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Pinup Dreamgirl Bettie Page Passes Away: She Was a Fanboy Favorite
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 12, 2008 in Cinema, Comic Books
How many comic book artists have been inspired by Bettie Page? Everyone knows what a Bettie Page haircut is. I think when folks look back at the film icons of the 20th century Bettie Page will rank up there with the likes of Marilyn Monroe: Read more… Watchmen ComicCon 2008 Trailer: Hitting the Web
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 10, 2008 in Comic Books
At long last the official version of the Watchmen trailer that was shown at ComicCon 2008 is now hitting the web! I have no idea how good this film is going to be, but i love the amount of detail that I’m seeing in each frame (which is a fanboy plus in my book). Hulk Family Values: If You Kill It You Eat It…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 3, 2008 in Comic Books
You know you’re doing bad when you can’t figure out at a casual glance if something is a parody or not — and such seems to be the case with issue #1 of Hulk Family which hits newsstands this week. To their credit Marvel has had Marko Djurdjevic do an amazing job on the cover, but this concept just seems so silly to me. Anyway you be the judge, here’s the description of the plot: Read more… The Spirit: Two TV Trailers
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2008 in Cinema, Comic Books
Being a Will Eisner fanboy I sort of have mixed feelings from what I’ve seen of the upcoming film The Spirit so far. The clips seems a bit better than I thought, but I still feel like the idea of turning The Spirit into some sort of superhero is misplaced as what makes him so special is that he’s so ordinary on a certain level. Today’s To Do List: Kill Off Batman
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2008 in Comic Books
In today’s issue of Batman it seems that after 70 years of good faith our trusty sidekick Robin will go over to “the dark side” and knock off poor Bruce Wayne. Well at least that’s the rumor we’ve been hearing — but it seems that in this latest issue the dark knight will meet with some sort of ultimate demise: Batman to be killed off after 70 years Batman Arkham Asylum: The Latest Trailer from Eidos
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 25, 2008 in Comic Books, Videogames
Well if nothing else I think every fanboy will agree that Eidos did a good job of capturing the expected film noir/horror film atmosphere that one would expect from the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum game. Asylum will be out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC and is slated for a release in 2009. The Garfield Randomizer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 24, 2008 in Comic Books
It’s funny to me that Garfield (which would never be in my top ten list so let’s just leave it at that) seems to be vastly improved when you make it non-sequential. You best visit this site quickly before the copyright cats get onto them: “…so this guy noticed that Garfield comics make just as much sense if you throw random panels together, and sometimes are actually pretty funny. He got a cease-and-desist letter. So he made the code available for people who wanted to try it for themselves. Here we go!” Oldboy Will Be Based on the Japanese Manga, Not the Korean Film
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 21, 2008 in Cinema, Comic Books
Good news! According to filmschoolrejects.com it seems that Will Smith has stated that the American version of Oldboy won’t be based on the Korean film but instead based on the original manga. This will come as good news to fanboys that were worried that Steven Spielberg (or any American company) wouldn’t be able to capture the graphic nature of the original Korean film. The Latest Poster for The Spirit Makes Me Dispirited
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 21, 2008 in Comic Books
I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I don’t have high hopes for The Spirit. Don’t get me wrong from what I’ve seen of the film looks fantastic (so it’s not a lack of budget), but it looks like the movie won’t be true to the spirit of the comic book that Will Eisner created. Eisner’s characters would be very much at home on the set of a film noir movie, but his stories aren’t about action heroes but about regular folks (so to speak). Instead of a ham fisted approach to the movie I would have preferred that a team Coen Brothers tackle a film like this instead of trying to make the property into something that it’s not. Also at the risk of sounding like a whiney fanboy — you’ll notice the one thing that’s missing from that poster is Will Eisner’s name in big letters. Yeah I know that’s not “part of the marketing”, but it tells me that there’s a lack of respect for the story. Poster found via newsarama.com. Watching the Watchmen Whatnots
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 18, 2008 in Comic Books, Hobbies and Collections
Watchmen fanboys can sleep soundly at night knowing that there will be tons of collectable knickknacks to coincide with the release of the feature film. My favorite of the goodies is a nifty 1:24 scale replica of the Owl Ship (shown above) and of course there are plenty of action figures too: Read more… Second Watchmen Trailer: Fanboy Seal of Approval (Thus Far)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2008 in Comic Books
I admit I had my doubts, but this trailer looks like the real deal. Of course this doesn’t guarantee anything, I’ve seen plenty of trailers where the film was a letdown — but Watchmen now looks promising to say the least. Yes if there’s an alternative universe where Terry Gilliam directed the film I’d want to see that instead, but living in this universe I’ll say that this don’t look too shabby (he says as he wipes fanboy drool from the corner of his mouth). Side Note: I even like the voice over effect! It’s hard to carry that off without being corny (example: Blade Runner), but here it works, and works well at that. I hope not to be let down, but this looks like they may have a shot at making a breakthrough superhero film noir movie the likes that haven’t been seen since since the 1989 Batman film directed by Tim Burton. Watchmen Posters: The City is Afraid of You, but the Fanboys Love You!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 12, 2008 in Comic Books
I’ve been reading that the ending of the Watchmen film will be different than the graphic novel, however these six character posters give me quite a bit of hope. I had my doubts about the casting but this is starting to look right! Above is the poster for Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), and below are the posters for Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup). Read more… Watching the Watchmen
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Comic Books
DC Comics has just published a nice coffee table book entitled Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel Turok, Son of Stone: If Sara Palin Wrote a Comic Book…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 8, 2008 in Comic Books
I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself with that headline! But the sight of cowboys and indians hanging out with dinosaurs (well minus the cowboys) brought Sarah Palin’s creationism to my mind right away. However that shouldn’t take dissuade you from checking out Turok: Son of Stone whuch will be coming out in February 2009 from Dark Horse. Spielberg to Remake Oldboy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2008 in Cinema, Comic Books
Oldboy (올드보이) was a popular 2003 revenge film from Korea which was based on a Japanese manga by the same (オールド・ボーイ) written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya which ran from 1996 until 1998. Now normally I’m 100% against Hollywood remakes, but in this case I’ll make an exception. I think if Spielberg tackles Oldboy that it might popularize and open the door for more Asian cinema to come to the United States. And if he can get a popular actor like Will Smith involved that would be a real cherry on top: Spielberg, Smith in talks for ‘Oldboy’ “Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in early discussions to collaborate on a remake of Chan Wook-park’s “Oldboy.” DreamWorks is in the process of securing the remake rights, and the new pic will be distributed by Universal. In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.” Here’s a trailer from the Korean film: The President of Steel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2008 in Comic Books
It’s January of 1969 and Superman’s day job is President of the United States of America! This issue of Action Comics #371 not only featured Superman but co-stared Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry Truman, John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and oh yes Lois Lane. This all star cast combined with a cover illustration by Neal Adams would make for a pretty interesting read if you’re stuck waiting on line to vote today. A Dramatic Dose of Juan Doe
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 26, 2008 in Comic Books
This cover by Juan Doe for Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel #3 (which is due out in January) has a nice poster quality to it. The contrast between the art deco coloring of the Blue Marvel in the foreground makes for a nice contrast with the post-psychedelic hypnotic swirling backdrop. Tiny Titans Lesson #1: Even Superheroes Do the Laundry
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 25, 2008 in Comic Books
Art Baltazar shows off his sense of humor on this cover of Tiny Titans #12 which is due out in January. In this illustration Baltazar is already in a land of cute with his characters, but I like the fact hat he takes it a step further by having those with super powers in training doing something mundane like the wash — and failing at it so well! Skottie Young is a Wiz
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 24, 2008 in Comic Books
In January 2009 Marvel will be putting out the second issue of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which features cover art and pencils by one of my favorite artists Skottie Young. One of the nice things that Skottie did with this cover is that he’s reinvented the visual look for Oz which has such a well known history – by ignoring the books and the famous MGM film he’s given the title a fresh start. It’s also great just how cartoony this cover looks too, which is something that you don’t associate with typical Marvel comics which seem so obsessed with Photoshopped realism. Speaking of Photoshop notice how good the coloring is? Young has a very washed out water-colored looking palette instead of the over saturated primary tones you see too often today. And all of this is just the background to the character designs which have a wonderful whimsy to them. Read more… March 6th, 2009: You Know You’ll Be Waiting in Line for Watchmen…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 23, 2008 in Comic Books
Recently someone spoiled this film for me by telling me that the ending was different than the comic book, and in a huff I promised myself that I’d boycott watching it in public. However upon seeing this new poster for Watchmen I know full well that ‘ll be waiting for hours on line with every other fanboy… Found via latinoreview.com. Parody Preview: New Avengers #46
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 18, 2008 in Comic Books
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!!! You know when you watch a bad film and it’s obvious that a special effect is just obligatory eye candy to make up for a lack of plot? Well that’s how I feel about the above “Photoshop magic” from the upcoming issue of New Avengers #46 which is due to blaze into your local comic book shop on October 22nd. By the way I’m not writing this to put down Aleksi Briclot (his work looks pretty decent) — but perhaps Marvel should let him do something a little less conventional on the next cover? Strange Brew: Emily the Strange Goes Pop
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 17, 2008 in Comic Books
This looks like a good low budget fanboy gift for Christmas or maybe Halloween: Emily the Strange, Jones Soda Team Up “Now you can get Emily the Strange in a bottle! Emily comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics has teamed up with Jones Soda Co. to launch a limited-edition line of Emily the Strange soda pops on www.myjones.com. Dark Horse Comics is known for breaking tradition and bucking trends. It arranged the partnership with Jones Soda Co., part of Jones Limited, to provide comic and soda fans with a new way to enjoy some of Dark Horse’s most popular characters. Six special-edition Emily art labels have been created for the sodas. And only 600 six-bottle packs of each of the six themes will be available, just in time for Halloween on October 14. These special-edition sodas, which come in Strawberry Lime, Pure Cane Cola, and Cream Soda, will only be available here. The other Dark Horse comic featured in the program will be Eric Powell’s The Goon, which will launch with the soda line.” Cartoon Characters That Stick to the Roof of Your Mouth
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 15, 2008 in Comic Books
This is what fanboys put on their WonderBread in 1981! Looking at the branding of this product I guess they went with Superman because any superhero with an animal theme like Batman or Spiderman might bring up gross connotations if associated with food. By the way DC Comics was late to the peanut butter game — in 1954 Derby Foods marketed their Peter Pan Peanut Butter brand by being one of the sponsors of the Disneyland TV show: Master Illustrator David Levine is Losing His Vision
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 14, 2008 in Comic Books
As a visual artist I think one of the most scary things that I can imagine would be to go blind — so I’m feeling some what devastated because I read today that one of my favorite illustrators David Levine is suffering from macular degeneration. The artwork above is a 1972 caricature of Humphrey Bogart, but it doesn’t do David justice as a computer screen just doesn’t have the resolution to show off his amazingly deft draftsmanship. In fact the first time I was introduced to his work it was because my father gave me a book on him when I was a kid — and I was just blown away. It showed me that cartoons can be humorous but intelligent at the same time: Levine in Winter “Simultaneously, two more dramas were under way. One was on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, where Levine, now 81 years old, had long lived and worked. Gradually, his universe had grown darker and fuzzier. He could no longer see very clearly without strong light and magnification, or rely upon his hand: the lines that had always been his friends, the spare, crisp ones that defined someone’s shape, and the elaborate cross-hatchings that gave him soul, he could no longer control. His ophthalmologist had put it bluntly. “Mr. Levine, you don’t look your age,” he said. “But your eyes do.” His diagnosis: macular degeneration. Medications and injections didn’t help. Levine worked on, but laboriously. He abandoned pen and ink for pencil, which, as he puts it, “was more forgiving if I made a mistake.” But the results were plain enough. For the first time—except for those very few instances when it had been too tart for the publication’s taste—the Review rejected his work.” |
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