ComicsPRO meeting: Dynamite on American Flagg, Man with No Name
LAS VEGAS — Joe Rybandt of Dynamite said the long-awaited “American Flagg” reprint project will finally come out in July. Howard Chaykin’s influential 1980s science fiction tale had some problems in production, but the remastered book with the first 14 issues as well as some new material is now set for a hardcover release.
Rybandt talked about several of Dynamite’s projects to the retailers assembled for the ComicsPRO annual meeting in Las Vegas. “The Boys” vol. 1, from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is now in its third printing. Volume 2 is now in stock, and volume 3 will follow this year.
Rybandt reiterated the involvement by painter Alex Ross in “Project Superpowers,” from Dynamite, and “Avengers/Invaders” from Marvel, being packaged by Dynamite.
“Each issue (of Project: Superpowers) has the character work that Alex has done for the series in the background of the issues,” Rybandt said. “Alex is as involved in every aspect of both (“Project: Superpowers”) and ”Avengers-Invaders” as anyone could possibly be. From plot to script to reviewing the pencils to providing art to reviewing the colors, the whole nine yards.”
Rybandt showed an Alex Ross cover for “Red Sonja” No. 30. He said issues 30-34 would be “done in one” stories by rotating creative teams. Issue No. 34 would be a one-issue story by writer Brian Reed and artist Mel Rubi, who become the regular creative team with issue No. 35.
“Lone Ranger” will be back from Dynamite soon; issue No. 11 was resolicited for April. Paul Pope and Sergio Cariello provide the art. Issues 12-15 are scripted, and Dynamite is working on getting back to a monthly release schedule. The other Lone Ranger book from Dynamite, “Lone Ranger and Tonto,” is slated to come out quarterly.
“The Man with No Name” No. 1 ships from Dynamite in May. The series will have a 1-in-10 Arthur Sudyam variant cover. The book is based on the Clint Eastwood films starring the Man with No Name. The writer is Christos Gage, and the artist is Wellington Dias. Richard Isanove provides the cover to No. 1.
– Matt Price
Marvel to adapt “The Stand”?
According to a story at Newsarama, author Stephen King, when speaking to National Public Radio, said Marvel Comics would adapt his book “The Stand” into graphic novel format.
“The Stand” is considered by many to be Stephen King’s masterwork. Here’s a synopsis from StephenKing.com:
One man escapes from a biological weapon facility after an accident, carrying with him the deadly virus known as Captain Tripps, a rapidly mutating flu that – in the ensuing weeks – wipes out most of the world’s population. In the aftermath, survivors choose between following an elderly black woman to Boulder or the dark man, Randall Flagg, who has set up his command post in Las Vegas. The two factions prepare for a confrontation between the forces of good and evil.
Fincher to direct “Black Hole”
In what looks to be extremely good news for comic-adaptation fans, David Fincher (“Zodiac,” “Fight Club”) has signed on to direct “Black Hole,” based on the Charles Burns graphic novel, from a script by Neil Gaiman (“Sandman”) and Roger Avary (“Pulp Fiction”).
From Variety:
Plan B and producer Kevin Messick are developing the project that’s based on Charles Burns‘ graphic novel. Burns wrote and illustrated the 12-issue series that became the graphic novel over a 10-year period.
Story kicks off when a sexually transmitted “bug” is passed from teenager to teenager.
Link via Blog@Newsarama.
– Matt Price
Fall Out Boy to comics
In something of a “full circle” move, the band Fall Out Boy (who took their name from the Radioactive Man’s sidekick on “The Simpsons”) have signed with Dabel Brothers to lend their expertise to a comic based on “different versions” of themselves.
From industry Web site www.icv2.com:
The as yet unnamed project will be produced in collaboration with the band with heavy involvement in particular from bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley. Hurley, a self confessed lifelong comics fan, noted that the project provided “the opportunity to create different versions of ourselves and tell an interesting story at the same time.”
“Swamp Thing” actor recounts role
Stuntman Dick Durock performed in hundreds of television shows and movies, but he’s best-known for his role as the hulking monster Swamp Thing, which he portrayed in two movies and a television series. The television series “Swamp Thing,” based on the DC Comics character, arrived on DVD this week, with the first 22 episodes.
Originally, Durock wasn’t even supposed to play the Swamp Thing. In the initial film, producers planned to use Durock’s 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame for long shots, and have actor Ray Wise for closeups.
“They wanted a guy who could move, carrying that load of a costume,” Durock said in a phone interview.
Wise played Alec Holland, who was turned into the Swamp Thing.
Wes Craven (“Nightmare on Elm Street”) was the director on “Swamp Thing,” and he met with Durock.
In discussing the film with Craven, Durock indicated he didn’t think changing actors for the different shots would look good in the finished film.
“(Wes) said, Dick, just be prepared to do the whole thing. So that’s what occurred,” Durock said. “I think Wes had a good feeling for it, to bring out sympathy for the guy and his own failings and weaknesses and so on.”
Durock wasn’t known for his weaknesses as a stuntman, however, after landing his first job on “Lost in Space” in 1967. He’s been very busy in the science fiction genre, with spots on “Star Trek,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “The Incredible Hulk.” In fact, while Durock wasn’t going to be the first “Swamp Thing,” he was in some ways the “first” Hulk.
“I was ‘Hulk the First,’” Durock said, referring to the two-part episode called “The First” from 1981.
“He was called Frye’s creature. And he was totally different than Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk. He was a big, skinny berserk … he was kind of a takeoff on Frankenstein’s creature.”
Frye, played by Harry Townes, was a scientist who wanted to discover the secret of life. But the monster he turns into is uncontrollable.
“He thought he could develop this guy and find out the secret of life, ergo Frankenstein. But Frye’s creature was a totally berserk nutcase,” Durock said. “Years later, in the modern Hulk’s time, he says ‘Maybe now I can correct my mistakes.’
“So he resurrects this guy, and he’s worse than it was before. It was a two-parter, and from what I understand, it was the most popular Hulk episode of all of them.”
Outside the genre, Durock appeared on shows including “B.J. and the Bear,” “Mike Hammer,” and “Starsky and Hutch,” in addition to dozens of motion pictures.
“A lot of people are just amazed about how many … things I’ve been involved in. There’s been over 700 of them in 40 years. And they say, how is that possible? You know, I think I did seven “Fall Guy” and four “Magnum,” five “A-Team” and seven “Rockford Files.” There were times when I was really working hot at Universal, I’d do two shows in one day … Credits add up in a hurry.”
Durock’s versatility and look made him even more valuable.
“I was a pretty good-size guy, made a good heavy,” Durock said. “Eventually, guys would say, why don’t we get Dick to play this thug. He only has one or two lines … and we’ll still throw him out the window or down the stairs or hit him with a car, and we don’t have to double him.”
Durock, 70, is now retired, but frequently attends conventions, where he answers questions about his career and his “Swamp Thing” experience. One he won’t answer, however, refers to the leading ladies of the “Swamp Thing” movies.
“I think most people ask me, referring to Swampy – how did you like Adrienne Barbeau compared to Heather Locklear? But you can’t answer questions like that without sticking your foot in your mouth,” Durock said.
– Matt Price
New ‘Supernatural’ comic in April
BuddyTV reports a new comic book based on the “Supernatural” TV series is launching in April. “Supernatural,” on the CW, stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as the demon-hunting Winchester brothers.
From BuddyTV:
The first issue is set to hit stores on April 23 and will pick up a few years after Origins, following a 7-year-old Sam and 11-year-old Dean as they travel with their father, John. “Whereas the first series was more about John and his becoming a hunter, this one’s much more of a dysfunctional family story,” explains writer Peter Johnson, who’s also a co-executive producer on the TV show.
– Matt Price
‘Repo Man’ comic-book sequel
Gestalt Comics is publishing a sequel to the 1980s cult film Repo Man. Alex Cox, the writer and director of the Emilio Estevez film, has created a sequel, a preview of which is available now online. The book is slated to ship in March. Joining Cox on the graphic novel “Waldo’s Hawaiian Holiday” are artist Chris Bones and colorist Justin Randall.
From Gestalt’s site:
“In 1994, ten years after I made REPO MAN, I became interested in the idea of a sequel. Specifically – what had happened to Otto, during his ten-year absence from Earth? And what would he make of the changes which had taken place in his absence? Otto, it would appear, has been held prisoner, in great luxury, on the planet Mars. Now he has returned to Earth, and changed his name — to Waldo,” Alex Cox says.
Waldo, recently returned from Mars, is forced to choose where his allegiance lies — his boss, Duke Mantee, or the sex goddess, Velma; money or knowledge; the past or the future; Earth – or Mars?
A podcast with the artists about the sequel can be found at Faster Than Light.
Gibbons’ “Watchmen” set visit, part 2
Via superheroflix, we find that Dave Gibbons has posted the second part of his reflections upon visiting the set of “Watchmen.”
The rest of the visit kaleidoscopes crazily by: I watch footage of Rorschach pulling Nite Owl off a bloodied Knot Top; I flip through an issue of the Black Freighter; on a laptop, I see raw CGI blocking for the Vietnam sequence; I hold a smiley face pin splattered with what looks like real human bean juice; sitting in my own personal director’s chair, I sign dozens of books and posters for cast and crew…
I don’t know that I need to explain “Watchmen” to Nerdage readers, but if so: it’s the groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons being adapted into a motion picture by Zack Snyder (“300″).
Quick synopsis from the “Watchmen” site:
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the watchmen?
– Matt Price
Chloe? I hardly knew her!
God, I love that stupid joke.
But enough about that, here’s the scoop — “Smallville” fan-fave Chloe will be joining the DC Universe in Superman #674.
Now, before you purists get your Spider-Man Underoos in a knot, let’s look at the long history of comic book characters who have come from outside the comic book world.
1. Jimmy Olsen — Superman’s Pal, was not created for the comic book page, but rather for the radio (or “talkie box,” if you’re 200 years old). That’s right, kids — Jimmy was not in canon to begin with.
2. Firestar – This red-headed mutant was first drawn on a cel for animation before she made it to the Marvel Universe. She appeared on “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,” taking the place of the Human Torch (who was tied up in legal limbo at the time).
3. Kryptonite — Superman’s greatest weakness also came from the Adventures of Superman radio show. That’s right, fellow nerds, all your base are belong to us. Nothing is what it seems. Black is white. Dogs sleep with cats. Talkies are going to ruin this business!
4. Harley Quinn — Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the femme fatale with a taste for homicidal clowns, first showed her pretty painted face in “Batman: The Animated Series,” long before getting her own series, she was working it on the small screen in one of the greatest cartoons in the history of man, ape, lizard or 8th dimensional imp.
What am I missing? Matt, I know you’ve got some science to drop on this. Let me know in the comments or lose me forever.
– Greg Elwell
“Hellboy II” launches production site
PRESS RELEASE:
Universal Pictures is bringing out the big guns for Hellboy II: The Golden Army! Check out the Hellboy II Production Site to view the FIRST shot of Hellboy with his Big Baby and send your friends a personalized holiday eCard from the big red guy himself!
A few tidbits about what you’ll find on the HBII Production Site: www.hellboymovie.com -
**NEW** HOLIDAY ECARD: Send your friends a
Holiday eCard – Hellboy Style!
- **NEW** IMAGE: First photo reveal – Hellboy with his big baby.
- NEWS: Terrific Hellboy II news hits, feature articles and early cast interviews featured on various publications.
- GALLERY: Guillermo del Toro’s amazing HBII Scrapbook- including the incredible concept art and descriptions of each image.
- HBTV: Watch Abe Sapien, live from the BRPD Headquarters as he gives you a personal welcome message to the site! You can embed Abe’s welcome video and share it on your Facebook profile as well.
- Message Board: Chat with fellow fans of Guillermo del Toro about everything Hellboy II… and don’t be surprised if you get a response from GDT himself on the message boards! Hellboy II: The Golden Army blasts into theaters July 11, 2008!
