Radical's 'Herc,' 'Caliber' seek the light - Reviews for 4/30/08

Hercules: The Thracian Wars #1 and Caliber #1 (both 32 pages for only $1) are the first comicbook releases from new publisher Radical Comics, headed up by rock photographer turned producer Barry Levine and featuring dark stories smothered even more in what looks like buckets and buckets of oh-so-serious painted artwork.  Everything is so dark that it's at times hard to follow the story and characters from panel to panel — and the noir-ish scripting does little to alleviate this. Hercules in particular is light on plot but easy enough to figure out; fantasy Western tale Caliber was tougher to follow but more obviously could be very cool if its concept can escape the dark art into the light of day. ...

Dead, She Said #1 (IDW, $3.99) tells the tale of a private eye who continues his case even though he's so dead his guts are spilling out. Full pencils and inks by Berni Wrightson are a big draw on this one, though somehow it fails to live up to the cool factor he established on DC's 1970s horror books. ... Igor Movie Prequel #1 (IDW, $3.99) tells two tales that help set up this fall's animated feature from The Weinstein Co. The art has a clever, CG-assisted look  and the story is fun enough to raise my interest in the film, but the dark colors make the reader spend too much time figuring out what they're looking at rather than just enjoying the story. ... Batman #675 (DC, $2.99) is my favorite single issue of Grant Morrison's run, for the great Bruce Wayne scenes and a particularly cool ending. ...

The Uncanny X-Men #497 (Marvel, $2.99) featured another good script from Ed Brubaker — with the exception of Emma Frost's dialog being far more colloquial than I expect from the former White Queen. Both plots — San Francisco reverting to 1969, and Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler's Russian adventure — were entertaining and progressed enough to be worth the cover price. ... Doktor Sleepless #6 (Avatar, $2.99) is getting more interesting as the larger plot starts to take shape, proving to be one of Warren Ellis' more interesting sci-fi premises. ...

American Splendor Vol. 2 #1 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) tells you more about the life of writer Harvey Pekar, who judging by his recent stories has mellowed out a bit. The lineup of artists is particularly nice — never thought David Lapham would draw a Pekar story — and for some reason I'm really glad this is still published in black and white. ... Young Liars #2 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) is better than the first issue, feeling more like a particularly good issue of Stray Bullets than the first. Colorist Lee Loughridge does an excellent job coloring creator David Lapham's always-cool art. ... If you've read it up till now, you're not going to snub Countdown to Final Crisis #1 (DC, $2.99), which struggles to generate some excitement as it wraps up the weekly series and sets up the board for the next OMG don't-dare-miss-it event, Final Crisis. 

Free Comic Book Day is back

It's that time of year again: Free comics! This is the seventh year for the promotional event, for which comics shops across the country will be giving away this Saturday a whole bunch of free samplers. As always, it coincides with the opening weekend release of a big comicbook movie, in this case "Iron Man." (For some reason, Marvel has a lot more sway in getting the event tied to its movies, rather than say DC's "The Dark Knight.")

This year's sampling includes 10 "gold books" from the top publishers — Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Archie, Virgin, etc. — that every participating store will carry. There also will be more than 30 "silver books" from a wider array of publishers. This year's giveaways also includes a couple of collectible game miniatures, which is the first non-comics item to be officially included in the promotion.

But perhaps the most fun aspect of FCBD is the opportunity for stores everywhere to stage signings and events. The most interesting is at Atomic Comics in Mesa, Ariz., where all seven Image Comics founders will be signing Saturday afternoon. Closer to Hollywood, writer J.M. DeMatteis of Justice League International and Abadazad fame will make a rare West Coast appearance at Meltdown Comics' Hollywood location on Sunset. Golden Apple Comics has a full day of events planned, including appearances by Top Cow creators. Manhattan Beach's Comic Bug will have a large crowd of pros and plans a special screening of "The Rocketeer" featuring screenwriters Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo in honor of the character's creator, Dave Stevens, who died a few months back.

If you're looking for a participating comic shop, head over to the event's site or the Comic Shop Locator Service, available online or by calling 1-800-COMIC-BOOK.

'Iron Man' week news update for 4/29/08

Variety's top critic Todd McCarthy gives the film good marks. So does Anne Thompson and the AP. ... More behind-the-scenes footage on MySpace with director Jon Favreau. ... Project Rooftop artists redesign Iron Man. ... Speculation appears to be moving into guessing the opening weekend gross. My guess is in the $60 million to $70 million range, but some are going as high as $100 million. That seems like a lot, but past Marvel movies such as "X-Men" and "Spider-Man" have a record of defying even high expectations.

BATMAN'S ON DECK: A new trailer for "The Dark Knight" is coming to reward the patient among us. ... A new round of very cool looking posters for "The Dark Knight" also are making the rounds. While reaction has generally been positive, a lot of folks are noticing how similar the new posters are to the ones made for "Batman Returns" in 1992, and College Humor.com pretty successfully fools folks into thinking that the trailer to the new film is eerily similar to that for the first Tim Burton "Batman" in 1989. The real Burton trailer is here. ... Speaking of "Batman Returns," the film looked absolutely fantastic when I caught it the other night on HBO in HD ...

MORE COMICS AND MOVIE STUFF: Heritage Auctions has a rather extensive group of Golden Age and Silver Age comics, including Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #1, Detective Comics #27 and Marvel Comics #1, up for grabs in its next auction, set for May 22-23. ... A comics fan and student journalist wonders if it might be a good idea for Hollywood to rein in its comic book obsession just a little bit. ... Comics artist John Cassaday tells Portfolio.com that he plans to start making films in the next couple of years. ... Actor Mekhi Phifer's Facilitator Films shingle has optioned the comic book series "Hunter's Moon" from its author, novelist James L. White, and publisher Boom! Studios. ... Universal has picked up "Resurrection," a comics series by "Eli Stone" creator Marc Guggenheim and published by Oni Press. ... Michigan comics shop owner David Pirkola was critically injured last week during a robbery of his store in Grand Rapids. ... Fishbowl LA reports on the graphic novel panel held Sunday at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

AWARDS STUFF: Nominations are being taken for the Friends of Lulu Awards. ... And the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award also is looking for nominees.

 

Comics Party Comes West — News for 4/23/08

Now that the East Coast party known as New York Comic-Con is done, the nation's ongoing celebration of comics comes back west, where the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books sets aside for the first time a section called The Comix Strip that spotlights the art form. Exhibitors include Image Comics, Boom! Studios and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Three panels are planned: "Comics: Superheroes of the Stage and Screen" is Saturday at 10 a.m., with "Heroes" exec producer Jeph Loeb, "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola and "30 Days of Night" creator Steve Niles; "Reading Manga: A Japanese Phenomenon Comes to America" will be held Saturday at 3 p.m., with Liza Coppola of Viz Media, Lillian Diaz Przybyl of TOKYOPOP, and manga expert Frederik Schodt; and "Graphic Novels: Every Picture Tells a Story" on Sunday at 3 p.m.  with moderator Deborah Vankin, "The PLAIN Janes" writer Cecil Castellucci, "Love and Rockets" co-creator Jaime Hernandez, and "Peepshow" creator Joe Matt. Check out the official site for The Comix Strip for details on times places and tickets (likely all sold out). ... The following weekend not only features Free Comic Book Day, but on Sunday, May 4, the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention returns to the Shrine Expo Center with special guest Stan Lee, who's promoting his new book "Election Daze," original "Speed Racer" voice actress Corinne Orr and "Gumby" creator Art Clokey.

COMICS TO FILM: Frank Miller's been talking a lot as he promotes his upcoming solo directing debut on "The Spirit." Miller says he's written "Sin City 2," which he expects to be part of a trilogy, and he wants to direct a film adaptation of "Hard Boiled," which he wrote for Geof Darrow back around 1990. ... The Los Angeles Times' "Scriptland" column also talks to Miller about the explosion in films based on graphic novels, including the following fascinating hook: "In a faddish frenzy, no fewer than 22 film projects born of graphic novels or comics have been announced in the last six weeks." ... New posters have surfaced for "The Spirit" — head here if you missed the teaser trailer — and "Wanted," pictured below.

CHALLENGE VIDEO: Platinum Studios has put together a promo video for its annual Comic Book Challenge competition. Check it out below. Submissions open May 1, with judging set again for Comic-Con Intl. in San Diego.

MORE MARVEL NEWS: Fellow Variety blogger Anne Thompson reports midnight screenings are planned for the release of "Iron Man" next week, even as the studio attempts to tamp down possibly overhyped expectations for the pic. ... Marvel has lured Ira Rubenstein away from Sony Pictures to head up its growing online and digital ambitions. Formerly exec VP of Sony Pictures Digital, Rubenstein will oversee all the company's online sites, including Marvel Digital Comics and MarvelKids.com. ... Eric Rollman has been promoted to president of Marvel Animation. Rollman's previous title with the company was exec VP home entertainment and TV production. ... Marvel's plans for a theme park in the United Arab Emirates has switched developers as the company signs with Tatweer.

Quick hit (Marvel) reviews for 4/21/08

Our reviews get down to the Marvel section of the stack, starting with The Mighty Avengers #10-11 (Marvel, $2.99 each). While I've never quite taken to The Sentry, the 1970s look and feel of the story as Sentry and Iron Man go back in time to the 1970s with Dr. Doom and then come back for a big throwdown in Latveria made for some cool, old-school comicbook action that went down easy. .... I liked The New Avengers #39 (Marvel, $2.99) for different reasons, not the least of which was the dark mood evoked by David Mack's art as Maya Lopez and Wolverine tackle Skrull imposters. ... I cared not one whit for the way in which the Peter Parker-Mary Jane marriage was dissolved, but the rollicking nature of the thrice-monthly "Brand New Day" stories is definitely a throwback — in a good way — to the comics of yore. Toss in some stunning visuals by Chris Bachalo, whose art seems much better suited to Spider-Man than it ever was to X-Men, and The Amazing Spider-Man #555-556 (Marvel, $2.99 each) are winners. ...

Kick-Ass #2 (Icon, $2.99) is about as gut-wrenching as it gets. It also proves that sometimes it's extremely entertaining to watch characters do something they know is incredibly stupid. ... War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1 (Max, $2.99) was much goofier than I expected for a World War I flying ace story by Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin. It has its charms, though I can't help but feel the tale of a naive pilot expecting glory only to face the true horrors of war is going in a predictable direction. ...

Cable #2 (Marvel, $2.99) is hard to judge because so far the story been little more than a continuation of the plot from the recent "Messiah Complex" crossover. Still, the combination of painted art and Photoshopped realism by Ariel Olivetti is fantastic and worth a look at on its own. ... X-Men: Legacy #209 (Marvel, $2.99) is another continuation from "Messiah Complex," though there's a lot of stuff going on in here that will appeal to the longtime X-Men fan. Mike Carey mines continuity with unusually interesting results and it's all drawn very nicely by Scot Eaton and Philip Tan. ... More "Messiah" fallout in Young X-Men #1 (Marvel, $2.99), as "Eli Stone" creator Marc Guggenheim catches fans up on the various New X-Men characters, reducing this spinoff's appeal to that of fans of that now-canceled book. ... Wolverine: First Class #1 (Marvel, $2.99) falls into the same concept as X-Men: First Class — simple, all-ages stories focused on younger characters from the X-Men's past. I think appealing to that kind of audience works better when you don't turn it into a separate line of comics. This book, featuring Wolverine and young Kitty Pryde, doesn't succeed qutie as well as Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class, but the nostalgia and simple fun make it hard to pick on this one too much. ... Wolverine #63-64 (Marvel, $2.99 each) continue the "Get Mystique" storyline, which straddles a modern encounter in Afghanistan and an early meeting of the characters in 1920s Kansas City. This works pretty well, thanks to creators — Jason Aaron of Scalped and underrated veteran Ron Garney — who manage to make Logan's tough nonchalance and Mystique's sexy/evil combo an entertaining and convincing one.

NYCC news hangover

CON WIPEOUT: Expect things to be quiet the next few days as the industry recovers from New York Comic-Con, which is being hailed as a smashing success across the comics blogosphere. ... The con's official blog estimates attendance as at least 64,000, a pretty big jump from the 49,000 who showed up last year. ... Sci fi site IO9 has a gushing report on the panel and preview of Marvel's "Incredible Hulk" movie. ... IO9 also reports on the new trailer for "The Dark Knight" previewed at the show. ... Boom! Studios announced a deal with the Jim Henson Co. to produce a series of miniseries based on the cult-favorite sci-fi show "Farscape." ... "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia's previously mentioned comicbook project with Devil's Due is titled "Rest." Variety's Marc Graser writes the four-issue series "will revolve around the dangers of staying awake as a man is drawn into a conspiracy between a malevolent pharmaceutical company and the U.S. government." ... Tom Spurgeon at Comics Reporter offers a fascinating list of 50 notes and observations from the con floor. ... Midway Games has confirmed that its next version of "Mortal Kombat" will pit the videogame's famed fighters against the heroes and villains of the DC Universe.

COMICS IN FILM: CHUD reports Joel Silver saying at this weekend's "Speed Racer" junket that WB's troubled "Justice League" movie is being tabled. ... Jennifer Garner's Vandalia Films banner is developing the Oni Press series "Three Days in Europe" as a feature in conjunction with Hugh Jackman's Seed Productions. The actors would star as a couple who face danger on what was to be a romantic vacation.

NYCC: BET does 'Panther' toon; T'POP adds color

Black Entertainment Television has set an animated series based on Marvel's "The Black Panther." The Panther was the first black superhero, first appearing in 1966's Fantastic Four #52, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He's been an on-again, off-again member of the The Avengers, and starred in two solo comic series in the past decade. Here's the PR description:

THE BLACK PANTHER – From Marvel Comics®, who brought the world Spider-Man, X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, comes a primetime animated series featuring the first Black superhero. A wise and just African warrior king. A technologically advanced superhero with a proud past. BET presents THE BLACK PANTHER. PREMIERING Q1 2009

In other news, TOKYOPOP has announced a new graphic novel line, called — shockingly — TOKYOPOP Graphic Novels, that will bring full-color GNs from around the world to the U.S. The line will launch next February. Full PR details, including launch titles, in the jump.

Manga Giant Extends Publishing Portfolio
with Launch of Colorful New Line of International Books

TOKYOPOP GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Best In Color Graphic Novels From Around The Globe—Now Available For The First Time Ever In North America!

New York Comic-Con, New York (April 19, 2008)― Leading manga publisher and youth-oriented brand TOKYOPOP is pleased to unveil the latest addition to its rapidly growing publishing family - TOKYOPOP Graphic Novels. For years, European and Asian publishers have produced captivating, inspiring, and stunning full-color graphic novels that have not found a home on North American shores—until now. Beginning in February 2009, TOKYOPOP will cross the color barrier to publish a truly unique selection of rich, inventive, and stunningly original full-color graphic novels from some of the world’s most talented artists and writers.

According to TOKYOPOP Publisher Mike Kiley, "The new TOKYOPOP Graphic Novels line represents a natural evolution for us as we continue to offer the coolest stuff on the planet to readers around the world. Our launch titles have been selected to build a bridge between the manga and graphic novel audiences. This is a major initiative for us and we will not only be announcing more acquisitions in the near future but will also have some very exciting news about original TOKYOPOP projects that will appear in this new oversized format."

In a word from TOKYOPOP Senior Editor Bryce Coleman, "There has been a wealth of truly amazing stuff published around the world, and I think people are going to be amazed at the diverse line up we're coming out with in these graphic novels. From the gorgeous, painterly work of up-and-coming star, Benjamin, to the rich, animation-like epic world of Luuna, these books will all be as stunning to look at as they will be satisfying to read."

About the Launch Titles:

ORANGE (February 2009)

By: Benjamin

Licensed from Xiao Pan (China)

$14.99; 1 volume; 128 pp; 7.228" x 10"

A heartbreaking tale of a young woman attempting to understand the bewildering world around her… The luscious art of Benjamin heightens the intensity of this profoundly moving tale of sorrow and loss.

PIXIE (February 2009)

By: Mathieu Mariolle and Aurore

Licensed from Delcourt (France).

$12.99; 3 volumes, 112 pp; 7.228" x 10"

Pixie embarks on captivating adventures far and wide in this ethereal and mesmerizing fantastic voyage that stretches the limits of imagination.

LUUNA (March 2009)

By: Didier Crisse, Nicolas Keramidas

Licensed from Soleil (France).

$12.99; 3 volumes, 112 pp; 7.228" x 10

On the night of her initiation into her North American Indian tribe, young Luuna discovers she must confront an ancient curse that will change her forever. This haunting coming-of-age story is filled with deep pathos and stunning artwork that brings an unforgettable legend to life.

About TOKYOPOP

Founded by multi-cultural media visionary Stu Levy,TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company’s global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with offices in the UK and Germany and partnerships in Australia and China, in addition to its original Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto the new social networking site www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, which are licensed in more than 40 countries and 30 languages, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP’s award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.

NYCC: Stan Lee flies to Virgin

Stan Lee has signed on with Virgin Comics to create and oversee as editor a new line of superhero comics.

According to the L.A. Times, Lee will write one title himself and describes the project thusly:

"It will be a team of 10 heroes and they will be dealing with personality conflicts, personal problems and chemistry within the team," Lee said in an interview this week. "I'm going to get started working on it right away and I'm very excited about doing something that will be fresh and breaking new ground. I can't give away the details or the names yet, but I have some exciting things in mind."

NYCC: "The Spirit" and "Hellboy 2" posters

These both look pretty cool. Look for "The Spirit" trailer online later today, after its NYCC panel.

NYCC: Gordon Lee case is dismissed

At a benefit reading for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, writer Neil Gaiman surprised the crowd with news that a Georgia judge has  dismissed the criminal case against retailer Gordon Lee. Lee had been charged with distributing materials harmful to a minor and local prosecutors aggressively pressed the case against him, and had promised to proceed with the case despite a mistrial. The judge's dismissal ends the case against Lee. The fund, which defended Lee, reportedly spent more than $100,000 on the case.

NYCC: Comics and graphic novels sales up 10%

Milton Griepp of ICV2.com presented his third annual white paper on comics and graphic novel sales at the Graphic Novel Conference that preceded NYCC. Graphic novels and comics sales in 2007 were up in both bookstores and the direct market to total $705 million in the U.S. and Canada, up about 10 percent from 2006. Manga sales were up, though the rate of growth was slowing, in part from increased competition as the market matures.

Just try and escape "Iron Man"-ia

"IRON MAN" ROUNDUP: The impending release of Marvel's "Iron Man" is generating tons of interest as fans and the industry see the possibility of the first big hit of 2008. In checking out some of the new clips available online, including this one of director Jon Favreau touring the set in a classic Iron Man T-shirt and this clip at Apple, more interesting bits are coming out. I particularly like the twist of Tony Stark naming the computer in the armor "Jarvis." Not only does it give Tony someone to talk to in action sequences, it's a cool way to work in the name of the Avengers' long-suffering butler, Edwin Jarvis. ... Reports have snuck out that Samuel L. Jackson's cameo as Nick Fury has been cut from "Iron Man."

MORE MARVEL: Another pic from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" shows a worm's eye view of Logan's claws. ... Ed Norton, star and co-writer of "The Incredible Hulk," is downplaying the creative differences he had with Marvel on the film.

"THE SPIRIT," "DARK KNIGHT" AND MORE: The first stills from "Will Eisner's The Spirit" came out at IGN, though they depict Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss and Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus rather than Gabriel Macht's titular hero. An image of an action figure based on the lead character has leaked out — as have a bunch of unofficial pics Lionsgate has been quick to take down — show The Spirit's all-black suit with red tie look. ... Check out "The Dark Knight" viral site I Believe in Harvey Dent. ... Pics of action figures from Zack Snyder's forthcoming "Watchmen" have been released, while Snyder himself has lined up the animated "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" as his next film.

DEALS: David DiGilio has been signed to adapt Oni's "The Damned" into a feature film. ... Stan Lee has teamed up with Brighton Partners and Rainmaker Studios to develop "Legion of 5," a new superhero project they plan to turn into a series of CG animated films.

FANBOY DEBATES: A new poll anoints "Batman Begins" as the best superhero movie of all time. ... Is Superman the best superhero or the worst ? Two columnists take sides. ...

New York Comic-Con goes deeper for third outing

The New York Comic-Con is about to kick off its third edition, and while I won't be there this year, the events and programming planned for this year's con move it one step closer to being the No. 2 show in the land after Comic-Con Intl.: San Diego. (Disclaimer: The NYCC is run by Reed Exhibitions, a sister company of Variety parent Reed Business Information.)

The programming this year has a much stronger Hollywood flavor than the previous two years — a function both of the show now having enough of a track record in pulling in attendees for studios to promote their wares to and moving from February to spring dates that are ideally positioned in advance of the summer movie season. (The double good news is that those who are attending won't have to face the freezing river wind walking over to the Jacob Javitz Center.)

Among the goodies: Fox will have a panel on the just-named "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" movie; Disney has panels on Pixar's "Wall*E" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"; Universal will be playing up "Wanted," "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" and, in collaboration with Marvel, "The Incredible Hulk"; WB has "The Dark Knight" and "Speed Racer"; Lucasfilm will talk about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Star Wars: Clone Wars"; Lionsgate is bringing in Frank Miller and Eva Mendes for a panel on "Will Eisner's The Spirit"; and a pair of New Line panels spotlight "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D." On the TV side of things, Sci Fi will again have a big presence promoting "Battlestar Galactica" and "Doctor Who"; Nick and ABC also will be on hand.

If you're a fan of older comics, this is a great convention for meeting some of the the folks who started this crazy business. Joe Simon, co-creator with Jack Kirby of Captain America and recently profiled in The New York Times, will be on hand, as will Golden Age artists Irwin Hasen and Leonard Starr. It will be almost impossible to miss Stan Lee, who will be accepting a "Legend" award, appearing at a VIP reception sponsored by Virgin Comics and Pow! Entertainment tonight at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, and promoting his collaboration with Hiroyuki Takei on the manga "Ultimo" for Viz. There also will be a screening Saturday of the documentary "Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist," followed by an Eisner tribute panel. Mark Evanier will host a  panel about the late-great Jack Kirby, tied in to his recent biography of the master artist.

The show also is marking the announcement of business deals, with TOKYOPOP having three right out of the gate: A multiplatform development deal with Spacedog Entertainment, whose manga "eV" has already come out from TOKYOPOP; a deal with game-maker Blizzard Entertainment to produce three years of manga based on such popular titles as Warcraft and Starcraft; and the company's deal with mobile partner GoComics has been made exclusive.

Meanwhile, Devil's Due is bringing in "Heroes" actor Milo Ventimiglia and producer Russ Cundiff to sign autographs and announce a new comicbook project. Autograph signing schedules also are full; the best resource for those lists is, as always, Heidi McDonald at The Beat.

Platinum's "Atlantis Rising" at DreamWorks

Platinum has sold its second major project to DreamWorks, again working with the rising-star duo of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Transformers," "Star Trek").

Full PR follows:

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS OPTIONS RIGHTS TO PLATINUM STUDIOS’ “ATLANTIS RISING”

Los Angeles, CA (April 16, 2008) - DreamWorks Studios has optioned the rights to make a feature film from Platinum Studios Inc.’s (OTCBB: PDOS) comic book “Atlantis Rising,” it was announced today by Adam Goodman, President of Production for DreamWorks Studios. 

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who brought the project to the studio, will produce through their DreamWorks based company.  Platinum Studios’ Chairman and CEO, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, will also produce.  The Greenberg Group CEO and former Universal Pictures senior executive Randy Greenberg will executive produce and Platinum Studios Rich Marincic will co-produce.

Created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, “Atlantis Rising” is a five-part mini series first published by Platinum Studios Comics in November of 2007.  The fifth and final installment in the series is due on comic book shelves in late April 2008.

In “Atlantis Rising,” seismic disturbances at sea force world militaries to investigate the deepest part of our ocean, where an underground civilization emerges to do war with planet earth.

“Atlantis Rising” marks the second property that DreamWorks has optioned from Platinum Studios.  DreamWorks, along with Universal Studios, optioned the rights to “Cowboys and Aliens” last year and is currently developing the sci-fi western adventure along with Kurtzman and Orci and Imagine Entertainment.

”We are excited about bringing audiences into the vast mysterious world of the ocean's depths for what we hope will be an edge-of-your seat experience,” said Adam Goodman, DreamWorks’ President of Production.  “Our team at DreamWorks looks forward to this new association with Platinum Studios, and Kurtzman and Orci.”

“Atlantis Rising is a provocative sci-fi thriller that at its core, echoes the global debate on our impact to the environment,” said Rosenberg.  “To again be working with the creative duo of DreamWorks and Kurtzman/Orci, I believe will give the project a bold and enthralling take on this classic myth.”
"No sea horses or tridents here," said producers Kurtzman and Orci, "The comic brings a fresh, techno-thriller approach to a story that holds all the tenets of a classic us-versus-them alien invasion movie."
Kurtzman and Orci currently have an overall producing deal with DreamWorks Studios.  They are currently producing the action thriller “Eagle Eye” for DreamWorks which will be released in theaters this September.  They have also written several screenplays for DreamWorks projects, including “Transformers” and “The Island,” and are currently at work on “Transformers 2.”  Among their other writing credits are “Mission: Impossible III,” “The Legend of Zorro,” and next year’s “Star Trek,” which they are also executive producing.    They also served as producers and writers on the hit TV series, “Alias,” and are executive producing the action/drama “Fringe” which is scheduled to debut on Fox in the fall.

Quick hit reviews for 4/14/08

THE INDIES: Maintenance #7-9 (Oni Press, $3.50 each) works because it's a complete concept, albeit one that seems heavily inspired by the flicks of Kevin Smith. Funny, well executed and goofy. ... Having fallen behind on the series, Wasteland #14 (Oni Press, $3.50) was only partially satisfying because it's just a bit too difficult to tell what's going on. Joe Infurnari fills in on art for Christopher Mitten and produces some lovely drawings that nonetheless make it hard to tell who's who from panel to panel. ... Gravel #0, #1-2 (Avatar, $3.99) are solid, hard-core genre entertainment. Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer deliver on the kind of emphemeral mood and thrills that periodical comics can be so very good at but often aren't, anymore. ... Warren Ellis' Anna Mercury #1 (Avatar, $3.99) is more accessible, with a good twist and a heroine that's tough and buxom in all the right places to please the fanboys.

MARVEL: Fantastic Four #554-555 (Marvel, $2.99 each) can only be said to be rockin' cool. Why can't the movies be this cool? Bryan Hitch can draw the hell out of Mark Millar's sci-fi big concept stuff better than anyone. It's still not Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, but what is? ... Secret Invasion  #1 (Marvel, $3.99) kicks off the publisher's next big event with some panache, as Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu deliver an old-fashioned mystery and some fascinating revelations over who truly has been a Skrull. What's going to make or break this is how far it decides to go: too much retconning can annoy fans into rebellion, e.g., The Clone Saga.

DC: Wonder Woman #18 (DC, $2.99) gives the Amazon princess an appealing — albeit a bit light — personality as she takes on the Khunds from way back when. Gail Simone seems to have the best chance of any recent writer to give Wonder Woman the winning mix of action and fun the character has long seemed to need but has rarely ever had. ... Writer Kurt Busiek has been sorely underrated in his excellent run on Superman, and issue #674 (DC, $2.99) is no exception. This is a hip, modern and very cool take on the Man of Steel, lushly illustrated by Renato Guedes. ... Paul Dini brings an enjoyably simple take on Batman to his tales in Detective Comics #841 and 843 (DC, $2.99 each), with a fill in on #842 from Peter Milligan in much the same tone. If you miss the Batman seen on the old 1990s animated series, this is the Batbook for you, even as artist Dustin Nguyen goes for a completely different and stylish look that works just great on the page. ... Grant Morrison shakes up (usually in a good way) every book he takes on, and his version of the Dark Knight in Batman #674 (DC, $2.99) is his most successfully radical-yet-logical take on a classic comic since New X-Men. This is the build up to the Batman R.I.P. storyline, and you can't help but get sucked into the idea while reading this issue that something big and very cool is happening. ... All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #9 (DC, $2.99) sees Frank Miller and Jim Lee make up (a little bit) for Batman and Black Canary doing the nasty on the docks in issue #7. Most of the issue makes fun of Green Lantern (which Garth Ennis did first and arguably better way back in the late, lamented Hitman), but Batman and Robin finally show some emotions recognizable as human and even kind of sympathetic toward the end of this issue. ... Countdown to Final Crisis #3 (DC, $2.99) ticks the clock one issue closer, as Superman and Darkseid duke it out. What's really going to be fun is next issue, as we'll finally get to see the long-promised Giant Turtle Jimmy Olsen in action.

2008 Eisner Awards nominees announced

The nominees for the Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards were announced this morning, with a very diverse group of books and creators being honored.

It's fascinating to see how the Eisner nominations reflect the changes in comics. Take a look back at the 1998 nominees, and you have a list that reflects the times by being very focused on the direct market and the genres most popular in it. The 2008 edition casts a much wider net and puts the focus on graphic novels from a wide number of publishers. While I wish — as always — that the number of categories could be whittled down, this is a fascinating list as much for what I haven't read as what I have.

Congratulations to all the nominees and to the judges, who do a lot of very hard work to arrive at this list. The winners will be announced in a gala ceremony July 25 at Comic-Con Intl. in San Diego.

2008 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees

Best Short Story

• “Book,” by Yuichi Yokoyama, in New Engineering (PictureBox)
• “At Loose Ends,” by Lewis Trondheim, in Mome #8 (Fantagraphics)
• “Mr. Wonderful,” by Dan Clowes, in New York Times Sunday Magazine (accessible online at www.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/magazine/funnypagesClowes.html)
• “Town of Evening Calm,” by Fumiyo Kouno, in Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (Last Gasp)
• “Whatever Happened to Fletcher Hanks?” by Paul Karasik, in I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! (Fantagraphics)
• “Young Americans,” by Emile Bravo, in Mome #8 (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

• Amelia Rules! #18: “Things I Cannot Change,” by Jimmy Gownley (Renaissance)
• Delilah Dirk and the Treasure of Constantinople, by Tony Cliff (self-published)
• Johnny Hiro #1, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)
• Justice League of America #11: “Walls,” by Brad Meltzer and Gene Ha (DC)
• Sensational Spider-Man Annual: “To Have or to Hold,” by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

• The Boys, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (Dynamite)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty, and Andy Owens (Dark Horse)
• Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
• The Spirit, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
• Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzan, Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series

• Atomic Robo, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegender (Red 5 Comics)
• Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, by Peter David, Robin Furth, and Jae Lee (Marvel)
• Nightly News, by Jonathan Hickman (Image)
• Parade (with Fireworks), by Michael Cavallaro (Shadowline/Image)
• The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)

Best New Series

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty, and Andy Owens (Dark Horse)
• Immortal Iron Fist, by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, and others (Marvel)
• Johnny Hiro, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)
• The Infinite Horizon, by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto (Image)
• Scalped, by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guéra (Vertigo/DC)

Best Publication for Kids

• Amelia Rules! and Amelia Rules! Funny Stories, by Jimmy Gownley (Renaissance)
• Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, edited by Jeremy Barlow (Dark Horse)
• Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 and Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, by David Petersen (Archaia)
• The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sis (Frank Foster Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• Yotsuba&!, by Kiyohiko Azuma (ADV)

Best Publication for Teens

• Laika, by Nick Abadzis (First Second)
• The Mighty Skullboy Army, by Jacob Chabot (Dark Horse)
• The Annotated Northwest Passage, by Scott Chantler (Oni)
• PX! Book One: A Girl and Her Panda, by Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson (Shadowline/Image)
• Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)

Best Humor Publication

• Dwight T. Albatross’s The Goon Noir, edited by Matt Dryer (Dark Horse)
• Johnny Hiro, by Fred Chao (AdHouse)
• Lucha Libre, by Jerry Frissen, Bill, Gobi, Fabien M., Nikola Witko, Hervé Tanquelle et al. (Image)
• Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, by Nicholas Gurewitch (Dark Horse)
• Wonton Soup, by James Stokoe (Oni)

Best Anthology

• Best American Comics 2007, edited by Anne Elizabeth Moore and Chris Ware (Houghton Mifflin)
• 5, by Gabriel Bá, Becky Cloonan, Fabio Moon, Vasilis Lolos, and Rafael Grampa (self-published)
• Mome, edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriguez (Villard)
• 24Seven, vol. 2, edited by Ivan Brandon (Image)

Best Digital Comic

• The Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.transmission-x.com
• Billy Dogma, Immortal, by Dean Haspiel, www.deanhaspiel.com/immortal.html
• The Process, by Joe Infurnari, www.theprocesscomic.com
• PX! By Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson, www.pandaxpress.com
• Sugarshock!, by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon, http://www.myspace.com/darkhorsepresents?issuenum=1&storynum=2

Best Reality-Based Work

• Laika, by Nick Abadzis (First Second)
• The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, by Ann Marie Fleming (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group)
• Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)
• Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, by Percy Carey and Ronald Wimberly (Vertigo/DC)
• White Rapids, by Pascal Blanchet (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—New

• The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
• Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga (Sparkplug Books)
• Essex County, vols. 1-2: Tales from the Farm/Ghost Stories, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
• Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Percy Gloom, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• Agents of Atlas Hardcover, by Jeff Parker, Leonard Kirk, and Kris Justice (Marvel)
• Gødland Celestial Edition, by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli (Image)
• James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems, by James Sturm (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, by David Petersen (Archaia)
• Super Spy, by Matt Kindt (Top Shelf)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Strips

• (The Complete) Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, by Winsor McCay (Ulrich Merkl)
• Complete Terry and the Pirates, vol. 1, by Milton Caniff (IDW)
• Little Sammy Sneeze, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press)
• Popeye, vol. 2: Well Blow Me Down, by E. C. Segar (Fantagraphics)
• Sundays with Walt and Skeezix, by Frank King (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

• Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus, vol. 1, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel)
• Apollo’s Song, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
• The Completely MAD Don Martin, by Don Martin (Running Press)
• Daredevil Omnibus, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (Marvel)
• I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
• Aya, by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Obrerie (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Garage Band, by Gipi (First Second)
• I Killed Adolf Hitler, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
• The Killer, by Matz and Luc Jacamon (Archaia)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan

• The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• MW, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
• Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
• New Engineering by Yuichi Yokoyama (PictureBox)
• Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White, by Taiyo Matsumoto (Viz)
• Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, by Fumiyo Kouno (Last Gasp)

Best Writer

• Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Criminal, Daredevil, Immortal Iron Fist  (Marvel)
• James Sturm, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)
• Brian K. Vaughan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC), Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC),
• Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse)
• Brian Wood, DMZ, Northlanders (Vertigo/DC); Local (Oni)

Best Writer/Artist

• Jeff Lemire, Essex County: Tales from the Farm/Ghost Stories (Top Shelf)
• Rutu Modan, Exit Wounds (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Shaun Tan, The Arrival (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
• Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #18 (Acme Novelty)
• Fumi Yoshinaga, Flower of Life; The Moon and Sandals (Digital Manga)

Best Writer/Artist—Humor

• Kyle Baker, The Bakers: Babies and Kittens (Image)
• Fred Chao, Johnny Hiro (AdHouse)
• Brandon Graham, King City (Tokyopop); Multiple Warheads (Oni)
• Eric Powell, The Goon (Dark Horse)
• James Stokoe, Wonton Soup (Oni)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Steve Epting/Butch Guice/Mike Perkins, Captain America (Marvel)
• Pia Guerra/Jose Marzan, Jr., Y: The Last Man (Vertical/DC)
• Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
• Takeshi Obata, Death Note, Hikaru No Go (Viz)
• Ethan Van Sciver, Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps (DC)

Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Ann-Marie Fleming, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group)
• Eric Powell, The Goon: Chinatown (Dark Horse)
• Bryan Talbot, Alice in Sunderland (Dark Horse)
• Ben Templesmith, Fell (Image); 30 Days of Night: Red Snow; Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (IDW)

Best Cover Artist

• John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
• James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Process Recess 2; Superior Showcase 2 (AdHouse)
• J. G. Jones, 52 (DC)
• Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
• Jim Lee, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (DC); World of Warcraft (WildStorm/DC)

Best Coloring

• Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! (Renaissance)
• Steve Hamaker, Bone, vols. 5 and 6 (Scholastic); Shazam: Monster Society of Evil (DC)
• Richard Isanove, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
• Ronda Pattison, Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics)
• Dave Stewart, BPRD, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cut, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); The Spirit (DC)
• Alex Wald, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)

Best Lettering

• Jared K. Fletcher, Catwoman, The Spirit (DC); Sentences: Life of MF Grimm (Vertigo/DC)
• Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! (Renaissance)
• Todd Klein, Justice, Simon Dark (DC); Fables, Jack of Fables, Crossing Midnight  (Vertigo/DC); League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier (WildStorm/DC); Nexus (Rude Dude)
• Lewis Trondheim, “At Loose Ends,” Mome 7 & 8 (Fantagraphics)
• Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #18 (Acme Novelty)

Special Recognition

• Chuck BB, Black Metal (artist, Oni)
• Matt Silady, The Homeless Channel (writer/artist, AiT/PlanetLar)
• Jamie Tanner, The Aviary (writer/artist, AdHouse)
• James Vining, First in Space (writer/artist, Oni)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Comic Art #9, edited by Todd Hignite (Buenaventura Press)
• Comic Foundry, edited by Tim Leong (Comic Foundry)
• The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
• The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael (www.comicsreporter.com)
• Newsarama, produced by Matt Brady and Michael Doran (www.newsarama.com)

Best Comics-Related Book

• The Art of P. Craig Russell, edited by Joe Pruett (Desperado)
• The Artist Within, by Greg Preston (Dark Horse)
• Manga: The Complete Guide, by Jason Thompson (Del Rey Manga)
• Meanwhile . . . A Biography of Milton Caniff, by R. C. Harvey (Fantagraphics)
• Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, by Douglas Wolk (Da Capo Press)
• Understanding Manga and Anime, by Robin Brenner (Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Publishing)

Best Publication Design

• (The Complete) Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, designed by Ulrich Merkl (Ulrich Merkl)
• Complete Terry and the Pirates, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
• Heroes, vol. 1, designed by John Roshell/Comicraft (WildStorm/DC)
• Little Sammy Sneeze, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press)
• Process Recess 2, designed by James Jean and Chris Pitzer (AdHouse)
• Sundays with Walt and Skeezix, designed by Chris Ware (Sunday Press)

Hall of Fame

• Judges’ Choices: R. F. Outcault, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

Nominees (4 will be selected by voters):

• Matt Baker
• John Broome
• Reed Crandall    
• Rudolph Dirks
• Arnold Drake
• George Evans
• Creig Flessel
• Graham Ingels
• Mort Meskin
• Tarpe Mills
• Gilbert Shelton
• George Tuska
• Mort Weisinger
• Len Wein
• Barry Windsor-Smith

Variety View on Comics for 4/10/08

COMICS ON FILM: "Punisher War Zone" director Lexi Alexander writes on her blog that the film's release has been pushed back to Dec. 5. ...  Rogue has tapped Justin Marks to adapt "Hack/Slash," published by Devil's Due. ... A New Zealand newspaper reports  that country may end up hosting George Miller and his "Justice League" movie after the production was denied a tax break in Australia. ... Missed that the Euro-comic "XIII" will be turned into an NBC miniseries starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff.

COMICS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Kick-Ass writer Mark Millar and Ex Machina artist Tony Harris will team up on War Heroes. Coming from Image, the series gets a preview in Wizard #200 Platinum. (Yes, it appears that there is more than one edition of Wizard #200.) ... ... Singer Tori Amos is spearheading Comic Book Tattoo, a 480-page color anthology of comics stories inspired by her songs. Book (art pictured) features an intro from Neil Gaiman, whose Sandman comics Amos has long been a fan of, and will be out in July from Image Comics. ... Platinum Studios  has signed with the Villard imprint of Random House to publish the graphic novel version of Unique, a three-issue comicbook series that's in development at Disney as a feature film. ... Top Cow is going back to press on Witchblade #116, which kicked off the run by writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic. ... DC Comics  will publish a hardcover edition of Watchmen in October that will fit in format and price between the perennial selling paperback edition and the deluxe Absolute edition. ...  Boom! Studios'  experiments with free online publication continues with Giant Monster, currently available in  its entirety on Comic Book Resources. ... Similarly, the sold out Cemetery Blues #1 from Image Shadowline can be read for free at the Image site.

EVENTS: David A. Lewis, writer of such religious-themed comics as "The Lone and Level Sands," and his publisher, Archaia Studios Press, are hosting a three-day symposium called "Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels" for April 11-13 at Boston University. ... British comicbook icon Dan Dare is at the center of a new exhibit at the Science Museum in London called "Dan Dare & the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain," running from April 25-Oct. 25. The hero's current publisher, Virgin Comics, plans to catch up Americans with a panel at the New York Comic-Con  featuring Garth Ennis, writer of the current Virgin series; Peter Hampson, son of "Dan Dare" creator Frank Hampson; and Virgin marketing VP Larry Lieberman.

HELPING OUT: The Major Spoilers podcast is raising funds PBS-style all month for The Hero Initiative. ... Hero also is teaming up with Comix Experience for a one-day Comic Book Boot Camp on making comics that includes face time with the likes of Top Cow chief Matt Hawkins, former Batman writer and editor Denny O'Neil and X-Men writer Chris Claremont. Camp is set for April 17 in New York.

AWARDS UPDATES: The Lulu Awards, given out each year by The Friends of Lulu org, will be presented at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival on June 7 in New York. Org, which encourages women and girls to read and create comics, previously handed out its honors at Comic-Con Intl. in San Diego. ... The noms for the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards have been announced. ... The Diamond Gem Awards winners have been announced, with DC being named the major comicbook publisher of the year. IDW won small publisher of the year; VIZ got the manga nod; and Red 5 was tapped as top new publisher. ... And voting is underway for England's Eagle Awards.

'The Spirit' hype ramps up

Spotted this billboard for Frank Miller's adaptation of "Will Eisner's The Spirit" yesterday on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock:

The countdown widget I talked about the other day can be found at a new site, www.mycityscreams.com.

The zero hour seems to be about 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18. That's a few hours after "The Spirit" panel at New York Comic-Con, so I expect it'll be the online posting of the teaser trailer they plan to show at the con. Seems like a lot of promotion for a teaser trailer when the movie is still nine months away from release, so Lionsgate must be pretty confident that the film will meet the expectations this much promotion this far out will generate.

Quick hit reviews for 4/09/08

Don Pendleton’s The Executioner #1 (IDW, $3.99) may have come first, but this perfunctory script and fuzzy art offer little reason to be more interested in Mack Bolan than The Punisher. … Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter #1 (Virgin, $2.99) is a perfect comics translation of the famous porn star, with artist Mukesh Singh giving readers something lovely to look at but suffering from delusions of grandeur when it comes to story. … Spawn #170-176 (Image/McFarlane, $2.95 each) is actually a very engrossing read, giving some context to Al Simmons’ family life and history with writer David Hine delivering a truly fun Western version of Spawn and featuring some terrific art from Brian Haberlin, Bing Cansino and Gierrod Van Dyke. … Casanova #11-12 (Image, $1.99 each) is a book I’m behind on but enjoying immensely due to the feeling that just about anything can happen and two-color art from Fabio Moon featuring a shade of blue that’s not easy to forget. … Elephantmen: War Toys #2 (Image/Active Images, $2.99) is, as always, worth a look for the outstanding Euro-style artwork by Moritat and excellent coloring and lettering, with this issue featuring some very nice rock tones in a story that engages even though I didn’t read #1.

Variety View on Comics for 4/8/08

Let's try something a little different and see what happens ...

COMICS IN FILM: The Ventura County Star writes about Sparky Greene, a Malibu writer and producer who’s trying to jump-start a new superhero universe through comics only to find that in the comics market it’s a lot harder than it looks (h/t to The Beat) … Boom! Studios continues to rise, with its comic “North Wind” optioned to Davis Entertainment … Ving Rhames, Radha Mitchell and Rosamund Pike have joined the cast of “The Surrogates,” a Disney feature film based on the Top Shelf graphic novel and starring Bruce Willis. … Something is coming for the new Frank Miller film of “Will Eisner’s The Spirit.” A Facebook widget is counting down to something — likely the planned unveiling of the teaser trailer and poster at the New York Comic-Con — and some poster images and photos are starting to le