“On Stranger Tides” author Tim Powers visits SoonerCon
“On Stranger Tides” author Tim Powers will visit Oklahoma City this weekend as part of SoonerCon 20 at the Sheraton Hotel, 1 N Broadway Ave., from Friday through Sunday.
With the theme of “Heroes & Villains,” guests include Powers, local horror host John “Count Gregore” Ferguson, native Oklahoman and star of SyFy’s SFX series “Face Off” Tate Steinsiek and award-winning illustrator Darrell K. Sweet.
Zack Snyder takes aim with “Sucker Punch;” “Superman” is next
Zack Snyder during the filming of "Sucker Punch."
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Director Zack Snyder is hoping viewers will be caught unaware by his new movie, “Sucker Punch.” That’s partly why the movie is named for a strike made without warning.
The Last Unicorn – Blu-ray review
“The Last Unicorn,” based on the book by Peter S. Beagle, is a wistful fantasy that moves at its own pace. The well-characterized fantasy is a good example of 2-D animation of the 1980s.
Mike Grell discusses breaking into comics, origin of Warlord
AUSTIN, Texas — Former “Green Arrow” writer and “Legion of Super-Heroes” artist Mike Grell discussed how he broke into the comic-book industry more than 35 years ago at the recent Austin Comic-Con.
Grell also recounted the birth of his sword-and-sorcery title “Warlord,” which ran for 133 issues from 1975 to 1989. He returned for 16 issues of “Warlord” in 2009-2010.
“I was going to be the next Frank Lloyd Wright and would have been if it wasn’t for the math,” he said about his original career plans, speaking to fans at Comic-Con. After four years in the Air Force as an illustrator, Grell became an assistant to Dale Messick of “Brenda Starr.”
Grell attended the New York Comic-Con in 1973 with the intention of selling an adventure comic strip called “The Savage Empire.” But adventure strips were no longer selling. On the advice of some cartoonists attending the conference, he pitched his artwork to DC Comics. On the strength of his samples, he received an assignment, and after that he was recommended as the new artist of “Legion of Super-Heroes.”
Grell said he was blessed with good timing. “I was walking in the door at DC when (former ‘Legion’ artist) Dave Cockrum was walking out,” he said.
“Savage Empire” had another shot at life a couple of years later, when Grell pitched the idea to new publisher Atlas/Seaboard. But Julie Schwartz at DC Comics got wind of Grell’s pitch and asked Grell to pitch DC instead. Since DC at that time didn’t have creator ownership of concepts, Grell tweaked his “Savage Empire” idea so that he could keep the rights to the original.
Grell came up with “Warlord,” the story of Travis Morgan, a former Air Force pilot and Vietnam veteran drawn into a fantastic world. Morgan falls through a hole in the Earth’s crust at the North Pole and finds himself in the underground world of Skartaris.
The first two years of “Warlord” stories are currently in print in DC Comics’ “Showcase Presents: Warlord” collection.
Grell also is known for his work on “Green Arrow,” “Jon Sable: Freelance” and “Starslayer.”
In the future, Grell plans more with his popular Jon Sable character and has hopes that “Starslayer” may make its way to the movies.
Grell is appearing this weekend at the Atlanta Comic-Con at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
SoonerCon 2009 kicks off today
THE NEXT LEVEL
Meet writers and artists of popular science fiction and fantasy at the 2009 SoonerCon expo this weekend at the Biltmore Hotel, 401 S Meridian.
Writer Dave Wolverton, aka David Farland, is the guest of honor. Wolverton is the author of the “Star Wars” novel “The Courtship of Princess Leia.” As Farland, he has written the “The Runelords” series, including the New York Times best-seller “Wizardborn.” Wolverton is a Guinness World Record holder for the largest single-author book signing, signing 1,845 copies of the science-fiction novel “A Very Strange Trip.”
Wolverton designed and scripted video games at Saffire studios. According to his Web site at www.davidfarland.net, he helped design the storyline, monsters, and weapons for “StarCraft’s Broodwar,” and wrote the story and script for “Xena: the Talisman of Fate.”
The artist guest of honor is Brad Foster, whose art has been published in more than 3,000 publications, including Amazing Stories and Highlights for Children.
Film fans can view selections from the International BareBones Film Festival, held each April in Muskogee. The Best of BareBones will screen films at SoonerCon today and Saturday, hosted by ShIronbutterfly Ray. Several filmmakers will be available for questions about their films.
This year’s theme is “Slideways in Time” and focuses on time travel and alternate histories. Tickets are $20 per day or $40 for the entire weekend. SoonerCon runs today through Sunday.
“It’s going to be high-energy,” said Leonard Bishop, executive director of SoonerCon 2009. “We’ve got 60-plus professional writers and artists; there will be multiple tracks of panel discussions and demos going on.”
Among the demos will be stage combat, belly dance, and performance art. There will also be charity auctions and evening activities.
For more information about SoonerCon, call (405) 694-1555 or visit www.soonercon.com.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Superman meets Batman in 1950s Cold War novel
WORD BALLOONS
Superman meets Batman in the new novel from writer Kevin J. Anderson, “Enemies and Allies.” Anderson sets the first meeting of the two in the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War.
“It seemed unlikely to set a story in the modern day, and say that Batman and Superman have never heard of each other before,” Anderson said in a phone interview with The Oklahoman. “It felt more in keeping with the spirit of the universe if we set it back in a more nostalgic time. And of course the ’50s is the time we all remember from George Reeves as Clark Kent and Superman, and Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and that was the flavor I wanted to pick up on.”
In “Enemies and Allies,” Bruce Wayne’s Wayne Industries is at the forefront of many technological breakthroughs. But he’s being spied on by another industrialist, Lex Luthor, who wants to stoke Cold War tensions to build his own military-industrial empire.
“Set in the Cold War universe with Bruce Wayne as the big industrialist as well, Lex Luthor just seemed like the natural foil for both Bruce Wayne and Wayne Industries, and Clark Kent and Superman,” Anderson said.
Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen, reporters for the Daily Planet, are sent to look into a possible flying saucer crash.
“We did the story in stages,” Anderson said. “One was doing Batman and Superman and deciding to set it in the ’50s. And in the ’50s, the primary thing is the Cold War, and everybody was afraid that the Russians were going to launch nuclear missiles at us, and everybody was doing disaster drills. The movies at the theater, they’re … all these wonderful flying saucer paranoia pictures.”
Ultimately, the 1950s setting became interwoven completely with the story.
“It became not just window dressing, but the ’50s setting and everybody’s attitudes about the Cold War, the paranoia about flying saucers, and all of these details became integral to the plot rather than just little backdrops,” Anderson said.
Another new release from Anderson is “Terra Incognita: The Edge of the World,” a fantasy novel
featuring high-seas adventure. Additionally, a CD from ProgRock Records tying into the book’s release has lyrics by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, with music by Erik Norlander (keyboardist for Asia Featuring John Payne).
“This idea’s been in my head for a long time, because I think a lot of the people who listen to that kind of music also listen to the kind of books that I write,” Anderson said. “It’s a crossover rock CD and fantasy novel.”
More about Kevin Anderson’s “Enemies and Allies” and “Terra Incognita” can be found at his Web site, www.wordfire.com.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Marvel releases Riftwar preview
Marvel Comics continues its adaptation of Raymond E. Feist’s novels with the 5-issue miniseries “Riftwar.” The release states: “The fan favorite team behind Magician Apprentice reunites and delivers an even more compelling tale of bravery and peril. The Castle Crydee has never faced an enemy as threatening as the one they face now. Meanwhile, Pug journeys deep into the heart of the enemy’s camp in what can only be described as a suicide mission! This first issue has all the makings of a shocking series that will change the landscape of Midkemia forever!”
“Krod Mandoon” star ready to fire up television satire
Comedy Central mixes medieval action with satirical slapstick in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday.
Sean Maguire (“Meet the Spartans”) plays the titular hero, described in the show’s promo as “the son of a blacksmith and a stay-at-home mom.” It parodies medieval quest fiction like “Lord of the Rings” and “Robin Hood,” as Krod leads a band of resistance fighters against an evil overlord.
Maguire initially passed on “Krod,” feeling it would hew too closely to areas he’d already covered as Leonidas in “Meet the Spartans.” But his manager convinced him to give it another look.
“It’s very clever, it’s very funny,” Maguire said in a recent phone interview. “It’s not a spoof; it’s far more satirical and far cleverer humor than a silly fun romp like ‘Spartans’ was.”
In fact, Maguire said you could compare “Krod Mandoon” to a workplace comedy – the workplace just happens to be in a medieval realm.
“Krod is pretty much like the team leader, and he’s got the sales department, the accounts department, the whatever department, and he’s just trying to keep them all together and get the shipment out,” Maguire said. “But they’re just such a bumbling bunch of fools it makes his job twice as difficult.”
So how about that “Flaming Sword of Fire”? It’s a practical effect, Maguire said, meaning the sword was literally alight in his hand.
“It did require some guys with a Bunsen burner to come and light it, and I had a tube running down my arm, and a gas canister somewhere out of shot,” he said. “Consequently I had a quite a hot arm many a filming day.”
He wasn’t the only one to take a beating while filming “Krod.” India de Beaufort, the actress who portrays the pagan warrior Aneka, said she took her share of bumps, some serious, as well.
“I had a bad injury, I fell when I was learning to tumble,” she said. “The next day I got head-butted in the face and got a fat lip … after that I was much happier to let my stunt double do all the gymnastics.”
Aneka’s aggressive sexuality at times puts her in conflict with Krod, who loves her but doesn’t always understand her traditions.
“She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone,” de Beaufort said. “She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.”
The rest of Krod’s merry men in the pilot are played by Kevin Hart, Steve Spiers and Marques Ray; the evil Chancellor Dongalor is played by Matt Lucas.
“Working with those people on a daily basis, it was so hard to keep a straight face,” de Beaufort said. “It was so difficult, but it was so enjoyable at the same time.”
Comedy Central has placed a six-episode order for “Krod Mandoon,” and if the show is successful, the motley band of heroes will be back for more.
“I just hope people don’t write it off,” Maguire said. “It is silly, and it can be slapsticky, but there’s also a lot of merit in the writing, and some really great performances.”
- By Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman
See more pictures from “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire” after the break.
Previews from Krod Mandoon
Krod Mandoon
Thurs Apr 9, 10p/9c
Preview - Enter the Freedom Fighters
Matt Lucas
Kevin Hart
Sean Maguire
Krod Mandoon
Thurs Apr 9, 10p/9c
Krod Mandoon Series Preview
Matt Lucas
Kevin Hart
Sean Maguire
Two more video previews for the upcoming series “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.” Look for interviews with series stars Sean Maguire and India de Beaufort in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
India de Beaufort plays sexy warrior in “Krod Mandoon”
I just got off the phone with India de Beaufort, who plays the alluring pagan warrior Aneka in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts on Comedy Central on April 9. “Krod Mandoon” is a satire on a “Conan” type world, as the warrior Krod (Sean Maguire) leads a group of resistance fighters against Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas) in an ancient realm.
Look for a full article about the series in an upcoming issue of The Oklahoman, but I thought I’d give Nerdage readers an early excerpt of my interview with India.
MATT PRICE: Aneka’s a Xena-type character with a much more graphic sexual edge. How do you approach playing the character?
INDIA DE BEAUFORT: I had a lot of fun playing the role. I found it really freeing to play this kind of feisty, sassy character. There are definitely, I’d say, things about her that I can relate to; there are certain things about her that were lessons to me, things that I took from her and learned from her; and there were elements of her that I probably couldn’t relate to. But it’s nice to get your teeth stuck into something like that and have fun with it. It was just very important to me that even though she is sexually free, I wouldn’t want her really to ever be thought of as a slut, or any kind of degrading names. Because for me, I kind of find her as someone who, she feels justified in her actions. She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone. She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.
