Disney Marvel Acquisition Nightmares
I woke up Monday morning to read the news that Disney was acquiring Marvel, and while I guess this could be a good thing for the future of Marvel Comics, I’m also a little bit scared. I couldn’t help but immediately envision the following Disney Marvel acquisition nightmares.
SCREAM 2009 Awards Nominees Announced!
Spike TV’s 4th annual SCREAM Awards are coming up on October 17th at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Before we get to that ceremony however, first come the nominees! Announced late this afternoon, the nominees for the awards, which honor the fan favorites in comic books, sci-fi, horror and and fantasy, certainly comprise a number of blockbusters and fan favorites from the past year. J.J. Abram’s sci-fi masterpiece Star Trek leads the way with a total of seventeen nominations, including Best Science-Fiction Movie, Best Director and Best Ensemble. Read more
Comic Book Previews for September 2nd, 2009
Before you hit the beach, the mountains or some other locale for the Labor Day holiday, don’t forget to swing by your local comic book shop and pick up this week’s new releases! Image Comics continues to serve up plenty for fans of their runaway hit series Chew. Issue four bows this week, along with reprints of the first three issues! This is your chance to catch up on the adventures of Detective Tony Chu all in one week! Pete Wentz, frontman for the band Fall Out Boy, sees his co-creation debut this week with the first issue of Fall Out Toy Works, the first in a five issue limited series! Mice Templar: Destiny #3 also lands in stores this week, giving fans of Image even more to be excited about! Read more
Breaking: Disney Acquires Marvel
Wow, talk about blockbuster Monday news: The Walt Disney Co. just announced that it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock. That means the 5,000 Marvel characters will be part of Disney.
The deal will pay Marvel shareholders $30 per share in cash and 0.745 shares of Disney for each Marvel share they hold. The deal has been approved by both Marvel’s and Disney’s boards.
“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation.” said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger.
The recent success of Marvel films such as Spider-Man and Iron Man most likely made Marvel an attractive candidate for Disney. With such a deep library of characters, the movie possibilities are endless.
Stay tuned for more on this story.
‘Swamp Thing’ in 3-D is a Possibility Says Joel Silver
We hit the ‘Whiteout’ press junket over the weekend with Joel Silver, Kate Beckinsale and Gabriel Macht. Unfortunately for us, our recorder broke about 5 minutes into the session, so we’re short on quotes.
However, we can tell you that Joel Silver said he is looking hard at re-making Swamp Thing, and he’s considering doing it in 3-D. The DC comic book, created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, has already hit the big screen twice. The Wes Craven version, done in 1982, is (in my mind) one of the best takes on the old-time horror/thriller monster films. The 2nd version was done in 1989 with Heather Locklear. It’s so-so.
It would be fun to see Silver’s spin on the story, especially in 3-D. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.
Greg Rucka Talks “Whiteout” and the Wonders of Kate Beckinsale!
September 11, 2009 will see the release of the highly-anticipated film adaptation of author Greg Rucka’s comic book series Whiteout, the story of a U.S. Marshal, Carrie Stetko, who must figure out a murder that has occurred in one of the most desolate, and brutal, spots in the world, Antarctica. While Rucka has been known for his work with superheroes such as Wonder Woman, Daredevil and currently Batwoman, in Stetko he has created a heroine whose grit and determination are tested to their limits in a harsh, and humbling, environment. During my conversation with Rucka, he touched on several key areas that he felt made this adaptation of his work so successful.
For the film, Stetko comes to life in the form of actress Kate Beckinsale. In talking about the project, Rucka explained what made Beckinsale perfect for the role. ”Kate is a very talented, subtle actress who just knows exactly what she’s doing with the character. Carrie comes to Antarctica because of a conflict and a past pain; she’s trying to get away from that conflict but she finds that she can’t. Kate plays the conflict beautifully in the film.” Read more
Dark Horse and Janet Evanovich Concoct a “Racy” Comic!
Another widely popular author is making the move to collaborate with a comic book publisher! Mystery writer Janet Evanovich, best known for her work featuring heroine Stephanie Plum (who debuted in One for the Money) is partnering with Dark Horse Comics for a graphic adaptation of the adventures of her character Alex Barnaby, according to the Los Angeles Times. Read more
Batman The Widening Gyre #1 Review
So what is Kevin Smith’s new Batman mini-series “The Widening Gyre” like? Based on the first issue, it looks to be a sometimes funny, often violent, and interesting take on Batman and many of his supporting cast. If you haven’t read the first issue yet, then be warned that there are spoilers ahead.
While the first issue dealt mainly with Poison Ivy’s takeover of Arkham Asylum, the central underlying plot seems to be developing as what if Batman had an adult partner instead of the child partners he has had in the past.
“The Widening Gyre” kicks off with a short fight between Batman and Robin and Baron Blitzkrieg and the Atomic Skull. The opening sequence is written in the tone of being a really poorly written Batman comic book from the sixties.
IDW Announces More Comic Strip Anthologies!
Following recent news that IDW Publishing, home to titles such as Dr. Who and several Transformers books, would publish collections of the satirical comic strip Bloom County comes an announcement that another comic strip is on the way to a collected volume near you! Classic comic strip Bringing Up Father will make its way into stores in November with From Sea to Shining Sea, the title for this collection of the comic strip from 1939-1940. Read more
Trace Adkins Comic Book Update
Last month, it was announced that country music star Trace Adkins would become the star of a new comic book series. Now, we have some more information on and some artwork from the series, which will be called Luke McBain. As far as we know, Adkins will be the first country music artist to ever invent an alter ego in comic books.
Luke McBain will be a four issue mini-series published by 12 Gauge Comics, and the series is being billed as a hard-as-nails adventure story of revenge and redemption, in the tradition of “Walking Tall” and “Billy Jack.” Most comic books are set in major cities, but Luke McBain will shake things up with a rural Louisiana setting. The series will follow McBain as he returns to his small hometown after serving 14 years in prison.
David Tischman is the writer for the Luke McBain series, and Kody Chamberlain is the artist. Brian Stelfreeze is the cover artist.
