Nerdage NewsOK.com Blogging Community

Jason Statham, AP

Comics2film reports on a conversation between actor Jason Statham and writer-artist-director Frank Miller. Statham apparently has much love for Marvel Comics’ Man without Fear.

“Absolutely, just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil,” the article quotes.

Daredevil was last seen on the big screen portrayed by Ben Affleck in 2003.  

The question all of this begs, however, is would Frank Miller be interested in directing a “Daredevil” film starring Jason Statham?  That seems very interesting.

– Matt Price

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sony is eyeing a potential “Venom” film, though perhaps without Topher Grace, who played the character in “Spider-Man 3.”

I don’t really think this is the way to go — how do you sell a Venom movie without Spider-Man? I mean, the T-shirts would be cool, but what’s the story? Venom has always worked best in the comics in opposition to Spider-Man.  I’m not sure how well he works off by himself.  And if he IS off by himself, do you make him an anti-hero (like in “Lethal Protector”)?   Do you make him a bad guy, and just figure the audience will stick with you? 

I’d rather see a Spider-Woman movie, if we’re spinning things off.

– Matt Price

Comic Book Resources has made available the trailer for “Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion.” The first was one of my favorite games, with a compelling storyline that would have fit right into a Marvel comic book. I have high hopes for the second.

– Matt Price

There’s a lot of announcements and plans coming out about Comic-Con International, and here at Nerdage we’re trying to sort through to figure out what we’re going to hit in our Comic-Con blast.  For reference, here’s programming at the Marvel booth, which is probably more help for those going than those not.  Full list after the break.

(more…)

It has to be the hardest thing for a comic book writer to do, but there has to be some suspense — some danger — or else there’s no payoff to the story. And while I was reading Nova 15, I had to give props to Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning for making me fear, even for a second, that Nova might not make it out of this scrape.

If you haven’t been following the book, first of all, shame on you. This is classic Marvel. But Nova is an Earthman, drafted into an intergalactic police force (sound familiar?). In his head, his constant companion, is the Xanadarian Worldmind. Why? Because all the other Nova Centurians are dead and the planet that used to house it is gone.

So, this super-powerful policeman is tracking down a psionic pserial pkiller when he gets caught up in some Galactus-sized trouble. Now, I don’t worry about the Fantastic Four or the Avengers when they fight Galactus. I just don’t.

And while I love Nova, and I don’t think I’m alone, I don’t know that Marvel loves him well enough to keep him alive. So I worry when he goes up against a big, bad threat like Galactus.

Great art, great story and just enough anxiety that I have to pick up every issue to make sure Nova is still alive. This is well worth a pick up.

- Greg Elwell

Some say Spider-Man has a convoluted history, what with the clones and the deals with Mephisto. Others think the Legion of Superheroes, which seems to get rebooted weekly, is confusing.

But if you want your mind twisted, try on Hellcat for size. Patsy Walker was a female Archie before she was imaginary, before she was married and became a superhero, before she got divorced and married Satan’s kid, before she went insane and killed herself, before she was a gladiator in Hell, before she was brought back to life, before she joined the Initiative as an instructor.

And now? Now she’s in her own book, a pretty light-hearted (if a touch too streamlined) story about Patsy Walker as Alaska’s sole superhero.

Fans of an only semi-jerky Tony Stark will enjoy a bit of back-and-forth in this issue, though things move pretty fast and get a bit confusing once the action moves far north. Still, writer Kathryn Immonen crafts a fun little story. If this wasn’t a mini-series, I’d honestly be more interested in it. As it is, with four more issues to go, I worry that the slight tone won’t have time to build to something more engrossing.

I’d love more fun, light-hearted on-going series — the kind where you get the jokes and the whimsy up front with a building sense of menace and urgency. Hellcat, I fear, may not provide the payoff I require for the investment of time and money it will take to complete the story.

That said, if you’re looking for something a little different and by no means unpleasant, this here picture book might be right up your alley.

– Greg Elwell

The third season of “The Incredible Hulk,” starring Bill Bixby as David Banner, has fewer two-part episodes than previous seasons, but still manages some solid episodes.

While the season’s fifth episode, “My Favorite Magician,” has some flaws, it’s got several interesting ideas working for it. It co-stars Ray Walston, Bixby’s co-star on “My Favorite Martian,” and it features Banner becoming a magician’s assistant, likely referencing Bixby’s 1973 series “The Magician.”

The highlight of the third season is “Homecoming,” in which Banner returns to his hometown for the first time since the accident that transformed him, in times of stress and anger, into the Incredible Hulk (portrayed by Lou Ferrigno).

The episode “The Psychic” features Brenda Benet, Bixby’s first wife, as a psychic who discovers the connection between Banner and The Hulk.

While the third season lacked the dynamic two-parters of seasons two and four, it holds up as part of one of the best television adaptations of a comic-book hero.

— Matthew Price

From Friday’s The Oklahoman:

The strike-shortened 1980 season of “The Incredible Hulk” started off with a bang, with the two-part episode “Prometheus” exploring the more science-fictional aspects of the show. A meteor with unusual properties causes David Banner (Bill Bixby) to be caught in a half-Banner, half-Hulk stage. He eventually triggers the full transformation, but is caught by a government agency seeking to capture extraterrestrials.

Lou Ferrigno, who played Banner’s alter-ego the Hulk in each episode, gets to guest-star without the green paint in “King of the Beach.”

A two-part episode called “The First” explores Dr. Jeffrey Frye’s earlier radiation experiments that created an earlier version of a Hulk-like monster. This “Hulk” is played by Dick Durock, who later became another comic-book hero in the “Swamp Thing” TV series and films. The Hulk vs. Hulk showdown is worth the price of admission.

“The First” is followed with two other classic episodes — “The Harder They Fall,” in which Banner finds himself temporarily paralyzed, and “Interview with the Hulk,” when another reporter gets the scoop on Jack McGee (Jack Colvin) and lands an interview with Banner.

— Matthew Price

Matt Fraction joins Ed Brubaker as a co-writer on “Uncanny X-Men,” and I may not have been this potentially excited about the X-Men since Grant Morrison left.  (Well, I liked “Astonishing” an awful lot, too.)  Greg Land begins his run as the artist on “Uncanny,” and Marvel sent out four preview pages from “Uncanny X-Men” #500.  Also included — the Alex Ross, Greg Land and Michael Turner covers for “Uncanny X-Men” #500.   “Uncanny X-Men” #500 goes on sale July 23.

– Matt Price