walker –pitched in and showed us just how to do it.”“The moment Cory’s sketches came in, I knew we had our new big bad, ”
added Kirkman. “He’s going to be tearing our poor boy’s world apart. In
fact, Angstrom and Invincible’s punch out takes violence in the book to
new heights – and yes, I was there for the fight with this dad!”Fans eager to catch up with Invincible’s adventures can do so with the
five trade paperbacks currently available and a sixth, entitled A
DIFFERENT WORLD (NOV051715), due out shortly. And while Kirkman
encourages readers to immerse themselves in the story, he’s also quick
to point that anything can happen to even the most beloved characters.“I can’t wait for the fans coming off MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 to read the
book, but they’re going to have another thing coming if they think this
is just like any other superhero comic,” he noted with a sinister
chuckle. “With a bad guy this evil, someone’s gotta die. And yes, that
could mean YOU, Invincible!”Invincible #33 (FEB061782) is available for order now with a cover price of $2.99 and an in-store date of June 28.
Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by
a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone
on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States.
There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd
McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently
divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow
Productions, Shadowline and Image Central). Image comics and graphic
novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable,
offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical
fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in
the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com for more information. Image Comics – Putting the NEW back in to New Comic Book Day!(tm)
NEWSARAMA.COM: HOWARD PORTER: A NEW HERO, A NEW STYLE
Read the rest of the interview at the link below
NEWSARAMA.COM: HOWARD PORTER: A NEW HERO, A NEW STYLE
HOWARD PORTER: A NEW HERO, A NEW STYLE
by Vaneta Rogers
After getting used to the way his pencils looked on comics like JLA, Fantastic Four and The Flash, fans of Howard Porter’s work are going to have to get used to his work all over again.
Anyone who’s seen the previews for August’s Trials of Shazam
has noticed there’s something different about Porter’s art. The lines
are more blended, the inks are less defined and the colors almost come
across as paint or oil pastels.
The 12-issue Captain Marvel maxi series being written by Judd Winick, which will debut as a preview story in June’s Brave New World, promises to redefine the whole Marvel family. But it seems to be redefining Howard Porter’s art as well.
Newsarama sat down
with Porter to talk about what he’s doing differently, why he chose to
debut the new style in Shazam, and what it means for his artistic
future.
NEWSARAMA.COM: DC’s THE GREAT TEN PREVIEW GALLERY
NEWSARAMA.COM: DC’s THE GREAT TEN PREVIEW GALLERY
DC’s THE GREAT TEN PREVIEW GALLERY
Sunday’s Arts & Leisure piece in the New York Times regarding diversity in American comic books not only included the first look at DC’s new Batwoman character,
accompanying the piece was a slideshow gallery featuring character
designs of the highly-touted “The Great Ten” – the Grant
Morrison-conceived, Chinese government controlled superteam making
their debut in a June issue of 52.
Here is a look at the images and the text descriptions of each character as described by the Times and/or the character sketch itself. Click on the images to open larger versions…
“The Celestial
Archer has ties to Chinese mythology.”
“The task of the
Ghost Fox Killer, an emissary from a dwindling colony, is to kill
evil men.”
“Mother of
Champions, who can give birth to a litter of 25 super-soldiers about
every three days.”
“The Accomplished
Perfect Physician uses sound to cure cancer and promote healing.”
Corrected:
one of Mother of Champions brood, roughly age 25 – at his
“peak.”
“Thundermind,
a member of the Chinese government-controlled Great Ten, part of a new
comic book by DC.”
“The Socialist
Red Guardsman is a character who used his solar powers to carry out
the Cultural Revolution.”
“Immortal Man
in Darkness gives off dark, swirling vapors.”
“August General
is known for preventing the Shaolin Robots from enforcing a return
to imperial rule.”
“A Shaolin
Robot.”
One of
the Seven Deadly Brothers
Newsarama – DAN DIDIO ON BATWOMAN
Filed under: Comic Creator Interviews, Coming Soon, Commentary
I don’t see how this will make it. I just don’t understand how sexuality has to be brought up at all, let alone made to look like it is the focal point of the character..
?
As the New York Times broke yesterday, Batwoman is coming back to the DCU and Gotham City in the form of Kathy “Kate” Kane, lesbian who has a history both with Renee Montoya and with…apparently, Bruce Wayne.?
As the news was filtering out through various channels, we caught up with DC Executive Editor Dan Didio to talk about the new character, the role her sexuality will play, and what the future holds for the new Batwoman.
NRAMA: So – after much rumor, speculation, and teasing, Batwoman is making her debut…
Dan Didio: Yes!
NRAMA: Tell us about her…
DIDIO: We’re always looking for ways to reinvigorate the Batman franchise, and look at other characters to inhabit his world. One of my problems with it was that I felt that a lot of the characters were coming form the same place, the same sense of origin, the same sense of tragedy in their backstory. We wanted to find a way to branch out a little bit more in the Bat-world. We looked at the Kathy Kane character, and we wanted to find a way to bring her back to the DC Universe. We figured that coming out of Infinite Crisis was a good time to re-introduce the character to the DCU –we can blame Superboy Prime for that.
We wanted to find a way to make her feel different, and give her a different personality, a different ideology, and a different backstory, so that she wasn’t just another Batman or Bruce Wayne clone. She’s a member of high society and she is gay. But her sexuality is not the main thrust of the character; it’s just another aspect of her personality, one that helps her to determine her choices that she makes as she’s fighting crime in Gotham City.
NRAMA: What do you mean by that last part? How does the fact that she’s gay help to determine the choices she makes as she’s fighting crime in Gotham?
DIDIO: Basically, what it means is that we have another very strong female character, and how her private life plays against her heroic life is going to be where the stories play in; as well as different types of adventures and different types of dramas that she gets caught up in. One of the first stories is that she does have a history with Montoya – because of that, it pulls her directly into a lot of the events in Montoya’s world, brings her into confrontation with The Question, and gets her hooked up with the things that are happening in 52.
NRAMA: Playing devil’s advocate, as you said, the fact that she is gay will play a role in her activities as a hero – but, when you flip that, it doesn’t really apply to say, Batman. You can’t say, “Because he’s heterosexual, Batman’s adventures are thus and so.” Heterosexuality as a character trait is has been largely ignored with Batman, yet it’s not the same when you’re talking about a gay character. Why is that?
DIDIO: If the character is gay, she might have had different levels of challenges in her life. The fact that she conceals her own sexuality to some of the people around her and to her own family is going to be a bit of a story, so there are going to be secrets within secrets. You’ll also find more and more about who she is as the story is told, and see how it plays against her lifestyle.
NRAMA: Where does she debut again?
DIDIO: 52 #11
NRAMA: And her name is Kathy Kane…
DIDIO: Or “Kate” as we’re calling her now.
NRAMA: Her costume designed by Alex Ross – it has interesting elements, both a nod to the original Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the Batman Beyond color scheme. What went into the look?
DIDIO: We really attribute the costume fully to Alex. When we went to him, we explained that we were bringing Batwoman back, but she is coming back for a new generation. He knew the backstory of the character as well, and wanted to do something that would both pay tribute to the past, but also move the character into her own identity. He’s so incredible when he does these things; he pulls from so many different places and still makes it feel unique while still giving a wink and a nod to everything around him.
NRAMA: Anytime someone shows up in Batman’s world, he takes a relatively grumpy reaction…well; he did prior to Infinite Crisis. What’s his response to this intrusion, post Infinite Crisis?
DIDIO: Well, remember that she’s operating in the city for nearly a year before Bruce comes home. She’s going to be able to establish herself in that fashion, and part of the assumption of the identity will be filling that void in Gotham City that has been left by Batman packing up and leaving after Crisis. This plays out on several levels, because you’ll also find out that there’s history between Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane from before she put on the costume as well. She’s someone who’s frequented the high society circles – they’ve encountered each other in the past, and there is some sense of history between the two, although we’re not really explaining what just yet. So, more importantly, he’s going to have to deal with her on multiple levels, as she reasserts herself in a level of prominence in Gotham society.
NRAMA: Plans for her in the immediate future? Her own series, miniseries, appearances, or can it be said at this point?
DIDIO: One of the things that I would like to do with Batwoman in particular, because we feel that who she is and the development of the character is so unique to what we’re trying to accomplish in the DCU, but also to what 52 is about, one of the things I’d like to see, at least in the beginning, is to see her as a character who will be appearing primarily in 52. Them, we’ll be exploring things in different ways.
To use a Marvel reference, I always liked the way that Marvel introduced the Punisher. He started in Amazing Spider-Man, and had some really landmark appearances in Daredevil, and they allowed interest in him to grow. I think this is a character that can really benefit form appearing in different books first before we test the waters with her on her own.
NRAMA: And let the fan demand fuel a project?
DIDIO: Yeah. We’ve introduced a lot of characters in a very short period time, and we’ve got a lot more coming down the pipeline, but I’d like to believe that mostly everything we do now is coming out of other things so that we’re not just throwing books and ideas and concepts at people cold. I want it to be where it feels like everything has time to take root. Again, we’re throwing a lot of new ideas, and more importantly, things where people are already predisposed about how they think a character should act and behave. So I want to pull them in a little more slowly now, and get them acclimated to the new directions for the series and the characters themselves, and hopefully enjoy what we’re doing.
Therefore, when we do go bigger with series and stories, they’re ready for it, and, as the expression goes are coming out, “Because you Demanded It!”
NRAMA: Bigger picture – as you said, you’ve introduced a large number of characters in a relatively short time coming out of Crisis. A lot of these characters are non-white, or, like Batwoman, minorities in other respects. That was the plan all along?
DIDIO: Always. From the moment I walked in the door. If you go out and try to diversify the DC Universe in 15 minutes – and you can – but you’re going to get something that will instantly forgotten like, not to speak too ill of the dead, Planet DC. Noble effort, smart idea, but the execution short-circuited the concept, and it was stillborn.
So what we wanted to do is have a DC Universe that was more reflective, not only of our readership, but as society as a whole. Everything that we’re doing, every step that we’re taking, we’ll keep on pushing that, not only because I think it’s the right thing to do, but also because it allows us to create those points of difference. The fact that the Blue Beetle is Hispanic allows you to include a different kind of sensibility into the story that we might not have had in another series. It’s the same thing with the new Atom being Asian. It should affect the storytelling in some way, because it allows us to give a different point of view, a different perspective. The same thing with Renee Montoya or Kate Kane being gay – that doesn’t matter who they are, but it does help give their stories a different point of view, a different perspective on the DCU that other characters might not have. It’s trying to attack these things on a personal level, so we can get much richer, more emotional stories from them.
NRAMA: Wrapping up – Batwoman coming back…Batgirl…not around anymore?
DIDIO: …I didn’t say that, did I? [laughs]
NRAMA: So the Bat-shaking’s not done?
DIDIO: Yeah. There’s a good chance that there are some more twists and turns coming up within the Bat Family. There was that sense that they were a single unit, operating with a single mindset, and all the characters were marching to Batman’s orders. One of the key things we need to do; especially coming out of Crisis is reinstate that sense of individuality for all the characters that inhabit Batman’s world. We’ve got a great set of characters with Robin and Nightwing and several others there, but what we need to do is make sure we understand and express what each one of their point of difference is.
I don’t want somebody to pick up a Batman book, a Nightwing book, and a Robin book and feel like they’re reading the same story. These are three different people with three different perspectives, with three different stories taking place. They all should have their own tonality and their own feel, and that’s what we want to do with Batwoman right now – she should have her own tonality, her own feel so that her character and her story has something that’s unique to itself, and not just another Batman story with a woman.
Newsarama – BATWOMAN NAMED IN NYT
Filed under: Comic Book News, Coming Soon, Commentary, Random Thoughts and Information
I don’t mind having more ethincally diverse superheroes, but I don’t think sexuality, gay or otherwise, should ever enter into the devlopment of a comic book character.
|
? Hinted and teased about for months, Sunday’s New York Times (already being delivered in the New York area) confirms that DC is brining back a staple of its Silver Age: Batwoman.?
The article, entitled “Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it,” is a full- page feature on page 25 of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section on Marvel and DC’s emphasis on increasing the diversity of their respective character libraries over the past months to year-plus. NYT writer George Gene Gustines covers, among others, the attention being placed on the upcoming Black Panther/Storm wedding at Marvel and Luke Cage’s key role in New Avengers, and the new Blue Beetle – a Hispanic teen – as well as Batwoman, Kathy Kane, who, according to the article: “…is a wealthy (socialite), buxom lipstick lesbian who has a history with Renee Montoya, an ex-police detective who has a starring role in 52.” According to the article, Batwoman will “appear in costume for the first time in a July issue of 52” Eagle-eyed DC fans caught a first look at Batwoman in Infinite Crisis #7’s splash page showing a swath of new characters – wearing a costume apparently inspired by the original, Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the color scheme of Batman Beyond. According to the NYT, the costume was designed by Alex Ross. Of course, her name, an obvious homage to the Silver Age “Kathy Kane”. Also mentioned is “the Great Ten”, a Chinese-government controlled/sponsored superhero team making their debut next month in 52. According to the article, the team includes, “the Celestial Archer, with ties to Chinese mythology; Mother of Champions, who can give birth to a litter of 25 super-soldiers about every three days; and Seven Deadly Brothers, a martial arts expert who can divide into many.” The Times piece recaps the sometimes bumpy roads comic books have taken towards diversity – including DC’s 1998 series The New Guardians, the mid-90’s Milestone imprint, and 2000’s “Planet DC” initiative – but according to Gustines, this new emphasis/push is intended to be a “sustained one,” taking place in an alternate world that nevertheless reflects American society in general and comics readers in particular, in much the same way that they multicultural casts of televisions shows like ABC’s Lost and Grey’s Anatomy mirror their audiences.” “I’m glad we’re at the point when they’re being rolled out without flourish – not ‘Minority Heroes Attack!,’ ” DC writer Judd Winick tells Gustines. “It’s important to see them as characters and not a story line about race.” The piece is also not without some examination of the online comic book community and their reaction to change. Citing the death of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, which paved the way for the new Mexican-American Jaime Reyes version, Gustine writes, “Fans of the old Blue Beetle posted online messages decrying his death and griping about DC’s new, generally more somber direction. But comics devotees are notorious for buying titles out of loyalty, whether from completist compulsion or from a need to be able to complain about what they don’t like, and DC knows it”. “It’s hard to introduce any new hero DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio tells Gustines, adding that using familiar names like (like Blue Beetle and Batwoman), “gives us a leg up so they’re more readily accepted, I think that’s the way to go.” Look for a link to the Times piece when it appears online, and an interview with DiDio on the new Batwoman and DC’s drive to diversity Sunday, here at Newsarama.com. |
Comic Book Resources – LEGENDARY CARTOONIST ALEX TOTH DEAD AT 78
This is sad news.? I got a lot of enjoyment from his work when I was a kid.? He will be missed.
Comic Book Resources – CBR News – The Comic Wire
LEGENDARY CARTOONIST ALEX TOTH DEAD AT 78
by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer
Posted: May 27, 2006
According to a posting on the official Alex Toth Web site, the legendary artist/designer has passed away. He was 78.
Born on June 25th, 1928
in New York City, Toth is known for his work as a designer and creator
of a number of comics and animated properties. Probably his best known
creations to the public at large were for Hanna Barbera, where in the
’60s and ’70s he designed much loved creations like Space Ghost, Josie
and the Pussycats, The Herculoids and the Super Friends. His design
influence is still felt today as many of those early cartoons have been
reappropriated for new shows on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swin, such as
the popular “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” and “Sea Lab 2021.”
Toth’s oldest son Eric
said Saturday evening his father passed away early Saturday morning
while sitting at his drawing table. No further details were available,
but Eric did note that an appropriate memorial panel may be planned at
this summer’s Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Eric Toth said, “…all
of your cards and letters of the recent past were very much appreciated
by my father. Only in these last years did he begin to understand and
accept the fact that his work had touched so many people’s lives.”
All of us here at CBR offer our most sincere condolences to the Toth family on their loss.
NEWSARAMA.COM: MATT WAGNER ON BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK
I am looking forward to this one.
Full interview is at the link below.
NEWSARAMA.COM: MATT WAGNER ON BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK
MATT WAGNER ON BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK
Matt
Wagner’s first retro-outing with Batman, Batman and the Monster
Men just wrapped, and that means that the Mad Monk isn’t far behind.
The second of Wagner’s two-part “Dark Moon Rising” storyline, the six issue Batman and the Mad Monk
miniseries begins in August, re-telling for a contemporary audience of
one of Batman’s first encounters with criminals who were more…freakish
than your ordinary gangster or mobster.
Case in point, the
Mad Monk. Originally published in 1939, the story was one of the first
multi-part Batman adventures, and was decidedly flavored by the pulp
nature that comics were slowly breaking free from to establish their
own genre. As such, the Mad Monk was a vampire, and Batman ultimately
dispatched him with a gun.Wagner began his larger “Dark Moon Rising” story, with Monster Men
which caught up with a “Year 1.5″ Batman facing off Professor Hugo
Strange and his genetically engineered monstrosities. While Batman was
smashing monsters at night, Bruce Wayne has his own difficulties,
juggling his relationship with Julie Madison, whose father had gotten
involved with organized crime in an effort to save his own company.We spoke with Wagner for a recap of Monster Men and where Batman’s at in this time period, as well as a look at where things are headed for The Mad Monk.
Comic Book Resources: “GHOST RIDER” TRAILER HITS THE WEB & WE’VE GOT SCREEN GRABS
Comic Book Resources – CBR News – The Comic Reel
“GHOST RIDER” TRAILER HITS THE WEB & WE’VE GOT SCREEN GRABS
by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer
Posted: May 23, 2006
For those looking forward to new comic based films, none have intrigued
fans quite as much as “Ghost Rider.” With films like “Batman Begins”
and “Superman Returns,” we essentially knew what the character would
look like in live action, but “Ghost Rider” was a real mystery. What
would the flaming skull of the Spirit of Vengeance look like in action?
What about the flaming hot rod he rides around in?
Today, comic fans the world over got a chance to check out Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider with the new trailer now available for download.
For those of you with slower connections, or unable to watch the
trailer during working hours, we’ve come to your aid with a whole slew
of screen grabs down below.
“Ghost Rider” hits theaters in the U.S. on Feburary 16, 2007.
