Monster coming to Syfy channel
Viz has announced that Monster, the anime based on the mangy by Naoki Urasawa, will air on Mondays beginning Oct. 12 on the Syfy channel.
The show, rated TV-MA, will be rebroadcast the following week on the sister channel, Chiller.
“Naoki Urasawa’s ‘Monster’ weaves an engrossing story of politics, psychological intrigue and murder,” said William Germain, VIZ Media’s Director of Programming Sales, in a release. “The multi-layered plot and mysterious characters that make Naoki Urasawa’s manga a smash hit are adapted wonderfully for the animated series, which remains true to the original story.”
In “Monster,” Dr. Kenzo Tenma saves the life of a young boy named Johan. Years later, Johan appears to be a serial murderer. Suspected of being the murderer himself, Dr. Tenma must go on the run, as he attempts to track down a monster.
For more about the “Monster” manga, see http://www.vizsignature.com/monster/.
Click past the cut for the full release.
Writer Chris Yost dissects Wolverine’s busy animated life
Wolverine’s not going to be out of the limelight anytime soon.
Hugh Jackman announced at the recent Teen Choice Awards that work has begun on a second “Wolverine” film, to be set in Japan.
Meanwhile, Wolverine is also very busy in animation. The second DVD of the animated series “Wolverine and the X-Men” arrived in stores last month, and selected episodes are available to watch online at Marvel.com or to download from iTunes. The series airs on Nicktoons.
An anime version of Wolverine is in development to air in Japan and the U.S. Also on the way is “Super Hero Squad,” which will co-star Wolverine, scheduled to air on the Cartoon Network.
“The great thing about Wolverine is that he can be in ‘Super Hero Squad’ and be for young kids, and he can be in ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ and be like in the middle range, and then he can be in (the direct-to-DVD PG-13 animated film) ‘Hulk Vs. Wolverine,’” said Chris Yost, a writer for “Wolverine and the X-Men.”
“You immediately think, ‘This guy’s got knives on his hands; he’s really inappropriate for children.’ But you know, children respond to it. Children love Wolverine, and there’s a good reason for that. He’s a hero. There’s more to him than just violence.”
In “Wolverine and the X-Men,” Wolverine must take charge of the X-Men after an attack on the X-Mansion scatters the team. “With ‘Wolverine and the X-Men,’ we had an opportunity to show you the X-Men’s world as we know it,” Yost said in an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego. “We know the mansion, we know the Danger Room. … And then immediately the show’s turned on its head by the events of the first episode.”
The attack on the mansion in the first episode is what resets the world from the X-Men we know into a world that shares similarities with the “Days of Future Past” story line from the comic books.
“Everything blows up, and everything is different,” Yost said. “Wolverine’s now in charge, and Scott’s all brooding, and Jean (Grey) and Xavier are gone. It was a very conscious decision to show normal, and then get into what the show is going to be.”
“Wolverine and the X-Men” follows a long, epic journey in Wolverine’s attempts to reunite the team as they deal with mutant prejudice and the threat of Magneto.
“I believe there are things you can do in animation, like with ‘Wolverine and the X-Men,’ the scope and the epic scale of that story, you’re never going to see that in a movie, ever,” he said.
Yost also co-wrote the “Hulk Vs. Wolverine” script with Craig Kyle, and writes the character in the monthly “X-Force” comic book, also with Kyle. Yost said he considers himself lucky to have been able to chronicle Wolverine’s adventures in various media.
“With the DVDs, with the comics, it’s being able to show different sides of this character,” Yost said. “At the end of the day, he’s always a hero.”
- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
When Superman met Wonder Woman: Voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt at Comic-Con
Husband and wife voice actors Yuri Lowenthal (Superman in “Legion of Superheroes”) and Tara Platt (Wonder Woman in “DC Vs Mortal Kombat”) took a few minutes to talk to me at Comic-Con International about their upcoming book, Voice-Over Voice Actor, available for pre-order at BugBotPress.com.
- Matt Price
From Jewel Box to Dream Girl: Oklahoma provided start for actress Tara Platt
Actress Tara Platt. (c)2008 John Phillips. Used with permission.
Oklahoma-raised Tara Platt has voiced superheroes, starred in movies and written a book.
Platt is maybe best known as the voice of Temari on the anime hit “Naruto,” but she has also portrayed superheroes Dream Girl (on “Legion of Superheroes”) and Wonder Woman (on the “DC vs. Mortal Kombat” game). She’s also appeared on “Charmed” and “Gilmore Girls.” But it all got started in Oklahoma, where Platt lived from age 7 to 11.
Dream Girl from Legion of Superheroes.
“I remember we went to see ‘Annie Get Your Gun,’ and there were a bunch of kids my age in the chorus,” Platt said. “They were dressed up in fun costumes and singing and seemed to be having a blast. After the show, I turned to my mom and said, ‘I wanna do that.’”
Platt’s mother told her that it takes lots of skill, time and energy to become an actress, but didn’t discourage her.
“She said that if I read the paper and came across an audition listing, that she would take me,” Platt said. “A few months later I saw an ad for the Jewel Box Theatre’s production of ‘Wait Until Dark’ with a role for a 9-year-old girl. I auditioned and got Gloria, and I haven’t looked back since!”
Wonder Woman from DC Vs. Mortal Kombat
Platt lived in Oklahoma while her father attended the University of Oklahoma’s medical school. She said her overall memories of the state are wonderful.
“I ended up going to elementary school there at Wiley Post Elementary,” Platt said. “We did the Sooners’ Run where we pretended we were pioneers and got to run across the school yard and stake out land with our red wagons and toy guns.”
That imagination is still in play today.
“A definite draw to (voice-over acting) is the ability to not be constrained by looks or age or gender,” Platt said. “Anywhere your imagination can take you, you have the possibility of working as a voice actor.”
Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal. Photo (c) Boris Kievsky, used with permission
In the English dub of Naruto, Platt voices Temari, the eldest of the Sand Siblings, who bears an iron fan. Naruto is a Japanese show based on the manga of the same name. The show, about a young ninja who seeks to become the greatest ninja of all, has a large fan base in Japan and the United States.
“There are such strong characters, and really so many that there is a character for everyone,” Platt said. “They deal with real issues; it isn’t just a ‘kids show.’ There are major conflicts that Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and the various other characters … are all dealing with that parallel many things we all must deal with: disappointment, rejection, family conflict, life and death, love, loss and many other important things. I think that is one of the reasons that Naruto is a fan favorite. That and the ninjas, of course!”
Platt’s sharing her knowledge of the voice-over world in an upcoming book. With husband Yuri Lowenthal, also a voice actor, Platt has written “Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic,” which comes out this fall and is available to pre-order at BugBotPress.com.
Voice-Over Voice Actor, from Bug Bot Press
“There are tips, exercises and practice copy in addition to the nuts and bolts about the business,” Platt said.
In addition to frequent voice work, Platt takes on other roles in front of and behind the camera. Platt’s film production company with Lowenthal, Monkey Kingdom Productions, recently finished the psychological thriller “Tumbling After.” They’re also working on a documentary about the world of voice-over with director and documentarian Boris Kievsky.
Platt will be in front of the camera in some upcoming commercials and in a live-action sci-fi romantic comedy feature starting next month.
By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
Planet Hulk trailer now online
Marvel has released the Planet Hulk trailer that was first shown at Comic-Con International at San Diego. Stay tuned to Nerdage for much more about Planet Hulk and other animated Marvel projects.
- Matt Price
1988 Superman cartoon coming to DVD
Superman Cartoon 1988 Intro - Click here for the funniest movie of the week
According to TV Shows on DVD, the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon will come to DVD this November. In addition to the Superman adventure show, this series contained mini-segments called “Superman’s Family Album,” about growing up in Smallville.
The release will contain 13 episodes on two discs, and a special feature about the rise of LexCorp, the 1980s corporate housing of Lex Luthor, who, prior to the 1980s, had been more mad scientist than corporate raider.
- Matt Price
Marvel anime videos from Comic-Con
Check out these videos, shown at Comic-Con, of anime versions of Iron Man and Wolverine.
You can check out my report on the anime portion of the Marvel animation panel at NewsOK.
- Matt Price
Marvel developing 4 anime properties
SAN DIEGO — Cort Lane of Marvel Animation, Masao Maruyama of Madhouse, Alex Yeh of Madhouse and writer Warren Ellis were on hand at the Marvel Animation panel to discuss Marvel’s forays into the anime world.
Clips were shown of the upcoming “Wolverine” and “Iron Man” projects, which will be written by Ellis. Ellis indicated “Blade” and “X-Men” would be the other two properties developed for this project.
Lane said the project was “a re-imagining of key Marvel characters in the anime format.”
Yeh, translating for Maruyama, said the company was aiming for “a perfect marriage of traditional anime with Marvel characters.”
Ellis said he enjoyed the freedom, and money, he’d been given in animation.
“You get to do visual narrative with very few hurdles between you and the audience,” he said.
The Iron Man story will be set in Tokyo, Ellis said, and is about an unexpected clash of cultures and the history of weapon design.
Wolverine has its basis in the 1980s miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
Blade, a character Ellis said he’d never written before, would have ties to London and a more novelistic approach.
The X-Men was the final anime mentioned as being in development at the panel.
- Matt Price
Voice-over actors announce book
Yuri Lowenthal
SAN DIEGO — Voice over actors Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt will officially announce publication of their book, “Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic,” this weekend Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Husband and wife duo Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt will give insider tips and in-depth discussion in this ‘How To’ book.
“So many people have asked us how we got into [VO] and how they can do it too,” Lowenthal said in a release. “And in the book we do our best to tell them all
about what we’ve done.”
Lowenthal’s credits include Superman (Legion of Superheroes), Ben (Ben 10: Alien Force) and the Prince (the Prince of Persia series of video games).
Platt has portrayed Wonder Woman (DC vs. Mortal Kombat), Dream Girl (Legion of Superheroes), and Temari (Naruto).
Preorders are available at www.BugBotPress.com.
- Matt Price
Green Lantern First Flight debuts at Comic-Con
SAN DIEGO — The Warner Bros. animated film Green Lantern First Flight debuted for around 4,000 excited fans in Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con International.
Producer Bruce Timm introduced the film, and led viewers in a recitation of the Green Lantern oath. Tricia Helfer, who voices Boodika, provided a taped introduction.
Christopher Meloni voices Hal Jordan, who goes on his first Green Lantern Corps mission in “First Flight.”
The film has a “Training Day” vibe, as Jordan is trained by the stern Green Lantern Sinestro, who, as comics fans will know, harbors a secret.
There are definite changes from the comic-book continuity, and some plot holes have to be willfully ignored. But it’s nice to see characters like Kilowog, Ch’p and of course Hal Jordan come to animated life.
- Matt Price
