On comics and other pop culture topics, including archived Comic Book Commentary posts from 2005-2007.
Avi Arad, Marvel's chairman and CEO, spoke with MTV.com about where several of the companies nearly 5,000 characters stand with regards to movie prospects, ranging from X-men 3 to Captain America to Cloak & Dagger.X-Men 3: Regarding Jean Grey's possible evolution at the end of the last movie, however, Arad says, "Dark Phoenix should not be the centerpiece of the movie."Wolverine: "2007/2008" film with Wolverine ("Totally different, just Wolverine's journey").Ghost Rider: Scheduled for August 2006, Arad refers to it as a "morality tale," and that it will have a PG-13 rating and a "Southern rock" soundtrack and ethos.Spider-Man 3: Due…
With less than a week to go, the full court press is on to promote Batman Begins. I stated in a previous post that my Dad asked me when it comes out. The marketing gurus of DC's prized possession must be grinning ear-to-ear when they can get a 52-year old who was never into comics asking that question.2-3 weeks ago the country had only been treated to a handful of trailers promoting the release of the film, but now they're bringing out the big guns.Synergy is the name of the game, and all companies willing to pay, can play. Verizon…
Miller owns up to mistakes, promises 30 years of comics Alias Enterprises burst onto the comics scene a few months back, hot on the heels of a trio of successful titles published under the Image banner: Lullaby, The Imaginaries, and Lions, Tigers and Bears. With multi-page advertising spreads in Previews, and an all-out internet PR-blitz promoting their relatively little-to-unknown creators and/or properties and their $0.75 first issues, Alias was poised to make a bang throughout the month April with an aggressive slate of 12 brand new titles all scheduled to hit the stands before Free Comic Book Day. As the…
If you follow this site at all, you know that when I come across an indie comic I love, I pimp the hell out of it! 100 Girls, Fade From Grace, Western Tales of Terror and Elk's Run have all received an extra helping of rave reviews from me for being superlative examples of great comic books. I've even given away free copies of some of them to ensure they get into the hands of potential fans. A while back, in January's Indie Spotlight, I raved about another comic, Joshua W. Cotter's Skyscrapers of the Midwest, a completely random discovery…
Batman Begins opens June 15th, and the reviews are starting to come in. This weekend at Wizard World Philly's DC panel, lucky attendees were selected for an advance screening. Regular folks like you and me will have to wait a little longer to see DC's crown jewel in all its celluloid glory. I'm eager to see BB; hell, everyone I know is eager. Even my Dad, who's 52 years old and rips me for reading comics, asked me when it's opening!I'm sure rambling fanboy reviews will be flooding the net soon enough, but here are two from the pros. Newsweek's…
Gotham Central: Half A Life TPBIf you're reading more than five comic books a month and Gotham Central isn't one of them, you're wrong.Captain America #6Unlike Winnick's similar Jason Todd-driven storyline currently unfolding over in Batman, Brubaker's take on things doesn't feel lazy and contrived, and isn't reliant on any familiarity with Cap's history or continuity.The Expatriate #2The four-color equivalent of the handheld camera in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Don't wait for the trade on this one, jump aboard now!The Grimoire #3A potential sleeper hit...tailor-made for fans of Harry Potter as well as those who simply enjoy…
Revenge of the Sith is apparently secretly subtitled: "The movie mofos will come see no matter what I do, so I'm just going to geek out on the CGI and not worry too much about the story." Ugh, it was bad! Like Mystery Science Theater bad, just with better special effects. I usually like to stay immersed in a movie, no matter how bad, but this one I just couldn't help making snarky comments about the wooden acting and laughable dialogue throughout. For every potentially powerful moment, like Anakin's offscreen slaughtering of the younglings and the final fight with Obi-Wan,…
