Marvel Comics float from the 1988 Macy’s Day Parade
Thanks for the tip from The Oklahoman’s Multimedia Editor Mike Koehler.
Monday movie quote challenge #7
“Hey, Mike, you think you can toss me my calculations? Thanks! Ah, here it is. ‘Breach Hull – All Die.’ Even had it underlined.”
Identify who said this quote in what film in the comments!
Sunday night movie: Starship Troopers
You can check out the film Starship Troopers, extremely different from Robert Heinlein’s version, on Hulu.com. The 1997 film stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards and NPH himself, Neil Patrick Harris.
- Matt Price
Preview: Wolverine and the X-Men
A short Nicktoons preview for “Wolverine and the X-Men,” debuting in January.
Comics vodcast: Supergirl 35, Uncanny X-Men 504, X-Men: Legacy 218
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Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss comics for the week of Nov. 21, 2008: Supergirl #35, Uncanny X-Men #504 and X-Men: Legacy #218.
Billy Tucci tells story of “Lost Battalion” with Sgt. Rock
ARLINGTON, Texas – Writer-artist Billy Tucci hopes his newest comic book can be “a bridge across generations.”
“Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion” features DC Comics’ World War II character Sgt. Rock. But this story is based on real-life events.
In October of 1944, 275 Texans of the Alamo Regiment, of the 141st Infantry, were surrounded by German forces. After rescue attempts failed for six days, the general of the 36th division called for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This unit was made up primarily of Japanese Americans.
“They pretty much were sent on a suicide mission,” Tucci said. “It was 1600 men against 7000 German soldiers, in tanks.”
The 442nd succeeded in breaking through the German lines and reaching the 141st.
“By the end of that battle though, of the 1,600 men that went in to save 275, 800 were able to walk out,” Tucci said. “And it’s come down to be the most decorated action in U.S. military history. These guys have become friends of mine, and they want their stories told.”
What’s even more amazing is that so many of these men died defending freedom while their own families were being held in internment camps, Tucci said.
“After Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt incarcerated 125,000 Japanese American citizens in interment camps. And their only crime was their heritage,” Tucci said. “And something incredible happened during this war … by the hundreds, these boys started to volunteer out of the camps. Because they loved America, and they wanted to prove that they were good Americans.”
Tucci visited the battle sites in France as part of his research for “The Lost Battalion”
“I’ve seen the battlefields, I’ve walked the beaches of Normandy, I’ve seen the foxholes of the Lost Battalion,” Tucci said. “I’ve touched the graves in the cemeteries where 10,000 Americans never came home.”
Tucci said meeting veterans who shared their stories with him has been the most rewarding part of creating “The Lost Battalion.”
“It’s become a really wonderful experience of my life,” he said. “It’s a heartfelt story, it’s not a rah-rah war story. It’s a story that you could say celebrates the American soldier.”
Tucci will tell the story of the Lost Battalion, through the lens of Sgt. Rock, in six comic-books being released through March. The first issue is on sale now.
A version of this story ran in Friday’s Weekend Look in The Oklahoman.
Baseball Boss makes pitch for iPhone
The Web-based baseball simulation “Baseball Boss” is now formatted to work with the iPhone.
Jeff Petry, head of marketing for Challenge Games, answered some questions about how “Baseball Boss” will play in that format.
Q: How will “Baseball Boss” adapt for iPhone?
A: Baseball Boss is a web-based baseball game. It’s not an app that players have to buy and download. We’ve formatted the game to work with the iPhone functions and layout. No installation is needed, but players need to create an account at www.baseballboss.com via a computer. Then they can access Baseball Boss using the iPhone’s web browser.
Q: What will be the major advantages to being available on the iPhone?
A: Our company mission is to create online, short-form games that are challenging, fun and easy to play whether you’re a serious or casual gamer. This makes the iPhone a perfect fit. You can use iPhone’s browser to play Baseball Boss anytime, from anywhere. So it is perfect for someone on-the-go or who has a few minutes to to get that quick baseball and gaming fix.
Q: Have features been added to the game? Will some features not make the iPhone cut?
A: Players can accept challenges and see the results, read messages, browse their cards and review the status of auctions on their iPhone.
There are few differences between the play on the iPhone versus a computer, and we are planning to add to what you can do on iPhone over time. You start by creating an account via a computer, then can play on a either you computer or iPhone.
Before being able to use the iPhone to play Baseball Boss, players will need to use a computer to create a free account at www.baseballboss.com.
Q: Explain more about how the game works.
A: Baseball Boss is very unique to the baseball game genre. It is the first game to combine baseball simulation games with collectible card games. Baseball Boss is an official licensee of MLB Advanced Media and the MLBPA. It is a free to play web based game based on 3 simple things:
Players collect and trade virtual Baseball Boss branded baseball cards of current and historical players – it’s like iTunes meets baseball cards.
Players use those cards to create a baseball team.
Players then challenge others through a variety of head-to-head baseball game play modes.
Players can register and play free at www.baseballboss.com. We give all new players free packs of our Baseball Boss cards when they register.
iPhone users will love being able to play baseball on their iPhone without having to buy and install an app.
A version of this Q&A ran in Friday’s Weekend Look in The Oklahoman.
DVD review: The Incredible Hulk
Actor Edward Norton and studio Marvel reportedly had some disagreements on the final cut of “The Incredible Hulk,” now out on DVD. With the plethora of deleted scenes included on the 3-disc special edition, you can argue that Norton was right. Most of the deleted scenes bring more humanity to Bruce Banner, Norton’s character who, when angry or excited, turns into the green monster the incredible Hulk.
Perhaps stung by criticism of the 2003 Ang Lee-directed “Hulk,” Marvel chose to move the action up in the film. The film concludes with a CGI fight sequence that’s overlong. Still, the released “Incredible Hulk” was an exciting, well-acted film. But it seems from the scenes we’re given on the DVD that Norton’s version could have been better.
Marvel fans will also appreciate the blink-and-you’ll-miss-him appearance of a frozen Captain America in the alternate opening to the film. While the film works better without that opening, it’s a nice Easter egg.
Also included on the 3-disc edition of the DVD are multiple documentaries, a commentary by director Louis Letterier, and a digital copy of the film.
- Matthew Price
Third “Wolverine and the X-Men” trailer
Kryptonians in Pauls Valley
In “Supergirl” #35, out this week, Tulsa writer Sterling Gates has a shout-out to his home state of Oklahoma: As 100,000 Kryptonians from the bottle city of Kandor have been freed, several of them spread out to check out the United States. In this issue, one is seen flying through a pasture in Pauls Valley.
– Matt Price
