I hope Dan DiDio has a lot of maple syrup in the DC Offices. Fans of the DC character Stephanie Brown, whether as Spoiler, Robin or Batgirl, feel that they have been hard done by over the years. Amateur crime fighter Spoiler, then Robin, then dead Robin, then revived Batgirl where she starred in her'
I hope Dan DiDio has a lot of maple syrup in the DC Offices. Fans of the DC character Stephanie Brown, whether as Spoiler, Robin or Batgirl, feel that they have been hard done by over the years. Amateur crime fighter Spoiler, then Robin, then dead Robin, then revived Batgirl where she starred in her'
Alasdair Stuart writes for Bleeding Cool;
It would be easy to say everything you need to know about Atomic Robo and The Flying She Devils Of The Pacific is contained in the book's title. After all, simply putting the words 'Atomic', 'Robo', 'Flying' and 'She-Devils' in one place reaches some sort of pulp singularity. So, make no mistake, this is a classically designed piece of pulp fiction, with some blisteringly great, gleeful ideas, witty dialogue and a strong narrative drive. There's a robot, there are dogfights and plane crashes, there is a blimp of sorts. If anything aerial makes you even a little tingly, then this is the book for you.
The thing that really makes this book shine, however, is the way Clevinger and Wegener continually unpack everything about the concept. Robo is an artificially intelligent robot created by Nikola Tesla in 1923, to respond to paranormal and scientific emergencies. His adventures pit him against everyone from the Third Reich to Thomas Edison. He's strong, resilient and perpetually running to catch up to the situations he finds himself in. This is the core of the book and Clevinger and Wegener use Robo's responses to bring the reader on board and keep them there. Every Atomic Robo miniseries can function as someone's first because the concept is so pure and well explained and because Robo is a stranger in the story himself, a lot of the time.
That constant accessibility is turned and used to explore the changing times that Robo finds himself living through. His continual, polite, and absolute astonishment at the fact the Flying She-Devils are She-Devils is one of the best running jokes I've seen in a long time and manages to be entertaining without belittling either Robo or the She-Devils themselves. This is a new world, one they're both adapting to and that process of adaptation makes the She-Devils one of the most distinctive supporting casts in a long time. Hazel, the polite rocketeer Robo first encounters is a particular standout, as is Lauren, the She-Devils' genius engineer who's work, scrabbled together from the remains of World War II is gloriously over the top and at the same time weirdly practical. The She-Devils' jetpacks are tight and functional, they fly in full aviator gear including jacks, helmets and goggles and their forward operating base is a seaplane with the wings cut off and replaced by a blimp. It's fantastical design work but the nuts and bolts are on display for all to see, the scraps of an ocean-sized battlefield turned into something rich and strange.
The idea of the post-World War II Pacific as the wild west, explicitly stated in the book, is the big idea the rest of the story happens against. It's also a chance for Wegener to cut loose with one utterly beautiful, tranquil splash page neatly contrasting the balletic, frantic dogfight that opens the issue. Each panel moves the story along and each panel is in lockstep with the script in a way I've rarely seen before. This is a creative team in lockstep and it only makes a good book better.
Atomic Robo is a hugely entertaining series and if anything, this first issue raises the bar. It's fast, dynamic, smart, funny and intricately scripted; a jet pack of a comic waiting to take off. Give it a test run, you won't regret it.
Atomic Robo and The Flying She Devils Of The Pacific Issue 1
Published by Red 5 Comics
Written by Brian Clevinger
Art by Scott Wegener
$3.50
www.atomic-robo.com
The organisers of the Film 4 Frightfest have just unveiled a huge, huge program for this year's festival and I'm pretty much blown away by how many films they've secured, and how many of them are really exciting prospects. There's loads of premieres too, alongside the typical roster of guests, Q&As and other larking about.
But the main reason I'm excited is because it's Frightfest. I've never been to another festival with such a superb atmosphere, where the excitement is palpable, and where big surprises can happen at any moment. It has never disappointed.
For the first time, there are to be three screens this year. There's the main festival screen, the 'slightly riskier, edgier' discovery screen and something they're calling the rediscovery screen which is showcasing older films, restorations and hits of festivals past. They've never had anything like this number of films before. It's a new Frightfest record.
Here are the listings for each screen.
MAIN SCREEN
THURSDAY AUG 23
OPENING FILM ' THE SEASONING HOUSE (World Premiere)
COCKNEYS VS ZOMBIES (World Premiere)
GRABBERS (London Preview)
FRIDAY AUG 24
NIGHTBREED: THE CABAL CUT (UK Premiere)
TOTAL ICON DARIO ARGENTO + MOVIE (tbc)
HIDDEN IN THE WOODS (UK Premiere)
V/H/S (UK Premiere)
[REC]³ Génesis (UK Premiere)
STITCHES (UK Premiere)
SATURDAY AUG 25
EUROCRIME! THE ITALIAN COP AND GANGSTER FILMS THAT RULED THE '70s (UK Premiere)
OUTPOST II: BLACK SUN (UK Premiere)
PAURA 3D (UK premiere)
UNDER THE BED (European Premiere)
TULPA (World Premiere)
MANIAC (UK Premiere)
SUNDAY AUG 26
THE THOMPSONS (UK Premiere)
THE HORROR CHANNEL PRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM SHOWCASE + ANDY NYMAN'S QUIZ FROM HELL 3 (Special Event)
SLEEP TIGHT (UK Premiere)
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO (London Preview)
SINISTER (UK Premiere)
DEAD SUSHI (European Premiere)
MONDAY AUG 27
AMERICAN MARY (World Premiere)
AFTER (UK Premiere)
CHAINED (UK Premiere)
THE POSSESSION (European Premiere)
CLOSING MOVIE ' TOWER BLOCK (World Premiere)
DISCOVERY SCREEN
FRIDAY AUG 24
GUINEA PIGS (English Premiere)
THE VICTIM
ELEVATOR (UK Premiere)
A NIGHT OF NIGHTMARES (European Premiere)
SAWNEY: FLESH OF MAN (World Premiere)
ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY (UK Premiere)
WE ARE THE NIGHT
SATURDAY AUG 25
MAY I KILL U? (World Premiere)
KILL ZOMBIE! (UK Premiere)
NIGHTMARE FACTORY (English Premiere)
BEFORE DAWN (World Premiere)
REMNANTS (World Premiere)
WRONG TURN 4: BLOODY BEGINNINGS (UK Premiere)
SUNDAY AUG 26
WE ARE THE NIGHT (Preview)
THE INSIDE (World Premiere)
COMMUNITY (World Premiere)
GUINEA PIGS
THE VICTIM
MONDAY AUGUST 27
REMNANTS
BEFORE DAWN
A NIGHT OF NIGHTMARES
ELEVATOR
RE-DISCOVERY SCREEN
SATURDAY AUGUST 25
INBRED (Free Special Event)
THE ARRIVAL OF WANG (London Preview)
CRAWL (London Preview)
SAWNEY: FLESH OF MAN (World Premiere)
SUNDAY AUGUST 26
THE MUMMY'S SHROUD (Restored Version World Premiere)
RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK (Restored Version World Premiere)
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (Restored Version World Premiere)
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (Restored Version World Premiere)
MONDAY AUGUST 27
WE ARE THE NIGHT (Preview)
ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY (UK Premiere)
MAY I KILL U?
THE INSIDE (World Premiere)
I'll be back later with my picks of the fest.
Festival passes go on sale at the Empire Leicester Square box office tomorrow, Saturday 30th June, at 11am, or at 12.30 via telephone and the web. People are already queuing in Leicester Square now.
Bleeding Cool's very own Hannah Shaw-Williams' loves Lynn Shelton. Hannah loves Lynn Shelton's film Humpday. And Hannah absolutely adores Mark Duplass, in a slightly scary Shrine to Julia Sawalha way.
So it seemed completely perfect for Hannah to call up Lynn and speak to her about Your Sister's Sister, her Mark Duplass-sytarring follow up to Humpday.
Alas, she's sodded off to Spain or something. Lucky that I think Shelton is aces too.
So, I spoke with Lynn earlier in the week and asked her about her film, its 'puzzle' title, dodging genre expectations and not falling into the infuriating shaky-cam, zoom-heavy jump-cut booby traps that a lot of her peers fall victim to.
Here's some of what Shelton had to tell me.
The Puzzle Title And Pigeonholes
The title is a little bit of a puzzle, I understand, and that's why I liked it. And I like that it's circular as well. It implies, for me, three people. The person saying it ' and I think that person is Jack. And then he's speaking to one of the sisters and it implies that there's two sisters. Strictly speaking he could be saying that to either of them.
It also doesn't pigeonhole the film in a genre. All we learn is that there are three people and somebody is somebody's sister.
I find the film undefinable. I don't think of it ultimately as a romantic comedy. There is love revealed, but really it's about relationships, and different kinds of relationships. It's about grieving, it's about a brother relationship even though the fourth character, the brother, is unseen, and it's about these very alive sisters. It's about sibling relationships, friendship and more. I know it makes the film difficult to market and I apologise to my distributors every time.
Plotting And Improv
Mark Duplass called me and said 'Here's the kernel of an idea for a film. I don't think my brother [Jay] and I are going to direct it so, with his blessing, I'm bringing it to you. I think it might be a great one for us to work on together.' The idea was this: two best friends, a guy and a girl, and there's something going on between them that is unseen at the outset. He's in a bad place because he's lost his brother recently so she sends him up to the family place to get his life together and he thinks he's going to be alone but there he encounters' her mother. And then there's some kind of twisted love triangle between the guy, the girl and the mother.
Making the mother into an older sister, making her a lesbian and the subplots all came later. It just sort of unfolded.
I start with an idea that seems like it will lead to interesting territory and then I get to know the characters at the same time as I'm letting the plot unfold. With both Humpday and Your Sister's Sister I bought in the actors very early, before I had the whole thing figured out. I worked with them to develop the characters. I bring them and I share with them my work in progress script, or scriptment, I call it. Then we go through it and talk about the backstories and how we might support things in the plot.
I wanted their input to invest them in the project, to make it seem like our film instead of just my film. We gain a lot of intimacy and trust when we're doing that. Inevitably we'll end up sharing stories from our lives, and observations we've made. That intimacy can be very helpful on set.
And this process helps the actors to create characters that they can slip into like a hand into a glove. It will feel like a second skin tot hem, which adds to the degree of naturalism I'm looking for.
The Writing Credit
A lot of the ideas that came up, 80% of them were blind alleys. We had all kinds of crazy ideas. I had to say 'Okay, we've got to get rid of these, they're not going to help the film.' I was the pruner. I'm given the writing credit because I'm the one' the final arbiter.
I had seventy pages of dialogue but I really wanted them to improvise, like real people having real conversations. I asked them if they could go off script as much as they could, as much as they wanted, and find their own way through the emotional beats. We all knew what had to be covered in the scenes, practically, but the way they found their way through was up to them.
And really, the final draft of the script was written in the edit room. My editor Nat Sanders and I really sharpened it and focused it and cut the fat from all the different takes. There were a hundred different movies we could have made from the footage.
A Last Minute Cast Switch
Rosemarie DeWitt was a last minute addition, Rachel Weisz was originally cast in the part of Hannah. Before I thought they characters would be half sisters I thought they'd be full sisters. But I wanted some sticking points in their past, lots of points of friction. What better way than if the origination of the relationship is your baby sister stealing away your father from your family. And if they only see each other in the summers, in this summer house, it adds some kind of romantic gloss to their relationship. You can see how they'd bond over time but they haven't had to live together day to day. It created a really interesting relationship.
Rachel and I developed the character in tandem but three days before we had to start shooting, she had to leave the project. Luckily, because they were half sisters I could recast. It was brutal. But I can't imagine somebody else in the role now that Rose did such a great job.
The Visual Language'
I was attempting to make a film that felt visually like any other film you might see, the average film you might see, the classic 'letting the story unfold without making the camera a character.' I did use hand held cameras, to give scenes a human feel. There's mayhem, strain and stress and angst and in those circumstances, the hand held choice helped to support the dramatic action. I wanted to balance that out with a lot of tripod shots, static shots. I wanted some scenes to unfold in long two shots, where we could see the physicality and chemistry between the characters. For every single shoot, the choices I made about the camera were all very specific to that moment, but I wanted to give a real sense of place as well, so I had to include vistas and sweeping wide shots.
'And The Soundtrack
The film was very specifically scored. I tend not to like a lot of music. I find that if there's a giant bed of music it separates me from what is going on, more often than not. There were two kinds of score. There was a little bit, when he was doing the peeping tom number for example, there was a percussive thing ' wind chimes actually, was where that all started. And then there was a much more lyrical type, under montages typical. I wanted something lyrical and 'Island-y'. There was a seven minute montage that depended entirely on the score, tracking two emotional trajectories that shifted a lot. I couldn't make it work until I was working with my composer.
Thanks to Lynn for taking the time to talk to me. I felt like we barely scratched the surface.
Your Sister's Sister is already playing across the US and it opens today across the UK. It's often fun, it's always engaging and, not to put too fine a point on it, I liked it a great deal.
I hope Dan DiDio has a lot of maple syrup in the DC Offices. Fans of the DC character Stephanie Brown, whether as Spoiler, Robin or Batgirl, feel that they have been hard done by over the years. Amateur crime fighter Spoiler, then Robin, then dead Robin, then revived Batgirl where she starred in her'
When the US deal for Arrested Development to be made available through Netflix was announced, the specific wording left walled any reference to the deal applying in the UK.
It seems like the Is and Ts have now been dotted and crossed, however, as Netflix UK's Twitter feed have finally confirmed, with no obvious reason for the timing (I don't think Fox's deal with Lovefilm counts), that the series will be coming to Blighty too.
They say:
The news is in! @NetflixUK will be the exclusive home to all seasons of comedy hit 'Arrested Development' incl. S4 in 2013.
No confirmed date yet, but we'll post it as soon as we have it. We will also be adding Emmy® Award-winning hit Modern Family + The League.
And there was much rejoicing throughout the land. Does this show ever have passionate fans.
The plan in the US is for every one of the new episodes to be made available simultaneously, and I guess the UK will follow the same pattern too. Mitch Hurwitz has suggested that this format will allow him to play around, somehow. I still expect almost everybody will watch from the front to the back of Netflix's episode ordering.
Thanks to Joe Stone for the heads up.
Bleeding Cool understands that three of the eight traditionally distributed covers for The Walking Dead #100 have sold out.
The covers by Todd McFarlane, Sean Phillips and Ryan Ottley have all had their print runs fully allocated to retailers and no more orders will be accepted.
I understand that even with pre-orders of around 330,000 from retailers (including UK sales), a considerable increase of the print run for each cover was planned in readiness for still further increasing orders. But Image Comics and Skybound didn't plan for this quite so soon.
There are still amounts of the other covers, by Charlie Adlard, Marc Silvestri, Frank Quitely and Bryan Hitch available for reorders.
For now.
Man, this thing is a monster.
Filip Sablik is the publisher for Top Cow.
Until the end of the week.
He was promoted within the company from his previous position in sales and marketing, but is now leaving the Image Comics studio for another West Coast comic book company, Boom! Studios.
Chip Mosher recently vacated the Sales and Marketing position at Boom! for ComiXology, so it would be tempting to see this as an appointment to replace Chip at the company.
But given the respective positions in the market, wth Top Cow part of a premier publisher Image Comics, and Boom!' not, it does raise questions as to what actually is going on here. Exactly what will Filip's position be? Why did he really leave? Maybe we'll find out at Comic Con?
Jessi Reid, Top Cow's Social Marketing Coordinator will take on Filip's marketing responsibilities within Top Cow.
And in related news, Janna O'Shea, Social Media Coordinator at Marvel, recently left the company to move out West.
It's going to be a busy San Diego. What with the expansion of DC at Burbank, it's one that will see attendees air miles cut considerably.
There are 43 days to go. It won't need that to make its budget. UPDATE: It has already done that. It may need that to top a million dollars, however, TOME 0 is the new planned book from 44 Flood, a team of creators you may recognise, Ashley Wood, Ben Templesmith, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chet Zar,'
There are 43 days to go. It won't need that to make its budget. UPDATE: It has already done that. It may need that to top a million dollars, however, TOME 0 is the new planned book from 44 Flood, a team of creators you may recognise, Ashley Wood, Ben Templesmith, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chet Zar,'
Ah Wednesdays. Another week of comics. So what whizzes through my head after reading a batch from today?
Well in Batman Inc #2, we discover that Ra's Al Ghoul met up with Mrs Al Ghoul' at a Live Aid concert in London. This must be how it felt for Fantastic Four readers when Reed and Ben's time in World War II shifted to the Korean War'
There is some rather excellent origin story stuff going on here though, how the Gorgon identity came into being, the tieing in with astrology and astonomy, and basically, one of the best looking books on the stand.
Though, as ever, it does rather stretch the continuity of the rest if the New 52, if Batman has been around for ten years, yet we see him as Batman with Talia Al'Ghoul well before she gets pregnant' and Damian Wayne, their son, is ten' consider it the one part of the DCU where the Old DCU still holds sway. Ish.
Justice League #10 does a quite excellent trick this month. As the battle bwteen Graves and the Justice League, set up over the last year, commences. We don't quite see what fears, what pain, what past he drags up in each of their lives, instead, during those moments, we see the pain in David Graves' life that seemingly led to this conversion from a writer and explorer into a supernatural agent of revenge.
Say, Graves couldn't become the new Spectre, could he?
Peter Parker and Miles Morales have a fight on the rooftops of Ultimate Manhattan in Ultimate Spider-Men #2 while Mysterio fiddles around trying to sort himself out. Dyring which, Miles asks Peter the kind of question' well' you would, wouldn't you? After all with the new movie out, it's like James Cameron all over again.
Hit Girl looks like it will be the Empire Strikes Back of the Kiss Ass storyline. Just that it's being told after Return Of The Jedi. Here we have a Hit Girl, still focussed and wanting to be a super, just as much as she also wants to live a normal life. And the two won't survive each other. Someone Hit Girl has to die. But better than that is the rise of Red Mist, here taking only a few panels, but stealing the book. Just as Hit Girl stole Kick Ass' book' could Red Mist do the same here?
Before Watchmen: Nite Owl gives us, well, The Boy Who Collected Nite-Owl, as well as one of the nicer and more subtle textual segues I've seen for a while, in this richly textured and laid back art style. But one thing really grated and it had nothing to do with Nite Owl, either of them.
It had to do with Rorschach.
Rorschach and Nite Owl teaming up, we know. It always felt like Rorschach accepting grudgingly the need for a partner to enable him to do what he couldn't, with Nite Owl as the one who pushed for it, needing companionship in the field, and someone who might do the things he wasn't able to so. But Rorschach as the actual instigator of this pairing? Trying to convince Nite Owl of this need? Really? Is this the Rorschach any of us know?
In Prophet, we still see the delights and designs fo this future world' and more. The future is a foreign country, they do things differently over there. Well, it seems that the future is a whole different planet. Where you an come across these kind of things.
There really is nothing quite like this book on the stands, especially in terms of hard science fiction. For those who think Saga is just too much like Love Actually.
Savage Dragon reprises the Mars Attacks days with an alien invasion that brings all sorts of people vaguely connected to the Dragon-verse, and owned by other creators, to the fore. It' a visible sign to those who say that if creators owned their creations, that this kind of shared universe could never happen. This is proof against that thesis, demonstrated by people hitting things and making exclamations from the nineteen thirties. Oh, and God comes back.
I'm not sure if the Supreme here is the same one as appearing in Supreme. He does seem a little angry.,.. and a little bit of a shock jock. It seems we have Rush Limbaugh: The Superhero. Being imprisioned from continuity for ten years will do that to a superman.
Reading Aquaman, it is telling just how far Ivan Reis has come. And how much his style suits certain types of inkers. There are two on this book, Joe Prado and Andy Lanning. Andy has a harder, thicker, more rounded style that loses subtleties, smoothing over the work in the manner of Neal Adams-by-way-of-Alan Davis approach, like Paul Neary or Mark Farmer.
Joe has more of a Neal Adams-by-way-of-Bill Sienkiewicz style, thinner, scratchier, looser lines that fits Ivan's work like a glove.
It's a clear deliniation, or so it appears to me. Of course now someone will tell me I have them the wrong way round' or that these are from the same inker' moving on swiftly. Incredible Hulk has Russian cyborg bears in space.
Isn't that enough for you. Well, if you want a more cerbral-but sinister read, that is what Fatale is for, a very nasty LA Noir, in the shade of the sun where bad things happen. And have done for decades'
The confluence of pen and photo here feels very natural, surpriseingly. A side effect of the naturalistic storytelling' even when it involves mysterious stalkers, car chases, explosions and deaths'
Meanwhile, in Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker is back in town getting his own reality check.
Well, Peter, she is a super model. It happens. You're off saving the planet from Octopocalypse, she has to have something to do. Line of perfume up next.
Amazing Fantasy #15, recoloured. And look at that, I don't actually hate it. Steve Ditkos open lines and spaces seem to suit rather well, in fact.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking today. How about you?
Comics courtsey of Orbital Comics of London.
We're proud to have Mike Delia of the store Astro-Zombies provide a fresh, new perspective for our Dealing Cool retailer feature. Mike described his shop: 'We have been voted Albuquerque's #1 comic shop for eleven straight years, and what an honor it is! We're happily the source for comics, graphic novels, toys, and tons of pop culture goodness for the area. We are located in the Nob Hill area, just north of The University of New Mexico.'
MOVERS & SHAKERS
What are the hot items in your store this month? Even more interesting, what would be an item (or items) that surprised you?
The Massive, the new Brian Wood title set in a post-environmental apocalyptic world. It's VERY interesting so far. We were sad to see DMZ end, but are so excited to see where this new book heads. With Batman, we expected it to be huge, but it's even bigger than expected. The 'Owls' storyline has just brought even more readers to the title. I still say Batman #5 was probably the single best issue of a comic I ever read. By page six, I felt like I was descending a staircase, and it was cold and damp and I just became one with the story. So sick! Finally, TMNT EVERYTHING! IDW put the book out and we got behind it just for the fact that Turtles are the whole reason I cared about comics growing up. It took a few issues and some pushing from us as fans, but this series has gotten HUGE for us.
SHOWING INITIATIVE
Was there any particular sales program or push in the past month, and how did it go over? What would you do differently? Any tips for other retailers on strategies they can duplicate elsewhere?
We recently started to do a Podcast called 'The Astro-Boys.' We put out weekly issues available on iTunes, Libsyn, and more. We talk comics, do interviews, and lots of other fun stuff. Also, we carried the Spider-Men #1 Marvel store exclusive issue, which was a great opportunity for loyal customers to check out a special version of a hot book. We recently teamed up with IDW for a TMNT art contest where someone will win a chance for their art to be used as a store exclusive cover for an upcoming issue of the comic. Finally, Funko Pop! Sheldon Cooper in the Flash T-Shirt Astro-Zombies exclusive. We teamed up with Funko to bring you one of the most fun figures to hit shelves this summer.
HYPE VS. REALITY
Considering sales and customer feedback, how did a particular big-ticket series or event perform at your store?
Avengers Vs. X-Men'we got involved and did the Tuesday night event as one of the only stores in our state to participate, not really knowing what to expect. We had a HUGE turnout that night and what a blast it was! So many people were psyched to be there and check out this new series. So far, sales have stayed strong and our customers can't seem to get enough.
GUILTY PLEASURE
What's a favorite pick for your store, something you wholeheartedly endorse as a high quality and entertaining product?
Brian Wood! We love Local, DMZ, and now, The Massive. We are all huge fans and always look forward to every new project he throws our way.
THE DOWNRIGHT STRANGE
Any humorous observations from behind the counter from the past few weeks?
We work in the comic industry, so the strange at Astro-Zombies is usually the norm. And truthfully, we wouldn't have it any other way!
Mike Delia
Astro-Zombies
3100 Central Avenue SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Phone: 505-232-7800
E-Mail: info@astrozombies.com
Website: www.astrozombies.com
Twitter: @astrozombiesnm
It's rumoured there will be a film. It's rumoured there will be a Brian Bendis comic book after Avengers Vs X-Men. Either way, Marvel Comics have just filed eleven new trademark applications for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY covering everything from jewelery to beverages to furniture to cosmetics. The applications cover International Classes 3, 14, 16,'
Studiocanal's official press release to mark their official engagement with the Alan Partridge movie is blessed with some quotes from the man himself. Put aside any head scratching over the implications of this fictional character commenting on the start of production of a fiction film that will feature him (fictionally) and just enjoy the other forms of daftness it offers.
I'm simultaneously gladdened and pleased to see a British film being co-funded by the French dudes at Studiocanal. This is without doubt the greatest Anglo-French co-operation since the Normandy landings. This time, the heroes aren't Allied servicemen ' they're motion picture financiers, who are equally brave.
I'd also like to add that 'canal' ' or, in English, 'canal' ' is a transportation system close to my heart. In the late 18th century, this new method of logistics halved the price of coal in many English cities. If Studiocanal's investment can achieve even a fraction of that, I will be delighted.
Yes, very good. The film will start production on January 7th and reach cinemas on August 16th, 2013. The Inbetweeners film launched on August 17th last year, and I bet the success of that monster played some part in the scheduling here.
The co-writers of the film, Neil and Rob Gibbons have been giving away some of their plans to the Radio Times. Their concerns, it seems, are in offering something worthy of this bigger canvas without betraying the inherent Patridge-yness.
Neil says:
Alan is put in a position where he has to make a decision between his petty, selfish considerations and something more heroic.
Rob adds:
What we should have done is write in some glamorous locations, but we've put together a film where we won't leave East Anglia. Our fault. Not too late to rewrite, though'
And back to Neil:
The films we've talked about have tended not to be comedy films. They've been films that are quite compact, detailed, driven by character and which hinge on a single large incident' You don't want to betray the Alan people love: parochial, small, obsessed with details. But at the same time you don't want to make a 90-minute episode of a sitcom. You want it to earn its place in a cinema and the story needs to justify that. He's Alan 2012, the version you see in the Sky specials and in Mid Morning Matters.
Alan 2012? A year out of date before he hits the cinemas? That'll be the most up to date he's ever been.
The report notes that Armando Iannucci is co-writing the screenplay, while Peter Baynham ' thanks to his 'Hollywood success' is less involved. There's no mention of any contributions to the screenplay by Steve Coogan.
It's rumoured there will be a film. It's rumoured there will be a Brian Bendis comic book after Avengers Vs X-Men.
Either way, Marvel Comics have just filed eleven new trademark applications for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY covering everything from jewelery to beverages to furniture to cosmetics. The applications cover International Classes 3, 14, 16, 20, 24, 29, 30, 32, 35, 41, 42, and also include computer games, fabrics, foods, paper goods, entertainment and internet services, and even retail store services.
Basically, everything the galaxy, Marvel want to be the guardians of. But then again, haven't they always?
There's something very special about the three central London shops, Orbital, Forbidden Planet and Gosh, in that they are flanked by all the major movie studio offices in London, as well as all the production companies that create special effects and the like. Through a bagel on Wardour Street and you'll hit three people working on Gollum's foreskin.
So when one of them needs some research materials but doesn't want to wait for the West Coast to wake up, where do they go?
Over the last three weeks, I hear that four separate people have been into Gosh Comics looking for Ant Man comics. Lots of Ant Man comics, in any condition.
Here's the thing. No one asks for Ant Man comics. Not even, I'm told, when Marvel was still publishing Ant Man comics. Each time the individuals have been asked if it's for the Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish film and they jump back, spooked, asking how they could possibly know'
Today, the fourth individual had a specific request, wanting reference for Ant Man's 'echo time locator' from 'the old series'.
Both Gosh! (and me) were at a loss. Can anyone shed light on this?
And guess where it may be appearing in the movie?
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After the airing of a recent video that Patrick Willems created for Bleeding Cool as part of the Afterwards, They Will Explode feature, he was contacted by a major PR agency representing one of the most famous brands in the world, looking to recreate it. We look forward to hearing more about that'
But for now, it's time to learn how to run like Tom Cruise. Because you never know when that sandstorm will hit'
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Dexter Fletcher's directorial debut, Wild Bill, was a real 'Who knew?' moment. After years of high profile but often quite dreadful film and TV roles ' though, of course, there were some splendid exceptions ' Fletcher stepped behind the camera and showed, right out of the gate, that he has a real flair for it.
I spoke to Fletcher and his Wild Bill stars, and if you want to learn a bit more about that film, I suggest you catch up on those interviews. One key point, though, is that, despite the contemporary setting,Wild Bill is a film styled, to some extent, after the Western. It's a genre that Fletcher obviously loves, and has a good grasp of.
So it's great news that he's going to make an 'actual' Western next.
Speaking to Jason Solomons, Fletcher has discussed his plans for Provenance, a film about Londoners trying to make their way in US frontier towns:
I tried to work a lot western ideas into Wild Bill and I feel really lucky to be able to actually get to make one of my own, in real western country.
Two roles have been cast so far: Sammy Williams, from Wild Bill and Attack the Block will have a role; and Mark Strong is going to star. Then, with Fletcher being Fletcher, we're practically guaranteed a turn from Jason Flemyng. You won't hear me complaining.
A little bit of Google-Fu reveals a reference to the film in one of Total Film's Cannes blogs. They had a quote from Fletcher saying that the film would be about:
It's a story about a young man learning to leave his past behind and go on and do great things.
Could almost be autobiographical with a through-line like that.
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With all the fuss about Lea Hernandez' Garlicks not hitting its Kickstarter objectives (though she will be back), here's a look at a project that has done that, and far more, with some lesson to be learnt.
Curiosities: An Illustrated History of Ancestral Oddity is a planned comic book by husband/wife team Mike Yamada, Victoria Yin and her brother Jonathan. It has raised $17,447 of a $4,000 goal, from 330 backers with four weeks to go.
Eventually we came upon the idea of a pair of siblings exploring their family history through the weird and fascinating remnants of long-gone relatives. Pirate Queens, Wizards, Overly skilled Lion Tamers, and at least one eccentric taxidermist.
Mike works at Dreamworks, Victoria works as Disney, but neither in very prominent roles. They have certain side-projects and this will be one of them.
Neither have incredibly impressive followings, Mike having around 4000 twitter followers, but they follow some very important rules of what is merging as a Kickstarter economy, and this might be an opportunity to share them.
Showing impressive looking work.
Offering a relatively low initial funding amount, with milestones to 'unlock' other aspects of the book, and to encourage 'stretching' donations.
An affordable price for a print collected edition, discounted from the store price.
Not giving away the product offered in a cheaper format elsewhere.
Showing past success with previous products.
Offering exclusive product via Kickstarter.
It's a good lesson. I think I may have to put your money where my mouth is soon'
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I mentioned this is a previous post. But it probably deserves a headline of its own.
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, known now for their work on Criminal and Fatale, have worked on a number of previous projects. More of you will know Gotham. Less of you may be familiar with Sleeper.
Point Blank was a Grifter mini-series by Ed Brubaker and Colin Wilson for Wildstorm, with Grifter trying to deal with ex-WildCAT Tao's criminal organisation, failing badly, but leaving one character, Holden Carver, as a sleeper agent within Tao's group.
This led to Sleeper, a superhero noir comic, which ran for two series by Brubaker and Phillips, at a time when Wildstorm was publishing some of the nest and most cutting edge superhero comic books around. That's before DC Comics diluted their content and the books and eventually the line died though a thousand cuts. Sleeper was a book that struggled to find an audience, relaunched once, and was then cancelled.
Nowadays, however, Brubaker and Phillips have more of an audience, and one willing to pony up the cash for big expensive collections of their work, such as Marvel's Criminal. And DC appears to have decided, it seems, that they'd like a little of that, with an oversized hardcover collecting the Point Blank and Sleeper series in one large volume.
Especially with a Sleeper movie option still on the cards.
There have been parallel plans for both a Child's Play sequel and an all-over reboot. Anything to get killer doll Chucky back onto our screens and back into Universal's ledgers. Looks like the sequel has edged ahead and will be going into production first.
The Curse of Chucky has been written and will be produced and directed by Don Mancini, the man who came up with the series in the first place and has written or at least co-written every one of the films to date. Moviehole believe that production begins in Winnipeg this September.
I enjoyed the last couple of screwier, funnier Chucky films, but the emphasis this time, it's said, will be on making the series 'scary again' ' if indeed it was every scary in the first place. Exciting and fun, yes. Scary? I don't know about that. And I've got a thing about dolls.
Brad Douriff will once again lend Chucky his perfectly-suited voice, for storyline that sees the wee one terrorising a family in mourning.
The final girl, it seems, is to be Nica:
a young woman ' in a wheelchair since birth
Here's more of the plot premise:
When people start turning up dead, the fearless Nica discovers the culprit might be a 'strange doll' she was sent a couple of days earlier.
Main characters in the film include heroine Nica; Barb, Nica's older sister, a manipulative, controlling cow that nags her handsome husband Ian and 5-year-old daughter Alice; and Jill, the 'smokin' hot' nanny that's sleeping with Ian. There's also fun supporting characters like a meddling priest, who will come face-to-cross with Chucky, and of course, the deceased woman, mother Sarah. But, as I said, it's Chucky who takes king credit ' he's who we want to see, and by golly, sounds like he's back to his murderous ways.
The film is set to go straight to DVD and Blu-ray. If they start shooting as planned we could be seeing this next spring.
I am glad to have Chucky back, just for more of those doll effects, and Douriff's performance. Hopefully the film will deliver a lot more than that too.
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Jesse James writes for Bleeding Cool like an unstoppable force.
Growing up in the 80's you didn't have much choice in genres. Its was Super Hero's, Action Hero's, or Animals with swords. So when I opened up the store that's what I carried. Then the Diamond rep came in and offered me Zenescope. I remember looking at him saying 'You want me to carry this in my store?' After spending some time with him, I caved in and bought a couple. Probably, one of the best business decisions I have ever made. A couple of weeks later Raven Gregory called me at the store. Next thing you know, he is doing a signing at the store. The great thing was, he stayed a extra two hours just to talk to fans. Since that day, we have become great friends. He is a very genuine guy and is always looking to help out when needed. In fact, this weekend he is doing a signing at the store with Ebas and I wont even be there. That's how much I trust the guy! As he gears up for San Diego Con, I asked him to come hang out with the Bleeding Cool fans.
Tell us where you are originally from?
It's different for each story. Some, I write a page by page breakdown of what happens in the issue. Others I just sit down and start writing and it all comes out on the page. It changes every time. Each story gets it's own special procedure to bring it to life.
I love the fans and sometimes I can't draw the line between being a creator and being a friendly guy. I know, I'm a writer and an editor but I never see myself as that and even today I'm still getting used to it. I've always thought of myself as just a guy who got lucky and writes comics. If, I meet someone cool at a show I'd hang out with them, like anyone else I'd meet anywhere. Sometimes you have to be able to draw the line in the sand between your personal life and your professional life and it's not always the easiest thing to do. But again, I'm learning and growing so hopefully I get it right one of these days.
It's been 22 years since Misery, Rob Reiner's one and only thriller. Most of his other really fruitful trips to the well were repeated, arguable with diminished results: The Princess Bride was followed by less successful post modern fairytale, North; mock documentary This Is Spinal Tap was followed by less successful short-form spin offs with the same characters; he even went back for more Aaron Sorkin, following A Few Good Men with The American President.
Currently, he's wrapping up his seccond 'Morgan Freeman in the twilight of his years' picture.
But Reiner has never besmirched his 1-for-1 thriller record.
He's about to go for the 2-for-2, signing on to direct You Belong To Me. THR pitch the core concept well, and it's an idea I wish I'd had:
The project centers on a psychiatrist who does the one thing you are never supposed to do with your patients: talk about yourself.
I dare say that things go a little One Hour Photo after that. Or, as has been said, Cape Fear. Note the nature of the four main characters and you'll see what I mean:
Production is planned for the fall in New York and casting will begin immediately for the four leads, which include the psychiatrist, his wife, their daughter and the patient's brother.
It's a thriller concept that was waiting to happen.
The screenplay was written by David Murray. I hope it's good. Reiner himself said:
They are hard to make well, but this one has a deep psychological bent to it and a big twist in the end that I didn't see coming. That's why I decided to take a whack at this one.
Well, good luck Mr. Reiner.
I'll be keeping a close, hopeful eye on this one.
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I've been directed to an online version of Primissima, the Italian magazine responsible for yesterday's Oz The Great and Powerful image. Also on the same page are a promotional image for Iron Man 3 and another for Disney's Cars spin-off, Planes. And seeing as the page is full of cinema releases, the implication seems to be that Planes isn't going straight to disc as was originally planned.
Which is, in fact, a rumour I'd been hearing quite a bit. This seems to back that up nicely. The story is that John Lasseter likes the film enough that he wants it to get a theatrical release. Last time he bumped a film up the pecking order in this way we ended up with Toy Story 2. Planes might yet soar way over the head of Cars.
Here's the relevant section of the relevant page.
At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Cartoon Network's amplified Convention Center presence will include a fan-centric booth, buzzing with activity showcasing a life-sized, interactive re-creation of the living room from their hit series Regular Show, where lead characters Mordecai and Rigby spend a majority of their time. As the network prepares for its 20th Birthday celebration later this year, fans will have an opportunity to be filmed by Cartoon Network cameras in the Regular Show living room or in the Network's 20th Birthday 'confessional room' sharing some of their favorite Cartoon Network memories. Some lucky fans may even be featured on the Network during three upcoming marathon weekends! For fans and collectors alike, this year's Comic-Con exclusive giveaways will include five different Regular Show buttons and a sure-to-please Cartoon Network 20th Birthday mini-poster.
With hit animated comedy series Regular Show and Adventure Time taking center stage at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, events will include star-studded panels and signings along with other featured Cartoon Network series Ben 10:Omniverse, Annoying Orange, Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk, Level Up, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, MAD and many more!
Can't make it the Con? No problem! 'Cartoon Network's Big Fan Weekend' will invite viewers from across the country to tune-in Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15 for a first look at new series, sneak peeks of returning series and on-the-scene Comic-Con exclusives.
Below is a schedule of Cartoon Network series panels, fan events and signings at 2012 Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif., Thursday, July 12 ' Sunday, July 15, 2012. All times, dates and locations subject to change.
Thursday, July 12
CARTOON NETWORK: Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk
Picking up where the critically-acclaimed feature film, How to Train Your Dragon, left off, this weekly animated series follows the continuing adventures of master dragon trainer Hiccup, his faithful dragon Toothless and his friends on the island of Berk. Dragon training reaches new heights as our heroes unlock secrets about their dragons, explore wild frontiers and discover new dragon species, all while battling against fierce enemies they never dreamed existed. Come get a first look at the series, which premieres this fall on Cartoon Network, and hear from some of the talented dragon trainers who helped bring it to life. Room 6A
WB: MAD Screening and Q&A
It's a MAD world, we just laugh in it. The magazine you tried to hide from your parents is now an animated series on Cartoon Network! Currently in its third season, this Warner Bros. Animation series is inspired by the country's best-selling humor magazine, MAD, and features animated parodies, crazy commercials, pretend promos and classic gags. Take a peek behind the MAD curtain and learn what goes in to bringing the funny to your television every week. Back to bring more laughs this year will be series producers Kevin Shinick (Crank Yankers) and Mark Marek (Robot Chicken) along with Peter Girardi, Senior Vice President of Series and Alternative Animation at Warner Bros. Animation. Room 6DE
Friday, July 13
CARTOON NETWORK: Annoying Orange
Boasting more than 1 billion YouTube views to date, Annoying Orange is the Web sensation transformed into a new Cartoon Network television series that follows Orange and his buddies as they go on a wide range of adventures taking them from the fruit stand to parts unknown and everything in between. Join series creator Dane Boedigheimer (Orange), Toby Turner (Nerville) and others for a delightfully annoying time. Room 6A
CARTOON NETWORK: Regular Show
Yeaaauuhhh! It's Regular Show at Comic-Con 2012! Join series creator JG Quintel (Mordecai, High Five Ghost), Bill Salyers (Rigby), Sam Marin (Benson, Pops, Muscle Man) and others for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the comedy, drama and tomfoolery that make this Regular Show so jolly good. Come for the merrymaking, stay for songs, sneaks and surprises! Room 6A
Saturday, July 14
CARTOON NETWORK: Adventure Time
Not just any ol' panel, this is Adventure Time! Join series creator Pendleton Ward (Lumpy Space Princess), Jeremy Shada (Finn), Tom Kenny (Ice King) and others as you experience the all out good time that is Cartoon Network's Adventure Time! There will be singing, live readings, lots of exclusive clips and other mathematical surprises! Room 6A
LUCAS PANEL:Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Onto Season Five
The aftermath of Season Four has left the Star Wars galaxy a very dangerous place: Darth Maul is alive, Asajj Ventress is a bounty hunter, and the Mandalorian Death Watch is deadlier than ever. How will these threads continue in Season Five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars? Find out in this behind-the-scenes panel, which will feature new clips, new insights and more. Join the discussion with Supervising Director Dave Filoni and head writer Matt Michnovetz (who wrote Season Four's powerful Umbara arc). Moderated by Star Wars author Pablo Hidalgo. Room 6DE
Sunday, July 15
CARTOON NETWORK: Level Up
Huzzah! The Level Up gang is leaving Daventry Hills and heading to San Diego! Fans of Cartoon Network's hit series about high school friends who battle their online foes IRL won't want to miss this action packed panel! Peter Murrieta (executive producer) leads the stars of Level Up, Gaelan Connell (Wyatt), Connor del Rio (Dante), Jessie T. Usher (Lyle), Aimee Carrero (Angie) and Lonny Ross (Max Ross) along with executive producers David Schneiderman and Derek Guiley in a lively discussion on the upcoming adventures awaiting the Neverfail clan. The panel will answer fan questions and offer a sneak peak from a never-before-seen episode of Level Up! Room 6A
WB PANEL: DC Nation Screening and Q&A
The Nation is coming to San Diego! DC Nation ' Cartoon Network's one-hour action and comedy programming block starring some of the most beloved and legendary heroes of the DC Universe ' will make its first-ever Comic-Con appearance. In addition to exclusive video content for fan-favorite series Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice, the panel will also present sneak peeks at two highly anticipated upcoming DC Nation series: Beware The Batman and Teen Titans Go! The panel of super hero goodness will feature top animation producers Glen Murakami (Teen Titans), Mitch Watson (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), Michael Jelenic (ThunderCats), Aaron Horvath (MAD) and Jeff Prezenkowski, director of series and shorts at Warner Bros. Animation. Room 6BCF
CARTOON NETWORK: Ben 10: Omniverse
It's hero time in San Diego! You don't want to miss this chance to see the world premiere exclusive sneak peek of Ben 10: Omniverse. In the brand-new animated series premiering this fall, Ben has a new look, new aliens, a new sidekick and, of course, new bad guys to battle. Yuri Lowenthal (Ben) hosts a panel featuring stars and producers who will give an inside-look at the creation and direction of Ben 10: Omniverse, and you'll be the first to see animation from this exciting new series! Room 6DE
CARTOON NETWORK BIRTHDAY BOOTH
Friday, July 13 ' Sunday, July 15 at 2 p.m.
If you are a big fan, Cartoon Network wants to meet you. Come tell us all those Cartoon Network memories in our 20th Birthday Booth (#3735). You may even be featured on TV during our BIG FAN WEEKEND. All ages welcome.
REGULAR SHOW EXPERIENCE
Friday, July 13 ' Sunday, July 15 at 4 p.m.
Do you look like a Racoon? A Blue Jay? No? Come to Cartoon Network's Regular Show experience anyway, located at the Cartoon Network Booth (#3735) dressed as your favorite Regular Show character. Or just bring your Muscle Man Physique. Either way, we'll possibly put you on TV. All ages welcome.
In the new honours lists, to be presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year, Grant Morrison is to be given the MBE, Member of the British Empire, as a Comic Book Writer and Playwright for services to Film and Literature. While a number of cartoonists have received this honour before,'
Lots of names to drop here.
Yesterday's Google, Yahoo, will be offering motion comics with Liquid Comics, the company that used to partner with Virgin to make Virgin Comics.
Their first two projects will be Dinosaurs Vs Aliens, created by Barry Sonnenfeld and Grant Morrison and drawn by Mukesh Singh, published next week from Dynamite Entertainment.
Then they will publish Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper, originally published several years ago by Virgin, written by Andy Diggle and drawn' also by Mukesh Singh.
They must have some other artist to motion comic up, musn't they? At least there will be a common look for each comic. Both will be made available through Yahoo! Screen. What level of motion comic they are, they're not yet talking about.
This will join Tom Hanks' new animated Web series, Electric City.
Look at that folks. A reason to go to Yahoo. It's been a while' I wonder if I still have my old login?
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